This article is from my monthly column in Supernal Magazine, September/October 2023 edition
A woman scorned and unfairly treated for simply being herself carries a particular type of ire.
In astrology this is represented by Eris, the dwarf planet named after the Greek goddess of strife and discord, angered at being excluded by others who found her unacceptable.
Beginning in August, strongest in September and October, and lasting into December, we all have a window to better assert and mature aspects of this energy as the supportive lunar north node joins Eris at 25º of Aries.
The nodes of the moon represent the evolutionary path of the soul, with the north node or ‘dragon’s head’ point drawing us forth to positive growth and the south node or ‘dragon’s tail’ purging the tired past.
Wherever we’ve shut up and put up to keep our place in the group, Eris and the north node will bang the freedom drum and howl the battle scream extra loudly to ensure we address what’s unfair and oppressive.
This positive karmic energy is helping balance the pain of our uninvited feminine aspects across lifetimes, from relatively minor experiences like being subtly excluded, through to suffering religious and political persecution and many other expressions of disrespect and suppression.
Fairness agitator
In lower expression, Eris’ anger shows up as rabble rousing, aggression and vengefulness. In the Greek myth, she was furious at not having been invited to a wedding due to being ‘troublesome’. Hardly fair considering her brother Ares, the dangerous god of war, was on the guest list.
So she threw a golden apple among the guests addressed 'To the fairest' to cause mayhem as they fought over the title.
Eris in the sign of Aries, where she has been since 1922 due to a 558 year orbit, expresses in shadow with volatile anger, but we can apply a more righteous approach to retribution.
The latter part of 2023 helps us bring Eris’ angry pain and unfinished stories to the surface to be integrated maturely so we can make real change, rather than it erupting unconsciously as strife or childish and selfish rage.
In an interesting synchronicity, in August the latest alleged new strain of Covid-19 was named Eris. Let’s hope this heralds more people standing up for truth around the entire situation.
Riley Gaines nails it
From 2017 to November 2024, transformational Pluto is in a tense and productive square aspect to Eris, bringing themes into the mass consciousness around the feminine rising to claim her place.
A brilliant example of this is seen in American swimmer Riley Gaines, a fiercely dignified voice against men identifying as women competing in female sports.
Riley carries strong Eris energy and expresses it in an evolved manner, making her effective in using indignation to make change.
Her natal chart has the planet of women, Venus, exact on her natal Eris at 19º Aries, just two degrees from her midheaven or career and public reputation point. That she fights for women's rights to compete fairly in the realms of her career in highly visible ways is spot on.
In an interview she summed up key Eris themes in saying “By asking us to smile and step aside and allow this man onto our podiums, taking our spots in the pool, our scholarships, our trophies… is asking us to lie.”
“It hit me in that moment on the podium - if we aren’t willing to stick up for this ourselves, we can’t expect someone else to.”
Destined rising
Eris was only recently discovered in 2003 and before being formally named, was known as Xena after the heroine of the TV series Xena: Warrior Princess, perfectly played by Lucy Lawless.
The recent discovery of Eris in our astrological awareness is in alignment with the rising of the feminine energy back into equality with the masculine in a 24,000 – 26,000 year galactic cycle of evolution called the Grand Precessional Cross.
We are right now in the era of the destined reunion of the feminine and masculine polarities, having experienced what it’s like to believe them separate for the last 12,000 years.
Evolved Eris is destined to rise from the depths to clear the air on grievances and make right what’s been wrong, and these next few months give us all a boost to assert this necessary change.
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