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Eris and the Apple of Discord
NewsScope, September 20, 2006; On September 13, the IAU declared that the distant planet originally referred to as Xena has been officially named Eris after the Greek goddess of discord. The IAU was nearly unanimous on the decision and had the approval of the object's discoverer, Mike Brown, who said that the name was an obvious choice, and "too perfect to resist."
The astronomers' awareness of Eris's symbolic value verges perilously close to astrology, and gives us a starting point for understanding the metaphysical significance of Eris in the horoscope. "Eris" is perfect because her discovery started a squabble among scientists when
Madonna and Eris
International pop star Madonna has been outraging Christian groups across Europe this summer by staging a mock crucifixion during her "Confessions" tour. Her visit to Moscow was no exception, despite pleas from the Russian Orthodox Church. During her last number, she wore a crimson blouse and a crown of thorns while hanging from a giant cross and singing her 1986 hit "Live to Tell".
Eris in Pope Benedict's Horoscope
Last Tuesday, Pope Benedict quoted a 14th-century Byzantine emperor, and thereby seemed to endorse a view held by many Christians: that early Islam was spread by violence. The Pope's speech set off widespread protests across the Islamic world, which continue this week. A New York Times editorial chastised the Pope: "It is tragic and dangerous when one sows pain, either deliberately or carelessly."
Not surprisingly, Eris plays a central role in the Pope's horoscope (April 16, 1927; 4:15 am; Merktl, Germany), so that he becomes the geopolitical demonstration of the Eris principle in action. The Pope's natal Eris is located at 1º01' Aries, where it forms an exact conjunction with Uranus and is also close to his Mercury in Pisces. This three-planet cluster squares Mars in intellectual Gemini.
The Pope's Mars-Uranus square describes his fascination with danger and violence, and his personal tendency to upset the status quo. With Mars in Gemini, and square Mercury, his preferred tools of aggression are debate and pointed commentaries. On September 12, when he made his speech, transiting Mars had just entered Libra, where it activated his Eris complex. Also, transiting Mercury in critical Virgo was exactly squaring his Mars.
Eris has been in Aries ever since the Pope was born. The leader of 1.1 billion Catholics tossed his Apple of Discord as transiting Eris nears his Aries Sun, and his remarks reached a global audience with transiting Pluto right on his Midheaven and trine his Sun. One might expect this chaos to grow, following the nature of the Eris principle, especially since the Solar Eclipse on September 22 happened to align with the Pope's Eris complex.
goddesses Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite each assumed the apple was for her and her alone, which led to a squabble, and eventually the Trojan War. From this ancient tale, we can associate Eris with vengefulness, strife, mounting chaos, and the feeling of being snubbed.
Eris's greatest joy is trouble-making, and when she throws her Apple of Discord, friendships end and wars begin. In geopolitical developments, Eris can bring bad news, since her archetypal pattern resonates with the bomb thrower, and any actions stemming from feelings of being rejected. The Greek poet Hesiod described Eris as "she who is only a little thing at first, but thereafter grows until she strides on the earth with her head striking heaven."
Notice how the 2010 activation of his Eris by several outer planets had an obvious correlation with the Vatican's poor handling of the sex abuse scandal.
Madonna's Eris is located at 9º40' Aries and is found in the eighth house of sex. Her decidedly risque theatrics represent one facet of this archetype, but with Eris exactly quincunx (150º) her Ascendant-Moon-Ceres complex, Madonna personifies the Eris personality. Her sexualization of the modest Mother Mary deity has contributed to her being the most successful female recording star of all time.
Dwarf Planets on this page:
Eris and the Apple of Discord Sept. 20, 2006 - On September 13, the IAU declared that the distant planet originally referred to as Xena has been officially named Eris after the Greek goddess of discord.
Eris in Pope Benedict's Horoscope Sept. 20, 2006 - Last Tuesday, Pope Benedict quoted a 14th-century Byzantine emperor, and thereby seemed to endorse a view held by many Christians: that early Islam was spread by violence.
Madonna and Eris Sept. 20, 2006 - International pop star Madonna has been outraging Christian groups across Europe this summer by staging a mock crucifixion during her "Confessions" tour.
Haumea in American Politics
NewsScope, September 13, 2010; Among planets recently discovered beyond Pluto is Haumea, named after the Hawaiian Goddess of Creation. Astronomers refer to Haumea as a dwarf planet because of her relatively small size, but astrologers are discovering her immense influence over American politics. Although Haumea has some fascinating associations with ecology, evolution and fertility, she's most recognizable as being connected with all things Hawaiian.
Haumea was first sighted in 2004 using a large telescope on Hawaii, which set the stage for naming the planet after a Hawaiian goddess. Due to some classification
* Ms. Chester-Lambert has a lot to say about Haumea, which is recommended reading if you want to learn more about this new planet. See www.midlandsschoolofastrology
problems, astronomers didn't get around to the official announcement until September 17, 2008, only six weeks before Obama was elected. Scottish astrologer Alison Chester-Lambert* notes: "Synchronous with the arrival of a Hawaiian president was the arrival of a Hawaiian planet."
Is it just a coincidence? After Senator Byrd's death, Hawaiian Senator Daniel Inouye (September 7, 1924; 11:00 am; Honolulu, HI), became the longest-serving senator in the U.S., making him third in the presidential line of succession. His Haumea is conjunct Venus at 29º Cancer where it trines his Scorpio Ascendant, so that he gracefully projects all the regenerative power of this mysterious goddess.
Haumea was at 14º30' Libra when the IAU announced her name, which is closely conjunct the U.S. Saturn (at 14º48' Libra). If Saturn represents America's consensus reality, then the discovery of Haumea suggests a growing awareness of the Hawaiian form of spirit, ecology, and a multi-ethnic social pool. Hawaii's horoscope (August 21, 1959; 10:10 am; Honolulu, HI) has the Sun conjunct Haumea at 28º Leo, showing how this great goddess has infused her spirit into Hawaii's very identity.
Here's an on-line ephemeris for Haumea: haumea
Sedna, The Arctic Goddess
of the Sea
NewsScope, September 20, 2010; Astrologers have noticed that the discovery of a new planet coincides with a shift in the collective consciousness in accord with the new object's metaphysical reality. As such, the 2003 discovery of Sedna – named after the Inuit Goddess of the Sea – represents the growing appreciation of the Arctic as singularly important to global warming, since its conditions are changing much more rapidly than the rest of our planet.
Sedna's discovery may also mark the Arctic Ocean as the last frontier for scarce resources. Russia's horoscope (June 12, 1990; 1:45 pm
Mike Brown, Planet Hunter
NewsScope, September 20, 2010; Astronomer Mike Brown is best known for his discovery of Eris, the only known trans-Neptunian object (TNO) larger than Pluto and the reason for Pluto's demotion. But he and his team have also discovered Haumea, Sedna, Makemake, and a number of additional TNOs – all of which makes Brown an exceptionally skilled planet hunter. And as he finds and names new dwarf planets, he's expanding astrologers' interpretive tools.
Mike Brown was born with his Gemini Sun conjunct expansive Jupiter (June 5, 1965; 2:30 pm*; Huntsville, Alabama), a fortunate pairing that bestows success, nobility and popularity through a restless search for meaning and knowledge. Gemini placements imply a natural curiosity, and with Brown's Sun closely aspecting
* Here's an ephemeris for Sedna:
And some insightful articles:
BADT; Moscow) has Sedna at 11º Taurus, where it's conjunct the Part of Fortune at 10º Taurus. In Russia's case, Sedna potentially represents material wealth. Since Sedna is also trine Neptune, its placement suggests that Russia recognizes a fortune can be found around its Arctic coastline in the form of oil and gas.
However, Sedna is also aligned with Russia's Venus-Pluto opposition, indicating an instinctive possessiveness about these resources. On August 2, 2007, Russia planted its flag on the seabed on the North Pole. The technologically difficult stunt aimed to extend Russia's claim to half the floor of the Arctic Ocean, along with its oil and gas deposits. At the time, Russia's progressed
Midheaven was at 11º Cancer, precisely sextile natal Sedna (orb: 0º09').
This week (September 22-23), Russia will host a conference to discuss the environmental, social and economic issues associated with the Arctic Ocean. During this event, Russia's progressed Moon will be at 11º Scorpio, exactly opposite natal Sedna (orb: 0º08'). Over the next few years, the transiting Uranus-Pluto square will activate Russia's Sedna, likely marking a time when the discussions may not be so congenial. As her myth tells us, Sedna can stir up a lot of trouble.
* Birth time is from his mother, which he described in his email to me: "Rumor has it (rumor from my mother) that it was about 2:30 pm, but no one can find a copy of my birth certificate! (guess that means I can't be president)."
For a fascinating blog entry on his discovery of Eris,
all five of the outer planets, his quest becomes trans-personal, one that reaches beyond traditional limits and models.
With a charming Libra Ascendant and his talkative, friendly Sun-Jupiter in Gemini, you wouldn't know that his psyche is relentlessly driven by his self-defined mission statement. Mars in Virgo is the engine that pushes him, since it's placed in the midst of the epochal Uranus-Pluto conjunction where it opposes Saturn and squares his Sun. Mars here is his Inner Warrior who fights to break through old paradigms.
To help corroborate his birth time, Venus, the ruler of his chart, is placed in the ninth house of academia, which is where Professor Brown fights his battles. He was married on March 1, 2003 when his progressed Midheaven was sextile natal Venus. On January 5, 2005, Brown discovered Eris, which he realized would lead to Pluto's undoing. At the time, transiting Saturn was conjunct his progressed Sun, with both sitting right on his Midheaven. That's a career pinnacle!
NeptuneCafe's
Dwarf Planet Front Page
featuring Eris, Haumea and Sedna.
In recent times, thousands of Trans-Neptunian Objects (TNOs) have been discovered using high-tech telescopes. Of interest to astronomers and astrologers alike are those special objects known as Dwarf Planets.
Haumea in American Politics Sept. 13, 2010 - Among planets recently discovered beyond Pluto is Haumea, named after the Hawaiian Goddess of Creation.
Sedna, The Arctic Goddess of the Sea Sept. 20, 2010 - The 2003 discovery of Sedna – named after the Inuit Goddess of the Sea – represents the growing appreciation of the Arctic as singularly important to global warming.
Mike Brown, Planet Hunter September 20, 2010; Astronomer Mike Brown is best known for his discovery of Eris, the only known trans-Neptunian object (TNO) larger than Pluto and the reason for Pluto's demotion.
There's more on Eris in NewsScope October 11, 2010:
Iran's Sun-Eris conjunction, China's Sun-Eris opposition, and Bob Woodward's Sun-Eris conjunction.
she was refused planet status, despite being larger than Pluto. Eris was responsible for the demotion of Pluto, and also reflects the IAU's snubbing of popular opinion regarding Pluto.
These events reflect Eris's primary myth as the goddess who was not invited to a wedding feast. Feeling snubbed, she mischievously tossed a Golden Apple into the party with the inscription "For the Fairest". The
Looking at Madonna's horoscope (August 16, 1958; 7:05 am; Bay City, Michigan), the astrologer might be hard-pressed to understand her persistent drive to upset people, or her mischievous delight in creating chaos all around her. Her maternal Moon-Ceres conjunction right on her modest Virgo Ascendant is a perfect astrological description of her projected image of "Madonna". Pluto nearby intensifies this archetype, bringing it to the masses.
Madonna's Mars-Uranus square indicates a more revolutionary side, but Pope Benedict also has a Mars-Uranus square, and he's certainly not flouting Catholic norms. The picture becomes clearer when we add Eris to the mix. Eris by sign is not much help, since this dwarf planet has been in Aries for a century, but the house position and aspects to other planets tell us where one is most likely to throw an Apple of Discord.
