Alexandre Cabanel , The Birth of Venus. 1863
Eros Transit through Cancer |
by Kim Falconer
Beauty is a form of genius--is higher, indeed, than genius,
as it needs no explanation. It is one of the great facts in
the world like sunlight, or springtime, or the reflection
in dark water of that silver shell we call the moon.
–Oscar WildeEros enters the sign of Cancer on July 27, 2006 and travels there until August 28, 2006. This period sees the conjunction of asteroid 433 Eros to the 0 Degree Aries Point on the 27th, Lust on July 28th, the opposition with Pallas Athene on July 30th, and the opposition with Hygiea on the 13th of August. Check the ephemeris below and see where these transits fall in your natal chart! Also read about Eros decans and Eros Out of Bounds.
Eros enters the sign of Cancer by crossing the Zero Degree Aries Point on July 27th and transits rapidly through this sign until the 28th of August. What does this mean, to have Eros express through the sign of the Sea Crab? What can happen when the god of love links with Mother Night? Will it be a particularly creative time?
“The deepest experience of the creator is feminine, for it is the experience of receiving and bearing." -- Rainer Maria Rilke
Cancer exemplifies the principal of water—life giving, emotive, sensitive. The water signs are the psychic sponges of the zodiac, taking on the momentum and hue of their immediate environment. The natural seat of Cancer is the fourth house, ruling anything that encloses and protects—the home, family, emotional security, parents, womb and the end of all matters.
Like the symbol of the crab, Cancer can be mute, circumnavigating its desires as opposed to taking the direct route. The intuition is keen and the psychic sensitivity strong. The need here is to experience life through the feelings, merging energy to find no space where one thing ends and another begins. Clearly, these aspects of Cancer are compatible with the desires of Eros!
Cancer is ruled by the Moon, mother goddess of the night. This luminary oversees home, family, nurturing, feelings, survival and intuitive perceptions. She symbolizes creativity, sensitivity, fluctuation and the non-rational—the place where all experiences are filtered through the latent and hidden realm of the unconscious: dark, mysterious, unknown.
Where we find this sign in the horoscope is where we need to nurture, protect and feel an emotional attachment. Eros wants to merge, create and transform and in this sign, he wants to hold on to a sense of security, connected-ness and natural belonging. Cancer longs to express emotions and when this sign says I feel, we must fill in all the blanks: I feel what? Do you know?
Calm and comfortable with intimacy—and sometime voracious in appetite—Eros in Cancer has a great capacity for emotional closeness. This sign is genuinely mothering, supportive and receptive, possessive and ruthlessly primitive. Cancer must give to feel needed and receive to confirm the free flow of emotional energy between others.
As Eros enters CANCER, he crosses the AP. Those with planets or point close to zeros degrees (AP), take special notice.
Because the Aries Point is associated with collective experiences, this transit may link to the exposure of "hidden love", especially if it contacts a natal planet or point at zero degrees of a CARDINAL sign. Feelings kept secret, even from ourselves, rise up and demand acknowledgement. Clandestine affairs may be revealed, passionate artistic endeavors awarded, or transformational relationships recognized in the public eye. Issues of social pressure and the expectations of THEY could press us to make choices for or against out heart's desire.
Where will Eros be in your chart as it transits CANCER? What aspects will it make and what natal configurations will it “trigger” in the next 34 days? Remember, the need is to express feelings, find security and bond on a deep level in the area of life represented by the house(s) Eros transits and the planets touched off at this time. The following table of Decanates and ephemeris will help pinpoint other significant days.
Those with natal, progressed or Draconic planets at CRITICAL degrees of the the Cardinal signs—0, 13 &26—may notice the transit of Eros over theses points particularly as matters come to a head. (Comments and experiences on critical degrees welcome on the forum!)Decanates
It may be mentioned that these influences (decanates) are real and actual in their natures, quite as much so as those of the signs.
--Alan Leo
The elements of the signs are divided into decans, or divisions of 10 degrees. There are several traditional ways to assign the decanates--the following being my favorite.
Here each sign is divided into three lots of 10 degrees, the first taking on the nature of the sign itself. The second decan takes on qualities of the next sign in its element and the third taking on the subsequent sign of its element. The sub-rulers, and their aspects to other planets and the original sign ruler, are always important to consider.
0 to 9 59 Cancer:
The first decan of Cancer is pure WATER, cardinal, unconscious, emotive. It responds to life through the feelings, not the intellect. Very receptive and often shy unless there is a strong nuance of strength (prominent Mars). Acute survival instincts. Gives to feel love.
10 to 19 59’Cancer:
The second decan of CANCER combines the Moon with PLUTO/MARS. The mystical and occult interests are strong. Very willful, and not nearly so shy! Needs erotic experience to feel loved and nurtured. Capable of deep intuitive insights and intense focus.
20 to 29 59' Cancer:
The Neptune/Jupiter decan of CANCER increases the need to express passion, compassion and divine union. Extremely emotional and conducive to psychic development and paranormal perceptions. Neptune sensitizes an already hypersensitive sign and Jupiter expands expands it, giving it confidence.
Eros Out of Bounds by Declination!
Eros is running Out-of-Bounds by Declination (29 degrees '29 currently (July 27th) to 23 degrees 27' (August 31, 2006).
Out-of-bounds planets are any that have a declination greater than 23 degrees 27’. The declination is the angular distance of a planet north or south of the celestial equator. Out-of-Bounds simply means “outside of the boundary of the ecliptic”, or the path of the earth’s orbit around the sun. (This is the apparent path of the sun through the sky.) Because of the tilt of the earth’s axis, the sun appears to stay within 23 degrees 27’ north of the equator and 23 degrees 27’ south of the equator. Anything “outside” of that is considered “Out-of-bounds”.
What does it mean to have Eros beyond the ecliptic by declination? We know that out-of-bounds personal planets in the natal chart act in more EXTREME ways. They are on the edge—beyond the boundary. They express beyond the normal parameters because their energy is excessive and zealous in nature. It is really “out there”.
“I've found that generally the higher the degree of declination, the more pronounced the effect of the out-of-bounds planet will be, whether this is expressed in terms of greater accomplishment for the native or in some type of abnormal behavior.” –Pamela Welch --Read her complete article on Out-of-Bounds Declinations.
Out-of-bounds can be extreme creative expression, extreme passion, extreme delusion or extreme degradation. The operant word, of course, is extreme. Out-of-bounds does nothing in halves and when you have a body like Eros in the extreme, you can start to get the picture of what this might mean. After all, Eros creates chaos at the best of times!
Eros flies over the earth and over the loud-roaring salt sea and bewitches the one on whose frenzied mind he darts, winged and gold-gleaming, he bewitches the whelps of the mountain and those of the sea, what the earth brings forth and what the blazing sun looks down upon, and likewise mortal men. --Euripides*
What might be that “bewitchment” when Eros knows no bounds?
As you might guess, people with an out-of-bounds planet tend to know no boundaries and accept no limits. Often there's no stopping them. This can result in boundless creativity and success, allowing the native to go way beyond the potential that one might normally expect. However, an out-of-bounds planet can also be negatively expressed, leading to abnormal or unstable behavior which is outside the accepted standards of society. Its energy can indicate a tendency toward mental one-sidedness or at the very least create a lot of pressure and stress in an individual's life. –Pamela Welch oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo To the Top
Eros & Lust
4386 Lust is about joy, beauty and enthusiasm for the 'other' be that a creative project, individual or ideal. The asteroid was named for it's discoverer, whose family name was Lust. The word is derived from Old-English term for desire, originally from a Germanic which also originated High German lust meaning 'wish, desire'. This asteroid seems to be about a Lust for Life and passion for connection.
Lust can also haves feelings of hunger…something that takes control of us! Certainly we are finding a lot of significant Lust contacts in synastry charts. Lust seems a reliable indicator of attraction, at the least. Mix it up with the conjunction to Eros on the 28th of July (they have been traveling neck and neck for weeks!) and we might find one very strong love potion.
There is a (lengthy) article on the name asteroids and Lust in the charts of Bill Clinton et al. It’s worth a read. Jacob Schwartz has a good style and gets his ideas across on how these asteroids function in the natal charts!
Read it here!Those interested in exploring this further, please visit the forum!
Eros & Divine Strategist Pallas Athene
Each of the FOUR MAJOR asteroid goddesses represents an aspect of the feminine—an aspect of inner relationship to the anima—that is meaningful to both men and women. When strong by house placement, sign or aspect in the chart and especially when linked with Eros, greater understanding of our relationship needs can be gained by their study.
Ah, would that flashing-eyed Athena might choose to love thee even as then she cared exceedingly for glorious Odysseus [220] in the land of the Trojans, where we Achaeans suffered woes. For never yet have I seen the gods so manifestly shewing love, as Pallas Athena did to him, standing manifest by his side. If she would be pleased to love thee in such wise and would care for thee at heart, then would many a one of them utterly forget marriage.” --Apollodorus
Eros oppose Pallas Athene on the 30th of July at 3 degrees of Cancer-Capricorn. What does this mean, particularly if it aspects a planet of point in the natal, composite or progressed chart?
Athene’s brand of love was protective, supportive and reportedly asexual. She also was, at heart, very much her father’s daughter. Leaping from the wound in Zeus’s head after Hephaestus, or perhaps Prometheus, split it with an axe, Athene was born full grown, dressed in golden armor and screaming a war cry. She proceeded to protect heroic men, guard the city of Athens and was worshiped as the goddess of war-craft, strategy, craftsmanship and wisdom.
Unlike other Olympians, Athene was completely trusted by her father Zeus. She even got to use his thunderbolts and aegis. She holds no resentment towards him for swallowing her mother Metis, goddess of wisdom, and seems to reserve her attachments and allegiance to the king of the gods alone.
Born without a mother, Pallas Athene is in some ways a magnificent and beautiful extension of Zeus, representing pure intellect untouched and uncontaminated by the corporeal. His favorite child, Zeus indulges her every wish, even in the face of censure from the other Olympians.
Just as Pluto/Hades may be seen as a phallic representation of the matriarchal principal of death and regeneration, so Athene may embody a female image of the masculine principals of rational thinking, will and intellect. She is a representation of objectivity, fairness and justice. The power of her sword is as keen as the cutting edge of her mind and she was often called to arbitrate disputes, her impartial decisions being final. Athene takes us out of the world of raw instinct and desire, educating us to the realm of objective thought, unbiased choice and organized strategy. Pallas Athene, although regarded as femininely beautiful, is an androgynous figure, a goddess at home in the masculine realm. Athene was also adamantly chaste.
Her avoidance of sexual intimacy with men or gods appears different from other virgin goddesses who, although they aligned themselves with no man, they still enjoyed the passions of lovemaking and rearing the resultant offspring. Athene, by most accounts, never gave birth and had no direct descendent. Although she shunned intimacy, she was loved and pursued by Helios, Hephaestus and some say Hercules. None of these gods or men triumphed and never, it seems, did Eros or Aphrodite cause her to fall in love, at least not in the traditional sense.
Portrayed as sexually celibate, Athene was passionate about her crafts, battles and the heroes she protected. She is reported to have transformed the blood of Medusa into a healing potion and is associated with the medicinal arts. Creative, multitalented and dedicated, Athene may not lay with man or god, but she does not withdraw from them either. She seeks the company of men and relates to them as their divine counselor, protector and guide.
When Eros aspects Pallas Athena meet , love’s passionate desires may erupt in the form of creative inspiration, devotion and a longing to transform through intellectual expression. Compatible signs and aspects such as the trine and some conjunctions may express though burning inspiration, new ideas and the urge to develop them.
Sometimes, especially with the opposition, Eros and Athena can clash. There can be a tendency to keep the romantic side of life completely separate from the creative or work life because they seem so divergent. One can provoke and stimulate the other, yet finding a way to integrate the two may be challenging. A woman with Pallas Athena exactly conjunct the Ascendant in Leo square Eros in Scorpio led two completely separate lives. By day, she wrote screenplays and other literary works and was seen by her coworkers as devoted, brilliant and celibate. By night, her secret life revealed a propensity for young men, enjoying erotic pleasures at her own discretion yet never letting the two worlds overlap.
Check were this transit is occurring in your natal chart!
Those interested in exploring this further, please visit the forum!
Eros & Hygiea
According to Greek Mythology, through his marriage with Epione, which in Greek means 'soothing' and who was known as a healer, Aesclepius fathered many children. One of his daughters was Hygiea (Roman: Salus), the goddess of health and welfare with whom the word 'hygiene' originates.
Hygiea is usually depicted with a serpent drinking from a cup held in her hand. This has become the internationally recognized symbol of Pharmacopeias, where the bowl represents medicine and the snake potency. Hygiea is associated with the maintenance of health, specializing in prevention, as a sort of physiognomy or person who takes care of healthy people and assists them in maintaining well-being.
Astrologically, this asteroid is linked to medical concerns, health studies and the support of well-being. It is a strong indication of health and fitness.
The conjunction with Eros might activate the energy of Hygiea in surprising ways. There could be passionate or creative awakenings during routine health or dental check-ups! It would certainly be interesting to note who pops into the gym or joins the sports team or spa this month. If the conjunction occurs on a personal planet or point between 13 and 17 degrees of Cancer, one may be an antenna for this energy.
From Swiss Ephemeris Date Eros LONG DECL |
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© Copyright
Kim
Falconer 2006
Cancer