Alexandre Cabanel , The Birth of Venus. 1863
Eros Transit through LEO |
by Kim Falconer
Eros in Leo? Larger than life, beautiful unapologetically sensually hedonistic! It's like a courtesan—an artiste in bed. – Mystic MedusaEros enters the sign of LEO on August 28, 2006 and transits there until October 1st. This period sees the conjunction of EROS & PSYCHE on the 28th of September @ 27 Leo, the conjunction with Pandora on Sept 15 @ 15 Leo and Persephone on Sept 16th @ 16 Degrees Leo, and Saturn on the 20th of September @ 20 Leo. Check the ephemeris below and see where these transits fall in your natal chart! Also read about Eros decans and the conjunction of Thalia and Eros on August 31 @ 1 degree Leo
Eros now moves through the sign of King of Beasts! What awakens when the god of love links with the regal light of day? What events will be spotlighted? What shadows cast?
Leo represents the vitality of the fiery Sun—bold, commanding, animated. It conducts energy at a higher rate than any other sign, accounting for its enthusiasm, spirit and zest for life. The natural seat of Leo is the fifth house, ruling anything that makes us feel special, unique and creative—children, artistic endeavors, literary works, dance, music, drama, love affairs and speculation.
The Sun oversees individuality, healing, vital force, identity, purpose and destiny. He symbolizes creative expression, power, courage and authority—the place where thoughts turn into actions, and deeds determine the self-worth of the individual.
Where we find Leo in the horoscope is where we need to feel distinct, special and artistic. We want to be in the limelight in some way, affirming our value, worth and merit. The fixed nature of this sign implies tenacity through certitude, giving Leo a reputation for immovable determination. The sights are always set on the future and Leo has no problem imagining how things might be.
Your vision will become clear only when you look into your heart.. Who looks outside, dreams. Who looks inside, awakens. -Carl Jung
Leo rules the heart and Eros through this sign asks us to look deep into our well of love. Is it depleted or brimming? What can we do to honor the god of love? How can we open our hearts to our own creative force without unleashing so much power and will that love is lost?
The brighter the light, the darker the shadow, and no sign shines so brightly as Leo unleashed. Eros now can show us where love has been repressed, where undercurrents flow and the will struggles with willingness.
Dane Rudhyar described the archetype of Leo as “the magician, caught in the glamour of his magic, the leader resonating to the needs of his followers, the master who needs slaves to prove his mastery. He said:
Every “I am” flamboyantly spreads its…intensity in whorls of self-expression and self-glorification. It sees itself pictured in the eyes of being…in the shapes its creative imagination summoned…in walls made alive with arabesques and sounding boards pregnant with a myriad of potential tones.”
Where Rudhyar seeks to humble the pride and egocentricity of Leo, Dennis Elwell encourages Leo in a different way:
“No matter what he is doing, Leo should be encouraged to put the distinctive stamp of his own personality on it.”
Eros now awakens the urge to create, romanticize, mythologize, and connected with the youthful nature of the heart. How will you answer this call to become? Comments and experiences on Eros in Leo welcome on the forum!
Those with natal, progressed or Draconic planets at CRITICAL degrees of the the Fixed signs—9 & 21 —may notice the transit of Eros over theses points particularly as matters come to a head.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 Leo:
The first decan of Leo emanates a strong vitality. Enterprising, confident, noble and devoted to those they love. Needs to shine in the spotlight in some way to emphasize the sense of uniqueness. Somewhat egocentric—very romantic.
10 to 19 59’Leo:
This second decan of Leo adds the abundance of Jupiter and the urge for freedom. Needs open spaces. More abrupt, less diplomatic. The truth is spoken without hesitation. Philosophical, romantic, amorous.
20 to 29 59' Leo:
The Mars decan increases aggressive and assertive powers. Apt to be impetuous and quick to act. Generous, flamboyant and needs independence. Knows what they want and how to get it. Strong romantic intentions.
433Eros and 16Psyche Conjunction
On September 28th, these two asteroids meet again in a fire sign, this time Leo.The last conjunction was at 9 degrees of Sagittarius on the 5th of November, 2003. Now Eros catches up with the immortal Psyche in 27 degrees of Leo, the ARIES decan of this sign. It's FIRE all the way!
The conjunctions of Psyche and Eros, given their eccentric orbits, are inconsistent. Between the end of Nov. 1992 and March of 1996, there was none! The one before the Sag conjunction in ’03 was June 29, 2001 at 23 degrees of Cancer and the next will be February 24, 2009 @ 22 Degrees of Capricorn. The occurrence of this conjunction varies between less than 2 years and 3.5 years. (Orbit of Eros is 1.76 years and Psyche’s is 5 years).
What does this mean, to have PSYCHE and EROS meet up in the sign of the King of Beasts? If you have been teetering on the edge of an artistic project or intimate affair, holding back because of “all the reasons in the book”, you may hold back no longer.
Astrologically, Psyche represents a refined love of union and urge to develop psychic bonds with another. There is a longing and searching quality in Psyche that vacillates between determined progress and hopeless surrender. Both extreme states seem requisite to the process of Psyche’s quest. She knows what she wants, searches for it selflessly, then she finds herself faced with seemingly impossible tasks. She may give up, at this point, in despair, only to find that by surrendering, support appears as if by magic.
Psyche may be our key to developing a sense of inner completion between soul (Psyche) and spirit (Eros), represented and processed through conscious refinement of the external unions and relationships in our life. Psyche may also be the key to increasing our psychic abilities in ways appropriate to our own nature.
By transit, Psyche together with Eros may coincide with the waking up of longings for union, connection and psychic sensitivity to the things and people we love. It could happen in unexpected or even taboo ways! If we are in stagnant relationships, this conjunction may jolt us into wanting something deeper—believing that more is possible. If alone, we may feel the compelling desire to be with someone and attract them into our lives.
This conjunction, if occurring significantly in the natal, progressed or composite chart, may coincide with the break-up of inauthentic unions, the start of something new, the revival of something staid, or a time of withdraw to experience a deeper self-exploration.
When you couple Psyche with Eros you get an alchemist’s cauldron.
Eros will meet the longings of Psyche and spark the fires of transformation and psychic evolution. Spirit defines itself through matter and matter transforms into spirit. The creative and intimate experiences that occur around the time of this conjunction are bound to be momentous. The boundaries are broken, the doors unlocked.
All the fire signs love to mythologize life and finding these two deities in Leo could be like a glimpse of the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow! Just knowing that such epiphanies can occur, makes the daily labor of life more supportable.
There is nothing like a peak experience to animate life, and the PSYCHE/EROS conjunction is all about such heights!
Eros & Pandora
55 Pandora is about going where we 'shouldn't' (according to some) and when linked with Eros, those boundaries can be both creative and sexual. We all know the story. Pandora was a gift from the gods, a woman fashioned with many wonderful attributes, curiosity being none the least. She was given to Prometheus' brother Epimetheus as a punishment for the formers stealing the fire of Zeus and giving it to humankind. Along with her was a box that she was NOT to open. Of course, she did and the results were all the evils imaginable. An original Eve, Pandora is seen as the vial creation of the earth, the bane of all men and the source of all unhappiness,yet her name means "The all gifted one".
Interesting.
The asteroid Pandora represents the principle of impact . It impels to curiosity, restlessness, turbulence, adventurousness, a desire to make a difference or a splash, the urge to "be all one can be," unintended consequences and a process of change, and often indicates many abilities. This is very suggestive of the qualities of Aries, the sign of Pandora's perihelion. Patriarchal distrust of female power led to the ancient Greek demonization of Pandora and, through her, women in general, as the ancient Hebrews and Christians demonized her counterpart Eve. When afflicted, Pandora acts more easily in a socially inappropriate or destructive manner. -- Mark Andrew Holms
Where does this conjunction (about 13-18 Leo) fall in your natal chart? Where will you be breaking boundaries in your inner world? How will that change the face of your outer life? Comments on the forum welcome.
Eros & Persephone
Asteroid 339 Persephone will conjunct Eros and Pandora at 15-16 Leo on the 15th- 16th of September. If this links to a personal planet or angle in the natal chart, read on!
Persephone didn't know what hit her when she met Pluto.
Unrestrained and totally in love, Pluto placed an irresistibly beautiful Narcissus in the midst of a meadow for her to pick. When she did so, he erupted out of the underworld and violently abducted her. He dashed back into the underworld in his raging chariot, Persephone’s screams trailing away on the wind.
They say her cries were heard in the depths of the deepest sea. In the underworld she is raped by Pluto and later she eats six seeds from the Pomegranate. Receiving food in the underworld is the same as receiving a lifetime pass. The ingestion of those seeds sealed her fate as Queen of the Dead.
Her mother Demeter, on the other hand, was not willing to allow that fate to go uncontested. She heard the screams and wasted no time in finding her child. When Demeter realized Persephone had taken nourishment from Pluto she went into a prolonged depression causing all the world to be covered in a frosty winter. Soon people began to starve as the world itself was covered in a death like sleep. Finally Zeus intervened by allowing Persephone to spend part of the year in the underworld with her husband Pluto and part of it with her mother Demeter. In this way the seasons are defined -- when Persephone is with her husband, Demeter morns and the world retreats into winter. When she returns, it is Spring
The separation from MOTHER was a vital part of Persephone's journey. Prior, she was just an extension of the Goddess, but now she claimed her own power as queen of the underworld. The split also freed her up to fall in love with Adonis! That steamy affair created quite a jealous spat between her and Aphrodite, both vying for the youth’s affection. Here we have the kind of relationships where one partner is married to someone else, or living on the other side of the world, or in a situation that otherwise forbids the union. The taboo element of relating moves to new heights with these asteroids conjunct.
An erotic relationship begun at the time of the Eros/Persephone (and Pandora) can break all boundaries, creating a union based on authenticity that transcends any morality or social code. Here we find out what is true, in the heart and soul, separate from society or what we were 'taught' to believe. If nothing else, it will be a journey into the depths of your very soul! Comments welcome on the forum!
Eros & Saturn
“The king can neither ride nor walk, neither lie nor stand: he leans but cannot sit, and sighs, remembering why. At the time of the change of the moon, his pain is great. There is a lake…[and] they bring him there for the fresh air for his painful open wound and he calls that his hunting day. But what he can catch there with his wound so painful would never provision his home.” --Wolfram
Saturn is the traditional antithesis of Jupiter. Where Jupiter expands, Saturn contracts. Where Jupiter optimistically sees hope, Saturn pessimistically sees despair. Where Jupiter has only fiery vision, Saturn embodies concrete reality. Saturn is the form, function and gravity that keeps life on earth from floating off into the cosmos. Without Saturn, there is no physical existence. With Saturn, that physical existence is imperfect.
Saturn, or Kronos, was born a Titan from the union of Uranus and Gaea. Because Uranus found his offspring repulsive, he shoved them back into the bowels of the earth as they emerged. Upset, Gaea plotted against Uranus beseeching her children to aid her plan. None would except Kronos who took the scythe his mother offered and in the still of the night sliced off his father’s genitals and cast them into the sea. From the drops of black blood that fell to the earth sprang the Furies, goddesses of retribution, a few monstrous giants and the Ash Tree Nymphs. From the foaming scraps in the sea arose the wondrous goddess of love, Aphrodite. Kronos then freed his siblings and set himself up as king of the gods.
From the very beginning of his rule, Saturn felt fear and distrust. He was joined with his sister Rhea, yet he so dreaded the power of his offspring he swallowed them whole as they were born. Rhea was not happy.
“Therefore he [Saturn] kept watch, and did not sleep, but waited for his children and swallowed them, and Rhea’s sorrow was beyond forgetting.”
When her sixth child was born, she handed Saturn a swaddled rock instead of the infant Zeus and gave him to the she goat Amaltheia to raise. Later Zeus tricked his father into drinking an emetic that caused him to regurgitate the five siblings. While Saturn sputtered with nausea, Zeus took control and exiled his father to Tartaros. Much later, Zeus finally allowed Saturn to join the heroes in a paradise at the end of the world.
It is interesting, in light of the mythology, how often those with strong Saturn placements experience the climb to and subsequent fall from a place of towering triumph and authority. Here Saturn symbolizes the intrinsic need for recognition, respect and supremacy that sits side by side with overwhelming fear and insecurity.
Saturn can represent an inner pain and apprehension residing deep within the individual. The sign, house and aspect position delineates the nature of that apprehension. They also describe the power that may face the fears and turn the painful flaw to fortune.“Saturn is connected with the educational value of pain and the differences between external values—those we acquire from others—and internal values—those which we have worked to discover within ourselves. Saturn’s role as the Beast is a necessary part of his meaning, for as the fairytale tells us, it is only when the Beast is loved for his own sake that he can be freed from the spell and can become the Prince.” --Liz Greene
Saturn has often been associated with the shadowed side of the unconscious representing all that we keep hidden from ourselves and others. This shadow element can be very painful to face as it is perceived, inside or out, with contempt and disgust. It seems to contain all the unwanted and disowned material of the psyche, yet like the banished Saturn, it also contains the opportunity for a golden age of inner prosperity.
It is important to remember that Kronos/Saturn also ruled over the ‘Golden Age of Man’. Hesiod describes this time as one of festive bliss and plenty.
“First of all the deathless gods who dwell on Olympus made a golden race of mortal men who lived in the time of Cronus when he was reigning in heaven. And they lived like gods without sorrow of heart, remote and free from toil and grief: miserable age rested not on them; but with legs and arms never failing they made merry with feasting beyond the reach of all evils. When they died, it was as though they were overcome with sleep, and they had all good things; for the fruitful earth unforced bare them fruit abundantly and without stint. They dwelt in ease and peace upon their lands with many good things, rich in flocks and loved by the blessed gods.” --Hesiod
Saturn is the lead the alchemist labored to turn to gold. In this metaphor, Saturn’s heavy price of pain and suffering can, with effort and consciousness, lead to the glory and wealth of wisdom and understanding. Our weakest point, the repulsive flaw, may transform into a golden virtue, an attribute of distinction. This transformation, if the tale of Beauty and the Beast be any hint, comes quicker through the application of love than all the hard work or assertion in the world.
Eros and Kronos
In Phoenician mythology,Eros is portrayed as the son of Kronos. In this version, the three daughters of Uranus, Ashtart, Rhea and Dione, are sent to destroy Saturn. Although they are his sisters, Saturn seduces them and makes them his wives. By Ashtart he has seven daughters and two sons, Pothos and Eros. In this myth, as in the dethroning of Uranus that produced the goddess of love, Saturn again brings love into the world. This is not a traditional attribute of the sixth planet from the sun.
When Saturn is in aspect to Eros, the opportunity to transform lead to gold may come though the medium of erotic love. This can mix one of the most agonizing experiences with the most exquisite making pain hard to distinguish from the pleasure. When Saturn and Eros meet we come to know the depths of our flaw, usually appearing before the eyes, in full Technicolor, in the form of the beloved other.
Eros conjunct Saturn can suggest difficulty discerning between an experience of erotic attraction and an experience of abject fear. As Eros awakens, so does Saturn and the initial response can range from wise caution to absolute panic. The alarming thing is that Saturn seems to increase, not destroy, our sense of allure to the other. A kind of fascination develops that spirals around a catch 22 that says the closer we get, the more we fear, the stronger the compulsion for closeness. The magnet attunes to captivate someone with a similar flaw and commensurate fears. This alone can produce tremendous pain, and also tremendous growth and understanding.
Eros linked to Saturn by aspect is like the bond between Beauty and her Beast/Prince. At first, she is terrified of the monster in prince’s clothing, yet to save her father, also a symbol of Saturn, she offers herself to the creature. She willingly places herself in the Beast’s powerful domain, determined to protect her father in spite of her overwhelming fears. The conjunct, trine and sextile aspects may highlight this willingness to enter the realm of Saturn through the medium of erotic love. In this story, it is not long before the young maiden sees beauty where others only see retched ugliness.
Where does this transit fall in your natal chart? (20 Leo) Comments welcome on the forum.
Eros & the Muse Thalia
The Muses were once deities of Spring. Like Nymphs, they were worshiped near lakes, waterfalls and sacred pools. Slowly they changed to demigoddess, presiding over memory and then poetic and artistic inspiration. They were most noted for their choir and for their songs. They also had the gift of prophesy.
Hesiod said they knew “what is, what was and what will be”. He describes their voices as bewitching, something that pleased their father Zeus immensely.
Being a muse is a real job to this day. Fashion designers employ them for inspiration. These employees are always women and their sole purpose is to float around and smile, and sigh and enthuse and encourage. They are beautiful, graceful and often have flowing hair and soft eyes. Sometimes they indicate a design or piece that
pleases them by drawing little hearts next to it. Yes, it’s a real job and apparently well paid. The personification of the Muses is a wonderful creative motivation. It awakens the soul to act.When a Muse asteroid is placed in close aspect to a personal planet or point, the nature of her attributes may be passed on to the native. Certainly, exploring the academic or artistic themes suggested by the Muse would bring a feeling of enthusiasm and fulfillment. Add Eros and you get a bolt of passion and surprise thrown in!
Asteroid 23 Thalia is the muse of comedy, pastoral poetry and agricultural festivals. Actor Jeff Goldblum has asteroid Thalia conjunct his natal Moon in Sagittarius. Vivian Leigh, staring in the film based in the rural South, “Gone With the Wind,” had asteroid Thalia and asteroid Eros in Libra conjunct the natal Vertex in the sixth house. The film certainly was a turning point in her life. (See The Vertex) Marcel Marceau had asteroid Thalia in Capricorn opposite the Ascendant.
Watch this transit and see what awakens in your chart a 1 degree of Leo. Comments welcome on the forum.
From Swiss Ephemeris
Date | Eros | Psyche |
| | |
| LONG | LONG |
------------------------------------------
28 Aug 2006 | 29 cn 11 | 16 le 29 |
29 Aug 2006 | 0 le 6 | 16 le 51 |
30 Aug 2006 | 1 le 1 | 17 le 13 |
31 Aug 2006 | 1 le 56 | 17 le 35 |
01 Sep 2006 | 2 le 52 | 17 le 57 |
02 Sep 2006 | 3 le 47 | 18 le 19 |
03 Sep 2006 | 4 le 42 | 18 le 41 |
04 Sep 2006 | 5 le 38 | 19 le 3 |
05 Sep 2006 | 6 le 33 | 19 le 24 |
06 Sep 2006 | 7 le 28 | 19 le 46 |
07 Sep 2006 | 8 le 24 | 20 le 8 |
08 Sep 2006 | 9 le 19 | 20 le 30 |
09 Sep 2006 | 10 le 15 | 20 le 51 |
10 Sep 2006 | 11 le 10 | 21 le 13 |
11 Sep 2006 | 12 le 6 | 21 le 34 |
12 Sep 2006 | 13 le 2 | 21 le 56 |
13 Sep 2006 | 13 le 57 | 22 le 17 |
14 Sep 2006 | 14 le 53 | 22 le 39 |
15 Sep 2006 | 15 le 49 | 23 le 0 |
16 Sep 2006 | 16 le 44 | 23 le 21 |
17 Sep 2006 | 17 le 40 | 23 le 42 |
18 Sep 2006 | 18 le 36 | 24 le 3 |
19 Sep 2006 | 19 le 32 | 24 le 24 |
20 Sep 2006 | 20 le 27 | 24 le 45 |
21 Sep 2006 | 21 le 23 | 25 le 6 |
22 Sep 2006 | 22 le 19 | 25 le 27 |
23 Sep 2006 | 23 le 15 | 25 le 48 |
24 Sep 2006 | 24 le 10 | 26 le 9 |
25 Sep 2006 | 25 le 6 | 26 le 29 |
26 Sep 2006 | 26 le 2 | 26 le 50 |
27 Sep 2006 | 26 le 58 | 27 le 11 |
28 Sep 2006 | 27 le 53 | 27 le 31 |
29 Sep 2006 | 28 le 49 | 27 le 51 |
30 Sep 2006 | 29 le 45 | 28 le 12 |
01 Oct 2006 | 0 vi 41 | 28 le 32 |
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© Copyright
Kim
Falconer 2006
Leo