Alexandre Cabanel , The Birth of Venus. 1863
Come back to me, Gongyla, here tonight,
You, my rose, with your Lydian lyre.
There hovers forever around you delight:
A beauty desired. -- SapphoEros enters the sign of Virgo on September 30, 2006 and transits there until November 2, 2006. This period sees the the conjunction with the asteroid Sekhmet on the 30th of September at 0 Virgo, the conjunction with Fortuna on the 9th of October @ 8 Virgo, the opposition of Eros & Uranus on the13th of October @ 11 Virgo, and the conjunction with the transiting South Lunar Node on October 27th at 24 Virgo. Check the ephemeris below and see where these transits fall in your natal chart! Also read about Eros decans and the constellation of Virgo.
What does this mean, to have Eros express through the symbol of the "virgin", the sacred feminine who relies on no one but herself for her sense of identity? What awakens when the god of love links with Virgo's ruler,the quick silver messenger, winged Mercury?
Think about Virgo-She symbolizes the possibility to learn and transform oneself through a personal crisis—which may mean a catharsis.
(CRISIS, from the Greek KRINEIN, meaning to separate, distinguish, judge, decide) A decision is the act of accepting to become different from what one has been—thus the acceptance of change and self transformation. -- Dane Rudhyar
The operant words here are Change and Self-transformation. After all, Virgo is a mutable sign. That means fluid and transforming!
Virgo’s power can express in the finely tuned development of skills, discernment and exactitude. Represented by the Virgin Goddesses, Virgo’s resources include an animated and perceptive mind, quick assessment of precarious situations, flexibility of thought, articulate communication and the famous critical eye.
The natural seat of Virgo is the sixth house, ruling the health and well-being of the body, the link between psyche and soma, and anything that assists the ways and means in which we accomplish our needs: service, employment, pets, gadgets and ritual magic. The relationships of this house are unequal, forming their basses from how one thing might enhance or support another.
Virgo is ruled by Mercury, quicksilver messenger of the gods. Co-ruler of Gemini, this planet oversees communications of all kinds, commerce, teaching, learning, expression through the written or spoken word and objective observation. It is Virgo’s link with Mercury that gives extra zest and vigor, making it the most lively and inquisitive of the Earth signs. Virgo also expresses Mercury’s aptitude for efficiency, systematic organization and the hard work necessary to turn thoughts into language, interchange and effective expertise.
With Eros in Virgo, there could be a lot of systematic or analytical thinking, and re-thinking, about erotic relationships of all kinds!Communication blunders may not be unheard of.
Where we find Virgo in the horoscope is where we need to analyze and discriminate, keeping what is valuable and eliminating what is not. Virgo by house is an area of life were we need to be organized, refine our purpose through talents, skills and abilities and use our vibrant nervous energy in creative and productive ways.
Is Eros here going to be "all talk and no action"?
No way!
"...Virgo stand(s) for instrumentation, implementation and technical competence.” –Dennis Elwell
Eros in Virgo may want to explore the depths of the erotic in very tangible ways! Virgo is a sensual sign, and with Eros here, we are likely to notice all the little details of taste, touch, smell, sound, and visual observation. Eros will want to experience life through a duality of inputs, being mentally tuned by Mercury and at the same time acutely aware of the body through association with the earthy element.
With this Eros transit, we may be able to synthesis the two, bringing articulate intellectuality to the experiences of the senses and exploring physically the ideas of the mind. If change is necessary, Eros transiting through Virgo may bring the CRISIS that enables us to separate, distinguish, judge and decide on issues relating to the house and planets contacted. It could be dramatic, and productive!
Where will Eros in Virgo affect your chart the most? Which houses and what planets will be activated over the next 32 days? The passage of Eros in Virgo is a time to honor intimacy, passions and desires through tantric sensuality, sacred sex, direct communication and ritual with nature. Take time to attend to the finer details in life by reflecting on the virtue or vice of all the little things. By eliminating what is no longer genuine and respecting what is, life itself becomes more authentic and more meaningful.
CRITICAL DEGREES
Those with natal, progressed or Draconic planets at CRITICAL degrees of the the Mutable signs—4 & 17—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 Virgo:
Active and astute mind that needs to come out of its shell. Shy and restrained, feelings are contained inside many potent thoughts. Working with others brings expression to its fullest glory.
10 to 19' 59 Virgo:
This decan awakens ambition and pragmatic concerns. Stabilizes the restless Mercury so that much can be achieved. More serious, slightly less optimistic. Desire to teach and learn.
20 to 29 59' Virgo:
The Venus decan brings creativity, sensuality and a desire to socialize to an otherwise analytical Virgo. Less compulsive in nature; more incline to embrace the circle of friends. Needs sensual, social outlets.
Eros and Sekhmet
'May the goddess Sekhmet raise me, and lift me up. Let me ascend into heaven, let that which I command be performed in Hikuptah. I know how to use my heart. I am master of my heart-case. I am master of my hands and arms. I am master of my legs. I have the power to do that which my Ka desireth to do. My Heart-Soul shall not be kept a prisoner in my body at the gates of Amenty when I would go in in peace and come forth in peace.' -- Egyptology
Eros will conjunct asteroid 5381 Sekhmet on the 30th of September at 0 Virgo, ushering in the energy of Eros into the earthy nature of this sign. Asteroid Sekhmet takes about 336 days to orbit the sun and crosses the paths of Venus, Earth and Mars. You can see and animation of her orbit or read more astronomical details.
With this conjunction, the god of love meets the lion headed goddess, a potent, wild and voracious energy, one that was initially brought into creation by her father Ra to destroy humankind. (They were behaving very badly and he wanted to bring them into line.) She is linked to the cat goddess Baset and together they make the goddesses of the West (Sekhmet in robes of red) and the East (Baset in robes of green). Rituals were done daily to appease her wrath so that she would protect the people and not annihilate them. She is linked to the Sun--uniquely a female and a solar deity--and pierces her enemies with arrows of fire. Her husband/brother is Ptah, a creation god. He is an intellectual deity, using words and language to create the world. Their offspring Nerfertem, is the water lilly of the sun, god of perfume (think aromatherapy) and a healer.
Eros and Sekhmet could make a potent brew of ecstasy, unleashing unleash some wild forces into the life for a time. If you have any personal planets, from the Moon to Jupiter, or an angle or other point in close orb of 0 degrees of the mutable signs, this could be like lighting a stick of dynamite under a stagnant belief or situation. Please feel free to share your view about this conjunction on the forum.
Eros & Fortuna
“… the shafts neither of fire nor of the stars exceed the shaft of Aphrodite, which Eros, Zeus's son, hurls forth from his hand.” Euripides
On the 9th of October Eros will conjunct the asteroid 19 Fortuna @ 8 Virgo.
When Eros is linked to the Fortuna, erotic union and creative passion can evoke a sense of radical change, surprise and delight. Fortuna is a goddess of fate and destiny. She is equated with the exultation and wonder of achievement through shifting perspectives, not necessarily in a pragmatic sense but in a way that is indicative to the sign and house involved. Virgo suggests that through insights, compare and contrast analysis of situations and a tangible 'grock' of a situation can bring a 'new reality'.
Eros here can enhance and draw attention to Fortuna bringing a sense of rightness and completeness to the deeper aspects of merging or creation. Sometimes things that were a struggle start to fall into place once a deeper, intimate relationship is formed. Sometimes they fall apart. Other times it is the relationship itself that coincides with or heightens the sense of meaning. The two qualities, Eros and Fortuna, become linked. One does not act without the other. Erotic transformation or creative expression can coincide with feeling “lucky” or "Wow, where did that come from?"
Those with personal planets and point within a few degrees of 8 Virgo may notice this conjunction most strongly. Considering where 8 Virgo falls in the natal and progressed chart is helpful for anyone at this time.
Eros & Uranus
“Man always has some mental reservation, even in the face of divine decrees. Otherwise, where would be his freedom? And what would be the use of that freedom if it could not threaten Him who threatens it?” --Carl Jung
Eros moves into the opposition of Uranus on the 13th of October at 11 Virgo.
Traditionally, Uranus is a symbol of pure, unadulterated mental intellect. He is also called Sky, Starry Sky or Starry Heaven and rules the cool and orderly realm of perception, consciousness and rational thought. The original god of the heavens, Uranus is not concerned with the base and earthy life, the imperfections of fallible beings or the raw desires of nature. Paradoxically, those things most repulsive to him are precisely what he creates in his offspring with Gaea.
Uranus, or Ouranos, was born without union from Gaea/Earth. As the personification of the sky, he is first ruler of the universe and mate of Gaea. He populates the earth with the first born races, the Hecatonchires, the Cyclopes and the twelve Titans. His creations give him quite a shock.The Hecatonchires are hideous giants with great might and size, each having one hundred hands and fifty heads. They offended and appalled the pure intellect of Uranus and, repulsed, he hid them away in a secret place of the earth as soon as each one was born.
When Gaea gave birth to the Cyclopes, who had only one eye on their forehead, he was equally revolted and, in spite of their god like strength, he bound and cast them into Tartaros in the depths of the underworld. They described it as gloomy place as deep bellow the earth as the starry heaven was above. In other words, he banished them as far away from himself as he possibly could.
When Gaea gave birth the race of Titans, she was starting to get very annoyed. She could not forget the fate of her other offspring and convinced Kronos, her youngest son, to displace him. He and the other Titans, all except Oceanus, agreed as Kronos lopped off the genitals of Uranus and tossed them into the sea.
From the black drops of Uranus' blood, which fell upon earth, were born the Erinyes. Also born from the dark blood were the Giants and those Nymphs called Meliads. However, the remains Kronos threw away were swept over the sea for a long time. Finally from the white foam which spread around them Aphrodite was born.
This horrific insurrection produced the sisters of retribution, giants, nymphs and the ravishing Aphrodite. It seems the strife inherent in Saturn and Uranus can result in a variety of spawn, the least of them the goddess of beauty and love.
Eros and Uranus
There is little direct relationship between Uranus as starry sky god and Eros as son of Aphrodite; However, according to Hesiod, Eros was the incorporeal essence of love, one of the original four deities, Chaos, Gaea, Eros and Tartaros. In this context Eros comes before and caused all things to mingle .
The Archetypes of Eros and Uranus contrast markedly. Where Eros delights in raw intensity and creative union, Uranus is repulsed by potentially suffocating imperfection. He would rather stay in his ivory tower of ideals than venture into the studio of da Vinci, or worse, van Gogh. He would rather search the cosmos for perfect meaning than entertain the fiery passions that lead to the turbid depths of merging souls. Uranus and Eros want different things and in turn have different things to offer. When the two are linked by aspect, conflicting needs surface.
The opposition offers the opportunity to distinguish between the two gods, but not without effort. If Eros is awakened, so is Uranus and the deviant urges can be a source of confusion and discord. Understanding the complexity of needs can lead to their integration. At a very minimum, they can take turns.
Eros linked to Uranus can reflect, like Venus/Uranus contacts, a classic love/will dilemma or a freedom/closeness dilemma. This is often played out as an intense desire for erotic union or creativity followed almost simultaneously by a distinct urge to escape, assert the will or obtain freedom through independence. It can earn us the dubious title of “fickle” very quickly as well as create doubts about our own needs and desires.
When Eros is in aspect to Uranus, by any aspect, both freedom and union are essential in the form of independence and closeness, merging and detachment. The divergent needs are all valid and because they are so conflicting, the mechanism of projection often comes quickly to the rescue.
In the case of an erotic attraction, this may live out with one person wanting to pursue the union to the depths of the underworld and the other wanting to keep things superficial, eccentric or frivolous. In this way, both needs are meet in the actions of the couple although they are not experienced within one person. The resolution may be extremely frustrating, not the least because the roles may reverse many times in the course of the relationship. Coming to terms with such opposing needs may necessitate experiencing them completely within our self.
This complex dilemma seems ancient enough as it echoes in this prayer/dialog between Sappho and Aphrodite.
“Then you my goddess with your immortal lips smiling
Would ask what now afflicts me, why again
I am calling and what now I with my restive heart
Desired:
“Whom now shall I beguile
To bring you to her love?
Who now injures you, Sappho?
For if she flees, soon shall she chase
And, rejecting gifts, soon shall she give.
If she does not love you, she shall do so soon
Whatsoever is her will.”Sometimes Eros in aspect to Uranus can indicate an attraction to an unconventional or zany union or creative enterprise. This may or may not sit well with the rest of the nature and if it does not, the conflict can cause great hardship. Some individuals with strong Eros/Uranus cut off, dramatically and decisively, from the world of erotic union, seeming to make a conscious choice to retreat into the ivory tower of academia or other such conceptual sanctuaries. Although ultimately, like the Starry Sky after his creative offspring castrated him, life without Eros is life without power.
It is perhaps important to recall that the genitals of Uranus brought forth the goddess of love, and without them, although Aphrodite herself flourished, Uranus certainly did not. With an aspect between Eros and Uranus, the effort to honor both gods by keeping them, and their needs, entire seems by far the best course.
Eros & the South Lunar Node
When you stop imagining someone else is going to fulfill you, you may begin to fulfill yourself. --Ean Begg
The North and South Lunar Nodes are imaginary points that mark the crossing of the Moon, up and down as it were, over the ecliptic, which is the imaginary path of the sun around the Earth. The operant word here is imaginary.
The nodes are not real in the typical sense of the word. Yet in spite of their hypothetical existence, the Nodes are significant points that offer meaningful and applicable guide posts in any astrological interpretation.
“[The Nodes] link together the solar principle, the lunar principle and the principle of the Earth. The points are derived through the movement of those three bodies, and I actually think the Nodes are an attempt…to balance solar principles and lunar principles within the body on the earth plane. In some ways, the Nodes indicate a struggle between the pull of the past and new qualities or traits or choices that need to be made.” --Howard Sasportas
The Nodes represent a pull in opposite directions and the South Lunar Node, also known as the Dragon’s Tail or Cauda Draconis, pulls us into the direction of the past. This represents instinctive desires that call us back to a place where we feel, if not comfortable, at least familiar. Like the Moon and her association with intuitive impulses, the South Lunar Node can operate without conscious volition. It is an automatic response.
The North Lunar Node, the Dragon’s Head or Caput Draconis, by contrast, pulls us into their future. It represents the areas of life where we can, with conscious effort and choice, break new ground and obtain valuable new experiences. Like the Sun, the North Lunar Node, when approached with courage, awareness and a sense of new possibilities, brings consciousness and growth.
The two Nodes are always diametrically opposite, represented by opposing signs and houses. Some astrologers suggest that the South Node is where something is relinquished and the North where something can be gained.
The Lunar Nodes also pertain to people that we attract. An activated South Node can indicate a person from the past that suddenly reemerges. It often works out that these South Node people require help or assistance to varying degrees. Even those with a personal planet sign corresponding to our South Node sign can seem to need assistance most regularly.
An activated North Node, conversely, can indicate new people that enter the life offering opportunity, alliance and aid. Transits and progressions here can indicate someone new presenting a challenge, opening or fresh direction.
Eros/Nodal aspects are most significant when they are the conjunction or opposition. These angles seem to reveal consistent results were the lesser aspects can have diminished relevance. It is important to remember that any aspect to one Node indicates a link with the other because they are in exact opposition. This means regardless of the angle, both Nodes are irrefutably involved. When Eros is implicated, the Nodal axis heats up.
Eros conjunct the South Node suggests at time when the experience of the erotic is instinctual and familiar. If this conjunction touches a personal planet or point, we may fall into deeply intimate unions, perhaps even at the avoidance of unfamiliar yet necessary new experiences. In some cases, Eros becomes obsessive giving the individual an erotic overtone that dominates the life wile it is in effect. Because the South Node indicates the familiar, Eros can also be used as a mask or defense against exploring any new territory, inner or outer. Going back to a familiar relationship that you know is not authentic falls under this category of responses.
A planet conjunct the South Node can indicate a need to rebuild a new and creative quality relating to what that planet represents. When Eros is there, a new or different approach to Eros needs development so that its innate positive qualities are enhanced but not over done. If the South Node represents things already well experienced, it may be important to use the positive aspects of the sign, house and planets associated with the North Node to further new and unfamiliar experiences.
From Swiss Ephemeris Positions of Eros Date Long Decl ------------------------------------- 30 Sep 2006 29 le 45 12°20 01 Oct 2006 0 vi 41 11°54 02 Oct 2006 1 vi 36 11°28 03 Oct 2006 2 vi 32 11° 2 04 Oct 2006 3 vi 28 10°36 05 Oct 2006 4 vi 23 10°10 06 Oct 2006 5 vi 19 9°43 07 Oct 2006 6 vi 14 9°17 08 Oct 2006 7 vi 10 8°50 09 Oct 2006 8 vi 5 8°23 10 Oct 2006 9 vi 1 7°56 11 Oct 2006 9 vi 56 7°30 12 Oct 2006 10 vi 51 7° 2 13 Oct 2006 11 vi 47 6°35 14 Oct 2006 12 vi 42 6° 8 15 Oct 2006 13 vi 37 5°41 16 Oct 2006 14 vi 32 5°14 17 Oct 2006 15 vi 28 4°46 18 Oct 2006 16 vi 23 4°19 19 Oct 2006 17 vi 18 3°51 20 Oct 2006 18 vi 13 3°24 21 Oct 2006 19 vi 8 2°56 22 Oct 2006 20 vi 2 2°29 23 Oct 2006 20 vi 57 2° 1 24 Oct 2006 21 vi 52 1°34 25 Oct 2006 22 vi 47 1° 6 26 Oct 2006 23 vi 41 0°39 27 Oct 2006 24 vi 36 0°11 28 Oct 2006 25 vi 30 -0°15 29 Oct 2006 26 vi 24 -0°43 30 Oct 2006 27 vi 19 -1°10 31 Oct 2006 28 vi 13 -1°37 01 Nov 2006 29 vi 7 -2° 5 02 Nov 2006 0 li 1 -2°32
|
|
© Copyright
Kim
Falconer 2006
Virgo