Eris Makes Herself Known

Eris is the new girl on the block. She, along with many other trans-Neptunians have been discovered by astronomers in the past 20 years, but Eris is special. She’s the bad bitch who got Pluto demoted.

That’s right, she conquered Death. Eris likes the taste of blood. She’s vicious, and we’ve seen her on the front lines, truly, as of recently. I began to really take notice of Eris in 2016 when she was conjunct Uranus. Remember 2016? Standing Rock, Black Lives Matter, the tension of the 2016 election, Charlottesville riots, executions of POC at routine traffic stops? Yes that was the year Trump got elected, and what followed was the Women’s Marches and the #metoo movement. My take is that Goddess of Discord, Eris, played a strong role.

In 2020, we are again hearing from Eris in a big way as she and Pluto square off (very contentious) three times this year (and twice more in 2021); meanwhile, Mars’ retrograde in Aries this fall means that we will have three Mars/Eris conjunctions this year. Mars and Eris are brother and sister. War and Discordia— makes sense!

Below is a reprint of an article I wrote for NCGR’s Memberletter in the spring of 2018. Why do we care? Because the battle for sovereignty and individual freedoms we began fighting in 2016 is still not over. And truth be told, the battle really began back in 2011 when Uranus and Pluto began to square (Arab Spring, Occupy Wall Street), but we needed Eris’ wrath to amplify our rage against the authoritarian machine.

Why Now? Eris has found her voice

In the last few years, various social justice movements have been gathering momentum in the United States. (And it seems as if there is no stopping it.) From Standing Rock to Black Lives Matter, to the record shattering Women’s March, and now the current March for our Lives – each of these movements seem to be saying “Me Too,” giving voice to those who have been systematically oppressed for far too long or feel endangered by the system itself.  

These movements share a vie for sovereignty, equality and at minimum, representation. Everyone would like their rightful place at the table (wait for it….!).

Those on the sidelines will ask the picketers, “where is all this coming from all of a sudden? Why now?” The sociologists have plenty of answers, but astrology can help us interpret the times too. Let’s first notice that we are still in orb of the separating Uranus/Pluto square, which has a lot to do with disrupting the status quo, systematic upheaval and major turning points which require participation to impart necessary change. As Uranus applied to Pluto in 2011, Occupy Wall street was born, paralleling a wave a spiritual awakening. Since, the terms “awake” and #woke have become increasingly popular, which is akin to the illuminating nature of Uranus. But alas, the Occupy Movement lacked focus and thus, much like a dying dandelion, dispersed seeds of awakening to root anew.

Since 2016, Uranus has been traversing the final decan of Aries, issuing subtle Sagittarian themes of morality and belief into the Aries drive to assert one’s unique individuality. And with Uranus in Aries squaring off with Pluto in Capricorn, the dominating patriarchal order is being challenged by the individual’s inherent right to be themselves. But what’s especially unique about these last few years? Uranus’ conjunction with Eris – first on June 8th, 2016, again on September 25th, 2016, and finally on March 16th, 2017 (dates coinciding with Brock Turner’s lightweight conviction, Trump’s travel bans and the shooting at Pulse Nightclub).

We are just getting to know Eris, first discovered in 2005 by astronomer Michael Brown. The excitement of discovering the “10th planet” immediately spiraled into chaos as the IAU scrambled to define planetary status once and for all. Their findings resulted in the “dwarf planet” classification, and the subsequent demotion of Pluto as such. Those very turbulent events confirmed her identity as Eris, Goddess of Discord. And what’s more? She created dialogue.

To fully understand the archetype of a celestial body, we should ideally observe its full orbit around the zodiac. But with an orbit of 558 years, it will be some time before astrologers have a clear picture. And thus, for the time being, observing her first major outer planet conjunction – with Uranus in Aries – is of utmost importance.

Eris’ mythology gives us more clues: Zeus hosted a large wedding banquet and Eris was excluded. She retaliated by tossing a Golden Apple inscribed, “to the fairest,” which immediately caused a dispute between the three goddesses who laid claim. Zeus (wanting nothing to do with the matter) assigned Paris to judge. Hera promised rulership, Athena victory, and Aphrodite promised the love of Helen of Troy, which eventually resulted in the Trojan War. All because she was left out and had no place at the table.

Eris will not be hushed as she calls out injustice. She requires us to listen to those who have been excluded, marginalized, underpaid, abused and wrongfully gunned down. In the discovery chart for Eris, we see a stationary Eris in Aries in the first house opposing Jupiter in Libra the (law, justice and equality). 12 years later, Eris once again opposed Jupiter in Libra, this time accompanied by the conjunction of Uranus.

Eris is indeed retaliatory and reactionary, but her anger is justified. Perhaps she shows up when pleasantries no longer bring progress and when making noise is necessary to get the same respect enjoyed by her peers. The Civil Rights movement happened over 60 years ago and while progress has been made, people of color are still systematically oppressed. Congruently, women have been fighting for equal rights for over one hundred years and legislators are still trying to control our bodies. So it shouldn’t be a shock that people are enraged (like Eris)! We are long overdue for some sweeping changes.  

Feminism and Media

The Fourth Wave of feminism is characterized by the utilization of social media to target issues of sexual harassment, rape culture and systematic sexism while acknowledging issues of classism, racism and the full spectrum of gender and sexual orientation. Some say that the 4th wave of feminism began in 2012, while others argue that it began in 2005 with the rise of Myspace, Twitter and Facebook.

Around the year 2012, we indeed crossed a significant technological threshold, in which a significant amount of people now carried a smartphone. Complete with high tech cameras, you no longer needed to be a celebrity to have a platform. Uranus’ in Aries offered the power to have an online presence, a voice (even if totally contrived) and the ability the rapidly broadcast ideas to a larger audience. However, it was 2005 that the social media era began, and notably, when Eris was discovered. Astrologer Eric Francis Coppolino advocates for the connection between Eris and media, and the subsequent chaos that has ensued. Indeed, in this information age, there is so much out there, that it’s hard to discern where the truth lies. Exhibit A: the rise of “fake news.”

The Women’s March

Hillary Clinton’s announcement to run for President in 2015 features a partile Sun/Eris conjunction, indicative of woman finally having her place at the head of the table. People rallied behind her, excited about what it would mean for a woman to be elected following the first African American President, Barrack Obama. Real progress, right? Well the chaos of the media certainly got the best of Hillary Clinton – a controversial Scorpio, undoubtedly. No matter how experienced and qualified, people vehemently loved or hated her (all-or nothing Scorpio!).

The chart for Hillary Clinton’s concession (November 9th, 2016, 2:48 am, Washington DC) places the Uranus/Eris conjunction in the angular 7th house of open enemies – suggestive of the lines drawn – and interestingly a tight Sun/Lilith conjunction (more on this later). As it would turn out, Hillary’s loss still gave voice to women worldwide. On January 21st, 2017, women marched in record-shattering numbers all over the world. This movement was undoubtedly a direct response to Trump’s victory.

The chart for the Women’s March features a Moon/Lilith conjunction in Scorpio, with an exact opposition from Jupiter in Libra to Eris in Aries. However, it’s the Full Moon chart on January 12th, 2017 that is the most fascinating, featuring a stationary Eris at 22⁰32’ Aries, in a partile square to the Full Moon at 22⁰27’ Cancer! As if it couldn’t be any more perfect, the Sun conjoins Pluto. Talk about making waves!

The year of 2016 will forever be remembered by massive social unrest, political protests and jarring headlines which significantly numbed us by year’s end. From the rise of Bernie Sanders’ grassroots movement, to the #NoDAPL movement at Standing Rock, to the crescendo of Black Lives Matter – the list doesn’t even end there. But ALL of these movements sought to draw attention to, and correct the injustices against People of Color, Indigenous Peoples, the middle class ­– and well, individual sovereignty as a whole. The volume on all of these issues seemed to reach a crescendo as Uranus first met up with Eris in the summer of 2016.

The message of Eris/Uranus in Aries seems to be about delivering human rights to those who have been oppressed for far too long. When she sees the last of her land being taken away, her kin gunned down and when the suffering has become insurmountable, she takes action. Do not expect her to be rational or quiet. The rage of Eris is divine.

Enough is Enough

Established in 2014, the founding chart for Black Lives Matter[10] features a Libra ascendant with Mars in the first house tightly conjuct the north node in Libra. Eris exactly opposes Mars (within 40 arc minutes) on the south node in Aries. The strong Libra emphasis demonstrates BLM’s mission for equality and justice. Interestingly, Mars is Eris’ sister (which helps explain her fury), and here we see them working together in a way that directly confronts the systemic violence against People of Color and the subsequent apathy of the system. In fact, BLM was founded as a result of George Zimmerman walking free after murdering Trayvon Martin. A significant series of other point-blank deaths occurred in the summer of 2016, which led to the high volume of activism by this group.

Also notable in the BLM chart is the Sun forming a snug t-square with Eris, Mars and the nodes, Mercury on the world axis (0⁰ Cancer) and the Aquarian Moon – which speaks to the radical inclusiveness of the group, purposefully giving Black Women and LGBTQ folk a significant voice in the movement (as previous movements favored the voices of cis black men). BLM seeks to affirm the lives of Black individuals, correct injustice against POC and to create a better future “where every Black person has the social, economic, and political power to thrive.” The extraordinary mission statement can be read in full on their website.

The government has put the lives of Indigenous people in peril for hundreds of years. The Dakota Pipeline was the final straw and thousands rallied behind the Sioux Nation – including representatives of BLM and other indigenous tribes. leader. The founding of Sacred Stone Camp features the Sun applying to Uranus and Eris (within 1 and 3.5 degrees respectively). Protests against the Dakota Pipeline reached their peak in the summer of 2016, wherein people risked their lives to speak out against injustice.

The unravelling of Harvey Weinstein began just 5 days before Jupiter’s ingress into Scorpio; and 5 days after that, the #metoo movement kicked off. The aim of the movement sought “to stress the magnitude of the problem” – namely sexual harassment, rape, and coercive abuse of power – a quite literal emergence of Jupiter/Scorpio themes, as Jupiter tends to make things too big to ignore and Scorpio deals with complex, private subjects.

Scorpio’s gold, however, is the promise of evolution. Countless women and men came forward to share their experience as victims – and as offenders too.  With social media as the primary format of this movement, a widespread healing dialogue is still taking place. Jupiter in Scorpio is helping us to expose the rot, transform the old order and create better standards for sexual appropriateness worldwide. Interestingly though, the Jupiter Ingress chart features a Venus/Mars conjunction, and a grand trine between Uranus/Eris, Saturn/Lilith and the north node in Leo. While the grand trine remained in formation for some time, demonstrates the alchemy that can occur when we listen. Overall, the movement was well received and is still unfolding it’s gifts. Even with most of the credit attributed to Jupiter in Scorpio, the voice of “enough-is-enough” Eris can still be heard in this movement.

Final Thoughts:

The school shooting pandemic has also taken its toll on our spirits. The Parkland shooting especially rattled us as a nation – and not just because it occurred on Valentine’s Day and Ash Wednesday – but because it fell on a Lunar Eclipse, conjoining the Unites States’ natal Aquarian Moon in the Sibley 3rd house of education. At the March For Our Lives rally in Washington DC, young activist Emma Gonzalez captivated her audience with a record breaking silence as Venus applied within 1 degree to a conjunction with Eris. While we regrettably do not have Emma’s birth data, we do know she was born with a Scorpio Sun in a tight quincunx to Eris.

I wrap up this writing just one day before Chiron enters Aries. I am optimistic that this period will present ample opportunity to heal the wounds from violence, oppression against personhood, and create a more perfect world which celebrates each person’s own uniqueness. With Chiron in Aries, may we gain more confidence in the “I AM.” And if Chiron can’t do it alone, we can count on Eris to call out the BS. We have some time, but I look forward to Eris’ next conjunction with Chiron (and later Neptune), but in the meantime, we can watch out for the fast approaching Pluto/Eris square. (Perhaps the IAU debate is NOT over?)

But if there’s anything the last few years have shown us is that social media has changed the way we relate to the world. Information spreads more rapidly and information empowers people. Uranus in Aries has helped people to wake up! and call out the things limiting their personal freedom. And with Eris, there is no holding back. Yes, she’s angry, but she’s no villain. In Aries, she finds courage to use her voice to free herself. May we continue to hear these voices and collectively heal in the years to come. One Love.

The bulk of this article was written in 2018 for NCGR’s Memberletter.

Join me on 3/20/2020 for a webinar on Eris and Lilith via @covencle!