Planets and Passion
Each planet in the astrological chart not only represents but has the capacity to express tremendous
passion, desire and love. Yes, even Saturn. Sometimes, especially Saturn. They simply do it in
different ways and have perhaps very different ideas in mind when they do. The Sun may want to
achieve recognition of self-expression. He loves becoming what he is meant to be. The Moon may
want to feel a sense of safety and comfort. She loves to nurture and feel nurtured, although perhaps not
in a classical sense. Mercury may want to create connections, build bridges, push the boundaries of
consciousness. He loves sending and receiving messages. Venus could be bent on valued ideals or
tangible sensation. She gets passionate about her desires. Eros, her son, asteroid 433, wants to merge
with another in such a way that there is lasting transformation.1 He loves to create change through
intensity, risk and danger. Mars may simply want to assert his will or take immediate action. He loves
to get his way. Ceres, asteroid 1, supports growth in the ripeness of time. Pallas Athene, asteroid 2,
can encourage strategic action. Juno, asteroid 3, honors commitment and loyalty. Vesta, asteroid 4,
may diligently keep alive our creative flame. Jupiter’s desires could be around expanding beliefs and a
sense of meaning. He loves to get philosophical. He loves to get big. Saturn’s passion could consist
of powerful ambitions for tangible results. He gets excited, to the point of agitation, about facing fears
and overcoming adversity. Chiron may want to redeem something wounded. He loves to heal. Uranus
could be driven to burst out of social constraints. He loves the freedom of unexpected change.
Neptune’s passion is for the ineffable. There is fathomless longing for the divine. Pluto’s passion is
for the depths of inner confrontation. The god of death loves a good baptism by fire.
All the planets and asteroids have a potent need to express and they, like individual people, can become
very animated, even obsessed about it. Not every desire may seem like love in the romantic sense, but
it is love to them.
The Discovery of Eros and its Role in the Astrological
Chart
Each planet in the astrological chart not only represents but has the capacity to express
tremendous passion, desire and love. Yes, even Saturn. Sometimes, especially Saturn. They simply
do it in different ways and have perhaps very different ideas in mind when they do. The Sun may want
to achieve recognition of self-expression. He loves becoming what he is meant to be. The Moon may
want to feel a sense of safety and comfort. She loves to nurture and feel nurtured, although perhaps not
in a classical sense. Mercury may want to create connections, build bridges, push the boundaries of
consciousness. He loves sending and receiving messages. Venus could be bent on valued ideals or
tangible sensation. She gets passionate about her desires. Eros, her son, asteroid 433, wants to merge
with another in such a way that there is lasting transformation.2 He loves to create change through
intensity, risk and danger. Mars may simply want to assert his will or take immediate action. He loves
to get his way. Ceres, asteroid 1, supports growth in the ripeness of time. Pallas Athene, asteroid 2,
can encourage strategic action. Juno, asteroid 3, honors commitment and loyalty. Vesta, asteroid 4,
may diligently keep alive our creative flame. Jupiter’s desires could be around expanding beliefs and a
sense of meaning. He loves to get philosophical. He loves to get big. Saturn’s passion could consist
of powerful ambitions for tangible results. He gets excited, to the point of agitation, about facing fears
and overcoming adversity. Chiron may want to redeem something wounded. He loves to heal. Uranus
could be driven to burst out of social constraints. He loves the freedom of unexpected change.
Neptune’s passion is for the ineffable. There is fathomless longing for the divine. Pluto’s passion is
for the depths of inner confrontation. The god of death loves a good baptism by fire.
All the planets and asteroids have a potent need to express and they, like individual people, can become
very animated, even obsessed about it. Not every desire may seem like love in the romantic sense, but
it is love to them.
1 See Richard Idemon’s Through The Looking Glass: A Search for the Self in the Mirror of
Relationships, Samuel Weiser Inc, York Beach, Maine 1992
2 See Richard Idemon’s Through The Looking Glass: A Search for the Self in the Mirror of
Relationships, Samuel Weiser Inc, York Beach, Maine 1992
The NEAR Satellite Mission to Asteroid 433 Eros
Why should we look at Eros in the chart, when there are so many asteroids in the night sky?
Two reasons. One, Eros is the god of love and to ignore the mini planet named for him is to ignore a
piece of our own heart. Two, Eros is getting a lot of press right now, and that can mean the
synchronistic mechanisms of life are tell us something.
Just after Valentine's Day, 1996, a Near-Earth Asteroid Rendezvous (NEAR) spacecraft left NASA’s
launch pad for an extended journey to asteroid 433 Eros. Its official mission: to study the geophysical
and geochemical nature of the asteroid and enhance our knowledge of the solar system.
The spacecraft, built by the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, went into orbit around Eros
belatedly on Valentines Day 2000. Before doing so, NEAR sent back an image of Eros clearly
depicting a perfectly heart shaped crater about 5 km long. This image does not look like an
anatomically correct mammalian heart. It looks like a love heart etched in the sand by a romantic
couple. Scientist in crisp lab coats yielding fax black pens are describing the phenomenon with
adjectives markedly un-scientific. They call it ‘mysterious’ and ‘tantalizing’. They await more images
to unveil the secret of the captured heart.
Scientists already have a clear grasp on some of the basics of Asteroid 433. On August 13, 1898,
Astronomers Gustav Witt, from Germany, and Auguste Chalois from France, discovered 433 Eros
independently, making it the first asteroid found to cross Mars' orbit and approach Earth's. With a new
diameter estimated at 35 x 15 x 13 kilometers, Eros is the second largest planet-crosser and larger than
the Martian moons Phobos and Deimos. Recent photographs portray its shape as a lumpy potato, a
battered boat, or a peanut with no detectable moons. Eros rolls end over end every few hours taking
1.76 years to complete an orbit around the Sun.
The asteroid was named after Eros, the Greek god of love, and, in some myths, son of the two planets
he orbits between, Venus and Mars. In one popular version of myth, the fairest maiden of her time,
Psyche, was forbidden to gaze upon him by the light of day. Psyche's curiosity eventually got the best
of her, and she defied his instructions. The results were arduous and painful yet the experience
provided growth for both Psyche and her immortal lover Eros.
Why is there so much current attention on Eros? Like Psyche, scientist are driven also by curiosity and
daring to break barriers. They have sent the NEAR spacecraft to Eros and will land the satellite upon
the asteroid, hoping to discover some of the secrets of our solar system. That is the official message
from the John Hopkins Lab.
However, according to Richard Hoagland, the mission may have a covert agenda to confirm suspected
changes in the speed of light3. Because asteroid 433 moves between the orbit of Mars and the orbit of
earth, it is a perfect measuring tool. In fact, NASA already has a 100-year database on the orbit of
Eros. Hoagland suspects the true mission of NEAR is to measure and compare radar bounce data and
the other anomalous data that NASA has accumulated. He feels this will supply information in a realtime mode on the instantaneous changes in the speed of light over a period of hours, days and years. If
this is the real agenda of NEAR, then Eros will be revealing bigger secrets than most people imagine.
Astronomer Tom Van Flandern from Meta Research also awaits the revealing of Eros’s
mysteries. He believes the close up observations of Eros will answer his ‘NEAR challenge’,4
supporting or refuting the eph or exploded planet hypothesis. He anticipates evidence of satellite
moons orbiting Eros although given the asteroid’s irregular shape and resulting fluctuations in
gravitational pull, a satellite’s orbit may be difficult to maintain. Even at that, evidence of former
moons impacting and rolling across the surface of Eros would also support the eph model. As of June
2000, NEAR photos indeed reveal many small moon like boulders on the surface of Eros, complete
with the rolling tracks and grooves that Dr. Van Flandern predicted.
Still others speculate that the mission to Eros is a trial run, just in case it any of the other near
earth asteroids deviate from their precariously close orbit to earth. Predictably stable in orbit, the word
impact has never been spoken but the success of the mission would stand in good stead if an
emergency rendezvous with any asteroid was necessary.
Regardless of whether the NEAR Satellite to Eros expands our knowledge of the small bodies
near Earth, saves us from possible future collision courses, meets the NEAR Challenge or confirms
suspected changes in the speed of light, Eros is being observed. The significance of this investigation
3 Richard Hoagland Transcript of part of Art Bell's interview Light Speed May NOT be Constant After
All 23 August 1996 - Transcribed by JJ Mercieca http://www.mufor.org/rch11.html September 1998
4 Tom Van Flandern The NEAR Challenge: Test of EPH at Eros Confronts Mainstream Astronomy
Meta Research Bulletin Volume 8, Number 1: p. 16
does not stop here in the realm of astronomy and physics. The symbolic implications for society are
much broader.
Consider the widely held belief among astrologers that the discovery of a new planet…is
accompanied by changes in world affairs typical of the planet’s astrological significance. 5
--Dennis Elwell
Now our attention focuses on 433 Eros as well as other personal planets and even the familiar
Moon. Missions to Mars over the last few decades have created tremendous speculation about the
possibility of artificiality there, pushing us, Ares like, into argument and debate about the origins of life
on earth. Mysterious photographs of the Moon are also raising the question of artifacts, alien or
otherwise. Focus on Jupiter, the famous red spot, and also some of the gas giant’s moons has rekindled
Maxwell’s6 century old theory of hyperdimentional physics. As new discoveries are made out in
space, out inner dimensions are also open to greater comprehension.
Quantum Physicists indicates our universe relates in such a way that everything is part of a
whole. If one single event, like a new discovery or specific study of a planet, can coincide with the
awakening of what that planet represents, then now is the time to learn more about the psychology,
mythology and astrology of Eros, and re-examine the meaning, purpose and passions of all the known
major bodies in our solar system. What do these celestial gods stand for in the natal chart? What do
the transit or progression suggest in terms of awakening passion, love and desire? What is the role of
Eros in the synasty and composite chart?
To answer these questions, the nature of love, romance and passion must be established. First,
we may seek the wisdom of the ancient Greeks. Then the guidance of the deathless gods and their
myths are consulted, along with insights from the worlds greatest thinkers, artist and poets. Ultimately,
to know what love is, we must allow it to unfold in the depths of our own hearts.
The Mythology of Eros
"Of the portents recorded in ancient tales many did happen and will happen again." 7
--Plato
Where does love and passion reside in myth? Everywhere! The gods and goddesses where
never lukewarm about anything they desired. The first place to look for clues about passion and love,
though, is in the beginning, in the myth of creation itself.
Love first emerges in Greek mythology as one of four original deities. They include Chaos,
the dark and silent abyss from which all things are born, Gaea or mother earth, Tartarus, the lowest
regions of the underworld and Eros, the god of love.
“In truth at first Chaos came to be, but next wide-bosomed Earth, the ever-sure foundation of
al the deathless ones who hold the peaks of snowy Olympus, and dim Tartarus in the depth of
the wide-pathed Earth, [120] and Eros (Love), fairest among the deathless gods, who
unnerves the limbs and overcomes the mind and wise counsels of all gods and all men within
them.” 8
This suggests that Eros, and all he represents, assumes a major role as a primary and
preeminent god. Although his form changes throughout history, his power to cause things to mingle
remains his initial and fundamental domain.
5 Dennis Elwell, Cosmic Loom: The New Science of Astrology, Unwin Hyman Limited London,
England 1987 p 94
6 Maxwell, James Clerk, 1831-1879 Scottish physicist who developed the theory of electromagnetic
energy and hyperdimentional space.
7 Carlos Parada Greek Mythology Link Hosted by HSA, Brown University
http://hsa.brown.edu/~maicar/ November 1998 and July 1999
8 Hesiod Theogony 120 Crane, Gregory R. (ed.) The Perseus Project, http://www.perseus.tufts.edu,
September 1998
Eros descends through mythology, transforming headlong into progressively more accessible
figures. First as the son of Chaos, hatched from the egg of night, he creates the manifest wold. His
form here is amorphous and intangible, omnipotent and ineffable.
Eros does soon take shape though. In some versions of myth he is portrayed as the powerful
igniter of union that eventually brought forth the race of immortal Olympians. All winged creatures,
from geese to falcons, proudly claim him as the father of their race.
Firstly, blackwinged Night laid a germless egg in the bosom of the infinite deeps of Erebus,
and from this, after the revolution of long ages, sprang the graceful Eros with his glittering
golden wings, swift as the whirlwinds of the tempest. He mated in deep Tartarus with dark
Chaos, winged like himself, and thus hatched forth our race, which was the first to see the
light… Thus our origin is very much older than that of the dwellers in Olympus. We are the
offspring of Eros; there are a thousand proofs to show it. We have wings and we lend
assistance to lovers. 9
Shortly after fathering the race of birds, Eros creates harmony throughout the universe as the
child of Uranus, the starry heavens, and Gaea, or mother earth. Now he has tangible parents and thus
comes a little closer to embodiment.
Later myth portrays Eros as the son of Artemis, the moon goddess, and Hermes, the trickster.
He also claims Iris, guardian of the rainbow and Zephyrs, god of the north wind as parents. In
Phoenician Mythology, he is the son of Chronas and Ashtart.
When Eros appears as Aphrodite’s son, he manifests as a youthful winged deity, the lithe and
gorgeous god of love. He carries a bow and quiver of arrows which he selectively shoots into the
hearts of the unsuspecting.
You carry along the unyielding hearts of the immortals, Aphrodite, and the hearts of men, and
with you is he of the many-colored wings, surrounding them with his swift pinions. 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. 10
In this form, he has seemingly abandoned the title ‘creator of harmony’ for the mischievous
roll of ‘animator of love’. The experience of love that Eros injects into man and gods, and according to
Euripides, all creatures of the land and sea alike, is anything but harmonious. It is the obsessive,
adrenaline driven intensity of falling in love, often with the completely wrong person. In some
accounts, Eros is equipped with two distinct kinds of darts. The ones dipped in gold cause the victim to
fall madly in love and the ones dipped in lead cause an equally vial repulsion. Either way, it seems, it
is Eros who now creates chaos!
The mixed parenthood of the god of love, as well as his transforming images, (some versions
of myth have him assisting Aphrodite at her birth and in others he is her offspring), may illustrates
ongoing changes in the collective awareness of the concept of erotic love and creativity. As the son of
chaos, he has no tangible form. He is the power of attraction that co-ordinates the elements of the
universe bringing harmony to all creation. In this role, Eros is more a cosmic force than an actual god
of passionate or personal love. Portrayed as the son of Aphrodite, goddess of love, he embodies a
humanoid form and eventually experiences the power and passion of love himself in his relationship to
the mortal woman Psyche.
Eros then manifests as the Roman god Cupid, the son of Mars, the god of war and action and
Venus, goddess of love. Here he no longer is the dangerously attractive youth capable of succumbing
to the same fate of his victims. In his child-like state, he is prepubescent and immune to his own arts.
Cupid, often depicted blindfolded to mark the seemingly indiscriminant nature of love, now
takes the form of a laughing, naughty infant who delightfully shoots arrows into the hearts of the
unaware. His victims respond depending on the temper of their feelings. The cold, hard heart dies, the
gentle but perhaps broken heart heals in ecstasy. It is the nature of erotic love to transform the
participants in accordance with their own disposition.
The metamorphosis from ineffable creator of harmony to mischievous little baby god is quite
a leap. It suggests an attempt to convert the unfathomable, impersonal and all mighty deity to an
9 Aristophanes Birds 700 Crane, Gregory R. (ed.) The Perseus Project, http://www.perseus.tufts.edu,
July 1999
10 Euripides, Hippolytu, 1270 Crane, Gregory R. (ed.) The Perseus Project,
http://www.perseus.tufts.edu, 7/99
accessible humanized figure representing very personal needs and feelings. Jung speaks of Eros in this
way:
“In Classical times, when such things were properly understood, Eros was considered a god
whose divinity transcended our human limits, and who therefore could neither be
comprehended nor represented in any way. I might, as many before me have attempted to do,
venture an approach to this daimon, whose range of activity extends from the endless spaces
of the heavens to the dark abysses of hell; but I falter before the task of finding the language
which might adequately express the incalculable paradoxes of love.” 11
Some of these incalculable paradoxes are portrayed in the love story of Psyche and Eros. In this myth,
we can see the actions and desires of three very important images of love, passion and desire portrayed
by Eros, Venus/Aphrodite and the mortal Psyche.
The myth of Eros & Psyche
“Myths evoke feelings and imagination and touch on themes that are part of
the human collective inheritance. The myths…remain current and personally
relevant because there is a ring of truth in them about shared human
experience.”
--Jean Shinoda Bolen,
MD
The story of Psyche and Eros offers a great deal of insight into the archetypal image of love,
Eros and his prospective role in the astrological chart. The most recent detailed mythology regarding
Eros comes from The Golden Ass, written by Lucius Apuleius in 170 AD and tells of the love between
Psyche and Eros12. This myth is no less relevant for its extensive study, analysis and use as models for
relationship, the emergence of consciousness, and the path of erotic love.
The story opens with a description of Psyche’s two older sisters. They were extremely beautiful, but
when Psyche grew into womanhood, it was said of her:
“ Yet the singular passing beauty and maidenly majesty of the youngest daughter did so far
surmount and excel them two (sisters), as no earthly creature could by any means sufficiently
express or set out the same.”13
Psyche is a beauty. She enchants her father’s modest kingdom with an unobtainable and
virginal loveliness that sets the inhabitants to worshiping. In only a short time, word of Psyche’s
beauty has spread throughout the countryside and people swarm to see her. Meanwhile, Aphrodite’s
temples are neglected. Not a good look for the goddess of love.
Predictably, Aphrodite experiences extreme insult at this delinquency. In a jealous rage, she
elicits the help of her son Eros to punish the usurping Psyche and the mortals that adore her. She
instructs Eros to pierce Psyche with one of his golden tipped arrows causing her to fall in love with a
worthless, wretched and vial being. While Eros and Aphrodite plot her demise, Psyche pines.
In her naivete, Psyche, though beautiful and magnetic, feels miserable. The known world may
worship her, but no real man comes courting. She is like an object of art, a rare painting or precious
vase. Apuleius puts it this way:
“Psyche…lamented her solitary life, and being disquieted both in mind and body, although
she pleased all the world, yet hated she in her self her own beauty.”14
Concerned by his youngest daughter’s despair, Psyche’s father seeks the advice of the Oracle
of Apollo, the consciousness of the sun. He is shocked by what he hears for it seems the King’s
precious daughter must be sacrificed to a demon god, or terrible ruin would befall the kingdom.
Apuleius’ quotes the oracle:
“Let Psyches corps be clad in mourning weed
11 C. G. Jung, Memories, Dreams, Reflection Recorded and Edited by Aniela Jaffe Vintage Books: A
Division of Random House New York 1965 p.353
12 Lucius Apuleius, The Golden Asse Book 5 Adlington's translation, 1566. This edition by
Martin Guy, 1996 http://eserver.org/books/apuleius/ August 1998
13 Lucius Apuleius
14 Apuleius
And set on rock of yonder hill aloft:
Her husband is no wight of humane seed,
But Serpent dire and fierce as might be thought.
Who flies with wings above in starry skies,
And doth subdue each thing with firie flight.
The gods themselves, and powers that seem so wise,
With mighty Jove, be subject to his might,
The rivers black, and deadly floods of pain,
And darkness eke [*] , as thrall to him remain.” 15
Psyche accepted her fate as the entire kingdom despondently joined the funeral procession to
the lonely rock where she is to meet her ‘death’ and marry the ‘serpent dire’. Psyche then questions
her parent’s belated remorse.
“Why torment you your unhappy age with continual dolou? …Now you see the reward of my
excellent beauty: now, now you perceive, but too late, the plague of envy. When the people did
honor me, and call me the new Venus,
then ye should have wept, then you should have sorrowed as though I had been dead: for now
I see and perceive that I am come to this misery by the only name of Venus, bring me, and as
fortune hath appointed, place me on the top of the rock, I greatly desire to end my marriage, I
greatly covet to
see my husband. Why doe I delay? Why should I refuse him that is appointed to destroy all the
world.” 16
No one suspects that Eros, the son of Aphrodite, the golden god of love, has
accidentally pricked himself on one of his own arrows and fallen madly in love with
the mortal Psyche. None of Psyche’s distraught family members could guess that
Eros plans to abduct her for himself. Although at this point, we might examine the
oracle of Apollo more closely and ask if it may actually be indeed Eros the augury is
referring to.
Eros then sends Zephyrs, god of the North wind, to retrieve Psyche from the rock and bring
her to his palace. There Psyche’s wishes are tended by invisible servants who anticipate her every
need. She rests, bathes and eats among the gold, ivory and jeweled mosaics that adorn the enchanted
home of the god of love.
With unseen musicians playing a heavenly symphony, Eros comes to Psyche by night and
makes ‘perfect consummation’ of their marriage. Night after night he keeps her company, stealing
away only just before dawn. He has made Psyche promise to never look upon his face and initially she
agrees. She is enchanted by the palace, her new husband and the magical servants who cater to her
every need. Only the tiniest bit of loneliness befalls her in the day.
However, her loneliness and desire for human contact grows until she passes both the days
and nights with tears of distress and longing. Eros, concerned by her condition, finally agrees to allow
Psyche’s sister to visit, but he warns her again not to gaze upon his face. Her curiosity, he said, would
bring about the end of their life together and cause the child growing inside her to be mortal, not divine.
The visit from Psyche’s sisters turns out to be as destructive as Eros feared. Feigning joy at
their reunion, Psyche’s siblings are actually stricken with fierce jealousy. They suggest her husband is
an evil serpent (that image again) who needs destroying before he devours Psyche and her unborn child
whole. They press her to hide a razor and a lamp near the bed. When he falls asleep, she is to light the
lamp and cut off his head. Psyche is flooded with anxiety and the ambivalent fear that they may speak
the truth!
Torn between loyalty to her sisters and loyalty to her husband, she eventually gets up, lights
the lamp and approaches the bed with the razor. When Psyche discovers that her husband is the
stunning and resplendent god Eros, she is overwhelmed by the vision. In rapture she accidentally
pricks herself on one of his arrows and adds ‘love upon love’ to what she already feels for him. She
covers him with kisses and in the process, a splash of hot oil burns the beautiful god. He jumps up,
looks at her with astonishment and deep disappointment and runs. Psyche grabs his leg and holds on as
he leaps into the air until she finally drops to the ground in exhaustion. He lands near her saying:
“O simple Psyches, consider with thy self how I, little regarding the
15 Apuleius
16 Apuleius
commandment of my mother (who willed me that thou shouldst be married
to a man of base and miserable condition) did come my self from heaven to love thee, and
wounded mine own body with my proper weapons, to have thee to my Spouse: And did I seem
a beast unto thee, that thou shouldst go about to cut off my head with a razor, who loved thee
so well? Did not I always give thee a charge? Did not I gently will thee to beware? But those
cursed adlers and Counselors of thine shalt be sufficiently punished by my absence.” 17
Shocked, overwhelmed, and suffering greatly, Psyche experienced a crucial point in her
relationship with Eros. At last, she discovers the inheritance of her unborn child. She also finally
understands who it is she has fallen in love with. For Psyche, there is no turning back. She must
reunited with Eros or die.
This point in the myth is not suggesting we never look at the face of Eros, or that by never
questioning him will guarantee his presence forever. It is more an account of discovering what we
really want and the steps necessary to obtain it. Until now, Psyche did not know who she loved. This
knowledge, however, does not make Psyche any less despairing. As she watches his figure recede into
the distance, she throws herself into a river in hopes of drowning.
As chance would have it, the river, being a friend of Eros, places Psyche back safely on the
bank. As she struggled up from the muddy shore, she saw Pan, instructing, or perhaps seducing, a
young woman. He looked upon the disheveled Psyche and said:
“O faire maid, I am a rusticke and rude heardsman, howbeit by reason of my old age expert in
many things, for as far as I can learn by conjecture (which according as wise men do term is
called divination) I perceive by your uncertain gate, your pale hew, your sobbing sighs, and your
watery eyes, that you are greatly in love.” 18
Pan goes on to suggest to Psyche that she forgo suicide and focus on devoting herself to winning Eros
back. Initially, she takes his advice to heart.
Psyche’s first action is to confront her jealous sisters. Upon entering her oldest sister’s city
Psyche explains that it was the son of Aphrodite that was her husband but when he saw she had
betrayed him, he sent her away and said he’d have the sister instead. Wild with this news, the sister
raced to the mountain and beseeched Zephyrs to carry her to Eros, but as she leapt off the rock, no
wind lifted her and she crashed to her death in the fall. The same happened to the second sister and
thus Psyche felt revenged.
Meanwhile, Eros fled to his mother’s house to have his sever burn tended. Empathetic at first,
Aphrodite became enraged when she discovered Eros’s disloyalty. Brutally, she rebukes Eros for
betraying her wishes and takes away his bow and arrows, cuts his hair and clips his wings. She
probably slammed the door as she stormed out as well!
The incensed Aphrodite then solicits the aid of Hera and Ceres to help
find Psyche, but they, fearing Eros’s darts at some point in the future, try to reconcile the mother to her
son. Aphrodite will not be soothed.
By now Psyche realizes her only course of action is to seek out the forgiveness of Aphrodite,
who seems to be very much in control of her fate. She approaches the palace of the goddess of love to
pray for redemption although that is not what she receives. Aphrodite humiliates Psyche, has her
whipped and beaten and then presents her with a series of impossible tasks. The goddess of love is
convinced a mere mortal will fail her labors, and Psyche isn’t a lot more confident either.
Psyche’s first task in regaining the love of Eros is to sort an enormous pile of mixed grains.
She must separate them by evening. As Aphrodite smugly shuts the door behind her, Psyche goes into
a catatonic state of despair. She can not even attempt to sort the grains. The job is that impossible. As
she lays crumpled on the ground sobbing, a tiny ant comforts her. Calling to his friends, more and
more ants come and by evening the grains are sorted neatly into their individual piles by the tiny
insects.
It is important to notice that the help offered to psyche is completely unconscious. She neither
actively requests aid or contributes any effort in the sorting of the grains. This image may suggest the
myriad mixed feeling and emotions that course through the mind and body of one ‘stricken with love’
and highlights the lax of rationality that accompanies it. It also may imply the innate ability of the
body to sort those feelings out, one by one, although not with the aid of consciousness, but by its
acquiescence.
17 Apuleius
18 Apuleius
When Aphrodite returns and sees the labor complete, she assigns Psyche with an even more
difficult task. She instructs the girl to go out into a field in the burning sun and collect golden wool
from the fleece of man-eating rams.
Psyches gets up, not to do as Aphrodite commanded, but to throw herself headlong into the water,
again to drown her sorrows. Then a green reed speaks to her saying:
“O Psyches I pray thee not to trouble or pollute my water by the death of thee, and yet beware
that thou go not towards the terrible sheep of this coast, until such time as the heat of the sun
be past, for when the sun is in his force, then seem they most dreadful and furious, with their
sharp horns, their stony foreheads and their gaping throats, wherewith they arm themselves to
the destruction of mankind. But until they have refreshed themselves in the river, thou maist
hide thy self here by me, under this great plain tree, and as soon as their great fury is past,
thou maist go among the thickets and bushes under the wood side and gather the locks their
golden Fleeces, which thou shalt find hanging up on the briers.” 19
It seems the dangerous and passionate rams were unapproachable in their wild state. Direct
confrontation would mean certain death, just as anger and hatred, although they can erupt along side of
love, can also be love’s death. Having contained the burning passion of the wild rams, Psyche presents
handfuls of golden wool to Aphrodite by morning.
Without pause, Psyche immediately receives another labor. Now she must gather water from
the deadly rapids of the river Styx. She receives only a crystal bottle to contain the black liquid, the
sight of which brings fear even to the hearts’ of the gods.
As Psyche climbed up the path towards the headwaters of the Styx, she intended again to end
her life. She could glean no hope of ever accomplishing her task. When she arrived at the crest she
stopped stone still and gazed at the two giant and bloody necked dragons guarding the precipice which
marked, hundreds of feet below, the caustic waters of the river Styx.
Psyche went catatonic, again. She felt nothing in her body or her heart, neither could she take
action of any kind. At this point, Zeus’s eagle swooped down to her. It is not clear whether Zeus sent
him or he came of his own accord—yet there is implication that Zeus felt indebted to Eros for the affair
with Ganimedes, the young boy made cup bearer to the gods. The great eagle spoke to Psyche and
offered to take the bottle and collect the deadly black water himself. This he does and Psyche, not of
her own accord, completes yet another task.
Unlike the fierce and wild nature of the passionate rams, the waters of the river Styx may
represent the cold cruel hatred of frozen feelings. It seems these too must be faced and contained if
Eros is to be won back. Like the wool and the sorting of the grain, psyche must step aside, stand still,
or even sleep, allowing the unconscious to complete the task. Readers who find it frustrating that
Psyche never seems to gain any overt courage, resolve or strength from her subsequent tasks probably
view this ‘stepping aside’ as weak or degrading. On the contrary, in this case it is the necessary and
only way to accomplish the labor. It is the only way to unravel the complex repercussions of love.
The final task of Psyche requires a decent into the underworld. She has to borrow some of
Persephone’s beauty and place it in a box. She must deliver the box to Aphrodite, unopened and
untouched.
Again, psyche’s first and foremost response is suicide. What quicker way to get to Hades than
to die? She climbs to the top of a tower and attempts to throw herself off. The tower, however, is
inspired, (it is unclear by whom), and speaks to Psyche. He instructs her on how to enter the
underworld without dying, how to avoid the distractions that will play upon her virtue and humanity,
how to behave with Persephone and how to get out alive, with the box of beauty intact. Finally, Psyche
gets to perform a task completely herself.
She follows the tower’s instructions to the letter. She ignores the lame man, the floating
corpses, and the desperate weaving women. She ignores her ego drives to aid and assist. She allows
Charon to extract a coin from her mouth with his dirty fingers and she tosses honey cakes to the
terrifying three headed dog Cerberus, who guards the gaits of Hell. She is careful to accept no
nourishment while in the underworld. She humbly procures the box of beauty from Persephone and
retraces her steps back past Cerberus, across the river Styx and into the light of day.
It is then, her final task completed with full consciousness, that she causes her own death.
“When Psyches was returned from hell, to the light of the
world, she was ravished with great desire, saying, Am not I a fool, that knowing that I carry
here the divine beauty, will not take a little thereof to garnish my face, to please my love with
all? And by and by she opened the box where she could perceive no beauty nor any thing
19 Apuleius
else, save only an infernal and deadly sleep, which immediately invaded all her members as
soon as the box was uncovered, in such sort that she fell down upon the ground, and lay there
as a sleeping corps.” 20
As Psyche slips into a deadly coma, Eros finally awakens from his brood. He sneaks out of
the tower room in his mother’s palace, finds his wings and flies straight to Psyche.
It appears that the labors of Psyche have simultaneously transformed Eros as well.
“Eros, the fiery flighty spirit who came and went secretly and refused to be seen in the light,
has acquired at least the substance of a healed wound. The Eros she knows now is…produced
by the Soul’s contemplation of the Divine Mind; it is the medium through which she can
finally be present to “that other loveliness”. He is the carrier of divine beauty which must, to
become united with psyche and soma, be touched by the pain of earthly life.21
Eros awakens Psyche with a prick from one of his arrows, returns the beauty to its box and
gently chastises his wife.
“O wretched captive, behold thou were well-nigh perished again, with the overmuch
curiosity: well, go thou, and do thy message to my Mother, and in the mean season, I will
provide for all things accordingly.” 22
Obviously, his vial anger and contempt for Psyche’s behavior has lost its edge. What Eros
provided for was Psyche’s immortality, bestowed by Zeus and blessed, finally, by Aphrodite. The
wedding banquet on Mt. Olympus was attended by all the gods and goddesses, greater and lesser,
demonstrating their universal admiration and acknowledgement of the union.
Not long after, a divine child was born to Psyche and Eros. The name they gave her was
Pleasure.
The full translated version of the Tale of Psyche and Eros from The Golden Ass may be found
in the appendix. Much pleasure and meaning may be gained from its reading and contemplation in full.
As Harriet Eisman shares in her closing paragraph of That other Loveliness:
In pursuing it (Eros), we pursue our greatest desire. Yet, after all, we live in
ignorance of how it will approach. We can only listen, and pray, for the sounds of Eros’ soft,
quivering wings.” 23
Eros through the Water Signs of the Zodiac
The twelve signs of the zodiac are divided up into four elements: fire, earth, air and water.
Each element represents a particular orientation which the signs belonging to it share. These elements
may be compared with Jung’s personality types of intuition, sensation, thinking and feeling
respectively. Exploring the mythology of Eros in association with the signs can further our
understanding of this mysterious god of love.
The ties that bind Eros to Aphrodite resemble the umbilical ties of the first of the water signs,
Cancer. This is the life giving and life destroying link that connects the participants in an eternal cycle
of creative inspiration, production and withdrawal reminiscent of the Moon, of Mother and of the realm
of feelings and creative expression. Joseph Campbell elaborates:
“(Eros) is linked definitely and firmly to Aphrodite as her child…but as our whole survey of
the prehistory of the Aegan has shown, the goddess Aphrodite and her son are exactly the
great cosmic mother and her son, the ever dying, ever-living god.” 24
Campbell points out that the variety of myths of Eros’s parentage confirm this background.
From Chaos to Aphrodite, they represent transformations of the same mythology, pointing
unanimously to the mother goddesses and their lover-sons: Atargatis and Ichthys, Ishtar and Tammuz,
Kybele and Attis. The young male deities were indestructibly bonded to their mothers as servantslovers-sons. Inevitably, they were destroyed by their mother goddesses in a cycle of birth, fruition,
death and rebirth. Thus they were worshipped as eternally dying and resuscitate gods.
20 Lucius Apuleius, The Golden Asse Book 5 Adlington's translation, 1566. This edition by
Martin Guy, 1996 http://eserver.org/books/apuleius/ August 1998
21 Harriet Eisman, The Other Loveliness PARABOLA, The Magazine of Myth and Tradition, Vol.
XX, No. 4. (Winter, 1995)
22 Lucius Apuleius
23 Harriet Eisman, The Other Loveliness PARABOLA, The Magazine of Myth and Tradition, Vol.
XX, No. 4. (Winter, 1995)
24 Joseph Campbell, Occidental Mythology: The Masks of God, Penguin Books Harmondsworth,
Middlesex, England reprinted 1985 p. 235
Eros, in association with Aphrodite, takes the role of zealous servant and attentive companion.
He travels with her, and assists her in various tasks, from brushing her lustrous hair to making the
arrangements necessary for Helen of Troy to fall in love with Paris, precipitating the Trojan War. His
intended part in the tale of Psyche and Eros was to assist his mother’s craving for revenge:
“I pray thee my dear child, by motherly bond of love, by the sweet wounds of thy piercing
darts, by the pleasant heat of thy fire, revenge the injury which is done to thy mother by the
false and disobedient beauty of a mortal maiden, and I pray thee, that without delay she may
fall in love with the most miserable creature living, the most poor, the most crooked, and the
most vile, that there may be.”25
Aphrodite, sovereign mistress or not, had no immunity to the darts of Eros herself though.
She complains bitterly to him in The Golden Ass about this and other transgressions.
“Is this an honest thing…is this reason, that thou hats violated and broken the commandment
of thy mother and sovereign mistress: and whereas thou
shouldst have vexed my enemy with loathsome love, thou hats done otherwise?…Thou hats
often offended thy ancients, and especially me that am thy mother, thou hats pierced me with
thy darts…” 26
Aphrodite then points out that she is not too old to have another son, and he would certainly
turn out better than the first one, who’s upbringing has been a complete disaster!
Eros is also associated with the creative aspect of the sign of Cancer. To experience the
passion of Eros is in part a poetic revelation that may translate into a masterpiece of dance, art,
literature or music. However, to experience the erotic transformation symbolized by second water sign
Scorpio, this tie with mother, this umbilical link, must be broken.
The separation from the mother, although painful and agonizing, leads to the awakening of the
individual and the capacity to experience the erotic. Richard Idemon27 makes clear the importance of
this separation as prerequisite to union.
The desires for transformation, sexual intensity, and the power to create change through
merging, all have erotic and Scorpio-like overtones. The fully awakened Eros might be difficult to
distinguish from an activated Pluto in this context, except that the effects are much more personal. If,
on the other hand, Eros is denied or repressed, he becomes the uninvited god, like the thirteenth fairy in
Briar Rose. Not a happy guest.
The consequences to such a rejection can be harsh. The refusal of a god, or archetypal image,
equates with the refusal of a part of the unconscious life. This paves the way for fate to come and drag
us down into the underworld where we are forced into experiencing passion, although probably in an
unpleasant way. Here again Eros feels like he wears a Scorpio robe, and may be exhibiting his
relationship to the Erinyes as dispenser of fate.
Eros’s fate with his Mother also links him firmly to the third water sign of Pisces. One myth
of the origin of the constellation of Pisces tells the tale of Eros and Aphrodite turning themselves into
fishes and swimming up the Nile to escape the monster Typhon.
Typhon was said to be born from the elder deities Gaia (Mother Earth) and Tartarus.
Although the youngest of Gaia’s offspring, Typhon was by far the deadliest and the largest monster
ever conceived. He had legs of coiled serpents and arms that spread across the skies from horizon to
horizon. When he walked upright, his head touched the stars. Typhon spat giant boulders and blotted
out the sun with his wings. He was a big and scary guy.
Sensibly, the Olympians were reticent to fight him. They fled to Egypt and hid themselves by
transforming into animals. Zeus changed himself into a ram, Dionysus a goat and Aphrodite and Eros
disguised themselves as fish and swam up the Nile.
Typhon was eventually defeated by the combined efforts of Athene’s wisdom, Hermes’ and
Pan’s guile and the awesome power of Zeus’s thunderbolts. Later, the image of two fishes tied
together by their tales was placed in the heavens in honor of the Olympians escape from the mighty
Typhon.
Much of the romantic longing, ecstatic love and tragic loss associated with Pisces and
Neptune come to life in certain aspects of Eros and Aphrodite/Venus and certainly arise when there are
aspects between these bodies. The state of being in love, the search for a soul mate and the madness of
25 Lucius Apuleius The Golden Asse Book 5 Adlington's translation, 1566. This edition by Martin
Guy, 1996 http://eserver.org/books/apuleius/
26 Lucius Apuleius
27 Richard Idemon, Breaking the Silver Cord 2 tapes #RI-203 Pegasus Tapes: Audio Cassettes on
Astrological, Psychological and Mythological Themes. P.O. Box 419 , Santa Ysabel, CA
the divine other all mingle in the same cup. Perhaps it is Eros who pours the elixir while secretly
shooting the odd dart. Pisces, however, is not the only duel sign linked to Eros.
Eros and the Sign of the Twins
To complicate matters, one version of myth associates Eros with a Gemini like twin brother,
Anteros. In this case, Aphrodite is called the mother of the twin loves. Where Eros is love, Anteros is
love avenged or returned. This seems odd at first, a divergence away from the water element and into
its opposite principle, air.
Yet Anteros symbolizes a returned or opposite love. It is said that Eros pined with loneliness
until Aphrodite gave him Anteros as a playmate. In this role, Anteros is the answer to love’s longing.
He is also depicted as the one who punishes those who scorn love or do not return the love of others.
The story of Timagora and Meles reveals this theme. The young Athenian Meles rejects the
love of his friend Timagoras. Meles mockingly tells the spurned lover to climb to the top of a cliff and
throw himself off. Timagoras does so without question, showing his dedication. He dies instantly in
the decent. When Meles realizes what he has done, he is filled with guilt and regret. He then casts
himself down the same cliff and also dies. Thus in some areas, Anteros is worshipped as the avenging
spirit of Timagoras.
This mythic theme reveals characteristics of the Gemini twins. These two brothers can
represent the heights of divine love to the pits of guilt, remorse and revenge. Perhaps because these
qualities are so divergent, it was necessary to split them apart and view them as separate entities. As
anyone aquatinted with experience of erotic love, the two are not separate at all but different
expressions on the face of the same god.
Anteros
You ask why I have so much rage in the heart
And on a flexible neck an untamed head;
It is that I come from the race of Antée,
I return the darts against the victorious god.
Yes, I am that which inspires the Avenger,
He marked me on the face with his irritated lip;
Under the paleness of Abel, alas! Blood-stained,
Sometimes I have of Cain the relentless redness!
Jehovah! the last, overcome by your engineering,
Who, of the deepest of the hells, shouted: "O tyranny!"
It is my Bélus grandfather or my Dragon father...
They plunged me three times in the water of Cocyte,
And, protecting all alone my Amalecite mother,
I sow again with his feet the teeth of the old dragon. 28
The love and passion of Eros is by no means limited to the element of water. Each sign,
however, has it’s own mythic flavor, a costume of varying size a hue. Aries, like the god of war, has a
passion to assert his will. Taurus, like Venus, may have the classical passion towards sensual pleasure.
Gemini, messenger of the gods, has a passion for communication and knowledge. Cancer’s passion
lies in emotional ties and feelings. Leo has the passion and loyalty of the lion heart and Virgo has a
distinct passion for selection and discrimination. Libra has passion for beauty, balance and refinement.
Scorpio has passion for intensity and merging. Sagittarius has boundless passion for adventure and the
unknown. Capricorn has passion for perfection and successful accomplishment and Aquarius has
passion for freedom and ideals. Pisces’ passion often mingles with a longing for union with the divine.
All the planets and signs in the astrological chart are important when it comes to
understanding love. Each has something to offer and something secret to reveal. Focusing on Eros,
discovering the sign, house position and aspect of this celestial body, can shed even greater light on our
personal and unique experiences of love in all its many forms. Ignoring this image is like turning away
from a part of our own soul.
28 Gerard de Nerval, from Les Chimeres, translated by Vervain de Blancetti,
http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Coffeehouse/1441/eanteros.html August 1999
Eros in the Signs of the Zodiac
The asteroids or ‘minor planets’ are by no means minor in their power of expression.29
--Demetra George & Douglas Bloch
The planets by sign describes HOW they will orient themselves in the chart. It
is the costume they wear, the approach they take, the way they express. It also gives
an indication of which other archetypal figures they will like to keep in their
company. This holds true for all the planets, including the asteroid Eros.
For example, Eros in a fire sign might be friends with the exuberant Jupiter in
Leo but have discomfort with the sometimes cautious and testy Mercury in Cancer.
In the element of earth, he might associate easily with the voluptuous Moon in
Taurus, yet clash with the sometimes inaccessibly aloof Sun in Aquarius.
Sometimes planets with natural affinity find themselves estranges as when
Venus is in Pisces, Eros in Sagittarius and Moon in Virgo. Then it seems we are at
internal odds and unable get what we want without some part of ourselves giving up a
vital need.
By studying the placements of Eros by sign, we can better integrate the diverse
needs and drives of this body. In an archetypal sense, the signs have a distinct way of
relating to both inner and outer experiences and acknowledging those distinctions is a
step towards becoming more complete.
Richard Idemon30 offered the astrological community great insight in his
lectures on the orientation of the signs. When speaking about the various approach or
attitude the signs exhibit towards a given goal or function, Idemon shared his keen
perceptions into the deeper nature of the zodiac. This orientation through the
archetypes of the signs also helps interpret how planets operate in synastry,
progression, composite, transit and progression.
The following delineations of Eros provide an easy reference for quick overviews and initial
understanding. (This represents the first few paragraph of each deliniation from my book, Planets and
Passion: The Astrology of Eros)
Eros in Aries
Eros' forms are many and sometimes terrible, and in full strength he comes to us winged and
gleaming and muscled like an athlete, with a fury and will that overpower our own and drive
us before him as would a storm. 31
--Peter Marin
Eros in Aries says, “Play with me, right here and right now!” In this sign, Eros wants action,
competition, confrontation and of course, he wants to win! Eros in Aries can make a game of love
complete with points to score and visiting teams to defeat! The more impossible the relationship, the
more ardent he becomes.
As the first of the FIRE signs, he spends and consumes tremendous amounts of energy in the
pursuit and capture of his quarry. All this fiery rabidity makes Eros in Aries a very active and
perpetually busy lover. Eros here, whether in the chart of a male or female, can exhibit traditional
29 Demetra George &n Douglas Bloch, Asteroid Goddesses, ACS Publications, San Diego, CA May
1986
30 Richard Idemon, Breaking the Silver Cord 2 tapes #RI-203 Pegasus Tapes: Audio Cassettes on
Astrological, Psychological and Mythological Themes. P.O. Box 419 , Santa Ysabel, CA
31 Peter Marin, The Fury of Eros, Harper's Magazine02/94 v288:n1725. p 30(2)
romantic behavior not unlike a knight of old. He is robust, gallant and ever dashing off to slay dragons
or rescue damsels, or helpless men, in distress.
Eros in Taurus
This way, my love, this way, come here and haste to rest the whole night in my arms. I worship
your lovely curly hair; I am consumed with ardent desire. Oh! Eros, in thy mercy, compel him
to my bed. 32
--Aristophanes
Eros in Taurus says “Hold me, touch me, kiss me, take me.” Here Eros
has little interest in the aggressive ardency of Aries. Taurus is not responsive to getting up at 6 a.m. to
do fifty laps at the pool and he would rather not have to compete with anyone to get what he wants.
Eros has a different orientation in this sign, namely, an orientation towards pleasure. That means pure
and natural, undiluted personal and sensual gratification.
This pleasure-seeking eye of the bull is ever on the niceties of sensuality whether they be in the
dinning room, on the massage table or in a king size bed. He finds joy in tangible pursuits that revolve
around making the body feel good as well as the pleasure of acquisition. Taurus can also become
ferociously possessive of those pleasures in an extremely dogmatic way.
Eros in Gemini
…and the most beautiful words ever spoken, I have not yet said to you.
--Nazim Hikmet
Eros in Gemini says, “If you want me, talk to me!” Here Eros thrives on the interaction of
ideas, and the intellectual stimulation found in sharing observations, data and little understood facts.
He likes it known how well he comprehends a subject and how much he could teach about it. Eros in
Gemini wants to hear the words, or receive little cards with messages of love, much more than he
wants to get a box of chocolates or even a massage!
Gemini governs the realm of the mind, the known universe, its facts and fancies. When Eros
dresses in this outfit, he seeks intimacy first through intellectual rapport and that usually means talking.
The mere act of communication can stimulate this position of Eros into desires for deeper intimacy and
union, provided one listens to the discourse. The beloved’s inattention to detail or loss of concentration
on the subject kills a genuine pursuit faster here than in any other sign.
Curiosity about how things work, why people behave in a certain way, or where some
tradition began all contribute to the stimulating mental atmosphere where Eros in Gemini likes to live.
He uses knowledge as a lure, his mind as bait and his wit as reward. He also uses these intellectual
instruments as a bastion against the pain and suffering of the emotional world.
The first of the AIR signs, Eros in Gemini has a sense of mental objectivity and a distinct need
for space. Although drawn irrefutably to the depths of intimacy by the nature of Eros itself, in this sign
he may at times do more talking or reading about emotional closeness than going out and experiencing
it.
Eros in Cancer
A mean young man meets a witch, who says she will be his lover
forever if he brings her the heart of his mother. He runs home, kills his
mother and cuts out her heart.
As he is running back through the forest, he trips and falls, dropping the heart.
In a concerned tone, the heart says to him, "Son, did you hurt yourself?”
--Old Jewish Parable
Eros in Cancer says, “share your joy and pain with me”. In this sign, Eros experiences a
certain measure of affinity and ease. Here the boundaries can dissolve into a space of intimate rapport
where the feelings, emotions, fears, pains and sorrows of two people merge and mingle into one. In
32 Aristophanes, Ecclesiazusae 955 Crane, Gregory R. (ed.) The Perseus Project,
http://www.perseus.tufts.edu, September 1998
cancer, Eros does not hesitate at the threshold of erotic intimacy. Once inside, he simply never wants
to leave.
Eros in Cancer longs to be wanted and he craves the significant other’s attention and deep
need for attachment. Nurturing, sustaining and mothering all arise with this archetype creating a potent
link that can enhance life as well as strangle it to death. It is the image of the umbilical cord that offers
succor but may also become toxic if it is not severed at the necessary time.
Eros in Leo
Call me a she-lion, then, if you like and Scylla, dweller on the Tuscan cliff. For I have
touched your heart in the vital spot.33
--Euripides
Eros in Leo says, “watch me, follow me, worship me”. The operant word in this phrase is me.
Eros in Leo is similar to his fiery counterpart Aries in the desire for action although here Leo’s need
diverges in its tremendous longing for attention and adoration. Where Aries likes a playmate and
wants, of course, to be first, Leo needs the devotional attention and unfailing love of those who touch
his life. Unfortunately, this is often just what he feels is missing.
Eros in this position has a strong desire to feel special, unique and distinctive. The second of the FIRE
signs, Eros in Leo requires energy and returns it in playful abundance as well. He dazzles in the spotlight of admiration and gives priority to the creative, artistic side of life.
Eros in Virgo
..how can I find a path towards my soul's real nature that begins right here where I am
shipwrecked, rather than in pious hopes for a perfect life? 34
--Harriet Eisman
Eros in Virgo says, “hold me, touch me, buy me things, and explain to me why you are doing
it.” This second of the EARTH signs has all the tangible desires of Taurus with the added propensity
to analyze intentions and rate them on a scale of one to ten. These discriminating qualities of Virgo
can come to the fore with a check list approach to romantic love.
Virgo has tremendous perceptions and is not a sign to hesitate using them on the beloved.
Sometimes this can equate with judgements and criticism, real wet blankets for erotic experiences.
This perceptiveness can also turn inward were it manifests as a self-criticism, an equally damaging
trait. An inclination to carry out a running commentary on the attributes and failings of any given
moment may mingle with passion like oil and water.
Eros in Virgo does have a very lusty and luscious desire nature that shares an affinity with epithemia.
The material elements of life appraise high on the scale of importance and that means physical contact,
physical nurturing and physical pleasure. They can abide a great deal of touching, tasting and sensing
too. Eros here is not afraid to get close and stay close, if the special other turns out to be good enough.
Eros in Libra
Eros, god of love, distilling liquid desire down upon the eyes, bringing sweet pleasure to the
souls of those against whom you make war, never to me may you show yourself to my hurt nor
ever come but in due measure and harmony. 35
Eros in Libra says, “share the elegant beauty of life with me!” This Eros wants above all to
participate with a significant other in many splendid activities. Libra is the sign of personal one-to-one
relationships and Eros here has all the longings for the excellence and refinement that exemplify Libra.
In this position, life needs to unfold pleasantly and in the company of a beloved other.
33 Euripides, Medea 1360 (Loeb) Crane, Gregory R. (ed.) The Perseus Project,
http://www.perseus.tufts.edu, August 1999
34 Harriet Eisman, That Other Loveliness, Reprinted from Parabola: The Magazine of Myth and
Tradition, Vol. XX No. 4 (Winter 1995).
35 Euripides Hippolytus 525, Crane, Gregory R. (ed.) The Perseus Project,
http://www.perseus.tufts.edu, September 1998
Being the second of the AIR signs, Eros in Libra has the ability to objectify life, and enjoys
the communication of ideas. Talking , interpreting, counseling and the giving and receiving of
feedback all rate high on the list of Libra’s good times. This is a refined position for Eros, a sign that
inherently honors the social niceties of the times and enjoys the sophistication of good manners and
pleasant exchange. Unless, of course, they are flipping into their antagonistic side. Then, from Libra
erupts the disputing debater or Devil’s advocate par excellent!
Eros in Scorpio
Come to me, and I shall be the sun round which you are locked in orbit,
and my rays shall lay bare the secrets you keep from each other, and I,
who possess charms and powers of which you have no inkling, shall
control and possess and destroy you!" 36
-- Anne Rice The Vampire Armand
Eros in Scorpio says, “merge with me in the searing furnace of the souls so that together we
may be transformed.” Eros in Scorpio speaks bluntly. His desires are potent, ardent and fixed and
often involve a great deal of intense intimacy that can make the light-hearted falter. Eros in this sign is
interested in a very personal and erotic form of relating that has no qualms about ripping off the surface
scab of social superficiality to expose the true nature of ones soul beneath. They generally don not
hold back.
Eros here seeks, often through intense and possibly taboo sexual experiences, the gift of
merging, union and transformation. This is the break on through to the other side that Jim Morrison
echoed. He invites you to the threshold and if you enter, there is no turning back. You will transform
or perish, or both.
Eros here may be in the sign of his greatest affinity. The second WATER sign, Scorpio
relates well to the powerful hungers exhibited by Eros and there is little to modify or temper. Scorpio
is not afraid to get too close. He does not shun intimacy, physical or otherwise. He is not nervous
about bodily functions, losing his freedom, sharing his emotions or surrendering his mind. He just
plain is not nervous or afraid of much, except maybe losing control.
Eros in Sagittarius
Imagine, if you can, silver leaves waving above a pool of gold filled with
singing fishes. Twin moons in an alien sky. If you like, I'll show them to you
and they will be, I promise you, the dullest part of the journey. Come with me
and I will show you sights that you have never dreamed of. Or stay behind,
and regret it until your dying day...
--William Hartnell as Doctor
Who
Eros in Sagittarius says, “expand my horizons and explore the unknown with me!” This
placement of Eros needs widespread goals for the future and the space, energy and enthusiasm to live
them out. Spontaneous, exuberant, adventurous and fickle, Eros here prefers a lively and challenging
experience with the beloved, one that will take him to the limitless corners of the universe. If someone
is going to be with Eros in Sagittarius, they best get ready to soar.
This third FIRE sign has enormous sexual energy and will become bored if the relationship
does not develop into broader and richer potentials, or offer new horizons. Travel is his watchword and
that does not necessarily mean physically jumping on a plane and heading for a distant culture. The
travel Sagittarius has in mind involves the exploration of any previously unknown realm. This includes
symbolic journeys through intellectual concepts, philosophical ideas, spiritual beliefs and artistic
creations.
36 Rice, Anne The Vampire Armand: The Vampire Chronicles, Knopf;New Yorkl, NY ISBN:
0679454470 October 1998
Eros in Capricorn
Do you see how unclothed Love smiles and looks so gentle? He has no torches, nor bows
which he could bend. But in one of his hands he bears flowers, in the other a fish. That's to
say he sets the law on land and sea.37
--Alciato
Eros in Capricorn says, “touch me, buy me things, and balance the books if you think you are
qualified”. This position of Eros has powerful concepts about what is good and what is good enough.
There is a need for competence and capability that the earthy sign of Taurus would never consider
important. Eros in Capricorn is looking for a type of tangible perfection in the other or failing that, a
certificate of completion at least.
Capricorn may sublimate its earthy and very ardent desires for sensual contact and intimacy
through the ever-present demands of work. Productivity, attainment, and a feeling of self-sufficiency
are vital qualities for Capricorn and they like to see them in the partner as well as themselves.
The third of the EARTH signs, Eros in Capricorn has a powerful need to connect in a physical
sense and may also have equally powerful reservations, fears and objections to intimacy. Caution is
the watchword. This sign is acknowledged as one of the most difficult to get to know. They do not
open up easily and they may not stay open long.
The paradox is that Capricorn is extremely sensual and sexual in a very earthy, potent, Panlike way. Its symbol is half goat after all and the implication of fertility and sexuality imbibe the
image. They have all the desires of Taurus lounging side by side with their deep well of fear.
Eros in Aquarius
…I have never seen nor heard your name without a shiver half of delight, half of anxiety….
--Edgar Allan Poe
Eros in Aquarius says, “surprise me, shock me, amazement me!” This position of Eros carries
a high voltage charge with stimulating encounters that need a lot of air space to conduct
electromagnetic charms. Eros in Aquarius desires the weird, the wonderful and the unusual. He
thrives on the unexpected and luxuriates in situations that make the more traditional signs squirm with
embarrassment.
Eros in the sign of the Water Bearer has a disposition bordering on the bizarre. He crosses
boundaries as if they did not exist and skips the lines of gender and protocol like a child playing hopscotch. If it is unusual and invigorating, he is probably interested.
The third of the AIR signs, Eros in Aquarius gets bored with routine and needs intriguing
conversation and somewhat unconventional themes to keep his interest aroused. He also needs a lot of
freedom.
Eros in Pisces
Held fast in a faience of sea changes
While waves queue offshore in glittering strings;
Till love’s continuum rearranges,
The persevering sea harbors all things.38
--E.F. Mosher
Eros in Pisces says, “merge into the depths with me”! Here Eros wants to lose all sense of
where his being ends and another begins. Eros in Pisces desires a return to paradise, a drink from the
Holy Grail and union with the divine. He is willing to give up his own identity, allowing it to melt and
merge with the beloved until they are no longer distinct but part of a greater whole. This is the state of
37 Andrea Alciato, Book of Emblem,s Ed. William Barker, Mark Fletham, Jean Guthrie Department
of English Memorial University of Newfoundland Emblem 107 The Power of Love
http://www.mun.ca/alciato/ July 1999
38 Eunice Falconer Mosher, from Pantoum on a Pacific shore, with kind permission. April 2000
the mystic and the universe of the quantum physicist. It is the persistent longing of Pisces and the
dreaded fear of almost every other sign. Eros here could be in its exaltation, the affinity is that great.
This position of Eros, the third of the WATER signs, represents the dissolving of the self into
the other and all the pain, longing, suffering and ecstasy that process may involve. It also embraces the
mysterious sense of the ineffable, something seldom glimpsed for long in any relationship. It suggests
the beauty and creativity seen only through the lives of lovers who have touched each other’s spirits. It
is indeed a big call for the average relationship to achieve.
Eros in the Houses
Eros brings beauty, meaning and divinity into our lives. It comes to us through a very
particular epiphany, a passionate inspiration present in a particular lover, teacher, melody,
or landscape. We long to follow it always. But this is not the whole story. For Eros also
brings us obsessions, cruelty, abandonment, and betrayal. It may come through anguish…”
--Harriet Eisman
39
The asteroid Eros, like any planet in the astrological chart, represents a basic
human need, drive or impulse. As Mars symbolizes the drive or urge towards
assertiveness, action and direction, Eros symbolizes the urge towards erotic love and
the transformations offered by this experience. The PLANETS represent the nature of
an inherent impelling force in us, as well as a piece of our own soul, and Eros’s
impulsion is towards union of a particular kind.
The SIGNS indicates how the needs and drives of the planets will express. Just as Mars in
Leo may have a dramatic flare and fixedness to its drive to take action, so Eros in Leo would have a
flamboyant spark in its approach to erotic love. The signs describe the way a need functions.
The HOUSES in turn represent areas of life, inner and outer. They symbolize the
environment where the need or drive is acting out. The ruler on the house cups and the sign or signs
contained in the house suggest the climate found in that environment. Any planets residing in a given
house indicates that the needs and drives implied by them tend to operate strongly in that area of life.
Entering or doing that area of life will evoke the needs and drives of the planets found there. We meet
those planets, and the archetypal characters they symbolize, in that area of life.
Where Eros is by house indicates the environment, people or experiences that
the god of love affiliates with. Howard Sasportas, in his book The Twelve Houses,
states:
Any planet or sign in a house always suggests the most natural way to unfold
the life plan in the area of life the house represents.40
The system of derivative houses41 may also help elucidate experiences linked with the Eros
house positions and is applied to the following cookbook descriptions. The derivative approach is
controversial: some astrologers use it with impunity; other authors feel it is only useful in Horary
charts. As with the house systems, each individual must experiment and use what they find works best.
The following cookbook style interpretation of Eros through the houses focus mainly on natal
positions although they operate for positions by transit or progression as well. A much more detailed
working of Eros through the houses and by transit and progression can be studied in the soon to be
released text: Asteroid 433 Eros: The Astrology of Love
39
Harriet Eisman, The Other Loveliness, PARABOLA, The Magazine of Myth and Tradition, Vol. XX, No. 4.
(Winter, 1995)
Howard Sasportas, The Twelve Houses: An Astrological Guide to Life’s Possibilities The Aquarian
Press Wellingborough, Northhamptonshire England 1985 p.39 Now HarperCollins LTD,
Hammersmith, London
41
The derivative houses method looks at each house as being the first and then relates all the other
houses back to it: The 6th house rules our children’s finances because it is 2nd (money/values) from the
5th (offspring).
40
Eros in the First House
And as concerning reality…the impression we get of it is not the same as the perception. 42
--Aristotle
When Eros resides in the first house of the natal chart, it gains additional
significance. This is especially true if it is found within ten degrees either side of the
Ascendant. Here Eros takes on first house importance adding his flavor to the sign or
signs and any other planets found there.
In this position, Eros contributes towards the general approach to life. It may indicate how
plans are initiated, action taken or dilemmas worked out. It may not mean that we have an erotic
approach to initiation, but that we tend to encounter the erotic when taking action or presenting
ourselves to the world.
Eros in the Second
May I ask…whether you inherited most of your possessions or acquired them yourself? 43
--Plato
The second house traditionally rules money, values, resources and innate capabilities. It has a
lot to do with valuing our self as a unique individual and can give indications of tangible longings,
desires and aspirations.
People with Eros in the second house may value the erotic union as a resource or reserve. An
erotic manner may reside with them comfortably like an inborn perception of what they are worth,
what they deem estimable. This may actualize as a subtle undertone in some, or a brash and even
overbearing urgency in others.
Eros in the Third House
I'm skilled at introducing new ideas every time out, each one different from the other and all
of them good.44
--Aristophanes
The third house traditionally deals with ideas, communication, learning, short journeys and
siblings. It describes the early environment and local community, left brain activity or the rational
mind, and our attitude to leaning and knowledge in general. If consciousness is, as Richard Idemon
used to say, “what we think and what we think we think,” the third house is the arena of that
consciousness. It is the way in which we think we perceive the environment.
When Eros resides in the third house, communication itself can become an erotic experience.
The written and expressed word, the transmission of information and the act of learning or teaching
may all create an experience of erotic transformation for those involved. These can be people who
really enjoy writing letters, keeping a diary or journal or getting up and making a speech.
Eros in the Fourth House
Now after my long day's labour sloping towards an evening of repose, has relaxed my
energies by suggesting the charms of family life. 45
42
Aristotle, Metaphysics: section 1010b, , Gregory R. (ed.) The Perseus Project, Gregory R.
http://www.perseus.tufts.edu, January 2000
43
Plato, Republic: section 330a, Gregory R. (ed.) The Perseus Project, http://www.perseus.tufts.edu,
January 2000
44 Aristophanes, Clouds (ed. Jeffrey Henderson): line 518, Gregory R. (ed.) The Perseus Project, Gregory R.
http://www.perseus.tufts.edu, January 2000
--Cicero
The forth house is the domain of the family, emotional security and sense of belonging at the
very roots of our being. Astrologer Joanne Wickenburg 46 says, if the Ascendant is WHO you are, the
IC, and subsequent fourth house, is WHAT you are. Often it also represents what we like to hide from
others.
This house symbolizes the external home, the family emotional inheritance, a parent, 47
domestic affairs and the country of origin. When Eros is found in this house the erotic links closely
together with experiences of home and family. Eros loves to hide in the fourth house and there may be
a secretive approach to erotic love.
Eros in the Fifth House
…and those who devote themselves to music and letters and to the various contests, some by
exhibiting their strength and others their artistic skill, win for themselves greater honor. 48
--Isocrates
The fifth house is the traditional residence of entertainment. It encompasses the playful heart,
the creative spirit and romantic pleasures. It is the house of the inner child and the outer speculator, the
actual children and the latent rock star in everyone.
The fifth house has to do with self-expression and that includes offspring, art work, novels,
and romances because they all activate the heart and engender feelings of uniqueness that makes us feel
special. That is, when everything is going smoothly. These areas of life also put us in a place of
utmost vulnerability not just to the art critic and the gene pool but to those experiencing the inner child.
The fifth house rules speculation because we risk the child-like and creative qualities in the harsh
reality of potential judgement and condemnation. There is no guarantee how we will measure up.
Eros in the Sixth
In constructing a homestead, we have to provide for the stock which it is to shelter, and for its
health and well being.49
--Aristotle
The sixth house traditionally represents daily routine, work and employment, health of the
body and health services, small domestic pets, service in general, tools and gadgets. The common
thread here includes the need to establish ritual and routine, through organization, commitment and
concern, in the every day life. It also describes the ways and means we accomplish and perfect those
daily routine tasks.
When Eros is found in the house of skill development, service, health and
daily routine, one may have some finely tuned proficiency when it comes to
passionate and romantic love. They may see the body as a vessel that provides for the
delights and erotic passions of the beloved and be inclined to perfect their ability to
give and receive those delights. They may find the merging and transformation an
erotic union offers desirable on a daily basis!
45
M. Tullius Cicero, Letters (ed. Evelyn Shuckburgh): text A, book 9, letter 10 [B.C. 49. Coss., C.
Claudius, Marcellus, L. Cornelius Lentulus Crus.: CCCLXIV (A IX, 10)]
46
Joanne Wickenburg, Director of SEARCH P.O. Box 162 Nortgate Station, Seattle, WA 98125 USA
47
Debate continues over which house associates with which parent. I favor the fourth with the father
and the tenth with the mother although some charts seem to indicate the opposite. An open mind,
accurate birth time, and flexible approach to this question assures the greatest accuracy in determining
the house position of each parent in individual charts.
48
Isocrates, Speeches and Letters (ed. George Norlin): speech 9, section 4 [Evagoras] Gregory R. (ed.) The
Perseus Project, Gregory R. http://www.perseus.tufts.edu, January 2000
49
Aristotle, Economics, Gregory R. (ed.) The Perseus Project, Gregory R. http://www.perseus.tufts.edu,
January 2000
Eros in the Seventh House
When marriage is on equal terms, in my opinion it is no cause for dread; so never may the
love of the mightier gods cast on me its irresistible glance.50
--Aeschylus
The seventh house traditionally represents personal one-to-one relationships including
marriage, business partnerships, counselors and clients, long-term unions, or even open adversaries that
engage in on going debate. In this house, commitment reigns although the stage often hosts more than
a dance for two.
Eros in the seventh prefers close partnerships to include erotic, transformational unions of the
most powerful kind. The very nature of erotic love, however, suggests the stability, commitment and
endurance of the seventh house (a divorced relationship involving children can last a life-time)
contradicts the risk taking, changeable nature of Eros. Enter the triangle.
Eros in the Eighth House
…how does one describe a trip to the underworld?51
--Homer
The eighth house traditionally rules sex, death and taxes, and their transformational effects. It
also pertains to depth analysis, research and occult knowledge. The eighth house rules things of
mystery, intrigue and intensity. The thread that binds the eighth house scenery together consists of
elements in life that require us to make a leap of faith, to take a risk and discover the unknown within.
There are no guarantees in the eighth and no way to be sure that once we make a commitment to
intimacy, a belief system or a political party, that the implicit trust will be honored.
Eros in the eighth suggests an affinity with the purpose of the house: to take risks, to offer up
something precious, to feel to the depths of the soul and to hope for transformation in return. Those
with Eros in this house have an increased desire to experience the erotic on a very deep level of their
existence. They may also have a highly increased fear around doing so. The two can go hand in hand.
Eros in the Ninth House
For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God?52
--St. Paul
The ninth house traditionally rules spiritual beliefs, long journeys, higher education, foreign
cultures, ceremonies and rituals, publishing and clergymen. These categories all have the common
effect of exposing us to areas of mind, body or spirit, that have never been experienced before. Thus,
Dennis Elwell described the ninth house as an exploration into the unknown.53
When Eros falls in the ninth house, discovery of new and previously
incomprehensible concepts, peoples or vistas ignite feelings of passionate wonder and
intrigue. This Eros is aroused by new information, strange landscapes and mysterious
cultures. The act of gaining this information can be an erotic experience in itself.
Eros in the Tenth House
50
Aeschylus, Prometheus Bound (ed. Herbert Weir Smyth, Ph. D.): line 901, Gregory R. (ed.) The
Perseus
Project, Gregory R. http://www.perseus.tufts.edu, January 2000
51
Perseus Encyclopedia: id homer [H: Homer: Identity of “Homer” and Greek Oral
Poetry]
Gregory R. (ed.) The Perseus Project, Gregory R. http://www.perseus.tufts.edu, January
2000
52
World English Bible (ed. Rainbow Missions, Inc.): book Galatians, chapter 1, verse 10 [Paul's Letter to the
Galatians] Gregory R. (ed.) The Perseus Project, Gregory R. http://www.perseus.tufts.edu, January 2000
53
Dennis Elwell, Cosmic Loom: The New Science of Astrology, Unwin Hyman Limited London,
England 1987 p 154
He was, therefore, elated over his fame and had recourse to many other far more ambitious
undertakings which would serve to increase the dominant position of his native state. 54
--Siculus
The midheaven (MC) and the corresponding tenth house traditionally denotes the career,
mission or profession, one of the parents 55, and the social image and known reputation. Howard
Sasportas56 said that the qualities of any sign or planet in the tenth house correspond to what is most
visible and accessible to others. It is what stands out.
The tenth house indicates how others perceive us and those with Eros here want the world to
know they are passionate, erotic, potent and charismatic. The way they dress, speak and move may all
have a subtle undertone of Eros. Some people with this placement may even make a career out of
studying, teaching or living out the erotic and transformational side of life. Certainly, it would be of
major importance for them to express, especially if early childhood experiences lead to the denial and
repression of the god of love.
Eros in the Eleventh House
They are each, then, others of each other, in groups; for they cannot be so one at a time.. 57
--Plato
The eleventh house is traditionally associated with groups, hopes and wishes, membership in
organizations, relationships to friends and advisors and goals for the future. It has been tagged as the
desire to be more than what we already are, as happens when joined to a group or association. It is
also the desire to be everything we can possibly be, as reflected in what we wish and hope for. This
house represents a stretching beyond the individual identity that pushes out into the lager world as a
whole.
When Eros is found in the eleventh house, friendships, groups and goals take on a potent and
possibly passionate quality. We may experience friends as triggers for erotic feelings, transformations
or creative turning points. Whether a person with an eleventh house Eros passionately merges with a
friend or that friendship inspires them to experience the erotic through another person matters little.
The important point is that through friendship, the god of love awakens.
Eros in the Twelfth House
It is some solemn secret, surely, that you enshroud in mystery. 58
--Aeschylus
The twelfth house is a place of mystery. Isabel Hickey called it the house of drawn shades, a
region where we must serve or suffer.59 Traditionally it rules secret enemies, institutions such as
prisons, hospitals and asylums and other places of generalized pain and suffering, hidden activities,
exile and seclusion.
Sometimes Eros here awakens through injury, suffering or confinement. The
case of the doctor and patient, alcoholic and counselor, or even bereaved brother and
widow come to mind. There can even be an erotic relationship between criminal and
54
Diodorus Siculus, Library: book 11, chapter 41, section 2, Gregory R. (ed.) The Perseus Project,
Gregory R. http://www.perseus.tufts.edu, January 2000
55
See footnote #24
56
Howard Sasportas, The Twelve Houses:An Astrological Guide to Life’s Possibilities, The Aquarian
Press Wellingborough, Northhamptonshire England 1985 p. 87-91 Now HarperCollins LTD.
Hammersmith, London
57
Plato, Parmenides, Philebus, Symposium, Phaedrus: div1 Parm., section 164c [Parmenides] , Gregory R. (ed.)
The Perseus Project, Gregory R. http://www.perseus.tufts.edu, January 2000
58
Aeschylus, Prometheus Bound (ed. Herbert Weir Smyth, Ph. D.): line 520, , Gregory R. (ed.) The
Perseus
Project, Gregory R. http://www.perseus.tufts.edu, January 2000
59
Isabel Hickey, Astrology: A Cosmic Science, Altiere Press Bridgeport, Connecticut 1975 p 62
the officer of the law, as in the archetypal relationship between the brilliant detective
Sherlock Holmes and his equally genius archenemy, Professor Moriarty. These kinds
of unions make short work of the traditionally acceptable and they may embody an
extreme bitterness, yet their potential for transform is infinite. The very taboo and
suffering quality seems to make them all the more potent.
Eros in Aspect to the Natal Planets
The madness of being in love clearly shows many characteristics of soul activity: interference
with plans and projects, long periods of time spent in daydream and reverie, projection of
ideal fantasies onto the loved person…confusion about personal goals and values, a
weakening of willpower—all of these reveal an activation of the deeper strata of the soul.
--Thomas Moore 60
The aspects link the planets, points and angles in the natal chart creating an indivisible bond
between them. They consist of the angular division of a circle, 360 degrees, into different sized pieces
of pie. Some of the divisions form stronger or more harmonious links than others, although the vital
point is that they are linked at all.
One way of viewing the aspects between Eros and the other bodies in the chart
is to consider that Eros is holding a festivity and the other planets the guests. How
would Venus enjoy a feast with Eros? How would Saturn? Would he dive in or
nibble the edges? Would he simply lose his appetite altogether? Each planet has a
different orientation towards the experience of Eros. Each will taste, digest,
assimilate or reject that experience in different ways. Whether it inspires arousal or
repulsion, a connection by aspect to Eros will have its effect.
Aspects between planets bond them for better or worse. Usually it is a unique combination of
both. If we have a grand cross between Venus, Mars, Saturn and Jupiter, 61 we only have to evoke one
of the planets to activate them all. If we assert ourselves against a threatening situation (mars) we will
automatically evoke the containment or authority of Saturn, the expansive enthusiasm of Jupiter and
Venus’s desire to create harmony or extract value. We can not do one without the others when they
link by aspect.
This sheds light on the effects of any unaspected planets in the chart. If Mars
is unaspected, the act of assertion may evoke nothing but the aggression itself. It may
function in isolation because it has no links with the other bodies. Once awakened, it
may be hard to integrate any self or external control (Saturn), any arbitration or
diplomacy (Venus), or any sense of meaning or purpose (Jupiter). The pure and
possibly raw aggression may be one big event all to itself with nothing to modify the
energy in any way.
The nature of the aspect, whether it be a trine, square, inconjunct or opposition, holds some
significance yet it is more important to first established if there is a connection of any kind, and what
that connection may represent. If the Moon aspects Mars, their will be an ignition of the feeling nature
quite different from the Moon in aspects to Neptune. It matters little if the aspect is so called soft or
hard, good or bad. There are differences certainly, yet the primary signification of the planets being
connected to each other remains unchanged. This holds especially true with the transits of the outer
planets. A sextile from transiting Pluto can coincide with every bit as profound an emotional
experience as a square or opposition. It matters more that one is being touched by the god and less
from what angle that god is doing the touching.
With that in mind for Eros, the conjunction and opposition are the most consequential in the
natal chart, although the ‘lesser’ aspects should be considered and evaluated as well. As far as orbs go,
use what works best and what brings the most consistent and reliable results. A larger orb may be
preferable for the conjunctions and oppositions, perhaps up to 10 or even 12 degrees when involving
60
Thomas Moore, The Planets Within: The Astrological Psychology of Marsilio Ficino, Lindisfarne
Press, Great Barrington, MA 1990 p. 112-113
61
This grand cross might be cardinal: Venus in Libra opposite Mars in Aries, square Saturn in
Capricorn opposite Jupiter in Cancer, a division of the circle by 180 degree and 90 degree aspects.
the Sun or Moon, with progressively tighter orbs for the square, trine, and tighter still for the sextile
and inconjuncts. The minor aspects would want orbs of no less than 1.5 to 2 degrees, the parallel being
1.5 degrees to exact. The most important consideration to keep in mind is that if Eros, or any planet,
acts like it is in aspect to another planet, even if the orb is wide, then it probably is. Results speak
louder than rules.
For greater depth of information and individual delineations, please see the soon to be released
text: Asteroid 433 Eros: The Astrology of Love.
Eros by Transit or Progression
“Eros remains a power beyond our social order and morality; he stalks, goads, ruins, and transforms
us, and sometimes he lifts us as if on the palm of a huge hand into regions that astonish and terrify us
and that we would never, otherwise, have entered. For desire appears to us from the corners of the
earth or the depths of self with a force and urgency and sometimes a destructiveness so powerful we
cannot help ascribing them to a god, for nothing else--no psychologizing, no moralizing--makes any
sense.”62
--Peter Merin
As Eros moves through the sky by transit, progression or even converse progression, it makes aspects
back to all the planets and points in the natal chart. Likewise, the rest of the planets by transit will
periodically make aspects back to the natal and progressed positions of Eros. Either way, these
contacts often coincide with the times when erotic love and creative power issues awakens.
Some aspects and particular planet combinations appear to have a greater impact than others,
corresponding to more specific inner and outer events. Watching the transits to and from Eros over a
variety of charts is the best way to familiarize oneself with the various possible results.
Transits of any kind are often associated with outer events, although the initial effect is usually inner.
Some part of the psyche, some interior figure or archetype, awakens. Concurrent with the nature of the
transit, house and sign position, once awake it generally starts looking around for recognition. That
usually means it looks for a crown, a throne and appropriate patronage. If the recognition is readily
forthcoming and conscious awareness is placed on the needs, desires and offering of the figure, often
what it represents transforms into what we consciously express without a hint of an outer event. We
simple add the new aspect of being into the multiplicity of our conscious selves.
If, on the other hand, the needs and wants of the figure are denied by consciousness, we will met them
in the daily life as a person, place or thing. In this case, the event is often disruptive although it can
also be exhilarating. This assures, one way or another, our experience of the waking archetype.
In the case of Eros, the intensity of emotions, the sensations of physical longings and the potency of
desire wanting to express quite frequently manifests itself as an attraction to an enticing other. This
can range from another real life human being, to a long distance or otherwise impossible contact, an
idealize public figure, a creative project or set of glorified beliefs or doctrines. Most frequently, it has a
human component which often makes the compulsive feelings of love merge with the desire for sexual
intimacy. In this case, transits involving Eros may coincide with the appearance of a specific
individual that captivates the heart and enraptures the soul.
For greater depth of information and individual delineations, please see the soon to be released
text: Asteroid 433 Eros: The Astrology of Love.
62
Marin, Peter The fury of Eros Harper's Magazine 02/94 v288:n1725. p 30(2)