All about Eris
This was written Last April, though the information about Eris is timeless. Eris Masterclass linked at the bottom.
We are in that time of year where the Planets are crossing the Path of Eris, Goddess of Chaos and Discord.
For the last several years she’s been hanging out at 24° Aries, and Squaring Pluto the Lord of the Underworld.
As a planet located out beyond Pluto, whose is orbit is 558 years, she doesn’t move very far in our lifetime. About one zodiac sign per 100+ years. To give you an idea, I’m 43, she’s moved 10° across my entire life.
Many astrologers interpret her literally. And of course we should always consider literal interpretations, even if they do miss a bit of the archetypes dimensionality in so doing.
Eris, as Goddess of Discord, in her mythology, is famous for upsetting the apple cart. She is known for Her warrioress like power. Thought to be most at home in Libra, we associate her with things like Divine Retribution. Sacred Rage. Extreme Activism. Justice and getting one’s comeuppance. Etc. She definitely has a trickster like quality. And uses her cunning as much as her strength to bring about change.
But I’d like to offer a deeper translation.
In Laura Walker’s 2007 book, “Eris, Archetype of Shadows, Crisis, and Awakening”, we get a much more wholesome picture of who Eris is. She posits that Eris is Erishkagel, Goddess whose story has been re-written throughout time and varies based on culture.
My favorite Goddess archetypes to work with are Sisters, Inanna and Erishkagel. Eris-hkagel.
We’ve long known that Inanna who is the Goddess of Heaven and Earth is quite literally the wandering star, Venus.
In her mythology, Inanna/Venus travels from the Upper World, descends through the seven gates to hell, and meets her sister, Erishkagel, in her Underworld throne room. After their infamous meeting, Inanna exists the underworld and returns to her seat as Queen of the Upper Worlds.
From an astrological perspective, Inanna’s mythology can be mapped onto Venus’ movements across the night sky.
But what of Erishkagel?
In all of her mythology, we only ever hear about her in her throne room. In one place. Much like the Planet Eris, whose made her throne room in the seat of Aries for our entire lifetime.
So how does this help us understand Eris-kagel, and her mysteries?
I’ve spent many years being initiated by the underworld. Having emerged with many of her treasures, I think we are only beginning to scratch the surface on how the planet Eris acts in our lives.
While most of us have a decent grasp on what “discord” means. I don’t think we fully grok the chaos piece and how that actually impacts us personally.
Chaos doesn’t just mean “disorder”. It can mean that. It’s a principle component. But it isn’t anywhere near the full mystery.
Chaos is the formless matter that existed before the universe was created. It is undifferentiated, primordial soup. Pure potentiality, pure creativity, no form. 100% a place of the Deep, Dark, the Unknown. Erishkagel is, after all, Queen of Shadows. In Jung’s mythology, Shadows are synonymous with the Unconscious. And an Underworld encounter necessitates making the unconscious, conscious.
The underworld is a place of total dissolution. When we meet face to face with an underworld deity, we are asked to completely surrender the known. Our identity, our masks, our outer vestments of power. It is here in this total surrender of who we are, much like the the caterpillar who enters the cocoon, surrendering to the process of being liquified, total metamorphosis, that we finally meet our true selves.
The Queen of Night asks us to look reality smack dab in the face. Often mirrors to us, the most ugly and uncomfortable truths about ourselves. And in this, we find the greatest empowerment.
Gone is the struggle, trying to crack the code of the matrix. Rather we emerge naked, and innocent again, free to just be ourselves. A new kind of warrior is born. One who can slay unreality with one glance. Who cares little for fitting in, but rather is now about the business of her soul.
We often avoid a meeting with the Goddess of Chaos and Discord because of what she takes from us. All of the illusion, and delusion, the places we’ve traded truth, for safety and comfort.
For me, she is my favorite archetype to dance with. She is our “True North”. The one who spins the needle round and round until it is finally oriented to our authentic path. She orients us to our soul’s sacred yes’s, and sacred no’s. She is an ego slayer.
In Aries, wow is She bombastic. Look at what has happened for women in this century. The priority we’ve placed on independence, on contacting and relating to our essence self. Bringing our strength, voices, and ideas forward. The fight for freedom, and equality under the law. Courage beyond anything we’ve seen from woman for centuries.
As the Sun and Jupiter move closer to Eris, together, pay attention to where you are being asked to surrender your ego in service to soul. In service to what you truly incarnated for.
She is nothing short of the most powerful transformative deity. She offers a transfiguration to the open handed. We should be so lucky and count ours blessed to have the stars point us in her direction.
Today, 4/3 Vesta, the Goddess of the Hearth, who represents Devotion, meets with Eris.
This whole week will be colored by Jupiter closing in on Eris. Then the Sun’s exact conjunction on 4/14.
#astrology #eris #goddess #underworld #transformation #aries #sun #Jupiter
