Eris: Warrior Princess or Uninvited Guest?

As an astrologer I have to wonder how we would be looking at the newly discovered planet of Eris if she had been given the name of Xena as her discoverer Mike Brown had originally wanted? Eris/Xena was discovered on January 5, 2005 – a date which would make her a Capricorn but she was in the sign of Aries at the time of her discovery. So, if we start to think about this, this indicates that Eris is in fact a female version of Mars which in fact fits in very well with the archetype of the Warrior Princess as opposed to the goddess of discord after which she is named.

As with all planets, many of the characteristics associated with the mythological figure after which they are named are used by astrologers when looking at how the planet is going to influence our lives. So, if we want to know how Eris will affect us – both on a collective and individual level, we should first look at the story of Eris. Eris was the daughter of Nix who is the goddess of the night and who was the daughter of Chaos (one of Pluto’s moons is named after Nix). Eris caused the Trojan war – simply by not being invited to a wedding. Wedding crashing, she tosses in an apple marked ‘To the fairest of them all’. The female guests – all goddesses, wanted it in order to prove they were the fairest. So, Athena, Hera and Aphrodite had a diva-off over it and Aphrodite won – promising Helen of Troy to the not-terribly-bright himbo Paris. The fact that Helen of Troy was married to someone else was neither here nor there to either Eris or Aphrodite – or Paris for that matter, who was galloping off with his new amore without any thought of the consequences faster than you can say ‘wooden horse’.

Eris’s association with causing strife was further cemented in the year of her discovery as this was the year that Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans. Although it may be worth mentioning that Nix, Eris’s mum and the guy she hangs around with, may be more to blame here as New Orleans is a Scorpio city and therefore ruled by Pluto. But let’s not let the facts get in the way of hanging bad associations on poor Eris.

I believe as with any planet, Eris can express herself both positively and negatively in a transit. If we go back to the Xena archetype (a more positive image) then we can begin to associate Eris with our feminine power. And before we can have a successful relationship with someone else, there has to be an internal ‘wedding’ take place on a soul level inside of us – where our masculine and feminine energies are balanced and act in partnership. Eris represents the uninvited part of us, the part we don’t want to own so we exclude her. Perhaps this is the part of us we suppress or have been made to feel is unacceptable and if we show it, then we won’t find love and acceptance. By integrating it, and ‘inviting’ it however, we embrace the true power of the warrior feminine.

Eris is going to feature in many of the major transits for 2015 and I will be including her in my forecasts. So, ahead of this, what are the signs that you may not have invited your inner Eris to the party and need to transform her into your very own Warrior Princess?

 

1: Having a pattern of falling in love with people who aren’t available on some level. This doesn’t just include falling for someone who is married or in a relationship but also people who may be emotionally unavailable. If this is a pattern then Eris wants you to look at why you are excluding yourself from experiencing real love?

2: You constantly find yourself ‘butting heads’ with people on some level. Remember, Eris was discovered in the sign of Aries. Aries is ruled by Mars which rules the head. When we speak in metaphors like this we are often closer to the truth astrologically than we would like to think. Outer conflicts are often a sign we need to not only look at where we’re having a conflict internally or on a soul level, but also how we are responding to them on a mundane level. You could have a boundary issue or bottle up resentments until you explode. Time for your Warrior Princess to emerge.

3: You’re defensive to the point you won’t let people get close. Remember, at the heart of the Eris story she was left out. A new interpretation of the myth is that her actions were due to feeling excluded and hurt feelings. But instead of confronting the pain, she causes pain in others instead but ultimately – she is still excluded and misunderstood. If your Eris/Xena is constantly on guard, sword drawn, looking out for a threat or hurt where there is none, perhaps it’s time to tell her she’s been doing a great job but you can look out for yourself from here on in – and become your own Warrior Princess in the process.