Eris square Pluto, Cinderella, and Quantum Energy Part 1
“If we exclude Eris, she will find a way to make her energy felt.”
Eris, The Goddess of Discord and Strife is powerful energy. In order to be effective, she has to be strong, and volatile, to catapult us…
Eris is the 10th planet, after Pluto, and her energy is new to our consciousness. Like all the other planets that orbit the sun, there is a bad Eris and a good Eris. And are you willing to be more conscious, and allow what she excavates for you to look at? And if you finally come to understood how to use her energy wisely, can you do what it takes to reach for that emotional maturity and finally, excellence? Astrologer Henry Selzer wrote a book called The Tenth Planet, that shows that some Erisians have reached great personal heights, because they were able to utilise Eris energy positively. But anyone can capitalise on this energy, if they choose to work with it wisely, especially during significant Eris transits.
Pluto the planet of destruction and transformation, has also been powerful since it moved into Capricorn in 2008. Soon Eris will aspect Pluto in a stressful square for the last two, out of five times.
This article quite deliberately explores and expresses great polarities, to demonstrate what we already know: both Eris and Pluto energy, their light and dark, are potent. There is nothing mediocre about them. There are things to look at, and lessons to be learnt…
I have been attempting to write this article for a few days, but due to many responsibilities and disruptions, I finally initiated it in the days leading up to Eris’s station before going retrograde, during the latter part of July 2021. It was very interesting for me to briefly go through these resources, receive new exciting understandings, while feeling the energy as uncomfortable, ominous, yet ripe with potential, through Eris the agent of total change and Pluto, the deep transformation. Even my pets were feeling the discomfort, and vied for my attention. Attempting to race across my computer keyboard, raising my ire. I have rarely felt so incredibly excited to start with this unravelling, only to feel so incredibly frustrated at all the interruptions, and my own physical and emotional irritations. Emotions are all over the place, and after giving myself some time to allow them to rise up, and be experienced, the flow of ideas resumed. Yet my body was buzzing... Soon Eris will complete her last two (of five) exact square aspects to Pluto. We’re diggin’ deep… come hell or high-water…
Eris and the Origin Story:
Eris the Goddess of Strife and Discord shows the importance of the origin story, when we find ourselves in an aggressive, warring situation. What is the blow-up and strife actually about? Is it provoking someone’s insecurities, vulnerability, denial, weakness or hubris? What is the actual issue? And do we need to participate in it? These clarifications are very important; to calm the situation down, for self awareness. Because in the week leading up to an Eris station, chaos can escalate to such highs and hysterics. And as people are triggered and traumatised, they may forget what it is really all about. Without awareness, the unconscious have agency and authority over our life. Eris issues often have roots in childhood, but only causes unrest, because the shadow underneath is not acknowledged, or dealt with. Eris’ role in mythology is to bring to light that which people don’t want to see, but need to look at in order to grow, evolve and mature. Having looked at what is hidden, with awareness and compassion for Self, is empowering. It can actually set people free from a previous imprisonment…
Eris teaches us that our feelings and senses are essential components, and if we deny or exclude them, they will find a way to make us feel and acknowledge them. Vulnerabilities and insecurities fall in the same category… they all rise up during Eris transits.
Emotionally mature people may find Eris transits challenging. But not so difficult as those who are emotionally immature, who may think that feelings are for weak people, and stuffing them deeep down in ignorance, has some kind of benefit… What??? Denial is not a river in Egypt… It’s a conditions that’s going to cost you…
Abundance vs Denial, Deprivation and Lack:
This website has explored Eris energy from many interesting angles, and I find it curious how synchronicity has brought me answers to dilemmas and riddles that I have been pondering since childhood. I have been in angst and tears about these issues many times… and now I understand some of the origins and the dynamics. It’s fascinating and a healing experience!
One enlightened couple wrote an elegant book that explored the roots of some people’s discontent, lack, resentment, and envy so very eloquently! My guess is, there are many successful influencers on social media who would easily hand over a fortune, to be able to understand better, why there are happiness-haters, trolls, enviers, narcissistic personalities etc. who want to destroy their goodness. Because social media has become a place where narcissistic supply can be found. This is the go-to book! Chapter one is excellent, but chapter five elegantly dives into the roots of Cinderella’s two step sisters, and the stepmother’s behaviour.
Cinderella and Her Sisters - The Envied and the Envying, by Barry and Ann Ulanov.
“If I cannot be something, no one is to have anything, no one is to be anything.””
Here are some of the take aways, mixed up with my own views, of course. According to the book, Cinderella is the object of her sibling’s envy. Their envy wants to destroy her goodness, and make her equally as miserable as they are. “Cinderella owns nothing but her work and the attitude with which she approaches it. But her sisters envy her even that. Owning much but doing nothing, they envy her way of being and going about things. They aim to take it our of her, do disembowel her spiritually, so to speak. Seated in her ashes, going cheerfully about her duties, dressed in rags, the suffering servant has an unmistakable allure about her that the envious sisters clearly lack. Somehow they must remove it…”
Envy is such a powerful and potentially destructive emotion, yet those who fail to understand it, suffer anyway… Ignorance is not bliss…
Cinderella and her sisters differ sharply in their response to goodness, although both parties feel empty, and are in pain and anger regarding their circumstances.
Cinderella’s stepmother wanted to win pre-eminence at all cost, constantly devising a plan and letting them be persuaded of her superiority; that her rights should come first. The stepmother exposes the three siblings constantly to her persecutions, humiliations and power plays. She doesn’t care how they feel, their opinions or their thoughts. There is no self-reflection or self-evaluation, just a tendency to project onto other people. She
doesn’t take any of them seriously, as long as she can hold power over them. She plays diabolical cat and mouse games, which is a series of cunning manoeuvres designed to thwart her opponents. As the orchestrator of chaos, she wants a hold, and a tight toxic grip on them, causing drama and trauma to achieve it. Forcefully employing trauma-bonding to server her agenda. She employs the narcissism of the mind to scheme and plot on them, to control and subdue, and gives in to low vibrational emotions to hurt them, stealing opportunities from them.
Eris’ discovery chart shows how narcissists aim to steal another’s emotional nourishment in relationship, with both self and others.
This is how they are made to suffer… by turning all their relationships on them… isolating them in their inner torment with her distortions…
The evil-spirited player stepmother disempowers, abuses, backbites and manipulates all of them in the parasitic relationship. She tried to make them feel what she feels. She tried to make them affection-hungry so they will clamour for her attention and allow themselves to be controlled, which they experience and process differently:
Heart-centred
Cinderella openly suffers her emotional pain and losses, feels her hunger, weeps her sorrows, yet wishes for a better life. She works hard all day, and sits by the ashes of the fireplace; dreaming and longing for a more fulfilling life. Cinderella is emotionally balanced, and she goes with her internal flow. She remembers her loving father, and longs for the love and nourishment of a mother she never knew. She feels the loss of both her parents, and the fact that the substitute is inadequate. Cinderella stays within and with her being, and feeling experiences; both her hunger for the good, and her desire to be filled up. She doesn’t deny her emptiness and she doesn’t deny her partial fulfilment either. Cinderella desires a better future, and longs to go to the ball, but she can still appreciate the little joys she has, despite the drudgery, and poor circumstances.
Hard-hearted
Her stepsisters pretend that they are not suffering, not empty, and not in lack. Yet they are resentful, angry and seated in their deep-rooted woundedness, trauma and critical spirit, insisting on their superiority. They turn this disconnect into selfish malevolent actions, hurling accusations of blame onto Cinderella. They flee their own being, and as a result, their underlying pain and hunger can not be soothed. Fury replaces the suffering of the lack within themselves. They are well fed, yet cover their hunger with false feeding. They get Cinderella to run around for different foods, dress and service. They dread to admit their desire for goodness, nor depending on it, and from this dread, springs the persecution of the good. It’s always someone else’s fault that they can never be appeased, never feel fulfilled, and that they are always miserable, and feel awful. The sisters cannot be satisfied, therefore they deem that others must not enjoy goodness either.
Experience your Existence, and your Feeling and Sensing
The transformation Pluto brings is rarely easy, but ultimately we may look back and see that the creative destruction wrought by Pluto, paved the way for positive change.
Eris transits asks us to look at our suppressed emotions, and see all the ways that we don’t allow our experience to be felt, and be engaged with, and the consequences.
We actually create our own suffering, by separating ourselves from the experience of being in a human body; when we reject its needs and sensations. By rejecting or isolating certain parts of ourselves, we flee from our own being, as the sisters do. By not acknowledging the existence of a feeling, we refuse to partake in it.
The stepsisters are feeling so empty of goodness, and at the same time unable to feel fulfilment at all.
In disowning the experience of being hungry, miserable, cold, etc. we stay unaware of it. Herein lies the heart of the problem, when it has escalated into a chronic state… We are emotional, feeling beings by nature. Emotions want to flow through the body in a balanced way, not stay stuck in it. We long for love, to be nourished, held etc.
VIRTUOUS Cinderella uses her energy in the right way. She does not engage in a struggle with her backbiters; she goes about her work, and goes about her flow, looking everywhere for what good she can find. And when it comes, she accepts it, and enjoys it. She is a receiving woman, not a masochist. No falseness or pretence. She’s beautifully authentic. Fulfilled from an inner well of bounty. Healthy sensing and feeling.
But when we’re in denial (of the reality of the experience) like the sisters, life may fall into patterns of resentment, blame, selfishness, yet boiling with an anger at some injustice. In the extreme, it becomes superiority, pretence, and dreading to admit the desire for a good life. And ultimately, hatred and persecution of the good. Why, because like the sisters, we can’t have it. We take offence to it, deny its reality, hide from its presence, despise those who have it. Yet envy can grow and this sabotage can
get to epic proportions, spilling over as toxicity control in relationships. It is maddening. And it is our own fault, because we resist the human condition; our emotional, mental and spiritual components.
Eris and Pluto awakenings to the truth can be chaotic; that our discontent, envy and scapegoating of others, may ultimately have roots in our own poor choices, of how we decline to be a fully sentient human being. Experiencing everything life has to offer, wether we have it, or only dream of it.
These women are excellent examples of the Eris oscillation between the exceptional heart-centred feminine, and the hard-heartedness of the women scorned, who refuse to heal, feel or return to balance.
Eris: The Right to Exist, and Be Relevant
Several previous articles, elaborate on the experience of those at the receiving end of envious annihilation, persecution, and similar no-win situations, but chose not to be vengeful about it. Instead, finding courage and creative ways to spread into their own evolution. These people, or figures listed to the right, might at first have had to struggle greatly, to get through their own emotional turbulence. The emotions, like anger and pain, due to the aggravating presence of those who seem unable to allow another a place under the sun, is challenging. There is a disempowered feeling. A questioning if they have the right to rebel against the structures that limit them. Do they have the right to speak out, or should they tolerate being treated poorly? And the guilt and shame that may rise, as they feel bad about being the demanding or difficult person, who wants nourishment and respect.
There is a need to work constructively with the urge; to fight for the right to exist, and protection from harm. And also heal from internal discord, relating to where they were excluded, uninvited, unloved or ignored. In mastering the issues, allowing the emotions, and acceptance of dark and light nature, some may rise and be magnificent, and be noticed, despite the haters, enviers, institutions, the patriarchy or governments, who dislike them.
Eris also relates to the primordial right for the divine to be born into a human body, and have a UNIQUE human experience.
In this video, astrologer Molly McCord explains that transit Eris, currently at 24 degrees Aries, shows where the collective and individuals ultimately, want to be accepted for all of who we are, yet this is meant to be released, otherwise we will keep the anger stuck in our body. By allowing the integration of realities, we may come to radical acceptance, and make the most of the experience of life…
“Eris represents strength and wisdom gained in dark places. She is the transmutation of shame or trauma into power, sharp instincts, and unshakable serenity.”
Eris Growth: Healthy Envy? Leapfrog towards Excellence
As new planets have come onto our consciousness, astrologers have been able to identify and share with the collective, the higher and the lower expression of that particular planet. With Eris, this journey of discovery has been super slow.
Discord, strife and envy run riot during Eris transits, and with Pluto in the mix, nothing can be hidden or held back. This is a time when indulging in emotional immaturity and superficiality catch up to everyone, to a varying degree. People experience an emotional crisis that bubble up from deep within, like lava trying to find the path of least resistance, so the person can finally acknowledge emotional matter.
Eris transits may bring karma for those who use her energy inappropriately, through things like lawless strife, letting their emotions be swayed by bad Eris’ cruel and spiteful passions, and not regarding others. Good Eris abides by natural justice and can be stirred into serious and purposeful action, in a balanced way, by going with the natural flow.
Eris transits are times of opportunity for those who are emotionally mature, balanced, and ready to capitalise.
A Greek poet by the name of Hesiod declared that we can actually profit from Eris energy, which is something that the Greek gods and goddesses of Olympus preferred not to see, or acknowledge. Alison Chester-Lambert’s book, The Future in the Stars: The Astrological Message for 2012 and Beyond talks about healthy envy and competition. Gosh, is there such a thing? There was in ancient Greece, and there certainly is today…
Lower expression Eris is emotionally immature, don’t take responsibility, and take their unresolved emotional issues and blame out on others.
Hard-hearted Eris is cruel and merciless in battle, and express her volatile energy outward; aimed at others, to hurt them with vengeful acts. Mature and balanced Eris can look at other’s accomplishments and accolades, and appreciate the dedication and hard work, and use the inspiration for inward focus; to improve Self. Wether this self-improvement is done via inner work, to address self-defeating habits. Or by using the envy of another’s success, to stimulate themselves to do the work, to leapfrog themselves into excellence. Some people, who have been able to foster Eris energy in the higher expression, have reached incredible highs of personal achievement. In some cases, achieved even more than the person they once ‘envied’ with admiration.
Mature Eris recognises the benefits of emotional maturity, and taking responsibility. Instead of going green with envy, wasting time in toxic energy, or acting out in destruction, higher expression Eris takes the higher road and invests in Self.
Recognising, that at times, investing in your own empathic energy is the best investment you’ll ever, ever make.
Compassionate Cinderella makes a good energy investment, despite a great disadvantage in life. Her senses are awake to the unlimited possibilities. She taps into her inner feeling and abundance. She’s in her authentic zone; an interlude that feels more languid than ambitious. She is aligned with the truth that she is a unique expression of the divine, and her ego can rest. She keeps the faith and hope for a better tomorrow.
She goes about her life, in flow, actively seeking everywhere for the good, with her balanced feeling radar. She not only longs for the energy of abundance, but allows it, because she is a living part of it. She is indeed given the gift of nourishment, as her needs are being met. Her thoughts and feelings are sweet with gratitude, for what she does have. She opens herself to love, without guarantee of finding it. She gratefully accepts the gifts from the fairy godmother, which is precisely what the envious person finds hard to do. Cinderella is a receiving woman, who welcomes being, balance and flow, and goes to meet it. She steps into feeling for prosperity, and abundance is brought to her door. Miracles are her choice, and her focus. She takes chances wholeheartedly, without measuring, without trying to guarantee an outcome. Cinderella feeling and sensing her way, responds to the prince, dances and eats, shows her finery, and accepts admiration. No false modesty, no hiding in the corner, no swelled head. Just authentic Self. And everyone is amazed at the ball, at the beautiful energy of this mysterious woman.
Why? Because she is emotionally and vibrationally open to opportunities, virtue and good fortune. To EMBRACE them with her feeling, sensing, authentic Self. Her live and vibrating energy palpable. She is able to tune into the flow of life.
In chapter five, the Ulanov couple explain that this is the kind of shift in the being of the envious person, that must occur. Instead of the resentful questioning being, “Who has the good instead of me?” to a forthright: “Where is it? Let me look at it! Let me take it in!”
Despite there being no goodness in their environment, with a difficult stepmother, and three daughters responding to abuse differently, Cinderella is able to find within her Self, a source of inner abundance, that none of the others could….
This is the reason why it is important to look at what she was doing right? She was allowing her feelings and emotions to be felt. She was allowing the increase of emotional balance and emotional maturity. She was going with the flow; some invisible energy within her. Cinderella was not depending on any external factor to determine her life, she found her fountain of inspiration within. There were three children in that household, and one of them made different CHOICES than the others, by looking within; the only place where something good could be found and alchemy could take place.
Image: Cinderella is open to the goodness of emotional experiences and feelings, and revels in the opportunities that come her way. Despite being dressed in rags most of her life, she graciously accepts the gift of opportunity provided by the fairy-godmother, and her emotional availability and authenticity, lands her further opportunities with a prince. She embraces life with wild abandon and gratitude, despite her reality and drudgery.
“I [Eris] help to bring justice and equality to all, but from the inside. I wake people up by making them realize that none of us are whole until all of us are whole.
I bring discord and chaos, for that is how I communicate my messages. And it is through this, that I am able to inspire change.”
Greek Mythology as Introduction to Life’s Lessons
In Greek mythology, myth was used to council the population on a simple level, and introduce them to life’s lessons.
According to this article: “Hesiod took the unusual position of giving Eris credit for motivating people to better their lives and work harder. Trying to outdo one’s neighbor could, according to Hesiod, be a form of strife that was beneficial. The version of Eris was so different from the Eris seen on the battlefield that they were sometimes considered two different goddesses. The Eris of fighting was cruel and merciless, but the domestic Eris could use a man’s discontent and competitive nature to make his life better through hard work. One Eris focused her discontent outward and battled against other people, while the other Eris focused inward and inspired a man to fight against his own bad habits.”
In Alison’s book, she quotes the Dictionary of Classical Antiquities: “She [Eris] was the personification of noble rivalry, and is represented as stimulating even dullards to exertion.”
She also wrote that the greek poet Hesiod had great insight into the positive aspects of Eris, and how to engage with Eris energy in the most positive way. Living life to take advantage of Eris’s competitiveness.
In this video, Astrologer Louise Edington talks about a good Eris and a bad Eris, and discusses Alison’s book. “The whole energy is essentially about ethics and karma. The bad Eris is lawless strife, which is no regard for others, and we are seeing that in the chaos in the world, at the moment. And the good Eris energy abides by natural justice, and is steered into serious and purposeful action. To get the best out of this energy, mortals are actioned not to let their emotions, to be swayed by the cruel and spiteful passions, but we should also avoid not caring for others.” Wise advice indeed! Powerful. Sage.
Quantum Energy, Eris and Infinite Potentials for Fulfilment
The ancient Greeks had a great variety of myths relating to the history of the world, in which they explored the universe appearing to have an ordered structure, despite elements like confusion, disorder, chaos and metamorphosis naturally occurring within it.
Alison (and Louise) introduces Eris in as a goddess who represents the natural law of fire, and the chaos of the god-ness. They explains that each religion and sacred texts on planet earth have a creation myth “with an orderly universe being created out of chaos, fire, energy and spirit. This is the 96 per cent of the Multiverse and everything in our universe draws from it”. This wisdom is what everything in the universe draws from. She says that science has in recent years discovered and labeled it quantum, and dark energy matter.
“In this quantum realm, particles that make up an atom, are very excited vortices that move at light speed and beyond. Eris is a representative of this realm of fire.”
Louise describes, that according to myth, Eris seems to feel elation in the chaos and tumult of the battlefield, even rejoicing in the havoc when the other gods have withdrawn. This is Eris’ delight; the chaos is exhilarating, and she feels elation in the mayhem. (I believe that this exhilaration is also the same quantum energy that Cinderella tapped into, to bring exciting new potentials into her life, as a positive expression.) At first glance Eris’ bloodthirsty approach (in both myth, psychology and astrology), gives people the impression that she has only a negative, dark side, yet this is an illusion.
At first glance, Hesiod’s words of Eris seem justified, that things can go into the dark extreme, as the energy becomes:
“Slanderous, tongued envy, with look of deadly hate. Rejoicing in the misfortunes of others”.
How could such an archetype possibly be a hero, or restore order to a world in turmoil?
Keep reading…
Emotions and Energy: Energy in Motion
An Eris video by Astrologer Molly McCord, mirrored to me recently, exactly what I believe about the power of human emotion as well. And the huge benefits they bring to our lives, when we learn how to work with them constructively, which is what Eris energy asks us to do as well…
All emotion is just energy that want to run through the body, spontaneously, without hindrance. This is normal, this is healthy. There is a lot of information about this on the internet, but Molly describes it so eloquently as it relates to Eris transits. The emotion we feel is just meant to run through us, wether that is anger, grief or feelings of depression. It is in sitting still, and allowing emotion to flow through the human body, that physical relief can eventually be attained from emotional discomfort.
When we feel certain emotions, we have to honour the process of allowing them to be, and to do what they do. But some times our lives are very busy, and we have a choice to make when confronted with them. What are we going to initiate with the intense feelings, like for example anger? We have to consider how this will serve us, and if this is our truth, especially during Eris transits when deeply buries emotional matter are excavated and released. Feelings are an opportunity to connect with the feminine heart, our needs and our emotional integrity. It is important to acknowledge where we feel left out, or hurt in the heart by others who may not be in the best of emotional spaces.
At the 18 minute time marker, Molly explains why we have to be honest, and take responsibility for our feelings, and move ahead with the best of intentions. To allow this experience to empower us, and power us up to a higher level of choices and consciousness, instead of being dragged into the energies of revenge, retaliation or overwhelming anger that we can feel stuck in.
This is a time to make lemonaid from lemons. Our emotions can be powerful tools of transformation and Self empowerment.
Because unhealed anger and explosive reations are rushing through each individual in the collective, due to Eris squaring Pluto in 2020 and 2021, and even beyond 2028. This is a time to become smart. To start working with the energy of Eris, instead of against it. If you fail to heed the call to foster, grow and lean in the direction of emotional mastery, you’re going to have great trouble in the future to interact with other people, and have healthy relationships. The invitation is to see the energy from a higher viewpoint, instead of only thinking about yourself, and how angry you feel at other people, or how justified you may think you are in letting anger run rampant in your life. Molly explains that childishness, self-serving behaviour, and immaturity are the lower forms of Aries. Remember that Eris is in Aries (at 24 degrees). In its higher expression, Eris in Aries is asking us to grow maturity, making it very hard for people to stay in their old way of being.
At the 24 minute time marker, Molly explains why it is also important to pay attention to Pluto in Capricorn. Pluto is that powerful stimulus for soul growth and development, that asks for old parts of egoic self to die the metaphorical death and transform. This can be very challenging, because the things that we used to be attached to, or thought were important to us, is challenged, and may even fall away. Molly says that we will have to embrace long term changes, and deal with all the emotional triggers, the fight or flight reactions, the root chakra instabilities etc. She says the choice is to allow these feelings to be your teacher, and bring healing.
Please do take the opportunity to watch Molly’s entire video if this resonates with you. It is beautifully presented, by a very talented and aware woman.
Video: Eris is a dwarf planet orbiting in the shadow of Pluto, and her energy archetype is the Goddess of Discord and Strife and The Uninvited Feminine. Eris is feisty, fiery and pushing everyone on the planet to look at how they deal with deep unresolved anger from multiple lifetimes. Eris is traveling between 23 and 24 degrees Aries, where she has resided since 1922. In 2020, Eris will be feeling intense pressure from both Saturn in Capricorn and Pluto in Capricorn as each planet reaches 23 and 24 degrees. The ability to responsibly manage anger and emotions will be key to this conversation between Eris, Saturn, and Pluto. More to share in this episode. Video by Molly McCord, 19 November 2019.
Eris transits 2020 - 2028
Transit Eris in Aries squares Pluto in Capricorn five times causing opportunity for growth and awareness. The dates are:
26 January 2020
14 June 2020
10 December 2020
27 August 2021
9 October 2021
Personal planets will continue to stir the trigger points with conjunctions.
In orb October 10 ~ Feb 11 2023
In orb April 8 2023 ~ December 26 2023
In orb July 27 2024 ~ November 2 2024
Leaves November 3 2024.
Starting in 2024 to 2028, Eris and Chiron will be conjunct in Aries.
In 2027, Saturn will start its conjunction to Eris, going into 2028.
We are going to see this energy for some time to come…
Better learn to deal with the energy sooner, rather than later.
Take responsibility for your Self is the antidote.
More Articles on Astrological Eris:
Related Articles:
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Eris In Aries ~ Evolving Lifetimes of Unhealed Anger ~ Podcast
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