All is Fair in Love and War:  Eros and Psyche meet again.

1: All is Fair in Love and War

2: The Eros and Psyche Conjunction, March 1st

3:The Eros-Eros Conjunction:  Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislane Maxwell

4: The Psyche-Psyche Connection: Jay Z and Beyoncé

5: The Psyche-Eros Connection: Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward

6: The Psyche-Eros Opposition: Oscar Wilde and Lord Alfred Douglas

1: All is Fair in Love and War

The mythological story of Eros and Psyche is eternally fascinating. It’s not surprising that it has for centuries inspired so many painters, writers and sculptors. It is a gift to astrologers like me too the mythical characters have  ‘objective correlatives’ namely the two asteroids Eros and Psyche which can easily be located in your natal chart.

Their orbits go in slightly different cycles but roughly every 4 years they come together in the skies. That will happen next late evening on March 1^st, 2026. So find where it is in your chart – 14° of Gemini as that can pinpoint exactly why in 2026, love and passion can flourish so much on the internet, or via text messages, and be expressed with more mental agility and dexterity associated with trips, business acumen and the love talk be laden with witty remarks. Love takes place as much in the mind as in the body or heart.

Anyone with the names Sara, Philomela, Roberta, Ella or Mildred might feel this conjunction more personally as those Personal Name Asteroids conjoin with Eros and Psyche at this middle degree in this chatty sign.

The love story of Eros and Psyche is redemptive, but also fraught with tension, attraction, mistrust, estrangement and hard tasking from a tetchy Venus/Aphrodite. Psyche’s difficulties become life tests as bad as anything Saturn can demand of you. It is said that all is fair in love and war because the power play in both arenas has similarities, Love can be a battle, and roles can reverse. It is not always obvious and can defy expectation. So that statement is pointedly ironic.

The love of Psyche for Eros became divine only after a long sacrifice of separation .This can resonate loudly with anyone who ever felt love was not always easy, but problematic, erratic and requiring a whole lot of hard personal work on the inner child or shadow side. It appeals to those who have struggled to achieve a balance between self and other, or who over idealise their lovers only to find themselves pushed them away or tested to the nth degree. It also appeals to who have allowed their minds to overrule their hearts as that can cause the lover to flee. This is all in addition to those who talk of ‘twin flames’ however romantically and unrealistically that is envisaged. Knowing their love story is essential groundwork, a primary base in myth, to understand the significance of these two as asteroids. So don’t miss that.

It is super interesting to know where asteroids Eros and Psyche show up in your natal chart, in which sign and which house.  That alone can deliver insights into your love style. However, it takes on a whole new dynamic becomes in synastry, the comparison of two charts, where people begin to see exactly where they experience blind love, devotion, broken trust or a union that has fated qualities.

To gain a picture of your love story start with the placements of Venus and Mars. Venus represents attraction and Mars is desire. Even Mercury can give clues as in the film ‘The Go Between’ (1971). It is almost astrological allegory- watch the film again with this in mind and it is unmistakable. Mercury is the young boy called Leo (Dominic Guard) who innocently delivers illicit messages between the two adult lovers: Venus (Julie Christie) and Mars (Alan Bates). There is even a quality that this Mercury is really of Eros/Cupid in here as he is sent back and forth as an intermediary to an unbridled passion across classes in the English countryside. There is a resulting loss of innocence. Venus uses Cupid in this way. Knowing your Venus and Mars placements may be enough to understand the psychic landscape, the magnetics of attraction-repulsion in love. The planetary forces interplay strongly via conjunction, sextile, square or opposition.

Yet, the Psyche and Eros connection- where the asteroids are – is like the patinated subcutaneous layer that reveals hidden details. This layer shows perhaps some of the more intense or harsher realities to the love connection as often where the relationship goes wrong as where it goes right. Psyche is the soul after all as love can transform the soul, and Eros is the primal sex energy- a very powerful archetype- driving us into fated encounters, so their story points to the subtle trials and tribulations of the soul and the conundrum that is Eros who shot himself with his own arrow.

Yet, the love has the potential to be divine. This story is no fluffy fairytale. It became the germ of both the Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast stories. It reflects that eventually Psyche was stoical and strategic so she learns from her mistakes and that takes her from the personal to the divine. The tasks of Psyche dished out by Venus echo the 12 trials of Hercules. In this case it is the hero’s journey of the soul. Eros does the reverse and humanises his divine self through helping Psyche to achieve her goal.

2: The Eros and Psyche Conjunction, March 1st

The Eros and Psyche conjunction on March 1^st at 14° of Gemini occurs inside the Eclipse corridor between two eclipses/ So, love stories can be subject to the swinging-door effect that eclipse energy brings. What goes in the door may not be the same thing that emerges at the other end. Eclipse effects can take six months to show up. Currently, the Sun is in Pisces and the Moon in Leo moving towards their full opposition on March 3^rd for the total lunar eclipse when the Moon moves to 12° Virgo. Its peak visibility is across the Pacific Ocean. This eclipse hugely important as the degree in Virgo squares the degree of the Eros-Psyche conjunction and the Virgo-Pisces axis can align to a Soul versus Body opposition that somehow needs to be unified. So there’s a lot going on here..

Just like the eclipse, the Eros-Psyche conjunction two days before it is ruled by Mercury which has just gone retrograde in Pisces, so there will be revisions to that story in whatever form that takes, reassessment, and deep pondering demanding sacrifices, perhaps feelings of longing and nostalgia. Or it could mean that you are in a long-distance affair where a short separation is in order or that there is some brain fog that does not clear until the burst of energy that always comes with the Spring Equinox when Mercury goes forward again.

Keep an eye tracked on this as Mercury which conjuncted the North Node at 8° of Pisces on February 12^th returns to that same point on its retro journey on March 19^th just before the Equinox. So that North Node at 8° Pisces on March 19^th becomes significant.  Mercury is busy during this phase as he also trines Jupiter at 15° Cancer.

The first hit was on February 15^th when Mercury was still direct; then the second time will be on March 8^th when Mercury is retrograde. The third time they trine is on April 3^rd when both Jupiter and Mercury are direct and Jupiter is conjunct Eros at 13°. Eros connects with Jupiter more exactly at 16° on April 5^th. This can have an overblown effect on your love expressions and it is easier to take things too far. But a love story can deepen its emotional intimacy with this trine though it might feel different additional layer of depth each time the aspect is triggered

It is worth remembering that both Venus in Pisces and Jupiter in Cancer are in exalted positions. So, this offers an elevated feel to the celestial event and the time when it is exact puts it in the 7^th House of relationships ruled by Venus. That all sounds promising. If your relationship is flourishing that’s all well and good.  If not then it should evolve. You can celebrate the fact that love still exists in perilous times and can still be a transformative power in your life.

The previous Eros-Psyche conjunction was in Libra back  on November 3rd in 2022.  That  may have had more of a sting in the tail that you might have expected.  The Sun was in Scorpio after all so it was an intense period of secrets and lies.  It may be true that there is so much going on that people overlook the value of Eros and Psyche in their astrology, but checking back your diary as to what was happening in 2022 and looking forward to this next conjunction may give you insights. This is also good thing to do during a Mercury retrograde as that can be messy in Pisces, but also offering creative potential.

Eros was last opposite Psyche on the 6^th July 2024 when it emphasised more tensions and suffering than unifications. In the myth, Eros and Psyche spent a lot of time separated from each other. As asteroids, they are once again in opposition a year from now Pisces and Virgo on March 18^th 2027. So – note to self- look out for that one too.

The synastry of charts with Eros and Psyche connections below have been selected to illustrate the different qualities of the relationship that Eros forms with either Eros in the other chart or Psyche so it includes the conjunction and opposition there is always a dynamic exchange.

These case studies are four couples with well-known ‘love’ stories. Their love sometimes went in unexpected directions and put them on a path to joy or to a testing period full of painful consequences. It is surprising what you learn, but asteroid placements  – along with composite charts- really do point to the highs and lows of each couple’s story.

3: The Eros-Eros Conjunction:  Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislane Maxwell

There is a Bonnie and Clyde sense of fated attraction to some relationships. This is where the example of Ghislane Maxwell to her friend/lover/or partner in crime Jeffrey Epstein becomes enormously instructive. Now we are mired in the dark secrets that comprise of the Epstein files. Many people already knew or suspected what was going on but did not dare to speak out or had no real evidence. Now there are millions of items published by the American Department of Justice still with names redacted. This is not to say that every name mentioned is automatically guilty but some definitely are and their excuses can sound quite hollow. Whether they will be arrested remains to be seen. There is much more to this story yet to be revealed. Here I leave aside  the death in 2019, and keep the attention on why  they seem so obsessed with each other?

Ghislane Maxwell is a British society hostess who has been described as an ‘enigma wrapped in a mystery’. She attend school in Malborough and was at Oxford. Her father buried on the Mount of Olives. 1992 first met Jeffrey Epstein, a college drop out and shadowy figure then. The source of his wealth was always a bit murky. It was said that Maxwell and Epstein were ‘inseparable’ and might get married. It was Maxwell who introduced Prince Andrew to Epstein but his nexus of influence extended beyond. As a trained deep-sea diver, she started the Oceans foundation, Terra Mar.  Epstein died in doubtful circumstances in 2019. Then Maxwell was accused of grooming young girls for Epstein and their gig became unravelled. She was arrested and charged but the mystery is why only she was put in prison. Maxwell was sentenced to 20 years in prison. In Texas. She repeatedly invoked the 5^th amendment right to silence in recent deposition. She’s angling for a pardon and may be out soon. Some say that Epstein was ‘un-alived’ and could be alive and well in Tel Aviv? Nothing can be ruled out.

That their Eros asteroids are basically conjunct spells double intensity of the love impulse but that can turn into trouble. In their case it points to the obsessive and destructive power of Eros who in one legend is born directly out of Chaos and is not the cute, arrow-pointing toy-boy with fluffy wings that is Cupid. Who controlled who in this relationship is a contentious issue. While it appears that Epstein was the manipulator, some say it was Maxwell who was appointed as his spy-master controller. She is the daughter of Robert Maxwell who had extended connections across the world. Ghislane Maxwell’s Psyche is at 15° Virgo and Epstein’s Psyche is at 15° of Scorpio so it is really the astrology of their Eros connection that speaks most loudly.

This is a hugely intense interlocking of dynamic attraction at the early degrees of Aquarius. An Eros in Aquarius is socially experimental, open, accepting, leaving space to the partner, but with kinkiness, and unpredictable interests, perhaps in group sex, or role play exchanges switching lovers and friends, being apart for long periods yet still loyal and devoted and even a tad demanding. But clearly, if two have these same interests they are able to work together for mutual benefits to both. The conjunction is in the tenth house too so they made a career of this bond and unfortunately many have suffered from being involved in their trap. , bondage,

This interlocked Eros placement is astonishing enough, but they also have a slew of other ‘fated’ connections like reversed nodes – just seven degrees apart. Her North Node is in Leo and his in Aquarius so they had different but complementary life lessons to learn. However. her North Node lands squarely on his natal Pluto meaning her life is connected to his at a transformative level.

The asteroid Eros was actually discovered in 1898 at 22° Aquarius so it has an affinity to that sign, perhaps itself an indicator of the beginning of the age of Aquarius which some say started around 1870 when the word ‘Uranian’ began to be bandied about. The first degree of Aquarius was where the Saturn/Jupiter conjunction occurred on the winter solstice of December 2020, heralding a new era of technologically driven world. The rise of Onlyfans might also be an indicator of Eros in Aquarius.  Only-Fans increased 1.222 % from 2019-2025 and in 2026 it has reached 4.63 million accounts. The trend is towards more computer-to-computer relationships that indulge voyeurism via the video cam and the monetisation of sexual fantasies . The addition of AI adds another technological dimension.

4: The Psyche-Psyche Connection: Jay Z and Beyoncé

Beyoncé and Jay Z were married in 2008 amid 70,000 white orchids imported from Thailand.  It’s a high-profile relationship that garners attention wherever they go.  They were both born in mutable signs: she is Virgo and he is Sagittarius.  Jay Z is regarded at the top of his game as musician and producer, and Beyonce is regarded a kind of goddess on Earth with her evolving styles. Some say the music business is corrupt however so where there is a well-known marriage such as this, the suspicion is that it was for PR purposes. It takes on more of a ‘Business’ arrangement rather than a genuine romance. But it could be both at the same time. .  So it makes sense that they have a Psyche-Psyche connection as her story is of a complex self.

With these two in the house, love may be genuine and highly charged but also have troubling shadows. There is more money to be made where two big names combine together. Their joint worth is estimated at  $3.5 billion.  It is hard to say as the public feeds on titbits of news given out, some of which may be true. Jay Z’s name has also been found in the Epstein files and they were both associated closely with P. Diddy and the scandals that ensued last year.

Several songs on Beyoncé’s Lemonade (2016) referred openly to Jay Z’s infidelity. Jay Z responded with a 2017 song apologising saying that it took fatherhood to be able to finally see through a woman’s eyes. He said these songs by his wife were a kind of public therapy and they are still together with no whiff of divorce as yet.

First of is that Jay Z is  a Sagittarius and Beyoncé a Virgo. While these are both Mutable signs they are not necessarily compatible as Fire and Earth. Interestingly, though they are 12 years apart in age which makes them both Roosters. Jay Z an Earth Rooster and Beyonce a Metal Rooster. They might see through the same lens of their Chinese animal. Beyoncé has Eros in Taurus and Psyche in Leo. Jay Z has Eros in Libra and  Jay Z’s Mars/Psyche 18-21° Aquarius is opposite Beyoncé’s Psyche in Leo. Her Mars is also in Leo at the first degree which might explain the wilder side, her  ‘alter’ ego Sasha Fierce introduced with the song ‘Crazy in Love’,

His Psyche-Mars is square to her Eros so that alone makes for some friction. Her Eros is conjunct Chiron in Taurus 17-22° which is a sensitive placement. It points to public lessons learned the hard way about her sexual side, her earthiness which perhaps causes her some shame. The Chiron might mean mistakes, issues and vulnerabilities have to become known. Beyoncé’s Moon at 26° Scorpio is conjunct his Neptune/Venus in Scorpio 28-29° .

In the Composite Chart, Eros is still in Leo at 5° ruled by the Sun and Psyche moves to Scorpio at 18° ruled by Mars/Pluto and the Sun is in Libra so in all ruled by Venus. As to who is in charge, i dare say that alternates as Jay Z has powerful connections not least with P Diddy. They make references to the Illuminati and black freemasonry which could all be misleading and just put out to bolster their own public image as a power couple, we have yet to see.

5: The Psyche-Eros Connection: Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward

It seemed very much as if Paul Newman was tailor made for Joanne Woodward, yet one of the longest lasting relationships in Hollywood may also have had its cracks. They met on Broadway while doing a show called ‘Picnic’ in 1953. But Newman was married at that time with three children. Only when he was divorced from his first wife was he able to marry Woodward. They resumed an affair while on the film set of ‘The Long Hot Summer’. They were married in 1958 and were still together 50 years later on Newman’s death in 2008 so the sense of loyalty, friendship and trust was deep and unmistakable.

Recent information from a memoir however reveals that Paul Newman was a much more troubled soul than he appeared on the surface. His life seemed perfect. But he had many affairs, even with other men- one of the first was Marlon Brando.  He suffered from low self-esteem, alcohol problems and depression. The perfect image was indeed flawed. Yet during their reign in Hollywood Paul was always the golden boy with his signature piercing blue eyes. He was sometimes underutilised in films but in ‘Cat on a Hot Tin Roof’ (1958) he underplays the histrionics of the other characters to great effect. Joanne Woodward was an accomplished and intelligent actress in her own right. She came to the attention of people in 1953 with her versatile performance in the ‘Three Faces of Eve’. which was a true life story.

These two also have an Eros-Eros love connection – it’s in the same sign of Aquarius- 4° apart. Their Psyches are also in the same sign of Pisces though 14° apart. This more mutually supportive and gentle with the sexual side and soul side taking similar points of view which bodes well for a good match. The dynamic is much more balanced than with Epstein and Maxwell.  You get the feeling they were deeply in tune with each other as they proved staying together for 50 years. Saturn in Newman’s

They are one Sun sign apart: Newman is Aquarius and Woodward is Pisces and those signs can be very different. There is only 5 years between them, yet still their Moons are conjunct across signs with Newman’s Psyche very close by at 7° of Pisces. Their Vertex points at 20° of Leo are on the exact same degree also conjunct Newman’s Neptune and North Node. Newman could have been a sweet talker as his Mercury is conjunct Venus in Capricorn, the latter a position which ensures good looks into old age.

Newman’s’ South Node at 14° is conjunct his Eros at 19° of Aquarius so he was possibly living out another time line with his sexuality which is open to social connections, friendships and experimentation. Woodward’s Mars is on that point increasing the erotic stimulus. With Woodward having Eros also in Aquarius she would have understood his inclinations. Eros is essentially an Aquarian asteroid as its discovery placed it at 22°of Aquarius so the affinity to that sign is strong. Woodward has the Sun and Venus in Pisces an exalted place. Her Psyche at 21° of Pisces where it has an ultra spiritual vibe is conjunct Newman’s Uranus there. Her Eros is also conjunct Mercury so she could match Newman’s Venus/Mercury giving verbal expression to love.

6: Psyche-Eros Opposition: Oscar Wilde and Lord Alfred Douglas

The story of Wilde’s doomed affair with Lord Alfred Douglas scandalised London in the mid- 1890s has now become the stuff of legend. For Wilde especially it was like the fall of Icarus in its mythic archetypal message: how a public figure can fall from grace in such a way. It would be great to run through the entire story here, but the focus is on Eros and Psyche- what part did they play in this relationship?

One of the finest portrayals of Wilde in film was Peter Finch (1960) but probably Jude Law (1997) made the definitive Lord Alfred Douglas. He captured what the fuss might have been about for Wilde to have become so utterly besotted and how Douglas was both attractive and malicious at the same time. Reviews mentioned his ‘rock star’ presence. It was an intense but ultimately doomed and reputation wrecking love.

However badly behaved Douglas was, he was still able to inspire Wilde to the heights of adulation and love blindness. It was life-altering for both of them but especially for Wilde who suffered enormously. That lead to his being scapegoated in the full public trial and his incarceration for two years. Wilde paid the ultimate price at the loss of his career as a great man of letters. He was released in 1987 and a year later when Eros was discovered ‘The Ballad of Reading Gaol’ was published. .It contained the solemn lines ‘each man kills the thing he loves’ which adds a very Eros/Psyche flavour. He had reached some inner wisdom about the whole debacle.

Firstly, Wilde’s chart is the obvious writer of bon mots as Mercury rules both his Ascendant and his MC. With Mercury well placed to be sharp as a razor in the 3^rd House. The epigrams were loaded with insights and contrary almost symmetrical thinking, yet with Mercury in Scorpio, also barbed with a kickback meaning which often turned things on their head. The Moon in Leo meant he wanted to be centre of attention and in that he was more than usually successful.

Their Venus-Venus-Mercury connection in Libra indicates it was mostly about florid love letters and seduction through words. They were both Librans but Lord Alfred’s Sun was at 29° of the sign. this could spell the culmination of the Love turns to War effect with a sprinkling of the imp of the perverse. In this case it was seen as not fair, yet also inevitable, something that Wilde accepted as his fate. Douglas was his lover and his nemesis.  Douglas’ Vertex was exactly conjunct Wilde’s Mercury in Scorpio and Douglas’ Pluto conjuncts Wilde’s North Node.

Wilde’s Eros was at 14° Aquarius which loves to defy social conventions and his Psyche was at 27° Capricorn. Douglas’s Eros was a 2° of Aries, much more impetuous and short lived, conjunct Chiron at 4°  the wound of identity- and his Psyche was at 8° of Gemini. So there’s a lot of Fire and Air easily whipped up.

While not a direct opposition of Eros and Psyche, indicators of Venus and Mars outline the oppositional energy in love relations. Wilde’s Mars at 3° of Sagittarius was opposite Douglas’ Psyche at 8° of Gemini. Wilde’s Venus at 7° of Libra opposed Douglas’ Eros at 2° of Aries- the old tug of war between self and other on full show there.

And yet Wilde’s Venus in Libra was also trine to Douglas’ Psyche from Air to Air. Where it hit his reputation was that Douglas’ Psyche was conjunct Wilde’s MC/Saturn 10-15° of Gemini. Adding a layer of unpredictability is that Wilde’s Psyche in Capricorn is opposed to Douglas’ Uranus in Cancer.

The composite chart formed of midpoints puts Eros at 8° in Pisces where this month Mercury conjuncts conjunct the North Node. Their ‘joint’ Psyche conjuncts Neptune at 1°of Aries which has another echo in this era of the Saturn-Neptune conjunction moving from zero to one degree. Wilde was born in 1854 with Neptune in Pisces. But by the time Douglas was born in it had moved into Aries.

So there we have four couples playing out their story in different ways. Some of them appear to have learned the lesson but others perhaps not.

Find out more about Eros and Psyche here:

When Lovers Meet: Eros Conjoins with Psyche

Hard Knocks on the Path of Love: The Story of Eros and Psyche

Eros 

Eros through the Signs

© Kieron Devlin, Proteus Astrology, February 28th, 2026