Eros

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Part 3 ( to come)

Part 1: All About Eros

Let’s take Eros from under the carpet and give him a dusting over. The aim here is to be as comprehensive as possible, leaving no stone unturned, in an attempt to describe what is really there and do a full meditation on the subject of Love through the lenses of astrology, psychology and archetypes.

Eros is not just about sex although that has everything to do with it, but it is what sex represents that has power over our lives. Sex is a primary driving force in life and that’s even when it is not just for procreation. Sex and the Eros vibe can be about anything from energy, desire, aspiration, conjoining with others, fusion, passion, sensuality, activation of the kundalini, or any creative stimulus and artistic pursuit that is vaguely erotic to the imagination which is its life’s blood. It occupies a huge space in our lives if only we acknowledge it as such.

First it is to recognise that Eros is what keeps us going in life- it can be most broadly assigned to the survivor instinct, but also, it is where two forces come together to create a transformation. Its basis is this powerful energy linked to our vital existence. These qualities are also represented by Mars, and it is no accident that Eros which is S’ shaped actually comes inside the orbit of Mars and is one of the asteroids to come closest to Earth.

Mars has manifests in several ways: as pioneer, athlete, warrior, soldier, egomaniac, he is impulse-driven, and very much the competitive, assertive type who is makes a clear mark in the world as Cardinal Fire in the sign of Aries. Yet the sexual energy of Mars is often sidelined in social conditioning. This is where understanding Eros comes into its own and deepen your appreciation of sexual energy. Eros and all his ramifications fills in the dots from the other facets of Mars as well as Venus/Aphrodite- it is both the magnet and the iron filings. Mars is also linked to anger where it can be the fuel to passion or it plays as the shadow aggressive force where love is expressed in a dysfunctional way. Where there is more anger there is risk, and so more passion and dynamism; and these relationships tend to be more erotic and therefore less stable. Similarly, where love is stable and too risk-averse, there is less passion. Another huge layer to this phenomenon is that in order to flourish well, love needs a grounded mind-body both metaphysical and physical inter-connection as a fundamental requirement.

But Eros too has sub-component parts called the Erotes (see below)-and these factors build a complex picture of what love is in all its manifestations. Knowing these facets of Eros can deepen and increase understanding. Eros is a core part of life and as mentioned offers us the fuel and motivation to keep on living. It is either Love or Money that makes the world go round so they say or both at the same time, but for Venus, Love and Money are forever entwined anyway. Aphrodite was about lust in simple terms and demanded its physical expression without any apology.

As always Greek mythology encoded several clues as to how we should understand what Eros represents. Eros carried a bow and arrow and that arrow pierced the ‘victim’ until they fell in love with whoever was closest. Eros had golden arrows to create love and lead arrows to create discord, hatred and heartbreak as he did to Apollo. The arrow is also a phallic symbol as it pierces and penetrates. The Indian version of Eros, called Kamadeva, has a bow an arrow, but it is made of sugarcane. He is also a handsome boy with wings who flies on a colourful parrot.

The love of Eros ‘strikes’ at the heart. The complication is that passionate love can be blind and confused. In Shakespeare’s Mid-Summer Night’s Dream, a play ruled by the Lunar themes of needs and wants as Priscilla Costello’s book tells us, the character Puck is a kind of pagan, woodland dryad-pixie. He is given the task of doing what Eros did by Oberon, the king of the fairies. So love causes havoc as it “looks not with the eyes but with the mind.” It depends on the eye of the beholder. Demetrius and Lysander both fall in love with the same girl, Helena. This leaves Hermia, her friend, who loves Lysander, distraught and confused. Even Titania, queen of the fairies, wakes up passionately in love with an Ass who is called ‘Bottom’ – and that joke would not be lost on Shakespeare’s audience. So we know that Eros can be a wrecking ball as well as a blessing full of ecstasies. The sources used for this play were from Ovid’s Metamorphoses and Apuleius’ The Golden Ass.

Sex has power beyond its mere performance as Nietzsche said in his aphorism “the degree and kind of a man’s sexuality reaches up to the ultimate pinnacle of his being.” But he added a corollary that said “the nature and degree of an individual’s spirit reaches into the ultimate pinnacle of sexuality.” So there may be a two-way process that is entangles the self and sexuality so that the body’s needs cannot be relegated to the ‘dirty’ or merely physical except through shadow projection. He alludes to a mind-body-spirt wholeness- perhaps even to kundalini? At least to consider this can lead to deeper understanding and integration oft the full range of Eros into our personal natures.

Eros Thanatos — *Eros Thantos II* by Otto Rapp (2017) artcontraire.com

A much darker aspect of Eros is that his brother was Thanatos, which means Death. If life is a constant see-saw, a struggle for supremacy, then the longing for death is its flipside. Freud said that “I drew the conclusion that, besides the drive to preserve living substance,” i.e. the ego drives, “and to join it into ever larger units,” i.e. the sexual drives, which now both are aspects of Eros, “there must exist another, contrary drive seeking to dissolve those units and to bring them back to their primaeval, inorganic state”. He means that Eros and his brother Thanatos fight it out for our souls and at any one time, we are acting the sex wish or the death wish- and one of the two will win. Human psychology being complex, it is possible that for some death can even be eroticized. Although love is the impulse to life, death can be filled with paradoxical longings. To eroticise death may offer a smidgen of power over the inevitable end of human life, and account for how love is equated with suicide in Romantic literature and that the French call the orgasm le petit mort – the little death.

It may seem counter-intuitive to say that people have a death wish- who does not want to be alive?- but it can be operating at an unconscious level and Neptune often leads a death wish gift-wrapping it in religious garb. It has to be recognised that “the longing to return to the inorganic state” as Freud said is prevalent especially in 2022 under the massive influence of Neptune in Pisces conjunct Jupiter which only expands that suicidal struggle that Hamlet stated as the perennial question: “to be or not to be.” Sometimes it is touch and go which way it plays out. The death wish may mean just going along with things you intuit to be wrong, but death offers the desired ‘escape’ from the toils of life, and Neptune is all about the search for salvation, even if it means sacrificing a life. But with every problem comes an in-built solution so the counterpoint to longing for death is Eros the longing for life. At the mid life crisis Eros appears through the Uranus opposition to its natal position. This is often the awakening needed to restore connection to the subtle body nervous system and can be a whole other rite of passage like the Saturn and Chiron returns.

Since Eros was the son of Venus the path of the asteroid Eros can be tracked and linked to the Venus Retrograde and the Venus Star cycle, its circling motion creating a beautiful pattern of a pentagram with its superior and inferior conjunctions and heliacal rising. For example, in February 2014 when Venus had just completed her retrograde in Capricorn it coincided with a conjunction of Venus, Mars where, Eros and Psyche were interweaving close by in the signs of Sagittarius and Capricorn. If the alchemical nature of the story of Eros and Psyche is fully understood, then it would have been a long journey of individuation culminating at this time. Venus in Capricorn is about learning to not give your power away to others in relationships and to fully own your value and the story of both Eros and Psyche also refer to learning the hard way how to accumulate your inner worth enough to be able to love and be loved.

There are many signs that Eros is active in your life. A new lover may come along and grant your wishes and desires and even if there is a price to pay, it may be worth it. But another sign that Eros is back in your life is when you develop a super charged interest in sex and passion. This could be just talking or dreaming about it, or channelling that passion into some hobby. or project. Most likely this is an Eros return, where the asteroid position has returned the same degree it is in your natal chart. Your personal signature of love is given a booster at this time. This happened when I got the idea to create this page on Eros. I hadn’t realised when I started, but as soon as I checked, it clicked- I was having an Eros return- to the exact degree. This is just one of the many synchronicities you find when studying astrology.

It is also interesting that Eros plays a part in the April 30th Solar eclipse as it is conjunct the Sun, Moon and Uranus in Taurus. Venus is very strong in this configuration too-conjunct Jupiter with Neptune still nearby. She is mother of Eros so this eclipse is a kind of family reunion. It is worth checking how this relates to your own personal Eros. There may be a message for you. In the May 16th Lunar eclipse Eros is 2° from the Sun in Taurus but conjunct the South Node so a back to basics clearing out of ideas about love.

2: The Hard Knocks Story of Eros and Psyche

Psyche and Cupid Lagrenee — *‘ Psyche Surprising Sleeping Cupid’ by Jean Francois Lagrenee (1798)*

When we study Greek myths it is like delving into rich collective brew that yields up gems; and there were few complexes that the Greeks did not name. So the story of Psyche and Eros is not an overly-complicated fairy tale, but an essential set of symbols for us to understand. From this story we can absorb the alchemical nature of the evolution of the self. They have relevance as an objective correlative to our own personal lives. The identification of the myth with the tracking of the asteroid placements in your natal chart will reveal and keep on revealing the hidden layers of meaning.

It is good to reflect on Jeffrey Kripal’s pun on the word ‘myth’ “The idea that we can live without myths is a myth.” And so it turns out, we cannot. The tale or Eros and Psyche is one of the most alluring and fascinating and therefore as vital today as in any other era. One version of the story was sandwiched inside ‘The Golden Ass’ by Apuleius. Psyche’s journey is evocative of how people suffer to achieve any kind of understanding of relationships, so I called it the ‘hard knocks’ on the path of love. Some may find this path easy, but others are set to be given difficult life lessons in their goal to achieve a soul’s union with others or with themselves- it is often a repeated pattern where we become stuck in a loop and need the help of the gods. Check where your Psyche placement is to find out. Psyche represents the mind or the ‘soul’ having difficulty trusting in Love which is ultimately her union with the divine self.

3: All About Eros

In the Theogony by Hesiod Eros is born of Chaos and Nyx (Night), but in other sources he was the son of Aphrodite and Ares (Venus and Mars). Going with Hesiod would mean that Eros was the fourth of the major archetypes to crawl out of the primeval Chaos. That gives Eros a primal status that cannot be argued with, so he’s not just the Roman version- a pretty boy with wings (of desire) a bow and arrow to shoot into your heart and subject to the whims of Venus. There is a blind force to love that creates fated events and we all have to deal with that the best we may.

There are variations in the Greek and Roman versions which show how the image of Eros changes from the naked warrior – the boy railed against the giant forces – towards the more Roman style of Cupid who was mischievous and cute-looking but ever chubbier. The primal erotic power became more infantilised. Eros loses his ‘dangerous’ reputation being shown as a fluffy winged, playful child. Yet his arrows are still deadly. Eros/Cupid complied with the wishes of Venus. Even when Venus was in the wrong, he did her bidding. So, the Eros and Psyche story is profoundly complex in this way. It shows how not just Psyche learned her lessons set by a peevish Venus, but how Eros too finally reneged against Venus is his own coming of age and by conjoining with Psyche, he proved that he could make the exception – to transform a mortal into an immortal being and that Erotic love is of pure divine origin and provides the basis for a synthesis of opposites and a road to ultimate wholeness.

The concept of Love to the Greeks was not just one form, but was a primeval force that had many facets and expressions. This is instructive as it brings to our awareness that the one word ‘Love’ for these various manifestations can create the illusion that we know fully what it is when we do not. what we have in English is not enough. It is worth considering all the missing subtleties and nuances through lack of words to name them.

In Greek lore Eros belonged to an interconnected family of love gods and each is an archetype in itself.

These were called the EROTES and I have added astrological links to ponder.

EROS – the god of love in the Greek mode shown as a naked young man with bow and arrow (Venus, Mars, Pluto)
CUPID same as Eros but the Roman variant morphed into a mischievous child ‘bambini’ ( Venus, Mercury)
ANTEROS (Requited Love) – this is the statue in Piccadilly which is Anteros not Eros but most see them as similar.
HIMEROS (Desire)- Eros was born with a brother who sprouted from the sea at the same time as the birth of Venus.
POTHOS (Longing) -this might be the antithesis of Anteros as longing is often unrequited-and nostalgic, thus associated with Neptune.
HYMENAIOS (Bridal love)- bridal ceremonies and rites where the first loss of innocence occurs in the bridal bed.
HERMAPHRODITUS – this is the androgynous form of love, non-binary and all its variations but since Eros himself did not discriminate in love, male or female, Eros himself rules over same-sex love.
HEDYLOGOS (Flattery) – smooth words the art of schmoozing and coaxing using words to evoke or dispute love. Similar to the effect of Venus conjunct Mercury.

This troop of minor gods worshipped under the umbrella of Eros do more than their fair share of tormenting humans with love headaches. Although the Greeks did have a name for familial love which was known as Storge, it also occurred to me that we suffer from not having words for other types of love that are common- and perhaps that leads to the confusion. We need to ‘name’ them to have power over them. I am going to suggest some astrological affinities here too since astrology is a wonderful tool for this purpose. But Eros is always the default ‘god’ or ‘daemon/genie’ ( daemon really means ‘genius’) ready to wreak havoc in the native’s love life until we understand the message.

‘Blinded love’ love of the wrong person (Eros/Neptune) as in Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Parasitic co-dependent types of love with malignant narcissists (Eros/Pluto/Neptune)
Married love, keeping the balance despite the difficulties (Eros/Psyche) This is where Juno presides for marital agreements.
Promiscuous, philandering love that desires variety as its norm; this would include polyandry and polyamorous types of love (Eros/Mercury/Jupiter).
Frustrated and thwarted love, doomed never to flourish due to circumstances and barriers or cross generations (Eros/Saturn).
Love that hits you on the head in a flash called love at ‘first sight’ (Eros/Uranus).
And finally not to forget there is Self Love in its best sense not as Narcissism (Eros/Psyche/the Sun)– though really the ‘self’ is represented by the whole chart and the Sun is the central point of life purpose/potential. Psyche is the whole soul).

Probably there are even more components of love still to be named as we have to admit that love by its nature remains partially mysterious and in some sense all acts of love are sacred.

There is another level of differentiation from the mythology of Eros to astrology as described by Richard Idemon and that is that each of the four words that the Greeks used to define aspects of love, how we grow from simple sensual love to abstract and even ‘god’ like type of spiritual love. This is a kind of evolution. These four types of love align to the four fixed signs: Taurus, Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius. But again this is not in the typical zodiac-sign style, but is the underlying archetypal level that helps us understand the long slow process of maturation of love. But most people would associate Eros only with the Scorpio phase of love. The Scorpio Eros is the more deeply intense and passionate form of love, and it is the Taurus style of Epithemia that is the simplest sensual style that is sex on a physical level – Scorpio Eros in this scheme is the more truly, madly, deeply emotional kind of love.

The 4 Stages of Love

Epithemia = Sensual Love linked to Taurus i.e. being ‘horny’
Philia = Platonic or Friendship love linked to Leo
Eros = Sexual and Erotic Love linked to Scorpio
Agape =Universal, Spiritual or ‘God’ Love linked to Aquarius

The Leo and Aquarius style might be more the Platonic type relationships, friendships and in spiritual communities- Sex is never involved though it still may be a driver to the imagination. Most of the Gods could not feel ‘philia’ or a more romantic type of love and remained at the stage of Epithemia. The one exception was Eros who pierced himself with his own arrow and thus was the only god who was able to truly fall in love- that was with Psyche. In some ways love depends on the awareness of death as that brings it into sharp focus and so again Eros, the Mind and Thanatos are all strongly linked. But it enlarges the mind to understand that love is not just of the Romantic sort as is supposed to flourish on St Valentine’s day but exists in these many forms.

Love also is filtered through the elements, so at the basic level we can say that Eros in a Water sign is emotional, Eros in a Fire sign is quick and intuitive, Eros in an Earth sign is slow and sensual, and Eros in an Air sign is intellectual and loves to communicate.

And then there is Erato herself, the muse of Love and Lyric Poetry. Finding the location of Erato in the chart can give further indication if the skill is enhanced or afflicted in any way to your potential with the art of singing, writing and wooing the loved one with beautiful words. This is relevant for artists, poets, writers and musicians who want to sing the praises of love.

4: Venus and Mars: The Love Dynamic

To start with never overlook the basic chart positions of the personal planets Venus and Mars for a fundamental pattern in your love life, either through a conjunction, opposition, square, sextile or trine. This dynamic may be enough and Eros not so significant for you, but it still is worth checking. Mercury is also worth noting as good relationships depend on conversation and communication and a shared set of meanings. The position of the Moon too shows where our needs and wants are met or not. This Venus-Mars dance goes for platonic relationships or passionate friendships. Venus is your attractor style and Mars your Pursuer style and they will emerge flavoured by the sign and house they inhabit. This is a dance and not always a one-way street and not with any of the obvious stereotypes . Recall the song by Irving Berlin which has the phrase ‘ A Man chases a woman until she catches him.’ Venus is the magnet and Mars can be sapped of his hunter-like energy and ‘it all comes out exactly the way she thought.’

If for example, Mars is in Scorpio or Venus is in Taurus, expect the sensuality and intensity of love to be aroused in powerful ways or to be concerned with money. If there is a Venus-Mars aspect it creates huge frissons of energy on the sexual level. But sex is not just the physical expression, it also fuels the imagination. This involves your power to attract and repel, to assert, seduce and conquer. In synastry, this is hugely important as they are personal planets and have a real effect in the lives of natives. Eros is just the icing on the cake that creates another layer, a thread that entwines the native into an entire life obsession with sex or an identification with a particular form of the archetype that the positions of Venus and Mars does not show.

Renaissance philosopher, Marsilio Ficino also reminds us that love is self-referential based on a kind of psychic mirroring where the loved one is reflected inside the lover through their use of phantasy and imagination. Be aware too that this energy can act independently of the people involved and get out of control. Giordano Bruno, fellow philosopher to Ficino, outlined a way to manage this unruly process in one of his lesser known books ‘Of Bonds in General’.

PART 2: Eros in your Chart

5: Eros around the Zodiac

Most of us want know what are lovemaking style really is as shown by Eros. If we are already aware then that’s a plus, but sometimes the nature of Eros can be complex and choosy as easily repelled as attracted. We can discover more by studying our Venus and Mars and then check our Eros placement. Eros gives clues as to our secret ‘turn-ons’ and behaviour around love making, relationships and in the bedroom. This applies even to the kind of kinks we have that we never discuss with anyone else, in some cases that we barely know about until someone says what is that thing you do?

The discovery of Eros was on August 13th 1898 from an observatory in Berlin called Urania. It is interesting as it shows the planets predominantly in Air. Eros is at 22° of Aquarius opposite the Sun. There’s a beautiful Jupiter- Venus conjunction in Libra, so that’s a blessing for relationships, but there’s also a conjunction of Pluto and Mars in Gemini so lots of change and disputes that blow out of proportion. Also, Chiron is conjoined to Uranus in Scorpio so that poses a deeper more challenging, painful yet transformative. Psyche was placed in Scorpio in 1898. The discovery chart is the message from Eros to us in the 20th and 21st centuries about the style he will adopt so being so Airy, more of a mental focus, it may have looked ahead to all the online dating sites that have emerged, the texting, the love of talking about relationships almost as a substitute for engaging in them successfully.

To begin with Eros in each element brings one layer of Fire, Earth, Air and Water, and then the characteristics of individual zodiac signs. To look at which House Eros is in too will give more information about in which area in life it will manifest. Eros might be most associated with the 5th house where love affairs can flourish but he is active in every house.

The orbit of Eros is elliptical and so in some years he spends the whole year close to the Sun and on other years he can be up to 5 signs away.

Then you can go further by checking Part 3, the section on Eros conjunct different planets, as that plays out in the lives of famous writers, artists and performers.

Just a word of warning: to talk about sex and love sometimes is sensitive and though this is aimed at being ‘adult’ and straight talking, it is not not meant to be taken too personally. Please remember that a natal chart has many factors and the Eros placement is one small element in a much grander and more complex equation. Eros may or may not be important for you but it is always worth looking at even if just for fun.

This interpretation is general to the sign it happens to be in. Consider the degree of Eros too: in the early degrees it might be just in training, working things out, so there’s a rookie energy to the Eros; if it’s in the middle, it might be more locked in to habits it does not want to change but also a stability; and if it is in the last ten degrees it has matured somewhat and perhaps more skillful; but at that last 29°, Eros may need to absorb all the lessons accumulated of that sign and if that is difficult, then it could be ‘extra’ difficult, so just be aware of a funky transition to the next sign. For love to flourish you need to be fully in the heart centre, and the Anahata chakra here belongs to Venus. Check if your heart centre is open and not closed for whatever reason. Its colour is radiant green. Even just breathing openly, leaning back and pulling back the shoulders can release locked energy in the chest. Care of the body is essential for the healthiest qualities of love to find the right ground to grow.

Look also for Eros conjunctions, oppositions, squares, trines and sextiles to the planets for any genuine personalised interpretation- or get a personalised report.

eros glyph The glyph of Eros is a heart shape pierced across by an arrow and the glyph of Psyche is similar to the Greek letter Psi.

Find your Eros placement here.

Find your Psyche placement here

the Kiss — *The Kiss* Gustave Klimt (1907-8) Galerie Belvedere Austria

Eros shoots his arrow with different effects in each signs and this is a round-up of the main points. In 2022, the asteroid Eros is currently still close to the Sun in Taurus, and tracks close to the Sun for most of this year. Asteroid Psyche, his true beloved, is in Virgo. Eros catches up with Psyche for a beautiful soul mate fusion on November 3rd, 2022, so mark that day in your calendar. It happens at 25° of Libra so if you have any points or planets at at degree expect to have a full mind-body-spirit intensification of love. The fusion of opposites no less. Yes, there is another eclipse on the 8th, but keep the focus on Love and it should be magical.

Eros in Aries

Eros in Aries (ruled by Mars) brings a fighting, energised type of Eros that rarely takes no for an answer. They can be the first to make any move in a crowded room or on a date. But that might also mean they are the first to finish up -like a hit-and-run- the first to leave the bedroom or get out of a relationship if it is not working out. They would take the lead with any difficult conversation but that might be premature as patience is not a strong point. They might love to be touched affectionately more often than most. They love the rough and tumble of being physical and having fun. They might do a lot of gesticulating with their heads and come across with greater force than they realise. If there is any over-emphasised warrior element in love making remember that it is really that Venus starts the War and Mars is left to fight the battle on behalf of Venus, so passive behaviours might be really aggressive and vice versa. But at the highest level since the Sun is exalted in Aries, the finest of this Eros is chivalrous and gallant, like a knight in shining armour and their urges may be raw and ready but they also know how to hold back with restraint. They can be honorable and high-minded and their behaviour can be impeccable in intimate matters or they may be wholly dedicated to others, or for the sake of the community and with long-term partners want their relationships to channel the sexual into a social outlet. They can channel the divine masculine as both men and women as that energy appears regardless whether male or female.

But if the shadow side is more prominent, there may be some immature behaviours, acting competitive for no reason, some petulance, or childish shenanigans or even selfishness which cause problems in love and relationships. Things can go wrong quickly and fights can ensue. But they are often resolved quickly. Eros here likes intense unions that burn up alchemically yet which can have profound effects on personal growth. But also since Aries is about the self, Eros here might point to more than usual indulgence in self pleasuring activities.

Eros in Taurus

Eros in Taurus (or conjunct Venus) is sensual and direct to the point of being basic though with a certain refinement of the senses unique to this sign. They are not to be budged easily one way or the other. Once the love goal has been decided, their minds are set and persuading them to deviate from that goal is a waste of time and energy. This can be refreshing and simple as they are not into game playing or trickery. At its worst when out of control this could come across as wanting to dominate or insisting on their own way of doing things. Epistemia which is related to this sign is said to be an earthy, lustful style which is just being horny- no nonsense attached and that for most people is good way to be in love as it offers some rich sensual experiences which they love to repeat in the same way. They like relationships and dating to be simple and uncomplicated but that does not mean it is without depth of feeling and intense loyalty.

It is a fixed Earth sign so they are happy to stay their field literally till the cows come home. They are most open to any moves made towards them via the senses, through opulent clothes, jewellery, make up, lingerie, quality underwear, artworks, perfume, music, singing, massage, money in the bank, or physically being touched in sensitive places like the ears, neck and throat, so do not like to vary their tastes just for the sake of it or become too kinky or weird as that might be a turn off. I think here of love bites on the neck as long as it does not look too vulgar. If there is a routine to love then Eros in Taurus might tend to be stuck in it, and would need a lot of coaxing to change tracks so flexibility is not their strong point.

Eros in Gemini

Eros in Gemini (or conjunct Mercury) speeds ahead through words so they quite like setting up a date via texting on the phone. That could be highly exciting as foreplay to the act. But equally it can lead to being dropped by text as well. This Eros needs to have a conversation first as a lead in and lots of choices available. They might therefore prefer to be sapio-sexual where the conversation may be about the weather or about finance but is really a stand-in topic which is really about love and sex. Or they are genuinely turned on by intellectuals. That would be just to avoid being bored but being turned on more by someone who can talk well who may yet not be as physically attractive as others. This Eros can be dexterous in the arts of lovemaking, doing it with energy and with a technical facility that knows where to put hands, arms and legs at the appropriate moment to make their lovers enjoy the experience to the full.

This Eros might have a touch of Hedylogos which means they may choose to flatter and schmooze in order to seduce their lovers, or they might wish to talk after sex and to ask ‘So how was it for you?’ when the partner fees like a bit of rest and recuperation. Eros here might think that love can be aroused through words and that is certain, but the danger with this is that it could lose that strong heart connection that ensures sincerity and truth. This Eros knows very well that it is through talking there is as much erotic satisfaction as there is through eating or love-making. Any oral stimulation will be enjoyable. And they can be very persuasive in that mode. But facility with words can make love more abstract than it needs to be and this could turn off any love interest who prefers more actions and feelings. But this Eros can also inspire the highest and most beautiful love poetry and song lyrics, especially where that facility is enhanced by a conjunction of Venus and Mercury. They may also have a boyish or girlish appeal that becomes useful finding partners and giving them an allure that lasts into old age.

Eros here may become quickly bored and prefer to have more than one partner not that they are two-timing their partners necessarily though that is a temptation as Eros here is beset with numerous choices to make- and the luxury is in the choosing. The worst is when there is no one at all around to play with. But, it is that they have clever minds and can cope easily with simultaneous love interests running parallel. So it could mean they prefer friendships to intense love affairs or to have a lot of stimulus that comes through keeping lovers in flux and not settling down though when they do they can still be loyal.

Eros in Cancer

Eros in Cancer ( ruled by the Moon) is warm and nourishing and spreads love easily with a natural wholesome energy. It loves the immediate impact that comes from beaming rays of love towards the loved one. It can be very psychic so may know what the lover is thinking before they do themselves. The sex must be emotional and sensitive so full of blandishments of huddling together and getting deep. But they have to feel safe with the partner. Cuddling would be a big turn on and showing feelings through tears and even tantrums, if those clear the air. Those with this Eros placement love touch and beautiful objects and gifts much like Taurus but it has to be on a feeling level which goes beyond the physical. Once they have tested the waters, they love to show how much they really care so will go out of their way to make their lovers feel comfortable, and are ready to nurse anyone back to health with homemade remedies. They love to be around the family so meeting lovers this way would be appealing to them, or making love in the kitchen or dining room. Having the most comfortable domestic space is their goal. Then they flourish in that safe space. Using food to tempt lovers to have these feelings of togetherness is one of the refinements can become expert foreplay. So culinary expertise and knowing which foods act as aphrodisiacs would be highlighted. They also might use collections of objects around the house to play and tease the partner for this purpose comes naturally to this Eros.

Massage of the stomach area might be arousing. It can get very personal if they feel they have been slighted or thwarted. They would dodge questions that are too intimate as they would hide back in their shell or become a bit prickly. There is a feeling that the love can become overly motherly treating the lover as a child and that may lead to polarised role-playing. There could be neediness and clinging on to partners too, when it is wiser to learn to be flexible and let go to not hold a grudge. The moon is about basic needs and that is cemented early in life so there could be troubled emotions rising from love partners, or excessive shows of affection that turn to and some insecurity and where psychotherapy may help if not fully matured. At its best it is a full and all-encompassing type of love to which their partners become quickly addicted.

Eros in Leo

Eros is Leo (or conjunct the Sun) likes to be seen and admired as king or queen of the heart so the demand is very high but very rewarding if you are on the receiving end. This Eros beams their love around like powerful rays of light direct from the spirit. And others around them feel it as a spotlight turned on them. They can be turned on by seeing that others are turned on by them because they are the flame that provides all the heat and all the growth of emotion and how relationships flourish. They know that as the sun which rules Leo is the centre of the universe. So they like to take the lead and be the hunter not the hunted. Then they can sit lazily and purr and bask in the admiration that comes their way. This does not necessarily mean vanity and narcissism but it can lead to that in some cases. They would be ‘amorous’ lovers, quite skillful who understand that love is about give and take so they put their whole hearts into it. So the loved one is very lucky in this sense as they ‘receive’ the best of the best and because Eros in Leo radiates warmth like the sun, it could feel overwhelming to the partner who may run for cover as the light is too bright and the intensity may burn.

But one drawback to this placement is that Eros here may indulge feelings and not keep their thinking caps on. There could be poor judgement and discernment in who is loyal and who is not. They can often give too much and then fear they have been taken advantage of but they usually have enough light to shine on the next person who comes along. Leo is associated with Philia so they are capable of being great Platonic lovers too. They understand the value of passionate friendships where sex is never an issue but they are almost as romantic as the real thing, if not better. But sometimes the borders overlap and friends may be confused about behaviours that appear romantic when they are not.

Eros in Virgo

Eros in Virgo (or conjunct Mercury or Vesta or Chiron and even Hygeia) is an energy driven by mental curiosity and wanting to ‘fix’ things. They can be practical and analytical but still earthy so still very sexual though they might appear to be somewhat virginal. There is a hint of Eros meets Psyche here too where the mind is just as strong as the heart, and if integrated can bring a beautiful flavour of the ‘highest union’ of thoughtful love, designed to please the lover and mirror their responses without a trace of selfishness. At best they go all out to research all the particulars of what turns their partners on and be meticulous and methodical about putting that into action. At worst however this can express itself as a worried attitude where they over emphasise techniques above a heart-centred approach. If they do take a sex-by-numbers attitude as if they have read all the tricks out of the kama sutra, it can feel lacking in feeling use refined arts to acquire the skill of giving pleasure.

They perceive all the tiny little things and are scrupulous about personal hygiene and would be turned off completely by any mismatch of colours, or poorly organised dates where the timing was wrong, or any whiff of sweat or dirt under the nails that give them a sense of disgust or lack of perfection in the other. They like the bedroom to be neat and tidy and they might have a shower before and after sex. They seek perfection in themselves and project that on to others, so the difficulty is accepting all the mishaps and the messiness of life, unless the emotion is strong and that too can be expressed easily and then they can be the best of lovers. But whatever the case the loved one is in for a treat when Eros in Virgo makes love. For them sex is a healing art, putting sex on the level of the sacred, so it may be enhanced by all the techniques possible to the light worker, healer, who would be familiar with nutrition, all types of diet, yoga asanas, with massage, deep bodywork, acupressure, energy medicine, chi gong, or awareness of meridian lines in the body that takes love-making beyond the physical. Their aim is to be of service so they can become precise in the delivery of that making them experts in the bedroom. They can be efficient lovers, careful, thoughtful and very caring, but easily put off by imperfections so need to find this balance for relationships to be blessed.

Eros in Libra

Eros in the sign of the balance (or conjunct Venus or Juno) needs the expressions of love to be measured up like an equation but an aesthetically pleasing one of course where equality of giving and taking is brought to the fore. Then they can let go and enjoy themselves as long as the interiors are of good quality and pleasing to the eye. They themselves would come across as well dressed, attractive, charming and perhaps elegant and considered in the arts of conversation. This Eros in Libra needs to feel appreciated in full, as if they are not, their innate sense of justice will turn them contrary and they would begin to de-stabilise the relationship. They need to feel appreciated and that must be stated in words or they will feel a nagging sense that it is wrong or not for them. A turn on might be someone who can really talk, especially about relationships, be charming use conversation as a game of flirtation and seduction. They like intellectual and artistic partners who have poise and elegance and know all about social etiquette. They would be good at settling disputes through being reasonable and knowing how to compromise and achieving equilibrium in long term relationships.

Then might have a tendency to be a people pleaser and then wonder why so many people are disagreeable. If that is not recognised, it could be that they mirror the partner too much and create the monster out of the beautiful person. They give a lot to any partner but at the same time they might feel inclined to quibble over who does what as there is always a need to feel that things balance up. That could lead rapidly to conflicts. They want to sort out the marriage contract, or the pre-nuptial, even if there is no marriage planned yet and it is just a free and easy partnership and if the partner is not willing to do that it could be a massive turn off for them. Whatever the case, there must be a tit-for-tat arrangement or they are not interested and since they are great networkers, they keep up a flow of contacts and would easily find someone else.

Eros in Scorpio

Scorpio is the sign where the interest in sex reaches its full maturity even to the point of becoming obsessed, so Eros in Scorpio (or conjunct Pluto and to some extent Mars) goes deep into sex to the point of drowning. They love the arts of love, they can range from refined to extreme hard core, adult only, and concentrate of all kinds of fetishes and kinks. Eros in Scorpio exerts a magnetic spell on others and that power comes with great responsibility so that can play out well or badly depending on the consciousness level of the person. It has that Plutonic effect so involves a profound transformative process where anything superficial is simply not tolerated. It is full on mind-body and soul. Eros in this water sign has powers of imagination beyond the norm so they have no problem visualising the sexual exploits before hunting down their partners.

This placement is more than likely to explore taboo areas of sex, indulging kinks, even what some might consider perversions, yet they can also be emotionally, stable and committed too. They don’t like lovers who are free and easy but only those who surrender totally where their love-making is nothing less than intense. There is a flavour of Mars here so sexual expression can have a forceful and caustic after-effect. Yet they can also appear cold even when steaming with passion. The Eros in Scorpio drives can be animalistic, domineering and unrepentant. But these traits often hide an acute emotional vulnerability. They can be hurt as much as anyone, but tend never to show that, so lovers have to play a guessing game or even be fearful they have done something wrong.

Eros here might be prone to jealousy and projection of fears if they have not worked on their shadow side which might be harder to penetrate more than most. They do not regret their sexual exploits as they may never discuss then openly, and some affairs remain totally secret. If this Eros is betrayed, then expect dire revenge, but since they are psychic they seem to have an in-built lie detector and can suss people’s motives easily. Their interest in psychology is high and that extends to behaviours in the bedroom. It can be hot stuff, unless these unprocessed traits are integrated into their personality, as they can be provoked into lashing out and hitting back hard, especially where they feel they have lost control of the partner.

The erotic intensity goes without saying as this Eros is the pure and most authentic Eros of all zodiac signs. It is Eros unfiltered through Venus, Eros emerged straight from Chaos and the Night. So that is incredibly exciting. But they may be interested in porn in a more than usual obsessive way and be able to objectify partners easily. This is where Love meets Death in the 8th House so expect that lovemaking transforms both them and their partners in some way. It is extreme love or extreme hate with nothing in the middle, but at least no false modesty and since it rules the genitals they have no problem finding stimulation or fullfilling their desires with innumerable conquests. But the sex must be carved deep in the soul, taken right to the edge, and leave a mark on any partner.

Eros in Sagittarius

Eros in Sagittarius (or conjunct Jupiter) brings the spirit of largesse and broad mindedness to the arts of love. They may bring gifts and act in a bountiful way towards lovers, raising them up to a spiritual level of honoring. They want love to be free and easy with the breeze in their hair. But they also have a lot of passion due the fiery nature of Sagittarius. They can run headlong into a series of flings just to gain the experience. Or have partners from foreign countries just because those are more interesting to them. They can be immensely tolerant of people’s foibles, and do not tend to hold grudges, so a lover’s tiff may be violent, but it blows over, but they can also be intolerant, even of sexual behaviours. if proselytising their ideas and the partner does not happen to fit in with those ideas, their could be disagreements. Or they can deny to themselves what they really want and act out while pretending it is all otherwise. What they seek is an adventure through love, and to find that great spiritual and intellectual soul-mate that is so elusive. Yet they keep seeking.

This Eros might run to doing sex outdoors in unlikely places, in cars, on mountains or in fields, or by trying out athletic positions just because the physical energy may be high and they have the ability to do that with gusto. This Eros also has that stamina for that extended romp in the bedroom, for marathon sessions without losing lustre.

Eros here tends towards being philosophical about sex and life in general seeing it as a comi-tragedy, but can also bring in religious conditioning and moralising and so could be judgemental of lovers and themselves, or falsely inhibited for all the wrong reasons. But they also love to have fun and perhaps are the comedian lovers, who will make a joke of the most serious incident as that kind of alliance where they can do that are are loved for it may be the biggest turn on for them. They ride lovers like horses so there’s a bounciness to their energy and woe betide anyone who cannot keep up. Massaging their thighs and legs might be the route to arousal and a friendly no nonsense directness to talking about sex which could put some lovers off but turn others on.

Eros in Capricorn

Eros in Capricorn (or conjunct Saturn) is harder to reach than most as they guard their privacy under a respectable aura surrounded by lots of rules, barriers. Eros here is ultra-organised and may have a number of plans for their lovers and can only feel lustful only when the arrangements have been made that acknowledge status and power. But behind closed doors they can let rip and be as sensual as any other earth sign and indulge as much as Eros in Scorpio. The energy they put into love making could be surprising and very welcome to their partners. But, the tendency might be for these liaisons could include monetary arrangements yet they might argue that for some people marriage is a legal and monetary arrangement anyway. One approach of Eros in Capricorn might be to cross- generations where age difference is not an issue or they find that a turn on as an older lover gives them wisdom, or they can transfer their wisdom to a younger lover. Venus in Capricorn traditionally confers a beautiful ‘classic’ appearance long into the old age and I think Eros too might emphasise their allure is strong, so they are highly regarded as attractive and desirable partners, just not so easy to get. Saturn loves boundaries and bonds so there might be a tendency to get into bondage fetishes, ropes, chains and leather gear, if that is a turn on to enhance the pleasure of love-making. But at the same time, the Eros is conservative so it could mean they never let that side of themselves either be seen or ever expressed.

But Eros here is earthy in this feminine sign that appears on the surface to be like the patriarchy seeking status and achievement. It is not deliberately deception but it is careful about the pre-conditions. Don’t be deceived they can be hugely interested in sex and love-making than it appears. It might easily sprout up in office situations or at work parties where the workaholism goes along with the sex-aholism. Or it could lead to a fetish for work uniforms, military or police garb as the most sexually arousing clothes. But this would never be a chaotic liaison but a very controlled and measured one where the care shown is all in the planning but is very rewarding to the partner in so many ways.

Eros in Aquarius

Eros in Aquarius has a funky, fellowship and camaraderie in love as it is ruled by Uranus. It may seem the feelings are not fully expressed through signs of affection but are distant or guarded using the head rather than the heart. What turns this Eros on may be the level of freedom agreed upon with the partner. Similar to Eros in Sagittarius, what keeps the interest may be having access to a get-out clause, and never being tied down to anyone. They do not like cling-ons and love to be free and fully detached or semi-detached. All those arrangements must be discussed beforehand. As Germaine Greer said it’s the ones you let go who boomerang back so there’s no need to worry and marriage can be like a prison to escape from. This is an idealistic view of love as most want to hold on tight, and hence equally experience the pain of loss in divorce. This Eros does not like to be hemmed in and they do like to be original about their choices, surprising their friends by dating outside the usual group, or they have some kind of electricity in their physical presence. They tend or at least appear to eccentrically. But this is not to say they cannot also be ultra strict and conservative, perhaps in surprising ways, as Saturn is also the ancient ruler so that Saturn sometimes shows up in rigid boundaries.

Eros here treats love and sex as a field of experimentation often looking for something different or original in others. You might explore all that is kinky while still being quite conventional-just be careful it is not cranky and suddenly your partners won’t see you for dust. Sexual liaisons can start or end quickly as friendship or to indulge in polyamory, or sex for a cause, or because of political affiliations in groups you are involved with. It might appear that the two of you can change the world together. Since Uranus rules electricity there might be awareness of the electromagnetic side of kundalini energy which rises from the spine at the mid-life crisis.

This Eros is likely to be the one who falls for someone in your immediate friendship group and the boundaries between falling in love with a friend and then realising it doesn’t work. Friends with benefits might be a practical solution for them and they would be more inclined to use online dating apps where all the features can be selected before dating. It does not mean this Eros cannot commit -that just have to very fixed in their ways and protect their independence first and foremost.

Eros in Pisces

Eros in Pisces (or conjunct Neptune) raises love to its highest heights that place love firmly in sacred territory where each enactment of love is a dialogue with the divine gods and leads to personal, even mystical union and ecstasies with their lovers or even in spite of them. This Eros is dreamy, poetical and spiritual. They can be so charitable they make sacrifices that perhaps they should not make as it is ruled by the boundlessness of Neptune. The interest in love may be earthy at first, but it will always have a higher octave element and seek out the twin-flame that takes people beyond this clumsy physical realm. They are intuitive about feelings and naturally ‘tune-in’ to the partner. So the word exalted love comes to mind as Venus is in this sign. So erotic love can be exalted to the highest and turned into a sacred act, that could even have a religious feel, or they love to use ritual embellishments aromas, foodstuffs, feathers, bells and wind-chimes, and colours accompanied by deep breathing all of which can extend physical arousal imbuing it with a spiritual fervour- all the trappings of Tantra and even of Dionysian or an orgiastic feel to love making. They can gaze into the eyes of the beloved to sense the energy between -that fusion of souls which poets talk about- where the two become one and the boundaries simply vanish. This can feel good but leave a scorched earth in its trail. Remember the words of Luis Borges who said “To fall in love is to create a religion which has a fallible god.”

This Eros can be giving to the point of their own ruin, sharing their resources till there are none left. They can be immensely sensitive and romantic in love, but if that extends to drugs to add to the oxytocin high, they can be inclined to go too far. Their love knows few limits, but could lead to addictions, depression and destabilisation. They seek unconditional love in the partner so if the partner is not up for that they suffer immense disappointment as the ideal is in tatters. But even that twisted feeling can create a victim mentality to which they become attached. They may be familiar with Pothos, longing, which is acutely unfulfilled as the Neptune in this Eros can create mysteries and confusions about what is real and what is not, so they can be prone to delusions about the loved one or suffer self delusions. At the highest they are reaching for the impossible soul connection. This can lead to great disappointments.

There might also be a shoe or foot fetish with this Eros as Pisces is associated with the feet, so feet and toes could be a turn on. As is well known, feet and feet size in classic fairy tales are symbols of the erotic undercurrent to the stories. This Eros may also have dreams they share with the partner which become prophetic or they they can immerse themselves so deeply into music, art and poetry so much that those expressions themselves become the substitute for personal love and can bring the needed levels of satisfaction.

German 16th Century Zodiac images: cupetinte.blogspot.com

Part 3: Eros conjunct the Planet

6: Signatures of Eros

So this is Part 3. We’ve looked at the mythology and archetypal nature of Eros. We’ve seen how it operates in each sign. Now we can look at what happens when it conjuncts the planets- the Eros signatures. At first I didn’t expect to see so many connections but the more I delved into it, the more these patterns became apparent. It is just the beginning of the research.

We can look at the conjunction aspect which could lend Eros a significance beyond its tiny status not as a planet but as an asteroid. This is a review of Eros conjunct the Sun, Moon, Mercury, Mars etc. and chart points like the Ascendant and Descendant. These placements may not be as they are your chart, but from looking at these personalities, we can see how Eros plays out in their lives, which ‘style’ Eros has, how it affects people differently, and how it is not the same for everyone as it can also have a ‘strange attraction’ style which is not so obvious.

Eros with the Sun is where the life or career of the native revolves around love, sex and passion. With the sun it appears to prominently rule the whole life and life purpose.

Eros with Mars is brings extra force power and penetration. This is a forceful unrepentant Eros.

Eros with Venus brings extra delicacy and/or trickery to the pleasantries and arts of love and the power of attraction;

and with Pluto Eros delves deep into the power dynamics hidden in love relationships so surfaces some dark material. Eros with Uranus it brings surprises experimentation and originality;

and with Neptune a certain longing (Pothos) and appreciation of loss and mystical inclinations.

Eros with Chiron points to perennial lessons learned regarding the difficulties of love and sex.

These are all best seen exemplified in charts and biographies on this page but I’ve had to be selective, but just to round up a few Eros positions i had to miss out there’s: Goldie Hawn (Eros/Ascendant); Bruce Willis (Eros/Sun); Ben Kingsley ( Eros/Psyche/Sun); Joseph Campbell (Eros/Sun); Vivien Leigh (Eros/Sun); Sharon Stone (Eros/Venus); Elon Musk (Eros/Sun); Mark Wahlberg (Eros/Sun); Sophia Loren ( Eros/Sun) Lana del Rey (Eros/Sun); Christian Bale (Eros/Sun) and Jake Gyllenhaal (Eros/Sun/Galactic Centre).

The Eros signature which could be any of the above combinations appears in people whose trademark was their sexual allure or who make love and sex the driver of their life. If it is not obvious and they attempt to conceal it, or like the centaur Pholus it bursts out in a public scandal and they can’t keep the lid on. Often those with Eros close to a personal planet are sexually adventurous, or use sex in a way to propel their careers forward and if they don’t it manages to find some way to rebound on them. These natives – and it is not just the famous- look for it among friends and family- might be linked to scandals or obsessions related to sex or the natives publish books in which the erotic arts are given prominence like Stendhal who wrote a book ‘On Love’ matching his Chiron placement. With actors and performers and singers sex is often a theme in their work, but with some it is more pronounced and repeated- the erotic rules them in some way. But in some cases it appears to become physically embodied. Billy Idol is like a living archetype of Eros, with his cupid’s curl lip marking him as an embodiment.

Eros and Psyche have an irregular, elliptical orbit and Eros can move through as many as 10-12 signs per year so these cycles come around fairly often, almost as fast as the sun moves across the ecliptic. But Eros can stay close to the Sun the whole year- just dancing around. The orb here is mostly restricted to 3°, but occasionally I have extended to 5° if something in the life of the native still expresses that Eros flavour.

7: Eros conjunct the Sun: Tennesee Williams, Elisabeth Taylor, Montgomery Clift

A classic case is Tennessee Williams, an Aries, born March 26^th, 1911. His plays were controversial dealing with hot house subjects like rape, mental health and homosexuality in the 40s and 50s were precursors of the more permissive 60s but where he pointed to suppressed sexual energy. He had Sun conjunct Eros. That is quite common but from the astrological standpoint there were times in his life where there was triple Eros/Sun territory. The film of his play ‘Suddenly Last Summer’ brought together two leading players and the author who all had Eros conjunct their Sun: Tennessee Williams, Elisabeth Taylor and Montgomery Clift.

Orbs are strict- no more than 3 degrees, but can be more where events align to the native’s life story.

Playwright Tennesee Williams (26/3/1911) an Aries with Eros conjunct the Sun and Mercury sextile to the Moon/Mars in Aquarius so he was able to bring to life where hidden desires lurked in relationships and to dramatise that dynamic in plays and writings that are still popular today. At first they had to be X rated. The lesser known plays were more open please for humanity against brutality and the early play Vieux Carré (1977) lays bare his personal state of mind. Perceptions have changed about Williams work, from it first appearing sensationalist to a reading of the more compassionate side. He was considered ‘the poet of lost souls’- quite a Chironic description.

Characters in Tennessee Williams’ plays stormed around the stage with barely suppressed longings that the culture of 1950s did not permit ever to be fully expressed in action. Williams’ themes were longing for passion and the erotic experience. ‘Suddenly Last Summer’ the play (1959) was controversial for its reference to a gay man. The film (1960) it was toned down – only the wordiness is graphic-the actual cannibalistic orgy happens ‘off’ stage. By today’s standards this is evasive but the script was laden with metaphors of procreation, the Venus Fly trap, and the killing of turtles just as they are born- all linking sex to death- full on Eros and Thanatos. Gore Vidal (Gemini) who helped write the screenplay dissed it as rudimentary sort of Freudianism with the smother-mother archetype. The film poster tagline reads ‘The Lured. The Loved. The Lost’ so we’d expect Neptune to be in the mix. But it also points to the cult of Dionysus that further affirms the Neptune and Pisces. Liz Taylor was Pisces. It even pointed to Mediterranean Sea as the ‘hot’ place where these sexual tragedies occur.

What is fascinating is that Williams had an Eros-Chiron connection with both actors hinting at a learning or healing curve as they worked together and for Clift this would have been his own secret, not quite revealed but strongly hinted at. Tennessee Williams’ Chiron is conjunct Taylor’s Eros/Mars/Sun/Mercury stellium in Pisces; and Montgomery Clift’s Chiron is conjunct Williams’ Sun/Mercury/Eros stellium.

Elisabeth Taylor (27/2/1932 ) is probably the most well known personality marked by the ups and downs of her love life. She had a turbo charged Eros which combined with the Sun, Mars, Mercury and Eros all combined in Pisces opposite Neptune. Her incendiary screen presence left no doubt about that she could communicate her womanly appeal with a directness that made her a natural and enduring sex icon and a true representative of Eros – even of the ‘goddess’ Venus type.

The character in the play who is mauled to death by beach urchins was Montgomery Clift (17/10/20). He exuded a smouldering sex appeal that could barely express its real nature. Handsome, sensitive and emotional he was the antithesis of the macho man like John Wayne. His love life is unknown, the one exception was his extraordinary friendship with Elisabeth Taylor who adored him. He had the Sun conjunct Eros in Libra. But it was sextile the Moon/Mars in Sagittarius and trine to Uranus in Pisces so perhaps it was a little troubled, nebulous and sometimes out of his control. They had an Ascendant-Descendant alignment. Taylor’s Eros stellium is exactly conjunct Clift’s Descendant/Uranus. And his Psyche/Neptune is conjunct her Ascendant/Jupiter in Virgo. So the connection was profound for both of them as soul mates, quite unlike the more fully expressed sexual relationship Taylor had with Richard Burton.

Clift has a more subtle appeal, like the little lost boy, who could also be a profoundly moving ‘method’ type of actor going headlong into his characters to give them truth and realism. Yet, he worked his magic too though his good looks, and professionalism, but he was alcoholic and suffered depression most likely from his closeted desires. Once he lost his ‘little boy’ looks after facial disfigurement in 1956, he also lost his potent allure as an actor. His life ended tragically from an overdose that the coroner said was a heart attack.

8: Eros Conjunct the Moon: Billie Piper and Jennifer Jason Leigh

The moon goes through many phases some of which are occulted so the impact of the Moon joining with Eros brings a different kind of shifting sexuality that does not always live in the full light of day. The moon may even be artificial which doubly alludes to its symbolism as full of illusions and ruling the sub-lunary ‘astral world of dreams and images that are portals to the unconscious.

Eros shows up in the careers of actors in very obvious ways. A more modern example is Billie Piper (22/9/1982 ) who has Eros conjunct the Moon. One and one of her most well known roles for TV was all about sex. She played Belle in ‘The Secret Diary of a Call Girl’ (2007-11) where by day she appears as a professional and by night takes clients for whatever fetish they wish to indulge. Belle’s only lasting love affair is with money, ruled by Venus, but she trades it for sex ruled by Eros, son of Venus. The series is tongue-in-cheek as she struggles to keep relationships beyond short-lived liaisons with would-be boyfriends. What’s interesting is how she seems conflicted about embodying the prostitute archetype she plays. Maybe love is worth more than money after all? But what we see is her shifting moods like phases of the Moon.

We know that the moon has many faces that it cycles through from crescent to quarter to full to three-quarters to darkness and renewal again. But that it also has a more hidden gestation phase where each single phase within one month repeats every 9 months at a similar degree leading to the evolution of the story. The moon is not always seen with one one face positions towards us on Earth. We are aware of its dark side but that remains mysterious. We do not even know for sure what the Moon really is in full.

So these mysterious phases represent very well the career of Jennifer Jason Leigh (5/2/1962). One of the best things that can be said about an actor is that you do not recognise them in different roles as they are able to disappear so much into the character you cannot tell who it is. Leigh deserves more attention than she receives due to this level of versatility. While on the one hand it relates to Neptune, on the other in the choice of roles she can reveal the subtleties and depth of emotion where others cannot. She is not easily typecast but can render a range of characters when they are most vulnerable, obsessed, mentally disturbed, changeable, edgy or acutely sensitive in films like Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982), Single White Female (1992), Short Cuts (1993) , Mrs Parker and the Vicious Circle (1994) and last Exit to Brooklyn (1989). So it is her very changeability that is her appeal, perhaps tapping into the Hekate aspect of the Moon here along with Eros.

9: Eros conjunct Mercury: Dolph Lundgren

Doplh Lundgren Eros conjunct Mercury offers a clever ruse maker in the area of love, good with words and communication which they say is the lifeline for relationships to continue to grow and perhaps that is the secret- being able to talk about feelings and not suppress them. With Dolph Lundgren (3/11/1957) we might think he was just a blonde Swedish beefcake, super fit and selected to play he-men martial arts heroes, but Dolph had a degree in Chemical Engineering, a degree in Synthetic Building and won a scholarship to MIT. He is the son of Language teacher and happens to speak six languages more or less. He is an actor, writer, producer. He even wrote a book on wellness ‘Prepare Like an Action Hero: Be Fit Forever’ (2011).

He has two sisters and two daughters. He is good with his hands as he can play drums as well as being karate master Eros and Mercury would keep youthful looks long into old age, or have a child-like appearance for longer than most and still be curious and agile. He seems however in spite of being married three times, once to Grace Jones, to have a knack of avoiding any gossip or scandal and keeping out of the headlines.

10: Eros conjunct Mars: Billy Idol

Mars and Eros together pack some force like a double whammy. Mars brings warrior like concentration to the sex urge but does not linger to hold grudges or cling on too much. British rock singer Billy Idol, born Nov 30^th, 1955, is a fiery risk-taking Sagittarian whose allegiance to the original punk ethos has lasted because he says it is ‘honest’ and gives him energy. He has Sun conjunct Eros but connected to Mars as well. Mars and Eros like to make its point forcefully. There is a rawness to punk that is candid, direct and unapologetic even about his sexual exploits. Idol was the main proponents of punk but is much easier on the eye than fellow punk rock leader Johhny Rotten.

Billy Idol came from Bromley and with his photogenic appearance rapidly became dubbed the ‘good looking’ punk, front man of the band Generation X. He is the perfect artist’s picture of what Eros might look like. He is fresh-faced, cheeky looking, with a ‘cute’ boyish appearance long into old age. He has also played the sex icon role to the hilt and has had his fair share of girl groupies. In the 90s he revealed that even though he enjoyed reveling in debauchery, in sex and drugs orgies that he willingly hurled himself into, that lifestyle was beginning to destroy him. So, he turned to motorcycles which he rides without a helmet and pumping his muscles in the gym- these are the Eros substitute.

There is a Cupid’s Bow which is that little triangular dip at the top lip that people say is alluring and seductive a reminder of love’s blindness in that the arrow strikes where it may. That would be fine but Idol’s is exceptional. He can curl his lip into a ‘whiplash’ a kind of cross between a pout, a kiss and a sneer. This is pure Eros and not all cutesy Cupid. This lip curl is unique to Billy Idol. It is as if Eros touched him at birth and said ‘yes, you’re marked as mine.’ Idol is not afraid to show off his body too as in the “Catch My Fall” video. Even at age 57 he was going topless at performances. His Eros is in Sagittarius and its style there is rough and tumble with a dare-devilish feel there is an element of narcissism that comes across as the healthy kind, somehow just naturally what he does best.

The Eros story carries on into that native’s public life by association they become linked to a strong sexual force. By now we are seeing the pattern of lives of those with Eros conjunct the Sun. There is nothing hidden about their sex lives or that their sex appeal overrides any other factor about their talent or abilities in life. The person with Eros conjunct Mars would have this incredibly dynamic relationship to sex which could dominate their lives if they let it and occultist Aleister Crowley (12/10/1875) had Eros conjunct Mars in Capricorn, which is interesting as he was a pioneer in sex magick and Tantric practices.

But the two people who influenced Billy Idol were Elvis Presley (8/1/1935) and Jim Morrison (8/12/43) of The Doors. Eros touched their careers in different ways. Both were born with Sun conjunct Eros. Presley had the pulsing hip and also that lip curl that Billy Idol had- let’s call it the mark of Eros. Morrison was also considered powerfully seductive and handsome. He had Eros opposite Saturn and Mars and he clashed with the authorities for allegedly revealing his genitals on stage.

When Morrison was born in December 1942 Eros was actually conjunct Psyche- the two lovers entwined and that is significant. Morrison had that unique blessing of the mystic union of these two within him the mysterium coniunctionis. This came across not just in his physical appeal, but in the intensity of his life and psychological depth of his lyrics which were inspired more by Blake and Rimbaud than by the usual gritty rock-n-roll style. However engineered his career might have been, he was able to tap into mythic levels of meaning through his provocative imagery in songs like ‘Riders on the Storm’ and ‘The End’ and his good looks did the rest to create a magnetically sexualised persona that left a mark on the prevailing culture.

11: Eros conjunct Venus: Justin Timberlake and Julie Christie

When Venus conjoins Eros we would expect a smoothness and charm in their appearance and manners. We find with Venus as mother to Eros an energy that reigns in the worst of her son Eros’s mischief making. She is in charge here. It is more reigned in. It is smoother, less pointed, less abrupt but still may have a magnetic pull that is strong perhaps highlighting the more feminine side of Eros from a female perspective. Singer and performer Justin Timberlake (31/1/1981) is a great example. He openly talks about his appeal to women and men are supposed to want to be like him. Yet critics say he relies too heavily on this sex appeal and less on his talent. His video Tunnel Vision (2013) shows more than the usual share of female flesh and he defended it by saying ‘nudity is art’. Fans complained however that he remained clothed throughout and he should have stripped off. The emphasis is on women for this Venus-flavoured Eros. In Timberlake Eros is exactly conjunct Venus in Capricorn so it is earthy and has some reserved, but also longevity of looks.

Venus promotes women to the forefront and Julie Christie (14/4/1941) a great beauty from several films across the decades but especially the sixties and seventies in Darling (1965), in Dr. Zhivago (1965), Far from the Madding Crowd (1967). She has the double of Eros conjunct Venus and the Sun. She actually dated actor Terrence Stamp who also appeared in that film, and she was long-time partner of Warren Beatty. She appeared in Heat and Dust (1983) set in India where she was born. She came to prominence for sex scene in Don’t Look Now (1973) which was highly erotic. The focus is on the edits and on textures of tweed, cotton, silk all of which appears to show more flesh than really is there. This was controversial for its time though might seem tame by today’s standards. Nevertheless, it caused a stir.

What is beautiful here is that in the film ‘The Go Between‘ (1971) there is a mirroring of art and life: the young boy in the story, Leo, is a magician and toys with astrology talking of his ‘zodiac’ and treating everyone as signs and symbols. He denotes Marian (Christie) as a ‘goddess’. Leo is labelled as ‘Mercury’ and ‘ the Postman’, taking messages back and forth (among the gods and mortals) but here it is across class divides that paved the way for the novel Lady Chatterley’s Lover to be more accepted in the early sixties. So that makes a neat parallel: Ted (Alan Bates) is Mars and Lady Marian (Christie) is Venus, yet the messenger boy Leo is more like Eros than Mercury, as Eros did the bidding of his mother Venus whether he liked it or not. This is perfect alignment of the mythology offered by Christie’s Eros conjunct Venus which she embodies in this film. Eros with Venus can lend a great womanliness, feminine appeal which is soft but also steely, and not so easy to pin down. This Eros shows hidden strengths, which might occasionally require yielding, balancing the Yang of her Aries with the Yin qualities too, and Julie Christie is a great example of that. She has also managed to be an activist and choose her roles sparingly and her reputation has stood the test of time

12: Eros Conjunct Jupiter: Malcolm McDowell

With Jupiter on Eros we would notice an expansion of the themes of liberty and excess and perhaps even to the level of buffoonery where Jupiter becomes the clown. A good expression of this is with Malcolm McDowell (13/6/1943). There is a largeness of spirit to the sex drive and in Clockwork Orange (1971) as McDowell plays dysfunctional teenager whose urges are out of control. He is Alex De Large- the Jupiter is even embodied into the name. McDowell was one of the first stars to appear fully naked in film and even became the male poster boy for nudity before other male actors followed. This film above all others pushed the boundaries of the permissible linking violence to sex and hinting at MK Ultra mind control techniques. In the film If (1968) he played a cheeky rebel 6th former who turns on the prefects and machine guns the entire public school. It all goes over the top as an indictment against the restrictive nature of British institutions so a touch of Uranus as well.

But the film that topped all the other over the top roles was in Caligula (1979) McDowell plays the crazed, libertine emperor of Rome who is abusive, and the Eros runs away with itself as the script came apart at the seams and was sandwiched with soft porn lesbian sex scenes. McDowell insisted on not doing sex scenes with others, but did do a dancing by himself naked in the rain scene. Eros with Jupiter seems to bring so much excess, humour and satire, and be larger than life, broadening the definition of what can be erotic and having a lot of fun in the meantime.

13: Eros conjunct Saturn: Mel Gibson

This is a tough position for Eros to be in as it might turn the world against you or make you feel your love is unappreciated. Saturn brings hard lessons, boundaries, restrictions, repression even or bondage. But at the same time may bring longevity, loyalty and deep trust. Mel Gibson (3/1/1956) has a super strong Eros with several aspects to it, involving Pluto, the Moon, Mars, Jupiter, Uranus and Mercury, the main one is that it is conjunct Saturn. He is a complex troubled character who cannot be defined only by this placement but does indicate an Eros flavoured by Saturn which is not soft, pink and fluffy. His passion is driven by a phenomenal will power and resilience, yet he is flawed, possibly violent, will ill-suppressed rage. For Saturn love is serious and severe. But it is hard to say whether that is his love-making style, there could be sweetness there too and a vulnerable core, but instances of abuse too. But he was married in 1980 and did not divorce until 2011- that’s three decades long, which is an enduring relationship by any standards. Saturn likes that kind of endurance, stability and for love to be contained and controlled and honorable. The settlement of $850 million fortune was one of the largest in Hollywood. He wife received half that amount. They had eight children. With his current wife there is a 34 year age gap.

14: Eros conjunct Uranus: Lil Wayne

We might suppose that anyone with Eros Uranus linked would have the habit of falling in love at first sight, or that love hit suddenly and created an awakening. Rap singer Lil Wayne (27/9/1982 ) has been married 4 times and is no stranger to sexual shenanigans. He loves dating models and has been linked to Nickky Minaj who says their relationship is more like brother and sister so they don’t actually kiss for real in videos but just pretend, but they do a lot teasing fans back and forth to fuel the rumours they are having an affair. Like Usher, there is speculation his sexual preferences and no one can say for sure. Among his numerous body tattoos, he does have one on his head which looks like a lightning flash or a vajra symbol, surrounded by nine stars. so as if marked by Uranus and his fans liken him to a genius for the wit and the wordplay. He also said he suffers from epilepsy which attacks the nervous system.

And with Uranus in Scorpio, like James Franco, there may be an openness to sexual experimentation. He revealed he started at age 11 when he was forced into sex by much older people around him. He has a ghetto ‘thug’ look worked out with chains and rings, but more recently appears strung out on heroin. He has Psyche conjunct the Sun and while the Eros is super powered with Mars there too, it is blessed by a sextile to the Sun and the Moon. This brings Eros to the peak of a kite formation where at the bottom end is Chiron and the top is Mars/Uranus/Eros so it pulls him in multiple directions creating inner tension that gets carried away from time to time pulling him in different directions- but definitely reaching super high.

What is fascinating is that the song ‘Sexual Healing’ by Marvin Gaye was released in 30^th September 1982 – three days after Lil Wayne was born. It became a huge hit across the world. It was a innovative and freshly honest around sexual issues with its ‘post-disco’ fusion musical style and graphic lyrics about sex as a healing force in the lives of ordinary people. Eros was exactly conjunct Uranus 1° of Sagittarius with Mars close by on the day of its release but it expresses his style so well.

15: Eros conjunct Neptune: Giani Versace

Eros We might think that Neptune would bring a layer of mystification, fraud perhaps, loss, and a mystery. Fashion designer Giani Versace (2/12/1946) was lavish in his admiration and borrowings from Greek mythology. Some said he had ‘delusions of grandeur’ as money was no object and opulence and maximalism combined with chic and sexiness. He borrowed the head of Medusa for his logo. Neptune is about pure glamour and he managed to attract some of the most famous stars to his stable: Madonna, Princess Diana, Elton John, Naomi Campbell which only intensified the dazzling style perhaps through Eros. Remember that ‘fashion’ rhymes with ‘passion’. So it is not surprising that once his sister Donatella Versace took over the company it continued its success. The brand went on to produce a perfume actually called Eros. The model Bryan Shimansky (12/9/1984) was selected to represent Eros in the Versace campaign and his chart has Eros conjunct Mars and Uranus in Sagittarius, so giving him an athletic kind of sex appeal, with a whiff of adventure. Perfume can be associated with Neptune.

Versace’s asteroid Eros is conjunct Neptune in Libra though the orb is wide 7 degrees it still exerts its confusing spell. While it was never made clear whether Versace had actually met his murderer, Andrew Cunanan 31/8/1969), before Cunanan showed up to shoot him. There is still the mystery of what was the real motivation for gunning Versace down, perhaps envy at his glamorous lifestyle. But his other killings it is is not so sure Cunanan was the gigolo as he tended to lie so much about his conquests. On that fated morning July 15th, 1997, on Ocean Drive ( a hint of Neptune here with a pool and mosaic inside the house that had been imported from Italy) the Vertex aligns exactly with Cunanan’s and Versace’s Mars in Sagittarius. There is also an unverified suggestion that Versace was murdered by the Calabrian mafia as it had signs of a professional assassination, with the symbol of a dead bird left next to his body.

16: Eros conjunct Pluto: P Diddy, Usher and Joey Stefano

There is a classic Scorpio success story in the life of P. Diddy aka Sean Combs (4/11/1969). involving a lot of hard work, masses of money, legal feuds, a stampede in a club leading to deaths, a glamourous lifestyle, gallons of champagne, prison sentences, bribery, sexy women like Jennifer Lopez, and men too. He was the King of Rap and the host of the most extravagant parties in the 90s but there was a dark side as his friend and mentor Notorious B.I.G was shot dead while promoting his album in L.A. This was soon after Tupak Shakur himself was shot dead and the killer never found. We may never know of P. Diddy’s involvement. But what of P Diddy’s Eros placement- it is conjunct to Pluto. So with Pluto here we might expect to be in a sexual expression that is very intense. With Pluto tiny molehills explodes into enormous mountains. His Eros is in Virgo and is also trine to Mars and sextile to Neptune so it has power to exert its magnetism to all who come into his orbit though he may at first appear to want to help them do a ‘service’ in some way.

Singer and performer Usher (14/10/1978) has almost trademarked his sexual allure. Usher no stranger to sexual scandals, including speculation about his preferences and his mentorship at the hands of P Diddy still leaves lots of questions unanswered as to what really went on. He has pushed the erotic themes in his lyrics in songs like ‘Climax’ and ‘Good Kisser’ just in case people did not get the message. One of his albums is called ‘Sex Appeal’ (2005). Recently too, he has been accused of passing on herpes to several women but also one guy. This is very Scorpionic theme as Scorpio rules the genitals hence sexually transmitted diseases and Herpes lies dormant so it can be hidden. He has paid 1.1 million in legal fees. His lover-boy style has got him in trouble many times.

stefano Where I see the Eros conjunct Pluto signature most clearly marked is with Joey Stefano (1/1/1968 ). Stefano was a gay porn star who performed sex in front of a camera. His real name was Nick Iacono but as Joey Stefano he became hugely popular in the 1980s. What attracted people was his beauty and his down to earth unassuming style and personality so people warmed to him. He typically for a Capricorn worked very hard perhaps to the point of burn out as he was a stripper, escort and dancer at the famous Gaeity Male Burlesque club in New York and going on tour across the states to satisfy fans on the club circuit. He even appeared in Madonna’s book Sex (1992).He succumbed to drugs and excess so the lifestyle went too far. He died in 1992 due to ‘AIDs’ related illnesses.

And just to add that one of the most famous lovers of all time Casanova (2/4/1725) had Eros conjunct Pluto. So if reputation in love is anything to go by, Pluto leaves its mark quite deep and involves transformations. Besides his many passions across Europe, he delved into Rosicrucianism and Alchemy and had to flee Venice after digging up a dead body in order to play a prank. His Eros was in Virgo directly opposite his Venus and Mercury in Pisces so he was able to be the chameleon when he needed to but also to research how to find the right patron and be calculating about that. In his memoirs he also said that words of love should be implied not boldly stated and that his whole life had been devoted to the search for love and pleasure.

17: Eros conjunct the Ascendant: Germaine Greer, Yul Brynner and Charlotte Rampling

Let it never be said that Germaine Greer (5/2/1939) didn’t have the last word as the ultimate firebrand Aquarian revolutionary thinker and writer. She has Eros conjunct her Ascendant marking her as one who talked about sex so boldly it made others blush. Her most famous book was ‘The Female Eunuch’ (1970). She would probably identify Eros as the beautiful ‘youth’ in painting and sculpture, and her 2003 book ‘The Beautiful Boy’ is a hymn to Eros, and a prayer to the passing beauty of adolescent boys. She said the male gaze is not only for men but for women too, for them to take more ownership of voyeurism, and stare as much as they want to, as once boys become men they lose that bloom of youth. One of her sayings is “You are only young once, but you can be immature forever.”

On the subject of Love and marriage, she advocated the non-attached airy approach from her Aquarian standpoint: “Lovers who are free to go always come back; lovers who are free to change remain interesting. The bitter animosity and obscenity of divorce is unknown where individuals have not become Siamese twins.” It might be too Aquarian for most to let your lovers go so they boomerang back as there are bound to be strings attached, kinky and stern probably as there’s a Saturnian feel to this fixed air sign. That in Greer’s chart Eros is conjoined to Vesta as well suggests she has always been hugely influential for her subject matter, that of the sex and the gender war, art history and the beautiful boy. Vesta carries the sacred flame- the torch of devotion so added to Eros that makes an ambassador for love. So she is likely to carry on extolling the virtues of thinking more freely about the subject of that brings common sense to an abused subject of sex.

Eros conjunct the Ascendant might place the Eros firmly in the physical body too. That was the case with Yul Brynner (11/6/1920) where Eros was conjunct both Neptune and Mercury. His sex appeal was communicated visibly through film and wordless communication of his body and head. When young Yul Brynner posed nude for photographers and seemed to love being the centre of attention. He had an athletic body he was proud of though the secret Eros ingredient may have been his dazzling eyes and shiny bald head which also has a strange sex appeal for women.

French speaking actress Charlotte Rampling (5/2/1946) has not just Eros conjunct the Sun but the Ascendant along with Mercury and Venus. She has played in many film where sex was the theme starting out very young in Visconti’s ‘The Damned’(1969) and in The Night Porter (1974). Depending on your viewpoint on the content, these films are either intense explorations of sexual fetish themes or Nazi soft porn films masquerading as art house films. She has lasted into old age still managing to exude this sexuality in films by Francois Ozon in Under the Sand (2000) and Swimming Pool (2003).

And even where there is no obvious connection of Eros to the Sun or Venus as in the case of Mae West (17/8/1893 ) there is still an Eros signature. West was synonymous with sex and sex appeal. She made a career of it. In her own words said she “climbed the ladder of success wrong by wrong.” She was mistress of innuendo, saying little but implying much. While Eros is not connected to the Sun, her Eros has strong connections in the background. Her Eros was trine to Neptune, Mars and Pluto. It is also square to the Moon offering lots of allies. And her Saturn was at the midpoint between her Eros in Libra ruled by Venus and her Psyche in Virgo.

She produced a show called Sex (1926) for which she was arrested on a charge of corrupting morals. So she turned it in her favour by wearing silk panties while in prison garnering her massive publicity which she used to best effect. She was the original bad girl married women could lose their husbands to.

The chart of Madonna (16/8/1958) might be expected to have a strong Eros, yet it is not prominent in Aries. But it is trine to Venus and Uranus. Hers is an angry Eros as it conjuncts Eris, defender of the uninvited, and Eris here is ruled by Mars or Ares, her brother- two warriors together. But she is not particularly Eros-ruled despite all she has put out. The early 1980s ‘Like a Virgin’ phase is more like her Vesta on the Ascendant.

18: Eros on the Descendant: The Marquis de Sade

There is one name that looms large in Erotic literature and that is the Marquis de Sade (2/6/1740). He was the ultimate rebel aristocrat with a strong Uranus/South Node in Capricorn in trine to the Moon and Mercury- very strong for a writer to be well known to the public. The very word Sadism derives from his name and we understand that Masochism is the double edge of Sadism unable to exist without its twin. De Sade had Eros conjunct Mars in Aries with Psyche close in the adjacent sign Taurus. This triple conjunction was on the Descendant the place where he is most visible to others, attracting attention by what he put out in public. His fame in France was such that he was celebrated as a ‘monster’ yet peculiarly admired for his daring and unapologetic style.

He loved to provoke people, be the buffoon but in such a strong way that it repulsed many who reviled him for speaking his mind. This twinning of Eros and Psyche is the symbolic icing on the cake of a Venus/Saturn square to Mars. The trine of Uranus the Moon and Mercury as apparently even in prison he had a very easy life that allowed him to write the majority of his books and be a productive revolutionary and anti-clerical radical. He loved to challenge people’s ideas about sexual fantasy and he listed every single combination in sex that he could imagine originating the concept of the ‘daisy chain’- the linking of lovers by arms, legs and copulation. It takes a strong stomach to read his work as this listing was relentless and not always ironic.

It does not mean that if you have Eros conjunct the Descendant that you will be a sadist but that whatever your kinks are, may be more visible and that your involvement with others would be known with this placement.

19: Eros conjunct Chiron: James Franco and Stendhal

Eros with Chiron would bring a fatal flaw to any obsession with sex making it the arena where the harsh lesson is learned and then lived out in some way through being scapegoated or having to teach the same to others. James Franco (19/4/1978) Franco is a highly visible actor and producer with a style that revolves around appearing sexy. He has a triple conjunction of the Sun with Chiron and Eros. This plays out as growing up in public about his ability to manage sexual impulses. He has been forced to learn his lesson about restraint while the limelight is firmly on him.

He has angered a good number of people with his radical attitudes towards sex saying that we are all conditioned to be heterosexual and playing at the edge of his limits with male partners. He is not shy to play gay characters though claims he is a gay tease and only ‘gay to the point of intercourse’. Interior, Leather Bar (2013) a film he made with Travis Matthews explored this borderline area. His Uranus is in Scorpio during this period. The fact that Psyche is conjunct Uranus here points to this intense exploration of the domain of sex almost as if a scientist doing a laboratory study to investigate how it would expand his mind and enliven his soul. You would expect some bumptiousness and Franco is not without good looks, charm and talent to push himself forwards, but he is too forward for some. He provokes strong reactions. In a classic Aries tactic, he actually head-butted a journalist. This symbolism is so literal. He weaponised his head just like a Ram ruled by Mars!

There are several disgruntled people who want to take him to task for exploiting them in theatre shows, castings and auditions, or as actors sharing the stage when he pushed them out of the way. e.g. Wiseaux when receiving the award for Disaster Artist (2017). But where his Chiron lesson is shows up in the trouble he gets into. He has been accused of sexual harassment by his own acting students. This all occurred building up to his Chiron return so I feel there is more to come with him. But if Eros/Chiron is the teacher of sex, then there were apparently lessons in how to act in sex scenes in his acting school. Whether the claims are legit or not Franco felt obliged to do a TV confessional- one of those interviews people in public life indulge in to save their reputations allowing them to appear contrite and apologetic and regain the trust of fans. He admitted to a long struggle with alcohol and sex ‘addiction’ thereby eliciting sympathy for his so-called‘condition.’ It is anyone’s choice to believe him. But Franco I suspect may be a living example of the saying that also applies to Eros with Pluto that “Everything in human life is about sex, except Sex. Sex is about Power.”

An Eros opposition to Psyche is also interesting. This is a placement that allows the native to ponder the nature and value of love in a state of tension and become someone who embodies insights into love and sex. They have a lot to teach us about love. Stendhal aka Henri Beyle (23/1/1783) was considered one of the great literary figures of the 19th century famous for Le Rouge et le Noir (1830). What sets his work apart is his worldly knowledge, the realism and psychological acuity and accurate observation of how people behave. His characters are no mere stereotypes, but appear as real people with complex thoughts.

But he also wrote a singular book simply titled ‘On Love’ (1822) and it outlines the development of love as a crystallisation process. He categorises 4 types of Love which is not exactly like the Greek idea: 1: Passionate Love 2: Gallant Love 3: Physical Love and 4: Vanity Love.

There’s a sense of Chiron here too about this book, quite aside from the tension between Eros and Psyche. It was inspired by his love for a woman, Matilde Dembowski. The problem for Stendhal was that she was already married and thus unattainable. For three years or more, Stendhal felt this Anteros struggle – the unrequited energy of love is just as powerful as its satisfaction.

So Chiron is about the exquisite pain that comes from unrequited love, from longing mingled with disappointment but this is also inherent in the Eros-Psyche story. It is all about the delicacies in the interactions of love which cannot be requited yet which leads to a book that teaches others how to cope with this. It prefigures the modern self-help style that hints at what skills are needed to be a great lover while not being particularly handsome- as Stendhal was, by some, considered ugly. In this book he analyses how love bonds cement like the structure of a building or like a journey from Bologna to Rome.

His Eros was exactly conjunct Psyche in the sign of Taurus and if the birth time is accurate- there is some doubt- then Eros would be on the Ascendant, sandwiched between the Moon and Mars, making him, like Germaine Greer, most visible for his ponderings on love. But the Chiron connection is very strong: Chiron is square to the Sun, trine to Jupiter, sextile to Uranus and square to Pluto.

20: Strange Attractors: Eros as Wild Card: Howard Sasportas, H. P. Lovecraft and Boris Karloff

I came across several people who had Sun conjunct Eros that are hard to explain. They do not fall into the picture being formulated here of Sun/Eros natives being purposed for endless sex and passion propelled out in the full light of day. These characters cannot be earmarked as living for sex at all. Quite the opposite in some cases. So I have marked them as ‘strange attractors’ as they are appealing but in a weird kind of way that is not obvious. It depends on how you define Sex and Passion. The sex energy rises up into all areas of life and does not merely function as physical Eros or lust. Allure can be through magnetic pull, oddness and eccentricity. So my guess is that Eros, in some charts, can also be a bit of a wild card. It may not manifest in the obvious way, yet still the underlying allure may be sexual. And remember that Eros had a dark side where he played tricks on Apollo and Dionysius his arrows causing them pain and loss and even leading to rape.

Eros can be a massive driving force even when, or especially when not lived out through the sexual act itself. The sex urge can be withheld and/or all the energy it arouse sublimated and that revs up people’s engines. Then people cannot explain why they are attracted as it is operating subliminally. With the power of Eros – as was well known during the renaissance as in Iona Couliana’s (2013) book Eros and Magic in the Renaissance explains. The urge towards Eros if sublimated can overcome hurdles as it is the energy that lights a fire up the imagination and enact all the magic needed.

Howard Sasportas (12/4/1948 ) was a well loved astrologer who worked with Liz Greene to set up the CPA, Centre for Psychological Astrology. His birthday was on the Jupiter-Neptune conjunction of April 12^th. This might have been an interesting solar return for him were he still alive. He too was born with the Sun conjunct Eros. So perhaps his was a life lived thinking about love and sex. Unfortunately, it is only speculation and we may never know unless someone writes a decent biography of his life and interviews his life partners so more details can be obtained. But he did die of AIDS in 1992. The chart of his death which was May 12^th, 1992 at 5.11pm has the Moon opposite Sun conjunct Aries.. death on May 12^th 1992 when Venus happened to be conjunct Eros in Taurus. Eros here was conjunct Sedna so…something deep sea about his sexuality might also be suggested.

Can Eros be an alien too, from his primeval origins, born out of Chaos and the Night? Horror writer H.P. Lovecraft (20/8/1887) exists in a liminal space as he had a horror of humans. He had Eros conjunct the Sun yet lived a more or less sexless life. He was pale and introverted and probably suffered from acute anxiety disorder which was triggered by being around other people. The sexual (and racial) loathing and fears are woven symbolically into his work. The writer who brought to us visions of a Cthulhu mythos that was ahead of its time in what is now known as ‘cosmic horror’ where monsters with strange protruding tentacles lurked in cellars and unexplored caves.

H. P. Lovecraft Lovecraft was solitary fastidious and uncomfortable around people. He was not known for his sexual exploits and never exhibited that kind of behaviour in public. It was even suggested that he barely consummated his two-year marriage with his hat-maker wife Sonia Greene ( Pisces). He spent a lot of time away from her and was his most creative when they were not living together and was not too keen on the variety of ethnicities he saw when forced to live in Brooklyn. All evidence points to a severely introverted, even ascetic temperament, or even a total disgust of bodily functions. However, it does not take much to perceive that that there was some sexual longing or repression in his depiction of weird serpent or octopus-like creatures that sprout upwards from secret layers. These alien creatures lay buried deep in the foundations of old houses and caves and which threatened to swallow him up in a grand orgasm of horror.

Another figure famous for being Frankenstein’s monster was Boris Karloff (23/11/1887) a Sagittarian. Karloff, cannot be said to be a sex icon but he nevertheless had a curious allure as the monster who did not know why he had been created. Women, children and even animals responded to him in a mystical way. Some said he was the ‘Francis of Assisi of Horror stars.’ Karloff remained popular in horror movies in the first half of the 20^th Century. He had Eros conjunct the Ascendant in Capricorn so perhaps there’s a Saturnian influence here. How to explain the appeal of a monster as he played Frankenstein. Perhaps as the monster feared and vilified by ordinary people Eros here arouses pity and pity causes love? Eros alone conjoins the ascendant but broadly opposes Chiron in Cancer on the Descendant, so identifying him with the scapegoat archetype. His Eros however does square Venus and Uranus so he was able to earn money from his unusual appearance. It also and sextiles the moon in Pisces ruled by Neptune the planet of films. But there is also a strong signature of the Pluto conjunct Neptune in Gemini which characterised that last decade of the 19^th century. This directly opposes his Sun.

Keanu Reeves

And finally let’s not forget that Keanu Reeves (2/9/1964) has a strong Eros too yet has been continually evasive about his love life as if it does not really exist at all. Whether you think he is a good actor or not what seems to come across in his ‘presence’ is that he is a kind and possibly vulnerable character, sometimes wise and charismatic and that may override that sometimes he seems nervous in a particular role. His outstanding role was as Neo (or the One) in The Matrix (1999) for which all the cast trained for months to be able to do the physically tough fighting scenes. So he is already identified with that world ‘saviour’ archetype. He has a stellium in Virgo on the Ascendant where Eros is in the mix and this might explain his subtle appeal. Perhaps he loved fellow actor, River Phoenix who died on Halloween of 1993 as these two had a screen chemistry. Gus van Sant allowed them to improvise the intimate scene in My Own Private Idaho ( 1991) where they are sitting at a camp fire out in the wilds and they attempt to say what is the difference between love and sex between two males. But Reeves has never given any revelations about that except that he cried for days on learning Phoenix was dead.

21: Your Personal Written Eros Report

I appreciate that all the above can be complicated especially to understand the archetypal layer, but many will be able to do this for themselves and by reading through all the information here. Happy hunting for Eros. It is time never wasted.

But for those who need some guidance, I can do Eros Report. This report will do all the work for you, and be a few pages long. It will consider all the aspects to Eros, but including Psyche and any other significant aspects.

Cost just £15.

Please email eusastro@protonmail.com to request this adding all your birth details.

It will not be the same as a natal chart reading but it may be an additional layer to understanding that. It may relate the positions of Eros and Psyche to other key planets or significant asteroids in your chart if those are relevant. For Synastry – two charts in parallel- that would be a separate report, please enquire.

There is a lot to learn about Eros and at the end of April Eros is conjunct the Sun so exploring our personal Eros is so important these days especially when life is under threat. It may be reconnecting with your authentic Eros that gives you the edge in terms of survival. It is as if Eros is pitted against Death so it is our lust for life that carries us through.

Thank you for reading.

Please click the hyperlinks for all sources used.

Unless otherwise stated, all image credits are in the Public Domain via WC

Further Reading

Apuleius, (1989) The Golden Ass London: Penguin Classics.

Costello, P. (2016) Shakespeare and the Stars: The Hidden Astrological Keys to Understanding the World’s Greatest Playwright. Forth Worth: Ibis Press.

Couliano, I.P. (2013) Eros and Magic in the Renaissance Chicago: Chicago University Press.

Gerber, T. (2019) ‘Eros and Thanatos: Freud’s two fundamental drives’ Epoche Magazine.org Issue 20, February 2019 (Online) https://epochemagazine.org/20/eros-and-thanatos-freuds-two-fundamental-drives/

Greene, L. (1996) Astrological Neptune and the Quest for Redemption. York Beach: Samuel Weiser.

Greer, G. (2003 ) The Beautiful Boy. London: Thames and Hudson.

Hand-Clow, B ( 2013) Astrology and the Rising of Kundalini: The Transformative power of Saturn, Chiron and Uranus. Inner-traditions and Bear Company.

Idemon, R. (2010) The Magic Thread. Bournemouth: Wessex Astrologer.

Santuario de Eros (Online) https://www.santuariodeeros.org/en/

Stendhal (1975) On Love. London: Penguin Classics.

LinkTree/Proteus

Kieron is a London-based and trained astrologer at Proteus Astrology on Facebook and my home page:

Instagram and Twitter I am now also on Gab, Telegram, Patreon, MeWe.

and Gettr Bitchute, Rumble and Odysee

Natal Chart Readings via Skype or Zoom.

Contact Eusastro@protonmail.com

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