Introduction to the Uranus – Eris Conjunction

The New Moon on Monday occurred towards the end of the sign Aries nestled right into one of the biggest astrological aspects of the last decade. Uranus and Eris coming together was an historic conjunction that peaked in 2016 and 2017, but it’s still very much in effect. I have been studying this aspect extensively and will share some of my research as the blog continues, for now I will give a brief introduction to these two planets conjoining in Aries.

Firstly, an introduction to Eris. She was discovered in 2005 and found to be bigger than Pluto. This threw a spanner in the works. We are still in the process of exploring the vast and distant area of our solar system – the Kuiper Belt – out beyond Pluto, it’s highly likely there are many more Pluto sized planetoids out there. Eris was the first discovered to be actually bigger than Pluto. Astronomers couldn’t bear the possibility of there being dozens, maybe even hundreds of planets – they wanted it to be a more exclusive club – so

As you can see Eris is slightly bigger than Pluto. Image from NASA.

they decided to try and define what a planet was (and exclude Pluto and Eris from that classification). So if during the Summer of 2006 you were upset to hear that Pluto would no longer be deemed a planet, now you know who stirred the pot and threw the whole Solar System into disarray; Eris Goddess of Chaos and Discord.

Chaos and discord, irreversibly disrupting the status quo and bending what we thought of as reality into new forms. Welcome to the Eris and Uranus show, 2016 & 2017. These years will definitely be some of the more amusing and exciting pages of the history books of future generations. The stand out attractions which inspire shock and awe are of course Trump and Brexit, but how did we get to this stage? And why is there suddenly so much more social and political conflict in our daily lives?

Secondly, an introduction to Uranus. The first planet discovered by science has come to represent scientific and technological breakthroughs, social and theoretical revolutions, The Unexpected, flashes of inspiration and genius. In yesterday’s Chiron post we discussed  how Saturn used to be the edge of reality, the threshold of consciousness. When Uranus was discovered in 1781 the boundary of reality was blown wide open into vistas beyond. This symbolic dethroning of the final authority of Saturn was also played

Uranus, taken by Hubble Telescope

out in the social and political realms of Earth. A few years prior to the discovery of Uranus coincided with the American Revolution, a few years after and we had the French Revolution. This is also around the time that the first discoveries and technologies involving electricity began.

When we blend the symbolism of technological and revolutionary Uranus with reality distorting Eris we end up with reality distorting technologies. I’d argue that all of the shocking craziness of the last few years are a direct result of the society wide out of body experience we have had from being plugged into the internet for every waking moment.

History is always easier to interpret with hindsight, it’s hard to see what is happening when we are all so a part of it. However, long lasting astrological aspects such as this one can lend a hand in interpreting the background tone of any given era.

The reason it’s so hard to see the real reason Trump got elected is because you read about it all through the very device that is causing the mayhem, your mobile phone. This little module in your pocket, connected to the internet, potentially transmitting every event in the world directly into your mind, but more often than not just mining your personal data and manipulating you to buy the new Nike trainers or vote to leave the EU. Regardless of the politics this is terribly disorientating. It’s just that because we are all disorientated in the same way – our consciousness has been transformed by similar factors at similar times – we don’t quite notice how profound the effect has been, how destabilising this has been to society.

Astrological aspects do not suggest if something good or bad is going to happen, is happening or did happen. There is no moral judgement coming from Uranus and Eris. Or, in fact from me, you are 100% certainly reading this through a computer as I am 100% writing it on one. The internet is neither inherently good or bad. It is however a powerful tool and having access to it through our handheld devices at any moment of the day is an incredible and new advancement in this powerful technology. It’s just we humans are having a little trouble adapting to it. That’s a pretty polite way of putting it. Another would be, the rapidly advancing hyper connectivity and digital hypnosis of the last few years run by a technological elite has blown a fucking hole through the fabric of our society.

We are now in a process of recovery and we are trying to adapt to the new environment we are in. The gaping hole that Facebook created seems to have been filled with right-wing ideologues who have been quietly hiding in the background waiting for such a hole, any hole to appear. Funnily enough the last time Uranus and Eris were joined together was in the late 1920s. The technology? Radio. This also blew a hole in the fabric of society at the time, it’s hard to believe now, it seems so innocuous playing in the background at work or in the car. At the time it was incredible that you could hear someone’s live disembodied voice or some live piece of music directly in your living room. Look at how people reacted War of the Worlds. Also look at the economic and political climate that followed the Uranus – Eris conjunction of 1927.

Whenever such dramatic changes occur in a culture there is a fear-based reaction to it. A lot of what we see happening now is a result of this. But it doesn’t have to be. Uranus and Eris can symbolise a fight for personal freedoms, they can symbolise mastering the technology rather than being mastered by it. They can symbolise shifts in consciousness that are designed by you rather than by Mark Zuckerberg. As we discussed in yesterday’s post, Chiron entering Aries will help in tidying up some of the mess that Uranus and Eris have left behind.

The peak of this aspect is over and the pressure is easing off a little. The next few years are still an exciting time astrologically but we are starting to get our bearings again after having our drinks spiked with the digital LSD that is being plugged into the internet every waking hour. This week is a good chance to review how the chaos of the past few years has affected you. What your relationship to technology is right now and what was it like waaaayyyy back in 2014? If you feel like making some changes with how you use your phone or how much time you spend on Facebook, this week’s astrology suggests it is a great time to do this.

I can, and will, talk about the Uranus – Eris conjunction for much longer than we have time for here, if you are interested in learning more please check in for further blog posts.

Tomorrow we turn to Saturn in Capricorn.