hygeia and eros

I’ve been keeping my eye on asteroids Hygeia and Eros in Aquarius. They met on May 4th, 2023 in a conjunction and slowly danced apart only to rejoin, both retrograde, on August 24th opposing Venus retrograde at 14 degrees. The poetics of this opposition led me towards a more nuanced understanding of the story of this summer.

Ok, let’s break it down a bit to build the story back up.

Before we get to the nitty gritty, a side note. The peripheral nervous system is made up of two main divisions, the somatic and autonomic nervous systems. The somatic nervous system carries out functions responsible for interacting with the external environment and the autonomic is responsible for regulating the heart rate, blood pressure, breathing, digestion, and sexual arousal. I feel that both divisions tie in nicely with the Leo/Aquarius axis and also want to acknowledge how nuanced these systems are and how they relate to the planets and signs in medical astrology.

Hygeia in Aquarius is the one who needs to nourish the peripheral nervous system, imagery I see for this placement is the instrument called the theremin. A theremin works by generating electromagnetic fields around two antennae. There is a precision to playing this instrument with how the slightest hand movements create a change in pitch. When Hygeia in Aquarius develops mastery with their peripheral nervous system using regulating practices, they can move through the world in an embodied way making small shifts to inform their reality.

Eros in Aquarius strikes me as the desire to be stimulated. Stimulated by ideas, oddities, and experiences that take them to the edges of unknown-knowing. I believe Eros in Aquarius is well acquainted with the sensation of the electric currents that move through everything and the way it feels to be plugged into the current of choice.

So, what was the nuanced understanding? That a large part of Venus retrograde and her time with Hygeia and Eros was about the intersection of a flexible spine and an adjustment of our energetic awareness and how we weave them together to support change. If we stand with our spines aligned towards dignity, power, and brilliance this turns us towards our true selves without shame and insecurities. When we want lasting change, we go a step further and attune our peripheral nervous systems with meditation, breath, and peace so that these new understandings extend beyond our brains and create a lasting imprint in our energetic fields.

Hygeia is currently opposite Venus at 12 degrees with Eros at 9 degrees. Hygeia and Eros will make another conjunction at 14 degrees on November 1st after stationing direct within in a week of each other in late September. My invitation for you would be to drop into that brilliant body of yours to see what has changed when it comes to relating the internal shifts with the external input. These adjustments take time and leaning into creating a clean, healthy energetic field will be worth your patience.

I didn’t include sexual health in this as much but to me it is an obvious outer layer to the Hygeia/Eros as well as Venus story. Please protect yourself and understand that intwining your deepest pleasure with others requires subtle but firm boundaries. How much of their essence do you want to carry with you?