Astrology & Love - The Chemistry In Relationships
Astrology is becoming increasingly popular. Nearly every paper and magazine devotes a column to it, sometimes a whole page or an article of several pages. Recently in the Sunday Age there was an article on 'Roger Federer the person', which included the learned opinions of 3 experts, the first of which was an astrologer. Many people in fact turn to their "stars" before reading anything else. And if you do a search today on the catalogue here you will find that most of the books on astrology are out on loan.
The core of astrology is the study of planetary cycles and their effects on human behaviour. There are specific planets and points that we refer to when studying relationships - Venus and Mars, the Sun and Moon, Mercury, Saturn, and the Ascendant, also referred to as the Rising sign. Astrology offers fascinating insights that help us understand ourselves and other people, especially our partners. So it would be no surprise to learn that relationship questions are the most common by far, whether they are personal, family or work related. The advantage of using astrology is that we can identify potential compatibility. It reveals such things as the qualities we like, who we are attracted to and what our possible fears and level of commitment might be.
CUPID / EROS - the astro-mythos connection
Apart from a heart, the most recognised symbol associated with love, and especially Valentine's Day, is the image of Cupid with his bow and arrow. His name is derived from Cupido, which means "desire", but he is also known as Amor, which translates as "love". It was commonly believed that Cupid was the son of Venus - the Roman goddess of love. Venus is Aphrodite in Roman mythology, and Cupid her son is the Roman equivalent of Eros. In Greek mythology, Eros was the god responsible for lust, love, and sex. He was also worshipped as a fertility deity. In Hesiod's Theogony, Eros sprang forth from the primordial Chaos together with Gaia, the Earth, and Tartarus. In later antiquity, he was the son of Aphrodite and Ares.
His most well known myth is that of Eros and Psyche. Aphrodite, jealous of mortal Psyche's beauty, commands her son Eros to cause Psyche to fall in love with the ugliest creature on earth. When Eros lays eyes on Psyche he falls in love with her himself. This of course goes against his mother's wishes. So to keep it a secret from Aphrodite, he spirits her away to his home and only visits her in the dark of night. Eros used the darkness to his advantage in order to conceal his identity. He whispered in Psyche's ear that he was her husband and that she must not under any circumstances look upon him or seek to know who he was. At first she loved her life with Eros but eventually felt isolated and homesick. She begged to see her sisters, to which Eros reluctantly complied. Psyche's jealous sisters convinced her to betray the trust of her husband. One night while Eros was sleeping Psyche lit a lamp and surprised at Eros' beauty and perfection she dropped the lamp and woke Eros, who swiftly leaves his wife. Psyche wanders the earth, looking for her lost love. In order to regain the trust and love that she cast away, Psyche must complete three tasks, one requiring descent to the underworld. By embracing the help of nature, she is successful and is received into the pantheon of gods as an immortal. She also reconciles with her mother-in-law, and eventually bears Eros a daughter, Hedone, whose name means "pleasure."
Some people believe that this story tells of how love arises when we desire (Eros) a person's soul (Psyche) rather than their body. We may find love but easily lose it because of mistrust.