One More Thing About Planet Eris...

There is an outstanding point of controversy about my newly-discovered ruling planet, Eris.  I would like to discuss it with you here.  First there was the struggle to assign her the correct name (UB313?  Xena? Lilah?).  Then they REALLY got into it over her astronomical status (dwarf planet?  regular planet?  Kuiper Belt object?).  As type this, hate mail is still being delivered over this issue. 

As far as I know, all those problems have been more or less settled, but there is still the burning question of the astrological symbol we're going to be using when placing Eris in a natal chart or what have you.

I have seen 2 main contenders gaining ground:

 

and

Let me point out that Thomas Canfield uses the first one, the one that looks like Mars upside-down, on the cover of his book (reviewed immediately before this blog entry) called Yankee Doodle Discord.  He uses it throughout the charts in his book.  He explains that Eris is the twin sister of Ares, aka Mars, so in a way I guess that makes sense. 

But is Eris really Ares in reverse?  They walk the battlefields together after every conflict, tasting the pain, sowing the rage and confusion needed to get the next battle started.  They are totally into that stuff.  They are a lot alike, as are all twins.  Opposites, they are not. 

And, let's be real -- the symbol looks like Mars with erectile dysfunction.  Impotent?  Eris?  Say it ain't so!

Now check out the second one, favored (last I heard) by the man who introduced me to Eris on the astrological level, Zane Stein. It looks more like Venus upside down.  Now, that makes better sense to me.  Eris is definitely a woman (although you can't really call her a lady).  Any symbol used for her should reflect that.  As Canfield himself points out, Eris is 'Planet Frenemy,' and the Frenemy archetype is nothing if not feminine, right? 

Also, the Venus-in-reverse symbol fits because Venus is the planet of harmony and Eris is the slinger of the Golden Apples of Discord.  She's not the opposite of Mars; she's the opposite of Venus.

Also, the second symbol looks very much to me like the Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch from Monty Python And The Holy Grail.  In that profoundly Discordian film, the appearance and use of the Holy Hand Grenade remains one of the most Discordian moments of all.  Meanwhile, in the hand of the figure of Discordia on the cover of Canfield's book, we see the Golden Apple of Discord held aloft, ready to throw.  The apple's stem is lit on fire, like the fuse on a bomb.  See the parallel?

One final point:  When I look at the upside-down-Venus symbol, I can hear Michael Palin's voice reciting the sacred words from the Book of Armaments:  "Lobbest thou the Holy Hand Grenade!"  I do NOT hear Ed McMahon intoning, "MARS NEEDS VIAGRA!"