Eris, a dwarf planet like Pluto (also the reason for Pluto’s demotion), was discovered in 2005 in the region beyond the orbit of Neptune known as The Kuiper Belt.

It takes Eris 557 Earth years to orbit the Sun, making each day length similar to Earth days as well – about 25.9 hours.

Originally nicknamed “Xena” in 2005, the dwarf planet was officially named Eris in 2006 after the Greek goddess of discord and strife. Astrologers calculated that Eris entered the sign of Aries in 1926, initiating an entirely new cycle. Because her orbit moves at a snail’s pace, Eris will remain in the sign of Aries until 2048.

Something I’ve been contemplating for some time is the subject of narcissism. Rather than see it as a shameful condemnation of a self-centered person, I’ve been viewing it more in terms of a cultural predicament regarding identity.

In 1926, a shift happened for women. Drinking in clubs, becoming politically active, smoking, dancing – even entertainment began its ascent into daily life for those other than just the wealthy. The domestic female, while still important, wasn’t everything a woman could be. And this wasn’t just a shift for women. Portrait photography, cinema, album covers and eventually television catapulted the human image into a pervasive cultural shift in how we perceive identity.

Narcissus, in myth, was obsessed with his own reflection. It was deeper than just admiring his own beauty, however. When he rejected the advances of heartfelt lovers, it was Nemesis who punished him for being so self-involved. He was guided to a pool of water where he stared at his own reflection for the remainder of his life. There was an old Greek superstition that it was incredibly unlucky or even fatal to discover one’s own reflection.

Discovering that this encounter was not a love that could materialize into anything real, Narcissus committed suicide.

Doesn’t this ring a little too familiar living in an age of social media, influencers and selfies? It’s as if one’s image has become the most crucial marketing tool in the development of self-worth.

If underneath this image obsession/projection is the true source of unhealed trauma (how one is perceived), then we can have more compassion for those who are trapped in an endless feedback loop of self-obsession.

Aries rules the head and face. The desire to not only be first in a competitive way but to be seen as singular and special can become an Aries preoccupation. Eris being the goddess of strife and discord encourages unbelievable tension around self-image. Physical prejudice, fat-phobia, plastic surgery – all have produced a virulent strain of human dysfunction. Racism, superficiality, sexual/gender discrimination and the cruelty of judging in many ways got worse since the turn of the century.

Aries is a trailblazer too and we can’t dismiss everything Aries related as negative. Even though Eris takes an absurdly long time to orbit each sign, we can observe this Aries transit as a prolonged exercise in evolution. Radical dysfunction can pave the way to radical acceptance.

There are many cultures who identify more with community than individualism and have managed to weather this narcissistic storm. They have much to teach the rest of the world.

Your worth as a human being has nothing to do with your image. I will shout this from the rooftops. This won’t sink in until you realize that all that glitters is a never-ending hall of self-respect. You’ll be running down that hall until death, wondering why nothing external ever makes you happy. Do you need to wait until 2048 to realize this?

Nope.