September 2025 Speaker Highlight: Marc Laurenson Explores the Transformative Power of Eris
In September 2025, we were delighted to welcome Marc Laurenson, founder of the Sydney Astrology School, to present one of the most psychologically rich and thought-provoking talks of the year. Marc is a widely respected teacher of evolutionary astrology, known for his ability to bring deep emotional insight and spiritual clarity to complex astrological themes. His teaching style is both compassionate and unflinchingly honest, and this session on Eris was no exception.
The evening centered around an in-depth exploration of Eris, the dwarf planet discovered in 2005. Traditionally associated with strife, discord, and chaos, Eris is only just beginning to find her place in mainstream astrology. For Marc, however, Eris is not simply a chaotic troublemaker. She is a powerful symbol of rejection, marginalization, and the raw emotional responses that often follow these experiences.
The Essence of Eris
Marc began by unpacking the myth of Eris, the goddess who was excluded from a divine wedding banquet. In retaliation, she rolled a golden apple into the festivities inscribed with the words "to the fairest," igniting a feud that eventually led to the Trojan War. This myth, Marc explained, reveals the deep pain of being excluded, and how unresolved hurt can trigger devastating consequences.
Astrologically, Eris represents the part of us that remembers being shut out or silenced. She speaks to the ways we might act out in response, especially when we feel invisible, disregarded, or disrespected. Marc framed Eris not just as a goddess of chaos, but as a mirror for how we cope with rejection and how we seek to reclaim power when we feel powerless.
Eris in the Birth Chart
Marc went on to explore how Eris appears in natal charts. With her slow orbit, she has been in Aries since 1925 and will remain there until 2047. This long transit suggests that Eris has a generational influence, yet her impact in an individual chart is often deeply personal.
When Eris is strongly placed or in hard aspect to personal planets like Mars, Pluto, or Chiron, she can indicate unresolved pain around competition, exclusion, or perceived injustice. People with a strong Eris influence may wrestle with the urge to retaliate, undermine others, or resent those who appear to have what they lack. Yet this same energy, when acknowledged and integrated, can become a source of resilience, courage, and fierce authenticity.
Stories from Real Life: Eris in Action
To bring Eris to life, Marc presented a number of powerful chart case studies. These included public figures such as Tonya Harding, Lorena Bobbitt, Julian Assange, Eckhart Tolle, and Louise Hay. Each example illustrated a different aspect of how Eris can play out.
In some cases, Eris manifested as destructive action driven by pain or revenge. In others, Eris became a force of healing, creativity, and personal evolution. What mattered most was how each individual responded to their wound. Did they project it outward and try to make others suffer, or did they work through the pain and use it to uplift themselves and others?
These case studies gave the audience a tangible sense of what it means to work with Eris constructively and what it looks like when Eris energy remains unconscious or distorted.
Eris as a Spiritual Teacher
Marc emphasized that Eris is not a planet to fear, but one to understand. Like Pluto, Eris challenges us to look at what we might rather avoid. She invites us to become aware of the shadow aspects of our psyche — especially those related to competition, resentment, and exclusion — and to make more conscious choices.
At her best, Eris represents empowerment, voice, bravery, and the strength to walk our own path. She is the part of us that says, "I will not be defined by how others see me." But this higher expression can only emerge when we stop projecting our hurt and start taking responsibility for our healing.
Marc’s message was both uplifting and humbling. He encouraged us to see Eris not as a destroyer, but as a spiritual catalyst. Her lessons are difficult, but necessary for growth. By moving from bitterness to empowerment, we begin to free ourselves from the past and claim a deeper, more authentic version of ourselves.
Letting Go: Pure Energy and Forgiveness
Toward the end of the session, Marc offered a practice for working with Eris energy. He encouraged us to send out what he called "pure energy" to those who have hurt us. Not forgiveness out of obligation, and not forced positivity, but a sincere willingness to release the emotional grip of resentment.
Pure energy, he explained, is neutral, clean, and freeing. It allows us to reclaim our power and stop being energetically tied to people or situations that continue to hurt us. This, he said, is one of the most powerful ways to honor Eris, by refusing to let the pain of rejection define our identity.
Marc Laurenson's presentation was a heartfelt, insightful, and deeply moving exploration of Eris and her transformative potential. It offered a framework for turning shadow into light, pain into wisdom, and conflict into clarity. We are incredibly grateful to Marc for sharing his knowledge and his own experience with such honesty and grace.
If you are curious about your own Eris placement, this is the perfect time to begin exploring how this archetype lives in your chart and your life.