Autumn is upon us and enters on an emphatic note. This season may have various high notes, sharps, flats, lilting sounds and staccato all in the seasonal mix.
Several significant energy configurations occur this autumn.
Pluto is stationary and turns direct two hours before the Autumn Equinox. This shift in energy can trigger explosions, geophysical phenomena and rash actions.
The Uranus Pluto square that has challenged us, even vexed us, over the past few years is exact on December 15th and will be triggered early in the season by a Cardinal Sign T-Square as the planets transiting through Libra square Pluto in Capricorn and oppose Uranus in Aries. If we thought we had come out from our chrysalis, emerged as the butterfly and ready to fly into new terrain alighting here and there, we might be rudely awakened to the fact that as Yogi Berra would say: “It ain’t over ‘til it’s over.” And it ain’t over. There are more transformations to come, with eliminations, releases and crashes and burns of remnants from the old paradigm and from our old ways of living.
Add to this the Mercury retrograde that begins the first week of October and continues into the third week of October transiting back through Scorpio and then into Libra and we have confusion regarding our financial position and our relationships heaped on us too.
This season is the last full season of Saturn transiting through Scorpio as Saturn moves into Sagittarius a day after the Winter Solstice. Saturn will return to Scorpio in the mid-June through mid-September of 2015, but the past two years of Saturn transiting through Scorpio is closing out a time when we were asked to become resourceful, focus on being more effective with less expenditure of energy and concentrate on the essence and substance of situations and not the mere appearance. Whether we have accomplished the lessons of Saturn or have negated the opportunities presented through challenges is a personal matter and one that may be determined in the long-term.
While there can be various explosions, implosions and intense releases as we begin the autumn, the early autumn also gives us a Fire Grand Trine with Mars having just entered Sagittarius trining Jupiter in Leo and trining Uranus in Aries. This Grand Trine continues into the latter part of October until Mars exits Sagittarius to enter Capricorn on the 26th of October.
The Fire Grand Trine is likely to put a fire in our belly, have us seek out avenues for our own personal creative self-expression and may give us a glimpse into the window of the new paradigm where things can occur unexpectedly, magically, miraculously. We might have greater evidence that similar to what Richard Bach wrote in his spiritual classic Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah: “Don’t Limit the IS”.
The IS these days are exciting opportunities, so-called random events that seem to come out of nowhere. And this sense of new doors or windows opening up to us may be especially strong during these first two weeks of autumn with the Libra New Moon on the 24th of September heavily influenced by the Jupiter Uranus trine exact on the 25th of September.
We may get some fascinating affirmations of new directions for ourselves. Technological advances around this time can be mind-blowing. Creative endeavors may be highly original, innovative and unique. While this Jupiter Uranus trine is a most positive influence, we also have to be wary of those who choose to usurp center stage with the idea of doing their own thing with little regard for the impact or the consequences and to the extreme of being a rebel without a cause. Despite a liability towards impetuousness, this energy channeled can open doors to the fifth dimension where the limitations of space-time break down and we cross the threshold into the dimension of the NOW, infinite, limitless and for those of an old paradigm mindset indecipherable.
Magic is afoot if we are willing to accept. Once we believe the possibility, we can see prospects and seize the opportunities.
This early part of autumn can be great fun and is a time for us to be open to shifts and changes in a nanosecond virtually without a moment’s notice. As with all of life, how we deal with these expansive, upbeat energies is our choice, always our choice.
The Mutual Reception between Mercury and Venus, where Mercury has been transiting the Sign ruled by Venus and Venus has been transiting the Sign ruled by Mercury that we have experienced since the early part of September comes to an end with Mercury exiting Libra to enter Scorpio on the 27th, followed by Venus exiting Virgo to enter its own Sign of Libra on the 29th of September.
We may be less influenced by someone else’s opinions and can be more incisive regarding our own thoughts and ideas. We might be more likely to hold our cards close to our chest regarding what we are thinking about. But our relationships could be far more pleasant, for we are interested in a level playing field in our interactions with other people. We are less likely to be self-critical or critical of other people’s behavior.
Although we may feel as though we are walking in sunshine, it is important for us to realize that we may still have some old patterns and past situations with which we have to deal and address. On the 4th of October, the Sun squares Pluto. This is also the day that Mercury turns retrograde for a three-week cycle with Mercury retrograding through Scorpio and then through Libra until the 25th of this month of October.
We may feel as though someone is standing in our way, putting a kibosh on our newfound energy. We could even sense that some of our connections are better considered past rather than people we might continue to engage in the present, much less the future. Let’s not allow anyone to rain on our parade through misunderstandings or by their expectation that we should act according to their definition of us based upon their past experiences of us. We are all going through dramatic transformations, various changes that are more akin to our essence, substance and soul than our conditioning or other people’s expectations.
Despite someone else’s protestations or silent censure, we might cry out or might just act in accord with the sentiment: “I gotta be free, I gotta be me.”
The Fire Grand Trine is especially strong around the 5th through the 8th of October with Mars trine Uranus on the 5th and Mars trine Jupiter on the 8th concurrent with the Lunar Eclipse and Aries Full Moon. Around this same time, the Libra Sun is triggering the Uranus Pluto square with the Sun square Pluto on the 4th and the Sun opposed Uranus on the 7th. Venus adds to the cacophony of the Uranus Pluto square during this time as Venus squares Pluto at the time of the Full Moon on the 8th and Venus opposes Uranus on the 11th of October.
This early October can be a tale of two different energy configurations. On the one hand, we may be gung-ho to advance our passions and newfound interests. We have the vitality and intention to carve our own path, step away from our familiar patterns and take on a whole new trajectory. On the other hand, our forward advance could be tripped up by our responsibilities, by other people’s needs or demands, or by our own reticence as we question whether we have the wherewithal to progress successfully. Someone may suggest our confidence and enthusiasm are only leading us on a quixotic journey of tilting at windmills and a fantastic escapade along an apparent gold-laid road that in reality is deeply rutted by dirt-trodden boots.
Our desires and insistences may need to be tempered by considering the parameters, the circumstances and the conditions before we leap ahead with brave adventure. Otherwise, our plans can hit impenetrable obstacles with some people judging that we have been left with nothing more than egg on our face.
This paradox of great enthusiasm and strong opposition may create a real whipsaw during this first half of October, but these energies can provide a reining in of irrational exuberance and an indomitable confidence to move forward in new directions.
We do have to be wary of collateral damage during this early October period, for we may desire only ‘yes’ people to our schemes and we might cut loose anyone who elicits a ‘naysayer’ attitude. Relationships can prove dicey, for our tendency and our liability during this early October period is to be self-focused to the point of being self-absorbed. We might take on the extreme sentiment of people being either with us or against us.
While there can be hiccups in our relationships as we put the pedal to the metal in the development of our personal interests in this early October period, things can be far more harmonious as we move into the mid-October period.
Mercury moves back into Libra on the 10th and creates a Stellium of three planets in the Cardinal Air Sign as Mercury joins Venus and the Sun in Libra. We might be more accepting and accommodating of other people, appreciating their perspective and not so adamant about their support of our personal engagements.
Coming off the trigger point in early October to the Uranus Pluto square by first the Sun and then Venus both transiting Libra, the mid-October period can be fun involvements with friends and loved ones. No matter the conditions of the world around us, we are enjoying the company of other people and joining with them in fun social occasions. Autumnal fairs and festivals may be pleasurable activities. The smells of autumn with warm apple pies, cider and the briskness of the temperatures can be invigorating and comforting to us.
This mid-October period has Venus sextile Jupiter on the 14th, the Sun sextile Mars on the 15th, the Sun conjunct Mercury on the 16th, Mercury conjunct Venus on the 17th and on the 20th both Venus sextile Mars and Mercury sextile Jupiter.
This time can be an especially pleasant time, a ‘feel good’ time when we are looking on the bright side of life. We may feel upbeat, optimistic, enjoying ourselves and the company of others.
But, as we have all learned, life is not a stasis and the truth to that sentiment is no greater true than during these volatile times of radical changes in the transformations we are all experiencing and the transitions between the old paradigm and the new paradigm.
A dramatic shift in energy occurs on the 23rd of October when the Sun enters Scorpio followed by Venus exiting Libra to enter Scorpio and the Scorpio New Moon, a Solar Eclipse. While the Stellium of three or more planets in Libra ends, a Stellium in Scorpio begins with the Sun and Venus joining Saturn in the Fixed Water Sign.
The 23rd of October with the Sun and Venus moving into Scorpio and the Solar Eclipse with the Scorpio New Moon could herald certain eliminations, even to the point of a significant figure stepping off the world stage.
For us personally, some of the wind may seem knocked from our sails, but we might also be far more resourceful and looking to do more with less. This begins a period when we could strip the dross from our lives, cutting back on the superfluous and the extraneous and concentrating more on the truly meaningful. We may hold our cards close to our chest, and a level of secrecy and intrigue can be in play during this latter part of October through much of November.
We are not interested in surface appearances but prefer to delve below the surface to root out the heart of any matter. We may be doing some serious consideration of where and how to place our energies, and we might utilize our intuitive sense to understand what is truly going on rather than merely accepting empirical proofs.
Mercury turns direct in the mid-degrees of Libra on the 25th of October. While some of our relationships may have been dicey during this Mercury retrograde cycle, various miscues or misunderstandings or ill conceived future plans can be reworked and even remedied.
There is a certain charm and grace and enigmatic quality about us during the last week of October as Venus and the Sun both trine Neptune, Venus trines Neptune on the 27th and the Sun trines Neptune on the 28th. We may seem to be in an otherworldly state, cavorting with imaginary gods and goddesses in an idyllic paradise.
With Mars exiting Sagittarius to enter Capricorn on the 26th, the Fire Grand Trine ends, but a more diligent and practical approach to realizing our goals can be achieved. We now have the ability to focus on our ambitions and draw upon an intuitive sense as to how we can proceed effectively, even easily.
The early part of November may seem like greased wheels in regard to our plans and our actions. On the 1st of November, Mercury sextiles Jupiter, Venus sextiles Pluto and Mars sextiles Neptune. On the 3rd, the Sun sextiles Pluto.
The early days of November allow us to make great progress in our plans and our goals. Not only are we likely to be feeling optimistic about our own individual plans. We may also have a strong advocate encouraging us and urging us on to our optimum best. All the while, we may find that our efforts are being done in a most productive and expeditious manner.
And well they should, for the Taurus Full Moon on the 6th of November raises the specter as to whether we have attended to the details and specifics of our daily routine and our projects or if we have blithely glossed over particulars in our enthusiasm and self-confidence.
With Mercury exiting Libra to enter Scorpio on the 8th of November, the Stellium in the Fixed Water Sign is increased with the Sun, Mercury, Venus and Saturn all in Scorpio. The Scorpio transiting planets will square Jupiter with a Jupiter Saturn square being influential from the latter part of October through the end of November. Venus squares Jupiter on the 9th of November. The Sun squares Jupiter on the 13th of November and Mercury squares Jupiter on the 22nd – 23rd of November.
November can be a month when we carom between irrational exuberance and depressive restrictions. This whipsaw can allow for extremes of action and sentiment, swinging from enthusiasm and optimism to downheartedness and limitations. We just have to carve our own path between the extremes, find and maintain the balance and keep in mind the admonition: moderation in all things.
The Uranus Pluto square is triggered in mid-November by Mars transiting through Capricorn. On the 10th of November, Mars conjuncts Pluto. Power can be ratcheted up. We may see consolidations of power as companies, organizations and entities come together to present an even greater frontal force. We might also see some large conglomerates stumble and fall. For ourselves, we may get a thrust of energy but how we cope with the energy will be telling. We could either be too overbearing, belligerent and looking to win at all costs. Or we could use our passion and determination to virtually move mountains. If we do not get carried away by the intensity of this time, then we can draw upon the Mercury trine Neptune on the 11th of November to intuit and sense which way to go, how to go and what we should look to achieve.
The other part of the Uranus Pluto square is hit off on the 12th of November when Mars squares Uranus on the same day that Venus conjuncts Saturn. This is a time when we need to be careful around machinery and electronics, for we could be hasty in our actions and liable to be accident-prone. This is also a time when it might feel as though the rug is being pulled out from under us. The need to step cautiously and act tentatively is something for us to take seriously. Any impetuous moves could lead us down a garden path and wind us up in a brambled mess. Caution during the mid-November period is advised, unlikely to be heeded.
On the 16th of November, Mercury sextiles Pluto. If we are not influenced by our emotions but take a cool, hard look at what is going on, we can be incredibly perceptive and devise a cost-conscious means to accomplish our purpose. Our thoughts are incisive and our communications concise and to the point. This is a good time for us to blueprint our plans and see what we can pare down and what we truly want to focus on.
The 16th also has Venus ending its transit of Scorpio to enter Sagittarius and Neptune turning direct. We could become intrigued by people foreign to us, people of different cultures, backgrounds and experiences. We may find ourselves broadening our social circle and engaging various types of people. With Venus entering Sagittarius, a Fire Grand Trine is reconfigured as Venus, and later this month the Sun and then Mercury, enter Sagittarius to trine Uranus in Aries and trine Jupiter in Leo.
The 18th of November has the Sun conjunct Saturn. We might feel our energy depleted and our attention forced to address old issues or outstanding matters. This is a time when we need to cut ourselves some slack, perhaps take a nap during the day or just take a “time out” to regroup and recharge our batteries.
The latter part of November could prove a little delusional thanks to the Sagittarius transiting planets squaring Neptune. It occurs first on the 20th of November as Venus squares Neptune, followed later in the month with the Sun square Neptune on the 26th and Mercury square Neptune on the 30th.
The Venus square Neptune can add a little flair to our interactions with other people. We could be easily infatuated with someone who appears enigmatic and hard to figure. A case of appearances deceiving, we might question whether we are doing the dance with someone ideal and romantic or a trickster, someone able to put on a good show but without much substance.
Mercury sextiles Mars on the 21st of November and any of our plans and projects strategized over the previous weekend can find us putting our spirit into action. We are looking at pushing forward with our goals and doing so in a methodical and well-conceived manner.
The Sun enters Sagittarius on the 22nd, a day that also has the Sagittarius New Moon and Mercury square Jupiter, the ruling planet of Sagittarius. The Fire Grand Trine is reignited and we could easily fall prey to the concept of being a ‘legend in our own mind’. We may be feeling upbeat and expansive, and this New Moon triggers a fortnight where we might be looking at stretching our wings. Our optimism may know no bounds and we might assume that our greatest plans can occur easily if only on a wing and a prayer.
While we have a great deal of planetary fire contributing to a fire in our belly with us wanting to get on with our expansive plans and despite the squares to Neptune that can cloud our vision and allow us to become somewhat delusional, we do have Saturn as a tempering process.
On the 25th of November, Mercury conjuncts Saturn and from late October through the end of November the Jupiter Saturn square is in orb and operational. We might not appreciate the braking action where our greatest stretches and widest expansions are tempered or cut short, but such restrictions or limitations can prevent us from going too far out on a limb or pursuing too intently certain interests whose prospects may in reality be only fantasies in our mind.
The 26th of November has the Sun square Neptune and Venus trine Uranus. Mercury squares Neptune on the 30th. A level of confusion may set in. We might question who we are and what we are doing. If we have hit some bumps in the road, and unable to see the bumps as a means to slow down and take a serious look at what we are doing, we could feel downhearted, even victimized, by the ‘slings and arrows of outrageous fortune’.
Fortunately, this end of November also offers us the opportunity of someone stepping out of the blue and providing us a different perspective whereby we can view our situation no longer from our rose-colored glasses but in a different light, a clearer light. We might become aware of options that we had not considered, alternatives we had not taken into account.
Even if we are futzing about during this mid to latter part of November, we may find that the universe steps in with one of those random events, a ‘Eureka’ moment, where we have the ability to reconsider what we are doing and where we are going. As the wise saying states: ‘when the student is ready, the teacher appears.’
This latter part of November in the US has Thanksgiving and this year we may be thankful for those magical moments, those miraculous ah-has, where startling insights and unexpected situations provide us a key to greater understanding to the transitional phases of our lives that we all are going through.
One of the key elements during these transformational times, times when we are shape-shifting and life has taken on different parameters by which it is operating, is the willingness and ability to get out of our own way. These times demand flexibility and adaptability, recognition that we are co-creators with the asequential realities of this paradigm shift, no longer solely in control of our destiny [as if we ever were!] but rather working with the energies unfolding and being open to the magic of these times.
Just as the end of November began greater emphasis upon the Fire Grand Trine with Venus trine Uranus on November 26th, early December sees much of this Fire Grand Trine at play. And play it is, for we can feel uplifted, able to take on the role of a magician, and enlightened by sudden opportunities and wonder-filled surprises. We may once again engage the awe and wonder of childhood as unexpected scenarios open to us. We might feel as though we are on a magic carpet ride, where things occur easily and unexpectedly and we just have to be open to receive. Let’s keep in mind the advice that ‘when we believe, we can see’.
The first half of December is replete with magical moments. People, who are skeptical of the paradigm shift and continue to assume that what once was is now and forever, may cast off the bright lights of exciting incidents as but a reflection of the holiday times.
I would suggest not, for on the contrary the energies during this early December period put a spring in our step and allow us to see all the goodness in the world, the beauty of the people around us and can reinvigorate our soul and spirit.
December begins with Mars sextile Saturn on the 1st. Even if we have gotten off the track, taken a walk through confusing mazes, we now can focus our energies and advance our interests in a resourceful and practical manner.
For the first two weeks of December we enter a fun house of enjoyable engagements, future plans and greater autonomy in what we choose to do. This is a time for us to work with peripheral vision, be open to impossibilities becoming possible, and allow ourselves time to act spontaneously.
The 4th of December adds fuel to the fire of the Fire Grand Trine as Venus trines Jupiter and the Sun trines Uranus. Mars also changes Signs on this day, moving out of Capricorn to enter Aquarius.
The 5th – 6th of December has Mercury trine Uranus just prior to the Gemini Full Moon. This first week of December is replete with marvelous surprises, unanticipated variables that are likely to put a smile on our face. No matter if there are any parade rainers around. We are less likely to engage their sentiments, much less pay them any heed, when we are surrounded by such magic and miracles. The magic may not be the parting of the Red Sea, but we are likely to find even small synchronistic happenings hard to explain away by the reasoning mind. Our insights can be revelatory, and we might find ourselves believing ever more in the paradigm shift of asequential reality with its apparent random happenings. Mini-miracles and larger miracles are happening!
On the 8th, the Sun conjuncts Mercury and Jupiter turns retrograde. The 10th has Venus exiting Sagittarius to enter Capricorn. We may be faced with the obligatory social occasions and might use this time of holiday gatherings to engage friends and colleagues with new ideas, radical concepts. Some people will be as jazzed as we are by the extraordinary events that we are likely to encounter. And those people who aren’t taken by the sense of the extraordinary may just be sticks in the mud that we might have to deal with but no longer fully embrace.
The 12th of December has Mercury trine Jupiter and the Sun trine Jupiter on the 14th. Our attitude is likely to be upbeat and our disposition contagious. Everyone may be in a ‘feel good’ holiday spirit, but it may not be just the holidays that are raising our spirits. The evident changes and the thrilling situations we have witnessed, experienced or heard about are giving increasing evidence that the times they are a’changing, changing quickly, swiftly, without much effort on our part except to maintain awareness and be mindful.
As with the volatility of these times, the metronome swings of moods, emotions, attitudes and happenings can be quite extreme. The first two weeks of December may be a cornucopia of animated events, miracles large and small, and a sense of true magic in the air and in our lives.
The end of the autumn season can perhaps be a little more harrowing. Certainly the air is likely to be taken out of our tires.
The 15th of December has the Uranus Pluto square exact. The old, reliable may not be what it used to be, and this energy can occasion a further breakdown of the old paradigm. Old structures may go by the wayside, whether it be a corporate entity of a traditional company going under, geophysical phenomena of earthquake and volcanic activity, or an indication of terrorist actions.
The 16th of December has Mercury moving out of Sagittarius to enter Capricorn. Our thoughts and mindset may shift from ebullience and enthusiasm to a more serious consideration of events.
We close out the autumn with Mercury sextile Neptune, Venus square Uranus, Venus conjunct Pluto and Mars sextile Uranus on the 20th, followed by Uranus turning direct on the 21st just prior to the end of autumn and the winter solstice.
We may feel the bloom has come off the rose and that many of the exciting involvements of early December become but a trace memory. But once we have seen the promised land, the aura of what was once glimpsed can never be dispelled.
This autumn is a season of staccato, sharps, flats, lilting sounds and high notes.
Autumn 2014… peering into the promised land…
