The astrology for this Autumn of 2017 can have us enjoying harvests and festivals all in preparation for what could be a hard, cold winter.
There are two major energy shifts during this autumn — one on the 10th of October as Jupiter ends its transit of Libra to enter Scorpio, and the other Sign change being Saturn ending its two and a half year transit of Sagittarius to enter its own Sign of Capricorn on December 19th at the end of the autumn season.
Winter is a season away, so let’s concentrate on the advantages and opportunities our autumn can provide. And opportunities there are as we begin this autumn season.
We end the summer season and enter the autumn season on the 22nd of September, as the Sun exits Virgo to enter the Cardinal Air Sign of Libra. Just before the Autumn Equinox and the beginning of autumn, Mercury trines Pluto on the 22nd. We begin the autumn with a Stellium, or power pack, of three planets in Virgo — Venus, Mars and Mercury, Mercury being the ruler of Virgo. While Mercury and Mars are in orb of an opposition to Neptune, they both are in orb of a trine to Pluto.
We also have by Sign both a Cardinal Sign T-Square and a Mutable Sign T-Square. The Sun and Jupiter in Libra, Uranus in Aries and Pluto in Capricorn make up the Cardinal Sign T-Square by Sign. And the Virgo Stellium of Mercury, Venus and Mars, Neptune in Pisces and Saturn in Sagittarius make up the Mutable Sign T-Square.
If we would take the time to strategize a best practices approach and engage a proactive manner, we can blend brain with brawn to effectively forward our prioritized goals. We need to avoid getting enmeshed in other people’s dramas but instead pay attention to our own situation, mind our own business, and keep focused on our greatest goals and ambitions. Our perspective is sharp with laser-like vision and our intellect heightened with spot on critical thinking. What a great way to start the season so long as we aren’t distracted or fall prey to worrying about situations beyond our control.
The 24th of September has Mars opposed Neptune. We have already witnessed over the past few months accidents on the sea between merchant ships and US Naval vessels. The liability to water accidents can be heightened with this configuration. This can be a day when we are forcing movements without considering the consequences of our actions, much less accounting for the law of unintended consequences. Caution and considering the parameters of our conditions are called for, especially since confusion and missteps are strong liabilities under this energy configuration. Any atmospheric storm systems now can be aggressive with high precipitation.
The 25th has Mercury square Saturn. We could obsess over minutiae, put on blinders and only see the half glass of water as half empty rather than half full. Let’s be wary of depressing thoughts, assumptions that we are stuck in a muddle and accepting beliefs that as it has been so will it be. Old issues could come up that need to be resolved once again. Even if we feel stuck as if running in place, it would be important to appreciate that timing is everything. We might have to rework situations, go back over old issues and deal with outstanding matters, but once done, we can move on without the encumbrances of the past or our own depressing thoughts.
The 28th of September can be a highly active day. Jupiter opposes Uranus and Pluto turns direct, ending its five-month retrograde cycle. We might have some surprising encounters now, but we also need to handle things gingerly. Whenever Pluto turns direction, whether from direct to retrograde or retrograde to direct motion, things can get explosive. Bomb blasts, terrorist activity, earthquakes, intense storm systems often occur during such an energy shift. People may seem out-of-sorts, acting in uncharacteristic ways, and it would be wise for us to keep our antennae up in order to be aware of any unexpected shifts in behavior.
Venus opposes Neptune on the 29th, the same day that Mercury exits its own Sign of Virgo to enter Libra. Not only does Mercury’s exit from Virgo end the Stellium of three planets in the Mutable Earth Sign. Mercury entering Libra creates a Mutual Reception with Mercury transiting the Sign ruled by Venus and Venus transiting the Sign ruled by Mercury. These two planetary energies are linked with an ability to bring out the best in both. And Mercury entering Libra triggers a Stellium in the Cardinal Air Sign as Mercury joins the Sun and Jupiter in Libra.
While people might have been analytical to the point of being hypercritical, there is a greater tendency now for us to take into account the person, or people, with whom we are dealing and to better understand where other people are coming from. The Venus Neptune opposition offers an idyllic quality to our relationships with the caveat that we have to be careful not to do the dance with the trickster, someone appearing one way but whose appearance can be deceiving. In the Native American tradition, the coyote is often considered the trickster. I can certainly appreciate why. Living on our ranch property in rural southern Monterey County, California, at night we could hear the lilting sounds of the coyote, haunting sounds that beguile and entice. Our relationships can be pleasant, but it would be wise to keep in mind that trust needs to be earned and not gratuitously given.
As we end the month of September, we can look to our future with determination and passion and with an appreciation that what we see from where we stand presently might shift and change as we proceed further down our pathway.
We begin October with increased determination and aroused passion to make manifest our greatest hopes and dreams. Mars trines Pluto on the 1st of October. If we have taken the time to strategically devise our plans, taking into account both the picture of our intended result and the little picture of all the specifics necessary to achieve our goal, we might find that we are virtually moving mountains. There may be no stopping us with the power, passion and determination we may be exhibiting.
There can be few people wishing to stop us during this first week of October. Not only do we have Mars trine Pluto on the 1st. The 3rd of October has Venus trine Pluto. We can gain advocates and win people to our side for our greatest ambitions. We might have a greater sense of being on the right track, feeling as though we are being divinely guided, and ever closer to realizing our personal destiny.
This phenomenal energy crescendoes with the Harvest Moon, the Aries Full Moon on the 5th of October, a day when Venus conjuncts Mars. Much can be accomplished during this first week of October. Things may run far more smoothly at this time than during the second week of October.
The 8th of October has the Sun conjunct Mercury and Venus square Saturn. We may have some great ideas for our future and could be encouraged by a loving advocate. Although our thoughts are turned towards what lies ahead, we might be tripped up by outstanding matters or details to situations thought once resolved that come back to nag at us. Let’s avoid traipsing off into la-la-land, since hard cold reality might give us a lateral lobotomy, one of those universal whacks on the side of the head as a wake up call.
The Sun Mercury conjunction on the 8th can be pleasant, but this aspect is followed by the Sun and Mercury both square Pluto on the 9th. Our hopes may be dashed as we realize the various obstacles that stand in our way. We might not have the resources at our disposal, or we could find that our plans run afoul of standards and regulations. Whatever comes up could prove a downer to our ambitions.
The 10th of October has Jupiter ending its year transit of Libra as Jupiter enters Scorpio. Jupiter transits through the Fixed Water Sign until early November 2018. While Jupiter in Libra has accentuated our relationships, Jupiter in Scorpio can create a more secretive environment with a great deal of intensity but little transparency. More can go on behind the scenes, and people may hold their cards close to their chest.
On a collective level, the governmental stimulus packages of the past ten years, which have increased debt levels, can bring a sense of ‘dance to the music, pay to the piper’. Being boxed in and unable to raise interest rates for fear of the consequent increase in interest payments, governments may have less at their disposal in regard to monetary policy.
And the consumer in the US has gone on a tear racking up significant debt, forgetting the admonition that ‘those who don’t learn from their history are doomed to repeat it’.
One of the triggers of the 2008 ‘Great Recession’ was the subprime mortgage crisis, offering mortgages to people who did not have the credit history nor could truly afford the payments when things turned south. Financial commentators now warn of an impending crisis in the deep subprime auto loans, providing car loans to people who do not have the financial backup to afford the loan payments if things get tough financially.
Time will tell, but certainly Jupiter in Scorpio will bring up issues regarding our financial resources, personal and societal.
The 11th of October has Mars square Saturn. Acting impulsively and without forethought could make us accident-prone. Our actions might be ill-conceived. It would be important for us to rein in our enthusiasm and our passion, for we may want to force issues and advance aggressively ahead during less than fortuitous conditions. Let’s always keep in mind that ‘timing is everything’, and astrology offers us a window into how the energies are operating, whether favorable or more difficult. This time would be more difficult.
The 12th of October has Mercury sextile Saturn. These two days of the 11th – 12th could prove to be a case of putting the cart before the horse. If we raced forward on the 11th and scraped our knees, or worse, the 12th allows us to rethink what we have done. We can rectify any mistakes we might have made by reason of our impetuousness. While it would be preferable to think things out before launching forward, there are times when our passion gets the better of us and we just go for it no matter the conditions. This could be one of those timeframes.
The 14th of October has Venus exiting Virgo and moving into Libra, the Sign that Venus rules. We now have a Stellium of three planets in the Cardinal Air Sign as Venus joins the Sun and Mercury in Libra. We can be far more considerate in our relationships, less critical of the flaws we might see in other people and less judgmental of the foibles of humankind.
The Libra transiting planets will oppose Uranus in Aries, the first of these transits being on the 15th of October when Mercury opposes Uranus. Communications can be severely off. There can be misunderstandings, traffic delays, travel problems and computer issues, to name a few. Adverse aspects between Mercury and Uranus, and the Mercury Uranus opposition being one of them, are my least favorite times for air travel.
The Sun sextiles Saturn on the 16th of October. We might hear from old friends who live far from us and with whom we have seldom contact. We could also draw upon the sage advice of someone who can objectively critique our plans and our future goals. We are often too close to what we want to do for a detached and truly objective perspective. Having someone we trust to evaluate our plans can prevent us from missteps, and they could also offer suggestions regarding the right template and the appropriate means to achieve our goals.
Mercury exits Libra and enters Scorpio on the 17th, ending the Libra Stellium. With Mercury transiting Scorpio and with Mercury conjunct Jupiter on the 18th our mind can be sharp, our tongue caustic. Under this energy configuration, we can take a focused look at our finances, determine a budget for ourselves and consider how best to manage any debt that we maintain.
The 19th of October has the Libra New Moon with the Sun Moon conjunction opposed Uranus. Libra being the Sign of balance, with an appreciation that balance is often found by swinging between extremes, we may find that the next two weeks ask us to balance our personal needs with the needs of someone else. We could swing between being totally self-absorbed to being overly accommodating to someone else’s concerns. We might be itching to start something new, but it would be suggested that we keep in mind that we do not operate solely in a vacuum, all by our self, but rather that we operate within our community, whether that be a community of one significant other person or a community of many other people. This two-week period asks us to refrain from acting without thinking about the ramifications of our actions with an additional nod to the law of unintended consequences. What we might set into motion can have a life of its own, no matter our best intentions.
The 22nd of October has Mars exiting Virgo to enter Libra, a Sign in which Mars is in Detriment and rather uncomfortable. With Mars in Libra we might find ourselves indecisive, all over the place, trying to do this and then shifting to try to do that, without a clear direction. The metronome may be engaged but without finding the median or balance point.
The 22nd – 23rd has the Sun exiting Libra, ending the Stellium in the Cardinal Air Sign. The Sun enters Scorpio, triggering a Stellium in the Fixed Water Sign, as the Sun joins Mercury and Jupiter in Scorpio. Intensity can be ratcheted up, but it may prove hard to figure where people are coming from as they reveal little.
The Sun conjuncts Jupiter on the 26th of October. Even if we are hiding our intentions from other people, something is welling up deep inside us. We are ready to expand our involvements but doing so both with passion and a real intense commitment. We do have to be wary of our finances and keep in mind the old proverb ‘a fool and his money are soon parted’. This is not a time to bet the ranch on anything but rather to be judicious with our finances and devise the means to pay down our debts.
The 27th of October accentuates the Pluto energy with Venus square Pluto and Mercury trine Pluto. We can do our due diligence, cut to the core of any problem with a laser-like concentration and the ability to ferret out the most significant issues. Even if we have naysayers to our plans, we are unlikely to heed their objections. Being clear and focused, we are likely to know what we know, may not reveal everything we are aware of, but certainly won’t take lightly to anyone choosing to get in our way. We may be like a steamroller right now, moving forcefully ahead and plowing under any resistance to our plans.
We can feel driven, divinely inspired and fulfilling our destiny as we end October.
November begins with us accentuating our personal interests, but with a greater appreciation that we are not ‘an island unto ourselves’. Even if we have been toe stomping as we advanced our affairs, we can have a greater appreciation for the people in our life.
Our spiritual life can be accentuated in the beginning of November as the Sun trines Neptune and Venus sextiles Saturn on the 3rd. We might have greater empathy and compassion for other people with a realization that we are all in this life thing now together. Although we may have seen, even felt in our self, a sense of taking care of me and mine recently, we can take a broader look, realize there is something deeper to our life and that in truth we are on a spiritual path — learning lessons, developing skills and expressing talents. While we might seem too immersed in the day in, day out of our mundane life, we may feel that there truly is something more to this earth life journey than the basic material stuff.
The Taurus Full Moon on the 4th of November may accentuate the differentiation in the wise admonition ‘render unto Caesar that which is Caesar’s, and unto God that which is God’s.’
These times are times of dramatic change, major transformations, times when things appear to be in chaos, life unstable and reality a question mark of differing opinions. And during such times we have the challenge and the opportunity of getting real with ourselves and with our ways of doing life.
The 4th also have Venus opposed Uranus. These times of dramatic change are all part of the paradigm shift, times when the linear reality of beginning, middle and end give way to the asequential reality of random happenings, serendipity and things occurring with no apparent rhyme or reason. Unexpected encounters can occur. We could discover aspects of other people that we had no idea about. The element of magic and mystery is afoot. Surety and security in what has been held to be true may fly out the window, with the only surety and security being the essence of who we are deep within ourselves.
November 5th has Mercury exiting Scorpio to enter Sagittarius. With it, the Stellium in Scorpio is ended briefly until the 7th when Venus enters Scorpio reengaging a Scorpio Stellium as Venus joins the Sun and Jupiter in the Fixed Water Sign.
The shift in Sign for Mercury can be rather startling. While people may have been somewhat close-mouthed or concise and succinct in what they had to say, suddenly people are likely to find their gift of gab. People might talk on any number of topics and speak volumes but perhaps with little real depth to what they have to say. We can be feeling more upbeat, confident and optimistic after a period when we seemed slammed by one natural disaster after another, freaked by some authority figure’s missteps, and left wondering whether we were headed, or already in, an apocalyptic end times.
Venus entering Scorpio on the 7th has Venus leaving Libra, the Sign Venus rules, into a Sign of its Detriment, Scorpio being a Sign in which Venus is found to be uncomfortable. Lust might take the place of Love, and jealousy could raise its ugly head. There can be greater intensity in our relationships with a ratcheting up between the extremes of love and hate.
The 9th of November would be a time for us to regroup and restructure our plans and our goals. The Sun sextile Pluto gives us the energy to focus on the truly important activities that we wish to pursue. Increasingly, each of us is likely to be defining or redefining what we consider to be the quality in our living. We might choose to remove some of the debris in our life — the outmoded, superfluous and distracting. We may embrace the sentiment that ‘less is more’.
On the 13th of November, Venus conjuncts Jupiter and Mercury squares Neptune. The ‘two good guys’ of the Zodiac, Venus and Jupiter, linked together can offer us the sublime or the ridiculous. We can be highly astute with our resources or grossly extravagant ratcheting up our expenses and adding to any debt we maintain. With Mercury square Neptune we have to be wary of false optimism and a willingness to believe what we want to believe even if contrary to empirical evidence. This would be a time for us to be conservative with our finances and hesitant regarding our judgment. What we see may not be what we get, and we could wind up taking action that not only leads us in wrong directions but could be costly as well.
On the 16th of November, Venus trines Neptune. This energy could create idyllic rapport with someone, a sense of soulmate found with a real depth of feeling between people. The sense of spiritual connection with someone or with people can be intoxicating. We might feel as though we are on cloud 9 and tune out everything other than our interaction with a special someone.
The sense of deep connection can be fortified on the 17th as Mercury sextiles Mars. We are not looking at going it alone, not since we have connected or reconnected with someone on a very deep level. We might far prefer to expand our activities in partnership with someone. We could realize that we are not ‘islands unto ourselves’ and that our best work could be done in league with someone else.
The 18th of November has the Scorpio New Moon, followed on the 19th by Mars square Pluto. While we can establish certain fundamentals and basics regarding what we wish to pursue and that which we wish to rid ourselves of, it is essential that we build upon rock and not upon sand. If we have done the latter, been hasty in our decisions and acted without due diligence to the particulars, we might discover that we have built our projects like a house of cards with the liability of ‘all fall down’.
With the New Moon impacting the next two weeks up to the Full Moon on the 3rd of December, we have to be cautious in our approach and in our methods, for the liability of implosions or explosions cannot be discounted. A ‘boom or bust’ quality may be part of the temperament of this two-week period. People could be acting out. Relationships, once thought solid, may be questioned and even eliminated. Global financial security might seem tentative at best, and there could be acquisitions, mergers and closures.
Anxiety may be momentarily relieved during the third week of November.
Venus sextiles Pluto on the 21st. If we have questioned our relationships, this time would allow us to draw upon the ‘tried and true’. Right connections can be solidified, and we could also develop a strategic use of our resources to advance our most heartfelt desires.
The 21st – 22nd of November has the Sun exiting Scorpio to enter Sagittarius. In so doing, the Sun ends the Stellium in Scorpio and triggers a Stellium in Sagittarius as the Sun joins Mercury and Saturn in the Mutable Fire Sign. We may be feeling far more upbeat, but without careful consideration of what is going on we could also be entering a fool’s paradise. Let’s temper our enthusiasm with a judicious approach to everything we decide or do.
Neptune turns direct on the 22nd of November, just prior to Thanksgiving in the US on the 23rd. Even if we have been caroming from one situation to another, it would be wise for us to count our blessings and appreciate all the wonderful aspects of our lives.
Mercury trines Uranus on the 25th of November. Like a light bulb going off in our head, we may have moments of illumination, flashes of genius and remarkable insights. Unexpected news can be surprising and welcome. We might have a greater sense of the magic and mini-miracles that the paradigm shift we are all going through provides. Reality may be changing dramatically but bear in mind that things do work out for the best, even if we go kicking and screaming during the process.
While we can become privy to possibilities, options and alternatives that we have not previously considered, old patterns and old mindsets creep in and could prove depressive on the 28th of November when Mercury conjuncts Saturn. If we get bogged down on the ways and the itinerary and lose sight of the direction, we might feel that our desire to cross the threshold into a better and altered future for ourselves is beyond our grasp. Just as our mind may have been awakened to possibilities, even impossibilities seeming to be possible, on the 25th with the Mercury trine Uranus, the Mercury Saturn conjunction on the 28th might narrow our vision, place blinders on us and make us feel that ‘same old, same old’ is our life’s pathway.
We might have to clear away the cobwebs in our mind, but first we have to be aware of what those cobwebs are and recognize the hold that familiar patterns have in reinforcing our thoughts and our actions.
December begins with a rush of energy, much of which may be unrestrained and even uncontrollable. There may be no stopping us as we begin December. We could feel virtually invincible with a desire to go for the gold and more.
The 1st of December has Venus exiting Scorpio to enter Sagittarius adding to the Stellium in the Mutable Fire Sign as Venus joins the Sun, Mercury and Saturn in Sagittarius. We may be geared to expanding and broadening our reach and doing so with exuberance and confidence that can verge on false optimism.
The 1st also has Mars opposed Uranus. Impetuous actions may have us deciding to leap before we look. Our desire to engage the extreme would provoke a strong liability to accidents. If things turn out right, then we need to consider ourselves lucky for the chances we take can be risky at best, downright foolhardy at their worst.
The 2nd of December has Jupiter trine Neptune, and the inclination to push the envelope under the guise of divine protection or personal manifest destiny can have us overdoing, overextending and reaching beyond our usual parameters.
This early December crescendoes with the Gemini Full Moon on the 3rd, with the Sun square Neptune, and Mercury turning retrograde for its three-week cycle. The Full Moon being in Gemini is in the Sign ruled by Mercury.
We enter a period of time when we may not find solace in our confusion. Instead, we might find that much of our exuberance and enthusiasm was ill-placed and that we are having to sort through our realities — those of our imagination, those of our choosing, those of the paradigm shift and those of hard cold physical reality. We might have a wakeup call but possibly miss what the signals seem to indicate.
The 6th of December has Mercury conjunct Saturn, Mercury sextile Mars and Mars sextile Saturn. If we take things slowly, plan out our trajectory, then we can accomplish a great deal. The main issue is not to get bogged down in any depressive thoughts but rather to appreciate the fact that we never get more than we can actually handle. We might choose to address outstanding matters and tie up loose ends with the idea of bringing to completion those affairs that we do not want to bring into the new year.
On the 9th of December, Mars exits Libra, a Sign in which Mars is uncomfortable and in Detriment. With Mars entering Scorpio, Mars transits a Sign it co-rules with Pluto. Our actions may be far more decisive with greater determination to forge ahead no matter the obstacles. While Mars was transiting Libra, we might have been waffling in our decisions and in our actions and possibly more dependent upon other people’s input or assistance than self-reliant. We have greater perseverance now.
The 10th of December has Mercury trine Uranus and Venus square Neptune. We experienced the Mercury Uranus trine back on November 25th when Mercury was direct. With Mercury now retrograde some of the ‘ah-has’ that we might have experienced in late November can come forward again. It would be wise for us to have our antennae up, work with peripheral vision and be open to hearing some surprising news. What we have to watch out for is from whom we get our news. The Venus Neptune square can be very seductive but could also open the door to the trickster, someone who appears one way, the reality being quite different. This is a time when it would be wise to draw upon my oft-used admonition to ‘check the source, and check their agenda’.
December 12th has the Sun conjunct retrograde Mercury. We may be making our holiday plans, thinking about our resolutions for the new year and looking to how we can best present ourselves. This may be a day when we blueprint and strategize rather than implement.
The weekend of the 15th – 17th can kick off our holiday festivities. Mercury conjuncts Venus on the 15th of December. We are likely to be highly social whether we engage in holiday parties and / or connect with friends at a distance with whom we haven’t spoken for a while. We are in holiday spirits and full of good cheer. Some of us may decide to leave town on vacation or to visit family. We may want to keep our options open, for the 16th has the Sun trine Uranus, and we might decide to take an unexpected turn in regard to what we intend to do.
The 17th – 18th of December has the Sagittarius New Moon with the five Sagittarius transiting planets either by Sign or in orb of trining Uranus. The Sagittarius New Moon is also in orb of a conjunction with Saturn. This New Moon can be a powerful one with an emphasis on bringing closure to the past and especially the past two and a half years, but also with a willingness to embrace the unanticipated. We may be far more open to the serendipity of these times, where things develop not so much from us making them happen as to the idiosyncrasies of the universe unfolding. Now through the end of the year would be good times for us to do an inventory-taking, go through our old baggage and consider what we want to leave behind before we enter the new year and what we might be open to in the years ahead.
Saturn exits Sagittarius on the 19th – 20th, ending its two and a half year cycle through the Mutable Fire Sign. Saturn enters Capricorn, the Sign that Saturn rules, for the next two and a half years. The Saturn Capricorn transit is something I shall address at another time.
The autumn season ends with Venus trine Uranus on the 20th. New friends and greater connection with those people we know can make us appreciative of what people provide in our lives — perspectives that allow us to see things from a different viewpoint and mirrors that reflect some of our own best qualities and the sense of blessings for all the people who add so much to our life.
Autumn 2017… changing the rhythm, doing the dance…
