September is a month when we seem to get back on track with our normal routine, and this September seems no exception. Even if we have gotten back to our normal routine before the month began, September is a time when we give more focus to our day-in, day-out experience.
This September begins with the influence of the Virgo New Moon that occurred on August 30th. The influence of the Virgo New Moon continues through the mid-part of the month, until the Full Moon on the 15th. With a T-Square by Sign in the Mutable Signs, with the Virgo Energy opposed to Uranus in Pisces and square to Pluto in Sagittarius, we have to be mindful of atmospheric and geophysical conditions. This first half of September could see intense storm systems with deadly force precipitation and increased geophysical activity with strong magnitude earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.
We also need to be mindful that unexpected situations could arise that force us to change plans. Now is a time for us to engage the key characteristic of these volatile times: flexibility. Adapting to changing conditions, being able to shift and change on a moment’s notice, and accepting the fact that we cannot always master the universe but rather be co-creators with the unfolding parameters; are fundamental to successfully dealing with these times. As the Chinese proverb, some would call a curse, states: ‘May you live in interesting times’. In deed we do and our challenge is to break free of the reliance on the mindset of tradition and the semblance of security and embrace the new reality of constantly shifting and changing circumstances.
The month begins with two Stelliums of three or more planets in one Sign — Virgo and Libra. The month starts with one planet in a Fire Sign, four planets in Earth Signs, four planets in Air Signs and one planet in a Water Sign. We have four planets in Cardinal Signs, one planet in a Fixed Sign and five planets in Mutable Signs. There are five planets in positive Signs and five planets in negative Signs.
There is a great deal of imbalance as we begin September — the emphasis upon Earth and Air, with Virgo and Libra respectively accentuated. There is also a real swing between the initiatory characteristics of the Cardinal Signs and the adaptability of the Mutable Signs. With the lack of Fixed Signs, we could find that there is a start and stop quality to begin the month. We might start certain projects only to find ourselves diverted and distracted from their completion, even to the point of switching gears, leaving some projects started unfinished and moving from one thing to another.
This tendency of switching gears is due to a high level of nervous, even frenetic, energy we might be feeling and exhibiting. For the month begins with a Mutable Sign T-Square with the Moon opposed Uranus and the Moon square Pluto. Our mood swings are likely to be strong. We might want to make changes but like the Queen of Hearts in Alice’s Wonderland, our battle cry might be: ‘off with their heads’.
We have to be careful that we don’t fall into an either / or pattern. We could be very judgmental, very critical but possibly without all the facts. Even in our decision to make changes, the changes can change without a moment’s notice. We may have a tendency toward extremes and not able to do anything in half measure. We may have an all or nothing attitude, which could prove dangerous on the long-term, for some of our decisions and actions may be impulsive and even precipitous.
This month is a good time to strategize, plan but to avoid a rush to judgment or a rush to action. It is a good time to blueprint, focus on both our ambitions and the means of achieving our goals.
We just have to be careful of our swinging emotions. Like the Stellium of planets in Libra, the key characteristic to keep in mind in the early part of the month is balance. Let’s recognize that the scales may swing wildly before finding balance, but eventually the ideal is to fine equilibrium and equanimity.
The whipsaws may be strong on the 3rd and 4th when we have the Sun conjunct Saturn on the 3rd, followed by the Sun trine Jupiter on the 4th. Outstanding matters may need to be resolved before we can forge ahead with our goals. We might have to pick up the pieces, reorganize and restructure before we can expand our interests and broaden our scope. The old patterns may need to be seen as ineffectual for the present before we can come up with new ways that are more appropriate and far more effective for our future.
The 7th, 8th and 9th seem a high-energy time when we have to watch for taking on more than we can productively handle. The Stellium in Libra squares Jupiter in Capricorn, as Mars squares Jupiter on the 7th, Mercury squares Jupiter on the 8th and Venus squares Jupiter on the 9th. Also at this time, we have both Jupiter and Pluto changing direction on the 8th, as they go from retrograde to direct motion. Also on the 8th, Jupiter in Capricorn trines Saturn in Virgo.
This period of the month can be explosive with bursts of energy, impelling us to go beyond reasonable expansions and blasts of energy that could be seen with storm systems, geophysical movements and pontificating, self-righteous expressions of judgments and opinions. This is a time when it would be important for us to maintain a strong rein on our emotions, our expressions, our actions and our expenditures. We could easily be seduced to go over-the-top. What is essential to keep in mind is the volatility of these times and the realization that we do not have ALL the information, that we do NOT have all the facts and that we are living during a time when CHANGING CONDITIONS are like a kaleidoscope changing the way things seem suddenly and dramatically.
If we can keep a firm grip on our actions and reactions, we can also use these most dynamic energies to come up with a best practices approach for the realization of our hopes and dreams. We shall have to be responsible, accountable and willing to maintain detachment in order to shift and change, fine-tune and temper, as we go along with our projects and our involvements.
This September is a month when it is important for us to keep our wits about us. Making assumptions could be deadly. Observing the shifting tides and then making tentative steps that can always be changed immediately are the ways of this month and of these times.
During the first half of the month we have the Libra planets re-energizing themselves by the conjunctions to one another. Mercury is on top of Mars on the 8th, Venus conjuncts Mars on the 11th, and Venus conjuncts Mercury on the 14th. Our focus and our interest are very much centered around our relationships this month and throughout the month. Even when Venus exits its own Sign of Libra to enter Scorpio, a Sign in which it is uncomfortable, on the 23rd, we maintain the Libra Stellium with the Sun entering Libra at the time of the Autumn Equinox on the 22nd.
Yes, relationships are a dominant part of this month and quite possibly necessary as we use other people both as a sounding board regarding what they see as the changes going on and also as a support system as we might feel incapable of surfing the waves of these dramatically changing parameters.
The intensity of the month influenced by the Virgo New Moon at the end of August that impacts the first half of September is reignited by the Pisces Full Moon on the 15th. The Moon Sun opposition has by Sign and wide orb a square to Pluto with the Moon also conjunct Uranus. Expecting the unexpected can be much of this September period, and reinforced during the second and third weeks, both by the Pisces Full Moon on the 15th and the Sun opposed Uranus on the 12th and the Sun square Pluto on the 20th. Intensity and the unexpected would be predominant characteristics at these times and for much of the first two-thirds of the month. Our moods can go through wild swings with us often feeling uncomfortable in our own skin, shifting and changing as if to throw off some monkey on our backs. Extreme actions are likely. We are looking to shapeshift, to change, to be more independent, autonomous but we may not be fully aware of how to do so and what we want to morph into as far as our new identities.
The less judgmental we are and the more open we are to experimenting and testing the waters without feeling the need for a definitive decision or a firm commitment, the more we can roll with the ever-changing landscape and parameters.
While we may feel uncomfortable in our own skin into the fourth week of September, we may feel comfortable and find sanctuary in our friendships and special relationships. For just as we are going through the paroxysms of the Mutable Sign T-Square, we also from the mid-part of the month through the end of September have various Neptune trines as first Venus on the 17th, Mercury on the 19th. Mars on the 21st and retrograde Mercury on the 28th, all transiting through the relationship Sign of Libra, trine Neptune. Not only can other people be a valuable support system during these times and a significant sounding board, but their objectivity to our own personal issues may help us to see more clearly the true possibilities that lie ahead for us.
Much of September is enjoyed in the company of others. Late Summer – early Autumn Fairs and Festivals can be uplifting and enjoyable. Despite the adversaries of these times, we are able to also see the beauty and perfection in life.
Autumn begins with the Sun moving into Libra on the 22nd, in numerology the number of the Master Builder. With the Sun moving into Libra and Venus sextile Pluto also on the 22nd, we can go through a checklist of those people that provide true meaning, purpose and importance to our lives.
Venus moves out of Libra into Scorpio on the 23rd. We might be pulling names from the rolodex, be more discerning in our associations and focus on those people that offer depth to our interactions, all the while removing ourselves from more shallow connections.
The 24th begins the third and final of this year’s Mercury retrogrades. As Mercury retrogrades back through Libra, we may have certain reconnections or contacts with those people with whom we have an outstanding issue to resolve. With Mercury retrograding initially through the Gemini decanate of Libra, it will be important that we be clear in our communications and be certain that we are covering all the points we wish to make in any discussion or presentation. Communications can be off. People can misspeak and engage tongue before enlisting thought. Mercury retrograde into the 15th of October, it will be important for us to be alert to possible communication problems, travel issues and computer glitches. Any significant decisions would be best made before or after the Mercury retrograde.
The month ends with the Libra New Moon on the 29th, a time when retrograde Mercury is trine retrograde Neptune. We may be more interested in other people’s situations but we also have to be very careful that we don’t accept what is being told us without us considering the facts, checking the agenda and being certain that we are taking good care of ourselves and our own personal interests.
This September is a time of dramatic changes, internally and externally. We can determine where we want to go, how we want to go and with whom we want to get there. But let’s always recognize that changes are a process and that as we initiate change, that process might also change the intended destination.
September… all we need are some friends….
