September 2020: The Balance Point
Virgo season is synonymous with going back-to-school in North America, and purchasing prized items of organization: bright colorful binders, crisp white paper, sharp pointed pencils, and a few carefully selected outfits. Ruled by Mercury, who is associated with merchants, commerce, and the ordering of systems, it’s Virgo’s job to clean things up to make way for the new season--Fall. For the last several years, since Saturn entered Capricorn in December 2017, there’s been an added weight to the work Virgo has undertaken. Both a greater pressure to succeed, and the ability to manifest what is calling your attention and capturing your mind. The challenge of earth is how long it takes to form. The wonder of earth is the diversity of forms it takes. Saturn is the great sculptor and Mercury the mind that invites the innovation. What great work have you been cultivating over the last several years? You’re putting the finishing touches on it this Virgo Season.
The month opens with Mercury in a trine with Pluto and Saturn from September 1-3. Expect to encounter an obstacle in your path, but also the discovery of greater resources in navigating your way around the boulder.
The Pisces Full Moon on September 2, with the Sun in Virgo in an exact trine with Uranus in Taurus is a beacon of hope in a time of great uncertainty. Similar to how Saturn has been adding gravitas to the earth trigon, Uranus has been stirring things up there since March 2019. The activation between Uranus and Saturn will be highlighted next year in a more pronounced way with a fixed sign square. This sweet Pisces Full Moon in a sextile with Uranus in Taurus and Jupiter in Capricorn, and a trine with Venus in Cancer, gives us permission to release. Let it out. All of it. Whatever needs to rush forth, give it a channel. Ritual magic will have a transcendent quality with Mercury in opposition to Neptune. This is a great day to spend by a body of water. Swimming, floating, dreaming, and letting your heart open up to the sky.
The last days of Venus’ time in Cancer are the most difficult. Water seeks its own level, and the Goddess of love’s time in the Moon’s home sign has been inviting us to raise the bar on emotional intimacy in partnerships. Venus’ opposition with Saturn and square with Mars from September 2-4, will cause conflict while making it hard to nurture ourselves. Focus on the love you can give yourself. The level you want to live at, and just bob where you are until then. You’ll find solutions in moving towards equality and fairness once Mercury enters Libra on September 5.
Venus enters Leo on September 6, giving you a self-esteem boost. You’ll be feeling yourself more over the next month, as Venus will be in Leo until October 2. The fire and confidence of Leo gives you permission to name what you want and stand up for yourself. Give yourself a makeover and let your peacock feathers fly. We’re all beautiful when we shine, so beam your light at the world.
One of the core lessons of 2020 is how to take the good with the bad. Amidst the devastation of the pandemic and heartbreak of multiple human rights crises, the vibrancy of the natural world remains a constant. The very being of Gaia reminds us that life is beautiful. Both cruelty and love exist at once. Learning to be with the difficulty while holding reverence for the wonder is a lifelong process, and the past three years have been a boot camp. The trine between the Sun in Virgo and Jupiter in Capricorn on September 9, the same day that Mars stations retrograde at 28 Aries, perfectly illustrates this lesson.
Mars’ in Aries has unparalleled strength, and encourages us to be bold and brave in the courageous pursuit of our desires. But passion without restraint turns into insatiable craving and ultimately reduces one’s ability to savor pleasure. Mars will be retrograde from September 9-November 13, a crucial time for American democracy. This is a turning inward, retreat from the normal way of activating and pursuing that will be most acutely felt by folks with points or planets in Scorpio and Aries. For those used to having a lot of get-up-and-go it’s a bit like running out of fuel on the highway and having to wait several weeks for the tow to arrive. Mars entered Aries on June 27, will not leave until January 6, 2021. The opposition to Libra and squares to Capricorn and Cancer are creating confrontations with authority and threats to justice. We see this playing out on a collective level with the Trump administration’s defunding and dismantling of the US postal service in an attempt to hijack and steal another presidential election. A healthy way to channel your Mars is to support the American Postal Workers Union and participate in one of their ongoing demonstrations to save the post office and protect the US constitution. The opposition with Libra asks, what if we all took a collective time out from capitalism to focus on liberty?
The retrograde period (Sept 9-Nov 13) is the most difficult part of Mars’ passage. On an individual level, your relationship to conflict will be up for examination: do you love it, do you fear it, and how do you try to avoid it? Drive, desire, and productivity will also hit the skids. It's OK if you can’t do things the usual way for the next 8 weeks. Give yourself a break. Lower your expectations, and let yourself do less. Think of Mars as the weary part of you longing for retreat. What would your ideal respite from the world look like? Can you give yourself some parts of that this Fall?
You’ll get clarity on a befuddling situation when the Sun opposes Neptune on September 11. Things will start moving in a positive direction when Jupiter stations direct at 17 Capricorn on September 12. Jupiter is considered to be in it’s fall in Capricorn. Jove’s year long transits through Cap usually coincide with economic recession. Yet everywhere it goes, the great gas giant tries to improve and increase, both materially and spiritually. The Saturn-Pluto pulverization has felt brutal, but Jupiter has brought benediction whenever possible since entering Capricorn on December 2, 2019. Jupiter went retrograde on May 14, and now there’s only three months left for renovation and advancement before it moves into Aquarius on December 19. The Mars retrograde is certainly a challenge, but Jupiter moving forward is a needed drop of good news into this tumultuous stream of life.
Things get hot when Venus squares Uranus on September 15, just before the cooling Virgo New Moon on September 17. This lunation, in an exact trine with Saturn, is about potential. Our individual achievements contribute to evolutionary advancement. Virgo focuses on the small pieces of the pie because it has a clear sense what it takes to create a worthwhile center. Mercury in Libra is in a lovely sextile with Venus and an exact square with Jupiter, accentuating the importance of proportion and symmetry in whatever you’re seeking to create.
The Sun enters Libra on September 22, and the wheel turns again. The Autumn Equinox, a day of perfect balance of night and day, initiates us into the lunar half of the year. For the next six months, until the Vernal Equinox on March 20, there will be more darkness than light in the sky. After the abundance and heat of the summer months of production, we’re called to rest, reflect, and release. Libra is symbolized by the scales and has an affinity for justice. The pagan holiday of Mabon, also known as the Witches Thanksgiving, celebrates the second harvest. The festival of fruits brings an abundance of apples, the fruit of the Goddess Venus, ruler of Libra. Inside an apple is a five pointed star, and the cycle of the planet Venus creates a five pointed star in the sky every eight years. Venus is about love, connection, and romance, and when people get together, they create babies, who are also five pointed stars of light. On the first day of fall we contemplate, equality, harmony, and how to live in right relationship with other beings on earth. Look for Pagan Baby: the Autumn Equinox coming soon for a children’s guide to celebrating this sacred day of power.
Meditation is a wonderful practice on the Equinox. Whenever we pause and give thanks to the earth, we must also consider what it means to live in right relationship with Gaia herself. The intensity of the wildfires in California are an urgent warning that solutions to climate change can not wait. The fires have burned an area the size of Rhode Island, and migrant farmworkers labor under hazardous conditions to continue to bring us food. The pandemic has shown us that Mercury’s children, merchants, drivers, and teachers are essential. Sit in quiet and allow your feelings and thoughts to arise. An intuitive thought or action may come to you later on about how to make positive change from your time spent in stillness.
The first two days of Fall draw your mind into discord with Mercury’s square with Saturn and opposition with Mars on September 23-24. Arguments and conflicts are likely, but you could also gain insight into the struggle you’ve been involved in since the square with Mars and Saturn became activated in mid-August. Keep your cool and don’t overreact. This too shall pass when Mercury enters Scorpio on September 27, and the witchy vibes begin.
Venus trines retrograde Mars on September 28, reminding us that our wounds deserve welcome. Cultivating compassion for the most difficult parts of ourselves can teach us how to be in relationship with the most troubled aspects of society. Libra makes room at the table for everyone, and considers all opinions before rendering judgement. A most worthwhile practice during Libra season.
Saturn stations direct at 25 Capricorn in an exact square with Mars on September 29. This is a dissonant note to end the month but not out of sync with the pace of the year. The Aries Full Moon on October 1, will bring these energies more into the open. Take care extra good care of yourself and those you love as we move into election season. Show up where you can, and let yourself tap out when you’ve had enough. We’re in the final season of the year, and it’s anyone’s guess on how this all will end.