September keeps the astrological ball rolling, capping off a busy summer and moving us into autumn. Mercury is retrograde from the 7th through the 29th, urging us to slow down and reconsider the information we have before us. That might be tough advice to take, given all the planetary activity this month, but we should remember to take time to stop and consider the meaning of what is going on, even in the midst of a swirl of activity.
The beginning of the month has a number of subtle but stressful aspects. A hard aspect will at least announce itself and we’ll know what the issue is. The minor aspects in early September can create stress which ripples beneath the surface, something we feel but don’t quite recognize. Relationships will be prime targets for this stress, as we strain to express ourselves while still trying to play by the rules. The Full Moon on the 4th may finally throw some light on things, which can help, or may simply turn up the volume on the static.
The same general energy, subtle tension, continues through the 11th, the day of Pluto’s station to go to direct after retrograding (appearing to move backward in the zodiac) since early April. Pluto stations are intense times when our deepest emotions surface, when the "id" cannot be clamped down by ego or superego. How we express powerful feelings says a lot about how far we have travelled our evolutionary path, and we need to keep in mind that there is both constructive and destructive sides to our deepest drives. This station occurs on what astrologers call the "World Axis" and may be associated with significant news events in the coming weeks.
Beginning on the 15th and continuing through the 17th, there is a series of three oppositions in the sky. Oppositions tend to result in activity - they are times when we act out dramas with others. The Saturn-Uranus opposition is a struggle between the traditional and the revolutionary forces in society, a drama that has been taking place all year in the skies as well as on the Earth. Venus opposes Neptune every year, creating a time when we can idealize a person, a relationship, or the dream of a relationship, but we can also be taken in by a sweet-talker. The Sun in opposition to Uranus can result in a conflict between the ego and the needs of the collective.
The 17th also has the Sun in his annual meeting with Saturn, and a Mercury-Pluto square. The former tends to drag us down into the grey mists of what we sometimes call "reality" (as though reality were all grey concrete), while the latter suggests some sharp words may fly. Handling this middle-of-the-month melange of aspects will require that we stay focused on our true priorities, and yet not so focused that we neglect to consider others. These aspects suggest a lot of activity and interaction, but whether we fall into conflict or open discussion is up to us.
We might be aided by the New Moon on the 18th. New Moons are times of quiet and reflection, and though this is yet another month where that is unlikely, the waning energy of the Moon tilts us more towards resolving old conflicts than to beginning new ones.
Venus, planet of love and relationship, is the star of the show on the 20th and 21st. First, she moves from Leo, where she is something of a party girl, to Virgo, where she is more reserved (Virgo is the sign of the Virgin, after all). This shift creates a feeling of hesitation throughout the collective, making us more careful about how we relate and with whom. Just half a day later, however, Venus is "relating" with Pluto, god of the underworld. This aspect, an easy trine, can help us in a couple of ways, making it easier for sexual energy to flow (even in Virgo!) within a relationship, or, if it is time to end a partnership, this aspect will create an atmosphere which makes it easier to let go.
Soon enough, though, Venus makes a semisquare to Mars, on the 21st. This is yet another one of those "subtle" aspects, the kind that can irritate us without really letting us know what is wrong. Both planets are outgoing in nature, seeking relationship and activity, yet they are in signs which are rather conservative and protective (Virgo and Cancer), making this aspect more stressful than it might otherwise be. It can play out in a million different ways, but look to see if you don’t want to move ahead with something, but are being held back by a voice that says you can’t. Try to find the source of that voice - and then determine whether you really want to listen to it.
At 5:18 p.m., EDT, on the 22nd, the Sun enters Libra. The autumnal equinox officially begins the fall and ends summer. At this time of year, the days are balanced between light and dark, although they are quickly becoming shorter as we move towards winter. Libra is an active time: the end of the growing season is followed by the trip to market and the beginning of the time when we traditionally turned away from the work which went towards sustaining life and towards building the kind of community we want to live in. The second half of the zodiac, Libra through Pisces, is devoted to this more distinctly human side of life.
The Sun’s first official act in Libra, however, is not a great augury for the coming season, as he makes a square to powerful Pluto in Capricorn on the 23rd. This aspect might very well serve as a "trigger" for the Pluto station, bringing events to the surface.
September keeps the astrological heat of summer rolling for another month. Whatever the temperature in the skies, keep cool!
Armand M. Diaz, M.A., C.A., is certified as a Consulting Astrologer by the National Council for Geocosmic Research (NCGR). He is available for private consultations, in which he creates a supportive context for self-exploration, to help clients make decisions which are in harmony with their greatest potential, offering a truly integral approach to astrology. Armand has practiced divination for more than twenty years, working with the I Ching and Tarot in addition to astrology. He has published in various astrological journals, including The Mountain Astrologer. He can be reached at 917-216-1541 or armand@integralastrology.net, or though his website at www.bluemoonastrology.info.