Astrological Forecast for September & October 2014

September and October are—or at least used to be—the time of getting back to normal after the summer. School resumes, vacations are over, and the weather may cooperate to make work seem a little less challenging than in the hot humidity of summer (or the piles of snow in winter, for that matter). As time goes on we seem to be less inclined, or able, to follow the progression of the seasons as it relates to our daily lives, yet the energy of the seasons and the Sun’s passage through the zodiac continues to form a background for our lives, even if we fail to consciously recognize it. During the late summer and early autumn of 2014, however, we have reason to pay attention.

While much is happening in these months, it may be our personal relationships that get the most attention. Venus, planet of love and relationship, is very busy, connecting with the outer planets that signal deep changes and transformation. Yet in all areas of life we may see a concentration of power, and a questioning of who has it, why, and what they are doing with it.

The month begins easily enough, with a few flowing aspects during the first week as we build towards the Full Moon in Pisces on the 8th. As the Piscean energy peaks, we begin to experience extremes: we can be concerned or even obsessed with material concerns, and/or we can feel our connection to spirit more vibrantly. Pisces is the last sign of zodiac, and in it we contemplate what the ultimate is to each of us. What is that thing that is greater than you, that you would expand into and lose yourself in, if you could?

A day later, we may be ready with the answer, as Mercury squares Pluto. The Cosmic Messenger is in polite Libra, so we may choose to go through channels and maintain decorum as we speak our truth, but most likely we’ll find a way to get the message across. In the process of change something must be released for the new to come in, and this is the time to recognize, communicate, and act upon that challenging truth.

The Piscean energy will continue to color the next few days, especially as Venus opposes Neptune on the 10th. If a relationship issue emerged around the Full Moon, this aspect will keep our attention on it. Romance, creativity, and even finances can be in soft focus with this energy, and we could see more in a personal connection than is really there. Yet the flip side of this not-too-clear configuration is the ability to take a chance to make your dreams come true. Don’t look at the balance sheet if your heart already knows what it wants.

Mercury opposes Uranus on the 13th, opening up the lines of communication. Brilliant insights fly through the ether when these two planets align. As we’re looking at an opposition, we may do our best thinking when we can bounce our ideas off of each other, so talk out your ideas with someone, and don’t forget to listen, too.

A trine between Venus and Pluto on the 14th may offer opportunities to ground whatever relationship activity transpired during the past week. It could be an opportunity to go deeper into a partnership, yet this energy will also make it easier to let go, if that is what is needed.

Things get more serious around the fall equinox on the 22nd. The equinox initiates autumn, as the Sun enters Libra, the sign of balance. At this point in the year, the days and nights are of about equal length. Yet balance is unlikely to be the theme, as Pluto stations to move direct just hours from the equinox. Pluto stations are intense, like the quiet before. The equinox is also right before the New Moon, a time of inward intensity. This is unlikely to be a quiet time, although implosions are perhaps more likely than explosions. Power struggles deepen and many people will entrench themselves in emotional (and perhaps physical) bunkers. A certain amount of emotional self-protection is not an entirely bad idea, if not taken to extremes. Watch the news to see how this potent energy plays out in the world.

On September 27th, Mercury enters Scorpio and goes on to cross the degree of the upcoming solar eclipse—keep your eyes open as something begins that will become prominent very soon.

If late September featured an intense pull of energy inward, a contraction or inhalation, October expresses the energy outward in an expansion or exhalation. First, however, Mercury stations to retrograde on the 4th.

While the usual Mercury retrograde guidelines are worth following—especially as they relate to purchasing electronics and cars—this is certainly no time to stand on the sidelines. That will be evident enough right around the 4th, as the Sun squares Pluto, making the power and control issues from the New Moon all the more obvious. Over the next two days, Mars and the Sun go on to connect with impulsive Uranus in Aries, suggesting actions may speak louder than words (especially if Mercury is blurring the lines of verbal communication). Mercury will be walking backwards in the sky through a region known as the via combusta, or burnt path, knitting together the energies of the September and October New Moons before turning direct on October 25th.

The Aries Full Moon on October 8th is also a lunar eclipse (barely visible at moonset in the Wisdom area). With the Moon so close to Uranus at this eclipse, we can expect that the Full Moon lunacy will be extra intense. This is a time when we are likely to express our inner needs with forcefulness, and to push back on the social constraints that we feel are limiting. Keep in mind that patience is likely to be a rare commodity, as we all decide simultaneously that it’s time to express our inner needs. With Venus in a tense square to Pluto just hours after the eclipse, this could be a crucial make-or-break time for partnerships of all kinds.

Relationship is also likely to be the focus around the 11th through the 14th, as Venus aligns with Uranus and Jupiter. The heavy energy of the past few days clears away amidst a need for freedom and fun in our personal connections with others. The past few weeks have taught us where the issues are, and what we want in our love lives, and this energy helps us to act. We may be a little less considerate of the other person’s feelings, but we also recognize that we can’t live our lives on the expectations of someone else.

We get a bit of time to consolidate our feelings and thoughts as the inner planets, Mars, and Jupiter all make flowing aspects to each other over the next week. Having come through some challenging times, we’re ready to build—or rebuild—for the future. Take the week between the 14th and the 22nd as a time to get things in order, do some repair work, and share your experiences.

Once again the mood shifts dramatically, this time as we approach the solar eclipse on October 23rd (this partial eclipse should be visible around sunset in the Northeast, with the greatest visibility just after 5:45 pm EDT). This eclipse occurs just hours after the Sun and Venus wade into the dark waters of Scorpio. Solar eclipses are powerful New Moons, time to set intentions, but also points where we may be reoriented in ways we had not considered. In many ways, this eclipse mirrors the energetic tone of September’s Pluto station at the last New Moon, offering a kind of slow-motion replay. Or perhaps it is part of an ongoing saga, the beginning of a new chapter in an old story. However it plays out, it is a potent energy for transformation, and it is directed at relationship. The Sun and Venus meet on the 25th, suggesting that we may be able to get our partnerships on track with the rest of our lives.

As the month ends, we have some nice opportunities to smooth things over as Venus and the Sun make easy aspects to Neptune on 27th and 28th. Once again, hard realities—and we may have discovered what they are in the past month—can be put into soft focus for a while. That offers an opportunity for healing as well as an exploration of the deeper dimensions of our partnerships.