Astrological Forecast for September & October 2020

The planets do a harvest moon square dance in September and October, with frequent changes of direction. The big news is Mars’ retrograde from September 9th through November 13th, in his home sign of Aries. The warrior planet turns around for about two months every two years, and during his retrogrades it’s considered to be a less than optimal time to start a new job, initiate a sexual relationship (oh, my!), and to do anything requiring extra assertiveness. It’s not ideal to begin an exercise program, but you may go back to one that you’ve let slide – especially martial arts.

While Mars’ retrograde does indicate a little difficulty getting projects off the ground, there’s still a lot of activity in the skies as we move from late summer into autumn. Pallas Athene, Jupiter, Saturn, and Pluto all change direction, and while the outer planets are relatively quiet, the Sun, Mars, and Mercury are all working to stir things up.

September

The month starts off with Venus very busy, continuing her flurry of late-August activity. Relationships may have seemed up in the air over the last couple weeks, with some subtle and not-so-subtle conflicts emerging. There’s been a duality between what we want and what we need, between what (or who) we desire and what offers us stability and long-term partnership.

We feel it’s time to make a decision as Venus opposes Saturn on the 2nd, the day of the Harvest Full Moon in Pisces. Emotions are likely to be running high, and you may feel that it’s time to either fully invest or divest in your partnership. As Venus squares Mars two days later on the 4th, the conflicts between the need for stability and the desire for passion could reach critical tension, and release, in the first week of September.

Mercury trines Pluto and Saturn, then sextiles Venus in the first week of the month. This suggests that communication can be the key to resolving conflicts in all areas of life. With Mercury in Virgo, the strategy is to be as precise as possible: present your case step-by-step.

Pallas Athene adds a little spice to the beginning of September, stationing to go direct in Capricorn on the 5th. We’re likely to hear some strong words coming from women in power – Pallas is the ‘truth-teller’ asteroid that challenges the status quo.

Venus enters Leo on the 6th, opening up the possibility for fun and romance – alas, Mars retrograde and the pandemic may dampen the goddess of love’s time in fiery Leo.

Mars stations to retrograde on the 9th, close to the last quarter moon. A day or so before the station, tensions begin to build and there’s a strong desire to act. It could be hard to think before acting, so watch out for impulsive behavior from yourself and others. Be careful driving, too, as many people will have a heavy foot on the accelerator.

On September 11th, the Sun opposes Neptune, an aspect that tends to make heroes and demons out of ordinary folk. It’s easy to project the best and worst qualities onto people when these two planets oppose each other, so try to be realistic.

Remaining on an even keel may not be too easy, though, with Jupiter stationing to go direct a day later, on the 12th. Jupiter stations tend to fill us with optimism, although in Capricorn that energy may be a little cooler than usual. In the period between about the 8th and the 13th, it may be best to avoid major decisions – especially if they are emotionally based.

Relationships again come into focus at mid-month, as Mars opposes partnership asteroid Juno on the 14th, while Venus goes on to square Uranus a day later. We’re more inclined towards freedom and experimentation, and the passion side of the equation is stronger than the stability side around this time. Mid-month can help to get stuck partnerships back on track, or derail them entirely. Those who are courting could find that potential connections either zoom ahead or suddenly break off.

The new moon is on the 17th, in the sign of Virgo. This new moon always encourages us to focus our attention on the tasks to be completed by the end of the year – kind of a Cosmic To-Do List. Because of the pandemic, we may find that the list is especially long this year, so be sure to prioritize and be realistic about what can be done. With Saturn trine to this new moon, you can make progress if you take a step-by-step approach and don’t bite off more than you can chew.

There’s potential for passive-aggressive action in the period between the 20th to the 24th, as Mercury squares Pluto and Saturn then goes on to oppose Mars. These aspects suggest ‘speaking truth to power’, but with Mercury in Libra, try to maintain manners and go through channels. This period may see some of us ‘biting our tongues’ and holding back our real thoughts and feelings, although we’ll also see some folks using sarcasm and sharp words.

The Sun enters Libra on the 22nd, balancing the scales between light and darkness, and encouraging us to see all sides of any issue. With the high-powered energy surrounding the Sun’s move, we may not feel all that balanced for a while.

Saturn stations to go direct on the 29th, square to retrograde Mars. While the prior week was about the stresses of holding your tongue, this week is more about moderating your actions, and you could feel contained and limited in some way. A good approach to the last days of September is to focus your action. This is not a good time to multitask, so pick a job and get to it – mindful that progress may be slow and peppered with delays. Be aware that the last ten days of the month has a real potential for road rage – and many other kinds of rage.

October

October begins with a full moon on the 1st, in Mars’ home sign of Aries. With Venus at the very last degree of Leo, this could be a time for passion and drama, at least within the bounds allowed by the pandemic. Certainly, this full moon encourages us to be ourselves and do what we love – safely.

The 7th through the 9th has some tense energy, but it could also help to get things moving if they’ve been a little stuck. The Sun squares Pallas Athene, Mercury opposes Uranus, and Mars squares Pluto. These aspects combine to get us to open up and speak freely – perhaps a little too freely in some cases. We may also feel some hesitation to express ourselves, coming from inner fears or external pressure, but in the end, the truth will probably come out. Mars’ square to Pluto may reignite personal and collective issues that were hot around the middle of August.

The middle of October has some unsettled energy, as the Sun squares Jupiter and opposes Mars, then goes on to square Pluto and Saturn, while Mars steps in to square Jupiter – all between the 11th and 19th. The overall feel is of energy trying to get out and express itself, but being contained in some way (in fact, that’s a good description of almost the entire time between mid-September and mid-October).

Frustrations are likely, particularly in work-related situations, and we’re very likely to see some very explosive energy in the collective, too. The issues themselves have probably been on the table for a long time – possibly all year, but the sense is that we’re reaching a boiling point.

Adding to the mix, or mix-up, Mercury stations to go retrograde in Scorpio on the 13th. As always, Mercury stations tend to feature the most prominent Mercurial mishaps – and especially so when the Cosmic Messenger does the backstroke in a water sign. Just when tensions are reaching a peak, we’re likely to come across misinformation and disinformation. Try not to react right away, as things may not be what they seem on first hearing.

That’s especially true of relationships, as Venus will be opposite to Neptune on the 18th. Venus/Neptune aspects can create fantasies, and those fantasies can be bright or dark. Take the ride if it feels good, but don’t invest too much in what happens in the moment.

Mercury opposes Uranus (yes, again) on the 19th, and we get a second chance to express ourselves. We could still be tongue-tied though, and might have to wait until November to really get the message across.

Venus trines Pluto on the 21st and Saturn on the 24th, making this period of time better for realistic assessment of relationships (or in fact, assessment or appraisal of anything).

October ends with a firecracker full moon, tightly opposed to Uranus. If the last six weeks have seen us struggling to keep the lid on, this full moon will blow it off. It could make for a fun Halloween, but stay safe, as the energy will be hard for many folks to contain. This full moon is also a ‘blue moon’ – the second full moon in a calendar month.

Armand Diaz, Ph.D., is an intuitive astrologer who also uses Tarot in his consultations with clients. He can be reached via his website, ArmandDiaz.com