Astrology for September
We find ourselves in sudden disruption and social chaos, sinking into deep waters, at the same time there is a radiance of awakening. From underneath the surface events, there is a laboring of birth toward a deeper understanding of who we are, and what profoundly matters to us, a vitality of possibilities. In the tumult and cataclysm following the powerful eclipse, fiery Mars intertwines its archetypal influences with the dynamism of the moon-shadowed sun (the eclipse at 28 degrees Leo conjunct Mars at 20 Leo).
Sudden political and physical events trigger us into this transitional season. The Solar Eclipse, as it cast its shadow across USA, from sea to sea, unveiled two things, 1) we live within and are part of a great mystery of poetic collaboration and awe inspiring interacting forces and 2) the perfect alignment of Sun, Earth, and Moon, with its momentary blotting out of the light, allows us to see that which needs exposure to the light. It illumines what has been hidden, repressed, suppressed, what is old but can no longer serve us. Mars passing over the eclipse point on the 2nd and the 3rd of September heightens the intensity of this transitional, and unstable time.
As much as the eclipse rattled our acceptance of the status quo, the Virgo time of year, as well as the Pisces full moon, on the 6th, carries us into a time of transitions. This mutable energy, rather than fixed or cardinal as the other two modalities are known, call forth the disintegration of one season to another. The Pisces full Moon (a water sign representing uncontained water, storms, and seas) dissolves barriers and helps us potentially to discover empathy and our oneness with all humanity. With the Sun in earthy Virgo, we can become discerning and more practical to nuances and needs of both these times and ourselves. Mars enters Virgo on the 5th, bringing about humble industriousness (through Oct 22). There’s work to be done and things to accomplish.
The leaves begin to edge themselves into red and the early morning darkness is pierced by the radiance of Venus, calling us to both awaken and let go. These times are disruptive to what has been our identity. The sense of our own identity is shifting and changing, as humanity labors to birth itself into a new kind of being. This laborious shedding of our skins, amped up with the Trump presidency and hurricane Harvey, calls to us to drop our stories, and open to a vastness of consciousness that understands what is taking place. With Mars triggering the eclipse point, cataclysmic change shakes our world. The energy of destabilization brings about the restabilization into new forms, possibilities and consciousness. These disruptive forces trigger our awareness of the toxicity of these times, both physically and in regards to systems whose power and values have gone to extremes.
Watch Sept 2 through the 6th for sharp retorts, angry responses, and cutting through to great clarity and directness with what needs to be heard or perceived. Mercury, after going direct on the 5th, conjuncts Mars one more time, but this time in Virgo on the 16th, rather than in flamboyant Leo. Now it wants to get to the heart of the matter and serve a larger truth. Truth wants to be revealed. The New Moon takes place in Virgo on the 19th. The Fall Equinox takes place on the 22, as the Sun moves into Libra. Jupiter opposes Uranus for the last time on the 27th, encouraging all of us to step outside of the box and into collaborative and innovative possibilities in creating new futures.
Thoughts on the Trump Presidency
Last month we talked about how the eclipse was falling on Trump’s Leo Ascendant and Leo Mars. This indicated that something hidden, would be revealed, something would come to light. Trump’s lawyer, Michael Cohen, sent to congressional committee emails showing that Trump signed a letter of intent four months into his Presidential campaign (Oct 2015), to build a tower in Moscow, guaranteeing it to be the world’s tallest building, even though he has denied any involvement with Russia. Or, perhaps, what is coming to light is Trump’s lack of empathy as he travels to the hurricane areas, always focusing on his brand and his grandeur, enriching his status and family.
What does Trump metaphor for each of us? Certainly this man has a destiny to raise to power within his chart, with his Leo ascendant conjunct the star Regulus, the King maker, giving great success, unless he acts out of revenge. Then, it is said, there will be a great fall. But why has the United States created and attracted a man like this to be the President at this time? Gemini, known for its dualistic polarities, is Trump’s Sun Sign. We experience quite frequently his Gemini nature as he lumbers from stiff noble patriotic spokesman to impulsive angry and combative showman, (all this in the area of his chart that represents the public arena, the ambition to get to the top, to become the executive). Or perhaps Trump, with his narcissistic arrogance of an underdeveloped Leo personality, defensive to criticism, and hungering to be the best, metaphors something about our culture and certainly about our political system, with his oversized macho combative impulses, his love for generals and military strength. And sadly, with his lack of understanding of the deep feminine, the natural world, our Earth, that which is soulful, inclusive, and empathetic, he metaphors most successfully what needs to be seen and revealed to the world.
What kind of mirror does he hold that reflects our society and who we are? What kind of mirror does he hold up to you?
The Twelve signs: For Sun and Rising Signs
Aries (Mar 20-Apr 19): Clarity comes to you as Mars and Mercury activate the eclipse point on the 2nd and 3rd. You are ready to move forward with your creativity. Your self-expression becomes more public. In the last number of weeks you have seen what has gotten in the way of this forward movement. This is helpful to what is now unfolding. The first 5 days of September, slowing down and simplifying will support growing clarity and fine tuning as you move into a new cycle in your life. As you think outside of box, are flexible, and alert to the moment, new opportunities present themselves. Mars, your ruling planet, moves into industrious Virgo, so that planning and acute discernment put your ideas and desires into place. During the full moon in Pisces on the 6th, take time to go inward feel that inner stillness which fuels your heart with love. It will calm your nervous system.
Taurus (Apr 20-May 20): What have you come to realize about yourself in the last two weeks, giving you deeper insights and clarity into your ways? Suddenly there is clarity about the next steps forward. Perhaps you have experienced this within your studio, within your own contemplations, or perhaps in the dynamic of your home or family life. As you ground these insights, there is a clearing of the decks, an opening to another level of insight, carrying you forward into fuller embodiment. Your creativity, whether in art or action, now takes a jumpstart. You experience it more deeply and universally. Create a routine to support what is growing and new in your life. It takes a bit of discipline but it can be more accessible now.
Gemini (May 21-Jun 20): As Mercury and Mars gather over the eclipse point on the 2 through the 5th you may feel heated up! Your mind gets activated and there is a great need to say directly what you mean! It can be delivered with skill or impatient exasperation. What did you learn during the eclipse about yourself? What creative desires are burning to find their way into form, what talent wants to surface? September offers you the time to plumb the depths of your own inner core truth. Let Mars, as it moves from eclipse point in Leo to steady and analytical Virgo, refine your path from the many to a single pointed destiny. Simplify. You are now at a threshold. Something new has been born, but will take time and patience to consciously manifest. Here you pause and observe, before initiating forward movement with another, or in relationship. (Saturn now direct)
Cancer (Jun 21–Jul 21): As if to place an exclamation point on everything that you have learned about yourself, your needs, and your abilities, in the last two weeks, Mercury and Mars reactivate with clarity your commitment to what you are growing, and developing. September brings about a more analytical approach to problem solving and planning. Heightened sensitivity and perceptiveness during this time can be channeled into keen discernment and putting in place strategies. This is a positive time to communicate, to write, and move forward. Something new is birthing into your work, into your everyday life. You are fueled with new encounters and discussion, all promoting an enduring manifestation. Nourish your body and get enough rest!
Leo (Jul 22 – Aug 22): This is a precious time for the Leo. With the eclipse gracing your sign your desire is ever greater to participate in life from your heart. But what does that mean? Experiment with an openness to possibility, to vulnerability, and to loving kindness toward yourself and all those around you. The heart is the soul’s vehicle, its perception, and what we might call its mind. To think with the heart attunes you to your loves and truer desires. Now is the time to follow that heart urging! It brings you to those core values, snatching you away from the outer busyness and appearances that are but metaphors of your inner life. With Mars activating Leo, you now must take the action you so desire. As the Sun and Mars swing into Virgo, find a routine and a rhythm to manifest your change.
Virgo (Aug 23-Sep 22): How nice for you Virgo to sit for a while, and gather yourself, among all the busyness and disruptive forces. Taking all that has unfolded over the last weeks into greater consideration. Making it into an elixir. Capturing the essence of what has really been taking place on the level of the heart, as if you could open the moments of the day into a field of deep space, and really touch the exquisiteness of your life. The full moon in Pisces on the 6th, gives you over to the reverie, the poetry of the journey you, or perhaps you and your partner or your family have been on. With Mars entering Virgo on the 5th your need for order, planning, and precision can serve you well. Now is the time to know what you need. Make a request to those around you to assist you in fulfilling those needs. You never ask for too much.
Libra (Sep 23-Oct 22): Dear Libra, the eclipse may have brought up issues around your social life, your needs for something new in the future, those needs to break open into fresh possibilities of a more creative or adventurous life. Perhaps a light shone on the desires you for more connection or at the opposite extreme, even to withdraw. (Aren’t you always trying to balance?). As Mars and Mercury retrograde traverse this area you can deepen your understanding of your needs and chart a path for yourself toward your goals. There is a hankering for new experiences. This will come. Watch when your planet, Venus, trines Uranus in fiery Aries on the 17th. This is a good time to act on, or connect with something different that what is your regular routine. During the full moon in Pisces on the 6th be thoughtful and empathetic to your sensitivity and openness.
Scorpio (Oct 23-Nov 21): As Mars and Mercury activate the eclipse point in your chart; situations come into sharper focus, particularly around goals, and career. You can pause, with Mercury retrograde through the 5th, to contemplate what it is that you want to be doing. Gathering yourself around this clarity allows you to center more fully in the present, and to deeply enjoy what’s now taking place in your life. The full moon in Pisces activates your playful self. Give yourself some time to wander, with no schedule. That way you can move into your poetic heart and activate your natural unconditional love and acceptance. You won’t wander too far though as this is balanced with Mars entering Virgo. So make a plan!
Sagittarius (Nov 22-Dec 20): You may feel a burst of energy, inspiration, and a great yearning to free yourself. Jupiter opposes Uranus! Now persevering Saturn has turned direct, opening the gates that have enclosed you in work and kept you focused. As the month vibrates into the frequency of mutable energy, adapting, shifting, changing, your natural core resonates to this expansion, which brings about change. You may still feel the slow Saturnine flavor in counter point to your freedom loving expansive temperament, even as it releases you into a new chapter of life. Saturn continues to help you complete and focus. But like a juggler, you are balancing moving parts, expansion with contraction, or maybe, more like an alchemist, mixing the right elixir for turning lead to gold.
Capricorn (Dec 21- Jan 19): Mars and Mercury have ignited a deep review. The old comes up against the new, and you feel the fumes of the past filling the air. This activates a confrontation between what has been, and those perceived limitations, with the developing newness in your life, possibilities of who you really are. As Einstein said, “We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them”. We literally can see all humanity involved in this situation, as the conditioning that was embedded in us by culture and society can no longer sustain the evolutionary growth that is taking place. Your planet, Saturn, now direct, releases that tension day by day. As Saturn picks up steam during the month, as you adhere to your deeper self and your commitments to that self, taking care of your body-mind connection, Saturn will generate a solid foundation. Have faith, dear mountain goat, your sure footedness will take you to that mountaintop. The views are gorgeous and your heart will soar.
Aquarius (Jan 20-Feb 17): Oh, Aquarius, with your scintillating creative mind, the Mars and Mercury conjunction activation demands even more from you. The south node in Aquarius, the point of collective soul growth, wants to push off from the detached and mental gyrations of the Aquarius, into a heart filled presence. So the new possibilities will grow from there. Quiet depths of mental stillness allow vulnerability and tenderness, and open your generous hear, dear Aquarius. Doing what you love through creative expression brings a download of greater meaning for yourself and community. Something new is seen and experienced. With the Virgo energy vibrating through your emotional body, bringing your acuity and alertness into that edge between the old and the new, so nourishes intimacy between yourself and another.
Pisces (Feb 18-Mar 19): What began with the eclipse continues to unfold. The dreamy, imaginative self that you bring to each endeavor seeks grounding in form. You focus on practicality and organization because you can sense the blossoming of that which has been your dream. The dream opens to other possibilities and the world becomes vast with what could be. With Saturn going direct in aspect to this full moon in Pisces, you cannot accomplish much unless you are focused and persevering in your intention to ground these possibilities. This then fills your heart with gratitude.
Susan Heinz is a professional astrologer in Santa Cruz for 35 years, bringing together traditional & esoteric astrology, Tarot and Qabalah. For info on her Friday monthly astrology groups, her Qabalah, astrology and or, painting classes, and for personal consultations, call (831) 479-3751, or go to www.susanheinz.com.
There are times when the world opens up to us and demonstrates to us that we live in a much greater reality of imaginative creativity, love, tremendous connectedness, and a shared heart. Limitations can then be seen as mesmerizing veils, and we connect to greater sight and wisdom in the way we experience ourselves, our lives, and the world in which we live.