Photo by pixel parker on Unsplash
Included in this write-up are:
Chris Brennan
Austin Coppock
Kelly Surtees
The Astrology Podcast for September
Pam Gregory YouTube
Rick Levine September 2020 YouTube
Acyuta-bhava Dasa Nightlife Astrology on YouTube September 2020
The Water Trio
Overview:
The theme for this month, according to Austin Coppock, is Super Serious September and the Mars retrograde in Aries, which was exact at a challenging (square) angle to Saturn in Capricorn in late August when Mars was traveling direct (toward Taurus). It remains close to Saturn throughout September as it turns backward. At the very end of the month, they meet again at an exact 90˚ angle for the second time, and in January, will meet a third time when each one will be in a different sign, giving the connection a new energy. We will have a total of nine weeks of Mars retrograde.
Why is this important? As Kelly Surtees notes, “Mars in Aries does not like to think about consequences or the future.” Chris Brennan explains, “When a planet slows down and stations retro, it sits at a degree for a long time. It causes intensifications of the significance of the planet.”
Generally, there is a slowness with retrograde planets, or a need to pause, but when Mars turns retrograde, it does not feel like that. “Mars does not bring harmony during retro but wild oscillations in energy. The levels are lethargy or fury and berserk,” the group tells us in their Year Ahead video for 2020, amazingly recorded in December of 2019. “Mars drops the rules of engagement. People fight dirty and there is a tendency for conflicts to be outside of civilized bounds,” so don’t test people.
What will it mean that retrograde Mars in Aries is square to Saturn in Capricorn? “Frustration is Mars and Saturn,” Austin says. “Saturn is, ‘This thing sucks.’ Mars wants to make an effort to improve it. Saturn says, ‘I am mad because I can’t do anything about it.’ If we have to pick one simple experiential word for hard Mars/Saturn aspects, it is frustration, pushing against the wall.” Saturn is endurance, so a good thing will take a long time to happen.
Chris adds that, to the contrary, Mars in Aries is not associated with endurance—it is normally a sprint. When it is in a square to Saturn, there are challenges about how to keep up endurance. Kelly notes, “Things take more effort and require you to dig deep when you are already depleted.” She adds that we may feel a need to do things but have no spark or motivation to do them. If you are wondering, “What do I want to put my energy into?” it may be that you are tired, or that the spark has gone out of a partnership or a project.
“Mars drops the rules of engagement. People fight dirty and there is a tendency for conflicts to be outside of civilized bounds,”
The Astrology Podcast 2020 Year Ahead
Cardinal signs (the signs that are in the sky when the seasons are changing—Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn) will continue to be important, as Mars is in Aries, Mercury and the sun will be in Libra during the month, and Pluto, Jupiter, Saturn are in Capricorn. If your own chart has planets or important points in Cardinal signs, they will be activated. But we will all have a feeling of transition taking place—since Cardinals signs bring change to the seasons, planets in cardinal signs bring change to the energy affecting the world.
Astrologer Pam Gregory points out that Mars in Aries will be meeting up with dwarf planet Eris, which represents the goddess of discord and chaos. Mars and Aries, she says, represent “individual power and a need for sovereignty…not having to check in with anyone.” Saturn and Pluto are close together, representing power, control, rules and regulations, and Mars will be square (in conflict with) those points in September and October. This, Pam says, signals “individuals demanding more freedom, demanding to be heard, taking to the street and running up against repressive policies and power of governments.” She also points out the importance of cardinal signs here as being the activation of those points that relate to “power battles and issues of control, and in the process of that it is also bringing down the older order.” When people take to the streets, she says, that is part of the process.
Acyuta-bhava Dasa has talked about it as being a good time to do disciplined energy or action (martial arts, for example) but on the flip side of the coin, it can be frustration of wanting to move and being held back or limited. Rick Levine says that while Mars is energetic and wants to move and take action, as the warrior planet ruling Aries, it is also a planet of boundaries. The difference with Saturn—which sets boundaries for disciplinary reasons—Mars sets boundaries for ego reasons—my stuff versus your stuff, as Levine explains. And that can be part of the difficulty causing the conflicts with others over space, ideas, or perspectives. As this month’s key theme, Levine advises that since Mars is comfortable doing battle and setting boundaries, we need to strive for a healthy way to set boundaries—and Saturn may be the way to do that—since Saturn holds us back to build a structure that will last for the long-term.
SEPT 1
On September 1, we start with sun and mercury in Virgo making some connections with other planets. Virgo, an earth sign, allows the planets there to be connecting harmoniously with the Capricorn Cluster of Jupiter, Pluto and Saturn—which have been wreaking havoc this year, if you have not noticed. Mercury (communication, ideas, news and transportation) was just in a harmonious angle to expansive Jupiter, and today, September 1, the moon is in that same easy angle to Pluto (power, transformation, secrets). Astrologer and coach, Kelley Rosano, says this brings power to think and communicate, power to write and teach. It is a good time, she says, to start a business, since Pluto can be the boss or the one in charge and Mercury can relate to trade, teaching, speaking and contracts, as well as transportation. This can give the power to be efficient and effective, Rosano says.
SEPT 2
FULL MOON IN PISCES
VENUS OPPOSE SATURN
SUN TRINE URANUS
We have several meaningful connections today starting with the sun in earth sign Virgo and Uranus in earth sign Taurus being at an exact, harmonious degree at the same time as a full moon in Pisces that formed just after midnight on the east coast—with the moon at 10˚ Pisces and the Sun directly opposite the moon at 10˚ Virgo.
This is a meaningful and powerful full moon, but since Uranus is connected to both the sun and moon, there could be sudden breakthroughs, an awakening associated with the full moon, according to Rick Merlin Levine. He also points out that with the sun in Virgo amid Mercury energy (representing ideas, the thoughts, words, agreements and news) and the sun/ Uranus connection could be “mentally explosive,” bringing in ideas that sometimes (with Uranus) can seem crazy or outside the box, but that energy will be more subdued, because Mercury is going to connect to Saturn on the 3rd, which will ground and stabilize the Mercury energy. So, ideas will be more practical and serious. The Water Trio Astrology Podcast on YouTube sees the addition of Uranus to the full moon energy as a combination of Uranus brining the mental energy and Pisces bringing the felt energy—so you are able to intuit on two levels. Alicia Yusuf of the Trio notes that Full moons are emotional in general and in the water sign of Pisces, it can be more so. Her Trio pal Cass Tyndall suggests that Uranus can take the edge off things and also brings in an instinctive component while Pisces brings in an intuitive one, which, she says, can “take you somewhere that defies logic or reason and can set you up for this in the future” (Uranus). Pisces also brings in a “soulful rest” that, with Uranus can be sudden or unexpected.
Pam Gregory notes that full moons bring things to a culmination or an end in the area of life where the moon falls in our charts. She adds that full moons bring “revelations of things we didn’t know before,” and that “full moons shine a light into dark corners.” Neptune, the ruler of Pisces being at a challenging angle to the nodes of the moon (which determine the eclipses), “has a lot to do with secrets or things not being as they seem, even deception in some sense.” This combination could mean we will hear revelations of secrets about corruption, and the truth coming out about something very sensitive. “Feelings tend to come to a head” and there could be expressions of compassion, as well a confusion. Issues concerning floods and tsunamis could also occur.
Chris Brennan, Austin Coppock and Kelly Surtees bring up the sense that this full moon will bring out feelings (because of the emotions that water signs like Pisces bring to the table). The moon also represents our feelings and emotions, so it could be an emotional time—and connect to the Venus in Cancer signifying events (see below) that could bring out emotions, and it won’t likely feel good. Austin notes that this full moon is about fixing, improving and assessing what is going on at an emotional and psychic level.
Saturn plays a big role because it connects to several planets but aligns all month to Mars in Aries going retrograde (discussed in the Overview). At the same time, a full moon in Pisces connects to the sun in Virgo, and Venus in Cancer is opposing Saturn in Capricorn. What does that mean? Venus—all things pleasant, creative, beautiful, loving, and happy, including what we value, such as money and principles—in Cancer—which represents the home, family, home country, emotions, security and the moon (mother and women)–is across from Saturn in its home sign, representing the taskmaster, disciplinarian which is serious, restrictive, responsible and hardworking. Mars is also in the mix since it is close to 90˚ away from Saturn, adding a hostile edge to heat things up. Rick Levine tells us it can be a sense of wanting to do the right thing and be responsible, but getting over-excited and doing something stupid, unless we take the time to think things through in a mature, responsible way. It can also be, according to the Water Trio, the sense that boundaries and limits in a relationship are not being respected or wanting to nurture and protect those we love but needing to limit our efforts. There could also be questions around partnership commitments and priorities, with the possibility of telling someone, as Cass Tyndall of the Water Trio mentions, “I love you, but I love me more.” Kelley Surtees notes it will likely trigger overwhelming emotion with “pleasure denied or a challenge with a personal relationship.”
Acyuta-bhava Dasa discusses Venus in Cancer opposite Saturn in Capricorn at the same time as the full moon in Pisces as being important because “whenever there is a full moon, it is going to amplify whatever other transits are happening, because the full moon brings it to fruition,” and this is especially true with planets in Cancer, which is ruled by the moon. His co-host, Kat, on the September 2020 YouTube video, pointed out it would likely be a “strain on relationships,” and “maybe a bit of a power struggle,” since Venus had just been opposite Pluto (power). There could be a sense of loneliness or difficulty connecting (Saturn is not warm and fuzzy—more serious and strict), and “the feeling of a damper on normally pleasurable, light things.” However, though Acyuta-bhava agrees that there could be a negation or refusal of joy in a situation, it could also take on the long-term aspects of Saturn and have a theme of “love me little, but love me long” in a relationship that ages like a fine wine. Saturn brings maturity, and often with Venus it can mean an older lover, or a level of maturity and endurance in a relationship.
The full moon at the same time not only brings in the moon/Cancer connection but also the ancient ruler of Pisces, Jupiter. Looking to Jupiter, he notes that it currently is in a sign that hinders its energy (it is in its fall, astrologers say), and that can “highlight the feeling of disillusionment or disappointment,” or even make it necessary to “look harder at something than we want to.”
Pam Gregory points out that it could also be a “conflict between the need for security and safety and coziness, keeping things as they are in the home, and a sense of control or dominance.” Venus just having come away from opposition to Pluto could also be a power battle or even strong changes in currencies, since Venus also represents money.
Mercury is important because by September 3rd will play a role in mitigating this Venus/Saturn dynamic in a similar way that Uranus affected the full moon dynamic.
SEPTEMBER 3-4
Today Mercury (communication) is in harmonious flow with Saturn (discipline, tradition, practicality)–both are in grounded earth signs (pragmatic) and both are in their home signs (which makes them stronger)–at the same time that the Moon (in Pisces) is at an angle of opportunity to Saturn. This combination connects feelings and emotions to compassion and caring. The moon is also at a harmonious angle to Venus in Cancer. This, RickLevine tells us, is “a strong amount of flowing energy moving off an incredibly heightened tension.” This is where Acyuta-bhava Dasa and his co-host Kat on remind us that Mercury in Virgo can be pragmatic or healing communication and thinking, which benefits yesterday’s challenging Venus and Saturn opposition by bringing it into a more harmonious connection. He notes that as Mercury in Virgo is seeing things “clearly and rationally” with a “non-biased practical perspective,” it can “patch up the disagreement between Venus and Saturn.”
Mercury in this transit is able to “overpower or influence Saturn” which can sometimes get stuck. “Mercury can talk some sense into Saturn which then brings that to Venus, and Venus might be convinced to make amends,” Acyuta-bhava tells us. With compromise and letting go of disappointments or hurt feelings, there is an opportunity (Mercury sextile Venus) for things to turn out okay. Chris Brennan and Kelly Surtees say that the reason Mercury can point the way to a solution is that if you have a hard aspect like Venus oppose Saturn and a third planet joins the aspect in a more positive way (as Mercury does), it can mitigate the problem. With Mercury, communication is the likely solution. “Through dialogue, there is an opportunity for it not to be a worst-case scenario.”
Another perspective that Kelly brings up in conversation with her Australian astrology friends in the Water Trio Podcast on YouTube, is that the Mercury connection to this Venus/Saturn opposition is being strong enough to say something that would be easier to leave unsaid. “It’s just good to be aware of where you differ and how you see things differently,” and this aspect supports coming out of the comfort zone to deal with an uncomfortable situation by speaking your truth. Alicia Yusuf adds that in doing so, “you may be facing realities and leveling up—gaining a new maturity every time this happens and it gives you the opportunity this time to have that final clarity”—basically to have the maturity of saying what needs to be said.
But on the 3rd/4th, Venus is also coming into a square to Mars, and Mars is closely square to Saturn—and squares are tense, stressful angles. In this combination, Venus is more concerned with “emotional unity and togetherness and care,” says Acyuta-bhava. Mars and Saturn, however, are more rigid and unbending, saying, “My way or the highway.” Venus may be looking for a compromise on behalf of someone else.
At the same time, Mercury in Virgo is again acting as the negotiator—having conversations that may be difficult, focusing on values and relationships (Venus). Here is where Venus will suggest a perspective that uncompromising Mars and Saturn are not willing to consider, but Venus, though normally harmonious and loving, can be stronger now as the morning star, and will be more likely to demand the issue be addressed. Yet, Venus and Mars are the zodiacal lovers, which Acyuta-bhava describes as having the energy of a tango—creatively tense and dynamic with a sexual and erotic feel to it.
But with Venus and Mercury working well together, it represents this as a time to work out our differences with words—to talk, and not wrestle.
Rick Levine notes that this Venus/Mars square can go either way. “It can be annoying, hostile, angry, conflictual, or fighting, but it also can be just playful sparring.” And he notes that the creativity between them is powerful, especially following the Pisces full moon. With Saturn involved, there is a level of discipline and planning that can bring a creative project to a long-term fruition (or conclusion).
Mercury’s sextile to Venus is an opportunity that, if acted upon, can bring in a positive outcome, because Mercury is at an uneasy angle to mars that could cause communication, to “misrepresent what we are trying to do,” says Levine. But with Venus and Mercury working well together, it represents this as a time to work out our differences with words—to talk, and not wrestle. In Virgo, communication is useful, and in connecting to Venus it is aided in using communication to settle differences of opinion.
SEPT 5
Mercury moves out of Virgo today and into Libra, a sign ruled by Venus, which influences the Mercury vibe. As Rick Levine tells us, “Once mercury moves into Libra, our mind, our thinking, our intelligence, –rather than having laser like focus—we want to create harmony and balance. We begin to realize that being right is not necessarily going to get us to where we need to be.” Since Libra’s symbolism of the scales represents harmony and balance, it can add diplomatic energy, and with Mercury, negotiation, open-mindedness, and fair-mindedness. Although Libra’s influence brings a desire for being pleasant and keeping the peace, Acyuta-bhava’s co-host, Kat, points out the risk that “you can pussyfoot around things and you don’t get to the truth.” And Acyuta-bhava adds that “In a lot of ways we can feign we are impartial, but we are manipulating things because we have an agenda,” and based on the position Mercury is in relation to Neptune, things can get deceptive over time.
SEPT 6
Venus changes signs, going from watery, emotional Cancer (in opposition to the Capricorn Cluster) to drier, creative Leo. As it does, Levine tells us, Venus goes from being “quiet and receptive and maybe even demure” to suddenly saying what she wants. “Venus in Leo is more expressive, more outgoing and more demonstrative,” he says. This change, Levine says, brings Venus (desire) into “a much more expressive outgoing Leo and mercury, the communication aspect, from a very exacting, specific and even timid do-the-right thing (Virgo) into an expressive, open, diplomatic Libra” bringing both planets out of “softer, more receptive, more passive signs into more directive and more yang signs,” which is an important piece of what is going on.
Acyuta-bhava tells us “Venus in Leo is going to have much more of that regal royal quality, which can be more theatrical and a little annoying….It can be like operatic and over-the-top theatrical, but it is also a sign of the goddess takes on a queen status where the goddess has a lot more power and a lot more say.” He adds that “Venus is pointing us to in terms of the greater harmony peace pleasure or happiness,” and with several positive connections to communicative Mercury, Venus will be more vocal and feel more of a need to negotiate on behalf of something.
Chris Brennan’s group mentions that in Leo, Venus is at an angle that is between mars and Saturn and it will hit a square with Uranus at 10˚. Kelly notes that Venus will interact harmoniously with Mars at end of Leo but will be “stepping out of cardinal crunch territory and into relatively a calm space.” Austin agrees that although Leo is not Venus’ favorite place to be, it is a sign that is not being attacked, so Venus “not being in those cross hairs is a big improvement.”
SEPT 9
The sun in Virgo makes a harmonious connection to Jupiter in Capricorn, bringing hope and optimism, Levine says. “Something that we can see that is ahead that might give us the ability to have a better attitude or even be more confident.”
On the same day, however, Mars, the planet of assertion, begins to hold still in the sky as it slows down to go retrograde. At this point, Levine says, “The slower moving planet is the more powerful, the more chronic–with heavier weight. As it slows down, we all want to hold our position.”
Chris Brennan and friends note that Mars (and therefore, this energy), will be felt more intensely in September, which Austin describes as “easier to feel horribly negative,” and Kelly describes as an “intensification of desire—homing in on something and not letting go.” (Much of their discussion was covered in the Overview above).
Pam Gregory points out that if we turn that Mars assertion and impulsivity inward, we can turn it into courage and inner power, which she calls hero energy. “It’s much more useful when we’ve got that inner sense of power if that becomes our reference point rather than the scattering of outer events,” she explains. But she does point out, as mentioned in the Overview, that for some people, Mars moving retrograde could mean a loss of energy or enthusiasm for a project they are working on.
Acyuta-bhava Dasa talks about this possible depletion of energy as “an opportunity to take a different change of pace and slow down and come back stronger.” Or, he says, it could be “a change of strategy if you’ve been trying to will your way to getting something done and it’s not working, or you’re meeting some kind of roadblock or resistance. Remember, we’ve got that square to Saturn in the mix so it might be a good time to sort of sit down and look at the problem and then approach it from a different angle.”
At the same time, Acyuta-bhava points out that when Mars turns retrograde, on a personal level you can get much better impulse control or go up a level when it comes to your normal mars-related tendencies, such as anger, frustration, temper, or irritability. “All of a sudden it’s like you have a little buffer and a little voice inside your head being like, ‘Wait a sec, slow down, let’s just delay that trigger-happy response.’” While you may hold back from the worst possible reaction, he adds that much of this depends on your consciousness because, at the same time, people will also have reactions that are much more damaging and unchecked , more volatile or wilder.
But he tells us that there can be a lot of lessons here about impulse control, whether it has to do with losing control of our temper or temptation from something alluring and beautiful, like the sirens’ call that you have to ignore. It is under this aspect that something that was a subtle but chronic problem could suddenly become acute and feedback or consequences allow you to create some beneficial change.
SEPT 10-11
Today, two oppositions are forming in the sky—Mercury opposing Chiron and the Sun opposing Neptune that can contribute to the lessons Acyuta-bhava Dasa talked about regarding the Mars/Saturn square this month. While they have different meanings, Rick Levine tells us they work together. Mercury opposing Chiron, he explains is about “the need to communicate in a way that does not perpetuate our old wounds and hurts. Mercury opposing Chiron gives us an opportunity to forgive and to move on, and yet the tendency, instead of wanting to forgive, is wanting to hold onto that and to blame.” This is partly due to the fact that oppositions represent tension between Mercury (which is more fair-minded) and Chiron (the wounded healer, which is teaching us a lesson).
The sun opposing Neptune introduces confusion about what is real. “We might even hold onto our beliefs in such a high-minded manner that we end up being guilty of … not necessarily dealing with what is,” Levine says, adding, “It is setting that Mercury opposition to Chiron up to forgiving without really feeling.” This is because the sun’s opposition to Neptune can cause a lack of clarity between Virgo’s (where the sun is) exact reality and Neptune, which is the dream or imagination. An aspect like this can work well when kept in balance because, Levine tells us, it is incredibly creative and spiritual. The sun has just left a harmonious angle to Jupiter, and is moving toward a similar angle to Pluto. This brings the energy to a place, Levine says, where we can see a metamorphosis of the “dark underworld,” represented by Pluto, as it transforms “into the light, the good, the hopeful of what is ahead.”
Acyuta-bhava Dasa adds to this by pointing out a relationship between Mercury and Neptune happening at the same time as the sun/Neptune opposition known as an antiscia. Without going into a long explanation, this combination of Mercury/Neptune and the sun and Neptune can bring “other worldly insights and messages,” particularly during meditation. He explains the importance of this, saying, “When people don’t have practices in place—lifestyle practices or any kind of practices that help keep those channels open and clean and clear—this can be a time of confusion and deception and being misled somehow, but it seems to hinge on our own ability to keep a clean and open channel so that we see very clearly.”
SEPT 12 – 14
On September 12 Jupiter slows down ready to turn back and push forward. Kelly Surtees notes that the key point of the shift of Jupiter (and later in the month, Saturn) going direct is that this is the start of the final push for them to head out of Capricorn and into Aquarius. Chris Brenan notes that if people have planets in Capricorn close to 17˚ where Jupiter is stopping before it changes direction, positive energy can help counterbalance the heaviness of other planets there, and counterbalance the fierceness of Mars, square to the Capricorn Cluster. Even planets in other cardinal signs and earth signs at that degree can be affected. Austin’s point of view is that Jupiter going direct will not fix things, “but it is better than not having Jupiter direct.”
Venus reaches a harmonious angle to Chiron, the wounded healer and teacher. This is about love,Rick Levine tells us. Healing power is expanded, and it can be about finding the wounds in ourselves and others. “It is about finding a way to accept and love that energy” in others we love as well as others we disagree with.
By the 14th, the sun and Pluto will be at a harmonious angle, which takes what has been hidden and brings it out into the open. The sun in Virgo brings a practical, logical, useful and effective element to making sure that something important is done with this deep, unconscious, intense energy. Levine tells us that last month’s squares from Mars to Pluto, Jupiter and Saturn built up pressure, and this connection with the sun (and one between sun and Saturn on the 17th) relieves that pressure.
Pam Gregory explains that Jupiter is really about wisdom and while it has been retrograde we accumulated wisdom that “we didn’t know back in spring maybe to do with our conception of reality and what reality is and how the world works ,” she tells us, “but it’s also very much about a future vision for yourself and for others.” She reminds us to consider what wisdom we have accumulated and have begun to understand and to use it, because September will be a time of creativity and future vision.
SEPT 15
Venus in Leo comes into square to Uranus in Taurus, which Rick Levine tells us is “not necessarily negative, but it can have an impact because Venus in Leo is demonstrative and Uranus in Taurus is maybe eccentric, but it wants to hold onto what it believes and knows or what it thinks it knows. It can be stubborn. Venus squaring that Uranus can release energy because we want something that is different.” These two planets coming into a square fills the need for something different to happen, something outside the box, that can break us free from old restraints. “This can be exciting and can be fun, it can also be upsetting,” Levine says.
Acyuta-bhava and Kat point out that with this square there’s “a kind of artistic, aesthetic risk or flashiness or something kind of daring or avant-garde or defiant or rebellious.” But on the mundane (general) level we might see things like “short-lived love affairs–people cheating on other people–or short-lived things that quickly grab your attention and rock the boat like a one-hit wonder.”
The energy, they add, brings creative breakthroughs when you’ve been working on a problem and a radical or unexpected solution suddenly pops into your head. Or Venus/Uranus can be the empowerment of the feminine. But it is a short-lived transit that comes and goes quickly.
Chris Brennan’s group discussed it and pointed out that the news could reveal more at this time with the Venus/Uranus themes of unexpected or short-lived developments. Austin says that in such a harsh year, it is good to shake up whatever you are doing for fun or pleasure. “Don’t go back to the same old thing; do something else for a couple of days, inject innovation—intentionally avoid stagnation, because if you try to do exactly the same thing, disruption will likely be done to you than by you.
SEPT 17
MERCURY SQUARE JUPITER
NEW MOON IN VIRGO
Rick Levine tells us that Mercury is creating angst today, because it reaches a square (90˚ angle) to Jupiter, which he says is “basically about turning a molehill into a mountain” because Mercury, ruler of logical and practical Virgo, is in Libra now, where it wants to be a connector, fair-minded, and the go-between trying to bring balance and equanimity to both sides. But, Levine says, when Mercury is square to Jupiter, we can overdo things, so they are not only not useful, they are grandiose, overblown. At the same time that Mercury is connecting with the Capricorn Cluster in a challenging way, the sun has reached the third and final connection–a harmonious angle to Saturn that brings in structure and authority to give stability to and dictate what happens with the Mercurial ideas and concepts so they don’t get out of hand.
But not only is Mercury square to Jupiter, it is coming into a T-square to the rest of the Capricorn Cluster through its opposition to Mars and Mars’ square to that same part of the sky. At the same time, there is a new moon (sun and moon meeting) in Virgo—which is ruled by Mercury. So, this new moon energizes the Mercury/Jupiter aspect. Chris Brennan notes that not only is this new moon at the halfway point between eclipses, but also that this is a positive aspect for the day, at least before Mercury moves on and meets up with Pluto, Saturn and Mars in upcoming transits. Austin Coppock points out that this complex connection fixes, improves and protects to shield things against potential harm.
Rick Levine tells us that the Mercury/Jupiter square happening at the same time as this new moon is a distraction from the focus we should have on the new moon. The Mercury/Jupiter connection can be a helper, but we need to keep things simple, small and focused or we lose power to manifest during this powerful new moon. Since this new moon is in Virgo, the theme is to be small and focused, Levine tells us. “The impact of the very focused outweighs the impact of the big idea.”
Pam Gregory tells us this new moon in Virgo is a super moon, meaning the new beginning it brings is stronger and bigger. With Virgo’s connection to medicine and healing, she notes, there may be talk of some kind of cure regarding the virus, and without getting into the debate about vaccines, she notes that the Virgo theme brings up the ancient wisdom that the earth has everything we need to heal us.
Virgo is also a work-oriented sign that emphasizes the details “to the point of perfectionism, needing to dot the eyes and cross the t’s, which can be excellent but sometimes people with strong Virgo emphasis can get a little bit anxious.” She advises that since Virgo’s ruler is Mercury, which relates to the mind, we may find ourselves thinking too much or focusing a lot on the details of work. Use the positive side of Virgo, she advises, including remembering the simple things, and connecting to the earth by walking barefoot to ground ourselves.
SEPT 18-19
In addition to being square to Jupiter at the time of this new moon, Mercury is in an uncomfortable, annoying angle (quincunx) to Neptune in Pisces, which is opposite the new super moon in Virgo. As Mercury is about our thoughts and ideas, and Neptune is about dreams and big future-oriented visions, Pam Gregory asks, “what can you envisage that is so far ahead of who you have been and how you have been in every sense…. it’s a whole new world that we have potentially coming down the track” and the places we should ideally be connected to are the imagination and the divine to get beyond the divisiveness and polarity.
Rick Levine tells us that with this annoying angle, we may have looked at things illogically, and this aspect is “another readjustment of not having gotten it quite right. We may have overinflated and now we have to refocus.”
On the 19th another quincunx is formed between the Sun and Mars, which brings some destabilization. While Mars is very powerful in Aries, Levine tells us, “We run into the irritation of not having the amount of aggression or assertion that is Mars’ right. We can become too focused or narrow minded (sun in Virgo)—so focused we don’t take action, or we are dealing with having done too much a day or two ago.”
In fact, Levine points out that in addition to more planetary connections to the Capricorn Cluster, we will continue to be annoyed by these awkward quincunx connections all the way through September 28th , which he describes as “not quite frustration, though it is annoyance, which can be even worse than outright frustration, because we cannot resolve it.” (Like a mosquito buzzing in your ear at night that you can’t find to make it stop).
SEPT 20
This is when Mercury in Libra forms a square to Pluto in Capricorn. Here is where we have to deal with more than we thought we would. And while Mercury tries to mediate and counsel and harmonize, one of the parties (Pluto) has its own agenda. Levine explains, “Pluto is keeping powerful stuff under the surface, and it is hard to negotiate with someone who does not put all their cards on the table. We may feel as if we are negotiating in the dark here.”
Acyuta-bhava Dasa says it brings “toxic beliefs or toxic thoughts, the kinds of thoughts that loop on repeat and make you feel crazy. But keeping them in could later lead to some kind of verbal explosion, and you need to get something out. You almost want a slow release valve so that you don’t just go crazy.” It is a time when pent-up energies—both mentally and verbally–can come out, and there is a superficiality and potential for vanity and fakeness with Mercury in Libra. Acyuta-bhava warns that this can result in “things that look diplomatic that are really, really power hungry (Pluto). It’s like the iron hand and the velvet glove, and that velvet glove is the Libran veneer with a Plutonian underlying. It’s like someone who looks really nice but they’ve got something like a dungeon in their basement.” So this is a time when we need to be careful about things that seem nice or sound really nice. But, if you can sense that there’s just a really selfish, power-hungry, manipulative force beneath, be careful.
“Pluto is keeping powerful stuff under the surface, and it is hard to negotiate with someone who does not put all their cards on the table. We may feel as if we are negotiating in the dark here.”
Rick Levine on the Mercury/Pluto square
Acyuta-bhava also says that since Pluto is connected to both Hades and riches, there could be hidden dealings or problems related to financial fraud, a manipulation of currency, or something to do with the markets. It can, however, also be about making a good deal, or finding a good partnership or a lucrative situation in business that can lead to some deeper, more fertile development in a business or in your career, he tells us. It’s not all bad, but we need to be aware of what is going on.
SEPT 21-23
Mercury is square to Saturn for the first time, but will continue to connect at 90˚ angles through early November. It is also in opposition to Mars in Aries, and Austin Coppock notes that this opposition on top of a square to Saturn is “pretty rough”—since Saturn is “weighty and melancholy” and Mars is saying, “Maybe we should freak out.” This, he says, will likely connect to the national conversation with the states and the world not being ideal. It is not the time to have a difficult talk. He advises, “You might have to respond to being screamed at. If you need to initiate a conversation that requires nuance, choose not to.”
Rick Levine’s take on these connections is, “These are a rough couple of days because we see that we want to find a balancing of the extreme energies, and, at the same time, the more we try, the less it works. We run into obstacles, and we maybe even run into a reaction of assertion or aggression from that opposition to Mars.”
Acyuta-bhava refers to the Mercury/Saturn square as a moment of stubbornness and communication that, with Mercury’s opposition to Mars puts us in “a diplomatic showdown and there’s something difficult that needs to be worked through. There might be intractable people we’re dealing with, or you, yourself, may become suddenly stubborn. But, there will be a call for compromise.” There could even be volatile energies with a potential for negotiation or compromise. Mercury in Venus’ sign of Libra brings in values, and the idea of negotiation through the expression of “our views, values, opinions, beliefs, taking in the other person’s, as well ,and trying not to cause too much damage in the confrontation.”
The sun changes signs on September 22nd—the Autumnal Equinox—as it moves from Virgo into Libra. Rick Levine describes the energy shift as having “moved out of that ‘let’s be practical, let’s be grounded and work with what we have, let’s look for the stable solution here’ mindset, and instead, as the sun moves into Libra, we go into this place of ‘I don’t care if it is useful or if it is going to work. What, theoretically, is the way we can resolve this energy?’ So, we look for solutions that may not be as reality-based.”
Acyuta-bhava Dasa notes that this is the point we will start to reap what we have sown since the time of the Spring (Vernal) Equinox, when the seeds were sown. Now we start receiving the results, getting feedback, the consequences, and we let go, and the disintegration process begins as we prepare for a new cycle and turn toward the dark time of the year (Saturn).
Austin commented that the Equinox begins the fourth quarter, the “series finale of a four-part mini-series that everyone hated.” Chris responds that he is hoping the season ends on a high note and that he is looking forward to the Jupiter/Saturn conjunction in December. Austin’s more cynical (or is it realistic?) reply is, “It doesn’t end on a high note – it is an ‘all is not lost’ note.”
Venus makes a quincunx to Neptune on the 23rd, which Acyuta-bhava says is uncertainty about what we really want. Also on the 23rd, Mercury prepares (enters its shadow period) to go retrograde in October through the US Election Day on November 3rd (more about that later in the month). Kelly Surtees brings up the fact that Mercury going into shadow “can be a heavy mind, weighty decision, mulling things over.” It has an anxious quality that might be related to an event or circumstances that come up bringing with it a general malaise because we may have to make a tough, but necessary choice. She advises, “Take care of mental health and mindset around then as best you can.”
SEPT 27
Mercury moves into Scorpio today, bringing with it the energy under which the US election will take place. Rick Levine tells us there is a “finality with Scorpio, a sense of cutting off, eliminating, when Mercury moves into that sign….Our thinking may become a lot more pointed.” He explains that even though the thought pattern while Mercury was in Libra related to finding the harmony point, he notes that “we have made decisions that, by the end of September, are quite significant.”
Acyuta-bhava Dasa discusses the fact that when Mercury moves into Scorpio, it is going into a water sign ruled by Mars (its ancient ruler) while Mars is retrograde and moving into a position of tension with Scorpio’s modern ruler, Pluto. Mercury is also preparing to go retrograde. He adds that water signs were called “mute,” meaning they tend to be more secretive. What all this means is that in October, we will get a Mercury that was related to peaceful and harmonious thoughts and communication when it was in Libra now becoming more ruthless in a cloak-and-dagger kind of way. So what Acyuta-bhava tells us to be aware of here, while we are still in September, is that “how we handle September is going to result in an easier or harder October, potentially.”
Mercury in Scorpio, he says could bring up thoughts based on paranoia, anxiety, defensiveness and mistrust, and later, could bring in a more investigative, critical thinking and probing mindset which could be helpful, he says, if there has been “the veneer of falseness or fakeness” – a very likely possibility. Since Scorpio is a fixed sign, he adds that Mercury (thinking and communication) can get “fixed” on one train of thought that makes it hard to see another perspective and issues of trust (or mistrust) can come in.
SEPT. 28
Today Rick Levine notes that Venus moves into a 150˚ angle (quincunx) to Saturn in Capricorn. This, he says, is an “annoying irritation of something that is not working. Our values are not matching up with the authorities.” At the same time, Venus is making a trine (120˚ angle) with Mars while mars is moving into square with Saturn. This, he emphasizes, is an “incredibly potent end of the month” since in this aspect we have two planets that are at a quincunx angle–one planet that is in a square and one planet in a trine. This is called a learning triangle, which Levine tells us doesn’t work and does work. “We have to figure out what works and make that the focus point and we have to resolve what doesn’t work.” The trine between Venus and Mars works, he says, pointing out that earlier in the month, Venus was at a tense (square) angle to Mars, which was about conflict, and now that they are in a harmonious angle, there is a much smoother flow of energy between “what I want, what I desire and how I am going to get it.”
But retrograde Mars is square to Saturn, bringing with it heightened frustration because it is bumping into the wall of authority, Levine says. “This is actually learning how to go to that Venus to cool our jets and be a little bit more kind. Not talking about denying our needs or burying our need to be assertive or to manage boundaries, but talking about doing it in a way that perhaps is a little bit ameliorative; not long term, but short term, because we have something that we want, something that Venus has in her mind that we are going for.”
But Mars, he tells us, can lead us in the wrong direction. “We need to really be paying attention to that Mars in impulsive Aries, and figure out how to move the energy in a way that is not ultimately destructive.”
This combination of connections is also heightened because Saturn will be going direct on the next day, September 29th, which strengthens it. So, the energy is powerful. Levine warns that with Saturn being so strong and stabilized, “The authority here is going to rule and hot Mars can make itself crazy by trying to take on the stabilizing force of Saturn, and we have to remember that we are not in a battle, we are in a war.” It is important, he says, to remember that we must play the long-term game, and not look for instant gratification, which is what Mars in Aries adores. That, he warns, won’t be helpful now.
SEPT 29
The key thing happening today is that Saturn, at 25 degrees of Capricorn, stations (stops briefly) and prepares to move forward toward Aquarius, which it will enter in December. At this point, Saturn is at the closest it will get to Pluto again—the other planet Saturn met up with in early January, when we first got wind of a pandemic threatening to spread across the world. “So that is an intense cluster,” Chris Brennan reminds us, because, at the same time, Mars, heading retrograde in Aries, forms an exact square to Saturn, which means the Pluto energy is at least part of that square, as well.
Austin Coppock points out why this is important: “It is not just one malefic and one problem. It is three things at once creating malefic synergies. With the return of exact conjunction of Saturn /Pluto, how much does that become operative or full force? Is it the threat of (the energy) coming back full force?”
Chris added that, “Lisa (Schaim) was reading a lot on this – focused on Saturn into Capricorn and joined Pluto was potential authoritarian governments. How strikingly that has come up and become more prominent around the world over the past 2 years.”
So this end of September combo of Saturn going direct and the second Mars/ Saturn exact 90˚ angle happening, Austin says, is one theme–“more combustible garbage into the dumpster.” He also adds that watching the stock market, “It will not keep going up throughout months and years of economic depression. It will come down soon, maybe late September.”
Chris agreed and added, “One key word we talked about was contraction in terms of the economy. Saturn next to Pluto, and if we will get contraction and reality, Saturn intensification is something we would expect. What happens when you hit the wall and the reality of a situation becomes clear?”
“Back to earth,” Austin said.
Rick Levine points out that the sun is opposing Chiron today, also. Again, he warns, “We have to be careful here about projecting our fears, our wounds onto others, we have to be careful about trying to fix something “out there” when it is really incumbent upon us to fix our stuff inside.” Oppositions can also cause tension in relationships with others—not just romantic ones or friendships, but between us and the world, or between the powers that be and others. The last few days of September, he tells us are “not being excitedly fun, but oddly enough even in all that, they are not as bad or dangerous as some of the things we have gone through. Not sure, though, how it will play out.”
Summary
Again, Rick Levine sums up the month well. He says that September is:
“a month of change, annoyance, a month where we have to be careful about anger management, which is the most important thing throughout the month. We need to keep our eyes focused on the distance, because that is the game we are in right now. We have had two outer planets move direct, and Pluto will follow. It will not be until November when Mars follows. Things will begin to make sense quickly after that, especially leading to Mars’ third and final run through the squares to the Capricorn planets in late December into January.”
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