A September Month of Recovery and Re-creation

This is an important monthly cycle that we have coming up in September, as we recover from the recent Mercury Retrograde and enter Mercury’s post-retrograde shadow, ending on September 11th. We have also been very aware of prominent outer planet presences in recent lunations, including Pluto, signaling transformation, featured also in this month’s astrological patterning, Neptune, currently featured as well, is hovering at 29° Pisces, therefore currently quite close to the Aries Point of 0° Aries, while Uranus, which was strongly highlighted in the recent August 19th Aquarius Full Moon is again a big factor in the partial lunar eclipse of September 17th. All these outer planet alignments being in the current astrology implies a degree of transformational intensity in this September month, both within the collective, and for each one of us individually. This reminds us that, even though it may sound scary, change is not to be feared. Life itself is change; as Bob Dylan was able to remind us during the volatile 1960s, “everybody not busy being born is busy dying.” In the New Moon of the 2nd that applies to the entire thirty-day Virgo lunation cycle, another important element is the close Mars-Pluto inconjunct (or quincunx) aspect, within about a degree and accompanied by a close contra-parallel. This as Pluto has stationed to retrograde motion just the day before the New Moon. There is with this aspect the distinct possibility of passions running wild, including sexual intensity, or the other side of connection, internal anger that could erupt directly out of our unconscious. We might want to remember to count to ten or take a few deep breaths before committing to words that we might later come to regret. We do well to remember that we are seldom angry for the reason that we think we are.

In this New Moon configuration as well, we find a recovering Mercury at 23° of Leo, in close trine with Chiron in Aries aligning in his long conjunction with Eris, making his archetype of The Wounded Healer even more prominent. This active presence of Chiron can remind us that our early childhood experience of inner wounding can remain as hidden, cast away parts of our unconscious psyche that return to haunt us in times of difficulty, disturbing our calm. The recipe there is to pay attention to these hurt and walled-off parts of ourselves and to acknowledge rather than avoid their presence, thus befriending them and allowing better integration of these interior wounds.

In this New Moon as well, Venus, newly crossed over into Libra, which she rules, and conjunct the South Node of the Moon, reminds us that our own internal principles and values are also quite important to us now, as we reassess who and what we really are, and find our way forward into greater authenticity.

In the First Quarter Moon of September 10th we might encounter conflict between ideas and emotions or feel stuck between ‘stop’ and ‘go,’ while in the Pisces Full Moon of September 17th the issues of this monthly cycle may to some extent come to a head and seek their fulfillment. In this Full Moon, the Sun and Moon trine and sextile Uranus, retrograde in Taurus, bringing unexpected events and sudden surprising revelations into the picture of our ongoing psycho-spiritual development.

Then there is the September Equinox of the 22nd, which is this year another active configuration. We call it the “Fall Equinox” here in the northern hemisphere, the time of equal length day and night as we head toward – again, in the northern hemisphere – the shorter days and the eventual advent of winter. In this configuration, the Sun at 0° Libra makes a grand trine with Pluto near 0° Aquarius (a little behind that exact degree since having retrograded into the last degree of Capricorn) and Uranus at 27° of Taurus. The Sun is additionally in close opposition to numinous Neptune. Venus, ruler of Libra, at 29° of that sign is in partile or same-degree square with Pluto. So, we have another transformational push to re-create ourselves coming along in this later part of the month.

With all the transformational intensity of this post- Mercury-retrograde period of time, there is the perhaps unconscious urge to begin leaving the past behind. We will likely see this emphasized in the current Democratic campaign for president which has articulated the slogan of “We’re not going back” referring to an older and functionally antiquated way of standing against diversity of points of view. In our individual lives as well, there are things that we may want to embrace that represent a departure from our past, and yet might be the best way for us to go, in the long run. So our mantra of courage must be, again in the words of 20th-century prophet Bob Dylan: “Leave your stepping stones behind, there’s something that calls for you. Forget the dead you’ve left; they will not follow you... Strike another match – go start anew; and it’s all over now, Baby Blue.” Blessings.

A September Month of Recovery and Re-creation

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