Pluto Direct / Sun in Libra

Libra

by Mikalojus Konstantinas Ciurlionis (1907)

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In case you haven’t heard, Pluto is about to go direct at 10 Capricorn. The date will be September 23rd, the time will be barely past midnight (UT/+0) and all of this precedes the Sun’s Libra equinox by barely two hours (the Sun enters Libra at 2:30 in the morning, UT/+0 time).

And if we think about just that much, one obvious metaphysical metaphor seem rather clear: our Sun-in-Libra ‘life relationships’ and/or ‘relationship to life’ (be that passive or action-oriented) are taking a [Pluto] transformative [station] turn through which, or in the wake of which we will face things which are possibly very new to us...or which we will have to face ‘anew’...or which we will deal with directly (or need to deal with directly) from a perspective which takes more than just ourselves (or our Self) into account.

In entering Libra, the Sun is moving into the zodiac’s public zone - the six signs (Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces) which are less about learning about our Self and more about learning what that self can, should or needs to do in life, their world or the world. Being that the worldly signs are in polarity to the zodiac’s personal (‘about me’) signs (Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo) there’s always some ‘bleed’ from one hemisphere to the other just as it’s natural for us all to have moments of thinking about some public or  worldly situation in terms of a focus on our Self (i.e., ‘what does this mean to me?’).

But that’s natally. All our natal traits are what they are and we will slide back and forth along our own polarity lines as we will, depending on how they’re laid out. Transits however, work a little differently. The Sun in Libra or Venus transiting Virgo (as it is at the moment)...transiting planets hold their nature more purely, more innately on an ‘in the moment’ conceptual level than natal planets do. So though your natal Libra Sun or your natal Virgo Venus may regularly reflect polarities in your day-to-day life, the transiting Libra Sun indicates a four-week period where we either are balanced, we bring things into balance or where through some typically Libran force, procedure or operation we are brought into balance by some response (or lack thereof) from others, that being a reflection of what we’ve ‘put out there’ for them to react to.

All of which sounds very timely, yes.

Then there’s the Pluto side of this equation. In going direct at 10 Capricorn, Pluto is still conjunct ‘fixed star’ (nebula) Facies - a point of multi-pronged difficulties and challenges - while also conjunct Vega, a star which in being situated at 14 Capricorn since 1907 has long stood for the sort of grace in speech or personal presentation which most of us recognize as ‘charisma’ or the ability to be charismatic.

And what it the single knee-jerk keyword for Pluto? That’s right: transformation.

So whatever Pluto encounters, it changes. Whatever the status quo, Pluto comes along and turns the tables, changes the direction, transforms the circumstance. We therefore shouldn’t be surprised that as Pluto has come into a five-degree orb of conjunction with Vega (which started back in late December 2012) many a thought, quality, effort and/or person we had thought was so wonderful, so cool, so worth our faith, loyalty and support - how at this point we feel disappointed. Or rejected. Or even repulsed.

It’s at moments (and periods) like this when we find out who human beings are - at least currently. But currently is what we have to deal with, yes.

Pluto’s station effects will of course, have started up prior to the Sun’s entering Libra. Using either a two or three-day station ‘allowance’ we would expect the entire roster of Plutonic qualities... from the toxic to the purifying, from the life-giving to the death-dealing, from the hands-off guiding with wisdom notion to the ‘don’t even think outside the box’ control orientations to begin evidencing in earnest at least by the 21st, if not a day even earlier that that.

The ‘rule’ with stations goes as follows: the closer to the actual time of station, the stronger the effect will be with events occurring prior to the time of station pointing to things which are yet to happen and things after the station referring to matters which have already occurred.

And with Pluto, that could be saying a lot. Pluto effects are not known for being polite or gentle, though they can be, with the difference being whether we are (or have been) in control of our Self and whatever our underlying fears and insecurities may be. As desire is at some level a ‘fear’ of going without, as rejection is a fear of feeling invalidated by others who in life’s grand scheme of things may or may not mean anything to anything (apart from our ego), so Pluto manifests in some area of our life as a form of ‘proof’ as to how stable we are or aren’t - most of all with our Self.

Metaphysically speaking, the markers are pretty simple here: stability brings about the acceptance of life as having moments of joy as well as moments of grief, areas of light which are not just offset by realms of sorrow but which are complimented and enhanced by our breadth of experience.

The sort of stability Pluto asks us to have is not external, but internal. From that flows all else as we are each one of us causal effects in a cause/effect world.

As the Sun comes into Libra this quality of ‘being able to produce, hone or change our own results’ becomes very direct...and at the same time, very theoretical in a way which can become argumentative and dogmatic. Though those who tend to wear rose colored glasses don’t like it much, Libra is not just about the pretty - it’s about how to use our power to generate reactions, whatever they may be, to learn how to be our Self more effectively. This is why Libra isn’t necessarily about ‘lovers’ but about pairs matched by interest whether that interest ‘matches up’ through similarity or opposition (this being why the Libra keyword list includes ‘partners’ as well as ‘open enemies’).

However...that ‘lovers’ thing? That being the emotional side of pairing (peacefully or otherwise), that is Scorpionic by nature. And Pluto is the outcome ruler of Scorpio, so to have Pluto going direct as the Sun is entering (and activating) all those Libra precepts does suggest this station period as one when romantic lovers may either come together or erupt, depending on underlying (Taurus/security) issues.

And yes other relationships will be affected too. Things may be just fine, or they may become very ‘un-lover-ly’ over this period or in the wake of it because of something which arises (or happens)now. We are moving through a very complicated (Facies/Pluto) time which in great measure is breaking us down, which is in perfect keeping with the 0 Scorpio solar eclipse set to happen next month (on October 23rd, UT/+0). In fact, we could quite sensibly say that this station - with all its ‘Facies’ complications and its realistic if unpleasant flecks of something we [Vega] thought good which has suddenly been revealed as something other.

(Maybe something very ‘other.’) 

Despite all our reactions...(which are likely to be many, varied, and often sufficiently intense to make us uncomfortable with the fervency of our own feelings)...none of this is precisely about breaking us down so we can be defeated - but rather so we can see ourselves as a person with preferences and vulnerabilities which amount to as many pluses and minuses as anyone else has (with our auto-comparing being part of all which comes courtesy of Sun in Libra.)

As for 10 Capricorn, that’s sort of the wild card in this equation. After all, it’s Pluto’s turn to direct at 10 Capricorn which is linking (and therefore mixing) its own ‘did you get carried away with your Self-driven issues (you know, all that Taurus security stuff)?’

Then we add in the Sabian for this degree (‘A large group of pheasant on a private estate’), a quality Dane Rudhyar typified simply as ‘aristocracy,’ echoing Marc Edmund Jones who spoke of this image as ‘the refinement and propagation of aristocratic values by means of which man participates in the evolution of life towards ever more perfect forms of existence.’

Either way, there is an essence of wanting things to be a certain way expressed in this symbol which ties in rather seamlessly with the rather standard Taurus/Scorpio conflict we tend to run into in life (in which situation/s Pluto would be a primary outcome symbol), though it’s probably also worth noting that in the strictly Capricorn/achievement/goal sense strives to achieve without any note on what happens if you actually get there.

This being Pluto’s station, though ordinarily any idea that what you thought was so wonderful might not be so wonderful in reality (as opposed to in your mind) ...though that might sound far fetched, it isn’t. After all, Pluto’s orbit is influenced by Neptune, which symbolically is the ‘tricky’ quality, that ‘turning of the tables’ quality we find when we traipse mindlessly into Pluto’s realm. So there’s that to consider - along with the fact that being that this is Pluto we’re talking about. And since Pluto is named for the god of death, hidden things and all forms of temptingly ‘buried’ treasure...and because the astrological Pluto is all that to the hilt and even more...

...let’s just say that there are several things one doesn’t want to do in any Pluto situation (never mind a Pluto station). The first would be to act out of spite. Then there’s ignoring potential problems and dangers - which doesn’t mean you have to focus on them either, being as obsession (or to put it more nicely, over-focusing) in and will forever be our premier Pluto problem.

Pluto ‘asks’ that we think things through and choose based on a balanced, calm and even-handed basis. Though what everyone may want may be different, the attention and intention counts with Pluto (as it does with Scorpio) - for everyone to get an equal amount of what they want (be the commodities different) satisfies Pluto’s need for willingness to change (i.e., our position, our mind, our stance, etc.)... as well as satisfying Neptune’s requirement for lack of ego.

Beyond that, with Pluto there are always layers - most of all the fact that Pluto applies to both that which happens in the present and whatever may be a result of choices/actions/situations of the past.

And it’s all smothered in a plethora of current things primal, testing and often enough testy brought to us courtesy of October’s incoming 0 Scorpio solar eclipse..an eclipse the mere position of which (0 Scorpio) says everything we could possibly need to know (and not like hearing) about how what is being ‘broken down’ now as we’re moving into the eclipse is Libran.

In other words, they’re about who we are seen as, what we do and why we do it (and how others feel about it) as well as why or how others respond to us - good or bad, whether at home, at work, as you’re walking down the street humming or anything else. And since both Pluto and the Black Moon always reference some ‘connection’ or something which connects us to someone or something else, this ‘I/thou’ (you/me, cause/effect, action/reaction) Libra quality is likely to be magnified.

And that would be both in the world around us and within. Pluto in direct motion speaks to moments, events and situations which arise unbidden despite our efforts to control ‘them’ (or some thought that we’re ‘in control’ of our own life) causes us to ‘face’ the fact there is no ‘single solution’ to anything over time because time shifts...and thus things change...and so our solutions (even our coping mechanisms or basic preferences) not only could change, but should [Pluto] ‘transform.’

And it’s often a moment like a station when such transformations - be they physical, emotional, spiritual, mental or otherwise - occur.

If Pluto (in particular) is in some sort of tight aspect to your natal chart things will happen now... in fact, they’re probably already in the works. (You know about it even if you don’t want to think or talk about it.) That our resistance to change (particularly Capricorn/structural change) is understandable is all well and good, but some things now must change and will change - our only choice would seem to be where we want to end up with... in the long run... with ourselves.

Make that our Self, which is the final ‘trickiness’ Pluto, whatever else it brings. While there’s little doubt that where Pluto is concerned, passion and desire though common are likely to be exactly what drives us - that’s also what can...and often will... lead us astray in the moment or on some whole. Why that would be goes back to Pluto as a symbol - or more specifically, to the description of god Pluto (also known as Hades) as that which ultimately changes our life by representing death.

And that’s what Pluto does. As Pluto ‘transforms,’ something fades, something dies away or becomes no longer apropos or useful. But to the Plutonic point, where Pluto focuses is something which for whatever reason is...and remains intriguing. Because it holds some allure (conscious or instinctive) for us, letting go is hard. Yet if we continue to pursue our course unabated, then we meet up with the other side of the astrological Pluto - that of ‘waste’ or ‘wasted effort’...an ultimate ‘killing off’ of time and energy which may succeed in the short run but beyond that inevitably falls apart as soon as our obsessive Plutonic drives are no more.

And eventually they do come to be ‘no more’ in every case - after all, we’re still mortal and we die.

But in the meantime, Pluto transits can be wholly constructive. They can be a positive, particularly as ‘read’ through looking at where your Pluto is natally and where Pluto is at the moment - which at the moment of station is 10 Capricorn.

Just remember: Pluto is about transformation. Wherever Pluto sits in our chart, that’s the area or ‘department’ of life where we will (probably rather obsessively) pursue what we think of as our ‘destiny.’

And yet... if you really think about Pluto, considering the astrological machinery, that would say that said ‘destiny’ is nothing more or less than an engine driven by our desire not to deal with our vulnerabilities.

...Which may be a good thing, considering. After all, our greatest personal gains are made through confrontations with vulnerabilities, not strengths.

It just takes something we can’t control to take us there...which is where the astrology of Pluto comes in.
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Solar Aries Equinox 2014…and Icarus Retrograde

From the Pothos Series, 'Icarus and A Toy Plane'

by Manolo Yanes (2007-2008)

They say that approximately 70% of Earth is covered with water. With people, though the percentage varies with gender and age, 50% is pretty much minimal. 

Considering how energy is energy (you know, that E=mc2’d thing) whatever water is means a lot to us, our world – and our perception of that world...which on the metaphysical level is all about feeling and feelings, however that occurs.

Pisces, the sign the Sun is now leaving, is the realm of ‘deep water.’ So the trials we have seen ourselves feeling our way through over these past weeks…? Whether overwhelmed or purged of resistance by life lapping at some veneer hardened by and against life, now as of 4:58 in the afternoon (UT/+0 time) on March 20th the Sun moves into Aries.

And that marks our journey…for as the Sun moves into Aries, that is one of two yearly moments when Earth’s comes to its own point of equinox - the balance between light and dark, or the ‘length of time’ we should (and evidently need to) acknowledge as part of life. 

Representing metaphysical 'shifts' in general life, both yearly equinoxes reflect the Sun's change of zodiacal hemispheres, giving us a whole list of issues to think about: our private versus public life, the obvious versus hidden, the Self versus Others, ideas of intellect against our many tugs of emotion...whether coming from within or being tossed our way, any and every form of anything where there is preference or something native set against that which is not so native to us, our relationship and experience of all such dichotomies (or polarities) now arrives at a point where we can look at both sides of things.

Whether we will or not...that's up to us.

Since the year’s second equinox involves the Sun moving above the zodiacal horizon as it enters the Libra-through-Pisces realm of the public, worldly and interactive, that means the Aries equinox is our moving from that part of the year which we experience interactively into that six month (six sign: Aries through Virgo) period when our experiences are more personal, singular and internalized.

How we experience the current passage and shift has at least a deal to do with how well we handle our own reactions – the ‘how we feel about how we’re feeling about things’ part of life. That is the Pisces essence we are carrying forward into Aries.

And Aries, though often spoken of as rebirth and renewal is no guarantee. Aries represents our opportunity to be who we are, and to be that person with all the courage we can muster. This is not about aggression, nor even assertiveness except in the sense that as we come to this part of the year we all have things to do because of …or in spite of all which has come just before.

In a sense, Pisces renders us tender so that we can feel ourselves anew – the experiencing of which is all about Aries, sign of consciousness, the strength of innocence and the defense of that conceptual existence we refer to grandly and otherwise as ‘life,’ replete with its joys and defeats.

Associated with planet Mars and war god Ares, Aries asks us what skill we have – or need – in life, serving up those situations which will ask us to think carefully about whether we are just going to stand there hiding inside our armor or whether we’re going to use our power (i.e., our “weaponry”) to get something done. From cutting edges to burning need, Aries confronts us with that which tends towards the raw simply because it’s that very sort of experience we will tend to translate into the motivation which gets us to move…and move on.

The question is ‘from what.’ Aries being the sign of the singular and individual and Pisces the emblem of humanity’s collective emotional experience(s), some of us will stand strong simple for what we believe in – and some will stand strong in spite of what someone else believes in.

We we know that what we say carries as much weight as what we don’t say (Mercury remains in Pisces…) and that’s confusing. There’s a curious clear perspective on others as the ruler of Aries (Mars) continues its retrograde, counting down through degrees of Libra in reflection of a strange and increasing sense that we – not someone else – have to account for our Self.

Not ourselves (as in ‘I’m accountable to others’)…no, this is about accounting for who we are – and who we have been being or not being - to our Self.

Count on a few twinges (maybe even a regret or two) as this transit begins, some of which is reflective of this month (and the season which follows) being pictured as Sun conjunct Europa, she for whom Europe is named.

Europa by Willy Bosschem (1994)

And yes, that does indicate an astrological emphasis in terms of geographical effect (an important matter considering current global situations).

So there’s no doubt astrologers professional and amateur will be casting this ingress chart for specific locations all over Europe to see localized effects and/or specific indications of that will is…or which will yet be or become. What they – or we – will find is how where we are is either a product of having gotten carried away. There is some sort of difference or gap between what we think we know (or what we thought we knew) and that which we’re learning now…part of which are revealed as a truth we now have to contend with, and part of which is simply startling…even shocking…on its face.

Or it might simply be (as they say) ‘news you you.’

That this would seem to not be anything minor is also indicated: asteroid Icarus will be go retrograde within hours after the Sun’s ingress.

'Ikarus' (Icarus) by Heikenwaelder Hugo

(oil on canvas, c. 2006)

Son of Crete’s mythic labyrinth designer Daedalus, Icarus fell when he attempted to ‘take flight’ without having first mastered the skills of flying. Typified as ‘haste leading to a fall’ or some sort of (untrue) conviction about having everything ‘in hand,’ this is the sort of influence which can surface either way and from any vantage point.

In other words, we might act so as to cause our fall. Or  someone may set things in motion which 'melts away that which supports us.'

Or the opposite may happen: someone may step in to prevent some sort of fall, failing or potentially dangerous problem we're simply not conscious of...or doing something about, for whatever sort of reason.

Something strange and certainly unexpected is also indicated here by one other not-so-minor metaphysical fact: Icarus is taking its station and going retrograde in exact conjunction with Uranus. The degree being 11 Aries for both, what is shattered now is some sort of ‘vision’ of how something is, was, could, should, or might be.

Aries here says this error is ours or about some estimation we have of/about our Self. Innocent though tragically painful, the Icarus-Uranus side of things here is offset by Sun-Europa as Europa’s story is about a mortal who is ‘carried away’ from her homeland (i.e., her native orientation) by Greek god Zeus – the drive for knowledge and precept of knowing astrology clocks by watching the cycles of planet Jupiter.

More to the point here is where Jupiter takes Europa so as to ‘ravish’ the mortal with the overwhelming presence of knowing.

That place would be Crete – the same location Icarus was trying to escape from…leading us to understand that this ingress and the three months of the astrological ‘season’ which follows are all about our ability to face life courageously and without haste. There’s something in ‘the distance’ – some salvation or personal goal we want to be ‘out there’ which is both unlikely to be exactly what we think it is…and which will not be achieved by simply ‘launching’ ourselves at it.

The Sun's Aries ingress (glyph chart)

March 20, 2014 - 4:58 p.m. (UT/+0) - Aries Wheel (location not specific)

The Sun's Aries ingress (text chart)

March 20, 2014 - 4:58 p.m. (UT/+0) - Aries Wheel (location not specific)

For some of us, this consciousness will dawn as soon as the Sun reaches Aries. For others, everything just described will more akin to a tale of discovery which unfolds with each succeeding day. First will come a considering of all with an emphasis on what we can ‘manage’ in the overall sense, or what we can manage ourselves as opposed to needing help from others.

Then will come a test (or tests) of order. Timed by the Sun setting off the ongoing Pluto-Uranus-Jupiter t-square, early April becomes an expanse of days during which overly idealistic images succumb to sudden and possibly highly contested or conflicted assertions of realism, reality and limitations having to do with sheer human mortality. All is caught up now in the inexorable mechanics of time and manifestation, teaching some of us that ‘secret motives’ are hardly secret (we’re all human – we all understand such things) while teaching others how important it is to live in and with the reality of our planet and corporeal life.

We humans are prone to getting lost in the layering on of hopes, ideals and beliefs that we forget the essence of human life as a reflection of life itself.

Life is something we have an opportunity to treasure, marvel at and honor. We are who we are, no matter how we disguise ourselves in our disdain or love of Self or others.

The only real difference there really comes from what we contribute, as surely our causal energies and the choices we make to act or not act, to hate or take mercy is – in time – what comes back to us.

And not just to us, but through us to everyone we love and all we could in turn be loved and honored by, transforming our lives from a duration of endurance into that triumph over challenge we know it can...and should ultimately be.
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September's Dateblog

 September - from Les Tres Riches Heures de duc de Barry

Considering that the Sun changes signs around the 20th of every month, that means that it's just finishing moving through the first ten degrees (the 1st decan) of whatever sign and is moving into the 2nd ten degrees (the emotional 2nd decan) around the first of every month.

So as September begins, it's not any surprise to find the  Sun at 9 Virgo, making the 1st a day of practical considerations, decisions and efforts. Yet with Mercury (ruler of Virgo) in retrograde, most of us are in a rather  'internal' mode. That may be 'internal' as in home versus work...or it might be really-o, truly-o internal, like thinking things over or mulling on some decision. 

So the month begins. We're sorting through things...or sorting things out.

September 1-September 3: With Mercury retrograding back through emotional degrees, the image is 'taking an emotional step back.' This may afford you greater perspective. Then again, it may be out of necessity. 

With the Sun moving into Virgo's emotional degrees on September 2nd, there's a whole aura of supportiveness-versus-critique in the air. Always a Virgo biggie, this may be you deciding how to act, or being concerned with how others will respond to something you've said or done.

Given Saturn and Jupiter sitting in 1st decan degrees of opposing signs, there are also Big Picture/Large Scale issues on the table. And whether or not you want to deal with them, they do need dealing with. Remember, Mercury's retrograde. So move cautiously. Find out all you can before you make serious decisions. It's not just the 'what' which counts here, but the 'how to.' 

With Mars and Venus ever-so-slowly beginning to part from a conjunction they've been running in since early August, a new sense of perspective is dawning. For some, this will manifest as 'reluctantly moving on.' For others, it will be emerging from some self-focused dream. Neither good nor bad, this is merely a signal that things are - and will be changing.

Uranus and Neptune semi-sextile at high numbers in respective signs also tells us how the world is in a tizzy but not very distinct about definite solutions. The resulting fog bank is likely to prompt most folks to throw up their hands in a 'who can deal with that?' gesture.

Of course there will be a few crafty types who use this mood for flying under the radar. And that just may work...at least for a little while.

September 3-September 9: As Mercury retrogrades  back into Virgo's 1st decanate degrees, the thoughts cool, ideas relax...we all become more pragmatic as we consider what to do and how to get it done. And that's a change indeed, seeing as there's been something of an emotional swirl in the air since oh...around August 5th. Setting things up in the right order (prioritization) makes it not just possible but practical to take new steps forward as Saturn exits a retrograde shadow begun last January (2010).

But as we take that step forward, wanting to push past our own sticking point, Venus crossing into the shadow of it's upcoming retrograde makes us consider exactly what our aims are. What we're hoping to achieve. And since this shadow entrance occurs in late Libra? That says there is the 'us' and the 'them.' Or an action and reaction. Or something you're hoping to get from matters at hand as opposed to what the matter is in and of itself. Recognizing that there are two parts of the situation and that both things have merit is important. And it may be very important to keep things separate in your heart or mind in order to get where you ultimately want or need to go. 

Building, rebuilding and refining support/support systems is also in the mix here. As are questions about arranging (negotiating) your way to some end, some starting point, or into position to effect a vital change.

One other note here: the lunar nodes. As they move from 2nd into 1st decanate of Capricorn and Cancer, the general fervency we've all been living with settles out, leaving everyone considering more practical, basic, even vital matters.

September 9-September 11: Much is in the works and feels at stake as Venus moves into Scorpio; its less about relating and more about abilities, values and what any given person or entity is bringing to the table. 

Since Uranus retrogrades back into 29 Pisces (hitting the position of fixed star Scheat) just as Venus makes its transition, instability and dissatisfaction are likely to be heard far and wide. Is it deserved? Maybe. Then again, this is one of those moments when you could present someone with their heart's desire and they well might say to you 'is that all you have for me?' 

All seems somewhat bewildering and burdensome as  Mercury slows to go station/direct (on the 12th, meaning station effects stretch from the 10th to the 14th) dealing with commitments and paying attention to execution are important. Listen for clues, news and information which fills in your missing pieces.

September 12-September 13: As Mars finishes transiting Libra and the Sun moves Virgo's most worldly degrees, decisions, statements and efforts get 'put out there.' In return, responses begin to generate.

Mars in Libra not exactly being Mars in full-blown moxy splendor means we shouldn't be surprised indecision or insecurity surfaces. It's a time of 'letting go' of control and for realizing through our own lacks how real someone's plight can really be. Oversights or neglect on the part of those who could do better but who haven't lived up to their word or reputation feel particularly distasteful now, though they may be pretty much nothing new. The issue isn't them; what we put up with and don't bother to confront is what's really leaving the  bad taste in our mouth - courtesy of Pluto being currently on station.

Tension and resistance now either yields to honesty or misuse of power begins to implode on itself. Everyone gets to make their own call; it's a karmic, potent moment.

September 14-September 20: Moving from weak (Libra) positioning to a position of not just strength but possible aggression, Mars shifting into Scorpio either brings liberating determination or prompts simple testiness (frustration, arrogant dismission ), depending on whether you have a decently productive outlet for your assertive energies.

With Pluto going direct on the 14th, it's a classic 'turn of the table' moment: those who have held their tongue, speak. Those who have tried to wait things out wait no more and those who have put up with bad situations up and leave. This doesn't necessarily indicate nastiness by any means, but we should all count on opinions getting voiced!

Yet as in all things Scorpionic, it's the calm and factual approach which tends to win. State your case, then be quiet and wait. Once the dust settles, you'll see the truth of things. More importantly, so will everybody else!

September 20-September 22: Mercury moving into Virgo's evocative degrees raises the specter of critique and need for care. Dealing with problems constructively with an eye to making things work is important, but be careful: with Pluto still on station, violations of rules and standards (or cutting corners) makes you your own worst enemy!

September 23-September 24: The Sun's shift into Libra marks a change of seasons. Known as an 'equinox,' we are asked to bring all things - including ourselves - into balance, recognizing what we are capable of doing for ourselves as well as for or to others.

September 25-September 27: As Venus slides into Scorpio's 2nd and highly intense decanate (degrees 10 - 19) desire, determination, panic, yearning, greed, desperation, craving, adoration, obsession, passion, control, loathing...all the fat juicy extremes of feeling get put on display. 

This is the other side of Scorpio's ultimate lesson to us about the value of calm: 'loss of control' is really about our needing to be honest...most of all with ourselves about the risks and responsibilities even a simple life normally entails. It's a moment for recognizing limits moral, maybe philosophical...but for all their less defined nature maybe even more important than more obvious physical or financial risks.

What we do right now takes time to pay off. What we do wrong now we repent at leisure.

And what about not doing anything? That may be right. Then again, that may be wrong. Neither action nor inaction are pre-defined defense here, only dealing with the moment counts.

All this is made a bit more of a quandary now too, what with Mars and Venus getting back together for a little push-pull fest which will continue well into October. Venus being closer to the Sun, it's by far the faster moving planet. So you would think that once their tandem run through Libra - that August heightening of relationship dynamics we all experienced - you'd think once Venus got ahead of Mars in Libra (breaking free of the 5 degree conjunction orb) we'd have seen the last of these two in cahoots for a while.

But nooooo! Venus is slowing down to take a turn into retrograde next month. And that's allowed Mars to catch up with it - with both now in Scorpio. Given that Mars is choosy and assertive in Scorpio (read: wanting its own way) and Venus is reticent and often touchy or self-protective in Scorpio (read: testy - often magnificently so!) ...this can make for hot romance, collusion and manipulation, out and out conflict or just a lot of (excuse the expression) emotional constipation.

And let's not forget - it can be all things in a single life: one person may exhibit one trend and one a total other. Or you may feel yourself flip from one mode into the next. The alleged 'solution' here is to stop and think about how everybody getting a bit of what they want is really going to endear them all to you. But will we get that far? That would seem to be the question.

September 28-September 30: With Mercury entering Virgo's worldly zone, actions are undertaken and results roll in. These days are in a strange way sort of like getting a report card covering these past few months. The good news is that if things aren't up to snuff yet, this is also a time to regroup and reinvest yourself in developing your ultimate goal. 

Tempers may flare right at the the end of the month, but Mars fires can generally be subdued with honest, responsible humility. So when in doubt, own those  errors! Like it or not, they're just as important as your  your successes. Either you're learning from them or others are learning that you're human and not so thick headed or egotistical that you're totally obnoxious.

Yes, it's annoying - even painful. But by feeling your humanity and owning up to it, you motivate love, support and respect which makes all the hurt go away!

 

  The Forget-me-not, a traditional flower of September...perhaps

because much of the month has Sun in Virgo, the sign

of responsibilities to others ruled by Mercury, symbol of all things thoughtful?