Current Transits for September 2010 Current Transits for September 2010Here's some of the important astrological news this month ...
New Moon at 15Vi40, 9-8
Jupiter reenters Pisces, 9-8
Mercury Direct Station at 5Vi21, 9-12
Pluto Direct Station at 2Cp47, 9-13
Mars enters Scorpio, 9-14
Jupiter Conjunct Uranus at 28Pi42, 9-18
Full Moon at 0Ar14, 9-23
Hindsight...
An online ephemeris for the month is available.
We finally get a break in the action. The period from May to August was essentially one long planetary storm based on a rare T-square of all the outer planets. People's nerves are frayed after all that stimulation, so it's good to get a reprieve. The first part of September is still a moderately strong storm pattern, but compared to what we've just been through, it doesn't amount to much. Whatever energies are still left after that will gradually dissipate and fall apart the last half of the month. Compared to the long lists of astrological events each month, the list is fairly short and (mostly) benign for September. The only event that I'd be at all concerned about is the Pluto direct station on the 13th. These Pluto stations are often a time when stressful situations in our lives come to a culmination. It brings about a make-or-break influence, mostly break. If there's some area of your life that seems to be falling apart, perhaps the best approach is simply to let the pieces fall where they may. If it takes more effort than it's worth to hold on to the status quo, letting go is the most sensible choice, even if it doesn't feel good at the time. Due to Pluto's slow motion at this time, this letting go mood is prominent all month. Otherwise, slow down if you can and reassess your situation. We are getting a breathing spell for a few months to clean up all the loose ends that have been exposed this summer. Take care of these problems in the near future so it doesn't become an impediment to your growth next year. Take a deep breath -- the T-square is falling apart!
There's much less relevant news this month compared to recent months. I see 2 major sign changes, 2 direct stations and a single "big aspect" to report.
The planets Jupiter, Uranus, Saturn and Pluto are still part of a wide T-square, the leftovers of the summer storm. Venus-Mars and Chiron-Neptune are also in this basic pattern. The Sun and Moon have some tentative connections to the rest of the planets, but they are nearly isolated otherwise. Mercury, about to go direct, is off by himself.
The new moon chart seems rather transitional to me, as though the energy is starting the month in one gear and quickly changing to another. Jupiter slips back into Pisces and Venus heads into Scorpio later today, Mercury and Pluto are near their stations, Mars is approaching Scorpio after that. As the T-square slowly winds down, we're experiencing their transformational effects at a more manageable pace. The summer often felt like a soap opera of sorts, with one "crisis" to handle after another, so it will be nice to have some recovery time between blows finally. I suspect that relationships may require some attention, given that Venus and Mars are the main planets conducting the T-square into our lives. It's odd how the new moon point itself is cut off from the main flow. I'm always a little suspicious of a new or full moon chart where the lunation is isolated. It's as if we're personally separated from the events and trends around us, uninvolved and a bit clueless. The new moon is solidly in Virgo, indicating a need to be more focused and skillful in our activities, but I doubt most people will make much headway with that. It doesn't help that Mercury, the thinking mind, is not only standing still but is the weakest link in the chart -- any conclusions your come to now are probably off base. Perhaps we just need to let the dust settle awhile before making any decisions. Patience and flexibility go a long way...
Jupiter backs up from Aries into Pisces on the 8th for a 4 month stay. He'll remain in this sign until 2011-1-22 when he returns to Aries and stays there until 2011-6-4. Like Uranus, Jupiter is doing an extended dance back and forth across the Pisces-Aries border this year. The two of them spent some time in Aries together this summer, some very hectic, chaotic, trying time. Aries is considered the start of the zodiac, so these planets in Aries point to the start of a new astrological cycle, maybe several. We got to experience the birth pangs of these new energies this summer and for most people that I've talked to about it, this was too much energy too fast, too soon. We're not ready to take on the demands of this new cycle yet, not until we handle or resolve the numerous limitations each of us has that prevent us from holding and expressing this energy cleanly. It came out in a very disorganized and disruptive fashion. Uranus crept back into Pisces on Aug 13 and Jupiter is joining it today. It's as though we need to backtrack a little, cover some old ground more thoroughly this time, catch our breath and lick our wounds. Pisces is a sign where our lives are overshadowed by the past. Whether it's old habits or old karma, we're operating on patterns of behavior that we frankly have outgrown. It's time to open the old psychic closet and do some housecleaning in coming months. Since Jupiter and Uranus both have a strong mental outlook, it's a good period to brush out the mental cobwebs. Former ideas and ways of looking at the world don't apply very well to our current situation, so it's best to let go of these inadequate paradigms. Conventional wisdom, in particular, is especially out of touch these days. It may be necessary to withdraw from the "common wisdom" of the mass mind in order to get your own head on straight. Turn off the TV and take a vacation from the Internet occasionally -- it helps. And while Aries is all about me-me-me, Pisces takes a more selfless approach. Pisces judges our ideas by whether they serve the greater good, not just your own self interest. This vision of the greater good is a powerful counterweight to many potential problems we'll face in the coming years. It forces us to have a broader and more long term perspective that keeps us from causing more problems than we solve. Sort this all out in coming months while the mood is quiet and somewhat calm. There will be no time for such luxuries come 2011.
Mercury goes direct at 5Vi21 on the 12th, ending a 3 week retrograde period. He's been backing up since going retrograde at 19Vi03 on Aug 20. Mercury is the thinking, talking, symbol using, story telling part of the psyche. His main job in our lives is to create and maintain our personal story about the world and ourselves, a mighty book called "How the World Works". Most of the time, he's pretty good about weaving a story that works well enough for us to get through daily life without much effort. Mercury retrograde is a different matter. It seems our story has gaping holes, loose ends, misunderstandings and outright errors that become particularly obvious during these cycles. The world ceases to make sense because our story fails to adequately explain the situation; life seems crazy when our rationality fails to understand. The world is always bigger and more complicated than anyone's story can capture. As we approach the direct station, the confusions and miscommunications seem to peak. The thinking mind falls flat on its face. Rather than rant and rave about the (apparent) craziness, take a good look at what is preventing your understanding. Clear out the misconceptions that muddle your thinking. We all need to renovate our mental world from time to time and now is as good as any moment. In about a week, Mercury will be moving forward reasonably quickly again, allowing us to take our thinking minds out of mothballs again. Eventually, we do get our heads on straight again.
Pluto reaches his direct station of 2Cp47 on the 13th. This ends a 5 month retrograde cycle that began with his station of 5Cp25 back on Apr 6. This direct station will likely be felt more acutely on the 15th, when the Moon conjuncts Pluto, but given how slowly Pluto is moving this month, this station is affecting us all of September. Pluto's retrograde cycles have always been one of the most fascinating astrological phenomena I've studied over the years, not to mention one of the most influential in my own life. Pluto's role in our lives seems to be one of stripping us down to basics, getting us back to being "the person you're supposed to be" in some deeper karmic sense, turning our lives over to our higher selves instead of pandering to lower ego concerns. Sounds great in the abstract, except for that element of personal sacrifice that Pluto demands. It's natural that a person grows comfortable with a cushy lifestyle they have worked hard to achieve. Unfortunately, the soul progresses by challenges, not by comfort, so sooner or later the Dark Lord gets impatient with us and wants to see some action. This usually happens when Pluto has a retrograde cycle that takes place in aspect to one of your natal planets. As he approaches his retrograde station and starts backing up, some area of your life (as symbolized by your natal planet) slowly, subtly starts to become a source of difficulty. The status quo that worked so well for you in the past begins to require more attention and effort than usual. During the next 5 months, the hints that maybe these old ways are not a good idea become clearer and more insistent. With luck, you get the hint early and decide to move on, saving yourself a lot of trouble. Most people, however, don't give in so easily. The harder you try hold this area together, the bigger the obstacles become. By the direct station (where we are now), Pluto has had enough of this game. This part of your life is shaken so hard, it literally falls apart. The "hint" becomes the old Zen 2-by-4 over the head to wake up and let go. So after all your squabbling with the universe, your life is transformed, whether you want to or not. The cosmic joke is that by undergoing this painful change, you get back to being yourself in a way your more comfortable former self could never achieve. Letting go is strangely liberating -- it makes us more "lean and mean" spiritually speaking, better suited to living our lives. Survey your life this month and see where the challenges are. Decide whether you may be better off by walking away from a situation you've outgrown long ago without realizing it. Pick up any pieces and lessons that may be useful and move on. Don't let ego level concerns detour you from your path. Pluto is patient, but only to a point...
Mars moves from Libra into Scorpio on the 14th. He'll be in this sign until Oct 28, when he shifts into Sagittarius. Our Warrior God considers this shift a good career move. Mars is all about the ego expressing his wishes and imposing his will on the world. He's the "get up and go" that allows us to get busy and accomplish our goals. Libra, a highly social sign that demands diplomacy and a consideration of the desires of others, totally crimps his style. He's been chomping at the bit to put all this silliness behind him. Scorpio is his cue to get busy. For starters, Mars used to rule over Scorpio, before his big brother Pluto took it over. This sign is one where the emotions and desires are dominant, where deep unconscious drives move our lives forward. The ego is powerful here, although the spiritual lesson here is ultimately to take the ego less seriously. Mars feels like he is understood here. The big warning is not to take this as license to have your way in an unbridled manner. Unfortunately, there's lots of other people around you that are feeling the same way as you. If everyone is yelling "Get out of my way!" as they pursue their goals, there are going to be a lot of collisions between competing interests. I'm arguing for a more conscious or self-aware means of pursuing your plans, one based on insight instead of a bad temper. It saves you some big fights, if nothing else. Anyway, get busy if you have some important work to do in coming weeks. Just be ethical about it...
Jupiter is conjunct (at the same zodiacal position) Uranus on the 18th, the 2nd of 3 such contacts. Their first conjunction was on Jun 8, when both planets had just moved into Aries, and the final contact will be on 2011-1-4. It takes about 14 years for the Jupiter-Uranus cycle to go from one conjunction (the start of one of these cycles) to the next. Their contact back on 1997-2-15 in Aquarius marked the start of an era that saw remarkable changes in our mental universe, fueled by tons of technology and Internet empowered computer gear. Much of our mental world is simply obsolete now. Since Jupiter rules over conventional wisdom, our shared understandings and beliefs, while Uranus is a lightening bolt of intuitive insight that shifts our perspectives in a moment, we'd expect this current conjunction will also have a similar overhaul of how we think and communicate. However, this time around, the aspect takes place in Aries and Pisces, a very different environment. Aquarius is about theory; Aries is about putting them into practice. I noticed back in May and June, as Jupiter and Uranus both entered Aries and then conjuncted on Jun 8, a new kind of energy that was highly dynamic and creative, but operating at such a high voltage that people tended to burn out. Much of the chaos and frenzy of the summer months was due to this new influence (with help from all the other outer planets, of course). The impression was we wouldn't be able to work with this influence unless we went back and cleared up old blockages and limitations that prevented us from handling all this juice. Well, both planets have now backed up into Pisces again for a few months, so this second contact is mellower in mood. Pisces runs at a slower, deeper pace than Aries, giving us some badly needed space to sort through these blocks. We have a few months window to get our acts together so we'll be ready (well, as ready as we can be) for the demands of the next few years. When life gets active again next spring, there will be no breathing spells, no time for preparatory work. Build up your reserves now, learn to "surf the energies" more skillfully. Become an agent of change based on intelligence and insight, not on just jumping from one crisis to the next. Uranus in Aries can be hectic...
The full moon occurs about 6 hours after the fall equinox -- it would be powerful on that count alone. The Moon is also conjunct Jupiter andUranus, emphasizing the only "big aspect" of the month; throw in Pluto and you have a T-square again. Saturn, Neptune and Chiron are on the outer fringes of this T-square and are relatively unimportant players for now.Mars is also on the fringes, while Mercury and Venus are rather cut off.
Not only is this chart more lively than the new moon, but the Sun and Moon are intimately engaged this time. The same can't be said for the other personal planets, however, so we're having a rather lopsided response to this chart. Thoughts and feelings are strangely out of touch with the deeper reality going on, actions are often inappropriate. But yet we feel personally in the thick of circumstances. Whenever lunations affect the AriesLibra axis as this one does, there is usually a relationship theme in the background. More precisely, a tension between the individual and the people around him or her, as if people are in some kind of power play. It rarely works out well if you insist on your way all the time, just as giving in to keep the peace too often causes problems. Libra requires diplomacy and a sense of balance, no matter how much Aries is yelling "Go for it!" in your ear. Considering that Pluto is the third player in this pattern, the power issues and other drama can be a major unexpected consequence of operating at an ego level exclusively. On the plus side, with Jupiter and Uranus next to the Moon, there's a light and lively mood in the air. They both emphasize the mental side and downplay the emotions. This can be a boon to conversations that focus on ideas more than feelings, as the creative juices get flowing and people bounce ideas off each other. Uranus values the wild and whacky parts of the mental world over the more conventional outlook, so let your usual reservations fall away. These relationship themes are also shown by Venus slowing to her retrograde station on Oct 8, a hint to examine your emotional connections more closely. In short, come from a position of strength, but stay open to truly enjoying the company of friends and loved ones. That's a lesson that's pretty straightforward.
A T-square consisting of Jupiter, Saturn and Pluto was particularly active in August, especially around the time of the Saturn-Pluto square on Aug 21. There were a number of items in the news that intrigued me around this time. First, the last of the US combat troops left Iraq on the 19th, winding down our commitment in this troubled region to so-called maintenance and support levels. The entire Iraqi war and its aftermath is soaked in Pluto's influences, so it's good to get out before the direct station. The next day, the administration announced plans to resume negotiations between Israel and Palestine after being stalled for over a year. Jupiter opposition Saturn was another "big aspect" in August and the cycle between these two planets that began in May 2000 has been linked with Middle Eastern affairs. The prospects for moving forward are probably as dim as ever, but there's a growing awareness among the participants that they have few alternative options, that talking beats fighting. Here's hoping cooler heads prevail. And on a local note, the 35W bridge story is in the news a lot lately, and not simply because of the three year anniversary that just passed. There's an ongoing controversy about whether and how to memorialize the event. A second controversy involves the corpse of the old bridge, those twisted wrecks of steel beams taking up a city park near the Mississippi River. Plans to move or recycle the old bridge were announced on the 20th. It's intriguing to see the back and forth between those who want to hold onto the memory of that traumatic event that changed our city versus those who just want to move on and get over it. The bridge collapsed under potent and very nasty looking Mars-Saturn-Pluto aspects in 2007, so it's not too surprising it should be back in the news now.