September 1, 2020

Well Dear Friends, here we are in September the harvest season, when apples are ripe on the trees, grapes glisten on the vines and gardens are overflowing with veggies and flowers to pick. In September 2020 it seems we are also harvesting confusion mixed with some seeds of optimism that we hope will take root!

The astrology for the month is packet with lots of shifts – planets changing signs, moving backward and forward too, and along the way lots of aspect action to spice up the mix. Virgo, Aries, Scorpio, Leo and Capricorn are highlighted, but always remember you have all of these signs somewhere in your own birth chart, which means that’s why you’re affected too.

After the bright glare of summer every September begins with the Sun shining more softly in the gentle sign of Virgo. Virgo is the 2nd Earth sign whose symbol is the Harvest Goddess so fitting for this season of gathering summer’s bounty. The Virgin is also the symbol for Virgo, but when you hear the word “virgin’ it brings out silly snickering, not appropriate to elegant Virgo at all! That’s why I prefer a Harvest Goddess carrying golden shafts of grain, or ripe grapes like my garden goddess pictured in the photo.

Virgo is clean and crisp as a September morning whose ruler is Mercury the communicator who gives Virgo a sharp mind and clever wit and the ability to problem solve like no other sign! Discernment is key for Virgo who are the best at cutting through to what really matters. Virgo is cool, classy, helpful and values humility and service over egotistical grandstanding. But if you think you can win a war of words with a Virgo think again! Their brain power and ability with words makes them formidable against more ostentatious sorts. Famous writers throughout time have strong Virgo in their charts.

Virgo takes the time to research until they get solid answers. They have the patience to get there, but because it is one of the most processing of all signs others may get frustrated at their pace, but once Virgo has arrived at an answer you can take it to the bank!

Virgo can be late bloomers and are often shy when young, the helpful ones pushing others onto center stage, but preferring to be the one behind the curtain holding the cue cards. As they mature Virgo gradually realizes they are smarter, more together and better organized than everyone else, then they’re ready to get out and shine on the larger stage of life. A mature Virgo has learned to put their rational mind into perspective and to trust their deeper intuition.

When born with Sun in Virgo a major soul growth pattern is to learn to walk your talk. To master patience, to do what is in front of you with a happy heart and manifest your ideas into practical action. With a Virgo Sun you are learning to fully embrace the real world. Earthy Virgo is connected to physical health and you are learning you have only one body, so you’d better take good care of it! And since Virgo is a sign noted for longevity, this is a good idea. Occupations like yoga, chiropractic, physical therapy, and nutrition are filled with Virgos.

Born with Sun in Virgo you are ultimately here to understand the material world at all levels while still trusting your intuitive guidance. Ultimately Virgo is a very Zen energy, ideally living fully conscious in every moment.  Here are some quotes from Sun in Virgo natives who reflect these qualities:

One word can sometimes be sharper than a thousand swords. ~ Mildred D. Taylor

These young guys are playing checkers. I’m out there playing chess ~ Kobe Bryant

What I’ve got to live up to, is being myself. If I do that, the rest will take care of itself . ~ Ray Charles

My wish for you this September is to live up to your best self and be an inspiration for others to do the same
~Melissa

Heavenly Messages for September 2020

Your Handy Astro Facts: The Full Moon (10° Pisces) is on 9/1 at 10:22p PT and on 9/2 at 1:22a ET. The New Moon (25° Virgo) is on 9/17 at 7:00a. Venus enters Leo on 9/6 (thru 10/2), Mars turns retrograde (28° Aries) on 9/9 at 6:22p (thru 11/13). Jupiter turns direct (17° Capricorn) on 9/12 at 8:41p, the Sun enters Libra on 9/22 at the Autumn Equinox at 9:31a and Saturn turns direct (25° Capricorn) on 9/28 at 10:11p PT and on 9/29 at 1:11a ET. Unless noted all times are EDT. Find September’s individual messages HERE .

There is a lot of action in the heavens in September! The month dawns on a Full Moon, Venus enters a new sign, Mars turns retrograde, Jupiter goes direct, the Autumn Equinox arrives, and at the end of the month Saturn turns direct. And along the way there are several positive and challenging aspects. Quite the month!

On 9/1 the Full Moon is in Pisces, the sign of highest spiritual aspirations. Look to her beauty in the night sky and let her rays open your heart to fuller love and forgiveness. On the same day communicator Mercury in earthy Virgo reaches out positively to potent Pluto in Capricorn creating an exact earth trine which activates practical and productive solutions to the transformation the world is undergoing now.

On 9/2 the Virgo Sun also sends positive rays which beam out to change-agent Uranus in earth sign Taurus. This favorable trine also accentuates pragmatic problem solving approaches, and encourages them to be well received. In contrast, during the first few days of the month Venus opposes Saturn while Mars forms tense squares to both with hot blooded reactionary energy which flies in the face of reason. Whew, as I said, quite a month!

On 9/6 Venus leaves the soothing waters of Cancer to enter bright fire sign Leo where she’ll be through 10/2. Leo gets a nice boost from this visit, and Venus rules Taurus and Libra so you’ll be affected too. See your Individual Sign messages for more personal insight.

Venus in Leo encourages us to be creative in the most positive ways. Venus rules women and in Leo helps women of all ages tap their creative fire and stand up for what they believe. Although Venus is always loving and helpful, Venus in ego driven Leo knows how to take care of herself too. She bats her eyes and Roars! Venus in Leo wants to have fun. “Let’s play! Get out and enjoy life!” she says. The world definitely needs more of that – go Venus!

As Venus moves through Leo she triggers interesting aspects. From 9/10-12 Venus forms a challenging square to revolutionary Uranus in Taurus, so be careful then or her sparkles could ignite ego-driven bonfires like those ‘Raves’ occurring everywhere from the Bronx to public park lands by people who are sick of covid restrictions, social distancing and want to dance, sing, make love and party – damn the consequences. Here’s one that happened as I wrote this, Police break up forest rave in England .  Look for more of this while Venus is in Leo and Mars in Aries.

At the end of the month from 9/28-30 Venus sends out positive rays to Mars in fellow fire sign Aries. These fire trines are noted for creating enthusiasm which bodes well for moods lifting (good news on the covid front perhaps?) but can also energize egotistical, narcissism. Mars forms a tense square to Saturn at the same time – simmering resentment can fan flames.

On 9/9 Mars goes retrograde for the first time since June 26, 2018. Mars takes around 2 years to travel the full zodiac wheel and once during this period appears to slow down and back up in orbit. In comparison, every other planet retrogrades every year (except Venus). This time Mars stays retro for 2 months, turning around at 28° Aries and reversing to 15° Aries before moving direct again on 11/13. (Note that Mars will be retro during the US Presidential election.)

Mars rules pioneering fire sign Aries and is the co-ruler of powerful water sign Scorpio so these two signs tend to be the most affected, so you need to pay attention to Mars’ retro moves and people with Sun, rising sign or other significant planets at these degrees need to be more aware of Mars retro effects too. See your Individual Sign messages for more personal insight. I’m going to post a full article on Mars retro closer to 9/9, so stay tuned for that.

In general when Mars travels in his own sign of Aries it emphasizes the positive Aries traits of breaking through barriers and trail blazing leadership for the rest of us to follow. Mars in Aries is valiant, filled with courage and has ability to leap first and figure out how to land on the way down. Mars in Aries understands you must get things off your chest in spite of the consequences, which leads to the downside qualities. Untamed Mars/Aries is bombastic, totally narcissistic and frankly can be the biggest A-hole around!

When a planet is retrograde the energy is more internalized, and when active Mars reverses if not handled appropriately energy can back up and implode. Think of Mars retrograde as a classic muscle car speeding down the highway when suddenly the red engine light comes on. You’ve got to pull over to figure out what the situation is or risk engine failure. It means you need to slow down and pay attention to figure out what needs to be done to get your energy moving again. It only becomes a problem if you ignore the indicator eventually causing major damage.

When Mars turns retro in Aries on the plus side it creates more ability to control over-the-top action (slow your speed down) but on the downside creates pressure cooker energy that can explode at any moment. In the online world of today, when Mars retros in volatile Aries be especially careful about what you say and post on social media platforms or fire balls will come raging back at you!

Mars in Aries creates great enthusiasm, but also feeds the fires of anger and resentment which tend to smolder when Mars is retro. BLM protests have been ongoing for months, but recently flared up again when police in Kenosha Wisconsin shot Jacob Blake a 29-year-old Black man 7 times in the back critically wounding and perhaps paralyzing him .

The day after the shooting during a protest march a teen boy who identifies as a white nationalist shot and killed 2 people and is now facing two felony charges of homicide. Unfortunately this kind of aggressive behavior is typical of uncontrolled Mars in Aries.

Mars rules sports and when the news about yet another white police officer shooting (in the back 7 times!) a black man who was walking away, it was the last straw for many athletes including the NBA with players choosing to boycott the last three playoff games. The governor of the Lakers stated, “After more than 400 years of cruelty, racism and injustice, we all need to work together to say enough is enough.” These sentiments quickly moved into Major League Baseball, the WNBA and Major League Soccer as teams also refused to play schedule games.

While Mars is retrograde this means sports will likely continue to get held back and even if played, due to covid restrictions, fans will not be in stadiums at all or will be limited in number, and must wear masks, social distance etc. No matter what, it is a new world for Mars ruled sporting events!

Next in September’s bustling astro lineup, on 9/12 mighty Jupiter turns direct. Jupiter reverses for around 5 months each year and went retro on 5/14 at 27° Capricorn and moves forward again at 17° Cap and remains in Capricorn until 12/20/20. Jupiter rules Sagittarius so you centaurs will feel your mojo rising again and Capricorn will too. See your Individual Sign messages for more personal insight.

Jupiter is colossal! It is the largest planet in the solar system by far and has a mighty astrological influence too affecting states of faith, optimism, enthusiasm, opportunity – many of the most positive feelings we can access. Jupiter entered Capricorn in 12/2/19. Whenever this immense planet transits a sign, issues related to that sign expand. Here is what I wrote then, “Jupiter expands, while Capricorn ruled by task master Saturn is associated with contraction – a bit of an uncomfortable fit for Jupiter. Capricorn is the original adult in the room whose archetype is The Good Father the one who creates structures for others to flourish within. Capricorn understands the importance of setting appropriate boundaries and knows how to hold steadfast until goals are reached. When Jupiter is in productive earth sign Capricorn what expands is more focus on practicality, more attention to underlying structures which need a better foundation, and recognizing the need for more disciplined efforts at both personal and macro levels.”

Jupiter has been a large player in all the world’s structural changes that have occurred in 2020 and one of the things Jupiter in Capricorn expanded is the pandemic with all its boundaried restrictions! When Jupiter turned retro in May, those boundaries were in full force over most of the world and as the months moved on, felt even more restrictive. When Jupiter goes direct after his long retrograde travels it becomes easier to access optimistic and positive states. Let us hope this means the pandemic begins to ease up too.

On 9/22 the Sun enters Libra on the Autumn Equinox at 9:31a EDT. As always I’ll post an article on the Equinox closer to the date, but here are some highlights. The Moon (public emotions) is riding high in Sagittarius and plays well with Venus in Leo, so folks are feeling their oats. Communicator Mercury is in fair minded Libra opposing Mars retro in pressurized Aries who squares off against Saturn in Capricorn and dangerously nudges at potent Pluto too. Interesting and diverging energy patterns that will color the new season.

Last in September’s active line-up is Saturn who moves forward again on 9/28-29 after his long  retrograde beginning on 5/10 and turning direct at 25° Capricorn the sign he rules. Saturn rules discipline, form, function and structure and when he is retro your own structures feel a bit sloppier than usual. When Saturn moves direct in well organized Capricorn it becomes easier to manage your life again.

Saturn rules Capricorn, so you Goats get on better footing for sure! Anyone born from January 15-17 has Saturn turning around on top of your Sun sign which can feel like a heavy anvil on your head! It’s time for you to consider new and better structures for your life and if 25° Capricorn (or close) is the degree of your rising sign the advice is similar, and if you have any important planet near this degree consider the meaning of the planet and apply it. And remember Lord of Karma Saturn does not take no for an answer!

When Saturn moves forward he enters the last phase of his Capricorn journey which began on December 19, 2017. On 12/16 this year Saturn enters Aquarius bringing in entirely new energy patterns! We’ve already had a taste of this while Saturn visited Aquarius from 3/21 through 7/1 this year, and with both Jupiter and Saturn entering Aquarius together in December, we’ll get an even bigger idea about what it means to have the two largest planets in the solar system in the progressive sign of Aquarius.

As Saturn in Capricorn moves direct again in the last days of September Mars retro in Aries repeats and continues to push a challenging square that began at the end of August and is operative most of September.

This can be easily seen in the combative, divisive political landscape from the US to Belarus and another part of these challenges were natural disasters like the raging fires in California and hurricane Laura that hit Louisiana causing extensive damage including a fire in a chemical plant that started when hit by Laura and sent a chlorine-infused plume of smoke skyward which was still fouling the environment nearly 24 hours later. Why a plant like this is was ever permitted in a fragile coast-land  ecosystem is part of the outmoded and destructive corporate/ government structures that Saturn and the other planets in Capricorn are helping the world realize has to be torn down to build a better foundation!

We may not be able to prevent weather related disasters, although there is a school of thought which says we humans actually influence the weather through the emotional vibrations we collectively put out and since the vibrations during times like this are volatile and chaotic the weather becomes more intense and unpredictable. This square in cardinal signs like Capricorn and Aries is the challenge of action demanding action be taken in order to resolve the conflict.

Interesting to consider that if each person (you!) took action by raising their own vibration this eventually ripples out and affect the entire collective human consciousness positively, but it might also calm down and balance the weather itself! Let’s give it a try. Here is another quote from Sun in Virgo native Mildred D. Taylor, So many things are possible as long as you don’t know they are impossible . ~ Mildred D. Taylor