It’s the equinox! Hooray. One of the four corners of the year. Here, we are turning into autumn. Sally and I met at Cliveden, a very beautiful stately home outside London, famous, or infamous, for political intrigue. That seemed appropriate for the month ahead with Venus, the planet of love, digging around in sexy, secretive Scorpio, while the Sun sails through social, polite and political Libra. It’s all pretty intriguing to say the least.
Photo by Swapnil Sharma from Pexels
The Sun enters Libra on September 22nd, and we see another Fall Equinox.
During this brief, balanced moment when the hours of daylight and darkness are equal, we look ahead to the cold winter months and take stock of what we’re harvesting and what will sustain us.
There is a time of reaping what you’ve sown, and the Sun’s square to Saturn (and Vesta) in Capricorn will clearly define what you have to work with. You may have less than usual or you may find that this second half of the year is quite unbalanced due to responsibilities. It may feel unfair, or you may dig in because you’re up to the task. Either way, it’s Saturn and he plays a key role in this Equinox (the square will be active as the Sun enters Libra, which means this energy will define the entire season).
What can you do with Saturn? You can’t argue with him and you can’t avoid what must be done. I mean, you can try (it’s your choice) but this will only increase the pressure. What you can do is step up and do the work. It’s harvest time baby, and for this year you may have to lift a heavier load or tighten your belt.
And of course, the Sun opposes Chiron Rx before the square to Saturn, so you’ll also be looking at one area where you feel vulnerable or uncomfortable. But it’s an opposition and Libra does involve a lot of projection, so the issue may not even be about you. But rest assured that Chiron’s wounds will also factor into this Equinox.
My post on the September 24th Full Moon in Aries really sums up the energies for this Libra season.
So. Probably not what you wanted to read, but it’s better to be prepared. Is there anything good for this Libra season? Something to take the edge off? Yes! There is a lovely conjunction with Ceres (see the aspect list below) which can hi-light a truly selfless day of nurturing and balanced give and take. You give, they give in return. The cycle feeds on itself and you have a blooming moment of unconditional care and affection that is mutual.
Here are the aspects the Sun in Libra will make:
Sept 23rd: opposition to Chiron Rx in Aries (0 deg)
Sept 24th: inconjunct to Uranus Rx in Taurus (1 deg)
Sept 25th: square to Saturn in Capricorn (2 deg)
Sept 25th: square Pallas in Capricorn (2 deg)
Sept 27th: trine the Aquarius South Node (4 deg)
Sept 27th: trine Mars in Aquarius (4 deg)
Sept 29th: trine Black Moon Lilith in Aquarius (5 deg)
Oct 7th: inconjunct Neptune Rx in Pisces (14 deg)
Oct 7th: conjunct Ceres (14 deg)
Oct 12th: square Pluto in Capricorn (18 deg)
Oct 22nd: inconjunct Chiron Rx in Pisces (28 deg)
Waxing Inconjunct between the Aquarius Moon and Virgo Sun (29 deg)
Mercury in Libra opposite Chiron Rx in Aries (0 deg)
Mercury in Libra square Vesta in Capricorn (1 deg)
Mercury in Libra inconjunct Uranus Rx in Taurus (1 deg)
Waxing Inconjunct
The Waxing Inconjunct at the final degrees of Aquarius/Virgo brings you to a tipping point before the September 24th Aries Full Moon. There’s one more area of adjustment- something new and untested must be added to the existing details. It may be a complete oddity, but this weird little wrinkle somehow needs to be integrated with predictable, practical details.
The emphasis on final degrees (with the Sun’s move into Libra, and the Fall Equinox, later today) means this adjustment may be bigger than usual. You should feel a significant shift – a shifting of the gears.
Mercury
Mercury gets a bit of a workout with some fractious aspects. Harmonious communication will be difficult today as painful issues come up. The first impulse may be avoid what’s awkward, or even project the discomfort onto someone else. Consider the true source of what hurts and accept that (for today) the perfect thing to say doesn’t exist. You can’t gloss over the embarassment, and the square to Vesta suggests that rigid focus on socially acceptable words may actually make it worse. At the very least, you could find yourself fixating so strongly on saying the nice thing that you end up saying nothing.
Mercury/Uranus ensures that the unexpected will leak out, no matter how carefully you phrase things. You may discover something surprising and out it comes before you realize what’s happened. Or, someone may throw you a verbal curveball. This is ok – it was never going to come out neat and pretty, so just roll with it.
Note that Mercury rules the Virgo Sun (involved in the challenging inconjunct) so information and communication today will really test you. Both Libra and Virgo want things to be “just so” but it’s not happening. Discard expectations of perfection and make room for flaws, awkwardness and surprises.
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Virgo Sun trine Juno in Taurus (28 deg)
Mercury in Virgo trine Juno in Taurus (28 deg)
Coming off of yesterday’s Sun/Mercury conjunction, the trines to Juno suggest that the illumination of crucial details can solidify a partnership. This is excellent energy if you want two people on the same page – the facts will mesh naturally as both parties share their practical knowledge and solutions.
This is about the quiet, easy agreement – what makes sense, what’s been proven and what works for both people. It’s not romantic, but it is reliable.
Mercury enters Libra on September 21st: communication and ideas are focused on agreements/disagreements, balances/imbalances and reflection. Harmony is important – words can be superficial or diplomatic in an effort to preserve the peace. Much is not said directly and it’s interesting to consider how conversational balances are achieved.
This can be the ultimate passive-aggressvie energy, as pretty phrases disguise ugly barbs. Or, it can be a relief to simply nod and smile and talk about nothing – sometimes you don’t want to discuss your inner pain. Everything that’s said is socially appropriate.
However, Mercury in Libra is a champion listener – this sign’s objective awareness means truly paying attention to what the other person is saying and reflecting what they’ve said back at them. This is done in a way that validates their ideas and encourages them to say more. It takes some skill (it’s not just about parroting their words).
Libra learns through comparison, so this brief transit can be an excellent opportunity to absorb what others tell you. Remember, Libra is always about the other and sometimes it’s better if you let them do the talking. Once Mercury enters Scorpio you can make use of the knowledge you’ve gained.
Having said this, Mercury in Libra is also very social – chatting, flirting, sprinkling compliments. The key is allowing the other person to have their say and pay close attention to how they respond to what you say. And, consider how their words reflect your energy.
Here are the aspects Mercury in Libra will make:
Sept 22nd: opposite Chiron Rx in Aries (0 deg)
Sept 22nd: inconjunct Uranus Rx in Taurus (1 deg)
Sept 22nd: square Vesta in Capricorn (1 deg)
Sept 23rd: square Saturn in Capricorn (2 deg)
Sept 23rd: trine Mars in Aquarius (3 deg)
Sept 24th: trine the Aquarius South Node (4 deg)
Sept 25th: trine Black Moon Lilith in Aquarius (5 deg)
Sept 27th: conjunct Ceres (9 deg)
Sept 30th: inconjunct Neptune Rx in Pisces (14 deg)
Oct 2nd: square Pluto in Capricorn (18 deg)
Oct 9th: inconjunct Chiron Rx in Pisces (29 deg)
Oct 9th: Scorpio ingress