this is posted with permission from author David Pond:
The Autumn Equinox is on Wednesday the 23rd, at 1:21 am P.D.T. as the Sun moves into Libra and the fall season begins.
With Libra, we discover and learn about ourselves through our experiences with others, particularly those that require cooperation to create the Libra ideal of win-win. We’ll see this theme of seeking balance between self and others emphasized in dramatic fashion this fall, beginning with the Full Moon on Sunday after the Equinox.
A Dramatic “Supermoon” Lunar Eclipse September 27th
The Lunar eclipse on September 27th will be during a “Supermoon” this year with the eclipse happening just as the moon is at its closest point in its orbit to earth, making it appear up to 30% larger and brighter than usual. The Moon will be in total eclipse for just over an hour, but doesn’t become completely invisible: It glows red, nicknamed a “blood moon”.
This will be visible in all of North America (maximum eclipse at 7:47 P.M. P.D.T./10:47 P.M. E.D.T.).
This eclipse occurs with the Full Moon in Aries and Sun in Libra. As the reflective light of the Moon becomes blocked by the Earth’s shadow, the communication between Moon and Sun is temporarily interrupted.
It is wise not to act on what you feel during an eclipse because of the skewed transmission.
is an excellent time to reflect on the balance of Aries and Libra, your self and others in your life.
Have you been over accommodating to others to the sacrifice of your own best interest and well-being?
Or have you been overly self-directed, not truly listening and responding to others, to the detriment of your relationships?
Use the eclipse to contemplate on how well you’ve been doing at keeping the razor’s edge of maintaining your independence within cooperative involvement with others.
Note if you have been too independent or too compromising in your relationships.
See the pattern in yourself and use the eclipse to make a commitment to let the old pattern be eclipsed.
Mercury Retrograde Opposite Uranus, T-squared by PlutoAre your relationships win-win, or compromising?
This theme of self and others is echoed with the Mercury Retrograde in Libra opposite Uranus in Aries in the Equinox chart.
The rebellious nature of Uranus will be like an alarm if the demands and expectations of others push you past what is fair just and honorable. We could call this a, “Get your own damn socks!” time, if you have been drifting towards compromising and settling to keep the peace in your dealings with others.
Peace is a Libra ideal, but if it comes from sacrificing what is honorable, expect Uranus to rear its feisty head in rebellion, thus these outbursts of “I’ve had it, no more compromising!” that can make people seem a bit touchy this season.
More funky weatherSaturn T-Square, A Test of Motivation
There is a Saturn T- square in the Equinox chart, with Saturn squaring both Mars imminently, September 25th, and Neptune, November 25th.
Saturn Squares are notorious for being testing challenging times, thus the heads up. Squares can be used as motivation if one sets into motion whatever can remedy the source of the frustration. If I am frustrated with the state of my garden, and I go out and do something about it, I always feel better. And that is the key with squares—act on the frustration or sit and stew with the agitation. Squares require action.
Since Mars is the planet of how you take action, and Saturn is the planet of restraint and restriction, this first square of restricted action deserves some strategizing to avoid potential aggravation.
The nature of Saturn is to restrict, restrain, mold, and shape what it comes into aspect with. Mars is the planet of how you take action, assert your will, and act on your desires. Saturn, having a larger orbit than Mars, will always win any challenge between the two. If Mars is your gas pedal and Saturn is your brake pedal, this could be a picture of acute frustration. You’ve got your foot on the gas with the engine revved up, but the brakes are on! Use this energy to whip yourself into shape and outer frustrations dissipate
Saturn is not a negative force seeking to block your efforts, it is ultimately your inner authority demanding self-mastery, a tall order for sure. But to work with this energy internally, ask yourself, “where in my life do I need more self-control, self-restraint, and self-discipline?” To stay sharp in life at whatever you are doing, periodic self-discipline is required to not loose your edge. Mars is all about action and Saturn is all about discipline; the high road being a time for self-discipline. For health and well being, you have to periodically discipline your desires to stay healthy. This fall is an excellent time to return to your disciplines proactively, not just because of the warnings associated with lack of self-control, but proactively because of how good it does feel to be fit and on top of your game.
We need some degree of unconditional self-love, but self-respect we have to earn. Where in your life could you benefit from greater self-discipline and self-control? It doesn’t have to be every area of your life, but utilize this time by picking some aspect of your life that could definitely improve with more self-imposed discipline. The season starts off with Mars square Saturn, which supports taking action strategically, rather than boldly. Saturn restricts bold assertive action with the square, and to go with the energy suggests playing within your game to win the game—be patient, bide your time. Rather than forcing issues; play within what is realistically available; know your limits.
The Saturn Square to Neptune peaks in late November, but already is in play. We can see how organizing and disciplining the Mars drive can be put to good use, but it’s not the same with nebulous Neptune, which has a much larger orbit than Saturn, and besides, how does one organize the clouds?
Neptune is your imagination, your mind pictures, and your spiritual eye at the brow behind the busy traffic of the mind.
At the higher level:
The Saturn test with Neptune deals with how well you are able to distinguish between inspiration and illusion in the moment.
“I’ve had a lot of worries in my life, most of which never happened.” Mark Twain
How well we all know that aggravation of worrying about something which isn’t even true or going to happen. Wouldn’t it be great to recognize these needless fears and worries in the moment and put them down like a bad book in a library? Such is the nature of Saturn/Neptune square.
Mindfulness
It takes a degree of mindfulness to be aware in the moment when your mind and imagination are wandering into unhealthy zones. Unhealthy mental and imaginative activity always has an attendant constriction and heaviness associated with it. With mindfulness, you notice this in the moment, and pull your attention away from the unhealthy activity. You could picture Neptune as a lotus flower just behind your brow. When it is pointing upward towards the light, you experience this influx of light. When your lotus flower is pointing down into the dark, you experience this darkness and constriction. When it is pointing down, do something to get those petals turned around and facing upward to receive the life giving light. Meditate, pray, read inspirational material, focus on beauty with mindful awareness. Get your imagination out of the muck and into the light.
Jupiter in Virgo “The weather? Fuhgeddaboudit!”
We can almost hear this dismissive attitude from Jupiter in Virgo about concerns about the weather, “Does it really matter, we still have to do what has to be done, and it’s best to set about doing it.”
Jupiter in Virgo’s penchant for simplicity offers a refreshing antidote for the complexity of the season. If you focus on what is essentially important in the here and now, everything else is not important, fuhgeddaboudit.
From Awakening to Realization.Many, many people the world over have gone through huge awakenings in their core spiritual identity over the last few years. Jupiter, the planet of growth and expansion looks at life as a field of opportunities to improve upon situations in life. While Jupiter is in down to earth Virgo, this presents an opportunity to integrate your awakening into your everyday life, where Virgo focuses. Not as much interested in periodic fantastic spiritual experiences, Virgo filters Jupiter’s expansive philosophical nature to that which can be helpful, useful, and integrated into everyday life. Virgo rules the intestines in the body, whose role is to take all that comes in, analyze it, discriminate between that which has value and that which doesn’t, and then integrate the nutrients into the body. We see how Jupiter’s typically voracious appetite gets filtered through the Virgo process: If the material is not useful and cannot be integrated into life, it is passed on.
The Great Leveling
Jupiter in Virgo is a good time to let go of the search for peak experiences, and look to find value in the plains and valleys between peaks. Virgo resonates with this principle more than most signs and understands that if peak experiences are your goal, there’s a lot of time between peaks that get deemed as not rewarding. Life is mostly made up of these little moments, the day-to-day between special moments and peak experiences, and Jupiter in Virgo seeks for these to be rewarding as well.
For all the complexity of this fall season, the balance can be found in a few Jupiter in Virgo adages:Keep It Simple Live simply, so others may simply live Service with a Smile
Periodically the background buzz of Armageddon surfaces and these times are no exception with an inordinate number of people asking about their astrology and the coming collapse, disaster, “Armageddon”, they have been hearing about. A crisis of this magnitude is not anything I am picking up on my radar, but I would like to close with the story I remember of Ram Dass’s response to the question of did he see a coming Armageddon.
The quote is from my memory of his reply: “After giving this some thought, I asked myself what I would do if there were to be such a crisis? I would first center myself as best I could, and then look around and see where I could be helpful. And if there weren’t to be such a crisis, what would I do? I would first center myself as best I could and look around and see where I could be helpful. Realizing it is the same either way, the question becomes a non-issue.” (fuhgeddaboudit)
Sage advice for this season: Center yourself as best you can and then look around and see where you can be helpful. And may this newsletter somehow be helpful in your navigating this Autumn Season. Be well,David Pond
The Autumn Equinox is on Wednesday the 23rd, at 1:21 am P.D.T. as the Sun moves into Libra and the fall season begins.
With Libra, we discover and learn about ourselves through our experiences with others, particularly those that require cooperation to create the Libra ideal of win-win. We’ll see this theme of seeking balance between self and others emphasized in dramatic fashion this fall, beginning with the Full Moon on Sunday after the Equinox.
A Dramatic “Supermoon” Lunar Eclipse September 27th
The Lunar eclipse on September 27th will be during a “Supermoon” this year with the eclipse happening just as the moon is at its closest point in its orbit to earth, making it appear up to 30% larger and brighter than usual. The Moon will be in total eclipse for just over an hour, but doesn’t become completely invisible: It glows red, nicknamed a “blood moon”.
This will be visible in all of North America (maximum eclipse at 7:47 P.M. P.D.T./10:47 P.M. E.D.T.).
This eclipse occurs with the Full Moon in Aries and Sun in Libra. As the reflective light of the Moon becomes blocked by the Earth’s shadow, the communication between Moon and Sun is temporarily interrupted.
It is wise not to act on what you feel during an eclipse because of the skewed transmission.
is an excellent time to reflect on the balance of Aries and Libra, your self and others in your life.
Have you been over accommodating to others to the sacrifice of your own best interest and well-being?
Or have you been overly self-directed, not truly listening and responding to others, to the detriment of your relationships?
Use the eclipse to contemplate on how well you’ve been doing at keeping the razor’s edge of maintaining your independence within cooperative involvement with others.
Note if you have been too independent or too compromising in your relationships.
See the pattern in yourself and use the eclipse to make a commitment to let the old pattern be eclipsed.
Mercury Retrograde Opposite Uranus, T-squared by PlutoAre your relationships win-win, or compromising?
This theme of self and others is echoed with the Mercury Retrograde in Libra opposite Uranus in Aries in the Equinox chart.
The rebellious nature of Uranus will be like an alarm if the demands and expectations of others push you past what is fair just and honorable. We could call this a, “Get your own damn socks!” time, if you have been drifting towards compromising and settling to keep the peace in your dealings with others.
Peace is a Libra ideal, but if it comes from sacrificing what is honorable, expect Uranus to rear its feisty head in rebellion, thus these outbursts of “I’ve had it, no more compromising!” that can make people seem a bit touchy this season.
More funky weatherSaturn T-Square, A Test of Motivation
There is a Saturn T- square in the Equinox chart, with Saturn squaring both Mars imminently, September 25th, and Neptune, November 25th.
Saturn Squares are notorious for being testing challenging times, thus the heads up. Squares can be used as motivation if one sets into motion whatever can remedy the source of the frustration. If I am frustrated with the state of my garden, and I go out and do something about it, I always feel better. And that is the key with squares—act on the frustration or sit and stew with the agitation. Squares require action.
Since Mars is the planet of how you take action, and Saturn is the planet of restraint and restriction, this first square of restricted action deserves some strategizing to avoid potential aggravation.
The nature of Saturn is to restrict, restrain, mold, and shape what it comes into aspect with. Mars is the planet of how you take action, assert your will, and act on your desires. Saturn, having a larger orbit than Mars, will always win any challenge between the two. If Mars is your gas pedal and Saturn is your brake pedal, this could be a picture of acute frustration. You’ve got your foot on the gas with the engine revved up, but the brakes are on! Use this energy to whip yourself into shape and outer frustrations dissipate
Saturn is not a negative force seeking to block your efforts, it is ultimately your inner authority demanding self-mastery, a tall order for sure. But to work with this energy internally, ask yourself, “where in my life do I need more self-control, self-restraint, and self-discipline?” To stay sharp in life at whatever you are doing, periodic self-discipline is required to not loose your edge. Mars is all about action and Saturn is all about discipline; the high road being a time for self-discipline. For health and well being, you have to periodically discipline your desires to stay healthy. This fall is an excellent time to return to your disciplines proactively, not just because of the warnings associated with lack of self-control, but proactively because of how good it does feel to be fit and on top of your game.
We need some degree of unconditional self-love, but self-respect we have to earn. Where in your life could you benefit from greater self-discipline and self-control? It doesn’t have to be every area of your life, but utilize this time by picking some aspect of your life that could definitely improve with more self-imposed discipline. The season starts off with Mars square Saturn, which supports taking action strategically, rather than boldly. Saturn restricts bold assertive action with the square, and to go with the energy suggests playing within your game to win the game—be patient, bide your time. Rather than forcing issues; play within what is realistically available; know your limits.
The Saturn Square to Neptune peaks in late November, but already is in play. We can see how organizing and disciplining the Mars drive can be put to good use, but it’s not the same with nebulous Neptune, which has a much larger orbit than Saturn, and besides, how does one organize the clouds?
Neptune is your imagination, your mind pictures, and your spiritual eye at the brow behind the busy traffic of the mind.
At the higher level:
- Neptune connects you to the inspiration and creativity available from the spiritual realms,
- while at the lower level, Neptune leads to escapism, imagined fears, and illusions of all sorts.
The Saturn test with Neptune deals with how well you are able to distinguish between inspiration and illusion in the moment.
“I’ve had a lot of worries in my life, most of which never happened.” Mark Twain
How well we all know that aggravation of worrying about something which isn’t even true or going to happen. Wouldn’t it be great to recognize these needless fears and worries in the moment and put them down like a bad book in a library? Such is the nature of Saturn/Neptune square.
Mindfulness
It takes a degree of mindfulness to be aware in the moment when your mind and imagination are wandering into unhealthy zones. Unhealthy mental and imaginative activity always has an attendant constriction and heaviness associated with it. With mindfulness, you notice this in the moment, and pull your attention away from the unhealthy activity. You could picture Neptune as a lotus flower just behind your brow. When it is pointing upward towards the light, you experience this influx of light. When your lotus flower is pointing down into the dark, you experience this darkness and constriction. When it is pointing down, do something to get those petals turned around and facing upward to receive the life giving light. Meditate, pray, read inspirational material, focus on beauty with mindful awareness. Get your imagination out of the muck and into the light.
Jupiter in Virgo “The weather? Fuhgeddaboudit!”
We can almost hear this dismissive attitude from Jupiter in Virgo about concerns about the weather, “Does it really matter, we still have to do what has to be done, and it’s best to set about doing it.”
Jupiter in Virgo’s penchant for simplicity offers a refreshing antidote for the complexity of the season. If you focus on what is essentially important in the here and now, everything else is not important, fuhgeddaboudit.
From Awakening to Realization.Many, many people the world over have gone through huge awakenings in their core spiritual identity over the last few years. Jupiter, the planet of growth and expansion looks at life as a field of opportunities to improve upon situations in life. While Jupiter is in down to earth Virgo, this presents an opportunity to integrate your awakening into your everyday life, where Virgo focuses. Not as much interested in periodic fantastic spiritual experiences, Virgo filters Jupiter’s expansive philosophical nature to that which can be helpful, useful, and integrated into everyday life. Virgo rules the intestines in the body, whose role is to take all that comes in, analyze it, discriminate between that which has value and that which doesn’t, and then integrate the nutrients into the body. We see how Jupiter’s typically voracious appetite gets filtered through the Virgo process: If the material is not useful and cannot be integrated into life, it is passed on.
The Great Leveling
Jupiter in Virgo is a good time to let go of the search for peak experiences, and look to find value in the plains and valleys between peaks. Virgo resonates with this principle more than most signs and understands that if peak experiences are your goal, there’s a lot of time between peaks that get deemed as not rewarding. Life is mostly made up of these little moments, the day-to-day between special moments and peak experiences, and Jupiter in Virgo seeks for these to be rewarding as well.
For all the complexity of this fall season, the balance can be found in a few Jupiter in Virgo adages:Keep It Simple Live simply, so others may simply live Service with a Smile
Periodically the background buzz of Armageddon surfaces and these times are no exception with an inordinate number of people asking about their astrology and the coming collapse, disaster, “Armageddon”, they have been hearing about. A crisis of this magnitude is not anything I am picking up on my radar, but I would like to close with the story I remember of Ram Dass’s response to the question of did he see a coming Armageddon.
The quote is from my memory of his reply: “After giving this some thought, I asked myself what I would do if there were to be such a crisis? I would first center myself as best I could, and then look around and see where I could be helpful. And if there weren’t to be such a crisis, what would I do? I would first center myself as best I could and look around and see where I could be helpful. Realizing it is the same either way, the question becomes a non-issue.” (fuhgeddaboudit)
Sage advice for this season: Center yourself as best you can and then look around and see where you can be helpful. And may this newsletter somehow be helpful in your navigating this Autumn Season. Be well,David Pond
RSS Feed