September 18th ~ 25th
“Autumn Effect at Argenteuil” by Claude Monet
Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what’s going to happen next. ~ Gilda Radner
At the Autumnal Equinox the daylight hours equal the night hours. And so we pause between Light and Darkness, as the days from here on (in the Northern Hemisphere) will begin to shorten once again, now that we are approaching the Winter months. It is also a time of harvest and to sow gratitude for what we have reaped. So this is a time of year to give due service to all the good things that we have in our lives, as well as to embrace and welcome the darkness, not with dread, but with hope and connection.
Mabon, the Equinox, one of the 4 Cardinal corners of the year, is a time of harvest. But it is also a time to prepare the way, so that new seeds will be able to take root and grow in the Spring.
We have turned a corner in which all of the outer planets, just recently changed signs. Because Neptune is now in the early degrees of Aries, the sign directly opposite Libra, no sooner does the Sun enter Libra, then it also opposes Neptune. This will all come to culmination at the Full Moon in Aries on the 26th, when the Sun and Moon form an illuminating Kite with the planet Neptune, and all of her attendants.
Venus, the ruling planet of Libra, is preparing for her upcoming retrograde phase in the chthonic sign of Scorpio. This week, much like the maiden Persephone, she prepares to descend even further into the underworld, escorted by the dark Lord Pluto. It is there that we greet all the denizens of the deep, the hungry, the wanting, the desperate, and the fearful. Therefore the importance of sowing seeds of peace and equanimity with the Libra Equinox, is that much more important this year. For we do so in order to carry us over this liminal threshold, not only between the seasons, but between the past and a future that is yet to be written.
Balance: As we stand here in the balance between light and darkness, we have the opportunity to reflect on the year that was, and be thankful for all that we have accomplished. It is also an opportunity to welcome the approaching dark time of the year as a necessary part of the cycle. For without facing our own darkness, we will never be able to fully embrace the light.
Gratitude: It is time to give due service, and sow thanks, for what we have. Therefore it is recommended at this time to create a list of gratitude: perhaps beginning with all those things we take for granted, then moving on to that which we are particularly grateful for, so that they may fill our hearts and minds.
Embrace the darkness: Celebrate the emerging Crone, the goddess of the winter months. The Crones were the elders who carried the wisdom of the ages on their shoulders, which had been gathered and honed through sheer experience. In ancient times they served as the story tellers, the teachers, the healers and guides who lead the way. And for each of us, there is this recognition that we are entering this dark time of year in order to go within, and meet our own inner Crone. We do this to assimilate all that we have gained, all we have lost and learned, not only so that we can better plan for the year ahead, but to be able to connect with spirit, so that we may never lose sight of what really matters in the end.
Last week Neptune perfected a sextile with Pluto opening a portal to the higher realms. This week Jupiter and Neptune form a perfect sesquiquadrate (135º angle) with one another in the fire signs of Aries and Leo. Because they are in the same element they may seem at first to be working towards the same ends. But this tricky aspect points to some underlying, hidden tensions that we are not going to be able to ignore as we approach that Full Moon on the 26th of September.
Neptune sows uncertainty and doubt, while Jupiter encourages us to expand, dare and move beyond our current boundaries. We cannot change the past, nor can we fully see the future through the foggy mists of Neptune, and yet we are being asked to have faith, even when the future seems so uncertain. But in order to do this well we are also being asked to separate the truth from any delusions, whimsies, or unrealistic fantasies that are muddying the waters and leading us astray.
Neptune, retrograde in Aries, is telling us to turn within, in order to fearlessly question any unbridled (and unwise) enthusiasm being sown by Jupiter in Leo. We may all ask ourselves how much we have become deluded by our egos thinking that we are capable of so much more than is actually achievable and possible? Ask first: Is this a path that is leading me away from the truth, or towards it?
Without a reliable system to guide us, we fill in the ambiguities with our fantasies, our fears, and our worries. But truly the only way to work with this Jupiter/Neptune energy is by being present, and focusing on what is right here in front of us, right now. We are being asked to trust our inner wisdom, even in the face of an uncertain future. This is while having the faith that if we choose wisely, if we make the best and most righteous of decisions, if we put our trust in the Good, follow our conscience, our gods, and our highest principles, we will not lose our way.
For this week’s horoscopes, click below: