AstroCast: September 22 - October 6, 2013

**Times where noted are Pacific Daylight Time.  Degrees where noted are rounded to the nearest whole degree.

The Sun arrives at the pivotal Equinox point of 0 degrees Libra at 1:44 pm on September 22nd.  The moment marks the beginning of a new three month cycle as represented here on Earth by the change of season. We may sense a palpable shift in our internal gears as the archetypal symbol of our center of gravity enters this cardinal sign, generating a burst of energy to thrust us in a new direction.  Balance, justice, harmony and beauty are all key words associated with the social sign of Libra.  Underneath those words, however, lay the crux of the Sun in Libra’s mission: to calibrate.  Whether on a balance beam, at the mediation table, or in the eye of a storm, the master of opposing forces will constantly be working to restore order where there is chaos, add light to dark, or proffer a sweet melody to a discordant tale.  Libra “has charms to sooth the savage breast, to soften rocks, or bend a knotted oak.” (William Congreve).  As the gatekeeper to the last half of the zodiac, which is concerned with the development of self in relation to humanity, Libra’s core issue revolves around what we as individuals contribute to society.  To the Sun in Libra, the first step is in developing relationships.  He knows they are the threads woven into the tapestry of civilization and that every individual contribution on some level is beholden to at least one significant connection between souls.  In order to keep the threads strong, the Sun in Libra must maintain an unshakable inner peace.  That’s where the real calibrating happens.  If he concentrates only on surface calm to give the appearance of smooth sailing in his external world, he avoids dealing with his own imbalances, which often present as indecisiveness, vacillation, and a hesitancy to commit.  This results in him staying on the sidelines rather than being an active participant in life.  To be truly effective, he needs to stay in the game and have the conviction of his assigned position – as Chief Operating Calibrator bringing his signature grace to our wild and wacky world.

While the Sun has now joined Mercury in the intellectual air sign of Libra, water continues to be the predominant element with four planets – Venus and Saturn in Scorpio, Jupiter in Cancer, Neptune in Pisces – acting through a sensitive, emotional filter.  We’re more likely to sense things than mentally perceive them.  On September 26th, Venus will trine Jupiter at 18 degrees of their respective signs to bathe us in the glow of the good life.  Breadth and beauty join harmoniously, manifesting an enthusiastic, generous current that will carry us through intimate and familial streams of relating that feed into resourceful tributaries and safe harbors.  While we may indulge in life’s bounties, we may also find a natural attunement to the flow that brings joy into our lives.  This is one aspect that definitely has the potential to float our boat!

While still under Jupiter’s expansive influence, Venus steams into a fractious square with Mars at 20 degrees Leo on September 28th.  Mars can be a bit of a hot head in this fire sign, entitled to have his oats and sow them too.  Venus will therefore challenge him to learn the art of cooperation before she gives anything up.  Intensely focused on the transformative nature of love, she will force him to take her own deep desires into consideration.  In turn, she must remember to acknowledge the difference within herself between primal desire and unconditional love.  Only then can she be the role model that will bring out Mars in Leo’s inherent sense of nobility in matters of the heart.

Adding to the water world sensibility, Mercury leaves Libra decorum behind and takes the deep dive into Scorpio on September 29th.  The classic archetype of the spy, detective and forensic researcher comes to life under Mercury in Scorpio’s influence, where intense mental penetration into fundamental issues exposes the underlying thought processes at work.  The shadow side of Mercury’s nature here will be so obsessively focused on the underbelly of life that his mental world becomes filled with demons such that he may end up digging his own grave with secrets and taboos.  Mercury here must learn to purge the dark and decayed collection in his mental mausoleum in order to reach the highest potential of this transit – a profound understanding of life’s stealth mechanisms.

Mercury’s trine to Neptune at 3 degrees Pisces the afternoon of October 1st enhances his inquisitive nature with intuitive skills, giving him the ability to take mental leaps beyond existing physical evidence to arrive at insightful conclusions.  There is a real comfort zone with code here, which much like poetry, requires a high level of imagination and nuanced perception.  The trine aspect makes it so easy, however, there may not be sufficient motivation to do the work.  We could shrug it off by saying “I can’t get the security clearance to do my research,” for example, than to actually do what is required to get into the closely guarded vaults where data treasures await.

Fortunately, the Sun square Pluto later in the day on October 1st should kick our proverbial ass into gear!  This dynamic planetary pair form a contentious 90 degree angle at 9 degrees Libra/Capricorn, but more than that, once the Sun entered Libra it began activating the era defining Uranus/Pluto square in effect from 2008 to 2018 and nearing its fourth of seven exact hits on November 1st.  Forming a cardinal T-square with the slower planets, the Sun goes on to oppose Uranus on October 3rd at 11 degrees Libra/Aries.  Although the Sun moves around the zodiac at the rate of about one degree a day (the second fastest next to the Moon), he does carry significant weight when aspecting the outer planets.  While important shifts may have happened when Venus translated the Uranus/Pluto square in August and Mercury did the same in September, it may be the Sun’s transit through this powerful degree space that brings an awakening.  This could manifest like jumper cables to the heart where we experience sudden vitality, a renewal of purpose, or the release of our spirit from the shackles of conformity that long ago lost its logic.  Structural changes could get triggered, or a harnessing of personal power.  So close after the Equinox, and followed by the New Moon a day later and an eclipse in less than a few weeks, this general period may mark a major turning point where we finally take a stand for ourselves.  Libra is primarily concerned with the reconcilliation of opposites, and from a broad perspective between the self and society.  The focus during this time may therefore highlight issues of justice and balance in this arena.  Where disparity and prejudice exists, the full force of the Sun’s heat and light will bear down for a long over-due recalibration.  In the scales of our lives, do our hearts equal the weight of a feather?

The Moon joins forces with the Sun on October 4th keeping the pressure on for change that needs to happen.  If we didn’t clearly identify a new goal or purpose at the Equinox, it may be revealed at the New Moon which occurs at 12 degrees Libra at 5:34 pm.  The will of the Sun and the responsive nature of the Moon unite with Libra’s intellectual air and self-starting cardinality to kick start us into new ways of being in our interactions with others.  The Sun in Libra probably works harder at relationships than in any other sign.  He innately feels a partnership with another will bring balance to his life.  The Moon in Libra feels she absolutely needs a partner to complete herself.  Looking externally for the other half, however, means they perpetually see themselves as only half of something.  This paradoxically diverts them from their ultimate goal of becoming whole.  As above, so below, as without so within.  If the golden ring isn’t within reach – something that is actually quite common for Libra-dominant individuals – it means the inner work hasn’t been done to unite the anima and animus within.  The challenge is to look at the dirt under the rug and do some real spring cleaning (nod to the southern hemisphere there!).  In order to do that, the focus on peace needs to get real.  It is all too easy for Libra to keep a superficial calm on the surface.  What requires courage is to truthfully look at the subterranean areas of our nature where chaos is allowed to reign.  While the long play here is to eliminate entropy, the short play is simply to acknowledge those parts of our nature that are out of balance.  Libra’s true grace shines when it can see the beauty in the sometimes ugly process of growth.

On October 6th, Mercury sextiles Pluto at 9 degrees Scorpio/Capricorn.  With Mercury in the sign that Pluto rules, this aspect amplifies the intense mentality expressing that can easily perceive the games people play.  Rather than focusing on trivial matters, we could take advantage of the mental staying power available now that may make it seem like any hint of ADD is in spontaneous remission.  This is an opportunity to probe and purge the dark corners of our mind and tap into our deep mental resources.  This regenerative vortex may open for just a short time but could result in some refreshing insights.