At the risk of sounding like a broken record, it bears repeating that the planetary archetypal intensity will continue through the end of the year. Just about everyone I know, including myself, is experiencing multiple challenges. The most frequently asked question now seems to be: “How much more of this pressure can we take?” But perhaps a more productive and engaging question is: “How can I strengthen myself, the container for the consciousness expressing in this reality that I am – to withstand whatever pressure is needed so I can fully participate in this fated dance of evolution?” We are in an intense pressure cooker for change corresponding to various major planetary cycles climaxing in 2020. Learning how to impartially observe whatever we’re experiencing, including our thoughts about it, is key. Total acceptance is another essential attitude we can cultivate. What is meant by acceptance doesn’t mean agreement with others, or inactivity, or that we ought not to make efforts to grow. It is simply the constant practice of accepting the life we are living each day rather than fantasizing about the one we want. If we intently observe – without judgement – any harsh, angry or intense negative thoughts driving us in each moment, it will become easier to recognize any internal thought-forms that tell us we’re not good enough or that we’re bad because we’ve had these kinds of negative thoughts. This will help us avoid projecting our feelings onto others as well by expressing what we view as all their inadequacies. This kind of belief system takes up a lot of mental bandwidth we could otherwise put to good use discovering and developing the special gifts each one of us uniquely has to contribute to the world. That is a more optimal way of working with our mind.
Another crucial awareness to have is that we are in a multiplayer game with others who for the most part remain a mystery to us. Therefore, being clear in our own minds and then, if possible, with others in our communications will help us make agreements so that we can have the greatest positive impact on our relationships. This kind of exchange is emphasized through Mercury, which archetypally represents how we perceive and process our experiences and all the information we receive not only from our physical environment but also from the cosmic intelligences that speak to us through synchronicities, symbolism and other esoteric means. September 17 – 23, Mercury in Libra, the sign of the Diplomat, forms a five-planet cardinal T-square with the Jupiter/Pluto/Saturn conjunction in Capricorn and Mars in Aries. At this critical time, Mercury in Libra speaks for the people, archetypally challenging the powers that govern the land (symbolized by the Capricorn planets) to remember who they work for and that they are tasked with embedding our collective values of equity and fairness in all their actions. This is the “crisis of consciousness” phase of the respective cycles between Mercury and the Capricorn planets that began last January asking us to draw on the wisdom of the unseen forces to intensify our conviction and speak truth to power. Mercury then facing off with retrograde Mars in Aries suggests vigorous debate about balancing individual creative freedom with the need to cooperate in order to live together on this planet.
On September 17, the New Moon in Virgo brings a sense of destiny unfolding in the new lunar cycle. The Sun and Moon conjunct in the sign that represents the critical state of transition between the worlds of self alone and relating with others, forms a dynamic mutable T-Square with the North Node in Gemini and the South Node in Sagittarius, which suggests that we are at a cross roads and what we choose to serve with every thought and deed will determine whether we take the road to the past or to the future. The New Moon is also in exact trine to retrograde Saturn in Capricorn which may clarify what our role should be in this process and offer support if we are willing to do the necessary work. Saturn helps us by instilling a sense of purpose in what we do, and that is what can motivate us more strongly than anything else. Saturn further teaches us that the most solid purpose we could serve is to fulfil the unique cosmic need we are tasked with in this lifetime. That need is revealed in our natal birth chart which clarifies the law of our being as a unique root participant in the universal cosmic process of evolution.
The Sun enters Libra on September 22 to mark the fall equinox, the chart for which including most aspects described herein sets the tone for the next three months. Speaking truth to power as we gain a sense of the cosmic need we are here to fulfil will help in the evolutionary process of balancing the scales of social justice. The heads of state gathering virtually for the first time at the annual United Nations assembly comes at a time the archetype of the global Diplomat is sorely needed to collectively come to agreement on how to manage the colliding existential crises of the global pandemic, socio-economic inequity and climate change. And we have our work cut out for us as well, in facing this brave new reality with honesty and purity of heart.
Saturn is a key player at this time. It stations direct on September 28 after four months of being retrograde and a month being laser focused at 25 Capricorn. The shadow side of Saturn has a harsh, punitive nature that is often resentful. These negative attributes arise especially at intensified times like this when one does not willingly take on the responsibility for one’s own state and tries to control others in order to deny one’s own failings. The willingness part is actually very easy when we know we are fulfilling our purpose. Saturn, ever so powerful as it stations in the sign it rules, is emphasizing the imperative to discover the cosmic need only each of us can uniquely fulfil. Thus fortified with purpose, we will also be willing to withstand the pressure that will ultimately transform us into who we are meant to be.
Mars has been in a sustained square with Saturn since the beginning of August due to the timing of their respective stations (Mars turned retrograde on September 9). The second of three exact alignments between them occurs on September 29. For me personally, I’m taking to heart their archetypal imperative to make each action count with purpose and discipline. A few days before Mars stationed, I accidentally tripped and fractured my wrist while watering the garden in record smoky 117 heat. It is relatively minor and will heal after a month in a cast but in the meantime, my usual active self is having to make all kinds of adjustments, including asking for help, to perform the simple tasks of living. I am digging deeper into being conscious of what is necessary to do rather than what I want to do. If we employ that on a societal level, life would be much simpler, purposeful and perhaps surprisingly engaging.
Best article I have read of yours. Thank you.