In
autumn, the slant of the light produces a familiar glow that signals a
confluence of gathering and dissipating activities. Animals store food for the
winter in their bodies and homes while leaves and fruits fall from plants.
Throughout nature, decisions are being made - what goes and what stays? What
continues to live, and what dies?
Sun in Libra: 9/22 - 10/23
Autumn
begins on September 22nd, as the Sun enters Libra, the sign of the scales.
Typically, during the solar month of Libra, our primary aim is to bring our
lives into balance. After the expansive, try-anything, do-everything energy of
spring and summer, our energy starts to flag. We need to decide what is worth
continuing, and what needs to be let go of. We’ll have some help in that
process this month as Venus, the ruler of Libra and clarifier of values,
travels close to the Sun - i.e. our light of consciousness.
What
relationships, activities, communities and places do you value most?
How can you let go of
that which means less to you with grace?
What is your
relationship with your own dignity?
How can you honor the
dignity of that which you commit to and that which you move away from?
Autumn Equinox & Pluto stations Direct: 9/22
The
autumn equinox also occurs on September 22nd. After six months of the days
being longer than the nights, nature brings light and dark into balance for a
moment. It’s a brief still point, but it’s also a tipping point. From this day
on through the next six months, darkness will be stronger than light. In a
culture that equates light with all things good, and dark with all things bad,
we may have to face some fears and resistance to this change.
What is the wisdom of
darkness? What does it teach us?
How do you move
in the dark? What senses become more acute when you cannot see?
What treasures might
you find when you explore the shadows of your mind?
One
more key event on this particular autumn equinox day is Pluto, the planet of
power through transformation, stations direct in steadfast and ambitious
Capricorn. Pluto stationed retrograde in mid-April, indicating that deeper
shifts have occurred within us, rather than in our outer world. On this equinox
day, the scales start to tip in this way as well - the deeper truths revealed
in the past five months can now be put into practice. The transformation
process of Pluto in retrograde is often subtle, and only fully understood in
hindsight. However, these questions may help you identify some elements of your
current process of deep change, and therefore how to implement these shifts
more consciously.
What deeper power
have you tapped into since mid-April?
How has your
relationship with your own and others’ authority shifted since mid-April?
The Liminal Lunation Begins on 9/23 (PDT)
The
moon is new in Libra late the next night, on September 23rd. This means that
autumn began under a balsamic moon, thus accentuating the elements of
stillness, release and return throughout the season. The energetic imprint of
the second degree of Libra, where this new moon occurs, is that of a threshold.
Mars in Sagittarius is sextile the Sun and Moon in Libra, offering courage
through conviction and faith. Mars is also square Neptune in Pisces, so you may
find it helpful to retreat into nature - especially near water - for clarity at
this time. This configuration suggests that something may need to be
sacrificed. To sacrifice means to make sacred through release. To walk through
that doorway, we must leave the old, known world behind. Neptune urges us to
bid farewell to our known world with devotion.
What two worlds do
you currently stand between?
Can you let go of the
known world you are leaving behind with dignity and devotion?
Can you step into the
unknown world before you with courage and faith?
Grand Fire Trine: 9/25 - 10/8
In the
midst of all of this letting go, we have a very different energy building in
the form of a grand fire trine. Between the equinox and the first two weeks of
October, Uranus, Jupiter and Mars will be in alignment in the three fire signs
of Aries, Leo and Sagittarius. Grand trines tend to offer great opportunities
with a lot of momentum, but it’s up to us to act on them. There are down sides
to this configuration, however. Watch out, however, for burning yourself out.
There may be too many opportunities knocking at your door, and you may not be
able to take them all. The high road with this configuration is to take
creative and courageous leaps based on your convictions, but do take a moment
to first get clear about what your beliefs actually are before you jump into
the fire of commitment. Fire-prone areas of the world may also be in extra
danger at this time.
What opportunities
are showing up for you?
Which ones are most
in alignment with your own philosophies?
How can you maintain
a balance between stillness and action at this time?
Full Lunar Eclipse in Aries: 10/8
Meanwhile,
the distant rumbles of the full lunar eclipse in mid-Aries draw nearer. The
Sun, north node of the moon, Venus, and asteroid, Pallas, are conjoined in
Libra. Opposite them, the Moon, Uranus, south node of the moon, and planetoid,
Eris, are conjoined in Aries. Mars and Jupiter feed the flames of this tense
configuration while Pluto applies some torque from Capricorn. If you feel like
you’re being scorched and torn asunder, congratulations - you’re in alignment.
During a lunar eclipse, the shadow of the earth passes over the moon while it
is full, and thus in the peak of its light phase. At the moment of greatest light,
we experience darkness. It is in these moments of abnormality that we can gain
insight not normally available to us. Here is what the planets ask us during
this lunar eclipse:
How can you
exercise patience in the midst of strife?
What practices,
people, beliefs and values bring you into balance?
If you allow yourself
to be torn apart, how might you fit back together into a truer whole?
What might be missing
from your life that you can add only once you release something that’s in its
way?
Mercury Retrograde in Scorpio & Libra: 10/4 - 10/25
In the
midst of all of that motion and stillness, and all of that arising and
descending, Mercury enters his final retrograde cycle of 2014. This particular
Mercury retrograde period is intrinsically linked to the two eclipses occurring
in October by timing, sign, and degree. This means we have access to greater
insight and clarity during this difficult eclipse season if we practice
accurate awareness, and then accept and adapt to what is happening within and
around us. The combination of Scorpio and Libra suggests we work with these
questions:
How can you bring
levity and grace to that which feels heavy and awkward?
Which activities and
relationships are you not fully committing to?
Which of those
activities and relationships are you willing to commit more deeply to?
How can you
respectfully let go of those activities & relationships you cannot commit
to?
If you are the one
being let go of, how can you gracefully accept that loss, and adapt to your new
reality?
What rebirth may come
in the wake of the endings you face?
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