September 17th ~ 23rd

If you lack the humility to go back and tie up the loose ends in your past, then be prepared to forever be haunted by her ghosts, all of whom will come into your present and your future… ~ C. Joybell C.

We have a Full Moon just before the Equinox this week. When the Sun enters Libra on September 22nd, it becomes aligned with the World Axis, one of the sacred and powerful 4 corners of the solar year: the Libra Equinox. When the Sun comes to 0º of the Cardinal signs is when we are most connected to the earth’s own energy field. The Libra Equinox is just one of these 4 corners of the year, when that energy is accessible. It is also when the days and nights are equal, and here in the Northern Hemisphere, we stand in the balance as the days will now get shorter, anticipating the cold and darkness of the winter months to come. While the Southern Hemisphere will soon be celebrating the return of the light. 

Once the harvest time is over, Persephone descends once more into the underworld, bringing the promise of the greening and blooms of the Summer months with her to the Southern climes, while we celebrate the emerging Crone, the goddess of the winter months, here in the North. We will now prepare to withdraw and prepare for the year ahead. For this is not just a time of final harvest, and calling the sheep from the pastures, for it is also a time to prepare the fields so that new seeds will be able to grow in the Spring. 

This is a time to reflect on the year that just passed, in order to give thanks and sow gratitude for what we have achieved. It is almost essential to sow gratitude at this time of year, because we are in alignment with the world axis, and any and all positive energy sent out at this time will help to ameliorate any discordant energy in the world at large. Therefore may we sow peace and equanimity, even in the midst of any turmoil there may be, to carry us through the next quarter of the solar year. 

The Full Moon on September 20th, just before the Equinox, comes at the tail end of the very last sign of the zodiac at 28º of Pisces. This also is emphasizing the need to tie up any loose ends, in preparation for a new beginning that is yet to come. Full Moons can often be times of culmination and endings, where we see the results of actions and choices made in the past. And if we had been doing our homework this past week with the Sun/Neptune opposition, we are all being asked to continue to look within, in our heart of hearts for the answers to our questions, rather than looking without. 

Mercury is now in its pre-shadow period before its retrograde station on September 27th. These shadow periods are not always so relevant, but this one is. This is because as Mercury appears to be slowing to its station on the 27th, it will be making the first of 3 aspects to both Pluto and Jupiter. The first exact trine to Jupiter will be on the Full Moon, and the first square to Pluto will be on the Equinox. 

When you provide a link between Mercury and Jupiter in the signs of Libra and Aquarius, you can almost see a bridge being built connecting certain universal principles such as equality, civil rights, human rights, freedom and justice. In our own personal lives this is about connecting with our own vision for the future. A vision that we would like to see fulfilled. Mercury and Jupiter will station direct on the same day, October 18th and then will go on to perfect the last of 3 trines on October 31st, when we are being given the green light to proceed with our plans to perfect our vision for the future. 

The other aspect that Mercury will be making is a square to Pluto, which continues straight through to the direct station of Pluto on October 6th. And as Pluto is also stopping for its own direct station, we will be taking notice of the dark lord turning tossing in his underworld labyrinth. Mercury in Libra is very concerned with things like Fairness and Justice. So when square (at odds with) Pluto for such an extended period of time, this could almost feel oppressive and unfair. Mercury wants us to find the power of our voice, and our convictions. And this will be especially so if and when we become aware of inequality or unfairness in any form. 

In our own lives we will become all the more aware of where and how we have given our power away to others. Or if we find ourselves struggling against overwhelming or oppressive burdens in our lives, these will no longer feel tolerable. Mercury and Pluto will perfect 3 squares, the first of which will be on the day of the Equinox, September 22nd, the 2nd on October 1st, and the last November 1st-2nd. The first of these is to make us aware of the inequities and burdens in our own lives or the lives of others. During the retrograde period we will be reflecting on what were the causes and conditions that allowed these to occur in the first place. And the 3rd will bring an even deeper resolve to rectify the problem, and try to create healthier and better conditions to prevent the conflict from developing again in the future. 

Full Moons can be quite emotional. And the Pisces Moon is an especially emotional Moon, where our hearts weep with compassion, and we can sometimes succumb to grief and nostalgia for what could have been, or what once was. It is important at this time to keep our feet firmly planted on the ground, and to use our powers of discernment to be able to be able to tell the difference between that which is actually true, and that which we hope (or fear) to be so. Misinformation, deceit and confusion can rock us on a sea of discontent, if we allow ourselves to be subsumed by this emotional Moon. 

Positively the Pisces Moon offers us the opportunity to connect within, to that part of us which is Divine. Whether you call that Spirit, or Soul, the Higher Self, or the God Principle within, Pisces can dissolve our boundaries with others, but it can also dissolve our own inner blockages. We are being asked to connect with our heart of hearts, with our own internal vision as exemplified through the Mercury/Jupiter trine on the same day as the Full Moon. This is an aspect of Hope, and the Knowledge that things can and will only get better. Like a fortuitous guardian angel watching over the proceedings, we will be brought to safety, but not without shedding a few tears. And not without tying up whatever loose ends need tying, and preparing the ground for a new and even better vision to be able to take root. 

And as a reminder from last week’s notes, the Full Moon in Pisces is a time in which we are being asked to connect with our innermost, most divine aspect of ourselves. Below are some ways to make that connection:

• Dreams, dreamwork, and even daydreaming can tune you in. Our inner Self speaks to us in symbols, metaphors and feelings through our dreams and our intuition. But they use our own symbols and metaphors to speak to us. And it is up to us to define them.

• Mysticism and spiritual practices, in whichever way is most meaningful to you: through meditation or prayer, through divination or chanting. Last week I mentioned the healing practice of Forest Bathing, where you immerse your senses within and through nature, which helps to purify your mind and your spirit. When in Virgo, as we are up until the Equinox on the 22nd, we are even more likely to find the Jupiter/Neptune/Pisces God principle in and through nature.

• Indulging one’s imagination and fantasies. It would be a shame to ignore the behests of your heart and soul. The music you find yourself drawn to, the colors, the scents, the light, the feelings. Perhaps you find yourself drawn to some time in history that you feel a connection to and want to learn more about. They are all trying to show you something about yourself and your true heart center.

• Compassionate Service. Through the veil of the Pisces Moon we come to realize that we are all swimming in this same great Ocean of Life together. We are not alone. Volunteer. Stop to speak to someone who merely needs to be heard. Take someone’s hand when it is needed.

• On the night of the Full Moon, the 19th or 20th, find your own best ways to connect with self: Find a quiet, safe place in which to meditate, contemplate, reflect, journal. Use your favorite tools of divination and contemplation: the I Ching, the tarot, the runes, the clouds, the stars. The Full Moon in Pisces, the most mystical of moons, is our doorway and portal to the soul within. Look for your own best way to open that door to the divine within.

For next week’s horoscopes, click below: 

HOROSCOPES