Insights for Libra
Think of these insights as contemplations on the astrological aspects of the moment. Astrology can be thought of as a kind of sky writing which invites the muse. No two perceptions are exactly the same but any of us can find insight through the images if we look.
A Mercury retrograde month: Alignment is preferable to anxiety.
September 22
Sun enters Libra: 03:21 PM EDT
Mercury Square Pluto
There is a kind of magic in the equinox. A day when the seesaw of light and dark is perfectly balanced. A moment in time when angels pause on the heads of their pins in perfect balance. A reminder of grace. But Libra has more than this under its hood of meanings.
Remember the feeling of being on the lighter end of the seesaw? At the mercy of a bigger kid, you might have trusted not to upend you. Maybe that never occurred to you or maybe you didn’t trust them at all. We live in a world where we have taken inequities for granted more or less. Many of us don’t get that we have been the bigger kid, in control of the see saw. It is a wonder and a marvel of our civilization that so many have not felt the brutality of systemic injustice. There is no doubt that the growing awareness of the sufferings of others as their land burns or they are deluged by storms, war, famine and homelessness as well as the undoing of civil rights is a good thing; an awakening. It’s always better when the guy on the heavy end of the see saw understands that the person on the other end is as real as they are, that their curcumstances matter.
Libra is the sign of civilization, culture and the elegant notion of justice for all. At its worst it is about war. But at its best it encourages human potential to live in balance with others.
As the Sun travels through Libra this year it is joined by Mars (conjunct the Sun, October 8). It will square Pluto (October 17) and oppose Chiron (October 3).
Mercury will turn retrograde in Libra on the 27th and on account of this it will spend more time in this sign than usual. For Canada ithis suggests a post-election reflection is in order. To go forward we need to look at how we got here.
September 23
Venus opposite Uranus
Loss is part of life. Anyone can tell you that. But when it comes out of seemingly nowhere, when we thought we were minding our own business, it’s really not ok. Given the inevitability of this it is possible to marvel at how just being alive changes us forever. But what, exactly changes if change is guaranteed?
September 25
Mars trine Saturn
Cooperative competence. What a concept: a sense that we understand, that we can do this together and that it might even benefit others. That’s the way to get things done.
September 27
Mercury stationery retrograde
Mercury retrograde periods always invite reflection, consideration, observation and active listening. If and when things get messed up it is usually because we didn’t do those things. This retrograde period specifically points toward the depths of loss and change that Planet Earth is experiencing. (Square Pluto). Don’t kid yourself. But there is also a grand trine (with Jupiter and the Moon) which suggests a thoughtful look ahead to what is possible through collaboration.
One of the great accomplishments of civilization is to live more or less peacefully among strangers. We follow the rules. We wait in line. We care that those around us have what they need as well as ourselves. These things that we have taken for granted seem threatened. Shadows hang over some of our most basic social realities: health care and education for example. The idea isn’t to scare yourself but to observe and learn. What story line arises in your mind when you become aware of shadows?
September 29
Venus trines Neptune
Sun trines Saturn
There is a lot of really good advice going around these days. How much of it resonates with what you know inside yourself? That’s the only advice you will take. Today’s trines encourage us to trust ourselves, not because we mistrust the world but because we do best what we are convinced is worth doing.
October 1
Mars opposite Chiron
Mercury Rx square Pluto
Imagine the fallen hero, the humbled warrior, (Mars in Libra) approaching the wise, wounded healer/teacher (Chiron). What irrefutable wisdom that comes from your difficulties wants your attention? Is it even possible for human animals to turn our aggression into non-hostile, assertive action? Is there such a thing as healthy competition? Think before you act. There will be consequences, possibly unto the 7th generation.
October 2
Venus sextile Pluto
Often our most difficult moments teach us what we could never learn otherwise. When you’re helping those you love, remember this: for them and for you too.
October 3
Sun opposite Chiron
Mercury (rx) trine Jupiter
What has been lost opens doors to what might be found. To know this is to relax enough to see possibilities. So close to a New Moon with Mercury retrograde, is a time for reflection, not action. Not yet.
October 6
New Moon: 13 degrees of Libra: 07:05 AM EDT
Pluto stationery direct
No matter what seesaw you are on there is always a third way, a third alternative. Even in the world beneath this one, the world of deep and complex feelings such as grief and despair, even there or maybe especially there, we find rich and fertile and soil in which to plant seeds for new growth.
October 7
Venus enters Sagittarius
If you’ve been struggling with projections, yours or someone else’s, if it has been hard to tell if it was you or them making things worse, look for a shift. Sagittarius is meant for some kind of liberation: A new vision. As long as it doesn’t point and blame, as long as it frees everyone involved, it could be a time to find a better, freer way to make love grow or even art. Remember when people used to say, ‘Love isn’t love till you give it away’?
October 08
Sun conjunct Mars
When planets conjunct the Sun they were said by astrologers of old to have been invited into the heart of the king. They have grown weak (close to the Sun they cannot be seen) and need to be revitalized. And so it is for Mars these days. Mars can be a bully, a bad actor, but Mars holds the key to our vitality, our energy and how we assert ourselves. We live in scary times and it’s hard to simply do what we have always done. Imagine you find yourself in a deep, dark wood. Are you lost? Or are you being asked to learn something? Is it the end of everything or the middle of an initiation that requires you to look for a new way to engage with others?
October 09
Mercury conjunct the Sun and Mars
Yesterday’s message continues with gusto. Understand that wherever you are pinned at the moment, like some unfortunate butterfly, is where you need to learn. Maybe what you need to learn is how it feels to be at the center of transformation; that moment when you’re too far in to turn back but not far enough along to see the light at the end. All manner of creative possibilities arise from such moments.
If it’s time to seal some kind of deal think twice, really listen to the other guy, calm your reactivity and use all your negotiating skills. How you approach may determine the outcome. It’s not time to force anything.
October 10
Saturn stationery direct
We are not finished with this rock-and-the-hard-place year. There are more shocks and frustrations to come no doubt. Today could be a bit of a turning point, a glimmer of ways to shift toward plans that might actually work. Test runs are a good idea even as we know that we can’t anticipate all eventualities.
October 13
Venus sextile Saturn
If the plan is seaworthy or maybe earthquake proof, look for those who might fund and support it. People enjoy supporting things they believe in.
October 15
Sun trine Jupiter
When we dare to imagine together, to include as many people as possible, there is no telling what could happen. Since we seem to have figured that ‘God doesn’t play dice with the Universe’ it would be good if our possibilities were grounded in rational, reasonable concepts.
October 16
Venus trine Chiron, sextile Mercury retrograde
The greatest wisdom comes from experience. Experience can be difficult. Vision is always rooted in the depths. In the midst of a deep, dark wood if we suddenly know which path to follow we are found, even before we leave the woods. What if we always trusted that we are on the path, our path?
October 17
Sun square Pluto
Somehow modern religions have made a hell out of the notion of the underworld or Hades. Even astrologers, who should know better, fear Pluto. What might be more useful is respect. Resisting the power of the inevitable makes as little sense as trying to control it. In the honoring of endings we welcome beginnings. Happy and sad are not opposites.
October 18
Jupiter stationery direct
Mercury stationery direct
Mars trine Jupiter
Something about all these astrological events on the same day suggests either a bat out of hell or a great awakening. At the least it seems to be a ‘ready, set, go’ kind of picture, pulling us toward the Full Moon on the 20th. Look up! Take some kind of action, large or small, that confirms your goals. The more living beings that can benefit from your aspirations, the better. If you follow the Moon you might take the temperature with intentions made at the new Moon, two weeks ago.
October 20
Full Moon: 27 degrees Aries 10:55 AM EDT
Questions and challenges that appear to block your goals are meant to help you focus on the best ways forward. Life is a quest even if we don’t always know it. Perhaps we all have an inner questing beast.
October 22
Mars square Pluto
Let me contradict myself: All that looking up and taking on challenges may mean that we, you, me have stumbled over something unseen, unexpected on the path. There are moments when we struggle against odds to wrest what we refuse to let go from the jaws of loss. There’s no telling if this is a right or wrong thing. It’s powered by instinct and will only be understood or evaluated with hindsight.
A perfect invitation to the month of Scorpio!
