HAPPY LIBRA SEASON AND FALL EQUINOX

The Equinox arrives on September 22nd, ushering us into Libra Season and Fall in the northern hemisphere. A day that gives us equal light and dark, the scales of Libra mirror this balance motif. In general, Libra brings awareness to the importance of pleasure, beauty, and exchanging pleasantries. This Libra Season, however, has a much more serious tone to contend with, and a few harsh realities. This is all thanks to the current transit of Mars retrograde and an upcoming Mercury retrograde that is a wildcard. Having both Mercury and Mars retrograde at the same time means that we have more than usual the amount of issues to rethink, and rework. 

When Mars, planet of action, desire, and aggression is retrograde, it asks us to review the ways in which we use our energy. Being busy isn’t the business if all we are doing is tiring ourselves out. As the world’s issues become increasingly complex and urgently in need of our care, becoming ever more specific about what we do and why, applying our time and talent to solutions with an impact rather than just strategies to get ahead personally, is mandatory. 

When Mercury, the planet of communication, is retrograde, it likes to bait us into thinking we’ve got it all figured out. It seems to enjoy making a mockery of our need to have things move at our speed. During this transit, details get distorted, messages go missing, and facts get lost when we need them most. Not all Mercury retrogrades are equal, some go by without much to take note of but others, like this next one, will wreak havoc on our timetables and patience. This Mercury retrograde is no wall-flower. It will bring with it unpredictable, unprecedented, erratic events that we can’t exactly be ready for, but we can’t say that we are surprised about either.

Even before the retrograde gets going, from roughly October 5th – 20th Mercury will be in a tense relationship (opposition) to Uranus, planet of discord, change, and innovation. This combination highlights the unusual and inventive as much as it does the chaotic and disruptive, but it doesn’t bode well for operations running smoothly or consistently. On October 13th, in the midst of this mayhem, Mercury will station retrograde. Because Mercury is changing course in an already unpredictable moment for data and details, returning to regularly scheduled programming isn’t on the agenda. Not only that, but Mercury won’t station direct until November 3rd, a sensitive date for the United States. By that time, Mercury is in a situation that further slows down the compiling of information as it sits in a square to Saturn, planet of obstacles and delays. We can assume that whatever information we were hoping to get at that time will take its time. With these wrenches thrown in the works of an already unprecedentedly important election, we have to assume nothing and take every proactive solution seriously.

The Equinox arrives on September 22nd, ushering us into Libra Season and fall in the northern hemisphere. A day that gives us equal light and dark, the scales of Libra mirror this balance motif. In general, Libra brings awareness to the importance of pleasure, beauty, and exchanging pleasantries.

This Libra Season, however, has a much more serious tone to contend with—and a few harsh realities. This is all thanks to the current transit of Mars retrograde and an upcoming Mercury retrograde that is a wildcard. Having both Mercury and Mars retrograde at the same time means that we have more than usual the amount of issues to rethink and rework.

HOW THE FALL EQUINOX WILL AFFECT YOU ASTROLOGICALLY.

Aries

Major moments in your career help you to understand your impact, power, and purpose. The end of September makes clear the effort that each professional mountain you’ve climbed takes, and which were worth it. As October unfolds, it brings with it a Mercury retrograde that wants you to review your collaborative contracts, settle the bills that you can, and make way for some unexpected insights that spur rapid healing and inner growth. There’s no time like the present to get honest about what you owe and what will help you feel debt-free.

Taurus

The end of September helps you clarify just how much work you’ve put into attaining your long-term goals, and how many inner critics you have to battle along the way. The work you’ve done on yourself might not be as visible to the outside as it is to you, but that’s the point. It’s your secret strength that is your special sauce. Come early- to mid-October, try not to get swept up in anyone else’s chaos, as it won’t help you help them. Listening to others requires us to hear with our whole selves. As Mercury retrograde will teach you, your partners have something important to communicate to you—it just might take more effort than usual to get the message.

Gemini

The end of September sees you parsing through the details of your creative collaborations with great care. Hostility might be reasonable, but it won’t help you get the job done or your messages across. With your work schedules out the window in early to mid October, or at the very least, off-kilter, flexibility is necessary. Mercury retrograde makes it clear that you need to be less concerned with how you traditionally get things done and more focused on what you can do here and now with what you have.

Cancer

With a review of your most important professional projects well under way, make sure to spend the last days of September getting your own needs met. You aren’t a machine, and if you treat your body like one, it will rebel. October’s Mercury retrograde wants to help you to hone in on the things that bring you unexpected pleasures. With little that is predictable, you can always interrupt stress with a break, exhaustion with some rest, and depletion with some deep restoration. The more you invest in what is easy to enjoy, the more your creative energy gets replenished.

Leo

The end of September helps you make an important decision about a long-term plan or clarifies the aspects of an argument that you’ve been struggling to articulate. It’s bound to get a little heated as you try to make yourself clear, so be more focused on honoring the truth than winning the battle. As October unfolds, you may feel an inexplicable desire to redesign your living space or renegotiate your family commitments. You want a little more freedom than usual from the roles you traditionally fulfill for others. Remember that you can always give yourself a time out.

Virgo

The issues that come up in your collaborations need your time and attention come late September. If financial issues are challenging for you to be forthright about, this will be your opportunity to override those fears. Get clear about what is a non-negotiable. As October unfolds, Mercury retrograde pulls focus on the changes that take place in your daily life. Schedules are a good start, but they aren’t set in stone. The more you accommodate life, the more works out for you, even if unexpectedly.

Libra

The end of September helps you get clear on a boundary or two with your beloveds. The needs of those you care for can’t become more important than our own. While relationship tensions can turn your stomach, facing them gives you strength. As October unfolds and Mercury makes its retrograde self known, you get to investigate the ins and outs of your material life and financial balances. With unexpected changes to the budget, be sure not to waste resources on anything you don’t truly want, or better yet, need.

Scorpio

While you’ve been busy reviewing the parts of your work life that need a little extra TLC, the end of September comes bearing the gift of clarity about exactly which squeaky wheels to grease. Your schedules might be running you ragged, so any extra hydration you can give your system helps immensely. As October unfolds, Mercury retrogrades through Scorpio, urging you to deliver messages that upset the status quo and unveil the power of your insights. You make an impact to be sure, the kind that can’t be undone easily. Be honest about what you are willing to dismantle and what you actually need to stay in place, at least for now.

Sagittarius

The end of September asks you to be more than a mediator for those that need it, it asks you to understand the kinds of futures you are trying to build with others and what personal interactions need to look like in this moment for that to happen. You have to postpone making your point in some cases, but in the end, the trust you build is worth it. As October rolls out it asks you to have an open mind when confronting your inner-critics. It’s time for new tactics when reviewing old behaviors and self-sabotaging ways. Try surprising your least helpful habits with massive doses of humor, diversion, and compassion.

Capricorn

Home is where the heart of the issue is. The end of September sees you getting clear on the kinds of foundations you want, need, and are determined to build for yourself. It also opens you up to some of the more defining career conversations as of late. Don’t take any information for granted, even if it’s delivered in a less than desirable tone. Take note of what’s really being said and work with it. As October unfolds, Mercury’s retrograde gets you to review the social roles that need a renovation and brings with it some unexpected rallies to be a part of.

Aquarius

By the end of September, the obstacles in your path are made clear. More than anything understanding them is going to be a great help in getting around them. While a couple of conversations test your ability to stay cool, you are better suited at this stage of things to not waste too much of your tank down a road that is a lost cause. As Mercury stations retrograde mid October, your professional roles undergo a couple of unexpected changes. A little extra patience helps you to mindfully sidestep chaos that you’d otherwise stumble into.

Pisces

Libra Season wants to help you unpack the details of your exchanges. What feels equal, what feels unfair, and what feels fertile and good for everyone involved? As October unfolds, the focus shifts to your long-term plans and all the unforeseen changes that will impact them. At this point of the year, it’s best not to be too firmly attached to the timing of things and more focused on the quality of what you are creating. Calendars will shift, but good work always stands the test of time.