Planetary Transits
September 22 to October 31, 2004
Mabon-Fall Equinox to Samhain
THE BIG PICTURE:
Remember
that song from Hair? “When the
Moon is in the 7th House and Jupiter aligns with Mars, then peace
will guide the planets, and love with steer the stars...”
Well every 2¼ years a Jupiter-Mars alignment takes place, and this
one happens in the peace-loving sign of Libra. And with half the
solar system gathering in Libra to have tea and crumpets at the
art gallery, it’s time to lay down the weaponry and resolve
conflicts peacefully and diplomatically, negotiating instead with
“a fisted hand in a velvet glove!”
Sep. 22, 12:29
PM EDT – AUTUMNAL EQUINOX (MABON)
The Sun
enters Libra at the Fall Equinox, giving us until Oct. 22 to
refine our diplomatic qualities, cultivate our negotiation skills,
attract beauty into our lives, and find better ways to establish
balance in our lives. The Sun’s journey through Libra this month
begins by encouraging you to embrace your ideals through
networking with others, but remember that it’s all just schmoozing
until you manifest it into something concrete in mid-October.
Sep. 24 –
Jupiter in Libra (until Oct. 25, 2005)
Jupiter
takes about a year to go through a zodiac sign. For the next 13
months, the planet of law, philosophy, understanding and expansion
will travel through the sign of balance, fairness, beauty and
negotiation. In the coming months, try taking a course to expand
your understanding of artistry or legalities. Or explore the vast
potential of social networking and schmoozing. Or develop your
higher mind by taking (or teaching!) a course in philosophy,
spirituality, foreign languages or political diplomacy. Or promote
justice for a cause that will bring a better balance into the
world. You get the idea.
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Sep. 26 – Mars
in Libra (until Nov. 11)
Mars can
feel a little castrated in Libra, since his natural love of
directness, conflict and risk-taking is forced to squeeze
delicately through the diplomatic, balanced and “nice” filter of
Libra. But Mars in Libra can also be the fisted hand in the velvet
glove, carrying a lot of clout behind a gentle, smiling mask of
Libran diplomacy and surgically sharp strategising. Aim for
balanced use of your energy.
Sep. 26 – Chiron stations Direct
(in Capricorn)
For up
to a week before and after this date, you may feel the strain of
needing to do things your own way while dealing with arbitrary
limitations, others’ expectations, and even your own insecurities
about your ability to live up to responsibilities. If you’ve been
dealing with issues in these areas since May 2 when Chiron went
retrograde, you may reach a turning point now that will play out
through a new perspective over the next few months.
Sep. 26 – Mars conjunct Jupiter
(in Libra)
The
effects of this powerful conjunction last from early September to
mid-October. You may feel the urge to defend a cause that embraces
justice, ethics or spirituality. You might find yourself
overreacting to what feels like judgement from others (or maybe
you’re unknowingly projecting out your own judgement). Be ready
for an opportunity to exercise diplomacy and fairness by taking a
more philosophical view in a conflict or debate. This is a time to
aim for the high road, and also be fair with yourself and others.
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Sep. 28, 9:10
AM EDT – FULL MOON in Aries
The Full
Moon now brings the Mars-Jupiter energy into sharp focus, which
has dominated the energy through September and especially since
the New Moon (Sept.14). If Mars has been wielding a blunt axe
instead of a surgeon’s scalpel, in your life, your challenge now
is to establish a calm balance and to resist the urge to instigate
that shift through arrogant force. If you are able to harness and
contain that energy productively and peacefully, this is a time
when your best intentions and plans can be made manifest. Either
way, you’ll have to rely on your instincts more than your
conscious mind, so remember that it’s better to be brutally honest
with yourself about your true motives and emotions, than to be
brutal with others.
Sep. 28 – Mercury in Libra (until
Oct. 15)
Mercury
glides into Libra right after the Full Moon, bringing
self-awareness to your style of expression and interaction, as
well as the ability to communicate with gentleness, fairness and
diplomacy. What begins as a personal statement of style and grace
evolves over the coming 2½ weeks into a challenge to make a
commitment to that new style and gentle self-expression.
Sep. 28-29 – Mercury conjunct Mars
and Jupiter (in Libra)
Communication and self-expression can be more effective now if you
walk softly while carrying a big stick that looks more like a
Summoner’s staff. If you have been finding the Mars-Jupiter energy
to be over-reactive or overwhelming, you might be plagued with
afterthoughts now about how you could have (should have?)
responded to your current situations with more gentleness or grace
under fire. Let your Internal Diplomat do damage control if your
automatic reactions got the better of you.
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Oct. 3 – Venus
in Virgo (until Oct. 28)
Social
interaction, relationships and matters about material resources
may become bogged down in minutiae, perfectionism or
over-analysis. Strive instead to be attentive to details, pure in
your desires (no hidden agendas), and focused on keeping things
concrete yet flexible.
Oct. 5 – Sun conjunct Mercury, trine Neptune (in Libra-Aquarius)
During
the few days before and after this date, take advantage of
opportunities to network, schmooze and chat up people and
prospects that can help you manifest your dreams. It’s also a good
time to bring those dreams into clear mental focus in the context
of the Big Picture. Just be careful you don’t tilt so far into
fantasy that they are too grandiose or idealistic to manifest.
Divination during this time is likely to be especially fluid and
intuitive.
Oct. 6 – Venus
opposite Uranus (in Virgo/Pisces)
Relationships, social interaction, material resources and
self-worth may be a bit unpredictable or unstable around this
time, as Uranus the Awakener sounds a wakeup gong in these areas.
The idea is to become more flexible and open to a broader vision
of what is possible in those areas. Allow yourself to be liberated
from the ways you might be hiding behind petty details or an
anal-retentive approach to problem-solving. Expect the unexpected.
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Oct. 13 –
Mercury square Saturn (in Libra/Cancer)
Around
this time it may become necessary to deal with the serious
implications and consequences of your communication and
interaction with others, especially in situations that go back to
late June of this year (the Mercury-Saturn conjunction of June
26). You might find you’re projecting your own unconscious
expectations onto others, so look inside yourself first before
automatically assuming it’s the other guy.
Oct. 13, 10:47 PM EDT – SOLAR
ECLIPSE (New Moon in Libra)
A Solar
Eclipse is a New Moon so precisely aligned that the Moon passes
across the face of the Sun. This 29day lunation cycle sets the
tone for a 6month process of learning how to find a more focused
and stable solution to the problem of needing emotional boundaries
and communicating this diplomatically. You may feel like this is a
problem that can’t be solved (easily) but the trick is to balance
acceptance of limitations with finding creative ways to transcend
and transform those limits. Expect the next two weeks to be
somewhat intense, as we build up to the Lunar Eclipse.
Oct. 13-19 – Sun
square Chiron and Saturn (in Libra-Capricorn-Cancer)
Now is a
time to manifest that schmoozing and idealism from early October,
bringing ideals and imagination down into concrete reality. You
may have to strike a better balance between the demands of society
and responsibility to family (or yourself), or perhaps between
personal limitations and the natural boundaries of the physical
world. Like the solar eclipse, it’s a time to reconcile your need
to do things your own way with the hard fact that sometimes you
just have to reckon with others’ expectations of you. It may be a
difficult time, but if you work at it you’ll find you get results.
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Oct. 15 – Mars
trine Neptune (in Libra-Aquarius)
As Mars
moves beyond the Jupiter conjunction from 3 weeks ago, he moves
into a trine with Neptune. Jupiter will catch up in 6 weeks, so
Mars is like the scout who goes on ahead and cuts the path. The
Mars-Neptune trine (in effect through most of October) brings a
mystical, imaginative, compassionate aura to Mars’ normally
direct, fast, aggressive energy. You may feel inspired to act on
faith, confront with compassion, and react gently. Think of the
snake in the old parable—just because you choose to refrain from
biting if someone steps on you, it doesn’t mean you can’t hiss.
Oct. 15 – Mercury in Scorpio
(until Nov. 4)
Cunning
communication and mental acuity are a their peak as Mercury skulks
through Scorpio. It’s a time for unearthing secrets and delving
deeply into the psychological Shadow (Carl Jung’s term for the
unconscious stuff we keep hidden). There is opportunity for
healing and grounding now, but resist the temptation to manipulate
others to control that process.
Oct. 22 – Sun
in Scorpio (until Nov. 21)
That
mental cunning and communication that started a week ago now
becomes self-expression and purpose that aims to dig below the
surface. Now is the time to empower yourself by shining light into
the dark caves of the unconscious to reveal what lurks in your
psychological Shadow.
Top
Oct. 24 –
Neptune stations Direct (in Aquarius)
For up
to a week before and after today, you may feel spacey, dreamy,
intuitive, imaginative, confused, depressed or sensitive. Your
mental focus may be a bit blurred or overly fluid. Your words may
slip out before you’ve thought them through, or words may feel
superficial and inadequate for what you’re trying go say. Slow
down, stay grounded and use this time to dialogue with the Gods.
If you’ve been dealing with issues of surrender, ambiguity,
spirituality or creative inspiration, this could be a turning
point.
Oct. 25 – Sun
trine Uranus (in Scorpio/Pisces)
Around
this time, you’re able to peer into the murky depths with more
intuitive clarity than usual. You may get flashes of insight into
undercurrents, dynamics and hidden agendas going on between
yourself and others. It’s not that these are new, you’re probably
just seeing them in a new way.
Oct. 27, 11:08 PM EDT – LUNAR ECLIPSE (Full Moon in Taurus)
A Lunar
Eclipse is a Full Moon so precisely aligned that the Moon passes
through the Earth’s shadow cast by the Sun. This manifestation of
the current New Moon cycle (Oct. 13) has a threefold lesson: (1)
Recent flashes of insight can break you free of old stuck
patterns; (2) You may have to deal with moral or spiritual
implications of your actions, especially in power struggles; and
(3) You may have to struggle a bit to fit the learning from all
this into your worldview but it will be worth the effort. Since
this Full Moon is also a Lunar Eclipse, it also reflects the
fruition of the Solar Eclipse from April 19, so ponder the ways in
which your current cutting edge is steered by choices and events
from last spring.
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Oct.28-Nov.7 –
Mars square Chiron-Saturn (in Libra, Capricorn-Cancer)
Mars
forms a T-square configuration to the Chiron-Saturn opposition in
late October and early November, stirring up a challenge to the
way we bring balance, responsibility and protection to our
assertiveness, actions and expression of anger. Previous attempts
at diplomacy may need to be refined now, as you discover that
there are consequences to be lived with.
Oct. 28 – Venus in Libra (until
Nov. 22)
Venus
glides through her own sign of Libra, giving you the opportunity
to expand your interactive style, cultivate diplomacy, beautify
your surroundings, schmooze social connections, and discover a new
fashion statement.
Oct. 30 – Daylight Savings Time
Ends
Turn
your clocks back an hour tonight to return to Standard Time.
Oct. 31 – SAMHAIN
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Back to Archive Index
© 2004
Wendy Guy.
Originally published in Cauldron and Quill Magazine, and The Burning Times
Newsletter, Mabon 2004 issues.
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