Celestial Notebook Overview September 2009

Until the Libra Equinox (22 September), the Sun (), indicative of our essence, is in Virgo (). With Virgo we come to the culmination of one of the zodiac’s two major evolutionary sub-cycles. From Aries through to Virgo the emphasis is on the development and evolution of the individual; Libra to Pisces is much more concerned with the individual finding his place in the Greater Scheme of things.

The first six signs are mainly concerned with the soul’s work on the physical level. Although Virgo represents the completion and fulfilment of this process, it is also rich with hope for the future as the entire process has merely been the preparation for the next level.

Mercury (), the conscious and rational mind, is both a Magician and a Trickster and not only rules Virgo but it also has its exaltation here. This indicates the importance of mind as the mediating force between soul and body; it is through your mind that you become aware of the nature, purpose and will of your soul. All action tends to flow from your thoughts.

Three times a year Mercury turns retrograde (seemingly reversing against the background of the stars) and on 7 September Mercury turns retrograde in Libra, moving back onto 21° Virgo where it turns direct on the 29th. Even people who know nothing about astrology have heard about this time: communications falter, machines break down, contracts are suspect and schedules go awry.

To increase your capacity to listen, Mercury has to slow down and turn inward towards the heart and this to me is the main reason why the Universe has decreed that at times Mercury has to lose its usual efficiency. Alice Howell writes that the retrograde means that your shoelaces will be untied for three weeks: if you insist on running you might just stumble and fall.

September seems to be (again!) a month of slowing down, of being present and aware of the shift happening within. During the second half of the month matters will start moving forward towards resolution – not necessarily the outcome you hoped for, but the one that suits your soul growth best!

Pluto, Lord of Change, turns direct on the 11th at 0° Capricorn ().You have had five months (since 4 April when Pluto turned inward towards the heart) to identify what you have to let go of. How well you’ve done in terms of the bigger picture will now be put to the test. The transiting North Node, indicative of what would be the smoothest ride for the soul, is also moving through Capricorn imploring you to reclaim your power and to accept the consequences of your choices. Life is a package deal: you cannot have it all but you can have what you need most – the secret is to define what that might be.

When we enter a new age – something we do every 2000 years - we are compelled to make a leap of understanding, a shift in consciousness. We tend to be identified with how we think things ought to be. A shift in perspective does not mean taking on yet more thoughts, but rather emptying your mind so that the new has room to enter.

As we enter the Age of Aquarius, Uranus (), the planet that rules Aquarius, becomes an important beacon on our road to awakening. Since last year, Saturn (), The Preserver, has been in opposition to Uranus (), The Awakener (Virgo-Pisces). This happens every 40 years. The last time was during the mid-sixties and the generations born then will feel these oppositions more acutely. Anybody with planets between 20° and 30° of the mutable signs (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius and Pisces) will be challenged to pioneer fresh ways of perceiving their world and to let go of what has become physically, mentally and emotionally redundant.

15 September sees the third of five exact oppositions between Saturn (form) and Uranus (reform) – the first occurred on the day (4 November 2008) of the presidential election in the USA. McCain and Obama represent textbook examples of Saturn (the old) and Uranus (the new). These planets will again move into opposition on 26 April and 26 July next year........watch this space!
(The dates that the opposition becomes exact are not necessarily D-days but the week before and after are often times when matters come to a head.)

The key phrase for Saturn-Uranus aspects is Redefining Freedom: the mental imaging power of Uranus needs the discipline and focus of Saturn – it is about patiently applying creative intelligence. Finding your security within yourself - without withdrawing in any way - means that you increase your capacity to not only initiate change but also to adjust to the unknown, unexpected and often highly upsetting changes which circumstances may force upon you. With the immense shifts happening in the world it is imperative that you become a directing agent rather than a victim at the mercy of the winds of change.

The rare ongoing conjunction between Jupiter (), Chiron () and Neptune () offers even more celestial support for embracing the principles of the Aquarian Age: the spiritual illumination of Jupiter and Neptune combined with the universal awareness of Aquarius brings about a broadening of your mind yet allows you to function efficiently at a physical level. Chiron so close to Jupiter reminds us that everything that transpires in the world and in our lives is how it has to be and ever impels us, as conscious adults, to awaken to the perfection of it all.

We are being urged to bring soul back into our lives. We live mostly in a society that is focussed on self-mastery, personal growth, problem-solving, prediction, control and providing answers to life’s problems. The soul longs for attachment, complexity, repetition, otherness, meandering and depth – how else could we find meaning in our experiences?

Could you accept that we are shifting into a new paradigm? For two thousand years the paradigm has been that time is money; we now move into an era that recognises that time is art. No more is it about how productive we are, but how present and caring we become.

‘We are all framed of flaps and patches and of so shapeless and diverse a texture that every piece and every moment playeth its part.’ Montaigne