The summer is nearly over in the northern hemisphere and we’re heading towards the turning of the year into autumn and things are about to get a whole lot harder. Winter is coming. It’s time to start preparing – if you haven’t already – and go into squirrel mode. Gather and store as many nuts as you can!
September is when we move from Virgo energy to Libra energy at the equinox, shifting our attention from health and daily routines to relationships, values and finances. The month begins with almost all the planets retrograde – Pluto, Neptune, Uranus, Saturn, Jupiter, and Chiron – and Mercury joins them in the second week. Mars also enters his retrograde shadow on the 4th so many of your plans and actions this month may need to be revisited once we get to the end of October.
The Sun starts the month in Virgo, with Mercury slowing down in Libra, and Venus at the end of Leo and about to join the Sun in Virgo. Mars is in Gemini, where he stays until next year. There’s a Full Moon in Pisces the same day that Mercury goes retrograde, and a New Moon in Libra a few days after the equinox.
Mercury stations retrograde on the 10th in Libra, several hours before the Full Moon, while opposite Jupiter and Chiron in Aries and trine Mars in Gemini. The Sun is opposite the Moon and Neptune in Pisces in a T-square with Mars, and trine Uranus conjunct the north node in Taurus. Venus is also square Mars, and Saturn is square Uranus and the nodes.
This is a perfect recipe for confusion, mistakes, offensive words and hurt feelings. There may be communication and connection failures that create arguments. Too much self-confidence could make you overreach or demand too much of others, although the trine from Mars to Mercury could help you to talk your way out of a sticky corner.
A few hours later, the Full Moon in Pisces has the same configuration, except the Moon has now moved to conjunct Neptune, adding to the confusion, but also bringing inspiration and sensitivity. You can find a creative or spiritual channel for this energy, or drift off into daydreams and escapism. Talkative Mars might burst a few bubbles with his sharp words.
On the 23rd, we have the Autumn Equinox in the northern hemisphere. The Sun enters Libra conjunct retrograde Mercury in Libra and Venus in Virgo, and this stellium is opposite Jupiter in Aries and Neptune in Pisces. The Sun and Mercury also trine Pluto, while Venus squares Mars and trines Uranus. Mars is also trine Saturn, and the Moon is opposite Saturn in a T-square with Uranus.
There’s some potential here for breakthroughs and getting stuff done but there’s also a lot of tension and possible crossed wires. You may feel inspired with big ideas and a desire for harmony and fairness. But the Moon is feeling oppressed by Saturn, caught between the need for security and freedom.
On the same day, several hours later, the Sun conjunction to retrograde Mercury becomes exact and the Moon escapes from Saturn and can relax again. This is the moment in the Mercury retrograde cycle at the inferior conjunction when you can plant seeds and intentions for the changes you wish to make in your relationships, finances, creative projects, and values. The results will come when Mercury stations direct in October.
On the 25th we have the New Moon in Libra in a big friendly stellium with retrograde Mercury and Venus in Virgo, all opposite Jupiter in Aries and Neptune in Pisces, and trine Pluto. Mars is square Neptune and trine Saturn, while Saturn and Uranus remain in their T-square with the nodes.
The focus on relationships and harmony continues as Jupiter and Neptune inspire and uplift, encouraging positive action. But the Mars Neptune square could also lower energy levels and bring confusion or deception. However, now that Mars and Venus are no longer square, you may find it easier to find some common ground, and the stabilising energies from Saturn will keep you grounded and productive.
The Mars Neptune square enters an 8-degree orb on 20th September and moves towards its first exact alignment in October. It remains in orb until the middle of December, forming its second alignment in November when Mars is retrograde.
Used carefully, these alignments can help you to act on your dreams and visions to make them real. But they can also undermine energy levels and encourage escapism and addictions, so you will need to be very honest with yourself over the coming months. The Mars Saturn trine provides stability and discipline and will help you to give form to your visions if you’re willing to do the work.
Here’s a breakdown of the month by date:
1 Sep – Mars sextile Jupiter
3 Sep – Mercury opposite Jupiter
5 Sep – Venus enters Virgo
7 Sep – Sun trine true north node
10 Sep – Mercury stations retrograde at 8° Libra, Full Moon at 17° Pisces
11 Sep – Sun trine Uranus
16 Sep – Venus square Mars, Sun opposite Neptune
17 Sep – Venus trine true north node
18 Sep – Mars sextile Chiron, Mercury retrograde opposite Jupiter
19 Sep – Sun trine Pluto
20 Sep – Venus trine Uranus
23 Sep – Sun enters Libra (Autumn equinox), Sun conjunct Mercury retrograde at 0° Libra – inferior conjunction, Mercury retrograde enters Virgo
24 Sep – Venus opposite Neptune
25 Sep – New Moon at 2° Libra
26 Sep – Venus trine Pluto, Mercury retrograde conjunct Venus at 26° Virgo, Sun opposite Jupiter
27 Sep – Mercury retrograde trine Pluto
28 Sep – Mars trine Saturn
29 Sep – Venus enters Libra
Note: these dates are for GMT/UT. Check the details for your time zone at Astro-Seek where you can also look at the charts for all the alignments.
I’m busy writing the Astro Journal for 2023. My plan is to get it out in early October – before Mars goes retrograde and throws a whole bag of spanners into the works. More news in the next Astro Journal update – I’ll be doing them each month up to the end of the year.