The State of Our Union: Fall 2021, Mercury Retrograde, Personal & Collective Crossroads, Global Awakening & The USA Pluto Return

We have passed through the threshold of the 2021 Fall Equinox and since then, I have felt an energy shift in the collective process.  The month of October will likely be eventful as 4 planets station (meaning their energies will feel more intense over the course of the month), and most notably for the USA:  Mercury and Pluto are stationing square to each other, in exact aspect to the USA Natal Mercury — a point of significant tension over the past few years.  As the USA Pluto return, the major event of 2022 for US citizens, approaches, it feels important to discuss where we are now, and the potentials ahead.  So these are the thoughts that come forward as I observe the charts, and my perspective on what is happening.  I hope that it can shed some light on the underlying energies as things evolve.

Social unrest and interpersonal struggles continue across the world, as citizens and governments are in conflict over the ongoing crisis — and this is likely to persist and intensify throughout this fall season.  The aspects on this equinox strongly indicate continued instability between people with an emphasis on fighting around issues of freedom, justice, and the right to peace.  I strongly sense that the Mercury retrograde that kicks off the season will be a time of “truths coming out” in all areas of life.  The equinox chart contains a grand trine in air signs — a strong indicator for the free circulation of information — and the aspects, on their own as well as in relation to the USA chart, lead me to suspect that more information will be brought to greater public consciousness regarding situations that effect our country.  This seems to already have been occurring during the shadow phase of the Mercury retrograde (which started September 6), but I suspect that during the first 3 weeks of October, there will be some major reveals, and maybe even some power plays from the US government.

My expectation is that the information surfacing now will be, for some, greatly clarifying.  For others, it will not be what they want to hear.  Many will feel a great pressure as the dissonance between their belief and the truth being presented intensifies.  However, Plutonian truth is the kind of truth that will not ultimately be avoided.  This is a time for accepting things as they are — not as we wish them to be.  That is the only way forward.  Change, in this circumstance, quickens only when we surrender to reality — and stalls when we resist it.  This is true on a personal level, as well as with reference to collective events and circumstances.

The space of resistance defines much of public discourse for the last two years.  This is especially evident in the constant expectation that around every corner is some distant notion of “back to normal.”  The reality is that there would never be a back to normal.  Cosmically speaking, such an idea was foolish from the start — but on the ground, even more so.  The damage done to the structures of society and the consciousness of people is too great — and the resulting awakening that emerges from such instability is too powerful.  “Back to normal” is denial.  “Back to normal” is a rejection, actually, of the potential of positive catharsis that awaits us on the other side of truth — and the new world which could be formed from this realization.

The symbols of 2020’s Saturn, Jupiter & Pluto alignment in Capricorn all point back to one thing above all — and that is the corruption and dysfunction of society’s systems.  Since 2008, when Pluto began its transit through this sign, we have witnessed the fallibility of the world’s systems.  While the power structures seem to have silently expanded during this time, simultaneously they have become untenable in many countries.  In this last 13 years there have been countless examples of blatant corruption in governing bodies, leading to poor policy that serves only the wealthy and never the people — a condition that has existed and been corrected so many times before in history.  Tracking the Pluto-Capricorn cycle we can see a trend — as past Pluto-Capricorn time periods include events such as the American Revolution and the Reformation — both historical shifts that were originally based in a very similar overgrowth of institutions that hoard wealth, power & authority, while abusing citizens.

In the last decade, Pluto’s transit through Capricorn has, in a sense, reinforced the power of the Oligarchs while simultaneously showing the world every contradiction that exists within the dynamic of control that humanity has become so conditioned to.  It is inevitable that eventually this unsustainable system will cannibalize itself.  The question is “When” — and every day that passes, as the fires of division are stoked even louder among citizens who are, on all sides, the farthest from the roots of the problems, we edge even closer to that faltering.

In the USA, the situation is even more tenuous, as our first Pluto return approaches this coming year, in 2022, and presents one of the most significant crossroads that the nation has faced since the Civil War — which unsurprisingly occurred in a period where we faced the activation of many of the same planetary alignments that we have in the current decade of the 2020s.  Those alignments, in particular, are the return of Uranus (2028), the opposition of Neptune (active from 2021-2022), the transit of Pluto through the Cardinal signs (2008-2024), and the eventual conjunction of Pluto to the USA South Node (also 2028).  Observing the charts, there is an unsettlingly similar trajectory of planetary movement in the decades leading into and during the Civil War — which should not surprise anyone living in the US, as the idea that we are going towards civil war has been felt and even publicly discussed by many at some point in this past year.

However, there is an important distinction in the energetic currents from 1861 until now — and that is the position of Pluto.  Pluto, back then, had just passed its opening square to the USA natal Pluto — which cyclically is a time when energies are pushing outward.  This time, we are at the completion of the cycle — and so there is a feeling, for me, that the energy has a more implosive quality — that it turns downward, and inward.

While there are many opposing opinions on the how we got here, and who is at fault — the deepest layer is actually that the problem lies within the very mythology that the USA was founded upon — and the hypocrisy of our nation’s self perception all along.  It is the kernels of self delusion that have fueled the ever expanding great delusion of our present day political system.  The ideals of our constitution were never evenly applied, and our history exists in the distortion of all colonial history, which bears the idea of heroes, villains, and saved — while burying the facts of dreadful and deceitful actions all along the way.  The founding fathers of the US did try to plan for the inevitability of corrupting forces — however, the spoiling factors were actually overlooked, and it is these factors that are catching up to us now.

These factors, of course, likely could not have been predicted — and are only able to  emerge at this time due to the evolution of human consciousness, and the changes in the outer world that have created circumstances beyond the imaginings of the American founders.  Our current overgrowth of corruption is, at least in part, a result of our globalized world, and the interaction that America has with other nations — both locally and abroad.  Our influence, the influence of others upon us — the way we deal with our “melting pot” culture — the way we remember colonization — and the existence of corporate entities that do not abide within a specific national code, or rule of law.  While there is still much in US ideology that is worth holding onto — a significant update is necessary if we are to maintain our identity in this world.  We must be careful at this precipice, as most, if not all, of the factions currently vying for power do not represent the true identity of this country — or the true potential of what we could be.

My observation of the past year is that identification with political parties has obscured the vision of many.  There is a widespread belief that the corrupting forces, figures, and groups belong only to whatever side is the opposite of what one supports.  This false dichotomy unfortunately fuels powerful and destructive ideological division that significantly stunts our ability to look at, and address our problems.  Many forget or downplay the reality that corporate interests dominate the underlying messaging of not just politics but also the vast majority of the systems that exist in the USA currently — from health care to the media.

The issues of messaging and ideology are most clearly represented at this time by the axis of the lunar nodes, which currently occupy the communication oriented signs of Gemini (North Node) and Sagittarius (South Node).  Transits of the lunar nodes in general color considerably the karmic emotional process of the collective.  Big outer planet aspect patterns such as we have had in the last two years (Saturn, Pluto & Jupiter conjunction 2020, and Saturn-Uranus square 2021) describe the multi-dimensional, long cycled and layered nature of the recent upheavals — but the lunar nodes always tie together the crux of the dilemma, and the area of life through which the dilemma is at its most self sabotaging and troublesome.

In the case of our current times the influence of the South Node in Sagittarius is very pronounced in public discourse and mass media.  Sagittarian shadow tendencies of self righteousness, dogmatism, and belief that what one agrees with is “right” have completely overtaken most channels of discussion.   Observations and ideas are censored, canceled, or politicized in the name of “preventing misinformation” — often while promoting more socially preferable misinformation.  The South Node impulse, therefore, seems to be to stave off uncertainty by clinging to belief and faith.  But it doesn’t work — not in any long term, or solution oriented way —  and not in any way that does anything but placate the mind, which has been quite understandably destabilized by everything going on.

However, there is a solution in the directive of the North Node.  The North Node is the spiritual “due north” of the chart — it describes what we are learning to do, to be, and in a sense, it is the intended end result of our work in life from a soul perspective.  The South Node is the familiar, often over-developed area of the chart — and its untamed expression tends to be maladaptive, destructive, and karmic.   It is my observation that the energy of the South Node will play out most apparently in the collective in the immediate moment — but that the lessons of the North Node will tend to unfold eventually, over time.

The current position of the North Node in Gemini indicates that it is important to embrace multiplicity — which means to take into consideration all information and perspectives equally, impartially, and with curiosity.  For it is from the place of observing neutrally every proposed problem, idea and solution, that real solutions have the potential to emerge.  Withholding or suppressing information at a time when the problems are complex is a form of self sabotage — and we will be forced to evolve out of this space at some point if we are sincere about addressing our worldly and collective troubles.  Gemini North Node energy is not only about multiplicity of perspectives, but acceptance of others as well.  It encourages engagement with others as they are.  This is an essential skill if we are truly oriented towards building a just, free, and healthily interdependent society.

Another great example of North & South Node interplay that I wish to mention here is the “Great Resignation” — a worldwide phenomenon where workers are leaving their jobs, seeking higher pay, more flexible hours, and better treatment from employers in general.  The 2018-2020 transit of the nodes through Cancer (NN), and Capricorn (SN), was strongly aligned with Saturn, Jupiter & Pluto as they traveled through Capricorn, particularly from 2019-2020.  The South Node was emphasized — echoing back cyclically to 2009, the time of the Great Recession, when Pluto first entered Capricorn, and when the North Node was also in Capricorn.  The Great Recession set a precedent for worsening work conditions, as suffering businesses began cutting corners, cutting staff, and cutting salaries to make ends meet — and unfortunately this resulted in ongoing rampant employee abuse and a generally dismal, highly stressful work culture that often took more than it gave to most workers, even well after the recession had passed.

In 2020, this energy came back around when many people were forced out of work, again, and/or transitioned to remote work for a substantial amount of time.  This caused many people to reevaluate their lives and set new boundaries around what they are willing to accept from their workplace.  For those in this circumstance, the sacrifice to the job was no longer worth it and Cancer North Node values of home, family & self care ultimately won out.  This will force businesses to completely reevaluate their approach, and may, by force of pressure, begin to resolve issues of low wages, wasteful and poor management, and more.

This of course, is just one example of unintended systemic consequences to the pandemic shutdowns.  Another example that comes to mind along this same energy are the significant issues cropping up with the global supply chain.  This is another concern that is affecting innumerable industries, and I believe that this will bring in an eventual shift to more localized sourcing of goods, as well as a potential opportunity for new types of businesses, and reform of industries towards more sustainable practices in general.

In the very long view, the 2018-2020 Cancer/Capricorn node cycle connects back to the last iteration of a Saturn, Pluto & Jupiter Capricorn alignment in 1284/85 — a time when many seeds of the current systems were originally sown.  I said in an earlier article that I believed that because back then the North Node was conjunct the Capricorn stellium in 1284, that the energies of great power were favored — however, in the present day, it is the opposite — and therefore the fall of the empire is inevitable.  Unfortunately, or fortunately, I suspect that government mandates (a South Node/Capricorn stellium impulse) will start to backfire like this more and more.  Citizens no longer trust that the systems are working for the greater good, and even with risk to themselves, are exiting increasingly hostile environments towards unknown circumstances.

The result of all of these changes, responses, and situations is essentially the same:  People are finding themselves needing to find a new path, a new way.

In the years leading up to 2020, I saw through clients an almost constant vision of spiritual network — that many people would soon be called into new environments, with soul allies, to begin a different version of their worldly work.  I saw people making an impact with the integration of holistic perspectives and ideas, especially in fields that are typically the most bound by corporate interests and rules.  At this present time, this vision has ripened even further and the sense I have is that, by force of pressure, there will be the development of parallel systems that may in time begin to subvert collective reliance on the larger ones.  This is a form of erosion that leads to the collapsing and implosion of the known structures if they do not respond with change.

This is a potential, and even an inevitability, that I see for the vast majority of our outdated systems in the coming years, the US government included.  The corporate economic scheme on the one hand, seems stronger and more powerful than ever — but if one looks closely, its insides are crumbling.  It has become the albatross of its own ruin.  For the US — our reckoning is soon to arrive, and what comes next is still to be determined.  Global and domestic dynamics are continuing to play out, with a possibility of other powers stepping forward and surpassing the position of strength that the US has long held in international politics.  If such a change were to come to pass, it would permanently alter the geopolitical landscape.

Nothing is ever “Too big to fail.”  Cosmic law shows that all things rise and fall.  Graceful change is one that evolves naturally with the ebb and flow.  Is it still possible for our country to evolve in a natural way?  That is the question we will be facing with great tension in 2022.

What is most profound in all of this — the societal and worldly chaos — is that, fundamentally, every part is just a reflection of the shadow within collective consciousness.  The cycles of this time reflect back to so many cycles and memories of previous times — from the more recent history of this past century to the far distant history of ancient civilizations.  We feel the echoes of our past darkness in the present darkness — the echoes of war, slavery, misuse of technology, genocide, and environmental reckoning, all meet in this moment.  Our souls remember those errors, and that suffering — and it is collectively very challenging for people to manage and place these memories, feelings of urgency, fear, and existential dread.  Instinctively, I think we know that it’s time to break the chain.  Do we really want to keep playing out the destruction of ourselves, or are we willing to try something different and unknown?  Are we willing to look to the higher path?

Nothing we face is simple.  Our solutions will not come through heroes and villains.  No authority will ever be able to give peace to humanity from a high perch.  No evil is resolved by choosing the “lesser” version.

Darkness is resolved only by facing it.  All people must eventually awaken to the darkness that has taken root in every part of our world — and work to resolve it, sincerely, with light.  To keep throwing more darkness at darkness is to invite in more obscuration, more karma, more conflict.  There is more than enough, already.

There is no one answer to the problem, no one way that old karma is resolved — however, clarity, neutrality and discernment go a long way in moving it along quicker.

What sort of world are we building?  Have we lived up to our ideals?  What parts of our ideals are illusions, and always have been?  Do we have the courage to see the world with clarity?  Do we understand that oneness is integration?  That sovereignty and community harmony are not a zero sum game, nor are they opposing values.  It is in the shared space of opposites where equilibrium lies.  What path will we choose?

Peace to all in the (r)evolution.

The 0 Libra/Aries Point ... Identity and Relationship -- Distilling the Astrology of September and October

I wrote this article spontaneously last night to talk a bit about the North Node at 0 Libra and some messages that I have been getting about what has come up in the energies lately, and what I think these things are saying to us on a soul level about how we interact with, relate to and create in the world. I really feel this is a momentous time, and have found the vibes to be extremely intense. What I see right now, in summary, is that the time has come to release the past and fully choose the new direction. I feel the nodes on the 0 Libra/Aries point are marking that transition, and that the lessons they carry for us are a major key to our development going forward. My sense is that we are entering a phase of real time, on the ground, transformation and creation according to the truths and visions that we have been working with in the course of the past several years, and it is time to get clear on issues around our innate sense of identity and self expression.

To explain in brief: The nodes (north node and south node) are an axis point in the chart representing where the orbit of the earth and the moon intersect and are considered a point of fate. They circle the zodiac in 18 year cycles. The 0 degree point of Aries/Libra is a significant point because it falls on the world axis and is the first degree of the zodiac, thus it is a significator for major change and powerful initiation. The north node actually moves retrograde through the zodiac so even though it is at 0 degrees right now, it is the end of its phase in these signs for another 9 years. The nodes in astrology point to our soul work -- the area of our lives where we have gifts to uncover and addictions to kick. Aries/Libra are signs that are specifically about self and other and have been very prominent in the astrology of September & October (Venus Retrograde, Mercury Retro in Libra, The Aries Blood Moon Eclipse, and this whole axis of fate thing).

Since I have natal north node in Aries, I've been deeply reflecting on the dynamic we have been sitting with regarding relationships, and how that pertains to my own soul work, and the message that we are receiving as a world through this axis point and at this particular threshold. The happenings of the past month or so have been major in some way or another for most people that I know. I feel we've all been grappling with dynamics around how we show up in the world -- how we assert ourselves, how we yield to others -- and the complete balancing act therein. As an Aries north node (which is opposite the current Libra north node), I am well versed in the tendencies of these two signs and know all too well the vacillations between the extremes of Libra's obsession with people pleasing and Aries' "I could care less what they think" attitude. What this energy is really showing me, however, is another, more refined level to this polarity that I'm only now fully understanding.

I think sometimes when we go through life taking the warrior's perspective (e.g. Aries), we tend to feel that we are expressing our power through self assertion and directness by stating facts such as, "I feel X, I don't like that, I want this" and supposing it is our right to do so even if our feelings, wants, and desires are not in alignment with anyone else we are dealing with. We might even feel that we are even more right to assert our power if this is so. "Well somebody had to say it, right?" Sometimes we also come to this type of expression as a manner of survival. When we feel our needs are consistently ignored by others, we think if we just state them more loudly, maybe we will be respected. Generally, though, all this generates is more anger about what we're not getting and how people are not responding the way we want them to. We're not always necessarily shown by our elders and authority figures that there is a way to be firm about ones desires and freedom of expression without feeling the need to bulldoze those that oppose us.

This is of course where the Libra polarity plays in -- since Libra is all about diplomacy and tactful negotiation. However -- as a Libra moon, Libra south node myself, I know that even this can be done to excess. The whole energy of the past few months has had me seriously scrutinizing all of my not-so-great Libra traits. I saw myself being indecisive and wishy washy in moments when I felt what I wanted and what someone else wanted were different. I saw myself yielding like a contortionist under the delusion that I was "keeping the peace." And I noticed just how much time I spend fretting over whether or not something I said offended someone. But then something interesting happened: The part of me that used to get to this extreme and pull a 180 Aries-style table flip on my life gained some actual maturity and said to me -- You know, it's really your own fault you don't have the things you want!!! Why don't you try having the courage to actually ask for the things you want nicely, instead of assuming the absolute worst and running out of the place with guns blazing like there's a firing squad with a secret conspiracy against all of your hopes and dreams...? It's all about BALANCE, right? So create BALANCE! For you! And make it easy on yourself, will you?

See, because here's the deal. Beneath Libra's peace-keeping is an irrational fear that if the truth gets out and disharmony occurs, the end result is most likely a war. Beneath Aries' most self-serving motives, there is a deep desire for acceptance. Yield too much in life, and you are guaranteed to never have peace. Make it all about what you want, and you are unlikely to feel that people accept you. What lies in between is the understanding of two things -- the fact that ultimately all most of us truly desire is to be accepted and to do as we wish in peace. And so, is not the solution to the conundrum just as simple as accepting the truth of what we want and doing as we wish peacefully? I write this and it sounds like the most obvious wisdom I think I've ever written... but realizing that there is such a thing as a win/win situation when it comes to harmony in relationships and harmony with self has been kind of a breakthrough for me.

We don't enrich anyone's lives by agreeing with them all of the time. Our most pure and innocent fingerprint is the part of us that inspires, heals, and helps those around us. It's our RESPONSIBILITY to know ourselves, and fulfill our own pathway to happiness by sometimes letting other people know that Yes, we really do enjoy this activity/place/person, and if you don't like it -- go do something you like for a while and we'll meet up later! There's no need to justify what we want to do with any aspect of our lives -- and when we find ourselves justifying, resisting or fighting, it is so often just an insecurity arising from the fear that X person or group won't accept us for who we really are. If we really do know ourselves well, we can have peaceful relationships with other people because we know that we are free to live and let live. We don't have to control anyone to feel fulfilled and whole with that person, and we don't feel a need to yield to someone else's idea of reality just because they said so.

Knowing what you want in life, where you're going in life, and who you are inside intimately and well is basic self acceptance. Being at peace within yourself and these knowings, and honoring your own personal boundaries, there is no need for aggression. So when we meet another soul and it comes time to make a compromise, we can do so with complete truth.

Let people know who you are. Your friends, your family, your partner, your clients. Their acceptance, or non-acceptance of you has nothing to do with who you are as a being. Remain in hiding and you will have many regrets. Be you from a place of ease. When we're easy with life, we have harmony without losing ourselves. We can be us in lightness, in freedom. Not because anyone gave it to us, but because we gave it to ourselves. And in giving it to ourselves, we give it to everyone else we meet.

September 2015: The Grand Balancing Act Between Simplicity and Complexity // Eclipses, Mercury Retrograde and the Mutable T-Square

Somehow, some way – it’s here! September has arrived and we have entered one of the most important months astrologically for the year of 2015. This is the threshold we have been preparing for all year long. September is a cosmic stew of energetic confluences, and many are feeling the changeable energies quite tangibly in their lives already. The easiest way to summarize September is to say that it is the beginning of forward movement towards the realization of the visions and goals we’ve been discovering, discerning, working on, playing with, and struggling with since 2008 when Pluto first crossed into Capricorn and issued its profound reverberation through the systems and structures the world’s societies are built upon. This month, we enter a phase of malleability. It’s a shifty, fuzzy, wavy ocean of complexity. We are confronted with the undeniable impulse to take action on our spiritual dreams, and the completely overwhelming task that lies before us in order to do so. It’s a long road between there and here and the path is not straight. In fact, it is confusing as heck. But, at least, we’ve arrived at the path. Starting in August, we had several important shifts and departures in the heavens – Saturn moved direct and is finishing its journey in Scorpio, Jupiter moved from Leo to Virgo, and Venus went retrograde in Leo. I’ve written quite a lot recently about how the energy of the past few years has been a process of whittling who we are and what we truly want down to its core. Saturn in Scorpio has caused us to brush through the cobwebs in our mind in order to discover just how much of our behavior is dictated by fear and other hidden psychological factors. It has also been about committing ourselves to the thing we most want and being willing to endure loss and discomfort in the name of growth and evolution. As Saturn moves out of Scorpio at last, we might be receiving its final lesson on the self-responsibility of empowerment very intensely. Saturn in Scorpio seems to be reminding us that no matter what happens in life, it’s still up to the individual to strengthen and embolden themselves towards the light.

Meanwhile, the vibrations of the recent Leo transits have been directing us to reevaluate and re-receive our heart’s desire. We’re really SEEING it, and those situations that still exist for us that we DON’T want are feeling rather intolerable. Ongoing relationship dramas, people that you just don’t jive with anymore, the job that pays well but makes you unhappy -- each and every one of these things is getting the proverbial ax. With Jupiter now in Virgo, the ways in which our mental state affects our physical being is felt with greater acuity. A need to move in a direction that is both fulfilling and healthy on all levels of our being is something we may be finding more valuable at this time. As we begin September, the invisible influences in our lives seem more present and active. Virgo’s call for purity, discipline, and devotion might be motivating us to work towards organizing our lives in a manner that is more holistically minded. If health has been neglected we might be feeling it’s time to get around to that exercise routine and invest some in healing ongoing ailments. The feeling behind it is that by not taking care of ourselves first, we are impeding the flow of creativity and happiness that we have been working so hard to find. Jupiter in Virgo also implies that the realm of service and work is about to get really busy in some fashion, and the need to be in optimum health is tantamount to accomplishing what needs to be accomplished. As Venus moves direct on September 6, tying up its retrograde story for the remainder of September, I expect many of the heart’s impediments will be clarified and released. The things within ourselves and our environment that block our enjoyment and ability to receive love and money – as well as what it is we really want to create, what makes us happy and brings us joy – are recognized. There is a sense of finality around situations that cause frustration – a feeling that there’s just better ways to spend one’s time.

With the Virgo energy I feel comes a great desire for simplicity, because the paradox of this time is that it is incredibly complex in all ways imaginable. The primary reason for this is that September begins the mutable T-Square between Saturn in Sagittarius, Jupiter in Virgo, and Neptune in Pisces that is a predominant feature of the remaining months of this year. We feel that there is a LOT to do, no time to do it, and that the task itself is monumental. Simplifying our lives as much as possible is necessary but is in itself a task and discipline in circumstances that have no consistency. As Mercury moves Retrograde in Libra mid-month I sense the issue of balance will come prominently into the fore. Tip the scales the other way for a while and see what happens. Libra, of course, is also about relationships – and there is an echo here to Venus Retrograde – how are we relating with life? Do we enmesh ourselves with other people’s thoughts and feelings without realizing it? Are we closed or open to collaboration that could be helpful to us? Who do we want to collaborate with? How can we have more equality and fairness in our relationships with partners and clients? In business?

At the same time that Mercury goes retrograde Saturn moves into Sagittarius for the next 2-3 years. Saturn in Sag suggests that now it’s time to begin one’s own pattern of thinking and behavior and creating one’s own dogma and truth, rather than continuing to allow other people’s ideas take control. Saturn in Sagittarius is a truth telling energy and it is the apex of the T-square pattern. In an interplay that shows immense confusion, delusion and deception, Saturn will reveal false idols for what they are and prompt us to test and evaluate all truths for ourselves before accepting them. With the energy of Jupiter and Neptune alone, we are dealing with the struggle between the mundane and the mystic – knowing of course that there is a path to the mystic through the distractionless fulfillment of life’s practicalities – yet finding ourselves in a climate that supports anything but. Underneath this energy is a pulse of frustration that seems to emanate an almost fractal web of complexities that multiply times ten with each beat. Saturn in Sagittarius wants us to find the meaning of it all, to see the big picture and put some shape around it. The thing is, we live in a world that cannot give us peace -- it becomes more and more busy by the day. So how do we arrive at balance? How do we transcend distraction? How do we discern the master from the charlatan? How do we live in this world and practice our truth in real time, at all times? How do we structure our lives to allow for meaningful engagement with reality? How do we build a world in connection to our highest good, in greater health and heartfelt connection? How do we take lofty ideals and put them into a practical form, functional for the modern paradigm?

These are among the many questions I see being predominant in the coming years.

The T-Square itself could have it’s own article. Having been through this vibe by transit these past few years I can say Neptune Square Saturn is not an easy energy – it is highly confusing and anxiety inducing. Add the expanding force of Jupiter to the mix and you have a vortex of turbulent and muddy waters. Neptune erodes Saturn’s normally sober sense of reality and order. Being in Sagittarius our core beliefs are being attacked – all sense of truth is shifting dramatically. A lighthouse that once stood strong is washed away to sea, slowly declining and decrepit. The question of whom to believe becomes difficult – even one’s own intuition can seem untrustworthy if it is colored by subconscious attitudes. The truth is very fuzzy and must be searched for. However, it can be found. As with all of Neptune work there is a great potential for clarity. The ultimate purpose of this energy is the alignment of the soul to the soul’s dream… and the soul’s dream does not care at all about your beliefs, thinking patterns and social dogmas. In the end we are cleansed, but the process requires a lot of faith and patience. We cannot rely on the material or the ideological – as the answer lies somewhere beyond both.

To me, the beauty of this configuration is the tone of deep questing. The mutable signs’ purpose is to transform and this energy signifies a tremendous amount of fast-paced change emerging from inner turmoil surrounding the question of what truth really IS. If it wasn’t the lighthouse, then what is it? Is it the light itself? Or is it even beyond that? The mutable energy also presents a great deal of malleability that we have not had in recent years where the energy has been functioning more like a gridlock – with a lot of stop and go, stalemates and impasses. We had to go through the phase of irreconcilability to cross into the phase of action. We had to go through the phase of action and confrontation in order to cross into this new phase, which is the phase of transmutation. Things have freed up – we can now meld reality to better suit us – the challenge will be maintaining the proper direction. These are energies that can spiral out of control and create delusions, or they can bring the wisdom of positive habits, positive thinking, and pure spiritual flow. To stay ahead of it, we have to employ some discipline to our thinking and our lives. Discovering where we carry rigid, negative thinking, and subsconscious fears and learning to change these things is a major aspect of this process. We will learn that we can opt for pathways that allow us greater clarity and peace by remaining grounded, centered and aware or we can opt for pathways that feed the fear and confusion and fall for the illusions of the world. Everything we believe that is not universal law is subject to and likely to change. All that is unsteady already will grow more unsteady. It’s unsteady because it’s not honest. Let it fall apart. Keep the positive intention and the positive direction. The mind is powerful at this time as boundaries between the subtle and mundane reality are thinner than usual. Our dreams can be real. So can our fears. We’re responsible for whichever we create.

And then… The eclipses. Yes, there’s more than this. On top of Mercury retrograde, Venus retrograde, Saturn changing signs, Jupiter changing signs, Pluto stationing to go direct (Which I haven’t even talked about it only adds to the feeling of evolutionary intensity), the Fall Equinox, and some very strong configurations – we have eclipses. Eclipses are a twice annual phenomenon that bring about major culminations, endings, new beginnings, and generally speaking – points of destiny and fate in our lives. This month’s eclipses occur at 20 Virgo (Solar eclipse on September 13) and 4 Aries (Total Lunar Eclipse, visible in the US, on September 27). So anyone with planets in mutable signs around 20 degrees or cardinal signs around 4 degrees will feel the eclipses most strongly – but all people will be passing through the energies of the eclipses.

The Solar Eclipse on September 13 is highly sensitive. Under this energy we will be very aware of what we lack. It is a good new moon to set intentions with regards to health routines – health and healing is a major highlight of the eclipse. Radical changes around work and health may occur out of necessity. The spirit of service and how we personally express it is an important motivation to changes we make under this energy. We’re more inclined to break bad habits and let go of spiritual burdens, especially if they’re holding us back from our sense of efficiency and simplicity. We are taking our Saturn in Scorpio lessons and applying them in every way we can. To not do so will cause us more pain and suffering than is necessary, and we intuitively know this. We need to evolve and work from our strengths, rather than stay in a Sisyphus-like cycle of never-ending burdens. We have the power to make our life what we want it to be, truly, we do! This a great new moon to make a plan of tangible actions and set goals towards making the soul dream come true. We’ve done the inner work, now it’s time to apply all we’ve learned, and then learn some more as we go. Know that it’s going to be complicated, busy and changeful – but not impossible. The world has changed, and it is opening as we are opening to be re-oriented and re-aligned to our naturalness and divinity. Be open to the possibilties. Refinement of the focus, I feel, can be considered the theme of this eclipse.

The Lunar eclipse feels much more about the balancing energies of the Mercury retrograde, which lingers nearby to the eclipse degree. In the period between eclipses, Saturn will have moved into Sagittarius. The first eclipse feels much like the ending of a cycle being put into practical action, while the second eclipse emphasizes the opening of a cycle and all of the complex processes involved with the new energy. It is a very powerful, evolutionary eclipse. Great frustration exploding into radical change. It doesn’t matter what the frustration is at – just that the forces involved are inhibiting and intolerable. We’re stepping into new terrain in our lives and are being faced with the duality and paradox of all that we have developed thus far. What we really want is to break free and step directly into joyful self realization (isn’t the work over yet?), but we must do so with awareness. The best action taken now is righteous action. This is a South Node eclipse, meaning it is a releasing energy. We are releasing Aries impulsiveness and dog-eat-dog survivalist attitudes. The energy of this eclipse shows us that impulsiveness will not only not serve us, it will cause all kinds of unforeseen problems. We are becoming aware of where we are blocked and frustrated, but learning the lesson that not all obstacles are meant to be “blasted through” – It’s important to do the work and negotiations necessary to arrive at clarity before taking action – and all actions are well served to be backed up with some kind of plan and forethought. We have plenty of time – and even though it seems the world is swirling around us without control – we do not need to hurry ourselves and get swept up in the madness. As we enter this mutable energy it is absolutely necessary to seek clarity with patience and yielding. Aries energy is neither of these things and it may feel difficult to quell the fire. If we have done our work of purification, and are willing to let go of expectation, we can be decisive – but it is a decisiveness that must arise from the true mind. We will know what the right decision is if it feels peaceful and freeing. Our decisions must not be made with shadows of uncertainty – investigate all unsettled feelings and see more deeply into choices. The period upcoming may be a chaotic and confusing time, but it can be a phase where we really learn to tap into the inner voice and work from our spiritual center, as this may be the best way to survive and the only way to thrive under these influences. It is a beautiful spiritual lesson in a “feminine” form of evolution. Release doing, return to being. Work from being, and find the truth without searching.

The energy of September is huge. This is a pivotal time for the world’s direction. People who choose to be assistants and servants to the world in one way or another will experience immense growth through this process – this is a time when spiritual energies are very high and many people will start experiencing mind-bending shifts in their perspectives and need grounded influences. It is important that we all become aware of balance in our lives and transparent with our truth – especially with ourselves. Simplify, clarify, wait until things settle. Your mind is a powerful creator…. Use it wisely.

“All will come to those who keep to the one – for there lies rest, happiness and peace.”

- Tao Te Ching, Chapter 35