September 2018 forecast: time to advance (finally!)
Big Picture
2018 (with multiple planets going retrograde) has been a roller-coaster ride, requiring lots of sidestepping and digging beneath surface assumptions. With September, it’s time to advance. Mars and Mercury are no longer retrograde, and Saturn goes ‘direct’ on Sept. 6th. Later this year, Venus and Mercury do their retrograde dance. So September is our opportunity to make sense of out of recent retrograde messages, and put down new markers for the next few years.
But how, exactly? With 8 planets spending most of the month in earth and water signs, September invites us to ground our practical actions (earth) with emotional depth and honesty (water). We’re doing this in the context of radical change in our values and the way we do relationships (Uranus in Taurus 2018-2025), which is no small feat. But we’ve got plenty of help this month! The Sun and Mercury spends a lot of time in Virgo, emphasizing our capacity to discern, apply, and evaluate new ideas and practices. And Venus and Mars move from cardinal (let’s initiate change!) to fixed (let’s find some stable structure!) signs; change and disruption only make long-term sense if we find new structures and habits that encode and support new insights.
This month, Venus moves into Scorpio (a sign linked with Mars and Pluto), in search of intense transformation and connection; Mars moves into Aquarius, seeking objectivity and structure around new ideas. Both will be in intense conversation with Uranus, a god of enormous fertility (but not a stable character….). So we’re seeking to create new vehicles that will support changes in the way we do relationships.
Used well, we’ll be skeptical yet innovative and sincere while restructuring our ideas and engaging with passion. Used poorly, we’ll show up as aggressive ideologues and drama queens who insist on being right.
Pay attention especially to shifts in relationships, because themes surfacing this month will re-appear and develop during Venus’ retrograde period later this year.
Take-aways
· September is a great time to initiate changes in habits and structures to support your future growth and well-being. Start small but be unusual (Uranus) and disciplined (Saturn); the incremental change can have major impact six months down the road.
· Take full advantage of this month’s highly charged and powerpacked new and full moons (on the 9th and 24th). Use the new moon to start or reboot an important project. Use the full moon to transform a difficult situation or ‘stuck’ perspective by bringing an open heart to the conversation.
· A major background theme (Jupiter and Neptune in water signs) invites excess and abundance in some areas. Indulging in creative activity or spiritual exercises is one option, but so is turning your relationships into a game of thrones …This can be great for creative and spiritual activities, but a disaster in other areas, so choose wisely.
Highlights
Sept. 5-22: This long stretch is a fabulous time for learning and applying information. Mercury in Virgo is your inner detective/rat terrier in search of practical treasure. As always, watch out for the shadow side, which is pickiness and criticism without genuine purpose. [Mercury in Virgo.]
Sept. 6: Saturn begins his forward motion (after a retrograde period) and continues direct through late April 2019 in his home turf of Capricorn. This is an excellent long-term period for building or restructuring institutions, buildings as well as your sense of inner authority and integrity. If you find yourself seeking to control or feel that from someone else, look under the hood; Saturn’s shadow side is often control (usually as a defense mechanism). [Saturn stations direct at 2° Capricorn.]
Sept. 9: Start or re-start some important project that inspires you under this power-packed new Moon in Virgo, as long as you are committed to seeing it through. [Virgo New Moon at 17° opposite Neptune, trine Pluto and sextile both Jupiter and Neptune at 2:02 PM EDT.]
Sept. 10: Venus begins her months-long sojourn through Mars’ sign of Scorpio. Expect relationships to generate more heat than clarity at first; themes that crop up now will come to fruition in November and December if you’re willing to do the work of transformation. [Venus enters Scorpio.]
Sept. 10- 20: This is a powerful time to initiate or reboot cooperative ventures that emphasize some new approach. Innovation is likely to evoke some passionate response from Venus in Scorpio so be responsible in your approach. [Mars enters Aquarius; Mars squares Venus and Uranus; Uranus trine Saturn; Venus sextile Saturn]
Sept. 22-26: Important time to understand and communicate responsibly (in true Libran fashion) about an issue or relationship that needs healing and adjustment. This period includes a white-hot full Moon in Aries conjunct Chiron late on Sept. 24; this might be a breakthrough in communication or the kind of encounter that sends you to therapy. Either way, you win! [First Mercury, then the Sun enters Libra, opposite to Chiron, square to Saturn and inconjunct to Uranus; full Aries Moon around 11 pm on Sept. 24 EDT.]