The Sun enters Libra Wednesday, September 22nd at 12:21pm PDT (North America). Libra is Yang Cardinal Air, emphasizing the expressive gift of harmony in relating, open lines of conscious conversation, and tactful reconciliation. All of this is available to each of us, and will be explored primarily where we have Libra in our chart.
This video below (40 minutes) goes over the transits, strategies for Libra season, with special attention on the Retrograde cycles, Venus-Ceres opposition, and Venus in general as the planetary ruler of Libra. Big emphasis on conscious relating this season!
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We always want to be aware of the opposite and squaring signs to the Sun each solar season, so opposite to Libra is Aries, and the squares are Cancer + Capricorn. The opposition points bring in the strongest opportunity for integration, particularly of the energy of self and other, personal desire and how that is communicated with another. The squares bring up the energy of creative tension, and the cardinal cross in general has a strong affinity with identity exploration, so the Cancer + Capricorn points in our chart are invited into further identity massaging and probing.
It’s nice to be aware of the trines as well, being the air signs of Gemini + Aquarius, and the fire sign sextiles of Leo + Sagittarius. The trines and sextiles indicate the opportunities for ease and support, where our natural gifts will arise and be emphasized (the trines), and where we can put forth more effort and see positive results (sextiles).
At this point we might as well include the other signs so you can have an idea of how all the signs are relating with Libra, as that’s what aspects are all about.
Scorpio and Virgo share the energies of the semi-sextile, being 30˚ away. Libra is in the new phase to Virgo, and in the balsamic phase to Scorpio. We can see how these energies build upon each other, and have something to teach and learn from each other. Connecting with what personal strategies arose for us in Virgo season will help us identify what values we may be coming into contact with and exploring with others in Libra season. We can anticipate that whatever we initiate in Libra season relationally will come to deepen and take on more quality of merging and commitment once we enter Scorpio season.
Pisces and Taurus are the final two signs, and they both have an interesting relationship with Libra as well. If we think about Venus, the planetary ruler of Libra, she is also the ruler of Taurus, and is exalted in Pisces. Both Taurus and Pisces are in the inconjunct or quincunx zone of aspects to Libra, so checking in with these areas of your chart can highlight what elements of your values are being adjusted according to the values of Taurus + Pisces that are emphasized in your chart.
In any case, this is a highly Venusian month, and Venus is in Scorpio upon the ingress of the Sun into Libra. This denotes a story around our relationships and our value systems. It bears repeating that Scorpio confronts everything in the way of the highest merging, the highest alchemy. Sometimes that means having to transmute a lot of shadow, but it can also be a time of beautiful phoenix-like energy emerging in the area that Venus is traveling through your chart. With Venus in Scorpio, there is an opportunity to reclaim power through grace and beauty. Truly walking the Beauty Way that is available to all, so that we may embody the gold of our Higher Selves.
Important transits this solar season:
Mercury is in his pre-retrograde shadow phase (since September 6th, 10˚ Libra), and will station retrograde Sep 26 at 25˚ Libra, has an inferior conjunction with the Sun at 16˚ October 9th, and then stations direct October 18th at 10˚. He’ll exit his post retrograde shadow phase November 2nd, once he returns to that 25˚ Libra mark. So if any of these degree points are poignant for you, note that you’ll be experiencing a triple contact, one that’s likely already begun since early September.
It’s always good to pay attention to the thought cycles that emerge during a Mercury retrograde period which is about 8 weeks long, as we keep coming back to the same issues, so that we can fully explore them and come to the highest ability to communicate what is needed.
Pay attention to the Air trine energy, as we’ll have both Mars and the Sun trine the North Node in Gemini, as well as Saturn Rx in Aquarius. The energy that emerges when the air signs have this fluidity of contact is truly inspirational and we can come to divinatory illuminations in our thought processes, especially around our path forward (North Node) and what we are co-creating societally (Saturn).
Mars leading the Sun in Libra invites an energy of constant initiation and activation. This will be felt especially strong for the New Moon in Libra October 6th at 13˚24’ Libra. The Moon, Sun and Mars are all conjunct at this 13˚ point, within a 7˚ orb to Mercury who will already be stationed retrograde at this point. They will all be in strong opposition to Chiron at 10˚31’ Aries also retrograde. This configuration invites in conversations of releasing codependency, openness to seeing things “from the other side”, inviting in a new point of view that may strongly shift your values toward greater harmony with others, and plant a seed for healing in all things related to the communication of contrast.
The energy of contrast is immense as we see daily examples of all the extreme polarities existing on Earth at this time. We all have a unique vantage point, and through our conversations and ability to remain open to alternative possibilities, we can gain so much in the realm of diplomatic, tactful, respectful and graceful relating, which can be immensely advantageous when brought to the “fight” that is present in your life.
The fight that I’m talking about can be connected to the Chiron Rx in Aries that we’ve been working with since 2018. Where we have this in our individual charts is something we’ve been working with extensively for the past few years, and since Chiron is a bridge between the inner and outer planets, he invites in this back and forth energy of personal healing and collective healing, and finding ourselves and our seemingly random individual story as actually a very important part of the healing story of the whole. I think we’re feeling into this more and more as the topic of healing and health has been in the limelight this past year.
Coming back to the New Moon, October 6th, we’ll also have Pluto stationing direct later that day. Pluto spends about 6 months every year retrograde, and this year he’s been toggling the few degrees of about 24-26˚ Capricorn. Pluto evolves us from the inside out, from the underside up. He emphasizes the subconscious deprogramming and neural pathway resetting that is absolutely required for long-term actual change to happen. If you think about all the neural pathway resets you’ve experienced since this past April, you’ll get really close to understanding what Pluto has been doing in your psyche, and in the collective unconscious that we’re all tapped into.
Having Pluto station direct on the same day as the New Moon, especially in a square by sign, brings a powerful energy of transmutation from the dark depths within. New Moon times can be difficult, given that the light of the external is not visible, so we have to turn in. For that reason, acknowledging our own internal power is so important, and the empowerment potential behind this New Moon is palpable.
If we examine the relationship between Libra and Capricorn more closely, we can see the dynamic of codependency with authority figures, especially in the current global movie we’re watching. This new moon involving Mars and also the Chiron in Aries opposition feels like an opportunity to shake that authoritarian codependency off our shoulders, and return to a greater power within ourselves.
On a personal level, this might look like taking the initiative where and how you can, communicating to who you need to, but instead of passing the responsibility of change off to an external power, recognize that the power of creation also lies within you, and your life path need not be at the hands of some illusory external authority. There is immense opportunity here to break through long-standing issues of codependency and giving away of our power. Let’s take it back.
We’ll have Venus enter Sagittarius October 7th, and Ceres station retrograde at 12˚ Gemini October 8th. Venus will oppose Ceres October 18th, highlighting the integration between our values and beliefs about our values (Venus in Sagittarius) integrating with what information we are nurturing and exploring (Ceres in Gemini). This opposition asks us what information and way of seeking truth we are nurturing, and how this informs and is informed by our values. Expect big questions to arise, like what is truth? What can be known, and how is it being known? These are great things to share in conversation with others, so we can gain expansive perspective.
This opposition between Venus + Ceres also highlights a cognitive dissonance conundrum that perhaps some of you might be facing, which has already been echoing from our time with the North Node in Gemini + South Node in Sagittarius.
I’m sure you’ve heard the saying: “energy flow where attention goes”, and other mantras around manifestation and the law of attraction, only thinking positively, etc. I’m here to add an emphatic “YES, AND”, because this idea can unfortunately be co-opted to create apathy, illusion and alienation from what is happening in life around us.
Sometimes we ignore important information because it doesn’t align with our preference of creation, or what we want to believe. Sometimes there are things happening that we don’t like, that it is relevant for us to pay attention to, or a story of someone else that bears some importance on your decision-making. Just because we aren’t focusing on something happening out in the world or to someone else, it is doesn’t mean it isn’t happening, or that there isn’t potentially something for you to observe or witness. You might be able to add value or harmony to a situation that you might otherwise have chosen to ignore. This is an exploration, and there are no rules or “shoulds” here. This transit is an invitation to open up to greater expansive harmonization by listening to the experiences of others.
The Venus in Sagittarius is inviting us to expand our awareness of truth, so we can bring greater clarity and alignment in our value systems, and therefore in what we are attracting and creating in our lives. Taking in information through the lens of seeking out what truly needs nurturing can open us up to greater acts of loving kindness, opportunity to harmonize, and add value in a way that is being called for by the situations you find yourself in.
This is where the other two signs on the mutable cross, Virgo + Pisces come in handy, so we can discern what information is most important for us to pay attention to, and where to put our energy and attention.
Our attention is our most valuable commodity, and with the constant baiting for our attention everywhere we look, it is so important to have clear boundaries and knowingness around what is important for us to look at or think about. Venus in Sagittarius can add some perspective around the beliefs and values that are influencing what information we are able to take in and process at this time, and if there is an expansion of vision necessary, or a diverting of attention elsewhere. We must nurture our ability to process duality, and come back to wholeness, which this Ceres-Venus opposition offers.
We also have three planets stationing direct later in Libra season. First we have Saturn October 10th, Jupiter October 17th and Mercury the 18th.
Saturn Direct at 6˚53’ Aquarius will be a welcome stationing for many, especially given the collective nature of the sign Aquarius. We’ve been witnessing varying degrees of lockdowns globally, the rising up of people from around the world standing up for what they believe in, for freedom and the right to choose, for sovereignty, and there has been societal unrest. Where you have this in your chart gives you a strong indication of your experience in relation to this unrest. I have Saturn stationing direct exactly on my Moon, for example, and I have been feeling a lot of energy from the collective, and doing a lot of emotional processing. I’ve had to learn a lot about my emotional boundaries, and where it’s worth putting my emotional energy, so that’s my lesson in all of this. What about you?
When Saturn stations direct, we might be able to move forward on some type of karmic or dharmic project outlined that connects us to the greater group, the future, what we are collectively co-creating. Depending on where Saturn is in your chart, you might find you are finally able to take action that sticks, or be more reliable or constant in your vision for the future. There have been so many changes, so much up and down, that many people aren’t able to plan or vision too far into the future.
The blessing behind this is that we’ve learned more about living in the here and now, and finding our purpose in the present moment. Think back to when Saturn stationed retrograde May 23rd, and perhaps even to when he entered his Rx pre-shadow February 14th. What have been your Saturn retrograde reflections this year? Where is 6˚-13˚ Aquarius in your chart? We will get the opportunity to reflect and re-integrate these reflections through January 15th 2022 when he finally exits this retrograde cycle by post-shadow degree (13˚31’ Aquarius).
We then have Jupiter Direct at 22˚20’ Aquarius October 17th. He’s been retrograde since June 20th, and entered his pre-Rx shadow phase March 27th at 22˚20’ Aquarius. He’ll exit his post- Rx shadow phase at 02˚11’ Pisces January 8th of 2022. We really spend a long time working through the themes of these social planets, and the retrograde periods offer us time to take the sacred pause, to ensure we’re on the right path, to ensure we’re aligned with our truest goals. Jupiter is our Higher Self Aspirations, so we’ve been given this opportunity to expand into the future with caution, perhaps contraction, so that we can be sure of what we want to really expand into.
This Libra season and October in general will offer us a lot of reflective energy given Mercury also being in the retrograde cycle. Mercury stations direct October 18th, at 25˚ Libra. I mentioned a bit about his cycle earlier on in this video, and I highly recommend you to connect with the 10˚-25˚ points of Libra in your chart to glean the highest meaning of this time for you.
Something I share about in my interview for this year’s Dharma Fest (which I sent out an invite to you if you’re on my mailing list, but you can also find at the link here), is about the importance to first go within yourself and see what information and intuitive action is guiding you from your own heart. Once you give yourself a chance to receive in that way, then add in the connection with your chart, or the conversation with someone outside of you.
To wrap up this reflective Libra season, we have a Full Moon at 27˚26’ Aries October 20th, just before the Sun enters Scorpio October 22nd. This final full moon at another Saturnian degree, the final three degrees of every sign having Saturnian rulership, denotes self-mastery. Mastery of instinctual awareness, personal desire expression, shining the light on what you truly want and need to take action on in your life. If things feel unclear around your personal desires up to this full moon, you can set strong ritual with this full moon in Aries to activate your sacred desire and call back any power you have to take appropriate action, while grounded in Libran harmony and conscious communication.
What do you love about Libra season? What tends to come up for you each equinox, spring or fall, depending on what part of the world you are in? This is a time of balance, integration, harmonization, leveling things out. It all starts with us, and our willingness to put in the self-work, do the self-inquiry, focus on our physical, emotional, mental and spiritual health, and stay integrated and grounded in the truth of who we are.
In service,
Nura xx
