September Themes: Spirit + Matter
Whoa. I am having a tough time writing lately. Is anyone else experiencing mental-stimulus overload? What. The. Eff.
I'm pondering a media-fast for a bit. I've been trying to write this damn blog post for a few hours and I keep going off on a tangent and my thoughts keep getting tangled and murky. So I checked my chart and, voila! Saturn directly in opposition to my natal Mercury in the 3rd house. Talk about writer's block.
Thankfully, with Saturn now in forward movement, this period of mental constipation should be over fairly soon. However, Mercury is set to retrograde on the 17th of September, so that could be sending my mind in a bit of a spin as we're actually in its pre-retro shadow period right now.
Before Mercury retrogrades though, we have a deeply intuitive SuperMoon waxing towards her fullest expression in the sign of Pisces tomorrow.
This Full Moon in Pisces foreshadows what we can expect during the collective Jupiter opposite Neptune transit coming up in September, which I will get into below.
As you may know, Full Moons represent endings, emphasized even more through this particular Moon as it falls in the sign of Pisces, the last sign of the Zodiac.
So, what are you completing or releasing from your life?
To read more about the symbolism of this Full Moon, check out these brilliant astrologers: here, here, and here.
In addition to endings, I experience Full Moons as a time when everything is heightened and amplified with the bright light of the Moon shining down on us like a cosmic flashlight.
What themes are our cosmic flashlight shining on right now and for September?
...Spirit and Matter. The form and formless. Practicality and inspiration. The masculine and feminine. Rational and irrational. Doing and being.
In a word: duality.
But more importantly, healing and balance.
During the past 12 months as Jupiter journeyed through the sign of high-energy Leo, we expanded our attention toward heart-centered connection, celebration, and play.
Now that the season of Jupiter in Leo is over, Jupiter recently crossed the border into the grounded, practical, health-conscious, and perfectionist sign of Virgo where she'll be hanging out for the next 12 months.
There's quite a major shift happening here.
Where we may have felt a fiery, heart-centered force of Leo coming through us, we may now feel like setting down some roots and 'getting our shit together'.
This may be geared towards matters of work, service, and health (all associated with Virgo) so we may feel especially motivated and eager to cleanse, purify, organize, or plan out our lives.
In addition to this shift, Jupiter is making its way toward an opposition with Neptune - a tug of war between the earthy/practical sign of Virgo and the dreamy/spiritual sign of Pisces.
The V/P Axis
Virgo is co-ruled by Mercury and Chiron and represents the practical application of our ideas and how we can use them to be of service to the whole. She is also the sign of the virgin or maiden holding the shaft of wheat. This symbolizes purity, nourishment, and an appreciation of our bodies and the earth. Virgo teaches us that when our bodies and mind are clean and clear, we can manifest a more stable and abundant harvest.
Pisces is co-ruled by Neptune and Jupiter and is the last and most intuitive of the water signs. She brings us to enlightened understanding as we complete the cycle of life through her, as the last sign of the Zodiac. She is symbolized by two fish swimming in opposite directions; floating in the sea of unconditional love and one with all possibilities. Pisces is also the sensitive, selfless martyr, who gives selflessly in service of Spirit.
So what happens when these two oppose one another?
Well, the celestial see-saw dynamic between these two signs and planets may have us teeter-tottering between our ideal, dream world of imagination (Neptune/Pisces), and our tangible, three-dimensional plane of life in a body on planet Earth (Jupiter/Virgo).
With Pisces/Neptune, we may want to float in that sea of endless possibilities, but then a wave may take us over and we crash onto shore while Jupiter/Virgo reminds us we have a body to care for and work to do.
Although these signs are quite different, they do share a common thread: healing.
So, healing may be a theme that arises with this transit.
And with Jupiter in Virgo all year, we may feel a necessity to focus our attention on the material realm through organizing, cleansing, working, prioritizing, and organizing some more. In a way, this helps us to heal whatever "stuff" comes up in the process.
Since Jupiter expands what it comes into contact with, one thing we may need to stay mindful of is the potential toward overworking, over-thinking, or leaning too closely to that edge of perfectionism.
Thankfully, the beauty of this Pisces/Neptune energy through the oppositional transit sets the stage for this Jupiter in Virgo journey pretty nicely.
It may serve to show us how to access our intuition and know when we're overdoing it or how best we should tackle our plans.
We may also feel more inspired to meditate, listen to music, paint, or just plain relax with the presence of that Pisces/Neptune vibe happening.
The Jupiter/Neptune opposition may also help us to strengthen our faith muscle so that we trust 'it' will all work out the way it's intended to. Consider this a blessing as it may quell some of the potential anxiety that is possible with Jupiter in Virgo.
So although there is some potential for a little crazy-making with this Jupiter/Neptune opposition (the Neptune/Mercury axis can get a bit fuzzy), it does have the potential to gently guide us toward inspired action that will serve the whole of humanity, bringing us into a healthier, more balanced relationship with our lives.
Other considerations
Mars and Venus will also be linking up in conjunction to amplify the theme of duality in terms of the masculine and feminine: giving and receiving, action and receptivity, etc. And we have a New Moon Solar Eclipse on the 13th that falls at 20/21 degrees Virgo as well as a lunar eclipse on the 27th. Eclipses often signify endings and usher us into completely new experiences and expressions of our potential.
In between these eclipses we have the Autumnal Equinox in North America - a great time to set intention for the upcoming season and another indicator of endings and beginnings.
I'm pretty curious about the solar eclipse as it will be exactly conjunct my natal Saturn. How will this manifest? Maybe the completion of my book about the Saturn Return? I'm aiming high with that one, but then again high aims, searching for truth, and publishing are all related to our upcoming transition of Saturn into the sign of Sagittarius on the 17th.
For all of you born between November 1985-February 1988 (the last time Saturn was in Sagittarius) you might start to feel a shift approaching as you begin your Saturn Return.
I'm so excited to share my insights with you about that so you can take them on your journey over the next 2.5 years!
On another very important note, the Sun is currently in the sign of Virgo and also represents the gardener and caretaker of animals.
With a dire drought and wildfires raging all over the west coast of the U.S., Mother Earth is shouting loudly to wake us up and take note of the chaotic imbalance and rift between human and nature.
How did all of this happen?! How did we forget that we are not separate entities from this Earth. We are nature: human nature!
We need to get it together and nurture the health of our ecosystem so it can thrive and support us.
The Earth is our home. We need to take care of it as if our lives depend on it because - holy crap, it does!
So as we welcome the end of summer and the transition into fall (in the Northern Hemisphere, springtime for all my Aussie gals), may we feel our feet firmly planted in the ground as we reach high for the stars.
Wishing you a beautiful weekend and an inspired September!