Almanac – September '10

“Never regret. If it’s good, it’s wonderful. If it’s bad, it’s experience.”

-Victoria Holt

Tips for almanac use: All the aspects can be felt in advance of the date of occurrence. It is good policy to view these as due dates for various energies and prepare accordingly for one’s context. Some slower interactions can be felt a month in advance, so it’s wise to read ahead and ritual up.

When we proactively manifest these symbols then the world doesn’t have to do it for us.

Ah, September. It’s definitely different: The pace may not be as brutal as August, but the tasks at hand are still extremely fundamental issues. The rate of change is not likely to slow, it’s just that the emphasis is shifting more towards the internal and private realms: There’s a digestive process at hand, but things have already been soaked in the juices and now need sorting into those that will be assimilated and those that will be released. This is not a consciously rational process; it has its own wisdom and we (the conscious narrators) need to get out of the way.

Mercury conjoins the Sun on the 3^rd, marking the peak of this Mercury retrograde/integration period. This is clearly a time for removing clutter, not adding to it; either material and/or self-identity stuff. And definitely don’t indulge in self-abuse fantasies regarding the past. Life was never meant to be perfect and neither were we.

Venus trines Neptune on the 4^th, offering a playful respite to all the processing going on these days. Relax and let go enough to have some fun and relish the good stuff. Let some inspiration in; just don’t go running off to fantasy land.

The New Moon in Virgo on the 8^th is offering a prime chance for renewal and replenishing. Hopefully the gardens of our psyches have been well weeded and now we can focus more on harvesting the goodness that remains. However, it’s still a very visually counter-intuitive time, when moving through minor-setbacks well represents success.

Venus moves into Scorpio, also on the 8^th, where she will be for quite awhile due to retrogradation, (until 11-7, then from 11-29 through January 7.) So it’s going to be a journey and will take us deep into our shadows: Ideally to bring acknowledgment to aspects of our primal natures that are often shunned. However, fear and reticence tend to stand in the way on the path to resolution. Passion for an open heart, inner peace and vigilant-heart-attentiveness are the keys to successful navigation of these our personal underworld.

Jupiter moves back into Pisces on the 8^th, plunging us back into the waters after super sauna season. He’ll be back in Aries by January 22nd of 2011. It’s hard to pin down how this will manifest because it will vary more dramatically than most astro-shifts. It will definitely give us a chance to understand our origins and our pasts far more deeply: the source of our questions even. However, weaving these lofty and internal dynamics with the functional and mundane is an eternal challenge. Supreme flexibility of spirit would be helpful.

Mars trines Neptune on the 9^th, stimulating either motivation or confusion, or both. Adjusting the goal-posts to mirror the constraints of reality makes achieving these goals far more attainable: This actually makes us freer to aim high.

Venus sextiles Pluto on the 12^th, prompting us to let go of nonessentials and focus on what we enjoy most deeply. We should always strive to work on bringing these things into form. Also, being in touch with our passion really reduces disheartenments and brings meaning to the drudgery of being.

Mercury goes direct, also on the 12^th, pushing us to integrate as many shifts as possible. Things have been restructuring themselves so intensely these days that we need to give ourselves space to process. This does not mean mentally going over the same stuff though; it means letting the frontal lobe rest and watching what pops up in its place.

Pluto goes direct on the 13^th, so the urge to purge is still demanding that we prune things down and clean out the recesses. This means not taking on other people’s problems, so that we can get nitty-gritty with out programming and hopefully remove the roots of the rot, so to speak.

Mars moves into Scorpio on the 14^th, increasing the need for enthusiasm and depth. If it’s not super real, there’s no point in getting into it. But if it’s the genuine throw-your-hands-in-the-air-in-affirmation, then there’s no real choice but to go for it. Figuring out what to do with ourselves won’t be simple, but we have to try.

Jupiter conjoins Uranus on the 18^th, opening the door to huge revelations and/or breakthroughs as long as we don’t get mired in confusion. The revelations will tend to come through surrender and embracing apparent paradoxes. It’s definitely a perfect day for getting away to the mountains or country, to take time for contemplation and flow.

Mars sextiles Pluto on the 18^th, pushing harder to get through it or get over it, whichever is appropriate. Don’t waste energy reacting to things outside of you; channel it into something productive.

The Sun opposes Jupiter and Uranus on the 21^st, urging us to get over ourselves and embrace all that we are concurrently. The past is out of reach so turn the gaze forward and trust that the future promises improvement. But seriously, definitely don’t berate yourself about former potential futures.

The Sun moves into Libra, marking the Fall Equinox, on the 22^nd. Calmness is the goal here. If we can maintain a balanced state regardless of circumstances, everything else becomes easier. We will surely be challenged to maintain our center, so work now to connect with that center of gravity.

The Full Moon is in Aries on the 23^rd, stimulating a resurgence of this summer’s tempest. We will start to see more results from our recent efforts, though they may not meet our hopes or expectations. We could get in touch with a greater determination to push through to the other side. Let’s get to work.

The Sun squares Pluto on the 25^th, asking us to forsake our fears and find our core selves. Keep in mind that this lesson gets tricky when it’s learned through and with others, so respect becomes an almost required stance.

The Sun conjoins Saturn on the 30^th. This will help solidify many developments from the last few months but it may also require some diplomacy and flexibility. I guess the trick would be to not take things too seriously, which generally requires loosening our attachments to outcomes.

Well, yeah. Whether we’ve been tending towards positive or more challenging results, we’re all tired at this point. Tired enough that some of these lessons will finally sink in, past our mental resistance strategies, and propel us into a deeper mind-heart connection. There’s also a lot going on about just connecting the mind to the sub-mind. I guess we have to make up a way to do both at once, especially since these windows of opportunity are fairly short lived and super promising in their difficulty. More simply put: sometimes when it’s scary, it’s because it’s good.