The Astrology of September
This month's astrology brings a nice change of pace and I'm not mad about it.
Mercury will be retrograde in Libra from the 9th - 23rd. Decision making may be painfully slow as we consider all our options. A time of review and revision, we reflect on old patterns of relating to others and how we can deepen our connections to self and others. When Mercury enters Virgo on the 23rd (still Rx until 10/2) it will be time to reconsider how we honor and nurture our bodies.
The Full Moon in Pisces conjunct Neptune reminds us that there is more than our physical body to consider. Our emotional and spiritual wellness also requires our attention. In what ways are we neglecting our physical, emotional, and spiritual health? What no longer serves and can be released? We are invited to find harmony between body, mind, and spirit.
Ceres, the archetype of Mother Nature and the higher octave of the Moon speaks to our need to nurture self and others while deepening our connection to Planet Earth. Ceres will enter Virgo at the end of the month, and asks us - how do we feed ourselves? With food shortages and scarcity/security issues we are faced with the question of how to better feed our families while trying to survive capitalism. From a metaphysical perspective, we are asked to review how we feed ourselves spiritually. Mother Earth continues her urgent cry for help regarding climate change. What can we do individually to nurture our planet and ensure health and wellness for the seven generations to come?
This month calls us to contemplate the Virgo/Pisces axis. The place where heaven and earth meet. How do we ground our spirituality? How do we balance our sometimes-secret inner softness with how we show up in the tangible outer world? Are our boundaries too rigid, or too porous?
Later this month the Sun and Venus enters Libra, and we will have a New Moon in Libra. The Libra/Aries axis deals with the nature of self, its projection out into the world and the resulting necessary refinement and compromise. Our relationships come to the forefront and are up for re-negotiation. Relationships serve as a mirror and what is harmed by relationship can be healed by relationship. We do not heal in isolation. We must also understand that unresolved trauma is the filter through which we see the world and all our relationships. As Emily Dickinson wrote: “The best way out is through.” We are called to become aware of where in our bodies we experience emotion.
The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma tells us that “In order to change, people need to become aware of their sensations and the way that their bodies interact with the world around them. Physical self-awareness is the first step in releasing the tyranny of the past.”
Neuroscience research shows that the only way we can change the way we feel is by becoming aware of our inner experience and learning to befriend what is going inside ourselves.
