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September opens straightforwardly with Venus in Libra and Mercury in Virgo. Each planet is in the sign it naturally rules, in other words. And that symmetry can be a bit bland, like a beige rug in a beige room. But then things get a lot more interesting. On the 9th, Mercury crosses into Libra where it resides for the bulk of the month, until finally entering Scorpio on the 29th. Two days after Mercury slips into Libra, Venus leaves it, crossing the border into the classic sign of its “detriment,” Scorpio, where it remains until the end of the first week of October.
It is this period from September 11th onward, with Venus in Scorpio and Mercury in Libra, that I'm interested in. Harnessed in an evolutionary way, this planetary combination can trigger conscious deepening, support both truth-telling and truth-hearing, and foster the resolution of tough, longstanding intimate conflicts. Experienced unconsciously, it can read like the script of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolf. People can tear each other apart in the name of love, in other words.
MERCURY
“When the pickpocket meets the saint, he sees pockets.”
Orbital Period: 88 days
Synodic Period: Approximately 116 days (115.87754 days)
Archetypes: Teacher; Student. Writer; Reader. Storyteller.
Rules: Gemini and Virgo
Core Concept: The reception and transmission of data between a person and the surrounding social, physical, metaphysical, and psychic environments.
Developmental Focus: Evolving perception. Evolving thought. Evolving speech.
Positive Subjective Response: Curiosity, wonder, open-mindedness. Alertness. Comfortable self-expression; good listening.
Negative Subjective Response: Mental rigidity, intellectual defensiveness; compulsive speech, running around in circles.
Existential Emphasis Under Transits, Progressions, or Arcs: New information; omens and synchronicities; key conversations; speedy, chaotic developments; education in any sense; physical motion. Contact with young people or siblings.
Want to Learn More? Read Steven’s article The Out of Bounds Moon. Learn how to calculate the out of bounds moon using Solar Fire and Winstar. Learn more about the Out of Bounds moon and lunar phases with the following programs: Preview of Full Workshop: The Moon Out of Bounds Buy Now
Well, we’re still smack in the middle of the Uranus-Pluto square, as evidenced by any handful of news headlines you can find on a daily basis. As I write this, judge Col. Denise Lind just issued a verdict on the Bradley Manning case. The Manning case is likely to be remembered historically as one of the hallmarks of this transit, and the verdict could have a profound impact on our culture. Whether you believe Manning’s actions were right or wrong, the case calls into questions our current legal system, and glaring issues around accountability for wrongdoing within our armed forces and systems of government.
As a true representative of the Uranian archetype, whistleblower group Wikileaks is seen as a threat by the status quo. They are criticized for “going too far.” Their actions are seen as “offensive and operating outside the law.” And maybe that’s true. But in the eyes of those blowing the whistles, the means taken to reveal truth are necessary to shed light on wrongdoing. These are extreme archetypes at play, so whatever stories unfold on the world stage right now, they’re sure to be dramatic.
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I use the mean nodes when calculating the lunar nodes. I’ve found them more accurate in my practice. The names mean and true are slighly misleading. For a deeper understanding of how the calculations are made, read my article on the Mean Nodes vs. the True Nodes.
