September 2011: Question What You Hear

September is a month where there are two very strong themes:

• Information is only partially revealed or distorted so it’s best that you question everything you hear, and
• More of the cardinal T-square energy indicates erratic patterns that affect both your finances and communications, perhaps even the weather patterns.

Throughout the entire month of September and into the beginning of October, every time a planet changes signs it makes an aspect to Neptune retrograde before it leaves the sign and an aspect to Chiron retrograde as it enters the new sign. So, even thought Neptune retrograde is in the sign of Aquarius and Chiron retrograde is in the sign of Pisces, you’ll experience these two planets as if they are in a tight conjunction.

What it means is this. On a mundane level, Neptune represents secrets and information only partially revealed, if not distorted. Chiron represents ideas and concepts which could bring harm if not implemented with regard to and compassion for others. Together these two energies indicate that on those days when the aspects are made to Neptune retrograde and Chiron retrograde, you’ll need to be very careful about any information you receive because not all is as it seems.

On September 14th and at least until October 6th, the cardinal T-square is once again activated, this time by Venus, Mercury, and the fall (in the northern hemisphere) equinox. Financial markets will be erratic, communication disrupted, and attempts are moving forward confusing. Even the weather patterns will be erratic on the days that the T-square is activated.

The month starts with Mercury forming an opposition to Neptune retrograde on September 8, 2011. This is a day where you need to be very careful with any information you receive. People aren’t being honest with you. Either they are withholding information or deceiving you outright. You may also feel mentally fatigued about situations in your life. It’s best not to push yourself too hard.

Mercury enters its own sign of Virgo on September 9, 2011. In this sign, Mercury feels comfortable because it means that you can focus on communications, facts, and other information. You have an understanding of what is important for you. You are also willing to do what it takes to communicate your needs to other people.

Since the tenth anniversary of September 11th is coming up, you may feel the emotions that surrounded the attack on the Twin Towers in New York and the Pentagon in Washington, DC, as well as the downing of the aircraft in Pennsylvania. Perhaps you will be able to express your grief over the events past. Or, perhaps you may feel that the world hasn’t really improved. While it’s important to remember past events, even painful ones, it’s also important not to get sucked into negative emotions. Reach out to your friends. Spend time with them to honor the past and build hope for the future.

On September 10th, Mars forms a trine to Ceres retrograde while Mercury forms an opposition to Chiron retrograde and Venus forms an opposition to Ceres retrograde.

Ceres represents several things in life. It represents the earth and the need to understand how important the environment is to all of you. It represents your role as a nurturing individual who is willing to fight when caring for others. Most of all, Ceres represents the understanding that sometimes compromise is the best answer to taking care of others and your environment.

Chiron represents the need to heal from wounds, both self- and other-inflicted. It represents the importance of being sympathetic in situations where other people need understanding. It also represents a drive to succeed even when obstacles present themselves in your life.

With Mars forming the trine to Ceres retrograde in mid-day, Eastern Daylight Time, and Mercury forming an opposition to Chiron retrograde just a few minutes later, you may not know whether you need to compromise your position in order to prevent inflicting harm on others. It’s an emotional situation, one made more difficult because neither Mars nor Mercury deal with emotions very well.

When Venus forms the opposition to Ceres approximately four hours later, early in the evening, Eastern Daylight Time, you may feel more frustrated because people aren’t willing to compromise. They want to fight for their interests. If that’s the case, you’re better off keeping your opinions to yourself and not get involved with their arguments. If you do, you’ll both lose.

On September 11th, Mercury forms a quincunx to Uranus retrograde indicating that your thoughts are scattered. It’s not easy to concentrate. On one hand, information is coming at you too quickly. On the other hand, some of the information doesn’t make any sense. Again, you’re better off not getting into any arguments or philosophical discussions. Other people won’t be willing to listen to what you have to say.

Mercury forms a trine to Pluto retrograde a few hours before the full Moon occurs on September 12th. This is a good thing. Your ability to focus improves. People are willing to communicate in a way that you understand them. It’s actually a good thing that the full Moon occurs the day after the tenth anniversary of September 11th. The Sun is in Virgo and the Moon is in Pisces. On a spiritual level this is a healing aspect. Emotionally, with the Moon in Pisces, you may feel more compassion for circumstances surrounding you. With the Sun in Virgo, you may be able to express your feelings, especially to those individuals closest to you. This is a good time to ask the question: How do you move forward? You may find the answer by understanding the past. But you will also find the answer by seeking hope in the future.

When Venus forms a quincunx to Neptune retrograde on September 14th, you’ll find that you question some of your spiritual goals. You may need to make adjustments in how you approach people in your life. Or, you may need to determine how to be more practical in your approach to routine matters in your life. Be very cautious with money today because matters dealing with finances are obscured making it more difficult to assess the situation accurately.

When Mercury forms a trine to Jupiter retrograde later in the day, you may feel more optimistic about circumstances in your life. There is a tendency, when Mercury forms a trine to Jupiter retrograde to feel so optimistic about situations that you are willing to take unnecessary risks. So, be careful when you’re out and about. Make certain that you pay attention to your surroundings.

Before the day ends, Venus enters the sign of Libra. Although it’s in its own sign, it does start creating a cardinal T-square between Uranus retrograde in Aries, Pluto retrograde in Capricorn, and Saturn in Libra. All through this year the energy has been one of a cardinal nature: the energy of initiation. This energy also represents change and crisis. Change is not necessarily a bad thing. At times change is necessary. But what the cardinal energy can also represent in its negative manifestation is the desire to create a crisis where none really exists. That’s already been seen in both the United States and other countries as well. Politicians have drawn “lines in the sand,” and are unwilling to compromise. The media seems to use fear as an underlying theme in their broadcasts.

Venus in Libra, its own sign, indicates that it’s important to try and relate to other people; to find a common ground. Negotiations are important. However, more important is finding a solution that can help everyone involved, not hurt a specific segment of the population.

Before Venus starts the cardinal energy with its first aspect to Uranus retrograde, it forms a quincunx to Chiron retrograde on September 16th. This is a time when you need to look at various aspects of your life and see if you are holding grudges. If you are, now is the time to release them. If you’re self-employed or in a leadership position with a company, you need to re-evaluate your business strategies to determine if you’re moving in the right direction. If you’re an employee, this is the time to re-evaluate if you’re on the right career track.

September 17th could be a very intense day. Mars forms a quincunx to Neptune. Venus forms an opposition to Uranus. And, Pluto turns direct. With all this intensity, weather patterns could be very erratic. Emotions could be very high. Your energy could bounce between exhaustion and agitation. This is a day where you need to be very careful with any decisions you make. If possible, try to take the time to meditate and focus on your spiritual growth.

You may feel that you still need to re-evaluate your career or business goals as Mars forms a quincunx to Neptune. You need to determine how to combine your business goals with your spiritual needs. At this point, you may not come up with any determination. Things may seem a bit confused. But, that’s all right. Sometimes confusion can be a positive state of mind because it slows you down enough for you to reconsider certain decisions.

With Venus forming an opposition to Uranus, the cardinal T-square initiated by Venus formally begins. This energy will last until September 29th when Venus finally forms a conjunction to Saturn.

Throughout this year the cardinal T-square and cardinal grand cross have been very important. Many times you’ve read about this year being the period of initiation. With Venus leading this period of initiation, it becomes very important to focus on relationships in your life. You may feel separated from other people. You may feel alone in whatever conflicts you need to resolve in your life. But you don’t have to be. Instead, you may find people from your past coming back into your life. You may find opportunities to resolve matters from the past.

Just be very careful with your finances on this day. You may have some unexpected financial problems that need to be resolved.

Pluto turning direct on this day will actually help you get in touch with your personal power. You’ll be more willing to take action. While you may not yet act your decisions, some concepts will finally emerge that can help you solve problems.

On September 18th, Venus forms a square to Pluto which is the second step in the cardinal T-square led by Venus. Since relationships are very important right now you need to ask yourself: How do you find your personal power in a world where you feel other people have the upper hand? How do you take steps to assure that you’re safe, especially in the financial arena? It’s important that you tune into your sense of personal power and don’t let other people take advantage of you or any fears that you have.

Less than an hour after Venus forms a square to Pluto, Mars leaves the sign of Cancer where it just sputtered and enters the fiery sign of Leo where it can shine. Your energy will increase. You’ll feel like you can do more in life. You won’t feel as tired.

On September 21st, Mercury forms an opposition to Ceres retrograde and Mars forms a quincunx to Chiron retrograde. This can be a confusing day. First, with Mercury forming the opposition to Ceres retrograde you want to stand up for your rights. You want other people to be responsible for their actions. But, with Mars forming the quincunx to Chiron retrograde, you may not communicate your thoughts too well. Either you take what people say personally or they take what you say personally and hurt feelings could occur. Any arguments you get into with other people won’t be resolved. Often Mars in Leo indicates that you may feel generous in spirit. Let that generosity come forth at this time. While you won’t solve problems with other people, you can solve your own personal situations and feel better.

The same is true for September 22nd when Venus forms a quincunx to Jupiter retrograde. Again, you may feel the need to stand up for your rights. You may even be justified in your opinion. But it may not be worth the arguments right now.

Do be very cautious with financial matters today because there’s a tendency to spend extravagantly. It’s very important to consider the long-term costs of any purchases you make. They won’t be worth the price.

When the Sun enters Libra on September 23rd, one-half of the astrological year has ended. As with all the other cardinal ingresses this year, this ingress emphasizes the cardinal energy for the year. The Sun in Libra will form a cardinal T-square first by opposing Uranus retrograde, next by squaring Pluto, and finally by forming a conjunction to Saturn.

When the Sun enters Libra, the fall (or vernal equinox) in the western hemisphere, this is an important to time understand the various symbols which are represented. Throughout the year, the cardinal energy indicated the need for spiritual initiation. This meant bringing the soul into the world of consciousness by understanding the importance of the individual. At the same time, it was also important to understand personal power and how to apply it to growth. Finally, it was important to understand relationships in your life so that you could move forward with changes without feeling that you were doing all this alone. (This was shown by Uranus in Aries, Pluto in Capricorn, and Saturn in Libra.)

However, the cardinal energy also represents the need to create a crisis when the ego is involved and not concerned about other people. Rather than it being an initiate, it becomes a conflict. With Uranus in Aries, this indicates that people only care about their beliefs. With Pluto in Capricorn, this indicates that people are willing to wage power struggles to the point that they don’t care about hurting others. With Saturn in Libra this indicates that relationships only matter when they are seen as a means of getting what they want, even at the cost of hurting other people. There is a choice now as to the direction that you want to take. Do you want to be one of the initiates who bring spirit into the world? Do you want to be one of the disrupters who believe that creating crisis and fear is the only way to assure your agenda works?

With the other ingress charts set up for the United States, Libra is on the Ascendant. With this ingress chart set up for the United States, Virgo is on the Ascendant. This means that you can learn how to release your fears when working with others. Virgo is an interesting sign. It is the twelfth sign from Libra, indicating that subconscious fears can prevent you from forming healthy and good relationships. It means that you can become very picky about situations and find fault in everything that matters. However, the possible nature of Virgo as the twelfth sign from Libra is that you can find hope in the willingness of people to take care of situations. Virgo is the lesson of simplification. When approaching relationships without expectations, you simplify the relationship. You see who the person really is and you either accept the person or decide the person isn’t someone you want in your life. The same is true for crises created by others. You can view their creation through the eyes of simplicity and determine whether or not that is valid in your life. You don’t need to be sucked into their drama.

So, the lesson for this ingress is to view things from a simple manner, without incriminations, and determine whether other individuals are creating a crisis for you because of their ego, or whether they are stating facts that can further healthy relationships.

With Mars forming a trine to Uranus later in the day, you’ll be able to really gain an understanding of the importance of this equinox and how to use the energy to bring more positive light into the world.

You will need to adjust some of your thinking on September 24th when Mercury forms a quincunx to Neptune retrograde. This will be a day where you consider how to implement your spiritual needs into practical solutions. At the same time, be careful of any negotiations. You won’t get all the facts that you need. Instead, some important information may be withheld from you. Since your feelings are elevated, pay attention to them. You’ll have a good sense of what is right and what is wrong about the information you’re receiving.

When Mercury enters the sign of Libra on September 25th, another cardinal T-square begins. This time, Mercury is the lead planet. With Mercury in Libra there will be discussions about the importance of relationships in your life. Some of these discussions could get heated. But, as always with the cardinal energy, you have choices. Do you want to become an agent for initiation and change? Or, do you want to become an agent for chaos? If your ego is involved, all you may do is communicate angry words that prevent you from bringing in spiritual light and love. However, if you care for the good of the world, especially people in your life, you can use your ability to communicate in a manner that brings forth dialogues and solutions.

On September 26th, Mercury forms a quincunx to Chiron retrograde while Mars forms a quincunx to Pluto. This is a day to re-evaluate your concepts. Other people may actually bring up ideas which challenge your preconceived notions. Arguments won’t solve anything. It’s better to just listen. Perhaps their points of view have some validity. You don’t need to make a decision right now. Just listen and hear what’s being said.

Mercury officially begins its cardinal T-square on September 27th when it forms an opposition to Uranus. This cardinal T-square energy will last until October 6th when Mercury forms a conjunction to Saturn.

As already written, Mercury represents communication, thoughts, and ideas. This is a day when new ideas will be presented. At the same time, you may feel frustrated and angry because these concepts don’t necessarily support your belief system. While you may want to express your ego, you don’t need to do it at the expense of other people. Just try to listen and decide later whether these ideas have any value for you.

Even though the new Moon occurs a few hours after Mercury forms the opposition to Uranus retrograde, the energy of that opposition is important at this time because the Sun and Moon in Libra form a conjunction to Mercury and an opposition to Uranus retrograde.

New Moon time periods are those where you come up with new ideas and concepts. You don’t want to censor these ideas at this time. If you’re not ready to accept them, at least listen to them. Let them go into your subconscious mind where you can meditate on them. Perhaps your ideas are bringing up some fears. By meditating and reflecting, you’ll know if this is the case. On the other hand, those ideas may be unrealistic. By meditating and reflecting on them, you’ll understand why they are unrealistic and need to be rejected. Just don’t jump to any immediate conclusions.

This new Moon is also forming a square to Pluto. You may feel that other people are trying to manipulate you into making decisions. Again, meditation and reflection will help you see if that’s the case.

On September 28th, the day following the new Moon, Mercury forms a square to Pluto continuing the energy of the cardinal T-square. There could be a power struggle, much as the one that you experienced the day before with the new Moon. Again, people may try to manipulate you into taking their side. Or, you may feel so adamant about your position that you forget to take other people’s viewpoint into consideration. This is a good way to lose some friends. If you find that you can’t get your point across, back off. It’s not worth the argument.

The cardinal T-square created by Venus comes to a close on September 29th when it forms a conjunction to Saturn. This can actually be a good aspect. By understanding your needs, you are able to build a good foundation in your life. By cultivating what you have, you will be able to develop something special. This is especially true with relationships in your life.

Initially you may feel that you have to go through situations on your own. However, that’s not true. You can rely on other people in your life. You just need to reach out to them and let them know you need their help.

As the month ends, Mercury forms a quincunx to Jupiter retrograde on September 30th. This is an interesting aspect. If you reached out to people in your life yesterday, you’ll experience excitement because you’ve established better relationships. However, if you tried to do everything on your own, you’ll feel overwhelmed by circumstances in your life. You really don’t need to do everything alone. You really can focus on relationships and find value in them.

The most important lesson to take from the energies of the month of September is that if you stay centered you won’t be affected by any information that is distorted. Instead, you’ll find that by relying on your own sense of well being, you’ll be able to discern the truth behind the words.