Autum Equinox

The Autumnal Equinox is this Friday September 23rd… marking the half-way point between the Summer and Winter solstices. We are at the end of summer and autumn is about to begin. How did it all go by so fast? 

At the Equinox, day and night are (generally) equal… it shifts a bit either way, depending on how far you are from the equator (equi - equal  nox - night).


It is a time of letting go... and finding balance.

Recently we moved from the expansive playful energy of Leo into the more serious and focused sign of Virgo. Virgo’s ruler, Mercury, went  from Retrograde to direct. I don't know about you but it took me a while to shake off the dreamy influence of Neptune, which was opposite Mercury for a while, adding to the retrograde feel.   


By now though, most of us are starting to focus forward… with a lot of help from the stellium (large group) of planets in Virgo, renewing critical function and attention to detail for the return to jobs, school, college etc.

Mars (action) has moved out of emotional Cancer into fiery,passionate Leo, and very soon many other planets will be together in Libra, putting the emphasis on relationships and partnerships.

Meanwhile, tomorrow’s Equinox marks the Sun’s movement into the Cardinal sign of Libra. The Cardinal signs begin each season… with the Aries point marking the beginning of the zodiac, as well as of Spring… (and so on).  Libra, marking the beginning of Autumn (or Fall). is ruled by Venus… the planet of love and beauty.

At this current time of year, everything begins to slow down and prepare for winter's long sleep. The sap in trees starts to thicken, squirrels are collecting their winter stash, birds are either heading south or preparing for the coming cold.

Yet nature is not quite ready to crawl into hibernation.

Under Libra’s radiant presence, before the leaves die and fall from the trees they explode in one last vibrant display of colour and beauty. This is natures last out-breath before the in-breath of winter (well at least in the northern hemisphere where I live) Here, the air is getting crisp and the bright colours of changing leaves dance and twirl as they head to earth.

At these key turning points of the year, we are reminded of the circular nature of life…

…To everything there is a season…

 The symbol for Libra is a set of scales… a perfect symbol for this mid-point in the seasonal cycle. At this moment of transition, it is the time to take stock and realign your intentions before the end of the year. There is an instinct now to STOP, just for a moment:

Stop… Think… Observe… Proceed.

Breathe in.  Breath out.

The Sun will soon be in close contact with some pretty heavy hitting aspects …  next week’s New Moon in Libra will again set off the pressure and tension of the Cardinal T-square… which has been linked to so many profound upheavals and changes going on around us…   (more on that in next post)

I don’t know about you but time seems to be accelerating faster and faster everyday (Uranus) and the process of change deepens and intensifies (Pluto).
In this super charged atmosphere it feels good for a moment to stop and take a breath.

In the upcoming emphasis on Libra… and relating to others....I believe we are being asked to find out what love really is. 

The new age is about Universal Love (Age of Aquarius). Saturn is asking us to sort ourselves out and know the difference... between self and other.  Know the difference between Big L LOVE and little l love. We can’t fully love or commit to  others if we don’t love ourself. And we can’t love ourselves if we don’t know who we are.

We are having to become highly adaptable and fluid in these changing times, as everything goes through a major cleansing cycle in the great dishwasher of life/fate/love.  It’s time to learn to move with more grace and consciousnesses than ever before.

And that will take trust… even when we don’t know what is around the next bend.  Choices may be involved... and letting go of expectations.

(intentions are not the same as expectations)

So on this Equinox moment… take a deep breath, and align yourself with your deepest being.  If you feel you are at a turning point, a fork in the road… trust in your ability to follow your heart.

The Road Not Taken 
by Robert Frost


Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;


Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim,

Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.


Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:


Two roads diverged in a wood,
and I- 
I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.



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