August 29, 2020 by Starr Sites

Retrogrades

The Dance of the Retrogrades continues for one more month of 6 then 5 retrograde planets. Each month through the coming Fall and Winter, the number of retrograde planets will lessen progressively, until March and April of 2021 when ALL planets will be moving direct, sparking forward progress. 

Mars starts the month direct but retrogrades on September 9th, signaling rising frustration, slowing momentum, increased bickering, lowered sex drive, diminished ambition, and unproductive conflict. He joins the outer planets now retrograde – Pluto, Neptune, Uranus, Saturn.

Jupiter starts the month retrograde but stations direct on September 13th, marking a sort of criss-crossroads of changing directions, although Mars remains firmly ensconced in Aries, which he rules, and Jupiter is part of the current triumvirate stellium-of-power in Capricorn. The last time Jupiter was retrograde and then turned direct when it was in stern Capricorn occurred in 2008, one week before the stock market crash!

Will our currently bloated stock market follow suit, now gorged on millions of newly printed dollars, without any REAL supporting economic fundamentals? How can we sustain our economy when at least 1/3 of our workforce no longer has a place to work or a way to get paid? We are all pretty much at the mercy of the politically-convoluted COVID mess exacerbated by Trump ignoring the pandemic and refusing to apply any effort at all toward its prevention for months, while encouraging no distancing nor masks. (Note how close the 1500 attendees sat listening to Trump’s RNC acceptance speech while the deadly virus runs rampant through our communities….) Now we can watch COVID spread throughout our nation’s capital, thanks to our Chief’s super-spreader convention reception on the White House Lawn (which was illegal, by the way).

So much retrogradation over the last several months has focused our thoughts inward as time spent relatively alone during this pandemic has impacted us deeply. Continue to review the past and plan for the future, but do not move forward yet. There is too much confusion, ambiguity and uncertainty without solid grounding beneath our feet! (this is an earthquake warning…)

Full Moon in Pisces

On September 2nd a focused 10-degree Virgo Sun opposes a sensitive Pisces Full Moon in a very tense chart. Homemaker Venus-in-Cancer stands in conflict and opposes the powerful Capricorn stellium (corporate patriarchy). Venus is also squared by boisterous Mars-in-Aries, and she’s harshly-aspected by both Moon and Sun too (ouch!) Meanwhile, the Sun wields Thor’s Hammer between Mars square Saturn, and there’s another difficult Thor’s Hammer from Uranus to Mercury square the South Node as well – mighty forces for clarity, breakdown, smash and crash! So tread lightly amid harsh forces activated by this early September Full Moon!

This affliction of Venus may represent the thousands of families who will face eviction over the coming months, with corresponding increases in homelessness, hunger, and roving RV caravans and camps, reminiscent of the ’30’s. Food banks will struggle to serve the masses. Women will continue to be at the forefront of the fight for choice, gender equality, affordable housing, and fair elections. It’s a time for women to step up and be counted.

While favorably aspecting this lunation, Uranus activates Mercury square the Nodes of Destiny, bringing an urgent karmic message to humanity from Mother Earth, shaking things up in surprising and disturbing ways. Be cautious about making decisions or promises with the world in so much turmoil and transition. Hold off on important decisions.

Mercury also opposes Neptune indicating that TRUTH is being sacrificed on the altar of partisanship amid swirling confusion and delusion. By systematically crippling the Post Office before an election, mail-in voting is being de-legitimized. Deception and fraud are undercutting the democratic process, so that dishonesty and guile misleads the gullible, and the citizenry teeters on the brink of authoritarianism, engineered by the Supreme Commander’s 20,000 lies. Re-righting this lilting ship-of-fools that Amerika has become, with its feckless Congress and a Justice Department that does the President’s bidding, Americans face an uphill battle. The “will of the people” is being subjugated by the “whims of the Executive.” And the earth may need to warn us that she too is in trouble and needs more love!

Mars/Jupiter

As Mars turns retrograde (less zeal) on September 9th, the Sun opposes Neptune (dishonesty and illusion), Mercury opposes Chiron (confusion), and Venus in Leo trines Chiron (a quest for “truth”).

The good news is that Jupiter turns direct on the 13th while sextiling Neptune so “hope springs eternal”.  But there is little to suggest optimism as Uranus in earthy Taurus remains heavily afflicted, suggesting that unexpected upheavals warn us of a grave potential for disaster.

New Moon in Virgo

The New Moon in Virgo on September 17th indicates plenty of worry. We are facing an unknown future, ripe with scarcity and wild weather.

How can we work if our kids can’t go to school? How do we provide for our loved ones while unemployed?  What if our medical and financial challenges cannot be resolved? What if we can’t find safe haven in this newly emerging world? These are just a few of Virgo’s many worries.

While Sun/Moon favors Saturn and Pluto in Capricorn, the New Moon and Sun at 25 degrees Virgo square the Nodes, semi-square Venus and sesqui-square Uranus while opposing Neptune (all square formations are challenging), so it’s unlikely that difficulties will clear up any time soon, especially with retrograde Mars still blocked by square to sluggish Saturn. So, while the rich are logistically safe, survival fears are overwhelming for the general populace and the poor.

Have compassion for one another!

Fall Equinox

By September 22nd the Libra Equinox brings some improvement in overall conditions due to the Equinox Moon’s trine to Chiron, the wounded healer. The Washington DC Equinox chart sports a proud Leo Midheaven Grand Trine, boosting national confidence, despite pervasive uncertainty. Mercury in Libra is indecisive, unsure of the right position to take while being hassled by Mars in Aries, now retrograde but still pushy and full of himself. The Nodes also form an out-of-this-world Mystic Rectangle with Mercury and Mars in opposite corners, which unfortunately amplifies arguments.

Mystic Rectangles are about breaking through on quantum levels to raise consciousness, so those on a spiritual path will continue to experience progress and higher frequencies through contemplation and meditative practices, despite the daily chaos of living within a pandemic.

However, Neptune remains T-squared by the Nodes (deception is rife) while quincunxes abound, making decisions uncomfortable, especially for Venus-in-Leo sitting at the peak of a Yod (formed by 2 quincunxes and a sextile), requiring continual re-adjustments while trying to stay on-top-of-it-all. Life is awkward and schedules are unreliable, yet frequencies are raised and breakthroughs in consciousness are attainable now. So Do Not Despair! Better days will come again!