September 2020 – Reconnecting with Courage

September 2020 – Reconnecting with Courage https://www.theresemurphy.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/September-2020-–-Reconnecting-with-Courage.jpg 1920 1280 webmaster webmaster https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/781da33126feec6c433ada4f7a7d5d94?s=96&d=mm&r=g September 15, 2020 June 23, 2022

September is a full month of noteworthy Astrology activity. Key dates and events include: Mars retrograde 9/9 – 11/13; New Moon in Virgo on 9/17; and the Fall Equinox on 9/22, all of which I’ll discuss in this post.

As always, the insights and views expressed in this blog are my own interpretations and opinions – you’re welcome to consider or disregard them, along with any suggestions offered, as you see fit. Thank you for visiting!

Please note: I offer astrology chart readings in private, individual sessions only. Due to corona virus and social distancing, I’ve temporarily suspended my in-person readings and opened up additional hours for zoom, skype and phone readings*

Peace to you – Be well and safe during these challenging times!

Context: The archetypal symbols of astrology have been around for millenia and, basically, astrology is a language that helps us map and understand our connections with the energy of a living universe. Astrology allows us to track archetypal human experiences and knowable life cycles.

In other words, the planets are not in charge. They do not cause or compel us to do anything. The same divine intelligence that created us also created the planets in our solar system. Perhaps the best way to consider how astrology works is, when we look up into the sky at the planets, asteroids and key points in our solar system, it’s like looking into a giant cosmic mirror, reflecting our human experiences, energetic cycles, and evolution back to us. Astrologers have been observing the movements of the planets for many millenia and witnessing the correlations between planetary movements and human experiences. The planetary movements and our cycles of consciousness and growth are part of the SAME dance of life. So, if we’re experiencing something here on earth, either as individuals or as societies, trained astrologers look up into the cosmic mirror and see those same energetic themes expressing in the movements of the planets.

Mars retrograde cycles are noteworthy for several reasons. The planet Mars travels retrograde less frequently than the other planets, happening approximately once every 2 years and its retrograde cycle really stands out since Mars is the planet most directly associated with assertion, movement, desire and taking action. Again, it’s important to clarify, that planets only appear to move retrograde from the vantage point of earth. Typically, we can feel the effects of a retrograde cycle both ahead of, and subsequent to, its actual retrograde cycle; beforehand, the planet enters the zone of its retrograde path, and afterward, the planet needs time to exit the re-tread terrain of its retrograde path.

What does it mean when a planet goes retrograde?

Closed to Earth in its orbit
We experience its energies differently, often heightened yet less confident, internalized, or frustrated, slowed down
Remains in a sector of zodiac longer – where are these degrees in your chart?
Appeared to retrace its path
Only appears to be moving retrograde

Planet Mars correlates with our ongoing relationship with our courage and motivation and when moving retrograde, we experience a process of review in order to reconnect with those fundamental energies. The Mars retrograde cycle could help us to remember important goals we want to re-focus on. During this time, it could be useful to reflect on people, places, and projects we’d intended to prioritize in order to assess if we still want them and if we’re willing to take any action on those priorities. If yes, this might be the time to roll up our sleeves and address those priorities, perhaps for the first time. If no, this could be the time when we cut or eliminate those priorities. Mars helps us ask ourselves,“what do I want?” and “what actions will I take in order to get what I want?” as well as “what is worth fighting for and what isn’t?”

This cycle could also put us in touch with anger and we might need to consider how to deal with some strong feelings in a healthy way. Repressing anger or denying our desires is not likely to go well, yet we are also tasked to find ways of acknowledging them without harming ourselves or others. Impatience and frustration could also be heightened during this cycle so it could be important to find healthy ways of blowing off steam. Movement and exercise could be helpful to circulate energy and burn through strong feelings in order to get back on track, as long as we’re able to do that safely. When reflecting on goals and desires, it’s also important to realize that it could be powerful, valuable or even magical to START working on them, even if we can’t make up for lost time quickly. Beginning a process that honors who we really are and what we really want could be very empowering. Mars retrograde in Aries also asks us to consider where we’re willing to act bravely in pursuit of our individual goals, but it’s wise to be mindful, since Mars retrograde can also correlate with selfishness and forgetting that no ONE individual is more important than any other. Facing things squarely and directly could be easier now, as long as we remember who we really are and what we care about. If we lash out with harsh words, impatience, or intolerant attitudes we could cause unnecessary damage and alienate our loved ones or potential allies. Fortunately, diplomacy and tact are available through Mercury’s presence in Libra and will get a timely boost when the Sun also enters Libra on 9/22.

September 17, 2020 – 6am CT – Cazimi New Moon at 25 degrees Virgo is a powerful New Moon which occurs in a close, beneficial trine relationship with disciplined Saturn retrograde. Optimistic Jupiter and powerful, transformative Pluto are also traveling near to this trine at the time of the New Moon. These powerful planets in Earth signs are likely to indicate where we have made significant progress and how far we’ve come in our willingness to transform ourselves and our lives. The results of hard work and consistent efforts can be measured now and, in fact, events could occur around this day and time that illustrate real accomplishment. One of the rewards of our planning and efforts could very well be that, in some ways, we get to have a new life. We’ve been working hard to establish a strong foundation on which we can continue to grow and build our lives and that’s meaningful, so it’s important to give ourselves credit and acknowledge the progress we’ve made. It’s also important not to compare our progress to anyone else’s since WE know how far we’ve come, under trying circumstances, and each person has her/his/their own sets of challenges.

The good news is that this New Moon opens the pathway for continued progress, and is likely to correlate with a sense of feeling stronger as we continue on the path. This could also be the new moon cycle that reminds us of what my grandmother used to say, “The reward for a job well done is… more work!” And, even though our work might not be finished yet, this month is likely to help us recalibrate, adjust, and aim again for who we set out to be, and what we wanted to have, and do, in the first place, since this New Moon connects with motivated Mars retrograde in Aries in ways that are hard to ignore. There are more reminders that patience is required and could be tested at times, as Saturn’s square to Mars reflects the need to be realistic about the time and effort required to proceed; while Pluto’s square with both Mercury and Mars reminds that forcing and pushing our way through something is not likely to go well. In order to get through important tasks, we’ll likely need to plan, persevere and focus past distractions or bouts of lethargy (Mercury, Jupiter, Neptune) even as we might also need to take strategic breaks from our efforts and obsessive thinking about them.

This New Moon also squares the Moon’s nodes, so cooperating with others will likely require extra attention and communication. Some details ARE important and when information is shared openly, projects will proceed much more smoothly, with fewer misunderstandings. Jupiter’s relationship with Neptune could also help to offer more compassion and sensitivity in dealing with others as could the Moon’s afternoon shift into Libra’s more balanced and fair-minded terrain.

Image credit: www.timeanddate.com

Libra’s energy will figure more prominently when the Sun enters the sign of Libra at the Fall Equinox a few days later on Tuesday, September 22 at 8:31am CT and joins planet Mercury, already traveling though Libra. This equinox chart contains messages and themes that will continue to echo over the next 90 days. With this Libra equinox, we feel the pull to focus more on our relationships and what we want to experience with others. After a long year of varying degrees of social isolation, we consider how to bring our personal lives back into balance safely. Ordinarily, the exuberance and spontaneity of this year’s Equinox chart would correlate with increased travel, socializing, and playfulness, but during the ongoing Covid pandemic, the strong suggestion for this chart is to channel social needs into creativity as much as possible. Exploration of our talents could be a rewarding pivot away from exploration through travel. Venus, the ruler of Libra is also moving in heightened aspects with both Jupiter and Neptune, calling out in positive ways for optimism, self expression, and imagination yet, in negative ways, these energies could correlate with serious lapses in restraint and common sense as both the urge to escape and the pull to excess are strong. Serious Saturn could contribute some mature, sobering, reality checks on any unrealistic urges, so it could be useful to pay attention to any cautious nudges to wait, go slower, or to be more mindful or moderate. There’s still a noticeable emphasis on individuality and goals this Fall, so for people in relationships, this could be a period of time where the couple unites around some common goals that they’d lost sight of, or, where each person takes a healthy step towards detachment and stops trying to run their partner’s show.

How to learn more about the energies of Fall 2020 and what they mean for you specifically? Email to schedule your appointment for a private reading.

* By Phone, Skype or Zoom

90 Minute Astrology Reading, includes 2-3 hours of prep and requires accurate date, time and place of birth
60 Minute Intuitive Tarot Card Reading – Tarot Discounts available
Hours: Tues-Fri 1:30pm -7:30pm, Sat 1-4pm

Meanwhile, find regular scoops here: Daily Astrology for navigating one day at a time.

Virtual party services also available!

Additional Astro Info: As mentioned in previous blog posts and in greater detail in January 2020 Astrology Talk “we are all still reverberating from January’s PROFOUND Saturn-Pluto conjunction in restrictive Capricorn which correlates with FOUNDATIONAL CHANGE and endings IN THE MAJOR STRUCTURES and institutions and systems of our lives, our societies, governments, workplace, health care, etc – think of just about any major construct in the life of an individual, a neighborhood, or a society and they’ve all been under massive stress and pressure to evolve.” Saturn and Pluto continue to travel fairly closely together in the sky this Fall, along with magnifier Jupiter.

There is so much that can be said about these energies, which represent a turbo-charged call for us to align with the power of our intentions, integrity, and our sense of deep purpose, in challenging, demanding and invigorating ways. THE GOOD NEWS: is much old energy is available to be healed and transformed as we complete these cycles in preparation for new systems and energies that are coming in the weeks and months ahead as Jupiter and Saturn move from traditional Capricorn to innovative, future-oriented Aquarius at the end of the year! Pluto will move into Aquarius in March 2023, shortly after the spring equinox, so we will likely be involved in massive shifts for some time to come.

When is the next Astrology Talk? TBD, please stay tuned. I’m in process of creating the next talk which I plan to offer LIVE ON-LINE!

In these talks, we look at the amazing and powerful planetary energies expressing and the major themes of the Now and how these energies and themes relate to YOU so you can connect to CO-CREATE THE LIFE YOU WANT.

Attendees also receive hand-outs with astro-aligned homework questions for their SOUL!

Free Video discussion of 2020’s major energies: January 2020 Astrology Talk