September 1-3

Labor Day weekend looks terrible. Two bad aspects line up, exact on Sunday night and Monday afternoon. Mercury square Pluto brings uncompromising and sometimes obsessive thinking and decision making. Mars square Uranus pairs the energy of speed with sudden change. It’s a high energy, provocative aspect that brings out the reckless side of folks. So please be very careful in your weekend endeavors. If you aren’t fit to drive, stay the hell off the road. And if you are, be careful anyway.

September 4-10

Mercury moves from detail oriented Virgo to partnership-oriented Libra on Wednesday, bringing relationships and agreements to the front burner for the next three weeks. The big event of the week is Venus retrograde ending. The relationship and values vibe has been moving backward since late July. As the retrograde ends and she begins moving forward again, we can work out sticky relationship issues and money issues and move forward more easily.

The weekend is interesting. Friday and Saturday’s skies feature Mars trine Neptune, a pairing of high energy, action and initiative (Mars) with intuitive insight and magic (Neptune) in air signs. Air signs are mental social in nature. Ideas will be flowing, and connections will be made this weekend. It’s good energy for throwing a party, being around water, creative or artistic endeavors, music, and quiet contemplation.

Sunday, the Sun opposes jumpy Uranus, planet of instability, surprises and sudden flashes of truth. We’re all a little overstimulated and sensitive, and feeling extra rebellious and sometimes irrational under this aspect. Accidents are more likely. Don’t force an issue or make a rash decision. It’s the dark of the Moon and time to wind down, clear the decks, calm your nerves, and prepare for a new cycle, that begins with the Solar Eclipse on Tuesday morning.

September 11-15

Tuesday morning, a Solar Eclipse in Virgo. During eclipse times (which come every six months), there’s a feeling of heightened awareness and clarity in the air even if there is chaos all around us. Make decisions with great care and mindfulness, because your actions have greater than usual significance during this time. Virgo is a humble but powerful sign, dealing with issues of service, employment, co-workers, and routine. We can take advantage of this energy by setting intentions for the future— not only where we want to go, but what we are going to do to get there. How we are going to arrange our day-to-day lives to reflect our desires and priorities. Virgo is a sign of actions, not words. And this Eclipse asks us to walk our talk.

Wednesday the 12th is the best day of the week for top priority travel, business, and important meetings and messages. Mercury in the sign of partnership and agreement sextiles Jupiter in optimistic and broad-minded Sagittarius. Thursday is nice too, as the Moon repeats the theme by touching Mercury and Jupiter in the morning. Thursday, Friday and Saturday are easygoing and also good for getting things done.

September 16-21

A gnarly mutable T-square appears between the Sun in Virgo, Mars in Gemini, and Pluto in Sag. A T-square activates all three planets, and when mutable planets activate, the energy is wiggly. People are neurotic, and conditions are less predictable. The little details get in the way and mess things up. With Mars involved, folks are more irritable and in a hurry. With Pluto involved, the energy is intense. This is a gnarly t-square, helped only by favorable aspects from Mercury to Venus and Neptune on Monday and Tuesday. Communication is essential to bridge the gap. Say your piece, and make sure to listen to what’s going on around you.

Wednesday is touchy as the Moon sets off the T then goes void of course for the afternoon. By Thursday, the T-square is more or less over (phew). But we’re not out of the woods yet. Venus opposes Neptune— money and love oppose confusion and mixed signals— until late afternoon on Friday. This brings the idea of fluidity and flow into our relationships and financial dealings. But we also tend to be idealistic and not entirely grounded. It’s a good time to be creative and ponder your place in the grand scheme of things, but wait until later to take action. It’s a good night for feasting, so to all Jewish readers, I wish a peaceful eve of Yom Kippur.

September 22-26

Are you feeling ready for something different? Good, because I think you might find this week much less trying than last week. New opportunities appear with the new season— happy Autumn Equinox. Last week, the Sun squared both ends of the applying (very strong) Mars-Pluto opposition. This week, Mercury sextiles and trines the same separating (weaker) aspect. This makes it easier to use the energy in a more constructive way. The transformation, healing, or reform you are looking for is easier to come by. This is the time to make the decision, sign the paper, solve the problem.

The developments of the past two weeks are coming to a crescendo, represented by the Full Moon on Wednesday afternoon. The Full Moon in impulsive Aries is a call to activity, self-knowledge and self-awareness. Aries energy likes to express— so find your favorite outlet Wednesday evening. Sing your song, and dance your dance. The dark side of Aries energy is anger and conflict. Someone needs to get over themselves and listen more. Make sure it isn’t you!

September 27-30

Mercury moves from diplomatic Libra to intense Scorpio, another relationship-oriented sign, on Thursday. The difference is that Libra is intellectual, mental, and Scorpio is emotional, intuitive. Mars also moves from air to water as he enters sensitive Cancer on Friday evening. Cancer is a sign of Mars’ detriment. That means the fiery, direct energy of Mars has a hard time navigating the sensitive emotional terrain of the sign. He is not feeling “at home.” People are more likely to be oversensitive and take things personally. Others are more cranky and apt to say things that rankle others. It’s just touchy.

Some of us confuse aggression for defense in our minds, threatening others because we feel threatened. It’s easy to get a little mixed up when Mars is in Cancer. We can all benefit from taking some time to consider where we need to protect ourselves with a tougher shell, and when we need to lower the crab claws and let someone get close to us. To borrow a riff from St. Francis, seek to comfort rather than be comforted, understand rather than be understood.

Folks with sensitive stomachs, you need to pay attention to your diet while Mars is in Cancer, from now through the beginning of January. (Mars usually passes through one sign in about two months, but because Mars retrograde is coming, this pass lasts an extra long time.)

Mark your calendar!

The best days for your top priority plans are September 8, 12, 18, 26-28.
Slow down on September 2-3, 9, 17, 19-21.