The Delight of Unpleasant Recollections
Dates and times given are for the U.S. Pacific Time zone. Click them to see what they are where you live.
Saturn turns direct: The cat on the bed
As you’ll recall, it’s not long ago that half the sky was retrograde; gradually, it’s moving forward, and along the way we might trip over a little rubble. Beware of chunks of Saturn in your path; it turns direct on Sep. 6 (4:10 am). With Saturn retrograde for roughly five months at a time, we notice its retrogrades most when it’s actually stationing – that is, in the process of turning direct or retrograde. It’s similar to how you don’t really notice your cat lying at the foot of your bed until it gets up and does that turn-around-three-times thing that they do before settling back down. If you have any planets around 2.32 of Capricorn, Aries, Cancer, or Libra, this station will be more like a cat that walks across your face while you’re trying to sleep.
There is a time to conquer the world, and there is a time to look within and gain mastery of yourself. Saturn’s retrograde periods are the latter. Particularly if you have planets in your birth chart between 3-9 degrees of Capricorn, Aries, Cancer, or Libra, something new has been gestating within you since April, when Saturn turned retrograde. By December, Saturn will have regained the ground it lost while retrograde, and that inner mastery will manifest in the outer world, bringing tangible accomplishments within reach.
It is not possible to control the outside of yourself until you have mastered your breathing space. It is not possible to change anything until you understand the substance you wish to change.
― Jeanette Winterson, Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit
Venus and Mars: Strength and the inability to leave each other alone
Saturn turning direct marks significant forward motion for each of us personally. And perhaps not coincidentally, this could also be a critical week for relationships. On Sep. 3, Venus enters the shadow of its October retrograde period (Oct. 5-Nov. 16), meaning it reaches the degree (25 Libra) where it will end its retrograde. Pay attention to even minor developments in your relationships this week; they may point to issues that will be explored in-depth while Venus is retrograde.
Venus makes itself known in other ways this week, too. Venus in Libra squares Mars in Capricorn on Sep. 8 (1:39 pm). These two don’t have much in common except their strength (each is in the sign that it rules) and an inability to leave each other alone. Venus and Mars are
The Lovers, and when they are trine, they are so compatible as to get a little bored with each other. But when they are square, sparks fly. Passion erupts. The will-they-or-won’t-they tension explodes.
It’s not just romantic relationships that reach a critical juncture. Any relationship might see tension or conflicts around money and work, effort and appreciation, or figuring out how to get what you want.
Difficulties are meant to rouse, not discourage. The human spirit is to grow strong by conflict.
― William Ellery Channing
Communicating with the unseen world
Why do astrologers call the waning lunar crescent the Balsamic Moon? The term “balsamic” derives from balsam, a curative used in healing. So the Moon’s Balsamic phase (beginning Sep. 6 at 5:01 am) is the healing time of the month, when we may require a little extra rest and quiet. This month, it begins in the last degrees of Cancer; listen to your intuition in the days leading up to the New Moon, paying particular attention to your stomach. If your gut feels jumpy, look before you leap!
A similar message is found in the annual opposition between the Sun and Neptune (Sep. 7, 11:27 am), which marks the moment in the Sun’s cycle where we examine what’s real and what isn’t – both within ourselves and without. We could ask for no better helper in this than Mercury, newly in Virgo (Sep. 5, 7:39 pm), forming a glorious grand trine with Saturn and Uranus on this date. Combine quiet time with intellectual rigor, and this could be a day when the soul-searching of the past few days gives way to creative breakthroughs.
This opposition and grand trine also feature prominently in the chart for the New Moon at 17 deg. Virgo (Sep. 9, 11:01 am), which is on an interesting Sabian Symbol degree: Two girls playing with a Oija board. Continuing the Sun/Neptune opposition theme, this New Moon emphasizes communication with the unseen world. It’s telling that this symbol is illustrated by two girls who are working through this process together. During the coming New Moon cycle, look to others to inspire you in two ways – either as a catalyst for interesting thoughts, or as a cautionary tale.
That said, Venus enters Scorpio on the same day (Sep. 9, 2:26 am). So while others can provide inspiration, this New Moon cycle will not fundamentally be one of collaboration; rather, it’s for reaching deep into yourself, and seeing what you can make of the riches that you find there.
Reflection must be reserved for solitary hours; whenever she was alone, she gave way to it as the greatest relief; and not a day went by without a solitary walk, in which she might indulge in all the delight of unpleasant recollections.
― Jane Austen
© 2018 April Elliott Kent
