TRANSCRIPT Ep. 363 | Aries Full Moon: Slow Down, or Be Slowed Down!

TRANSCRIPT Ep 363 | Aries Full Moon: Slow Down, or Be Slowed Down! (9.21.26)

Hello Invisible Friend, April here, and the date today is September 21st, 2026. Welcome to Episode 363 of the Big Sky Astrology Podcast.

This week, creative endeavors get a boost as Mercury and Jupiter meet in a sextile. The Sun enters the diplomatic sign of Libra, initiating autumn in the northern, and spring in the southern, hemispheres. Themes of balance and power in relationships could surface as the Sun opposes Neptune and trines Pluto. A spicy Aries Full Moon brings forward eclipse themes from last spring, and fiery Mars enters Leo. Plus, I answer a listener question about progressed planets turning retrograde. What is the effect?1

Mercury sextile Jupiter (Sep. 21, 2026, 3:51 pm PDT)

On Monday, September 21st, at 3:51pm Pacific Time, Mercury sextiles Jupiter at 17°55′ Libra and Leo. Mercury, in combination with Jupiter, can bring big, bright ideas. Mercury tends to see details down at the ground level, while Jupiter sees the bigger picture, and the two of them together offer a fuller and more creatively rich picture of what’s possible.

This sextile happens with Mercury on the Sabian symbol 18 Libra, Two men placed under arrest, and Jupiter at 18 Leo, A teacher of chemistry, and it brings nothing to mind so much as Walter White and Jesse Pinkman, the two protagonists of the TV series Breaking Bad.

Walter is literally a chemistry teacher, and a series of bad breaks leads him to master the manufacture of methamphetamine. He and Jesse, his young protégé, never are actually placed under arrest, but it’s what’s hanging over their heads the whole time they work together. It’s a story of opportunities that have been missed, and opportunities that are created, so it’s a fitting Mercury sextile Jupiter story.

A young man with the street smarts needed to cook and distribute meth, and an older man who previously missed a multi-million-dollar business opportunity, and who still thinks big. That’s the kind of thinking that can make big money, but also the kind that can lead to big trouble.

Sun enters Libra (Sep. 22, 2026, 5:05 pm PDT)

On Tuesday, September 22nd, at 5:05 PM Pacific Time, the Sun enters Libra. This is the autumn equinox in the Northern Hemisphere, and the vernal equinox in the Southern Hemisphere.

The Sun is in its fall in Libra, so it’s interesting it begins the season of “fall” here in the Northern Hemisphere. The Sun wants to exert itself, its individuality, and all its magnificence, but Libra can only let individuality stretch to the limits of another person with whom it’s trying to collaborate.

Libra’s qualities and concerns are around relating, collaboration, attractiveness, art and mechanics, fairness, and justice. The Sabian symbol that begins Libra is one Libra, a butterfly made perfect by a dart through it, and I really love Judith DeHaan’s take on this symbol. It’s a wonderful essay, and we’ll link to it in the show notes, but it boils down to this: Do you want beauty, or do you want to have a possession?

And I think that goes to the heart of many of Libra’s great concerns, which have to do with relationship, but on the other hand, also possessions. It is a sign that’s connected to relationship and to wealth, so do you want beauty, or do you want a possession? It’s a really good question for Libra time.

The Sun is in Libra through October 23rd, when it will move into Scorpio, and as the Sun begins its time in Libra, Venus, which is the planet that rules Libra, is already in Scorpio. So even the Libra season itself has a lot of this Scorpio feeling to it already, and makes very appropriate this question about possessing something that you’re meant to love, or just appreciate from an aesthetic point of view.

Sun opposed Neptune (Sep. 25, 2026, 6:36 pm PDT)

The Sun opposes Neptune on Friday, September 25th at 6:36 pm Pacific time at 2 degrees 59 minutes Libra and Aries. And the Sun is on the symbol 3 Libra, The dawn of a new day, everything changed. That sounds on the face of it like a perfectly lovely image, like everything has been scrubbed clean overnight while we sleep, and we’re starting fresh with a new day.

But I happen to be thinking about this on the day that a cousin of mine passed away. We weren’t terribly close, but he was a really lovely person, and I did love him. But what I’ve been thinking about is how tomorrow will feel to his wife, who will be alone without him after 29 years, and the way that it feels when you wake up to a bright new day after something awful has happened, and for a split second you don’t remember, and then you do, and it’s like a kick to the gut.

The Sun in Libra is the dream of togetherness forever, although the wedding vows sort of grudgingly acknowledge that it’s just till death do us part. And here it comes face to face with Neptune in Aries, and a new dream. Normally we’d consider Aries to be a kind of a lone wolf riding across the prairie, but it’s on the symbol 3 Aries, A cameo profile of a man in the outline of his country, which is a more collectivist image, the image of where the individual is combined with the collective. One that says that there is sadness, yes, everything is changed, but maybe there’s the hope of mending through pulling together with others, comfort through the kind of symbols that bring meaning, bring the feeling of being part of something shared.

Sun trine Pluto (Sep. 25, 2026, 10:34 pm PDT)

Later, on Friday, September 25th, the Sun trines Pluto at 10:34 pm Pacific time. That’s at 3 degrees 9 minutes, Libra and Aquarius.

It’s one of two Sun-Pluto trine aspects each year, and we really only experience it for a day or so, but it promises something more lasting, which is the potential for personal empowerment. Are you really clear about who you are and what you want?

As the Sun moves through Libra, it might struggle with those questions. Libra is often focused on who we are in relation to others and what it is that they want from us, but Pluto is colder and less malleable. It insists on looking deep within ourselves to find those answers, and the good part of that is that once you’ve found them, you’re in a much better position to have really true, authentic relationships with other people. Relationships that don’t begin with apologizing or pretending, where you can be yourself, and once you are yourself, you automatically gravitate toward others who are appropriate for you to spend time with.

Aries Full Moon (Sep. 26, 2026, 9:49 am PDT)

And now it’s time for the Moon Report, and we begin, as always, with the week’s major lunation.

This week, that’s the Aries Full Moon on Saturday, September 26th at 9:49 a.m. Pacific Time at 3 degrees, 37 minutes, Aries and Libra. At some point in every Libra season comes an Aries Full Moon, and this is a moment where we can contemplate where we stand in that space between putting others first, which is the tendency of Libra, and prioritizing ourselves, which is more of the nature of Aries.

This particular Full Moon is on the Sabian symbol 4 Aries, Two lovers strolling through a secluded walk. It’s romantic. It’s much more akin to the Sun in Libra, in fact, but it’s ruled by Mars at 29 degrees, 9 minutes, Cancer, which is the sign of its fall, where it’s a little bit weakened, a little disadvantaged; and it is on the anaretic degree, 29, the transition point where it gains some power, some aggression, and the tendency toward extreme action.

It’s also in a conjunction with Neptune, which accentuates Aries’ idealistic side. You may find yourself torn between that aggression and impulsiveness of Mars at 29 degrees and the Moon together with Neptune, and they may influence each other. What are you rushing toward? And are you clear about what it really is and what it could really mean for you?

The Sun at this Full Moon is on 4 Libra, A group around a campfire, and it’s just past that lovely trine to Pluto. Can you sit in a group and keep track of who you are? You’re the Sun sitting across from the Moon and Neptune, watching those lovers strolling away from the fire for their secluded walk. You’ve got the group for company, but that isn’t the same thing, especially where Libra is involved. Sometimes you can feel especially lonely in a group of people.

Well, these are some of the thoughts that might occupy this Full Moon, being in a group, being apart from the group, but with one special other. Which is it that you find your heart craving?

Lunar Phase Family Cycle

This Full Moon carries the energy of a New Moon Solar Eclipse that began near the same degree of Aries on March 29, 2025. It was the beginning of this lunar phase family cycle, and it was a sort of a mild solar eclipse chart with the Sun and Moon just sextile Jupiter and Pluto. Unless something in your chart falls near 9 Aries, that eclipse degree, or near 9 degrees Libra, Cancer, or Capricorn, it may have not been one of the more consequential eclipses of recent memory for you.

But anything in Aries is energetic, determined, and powerful. It is the beginning of something, and whatever you started back at that New Moon is reaching its peak right now at this Full Moon.

One thing that I began was an injury to my foot. It’s been 18 months since then, and while it’s improved a lot, it is not 100% well even still. I always choose a tarot card at each New Moon, and at that one I chose the Nine of Wands, which was described somewhere as “the injured man.” I mean, an injury that slows you down is one of the more aggravating things that can befall you at an Aries solar eclipse.

So, think back a bit. What was slowing you down at that eclipse? What were you determined to accomplish that may have been delayed, slowed down? Take a look back at it now, and see if you’ve learned anything that could help you.

Void-of-Course Moon Periods

Let’s take a look at the Void-of-Course Moon Periods for this week.

On Monday, September 21st, the Moon in Capricorn trines the Sun at 7:31 AM Pacific Time. It’s Void-of-Course for two hours, 43 minutes, and then enters Aquarius at 10:14 AM. If ever there was a Monday designed to jump out of bed and get to work, this would be it. The Moon and Sun are both in Earth signs in Capricorn and Virgo. The Moon in Capricorn is ambitious. It wants to be recognized as the top dog. And the Sun in Virgo isn’t afraid of rolling up its sleeves, making a list, and getting to work on all of the little steps that are needed to make the Capricorn Moon’s desires and ambitions a reality. Use this Void-of-Course Moon to get in a habit of conquering intimidating tasks, step by step, until the job is done.

On Wednesday, September 23rd, the Moon in Aquarius trines Mercury at 1:18 AM Pacific Time. It’s Void-of-Course for a good long time, 19 hours, 5 minutes, and then enters Pisces at 8:23 PM. This Void-of-Course Moon period is taking place in communicative air signs, Libra and Aquarius. Communication and ideas can flow easily during an aspect like this one, especially if groups of people are involved.

This could be an excellent time to come up with marketing strategies or innovative solutions to problems in the workplace. Use this Void-of-Course Moon period to get in the habit of joining forces with like-minded people to develop solutions that benefit all parties involved.

On Saturday, September 26th, the Moon in Pisces trines Mars at 1:32 AM Pacific Time. It’s Void-of-Course for one hour, 51 minutes, and then enters Aries at 3:23 a.m. If you live on the west coast of the United States, you will most likely be asleep at this time. If you do happen to be awake though, volatile emotions could bubble to the surface. Whenever the Moon is connecting with Mars, I think of it as a kettle that is getting ready to boil. Instead of lashing out or getting your feelings hurt, put this extra energy to work for you. Since Mars is in the home-centric sign of Cancer, see if you can make progress on a daunting project around the house.

Mars enters Leo (Sep. 27, 2026, 7:49 pm PDT)

Mars enters Leo on Sunday, September 27th at 7:49 PM Pacific Time. So it’s going to have a retrograde period in this sign, and it looks something like this: It will be in Leo through November 25th, and then it enters Virgo. Then it turns retrograde in Virgo on January 10th, 2027, and it re-enters Leo on February 21st, 2027. Then it turns direct on April 1st, and leaves Leo for good on May 14th, 2027.

So, it’s a longer than usual Mars transit. It’s usually in a sign for only about two months, and this time it gets an extra few months early next year. So, we have a lot to learn from Mars in Leo. Mars represents how we go after the things that we want, and in Leo it’s an excellent transit for initiating creative projects, entertaining other people, self-promotion.

Now, it’s not the very best time for attending to the practical details of daily life. Reserve those for when Mars enters Virgo, because Virgo likes that kind of thing.

While Mars is in Leo, look toward the Sun, its ruler, for clues. At the time of this ingress, the Sun is in Libra. Let’s hope that Mars in Leo can benefit from the Sun in Libra’s more diplomatic vibe. There’s a good chance that relationships of all kinds will be the focus.

But inevitably, in a Leo kind of way, are your relationships impacted by your own self-absorption, or by your determination to have your own way? I bring this up mostly because Mars will be making an opposition to Pluto in Aquarius, and it begins the applying opposition from the moment that it enters Leo, even though it won’t be exact until October 3rd, which also is the same day Venus stations retrograde. It’s going to be quite a day.

Mars opposed Pluto is an aspect that is about power struggles, and the limits of personal power, how you might push forward in a direction that’s meaningful to you towards something you really, really want. And Pluto is the invisible hand that pushes back at you and says, sorry, I don’t think we’re going to do that right now.

So just keep that in mind as Mars enters Leo. It is a warm, creative, and sunny placement, but also all of the things about Mars tend to be accentuated in a fire sign like Leo, and that can be impulsiveness and self-absorption. So we need to be a little bit careful with the way that we use its power.

Listener Question: Retrograde Progressed Planets

In this week’s listener question, listener Maria writes, “I just noticed that my progressed Mercury in Scorpio has gone retrograde. It happened in February, apparently. What on Earth does that mean? Progressed Mercury will be retrograde for the rest of my life. What does that mean? How does someone handle something like that? Since February, I certainly feel like I’ve been going backwards in terms of my projects, and definitely this move back home. Feeling stuck, unseen, unheard. It does feel like a bit of a crisis. I had just chalked it up to the second Saturn return.”

Oh boy, Maria.

Now, I don’t think Maria would mind my telling you that she is a writer by profession, and the move she’s referring to took her hundreds of miles north in the state, closer to where she grew up. Writing, of course, is ruled by Mercury, maybe with an assist from the Moon. So, it’s very significant to see something like Mercury turning retrograde in her secondary progressions.

Here is the thing to know about progressed stations, what we call it when a planet turns retrograde or direct in secondary progressions. The planet will be retrograde or direct for a very long time. Of all the planets, Mercury has the shortest retrograde period by transit, only about 21 days.

But in secondary progressions, one day equals one year, which means when Mercury turns retrograde by progression, it’s going to stay that way for about 21 years. So, what will this mean for the next two decades of Maria’s life?

Let’s begin with what we know about transiting Mercury retrograde. It’s a better time for looking within than for looking outside ourselves for ideas, insights, and information. It’s a good time for recovering some of those unfinished projects. For a writer, this can mean that stories you’ve been wanting to tell for a very long time, maybe your whole life, are now ready for you to sink your teeth into them and get them told, especially with progressed Mercury in Scorpio.

The part about feeling stuck, unseen, and unheard can certainly be associated with a Saturn return, especially if Saturn is connected with Mercury, or with the third house or its ruling planet.

But it’s also common at the beginning of a planet’s progressed retrograde period because the planet is still somewhat stationary. It’s not really moving backward very smoothly yet. I’m not certain that these feelings will tell the story of the rest of the progressed Mercury retrograde years. However, the stuck part tends to recede as the planet begins moving at a normal speed, even if it’s backward.

And the unseen part of the equation can, in time, feel a little bit like a superpower. It’s not necessarily the easiest feeling, but it does have something to do with that writerly function of receding into the shadows, the better to overhear conversations and to witness interactions between others without them seeing you.

As for feeling unheard, well, that is painful for a communicator. I will grant you that. But sometimes not being heard forces us to go deeper into ourselves, to hear our own thoughts, and to revise things that we’d always assumed were true. And even going back home can be part of this process. Looking back at the past and seeing if it looks a little different to you now.

I tend to have kind of a rosy picture of Mercury retrograde, I will admit. But mostly, it’s because of my own writing and how I notice that it grows deeper during these times. And Maria, I certainly hope the same will be true for you.

If you have a burning question about astrology that you would like me to answer on the podcast, please leave a voicemail of one minute or less at speakpipe.com/ Big Sky Astrology Podcast, or just send me an email, april (at) big sky astrology (dot) com.

Donor Thanks

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