Hi, friends!

If you haven’t felt it yet, retrograde season is in full swing. This month we have Mercury, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto ALL RETROGRADE. Mars starts slowing down for its own retrograde soon too. In other words, every planet but Venus is in reverse direction or speed for September. Add to it some carryover tension from last month plus some new energy coming in, and we’ve got an interesting month ahead guys!

For those of you who tapped into the constructive potential of July & August, kudos to you! For those of you struggling, please know you’re not alone. It’s okay to be not okay sometimes. For me the “power of positivity” is not about living in denial of difficulty or my true feelings. It’s about ownership, surrender, and faith that even undesired feelings and situations have value. There’s a big difference.

Regardless of which camp you’re in, a look at September’s astrology is in order. Let’s get ready for the themes in play this month.

The dynamic for September is pretty consistent. On top of retrogrades, we have a number of oppositions happening. In astrology, oppositions signify two competing ideals are seeking co-existence. We’ll want to honor both but at times may find it challenging to do so.

Scenario A:

1. You fired up, fed up, or have a strong need to express yourself right now. There’s a very strong belief, truth or point of view that wants to be heard and acknowledged.
2. On the other hand, there’s a desire for fairness and doing things the right way. The mind will push to work things out, weigh the options, find a win-win solution that makes sense for everyone.

Scenario B:

1. You are struggling to hold on to the dream. Every person, job, project, relationship, goal must aim toward some vision or it cannot stay alive.
2. Yet some insurmountable problems or imperfections have presented themselves. The reality seems it may never satisfy our expectations.

This is the puzzle of life, right? Dreams run up against reality; self-assertion runs up against cooperation. But the polarities are REALLY INTENSE this month. We’ll feel a large distance from the ideal coupled with tremendous pressure to figure things out and do the right thing. You might notice (1) an internal back-and-forth between all the considerations, or (2) feeling stuck on one end of the dynamic while the company, boss, spouse, family member, or drug store clerk stands on the other.

That being said, a sky full of retrogrades and residual Saturn-Uranus tension are quite the monkey wrench. Though you want that promising solution, the ultimate fix is hard to achieve right now. Life might demand that you stand still and continue dealing with a situation from the past. And any decisions about the future are likely to be revisited when the planets turn direct again. So my suggestion for the month is this:

SPEAK YOUR TRUTH & SEEK TEMPORARY SOLUTIONS.

It’s hard to just let things be when we’re all fired up. But can we speak our truth without demanding an ultimate decision? Instead of deciding this versus that, let’s focus on coming back into peace and getting through the moment. Adopt a temporary strategy and set a date to revisit things later.

Now a few other things to look out for this month…

September 9 – Mercury stations retrograde

Mercury travels slowest in the second week of September. Those days are all about mental recalibration. We can no longer take for granted that our Mercury functions will have the same results as usual. Unclear communications, travel changes, and getting our data incorrect can happen if we move at our usual pace. Since Mercury is in Libra, we must also be more intentional in relationship with others this month.

CLARIFICATION: MERCURY RETROGRADE IS NOT BAD!

In fact, Mercury retrograde can be really helpful for tasks like creative writing. Retrogrades are all about thinking outside the box, reframing, revising and above all – doing things differently than usual. Retrogrades only challenge us when we’re functioning on autopilot.

September 10 – Full Moon in Pisces

Life climaxes at the full moon. This month, we’re seeing a desire to cleanse and perfect whatever is not ideal in our life. You might feel separated from another due to differing versions of a situation or the “truth.” There’s a helpful and harmful manifestation of this moon, so how do we use it best?

The two major errors of this moon are preaching and playing victim. Be mindful of the position you’re taking and don’t be a tyrant. The Pisces energy is useful if we can focus on our heart space. Speak and receive others from there. Can each party’s concern be heard by the other with an open heart? It helps to remember that conflicts are rarely about who’s right. When people feel heard, mountains move on their own.

September 25 – New Moon in Libra

I expect the New Moon in Libra on September 25th to bring a sense of renewal and new direction you’re seeking in some area of life. This lunation is SUPER POWERFUL due to the various aspects it makes with Jupiter and the Super Galactic Center. Trust that what’s happening late this month and in the weeks that follow is seeding some new journey that’s calling you from deep in your consciousness. It’s almost as if the Super Galactic Center is realigning your soul and life path with some greater purpose on the universal level.

There’s a sense of freedom, meaning and vision indicated in this Full Moon, which will unfold and become clearer over the next 6 months. Expect a pull towards something that feels significant beyond your understanding and follow it.

Goal & Mantra for September

This month, let’s use the astrology to guide our hearts and minds in the directions that serve the highest good. Let’s SAY YES TO:

• Remembering that retrogrades are an optical illusion. This tells us something about retrogrades – they’re all about perception. You are never, ever moving backwards. Past decisions, mistakes, commitments or anything you thought was done but must revisit will teach you something new this time around. It’s still progress! Life wouldn’t ask you to go back if there wasn’t more to do.
• Noticing the energetic tug-of-wars and internal pressure to figure things out. Last night it helped me to bring my focus from my head down into my heart and repeat,

I am peace.
I am at peace.
I am peaceful.

I couldn’t believe how differently it really made me feel.

Finally, one of our community members, Holly Owen, released her new book a few days ago! YAY for Holly. This coffee table book contains inspirational images from the city of New Orleans and is a really unique gift idea for that bold, eccentric person in your life. I just love it. Please check her out on Amazon and Barnes & Noble, and keep me posted on your own projects so we can support one another as we pursue our dreams.

Wishing everyone a blessed month ahead.

Jules