by Robert Wilkinson
And also the Vernal Equinox down under!! The Autumnal Equinox occurs Sept 23, 2015, at 1:21 am PDT, 4:21 am EDT, and 9:21 am BST. This marks the end of Summer and the beginning of Autumn in the Northern Hemisphere. It is said that a chart done for this point in time offers a snapshot of the cosmic and literal weather for the next 3 months.
Today is the last day of Summer in the Northern Hemisphere, the last day of Winter in the Southern. If you’re wondering how I reconcile the seemingly opposing energies between the hemispheres, when you’re done here please take a look at The Mirroring of the Northern and Southern Hemisphere Year Cycles in Astrology. It may help readers “down under” see how the important points of seasonal change, though opposite in physical manifestation, actually have similar challenges at each point of shift. And yes, I'm already thinking of doing a small book on the subject, stripping the signs of their usual attributes and taking a more universal approach to the subject of the changes of the seasons.
There is an old tradition that offers us two times when "the year begins," one at the Vernal Equinox, the other at the Autumnal. Perhaps that tradition came from explorers who saw the seasons flip between the Northern and Southern, going from the beginning of warm to the beginning of cold as they moved up and down the latitudes.
This is an excellent time for looking at what has ended and what is emerging. We up North have done our Summer labor, and are reaping the harvest of what we've done and not done. In the Southern latitudes, they're beginning to plant the seeds that will grow over the next 180 days.
So if you're "down under," it's the beginning of Spring and beautiful weather. Just remember to have a little compassion for us up here when December 21-22, the Winter Solstice, rolls around and we're freezing while you're enjoying the beach!
Whether North or South, keep following through on the new roles, new initiatives, new feelings, new flow, and new ways of relating to others on more refined levels you’ve already begun to experience since Spring, since the season to come is the time to transfigure our future into more perfect forms. Regardless of where we live, what follows explores elements we all can expect to experience over the next 13 weeks.
The charts for the Solstices and Equinoxes provide guideposts for what we can expect the following 90 days in the way of weather, both actual and symbolic. The Autumn Equinox chart shows a majority of planets in the first and second decans of their signs (4 and 4) with 2 in the third decan. This indicates a three month period of activity involving a lot of actional, physical, and material, as well as emotional, social, and cultural focus, with relatively little individual-mental focus.
The nights will now begin to be longer than the days for 6 months to come in the Northern Hemisphere, with lengthening days in the Southern. The Sun is now in Libra, promising enhanced and expanded relationships and social interactions. We can find new ideals, new ways of measuring and evaluating the balance in things, and new perspectives that offer us a well-rounded understanding.
Aspect Configurations and Other Important Factors in the Season to Come
The outstanding quality of this Equinox chart is the Sun sextile Saturn with Mars square Saturn (out of sign.) The energies will build toward a “freeing ideal,” and release through how we use our anticipations to come to a new understanding of the place and function of things, and what characterizes situations. The trick will be to know when to stop, back off, and move in a different direction.Other aspects of importance include the Moon biseptile Mercury, and trine the Sun and sextile Saturn out of sign, and Mercury septile Venus, semisquare Mars, and square Pluto. Venus is novile the Sun and conjunct Mars, Jupiter is binovile Saturn and trine Pluto, Saturn is sesquisquare Uranus and novile Pluto, and Uranus is novile Neptune and square Pluto.
Overall, Jupiter trine Pluto and Saturn novile Pluto is a highly spiritualizing influence, and will affect everyone with planets near 1-3 Aries, Leo, and Sagittarius, 10-13 Taurus, Virgo, and Capricorn, 20-23 Gemini, Libra, and Aquarius, and 30 Cancer, Scorpio, and Pisces. This will yield excellent realizations, which can be released through purification and sprouting seeds through the square to the retrograde Mercury. While it may cause changing conditions and perhaps even conflict for those with planets near 12-16 Aries, Cancer, Libra, and Capricorn, it can also show us what’s true and what’s false, and requires that we keep our eye on the potential in situations apart from the limiting conditions or others’ pessimism or corrosive attitudes.
The configuration that will put people at critical forks in the road involves Moon biseptile Mercury and Mercury septile Venus, with Moon just separating from the triseptile to Venus. This indicates radical shifts for those with planets or angles in Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, and Capricorn, and will primarily play out in the life areas indicated by the houses where we have Leo, Libra, and Capricorn.
There may be internal crises arising from re-evaluating what we’re doing and why, involving prior expectations and current repetitive patterns. This will primarily affect those with planets near 1 Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, and Pisces, 12-16 Aries, Cancer, Libra, and Capricorn, as well as 27-30 Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, and Aquarius.
Of note is that this is about to become a more-or-less constant agitation in the near future, as Venus, Mars, Saturn, and Uranus are moving into a powerful “Hammer of Thor.” Mars squares Saturn with both in very wide sesquisquare to Uranus over the next week or so. The kicker will come in October when Venus squares Saturn on Oct 10-11 at 2 Virgo/Sag, since both will be in a closing sesquisquare to Uranus at 19 Aries. It’ll be a “liberating ordeal” of the highest order!
The End of a Long Era of The Sun Afflicting Uranus and Pluto at the Change of Seasons
2013 ended a long era of very heavy Cardinal T-squares, and especially Pluto in early Capricorn, in the Solstice and Equinox charts. The Sun and Pluto were conjunct at Winter Solstice 2012, but were binovile at the Vernal Equinox in late March 2013. They were in wide opposition at the Summer Solstice, and the 2013 Winter Solstice conjunction was be the last aspect in this series.
Some important backstory: In December 2006, the Sun was in close conjunction with Pluto at the Galactic Center. After that point the Sun always conjuncted, squared, or opposed Pluto at the Solstices and Equinoxes. This started getting more drastic at the 2009 Summer Solstice since the Sun conjuncted Uranus (still in late Pisces), and Uranus began to square Pluto. Once Saturn in Libra joined the Sun-Pluto dance at the 2009 Autumn Equinox chart, we entered a period of very intense Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Pluto T-squares and/or Grand Crosses until Winter Solstice 2010. Lots of articles in the archives explain it in great detail.
The Sun-Pluto hard aspects at the Solstices and Equinoxes from 2007-2013 challenged us all to find confidence in the midst of chaotic conditions, and use self-discipline and deep insights to pioneer in new directions. We’re now done with those Solstice and Equinox hard lessons, and have entered a new era of spiritual evolution.
I wrote quite a bit about the Cardinal squares and oppositions to Pluto in several Equinox and Solstice articles in past years. You can find out a lot via this article on the bigger picture involving Saturn, Uranus, and Pluto squares and oppositions between 2011-2015 as well as what everyone on Earth went through in 2009-2011. It also has internal links to other articles on each of the squares and oppositions and what they mean. As it was composed during the T-squares of the earliest degrees, it is very relevant to what’s been triggered at these Equinox and Solstice points.
Jones Pattern, Dispositors, and the Lunar Phase
The planets in this chart are in a Locomotive Jones pattern, which I explained in the recent article The Partial Solar Eclipse New Moon at 21 Virgo Pt. 3 - Signs, Sabian Symbols, and What It All Means This chart shows a wide and irregular distribution, with one or more planets across 7 signs and the tripod quality anchored by the Fire planets, Venus in Leo and Uranus in Aries. I elaborated on this in the Eclipse article.
In this chart, the Sun and Venus are in mutual reception, and the final dispositors for all the other planets except Neptune in its own sign. That makes the Sun and Venus very powerful, as they form the backdrop to various energies of the other planets.
Because these planets are a separating novile (a very spiritual influence!), and make a semisquare for many weeks to come, you can expect some recent spiritual realizations and things that have been on hold to move forward over the next 90 days, even if there will be some internal misgivings as we approach the end of a long Venus/Sun cycle.
Venus rules the Sun, and so this Equinox facilitates a more loving approach to all life and relationships. As Venus is at 20 Leo, the backdrop to the Light will be on finding ways to connect with the source of light and life on Earth so that we may release our deepest creative and loving energies.
The First Quarter Moon Lunar phase clearly indicates this season will be the dynamic emergence of activity, focused specifically on “ego building activities,” ultimately leading to structures that will assist us in fulfilling our objectives. We are told this is a phase of a “feeling of urgency,” and a “need for direct action.” So I suppose I can safely say to you that once you have a plan, go for it!
With the element distribution, there should be a huge emphasis on inspiration and practicality, with some interactivity and little in the way of feeling connected. Now that Saturn is again in Sag, see all reconnections as allies with whom you are to “build a better civilization.” And with Leo leading the Locomotive, even though things will seem out of balance, there is power when acting with strength, courage, conviction, imagination, and creativity!
Still, because of Mercury retrograde, regardless of how productive or challenging the coming season is, remember to continually update your perceptual files, your understanding of things, and your vision of what you want to see made manifest. Do not cling to old ideas and interpretations when a new set of glasses is needed!
So feel deeply to know what to do, act with decisiveness and a sense of purpose, and then go get the new information and understanding you need. After you find the vision and/or understanding, then go even deeper into your experience and feel the power of the flow. Then go do whatever you need to do. Buena suerte, and Godspeed!!
Aum and blessings as we stand on the threshold of a new season of life!
Because Mercury is retrograde at this Equinox, it will be a big player over the next 90 day season. If you haven't already gotten your copy, you may want to buy a copy of the new expanded 2nd edition of my pioneering book A New Look At Mercury Retrograde, the 2015 winner in its category of The Indie Spiritual Book Awards.
The first major work on Mercury retrograde ever written, it offers in-depth information about Mercury retrograde people, Mercury retrograde in the various signs and houses, and what the entire Mercury Retrograde phenomenon is about. If you want to know what we can expect from Mercury retrograde in Libra, or the last one in Gemini, or the others in any other sign and the influence in the houses, it’s all in there.
The paperback is available through Amazon and your local bookstore, so if you want the newest edition go there and order your copy. Of course, it’s also available as an ebook through Amazon Kindle or Barnes and Noble Nook.
As I’ve mentioned before, it is written for both astrologers and laypeople. I have just about everything you could want to know about Mercury retrograde, including how it works, what it means, celebrities who have it in their charts, historic events that happened during Mercury retrograde, and what signs are involved in future Mercury retrograde periods.
By knowing more about 2014's Mercury retrograde periods in Pisces/Aquarius, Cancer/Gemini, and Scorpio/Libra, or 2015’s Mercury retrograde periods in Aquarius, Gemini, and Libra, you may see patterns in what was going on in your life, what you were taking a new look at and why, and how this "looking back" influenced your choices as you moved through past events. And you can get a heads up by taking a look at the coming 2016 Mercury retrograde periods in Aquarius/Capricorn, Taurus, Virgo, and Capricorn/Sagittarius. It’s all in the book!
Here's the Amazon link to the page where you can order your paperback or ebook copy of A New Look at Mercury Retrograde. It is an invaluable resource for understanding past, present, and future Mercury retrogrades, so get your copy today. Just make sure you get the 2015 edition, and not the 1997 first edition, since the second is a far superior product!
© Copyright 2015 Robert Wilkinson
Thanks Robert for the "The Mirroring of the Northern and Southern Hemisphere Year Cycles in Astrology" perspective.
blessings
John
Posted by: John | September 21, 2015 at 09:27 PM
What a lovely and preceptive article Robert. Your take on the spiritual aspects of the current chart perfectly describe my own experiences at this time. With my natal Pluto at 3 and Mars at 8 Virgo in the 12th, and Moon at 29 Cancer in the 11th - I'm definitely awash in this energy right now. It's been a time for deep contemplation, as well as navigating changes in my personal life. It feels like I'm standing in a kayak in the ocean, observing the fish swimming below - a delicate balancing act, yet somehow it's all very peaceful. I think I see this in others around me at this time, it's as if we're all floating, waiting expectantly....
Posted by: Zephyr | September 22, 2015 at 02:55 AM
Full of information and all of it useful and neetly woven. Thanks Robert.
As said in another comment, we are living interesting times, there is a mental and social evolution (revolution?) on the making and we are moving into a more spiritual era as you say.
Blessings be to all.
Posted by: Nic | September 22, 2015 at 12:00 PM