September 1st ~ 8th

Joy is not in things, it is in us, and I hold to the belief that the causes of our present unrest, of this contagious discontent spreading everywhere, are in us at least as much as in exterior conditions. ~ Charles Wagner

On August 29th, when Uranus stationed for its retrograde phase, it joined the legion of other retrograde planets, bringing us to a grand total of 6 planets all in their retrograde zones. So if you’ve been feeling stuck, side-tracked, lethargic, and/or temporarily backstepping, you are not alone. It’s like walking through quicksand. And yet, when the planets are in their retrograde zones, this is when they are closer to the Earth than at other times of the year. As a result they get under our skin, they insinuate themselves into our lives, and imprint themselves on our psyche. It is also when we are doing a lot of important internal work. 

This week, no sooner does Venus station for its Direct phase on September 3rd/4th, then Jupiter stations for its retrograde phase. Trading places. Now rising in the east as a Morning Star, Venus is still in the early days of its cycle which began with the inferior conjunction of Venus on August 13th. This was the incipient beginning of her cycle. It was/is a seed-planting time, and not necessarily a time of commitment. At least not until now. The station of Venus this week represents a shift, in which the seeds planted during the dark time of the inferior conjunction will now begin to sprout, come into the light, and be applied. Very much like our newly emerging crescent of a Morning Star. 

What important discoveries have you made during the retrograde phase of Venus which began on July 22nd? 

• What did you learn about your relationships? Why are you drawn to certain people, and why do you do relationships the way that you do? What are your needs, hopes and expectations of others, and they of you? 

• What did you learn about your own self-worth, and about the sacred cycle of reciprocity? 

• What have you learned about your relationship to money and possessions, and those things which you have come to value the most? 

• And what, and whom will you be wanting to make more of a priority moving forward? 

During the retrograde phase of Venus in Leo we were all being asked to connect with our own heart center, and to explore in our heart of hearts, what our own needs are, what we want, and what will make us happy. And if we have done our homework well, then what we learned during this cycle, can serve as our lodestar and internal guidance system going forward. Knowing what we truly want in our heart of hearts, where our happiness quotient is, will make us more self-aware, and allow us to make better choices. 

It can often feel when Jupiter stations retrograde, as it will at 15º Taurus on Monday, September 4th, as if opportunities for abundance are being withdrawn, or the promises of growth, expansion and promotion are temporarily put on hold. Jupiter seems to be redirecting its bounty through other, more internal channels, as it temporarily pulls in some of that abundance from the outside world and focuses it within.

Venus and Jupiter are our happiness planets: the Greater and Lesser benefics. And as they are both stationing this week, we might all want to ask ourselves where happiness is truly to be found. If we think that all of our happiness is dependent on external things, then that is where we will look for it, trying to get that one thing, that one person that we think will make us happy. However, for the 4 months of the year that Jupiter is in its retrograde phase, we are being asked to direct our attention, not to our outside circumstances, but within, to the very heart and root of our joy. 

Jupiter is our search for truth and understanding. And during these retrograde periods we are being asked to reconcile what we are seeing, hearing, learning, and taught with our own inner knowing. We are being redirected so that once again, instead of looking for  the answers in the outer world, we are being asked to look for confirmation within. In this way, Jupiter is also our ethical and moral barometer.

These annual retrograde phases of Jupiter are very important for our own spiritual, moral, and philosophical growth, and anything that helps to encourage that are greatly advised. That can include embarking on spiritual journeys, or going on retreats, but with the understanding that ultimately the answers are not going to necessarily be found on the side of a mountain, or from someone or somewhere else on the other side of the world. Ultimately the answers are going to be found not outside of ourself, though that can be illuminating as well, but in the still spiritual center that lies deep within your own soul.  

Listen to yourself, and in that quietude, you might hear the voice of God. ~ Maya Angelou

Then on September 6th, at 13º Virgo we have the inferior conjunction of Mercury. And just as we were imprinting our hopes, dreams, desires, and yearnings on our heart of hearts during the Venus conjunction, the Mercury conjunction is when certain prominent thoughts and trends are being imprinted within our own minds. It is the beginning of the New Mercury cycle, which will last until the next inferior conjunction of Mercury on December 22nd. 

Thoughts, like seeds, are planted at this time, initiating a whole new cycle of mental development, realization and growth. This is a good time to generate the intention to create better mental habits, better and more healthful routines, and to generally improve your own mind and perspective. What sorts of things do you want imprinted on your psyche? What mental states would you like to see cultivated? More patience? Greater empathy? Kindness? Is there a subject that you would like to learn more about, or a skill that you would like to further perfect? You might even want to commit these intentions to paper, like you would at the New Moon, further impressing these intentions on your mind and heart. 

And then when Mercury enters its direct phase once again on September 15th, right after the New Moon in Virgo, we can disseminate those ideas planted within the darkness of this potent and fertile soil which lies as potential within the New Mercury Cycle. 

Both Venus and Mercury will be making aspects to Jupiter this week. As Venus in Leo stations for its direct phase it is square Jupiter. Both Venus and Jupiter are stationing, and appearing to stand still. Like sentinels at a gateway, they are both wanting us to connect with our highest joy. Venus/Jupiter can be extravagant and self-indulgent, and Jupiter can exaggerate and blow things all out of proportion. But at the heart and kernel of both of these planets, is the hope for better things to come. 

At the inferior conjunction of Mercury, both the Sun and Mercury will be trine Jupiter, the planet of largesse. It could be that our minds are on bigger things this week: larger issues, higher concerns, or long-range plans. Jupiter can make us feel optimistic and hopeful about the future, with an inner faith that all will turn out as it should. 

Every time Jupiter stations, it does so with a trine to the Sun, an aspect of great optimism and potential. This week the Sun will be accompanied by retrograde Mercury, so that it too is trine Jupiter. Jupiter aims to expand our vision. To think higher, larger, vaster in our scope. With that trine comes the hope and promise of fulfilling our potential. We may not be able to fulfill that potential right away, and we may not see all the results of changes being made now, but we will when Jupiter is in its direct phase once again after the New Year. But even now, amidst these shifts, turns, adjustments and new beginnings, we are being given glimpses of what that potential ultimately can and will be.  

For this week’s horoscopes, click below:

HOROSCOPES

Image: “Hope II” by Gustaf Klimt

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