By Amanda Painter

Free at last! That is, we’re free from Mercury’s post-retrograde shadow phase as of this afternoon. If you’ve been working through the lingering reverberations of recent glitches, you should notice that easing up considerably. The timing couldn’t be better, too, as other factors in the sky are urging self-expression and action.

Photo by Amanda Painter.

The major current aspect is the Sun in Libra square Pluto in Capricorn, exact Friday at 3:33 pm EDT (19:33 UTC).

It’s possible you’re feeling this as an urge to purge: either materially, removing ‘stuff that’s always been there’ from your home or work-space and making your surroundings more beautiful or harmonious; or even more likely, in terms of behavior patterns that have long gotten in your way, including attitudes toward authority figures.

Yet there’s a third kind of ‘purging’ that might come even more easily and be just as beneficial: simply getting something off your chest that’s overdue to be put out there. Chances are you know what that thing is; if not, Pluto adds a deeply introspective tone. You may feel compelled to listen to yourself more closely as the weekend nears.

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By Amanda Painter

Friday, Sept. 30 (early Oct. 1 in some time zones), we have a New Moon in Libra — the first New Moon following a pair of eclipses, Mercury’s recent retrograde, and the beginning of a new season. If you feel like you’re in distinctly different territory compared to one month ago, it’s because you are. Tomorrow’s New Moon seems to begin something rather distinct; and, like all New Moons, it also implies the coming Full Moon.

Photo by Amanda Painter.

What a Full Moon that will be: on Oct. 16, the Moon will conjoin Uranus and Eris in Aries, and all three will oppose the Sun in Libra. Eric has written much about the Uranus-Eris conjunction that spans this year.

Uranus-Eris in Aries seems to be describing the ways that identity has been fractured by the internet; a kind of disembodied existence we’re all trying to get a grip on even as we try to catch up with it — and with ourselves — as its effects snowball. In as much as Uranus-Eris represents our surprising, innovative and unpredictable relationship with our technology, it also suggests the ways we seek our identity through conflict.

One look at the way even the most well-meaning post on social media can become a no-holds-barred battleground between people who cannot actually see, hear or feel each other — and who might never have met — demonstrates this.

At the same time, we live in an environment where this online dissociation allows us seemingly to be ‘here’ and ‘someplace else’ at once. Suddenly, the Syrian refugee crisis and the Dakota Pipeline protest and an eclipse only visible on the other side of the planet are all unfolding in real time while we watch. Often it is too much to handle; often, in response, we shut down. It’s getting harder and harder to find the sane middle ground between overextension of our senses and emotions and ignoring everything.

When that Oct. 16 Full Moon peaks, it may very well shine some light on all of it. You might start preparing the ground with the New Moon on Friday, and you can begin today. If you have not already begun to tie up any loose ends that freed up (or frayed) with the Full Moon and eclipse two weeks ago, consider that on your agenda now.

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By Amanda Painter

Sometimes even when things are most frustrating or confusing, the universe will offer a little humor. Case in point: just before writing this on Wednesday, which is trash day in my neighborhood, I took a walk. Along the way, I saw a total of three empty vacuum cleaner boxes, and another box for some other cleaning device, in the recycling bins.

Morning fog dissipating over a silvery sea. Photo by Amanda Painter.

Why is this funny to me?

Because today, Thursday, Mercury stationed direct in Virgo at 1:31 am EDT (5:30:30 UTC).

And it did so with the Sun in the last degree of Virgo — the Sun enters Libra at 10:21 am EDT today (14:21:03 UTC), for the Libra equinox and the beginning of a new season. But at the time of my walk, the Sun was at the far edge of Virgo.

Now, Virgo is a sign closely associated with being (or getting) organized and focused on the details, and putting a plan into action. All those new vacuum cleaners seemed to suggest a common experience of people wanting to tidy up better.

Yet, at the same time, I had to wonder: with Mercury retrograde, did these people actually get the best vacuum for their needs? Will it work right? Will they have to return it for a more suitable model?

Regardless of those details, the sightings made for an amusing illustration of the astrology: After journeying deep into Virgo and acquiring a new tool (vacuum), you release the parts that are not necessary (the box), and then you’re free to use the tool productively.

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By Amanda Painter

Are you feeling the tension? I sure am. Not only are we getting close to the Pisces Full Moon on Friday (exact at 3:05 pm EDT / 7:05 UTC), but that Full Moon will also be a penumbral lunar eclipse: the Moon will pass through the outer ring of the Earth’s shadow, called the penumbra, dimming slightly. More importantly, it will make rather intense astrological aspects to other planets.

Snail might have the right idea…Photo by Amanda Painter.

We all have different tolerance levels for frustration, different ways of releasing or dispersing it.

Some people are great at letting a little pressure out of the proverbial tire — gradually, consciously and proactively — to prevent a blowout. Others get caught up in waiting for ‘just the right moment’, unwittingly giving the pressure a chance to reach the red zone and pop, seemingly out of nowhere.

I’m actually writing this on Wednesday, and already today I’ve seen two friends (one being Ms. Moreno in her column here yesterday) write about how they’re finally learning the difference between ‘reacting’ and ‘responding’, why it matters, and how to avert the former and choose the latter. It occurred to me that it’s more than coincidence: it’s an integral part of the message of the Full Moon and eclipse.

The Sun is currently in late Virgo (in one week it will enter Libra for the equinox). On Friday, the Moon will oppose it from Pisces, conjunct centaur object Chiron.
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By Amanda Painter

This Friday at 7:18 am EDT (11:18 UTC), Jupiter will leave Virgo and enter Libra. Theoretically, Virgo should not have been the most comfortable place for Jupiter; yet, I’d be surprised if you did not reap some benefit from this last year of Jupiter in Virgo, especially if you moved in the directions that most called to you with some genuine enthusiasm and energy.

Photo by Amanda Painter.

Eric describes it in this week’s Planet Waves FM as “the pleasure of working.” That is, connecting to the ‘pleasures’ that truly matter and that are aligned with one’s sense of personal integrity and dharma.

I can certainly think of a couple examples from my own life that fit the bill, one long-term from early in the year and one short-term from just a couple weeks ago. How about you?

I ask merely to illustrate that no matter what an astrology book says about a planet in a particular sign, there is always a positive, constructive way to work with it. Often Virgo is said to have a restrictive effect on Jupiter; but maybe Jupiter only feels ‘restricted’ there when a sense of focus and purpose is missing. True, Jupiter can’t go all-out indulgent there, but indulgence has its downside in the extreme, after all.

So what is Jupiter in Libra all about? Libra is ruled by Venus; so right away, Jupiter is inviting you to move into fuller expressions of loving and sexual relationships, art, beauty, social justice, fairness and balance.

Which kind of brings up an interesting question: what do expansion, indulgence and abundance have to do with balance? Aren’t they just another form of extreme?

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