Last week’s astrology was dominated by three unusual oppositions, or 180-degree meetings, between the planets — Mercury opposite Chiron, Mars opposite Neptune and Jupiter opposite Uranus. And, suitably, it was quite a week of contention and controversy; though lately that hardly seems to let up for a moment. If you had any breakthroughs, or made any important discoveries, remember them well, so they don’t get lost in the swirl of your life.

Venus and Mars as billiard balls, shown in a conjunction on the cover of Paul McCartney & Wings’ 1975 album. The cover art is by Hipgnosis, which did many of the album covers of that era, including Obscured by Clouds, Dark Side of the Moon and Animals by Pink Floyd. Here’s a complete list.

This week, we have an unusual synchronicity of an opposition — the Full Moon — combined with a relatively rare conjunction of Venus and Mars.

Of the two, the Full Moon, which takes place in Aries, is the one you’re most likely to notice directly; for example, as heightened emotion, unusual dream activity, or wanting to push things to a head. Full Moons distinguish between the energies of the signs involved, in this case Aries and Libra. They pull the picture into high contrast.

Conjunctions guide us to blend, morph and merge the energies involved; in this case Mars, which rules Aries, and Venus, which rules Libra. The two events are related by their astrological symbols, and by the fact that they happen within two hours of one another, on Thursday afternoon Eastern time. When you see that kind of synch, it’s a reminder to pay attention.

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Jacksonville Jaguars players kneel down during the U.S. national anthem before a game against the Baltimore Ravens at Wembley Stadium in London on Sept. 24, 2017. (They stood for the playing of “God Save the Queen.”) The symbolic gesture, which spread nationwide this weekend, comes two days after Trump’s harsh comments on players who don’t stand during “The Star-Spangled Banner.” NFL player Colin Kaepernick began kneeling during the national anthem last year as a way to peacefully protest U.S. police brutality against African Americans. Photo by Tim Ireland/AP.

This week offers yet another interesting and complex round of astrology, all on the heels of the Libra equinox. Here in the Northern Hemisphere, the scales of that sign have tipped in the direction of night being longer than day. This also begins a new season, with the attendant surge of power coming from the Earth, in all hemispheres.

The new Libra Sun is distinguished this year by a long conjunction to Vesta, the brightest asteroid. The Sun has been gradually aligning with Vesta, which will be exact at 10:17 am on Wednesday, Sept. 27.

Music students from the Albany School of Rock came out on stage wearing execution hoods and prison jumpers during the Roger Waters concert last night. This was during the song “Another Brick in the Wall Part Three” (we don’t need no education, we don’t need no thought control: that one). They removed the outfits to reveal black shirts that said RESIST. Photo by Eric Francis.

Libra is generally held to be the sign of relationships, of “you and me.” The presence of the mighty Vesta in this scene is holding open the space for the kinds of relationships that are usually considered taboo, inappropriate or the result of seeming failure.

Vesta is the sigil of spiritual growth dictating the form of relationship rather than life revolving around devotion to the concept of a partner. (Autocorrect substituted the word “parent” for my original mistyping of “partner,” which is accurate: partnerships that are based on parental relationships.)

In any event, Vesta holds space; whether we’re talking about the hearth, which is a tribute to her, or the presence of the Vestal priestesses at all Roman government functions in the days of the empire. There was some understanding in that time that the ever-devoted Vestals provided protection for the empire, and that it would be vulnerable should their order of priestesses ever end; that turned out to be true (another story).

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At the core of this week’s astrology is the Virgo New Moon, exact at 1:29 am EDT on Wednesday, Sept. 20. Can you believe it’s been a month since the Aug. 21 total solar eclipse? And quite a month it’s been, as superstorms have wiped the infrastructure off of whole islands, and have rearranged much of Florida and Texas.

Barred spiral galaxy — in this case, an artist’s image of the Milky Way.

The Virgo New Moon is a high-impact event, if you measure by the many aspects it makes to slow-moving planets and deep-space points, particularly the Galactic Core.

The Moon and Sun form their conjunction in an opposition to Chiron. The is the last of seven Sun-Chiron oppositions during Chiron’s run through Pisces, which began in 2010. So it’s the first of several send-offs to this phase of history, as Chiron gets ready to enter Aries.

The message here seems to be about understanding the purpose and the impact of our relationships. The purpose must, on some level, involve healing. The impact could be anything, though it’s essential to remember that it exists. Our relationships are the primary way that we teach one another, and define our reality. For its part, Chiron in Pisces has offered a thread of reality though a decade of ever-increasing human indulgence in fantasy.

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Rough surf in Boynton Beach, FL, on Sunday. Photo by Jim Rassol/South Florida Sun-Sentinel/AP.

Once again we begin the week with a national crisis on our hands, born of a global situation: one of the most powerful storms on record has ravaged Caribbean islands and now Florida and, potentially, surrounding states and others as far north as Tennessee.

Larry Kahn, an editor of a news website based in the Florida Keys, was quoted in the Miami Herald Saturday: "Everything is underwater. I mean everything."

Evacuation of “gypsy chickens,” who roam around as part of an island tradition, from the path of Hurricane Irma by local residents of Key West, FL. Photo by Key West Finest.

As everyone knows, this follows by mere weeks the flooding and storm surges of Hurricane Harvey that devastated the Gulf Coast of Texas, and by a few days a massive earthquake in Mexico.

Wildfires are currently raging in many Western states. Just a few days ago, our beloved friend and editor in Oregon, Carol van Strum, as a forest fire lingered just miles away, was busy figuring out how to load her family of birds and dogs into her truck. We all knew that her donkeys and horses would have to be left behind, should the fire reach her neck of the forest. Thankfully they were all safe. Not everyone was so fortunate.

It is exhausting to be confronted with this kind of news several times a week, endlessly. It may seem that only those at the scene are involved, and for everyone else, these are conceptual events. Yet because we are connected via an extended nervous system, which reaches directly to the scene of every disaster and feeds your eyes and ears, we are in a sense right there.

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As you enter this week, remember: much in the astrology is signaling that all may not be as it seems, in one way or another. Thankfully, you should not have to wait long for things to begin shaking out and clarifying. Even so, the theme for this week is taking things slowly and methodically — while keeping your eyes and ears sharp for unexpected but crucial details.

The 2013 Pisces Full Moon; photo by Amanda Painter.

The overall tone is being set by two major events. The first is Mercury stationing direct in late Leo, in the same degree as the Aug. 21 eclipse, on Tuesday at 7:29 am EDT (11:29 UTC). The other is the Pisces Full Moon conjunct Neptune on Wednesday, exact at 3:03 am EDT (7:03 UTC).

Either of those events would warrant your attention. Together, they indicate the potential for a mix of emotional uncertainty that’s building to a peak, combined with mental turbulence or distraction and a changing of gears (or change of direction). You might find that stressful. However, if you’re involved in any kind of creative endeavor — especially if it does not rely on digital technology — this astrology could be very useful.

The more you can flow with your vision, muse or immediate environment, the easier things will likely be. Any situation where you must work against a metaphorical tide could prove challenging.

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Never a dull moment, huh? I trust, at least, that a touch of normalcy or at least a slower pace has returned to your personal life. We could all use a little break; and there have been few to be had, though there was a distinct pressure drop in the days after last week’s long-anticipated eclipse.

Spinning fire outside Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris. Photo by Eric.

Over the weekend, Mercury and the Sun formed their interior conjunction, marking the halfway point of Mercury retrograde. Right now, Mercury is where the action is. As I mentioned in Thursday’s edition, Mercury makes a series of moves on the way to stationing direct on Sept. 5.

If astrology means anything, this will stir up a whole new frenzy in national affairs, which people are taking on a rather personal level these days.

This includes the grand total of zero Planet Waves readers who show up to white supremacy marches, and others who show up at the gleeful counter-protests that are the real gift of the current political moment.

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Given all that’s happened in recent days, many people are feeling as if there’s no future. You might be wondering whether there’s any point in trying to strive for the kind of growth, personal fulfillment or community involvement we often encourage in these pages. I’d like to start this week by saying firmly that there is a future, there is a point, and there is plenty of room for you on this beautiful planet. I strongly suggest you refuse to allow fear or apathy to prevail; and that you instead redouble your efforts to infuse your life, and those of the people you love, with joy and meaning.

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In one week and one day, we’ll experience the first of two eclipses: the Aug. 7 Aquarius Full Moon and partial lunar eclipse. That will open the door to the Aug. 21 total solar eclipse in Leo. These are the key midyear events; so you’ll want to notice whatever happens in your life this week, and the coinciding astrology, and use it to prepare yourself and get pointed in a direction that’s best for you.

Partial lunar eclipse from 2007. Photo by Steve Ryan.

Consider for a moment the Sabian symbols for the Full Moon eclipse degrees (the Sabians are a series of channeled symbols for each zodiac degree). For the Sun at 16 Leo, we get: “The storm ended, all nature rejoices in brilliant sunshine,” with the keynote, “The surge of life and love after a major crisis.”

Meanwhile, the symbol for the Moon at 16 Aquarius reads: “A big businessman at his desk,” with the keynote, “The ability to organize the many aspects of an enterprise involving a large group of human beings.” This pair of symbols, taken together, seem to speak of both the new space that opens up between eclipses for vibrant change and growth, and the clear need to get organized (within oneself and with others) to facilitate that.

If you’ve felt a little too overcommitted, distracted or overwhelmed with self-doubt to begin getting focused on your desired trajectory, it’s possible that the inherent energy peak of the Full Moon and partial lunar eclipse might come with some tension or sense of deadlock. As that comes to a head, it could offer some useful clarity.

Before we get there, on Monday, Venus enters Cancer. This brings Venus into the Moon’s home sign — a more instinctual, sensitive, emotional and perhaps even subconscious role compared to how its energy expressed in Gemini. Notice if your inner tides feel more cyclical; pay attention to how you feel about your sense of ‘security’ and about things like family.

On Wednesday, Mercury makes a conjunction to the asteroid Vesta in Virgo. With both Vesta and Virgo related to service, this looks like a reminder to let your thoughts and words serve a tangible purpose — as in, a purpose beyond yourself and your own gain. How can you make your devotion manifest? It’s possible that can happen through keeping your inner creative flame lit, and expressing it to the world.

Moving things along in the background is Jupiter in Libra square Pluto in Capricorn (exact Friday) — and this aspect will still be quite close during the Full Moon at the end of the week. Jupiter-Pluto is an engine: the ambition to achieve great things, especially if it involves repairing, rebuilding or restoring something.

Composite image tracking the progress of a lunar eclipse in late September 2015. Photo by Dominique Dierick.

Operating between cardinal signs related to relationships and justice (Libra) and institutions and structures (Capricorn), there’s a reminder here to work from the inside out.

That is, if you find yourself getting a little obsessive about reforming a social group, a longstanding tradition or a relationship partner, you’re likely to meet considerable resistance. The upcoming eclipses are portals for your own quantum growth; that’s not something you can force on others, no matter how enthusiastic you are about it.

Even so, when the Moon and Sun oppose each other on Aug. 7, they’ll be applying within a couple degrees or so to Jupiter and Pluto. This means the upcoming partial lunar eclipse is tapping into that background engine. Keep yours warmed up, and stay sensitive to your instincts.

To shine outwardly like the Sun, it helps to get your inner facets of Self working in harmony. As this Aquarius Full Moon and partial eclipse is a South Node eclipse, it may be helpful to remember that part of any thorough organizing effort is the process of releasing what is no longer needed, to make space for what’s ready to emerge.