By Amanda Painter

Do you feel ready for a breath of fresh air — or any kind of air, for that matter? Between hurricanes, forest fires, earthquakes and a U.S. president who seems to be pushing for nuclear war, I wouldn’t be surprised if your breathing has gown increasingly shallow over recent weeks. Collectively, we’re under a lot of pressure; personally, you might be facing your own stressors on top of everything else, and be looking for some release.

Photo by Amanda Painter

Astrologically, we’re about to get that breath of air.

On Friday, Sept. 22, the Sun enters the cardinal air sign Libra just before 4:02 pm EDT (20:02 UTC), signaling the autumnal equinox: one of two points in the year when everyone on the planet experiences equal amounts of day and night. This begins a new season. Given all the mental-level activity involving Virgo lately, the equinox also begins to shift the emphasis of the sky toward a different form of doing. Taking physical action, even in small or subtle ways, can feel like a tremendous relief when the world feels overwhelming.

But what would you take action on? Well, waiting just inside the Libra doorway is the asteroid Vesta. Vesta relates to devotion, service and dedication. So one way to pick a direction would be to notice where you already feel called to help out in some way. Not where you feel guilt-tripped into lending a hand; and not where you feel like you’d have to sacrifice what’s most meaningful to you. (Vesta can relate to sacrifice; but in Libra, the emphasis is on balance — happily giving something up can still be considered ‘in balance’.)

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Later today (or early tomorrow, depending on where you reside), the Moon moves on to Leo for the weekend. Then, on Monday, Luna leaves Leo for Virgo where it will meet up with the Sun for a New Moon, either Tuesday night or Wednesday morning (once again, depending on your time zone).

With the Virgo New Moon next week, a new lunar cycle will begin. Astrological events leading into and following the next lunation appear to be promising. Yet (as always) astrology is not destiny.

You are not a puppet in the cosmos. You are a participant. The greatest influences on you rarely (if ever) emanate from above. Rather, it is your choices that most often determine your fate.

Even so, what goes on in the sky (and on the zodiac) does provide guidelines for you to take into account. It all begins with awareness.

We are now in the final days of a lunar cycle that started with an exceptional New Moon which was also a total solar eclipse, on Aug 21. Depending on your personal astrology, it may seem like a long time ago — or only yesterday. Regardless, at this point it would probably be a good idea to practice long-term awareness on a daily basis.

Looking back to the solar eclipse, and ahead into next week, the holistic picture portrayed by astrology represents much that is supportive of your efforts. By the same token, some circumspection (even caution) would seem to be in order.

Mercury’s conjunction with Mars tomorrow will rapidly fade into the past, provided you can refrain from being reckless (or ruthless) this weekend. Then, come Tuesday, Mercury will leave behind the portion of the zodiac it has retraced three times — going into, during, and after its most recent retrograde.

Less than ten hours after Mercury moves past the 12th degree of Virgo, Venus (still rising brilliantly before the Sun) will emblematically follow suit by departing Leo to join the Sun, Moon, Mercury and Mars in Virgo.

Less than five hours after Venus makes its ingress, the Sun and Moon will conjoin in Virgo’s 28th degree. Finally, a week from today, the Sun will move on to Libra to precipitate an equinox and initiate a new season. That’s a lot of implicit momentum over the course of one week.

It is almost as if both a proverbial tide and metaphorical wind will be with you, and in support of any enterprise you have in mind. To cite just one example, the coming days would be an excellent time to publish a book or premiere a stage production.

The outcome of the coming week’s astrology, however, is not predetermined. A lot depends on one of the most powerful forces in the universe: your intent. Another big factor is your priorities. If, for instance, you were to run roughshod over the lives of others in pursuit of your ambitions, the result could easily be a success that is ultimately diminished by its cost.

To make the most of what remains of our current lunation and season, therefore, go boldly but with due diligence into this next week. Do not allow yourself to be mastered by either fear or ambition.

Be the master of yourself. Endeavor to feel the ground under your feet with each step. Make each stitch with equal care. Be willing to adapt just as much as you are determined to overcome. If the skies are any indication, it’s even now every bit as possible to bring as it is to be brought a renewed balance and equity to your life.

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By Amanda Painter

With each new natural disaster that has swept through the news recently (hurricanes, floods, fires, earthquakes…) it feels as though the planet is trying to get our attention: no matter how much technological ‘progress’ we make, it won’t matter until we face the damage we do to the Earth, commit to changing harmful behavior patterns, and act to heal the environment — our home. By healing the environment we can heal ourselves; and the process can also work in reverse.

Photo by Amanda Painter

Interestingly, the astrology now and through the weekend speaks to this dynamic.

And although it may seem to be speaking on an entirely personal level, extrapolating the message to the macro level and applying it to the planet (both environmentally and socially) makes sense. But let’s start with the personal.

Tomorrow (Friday), Mercury in Virgo opposes the centaur planet Nessus in Pisces. I wrote this week on Planet Waves that this aspect “looks like a reminder: no matter how logical and rational you think you are, emotionally dysfunctional patterns from the past (including those you’ve inherited from your parents or grandparents) need to be faced and seen for what they are, and for what they to do to you. Once you can see them, you can begin addressing and disarming them.”

It’s worth noting that just yesterday, on Wednesday, Mars in Virgo made its own opposition to Nessus. And on Saturday, Mercury and Mars form a conjunction. So this Mercury-Nessus conjunction also has the firepower of Mars behind it.

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It has been well over half a century since Bob Dylan told us “the answer is blowin’ in the wind.” If events in the three weeks since the Leo New Moon and total solar eclipse of Aug. 21 have demonstrated anything, it’s that Dylan richly deserved his Nobel laureate. To the same nation over which the Moon’s shadow correlated with questions, the wind has repeatedly brought reply.

Nobody, for example, can plausibly dispute the fact that sea levels have risen over the past century. Now, hurricanes Harvey and Irma have confirmed just what a big difference an increase of inches can make.

In the Pacific Northwest of the contiguous U.S., the ashes of incinerated trees have been carried by winds into cities. As if in response to how timber has been farmed with an eye toward profit, charred flecks of forest have covered cars, interfered with breathing and infested the inner workings of personal computers.

To the ancient Chinese, the wind was a background of sorts. Separate from but integrated with their five “elements” (fire, earth, water, wood and metal), moving air was noted for its ability to carry information both over vast distances and through the smallest crevice. Bob Dylan’s cogent observation of where an answer could be found was thus not without precedent.

Now, with this latest round of answers borne on a breeze, other questions have been raised. Who (and how many) have heard? Of those, who (and how many) have listened?

It is not randomly coincidental that a corporation named after the fruit of a tree has just announced a new (and very expensive) “phone” device. Those who can afford this latest model will do more than distinguish themselves by their relative wealth. Ironically, a financial commitment to information which is entirely of human artifice will render its owners even more deaf and isolated than ever before.

Yet, assuming the thinking of long-ago Asian sages is still applicable, nobody can totally escape the wind. The forces that combine to bring an apple to the ground will not be evaded by anyone.

In astrology, there are only two objects that also function as substantial physical forces continuously felt on Earth: the luminaries (the Sun and Moon). Their gravity combines to precipitate tides. In addition, the Sun’s radiation participates with gravity and Earth’s rotation to drive the wind.

The planets, while not negligible, are far more subtle.

Hence, it should be no surprise that answers recently brought by the wind have a temporal correspondence with an especially momentous beginning for the current monthly cycle between the luminaries.

It is a cycle that has not yet concluded. We have another week before another New Moon (which will not be a solar eclipse) renews an ostensibly more ordinary rhythm between the Sun and Moon. You would therefore do well to heed air in motion, and listen for yet more news that can in no way be construed as fake.

It will not be an ill wind, except for those who deny it.

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Speculation is not an entirely bad thing, so long as it is leads to something more solid. On occasion, an established way of explaining events or scenarios does not account for observations. In such a case, it makes sense to first examine available data carefully.

Most often, any given discrepancy between expectations and what happens can be traced back to errant information. Only once in a while (and only after the data has been verified) is it reasonable to question how the expectation was formed.

Looking at the motion and distribution of celestial bodies and points to get useful clues for understanding the world and your life is (to say the least) controversial. Yet, it is self-evident that you and planet Earth are part of a system defined by matter-energy moving in predicable ways through space-time.

If you will grant that any one part of a system tells you something about both any other part and also the whole, it is not unreasonable to employ astrology as a tool. Based on the present holistic distribution and motion of cosmic entities, astrology as an implement for at least orienting yourself should not be excluded from your personal tool box.

That’s because the world in which you live has demonstrated some undeniable trends since the total solar eclipse on Aug. 21. One word which could fairly be employed to describe prevailing patterns over the last two-plus weeks is “unprecedented”.

From the behavior of some people to behavior of the Sun, exceptions to recent memory (at least) abound. Established means of anticipating and explaining account for less than they have for a long time.

In addition, there is no sign that extraordinary will cease to be more and more the rule anytime soon. For you (indeed for nearly everybody) that’s good news.

To become part of a paradigm shift which is presently being implied above and simultaneously expressed below, it is important not to speculate too much. By the same token, it is equally vital that you not confine yourself to ways and means of orientation and understanding which are not currently working as well as before.

Based on what the Sun is doing, it is reasonable to expect a new season in nearly any sense of the word. Looking at where the Moon is (and where it is moving), it should be possible to employ intuition in harmony with logic.

Mercury, Venus and Mars are each in their own way making progress towards a new beginning as well. Jupiter and Saturn imply that nobody is alone in any of this. Other objects orbiting the Sun (notably, but not confined to Uranus, Neptune and Pluto) are emblematically indicating both a long-term meaning and a short-term substance which cannot be cynically explained away as absurd, random or pointless.

Even a grounded skeptic cannot be construed to have a handle on what’s going on at this time. Awe and wonder are not unfounded, so long as you keep them in their place.

You may be justified in feeling small, helpless or confused for the moment. There is no reason to remain that way, however. So long as you run your imagination rather than having it run you, you can participate in achieving a greater understanding of what’s going on that will be serviceable for those not yet born.

You can start by examining what raw data you can gather with a critical eye, and follow the good information where it leads.

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By Amanda Painter

By now, whatever emotional energy peak you may have experienced with the Full Moon should be dissipating. And while you still might feel a little foggy or unsure about certain situations (thanks to Neptune’s lingering influence), at least the mental shenanigans of Mercury are slowly beginning to sort themselves out. ‘Easy does it’ is still the mantra du jour, though.

Photo by Amanda Painter

That might even go double for any unexpected pieces of information that came to you as Mercury stationed direct Tuesday morning.

As Mercury traces its way back through the degrees of the zodiac where it was just retrograde, see if you can follow the trail of breadcrumbs back from whatever you’ve been reflecting on or reviewing. Even though Mercury is returning to the same slice of zodiac where it was on Aug. 12, all of the other planets have shifted (whether slightly or dramatically). Don’t be surprised if, as you follow your breadcrumb trail back, you find yourself in a slightly different place, with slightly — or dramatically — different self-understanding or insight.

Saturday, Sept. 9, Mercury re-enters Virgo at 10:52 pm EDT (2:52 UTC Sunday), in direct motion. Waiting for it just inside the doorstep are the hypothetical point Transpluto at 2 degrees Virgo, and Mars at 4 degrees Virgo.

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True to the nature of any Full Moon, looking ahead even a few days currently seems to be speculative at best. Consistent with the context of tomorrow’s Full Moon in the midst of Pisces, circumstances would appear to support adaptation and adjustment. Yet, lest it escape notice, it is worth mentioning that this season is winding down.

It’s been a busy sky above you since the Leo New Moon and total solar eclipse on Aug 21. Less than two hours later, the Moon moved on to Virgo. The Sun followed suit the next day. It was a trend continued by the planets.

Since the Moon traced a nearly unprecedented shadow across the U.S., three sign-ruling planets (Mercury, Venus and Mars) have changed signs. Saturn and Mercury have also changed directions (coming out of retrograde), albeit almost imperceptibly so far.

As if in concordance, a lot in the world has also changed either context or direction in the past few weeks. It would not be too much of a stretch to surmise that you are somehow participating in a similar pattern. Even so, there is nothing quite like the advent of a new season.

No matter if your hands are as full as the Moon. It would almost certainly be a good idea to pause sometime soon for conscious anticipation of the Sun’s next big shift. Even if it means taking some time you don’t have, one of your best choices right now could very well be to contemplate your relationship with the Sun.

For nearly six months, the Sun has been directly overhead somewhere north of the equator. Now that situation is within weeks of flipping. In spite of the fact that most of us no longer live an agrarian lifestyle, an equinox is nothing to underestimate.

That’s because the Sun is a reference point beyond estimation. With its risings and settings, your daily life is at least affected, if not governed. More subtle, but no less impactful, is the relationship between your life and where on the east and west horizons the Sun rises and sets.

At the very least (and weather permitting) watch the Moon tonight. It will be the last full phase before the Sun enters Libra on Sept. 22. It’s not too soon to think about how the weather and rhythms of your life will change thereafter, even if any and all such eventualities seem impossibly far in the future.

Granted, being in the moment is often of paramount importance — especially when you are busier than ants swarming over the remains of a picnic. No instant stands alone, however. Indeed, even a rapid succession of demanding or prominent events is little more than chaos without context.

As with few other celestial events, equinoxes provide context — provided you do not let them pass you by. Take it from an experienced sky watcher: you will not want to notice the Sun’s ingress to Libra after it happens. You will want to see it coming; and, as result, allow yourself to savor every minute beforehand (as well as the event itself) all the more.

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Like many of astrology’s symbols, Neptune is complex. Yet, there are some salient features. The mythology of its name evokes water, especially the seas. There is also a quality that combines what is evident with the elusive. For instance, it was first sighted by Galileo over 400 years ago, but he knew not what it was.

Only with the Libra equinox of 1846 was Neptune at long last knowingly located by telescope and identified as a planet in our solar system. At the time, it was moving through late Aquarius.

In April of 1847, Neptune made its first tentative foray into Pisces. Shortly after, an annual retrograde took it back to the sign of its discovery. As 1848 drew to a close, the back-and-forth concluded. Neptune then traversed Pisces (the sign it is now said to co-rule, along with Jupiter) continuously until a another drawn-out transition to Aries initiated in 1861 and ended in 1862.

Nobody now living was alive from 1847 to 1862, but we do have a lot of information from the period. As the first half of the 19th century transitioned into its second 50 years, both the world as a whole and the U.S. in particular went through a lot of changes that still ripple through to this day.

Thus, when Neptune returned to Pisces in 2011-12, astrologers could reasonably expect an eventful tenure. Having Chiron lead the way this time around did nothing to dispel anticipations that Neptune would flex in ways both evident and otherwise. That being said, correspondence to events from other outer planets (Uranus, Pluto and Eris especially) has been far more obvious over the past five years or so.

Even if similar displays of correlation to Neptune in Pisces have not been clear for you before, recent days have strongly implied that Neptune’s signature is no longer exclusively written in disappearing ink.

Obviously, an unprecedented hurricane implies a rather muscular representation of Neptune’s nominal archetype. The principle extends to how everything (including hurricanes) is now subject to a pervasive climate in which authentic data is only with some effort sorted out from audaciously promulgated misinformation.

A national epidemic of premature and unnatural death due to alcohol and prescription drug abuse in the U.S. does not exactly seem incidental either.

If the mid-19th century is to be taken as an example, however, Neptune is also operating on levels beyond the obvious. The greatest legacy of its 21st-century tour through Pisces may just as well be you (or something or somebody in your life) as any famous, powerful or prosperous entity.

Whaling, for example, was a huge business during Neptune’s previous period in Pisces. Now, the hunting and killing of whales is nearly as vestigial as cetacean legs.

Traveling medicine shows, on the other hand, were not exactly considered to be harbingers of the future in the 1800s. Yet, from such beginnings sprang the means and methods of three of the largest corporate forces of our time: the indisputably Neptunian petroleum, pharmaceutical and entertainment media industries.

Now, the long-overshadowed, 21st-century flexing of Neptune in Pisces is finally becoming more prominent and recognizable. Unfortunately, many of the indications are as troubling as the mass slaughter of whales. Even so, the dissolute is not all there is to Neptune.

Also intrinsic to Neptune is the phenomenon of emergence. From below the surface of dominant realities will come what could be an entirely different future. What is even now rising from just under to just above the level of your conscious awareness are almost certainly some unprecedented ways of perceiving, living, loving and evolving that could very well continue to ripple through other lives in other centuries.

Perhaps most of all, Neptune represents what is hidden in plain sight. Therefore, should you perceive yourself being treated as invisible anytime soon, do not despair. Those who refuse to acknowledge you are not doing themselves any favors. In addition, they are according you a greater power than they could possibly understand: to operate on Neptune’s elevated ‘see level’. If ever there were a time to begin using that power for the good of everybody involved, it is now.

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