Ring the Bells That Still Can Ring

Astro Notes for New Moon in Virgo cycle (Sept 2-Oct 2)

I like to frequently refer to the bigger astrological picture to help understand the significance of any given monthly cycle. As readers of this column have heard me say many times, I believe the overriding astrological process governing our times is the epochal shift from the Age of Pisces to the Age of Aquarius. This great shift involves a change in the fundamental organizing principle of society from one of top-down hierarchies to that of decentralized, peer-to-peer networks. While this transition has been taking place for some time, I think that the years 2020-2026 represent a critical fulcrum point that is propelling us into the Age of Aquarius proper.

In 2020, Saturn, Pluto, and Jupiter met in a once-in-a-thousand year triple conjunction that correlated with the pandemic and our unprecedented global meta-crisis. From November this year through to July 2025, all five outer planets will change signs, ushering in a period of astonishingly rapid cultural change.

In my essay last year that looked at the astrology of the next 3-5 years, I argued that the period of 2020-2026 could be understood in terms of a birthing process, with 2020 being when the waters broke and 2025/26 representing the final push out of the birth canal and the beginning of a new era.

So here we are in September 2024, poised on the eve of this unbelievably epic time of historic change. It's simply an enormous moment.

The next ten weeks represent in this context an extremely potent time of inward preparation for the rapids we are about to enter.

For the first several months of 2024, all (or almost all) of the planets were moving forward, correlating with a period of accelerated outer progress toward our visions and goals. In April, we had the boon of Jupiter meeting Uranus in Taurus, a transit associated with creative breakthroughs and quantum leaps forward on many levels. Many new projects and visions came through in that time that can be seen as seeds that will bear fruit in the dawning age.

As of today (September 2), however, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto -- all of the astrological heavyweights -- are all moving retrograde. Yesterday (September 1) Pluto moved back into Capricorn one final time (before it will re-enter Aquarius in mid-November and stay there for the next twenty years). The next ten weeks or so thus bring a very special opportunity for a surgical process of inner preparation for the fast-moving times to come. I get the image of the drawing in of the ocean before a great tidal wave of change breaks on the shore.

Many of us are exhausted after living through the past four (or more) years of permanent crisis. Pluto's final visit to Capricorn is our last chance to let go of the old patterns and structures that will not work for us in the Aquarian age. Yet many of us are too tired to care. We just want to be done with the continuous struggle. Paradoxically, this can turn out in our favor, since we have nothing left to resist the forces of transformation. As Leonard Cohen famously put it:

Ring the bells that still can ring

Forget your perfect offering

There is a crack, a crack in everything

That's how the light gets in

Today's (September 2) new moon in Virgo is opposite Saturn and square Jupiter. It is thus re-activating the Jupiter square Saturn transit that was the dominant energy last month, bringing a major test to our dreams and visions, requiring us to re-evaluate our approach to life in some fundamental way. This process of review continues throughout this month's cycle, informed by our felt sense that deep changes are coming and that our life priorities are shifting accordingly.

Also today Uranus turned retrograde. The annual 155-day period of Uranus moving retrograde is a time to make internal shifts that pave the way for outer changes to occur when Uranus moves direct again. Often these inner shifts are preparation for outer actions that bring us a greater sense of personal freedom and autonomy. These Uranian themes may be especially pronounced around this time as Uranus changes direction.

Along with the outer planets in retrograde and Pluto re-entering Capricorn, this month's cycle also features an extraordinarily powerful eclipse window. There is a full moon lunar eclipse on September 18 and a new moon solar eclipse two weeks later on October 2. The best way, in my opinion, to work in sync with the universe at this time is to engage yourself in some kind of structured process of inner transformation. Eclipse windows are always powerful times to work with the shadow. This eclipse window is all the more potent for being the final one in our lifetimes to occur during Pluto in Capricorn. What's more, the lunar eclipse of September 18 is conjunct Neptune and sextile to both Pluto and Uranus. The most powerful transpersonal forces of our solar system are working with us at this time to supercharge our eclipse healing journey.

On September 22, shortly after the lunar eclipse, the Sun enters Libra, signifying the Autumn equinox in the northern hemisphere and the Spring equinox in the southern. There is a reason ancient cultures universally convened major rituals and ceremonies at the equinoxes and solstices, as they knew these days to be special portals through which to align with the greater cosmic powers. As Libra represents the principle of balance and harmony, the equinox is a beautiful time to meditate on these qualities and call them in more to your life.

Reality Check

Astro Notes for New Moon in Leo Cycle (Aug 4-Sept 2 2024)

For the first few months of this year, almost all the planets were moving forward, resulting in an exciting if hectic sense of fast-paced flow and forward progress. Since the end of May, the pace has been slowing down as first Pluto, then Saturn, then Neptune moved retrograde, shifting the focus gradually from outer action to more inward reflection and review. This month promises a rich stew of expansive opportunities amidst reality checks that will require us to enter more deeply into reflective space. At the very end of this month’s cycle, Pluto moves back into Capricorn for its final visit, one last reckoning with the old structures within ourselves and our world that need to die in order allow the new Aquarian ways that are coming to be born.

The month’s cycle begins on August 4 with a new moon in Leo in a sextile with Mars and Jupiter in Gemini. Leo is an expressive, playful energy that gives us permission to let our inner light sparkle and to connect with others in fun and creative ways. With Mars and Jupiter in harmonious alignment, the new moon offers us the courage and confidence to take advantage of this extraverted energy and connect with others in new and playful ways. If you have a choice, take a risk at this time, especially socially or romantically, and you will likely be rewarded.

On August 14, Mars is conjunct Jupiter in Gemini, initiating a 2 year cycle of growth and expansion in a new direction. When Mars, the principle of action, meets Jupiter, the principle of expansion, we have an opportunity to take action in a way that supports us to grow toward our deeper potential. It is a time to ask ourselves where we may have been underestimating our capacities and to say yes to opportunities that call us into the best version of ourselves. With this conjunction occurring in the mental sign of Gemini, these may be opportunities to expand our minds, to learn something new, or to exchange ideas with others in new and exciting ways.

Yet these expansive possibilities will first have to pass through an important reality test, since when Mars and Jupiter meet they will also be in a tight square with Saturn.

The Jupiter-Saturn square, which will be exact on August 20 but in effect throughout this month’s cycle, is one of the most significant transits of the year. It is best understood in the context of the Jupiter-Saturn synodic cycle, which began with the conjunction between these planets in December 2020. A synodic cycle is the period from one conjunction between two planetary bodies and the next one. The Jupiter-Saturn cycle could be said to represent the process of constructing new structures of belief and meaning, both in ourselves and society, to better serve our evolving reality. In December 2020 that process began anew, with seeds being planted in ourselves and our world for the creation of new systems based on new ideals and worldviews.

Now, with Jupiter and Saturn meeting in the opening square of the cycle, those new systems based on our new beliefs and worldviews will face their first serious test. We may have to experience something that humbles us, that confronts us with a limit, and that thereby requires us to enter into a more reflective place to figure out what we need to change. Saturn is always an initiation into greater maturity. We are forced to realize the gap between our ideals and how reality works and make the necessary adaptation — or not, in which case we kick the can down the road for a harsher lesson the next time around.

Saturn is often hard and disappointing in the beginning, yet satisfying in the end. If we can adapt to the challenge and meet reality as it is, we feel more secure, more grown up. We are grounded in reality and reality holds us.

We have a full moon in Aquarius August 19 in an exact square to Uranus and opposite Mercury. This is a highly visionary, mental energy where exciting insights and downloads that disrupt everything could drop in from nowhere. While we may initially resist the implications of whatever new ideas come in because of their shock factor, we can trust that they are giving us a nudge toward a future that is ultimately more aligned with who we are.

On August 23, the Sun enters Virgo. We move into that annual time of year when we return from our summer play and make preparations for the big push until the end of the year. The thing is, in Virgo season it usually feels good to take care of all the little practical things that make our life work.

On September 2, right at the end of the cycle, Pluto moves back into Capricorn. This is the last time Pluto will be in Capricorn for the foreseeable future. In November, Pluto will move into Aquarius and stay there for the next twenty years. So this is the final sweep of Pluto through any old and outdated structures in ourselves and our world that we cannot take with us as we enter into this emerging Aquarian Age. Don’t miss this final opportunity to release this burden from your soul.

Expect the Unexpected

Astro Notes for New Moon in Cancer cycle (July 5-Aug 4)

Before I talk about the main influences over this monthly cycle, I want to briefly recap where this year fits in the big picture, astrologically speaking. Since 2020, when Jupiter, Saturn, and Pluto met in a triple conjunction, the world was plunged into an initiatory crisis, a crucible of change when the structures and patterns of the old order have been dissolving and the seeds of the emerging era have been/are being planted. From November 2024 to July 2025, Pluto, Neptune, Uranus, Saturn, and Jupiter all change signs, meaning that we can expect quite soon now to pass through a rapid and unmistakable shift in the collective zeitgeist involving the start of many new plotlines in the human story and thus akin to something like a (re-)birth.

This year, on the other hand, involves the end of several major cycles and therefore is characterized more by the energy of completion-decay-death than beginning-creation-birth. 2024 represents the last year (in the foreseeable future) that Pluto will be in Capricorn (a 17 year cycle), the last year that Neptune will (solely) be in Pisces (a 13 year cycle), the last year that Uranus will (solely) be in Taurus (8 year cycle), and the last year that Saturn will (solely) be in Pisces (2 and a half year cycle).

This is important context to keep in mind if we find ourselves getting dispirited by the collective picture of so much decay and loss. One of the main benefits of astrology is the way it reminds us that no archetypal reality is final. Everything is in process, and when the new archetypal configuration comes in, the whole collective mood and sense of what’s possible shifts with it.

At the start of this new moon cycle, Pluto, Neptune, and Saturn are moving retrograde. From the end of January through to the beginning of May, almost all the planets were moving forward, resulting in a very fast paced start to this year with a lot of forward momentum. Now we are entering a period when the foot will come off the accelerator a little, with more opportunities for reflection, review, and learning lessons.

It’s Cancer season until July 22, meaning the background rhythm in that time will be characterized by themes of healing, self-care, home, and family. The new Moon in Cancer on July 5 is conjunct Venus and sextile Mars, bringing a soft, sweet, and sexy energy to the start of the monthly cycle.

The period that stands out for me in this month’s cycle is from July 12-18, when Mars and Uranus will meet in a conjunction in late Taurus. Mars conjunct Uranus is associated with sudden disruptive events, accidents, ‘a spanner in the works’, and a general energy of impulsive reactivity. The transit is at its peak on July 15-16, when it will also oppose Moon in Scorpio, adding a dimension of emotional intensity and drama to the mix.

It so happens that the Republican convention is from July 15-18. One must imagine that things will not go smoothly or as planned.

Soon after that, on July 21, we have a full moon at 29 degrees of Capricorn, closely conjunct Pluto and in an exact trine to Mars at 29 degrees of Taurus. The full moon in the final degree of Capricorn — the sign of the political establishment — in a conjunction with Pluto, the planet of power and in a trine to Mars the planet of action — and coming right on the heels of what portends to be a sensational Republican convention. Very interesting. We could see shocking political developments and decisive, consequential actions that cut away aspects of the old order. (I’m not, by the way, making any specific predictions about the fate of Donald Trump, just delineating the general archetypal patterns, which could manifest in various ways. It would not surprise, though, if something unexpected did occur in relation to him at the convention, since the Mars-Uranus transit is conjunct his natal MidHeaven, which represents our connection to success and society.)

On a personal level, that period of July 12-18 is one to be mindful of in terms of both the potential for emotional disruption and the benefit of practicing non-reactivity as much as possible. On July 16, there is an auspicious grand water trine between Sun, Moon, and Neptune that offers an opportunity for us to hold our reactions in a healing, spiritual container. This can help to redirect our consciousness to the higher possibilities hidden within whatever disruptive events we might experience with the Mars-Uranus conjunction.

On July 22, we enter Leo season, with the Sun joining Venus and Mercury in the sign of the Lion. In the northern hemisphere, Leo corresponds with the peak of summer, and the spirit of play and creative self-expression that typically accompanies that time of year. Leo season is our annual time of year to let our hair down, to play, to take risks to let our inner light shine so that we give others permission to do the same. Leo is a heart-based energy; as such, it is the one sign of the zodiac that can fully trust the impulse of the inner child. Let your inner child lead you at this time. Soon enough, when Virgo season arrives, we’ll be rolling up our sleeves to get back to work.