If September had a key word, it would be release. Not all the pressure will be gone, but there will be a substantial subsidence as both Jupiter and Pluto return to direct motion. During these planets’ retrogrades, which have been linked this year, we have been asking ourselves, “Do we have enough time to make up for our mistakes? How can we recover from the past?” Whether this is in our personal lives or the public arena, these questions have haunted us.

As Pluto leaves the optimistic “what if” of Sagittarius, it enters the realistic “what is” of Capricorn. Where last year Jupiter in its home sign of Sagittarius spurred our vision of a future full of possibilities, this year in Capricorn it magnifies our fears of a future that we can only hope to survive. It has acted as a catalyst upon the areas of decay that Pluto will reveal as it travels through Capricorn, bringing them to the surface so that we can see them. Last year it seemed impossible that a bank could fail and those who suggested it were on the lunatic fringe; now we’re hoping that the one we bank with remains solvent.

Yet, just as Jupiter magnified our hopes in 2007, it expands on our worries in 2008. Just as our Jupiterian dreams of limitless wealth went up in smoke, so too will our worst fears for the future. We can imagine it much worse than it will be. As Jupiter goes direct, we will find the limits on our problems. Although we may face a daunting future as a species (or culture or community), we will manage, and as Jupiter and Pluto return to forward motion, we will begin to see how we can manage—even thrive—in the new world we now inhabit.

I do not mean to damn our experience of these planets with faint praise; they will be felt in powerful and beneficial ways by most people, a true release to forward motion in our lives after a very long pause. At the same time that they turn direct, the Sun is near its waning trine with each, adding to the reward period feel. September will bring a harvest that is worthy of the name, including to food supplies. We can expect bumper crops this year to bolster the flagging food economy around the world.

The big planetary news is the Saturn-Uranus opposition that is coming into focus. It has already been felt in July and August as Mars, then Venus and Mercury have triggered it. Now the Sun juices it up mightily, but the trine to Jupiter creates an energy pattern we can work with. All these good vibrations culminate on September 18-19 when the Moon enters Taurus and provides the missing link to a kite pattern with Jupiter and Saturn, and Uranus at the apex. This promises to be an incredibly fertile pattern that we can all use to smooth out the bumps in life.

Saturn and Uranus will oppose each other five times over the next three years. They bring to a head the primal conflict between tradition and innovation, between the status quo and the revolutionary. We can expect the US elections to display this conflict in stark contrast—evident already in the McCain “age and experience” campaign versus the Obama “youth and innovation” position.

In digging into this pattern further, we find buried the seed of the next yearly Saturn cycle, which starts when the Sun reaches it on September 3. This starts another year of building toward a solid future, of creating a firm foundation that we can rely on and will not fade away.

Meanwhile, we begin to experience a gentler understanding of the healing process we are experiencing this year, even a feeling of grace, forgiveness, and gratitude, as Mercury and Venus make the first trines to the healing pair Chiron and Neptune. There will be some awkwardness as Mercury and Venus also quincunx Uranus as we adjust to the changes that they nudged us toward in August. Still, on the whole we should be well able to make life work better for us now than in the midsummer.

The one potential wrench in the works comes with Mercury’s retrograde, which starts on September 24. Our faithful messenger will be bringing a message full of complexity this time as it makes multiple contacts to other planets and points, namely Jupiter, Mars, North Node, Chiron, Venus, Uranus, Neptune, and the Sun. Add the Moon to the mix, and only Saturn and Pluto are not engaged in this “whole-sky” experience. We will respond with a rapid adjustment and integration process that will leave us more whole than when we started the process. The entire interlude is complete on October 29. It does not follow, however, that this need be difficult. Most of the contacts are harmonious ones (conjunctions and trines); only two are challenging—a square to Jupiter and a quincunx to Uranus. Watch what happens when these first occur to gain clues as to how to resolve related issues.

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 1

Labor Day’s dreams bring vague feelings of discomfort as the Moon conjoins Pluto in the wee hours. For the better part of the day we’re ruminating on what needs doing during the month of September while the Moon reaches toward Venus and Mercury. There’s much to be accomplished! You’ll feel relieved and inspired by the end of the day, ready to take action under a Moon-Mars conjunction. A void Moon expires before we rise, so don’t worry about wasted efforts. It enters Libra at 4:44 AM, emphasizing our urge to create balance in life.

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2

With the Moon applying to a trine to Neptune all day, you’ll wonder where all your get-up-and-go went to. If you feel fogged, some energy balancing may be in order, but it is probably more a day to dream and create than it is a day for definitive action.

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 3

Our consciousness is infused with energy today as the Sun conjoins Saturn. This begins a year-long cycle of constructive development and wise use of responsibility, so plan well what you wish to accomplish for the next 12 months. Although you have a month to create an approach, stay alert to the signals you receive today. The late morning is a good time for imagining and planning, as the Moon goes void of course at 10:09 AM until 1:02 PM, when the Moon enters Scorpio.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 4

Our constructive efforts of yesterday are bolstered by supportive aspects today as the Sun trines Jupiter and the Moon ties all the harmonious planets together into a neat little package throughout the day. Its sextiles to Saturn, Jupiter, and Sun create a minor grand trine and bring back the opportunities of the past week for a second chance at good fortune.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 5

Today is a day to play, as the Moon enters its void period at 8:46 AM, and doesn't emerge until just after midnight. Its aspects early in the day to Uranus and Neptune lend power to our creative and intuitive processes.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 6

The Moon enters Sagittarius at 0:11 AM, one of three times this month when it will spotlight the Saturn-Uranus opposition and all its supporting cast. While today is deceptively calm, with only sextiles to Venus and Mercury to disturb the waters, tomorrow is full of activity. Rest while you can, live in the present, prepare if necessary.

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 7

Today is chock full of activity, mirroring the unusually high number of planetary events. Before we rise, the Moon will have sextiled Mars, then squared Saturn and the Sun. With the midday heated by a square between Mars and Jupiter, we’ll feel an irrepressible urge to get things done. It won’t be enough to watch the football games—we’ll need to be playing or working in a more active manner. The biggest event, though, is the return of Jupiter to forward motion at 9:16 PM. Even though it officially occurs late in the day, there’s a general feeling of relief and release that will pervade the day. Don’t be surprised if there are lots of parties this weekend as people feel the shift of energy and respond to it. As if that weren’t enough, a Mercury square Jupiter near bedtime brings restlessness and precipitates new awareness. Perhaps we need to change the way we organize our lives in light of our new plans and routines. (This is the first of three Mercury contacts, so remember to observe what occurs with this influence.) Be alert to the lunar contacts to Saturn and Uranus to get a glimpse of the next three years: it reaches Saturn at 1:01 AM and Uranus at 6:19 PM.

We can’t let the day’s events obscure our observance of the First Quarter Moon, which occurs at 7:04 AM at 15:19 Sagittarius. With the Sun just past Saturn in the 11th house for the chart cast in Washington DC, legislative gridlock is likely as the election looms and partisan passions rise. With the Moon squaring the Sun-Saturn and Uranus from Sagittarius and the 2nd house, economic figures may make things look rosier for a brief time, but some people will still suffer with the same problems that have plagued the economy all year, from foreclosures to job losses to inadequate health coverage (all issues represented by this T-square). A Venus-Mercury-Mars conjunction on the Libra Ascendant suggests that partnerships with other countries and leaders will help in the short term but may obligate the US in ways that will curtail our freedoms later on (these planets square Jupiter). Still, all these events have a silver lining and a spiritual purpose as they bring the US culture more into balance with the realities that the rest of the world is aware of (Libra stellium trines North Node-Chiron-Neptune).

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 8

The hits just keep on coming, as two major planetary events occur today. Jupiter trines Saturn, the fourth of five in this waxing series of trines; and Pluto is stationary direct. Today’s energies are so strong that they will overflow both directions to give a more positive and powerful glow to events. Things that happen today (or happened yesterday) will have a longer term and deeper impact than those of other days. The Moon’s contact with Pluto early in the day will underscore this, and Mercury’s conjunction to Mars makes our choices and actions more intelligent. Although the Moon is void of course at 9:42 AM to 12:45 PM, this should not be a concern, as the Moon still performs when in Sagittarius. The Moon enters Capricorn at 12:45 PM.