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Boots Hart Astrological Overview Boots Hart provides an overview and synthesis of the major energies, transits and key dates for the month as a whole.

by Boots Hart

As September opens, life takes us by the hand, and embraces us or grabs us in our gut with feelings of being undecided, needed, rejected, inspired and misunderstood, all tossed together like a salad. With the Sun in Virgo asking us to get to work and to make things work better while keeping our eye on greater goal (emphasizing realism and priorities), when you add in a Cancer Mars yet in early degrees, there’s petulance and determination a’ plenty.

Probably not focused on enough astrologically, Mars is linked first and foremost with Aries and 1st house precepts (in any horoscope), emphasizing the need to know yourself, be yourself and utilize your opportunities and abilities with courage, not just ego or for personal ends. Its association with the head, brain, blood and eyes indicates essential qualities of being alive, whether you see that as birth, or as the preservation of your being. The Mars/Aries emphasis is on being aware—of ourselves, others, our surroundings and the possible consequences of our acts.

Because of this, when Mars is the unproductive or negative influence, we see disregard, selfishness, cowardice, impulsiveness and a love of provoking others for what you get out of it.

When we talk Mars we also have to give a nod to Scorpio and the 8th house where Mars rules first, producing Plutonic (transformative) results either positive or negative. Being that this is a water sign and house (and thus emotional), the result may be acceptance or rejection, honoring the promise or commitment, a sharing of resources, and all else which comes of being in interaction/committed to people, entities and causes. But the real issue is how we feel about how we’ve done or the choices we’ve made through such venues. Thus while Scorpio and the 8th is where we get the Martian sense of hostility, holding grudges, wanting vengeance and all that, the real issue isn’t exactly entirely what "they" did: it’s that we chose to get involved with "them" or expected "them" to be something they never were going to be. And which if we had had our Mars eyes in straight and our brain in gear, we would have (should have?) known. 

Through its association with Self, and awareness, and how these foster courage and assertiveness of choice, Mars becomes associated with a responsibility for what we do. Or don't do. Or chicken out of. Or crave but never attempt—or simply crave for our own satisfaction, screw anyone else.

All that is now posed through Cancer, an emotional sign (Cancer is a water sign), which by its association with family, home and childhood is best delivered with tenderness. Mars is exalted (strong) in Cancer’s opposition sign of Capricorn—Capricorn being a sign all about accomplishment in the world. So while there are certainly good things which can be accomplished through bringing this Mars "can-do" energy into the realm of home or family where it becomes the fixer of broken drawer slides, energetic cleaner of clutter and tender caring energy which band-aids boo-boo's and is supportive of loved ones, when Mars transits Cancer (August 25th—October 15th) it also tends to manifest as sulkiness, frustration, inhibition, stubbornness and out-and-out destructiveness of all it otherwise might hold dear. Sometimes that has a purpose—the thing you hold dear (or which someone else is saying you should hold dear) may be holding you back. In such cases, Mars in Cancer becomes the energy which allows you to stand up for yourself, to decide to really be yourself and to courageously face what needs eliminating so that something new, better and more authentically you and useful to grow from (or in) can take its place.

The trick? Knowing which is which—which calls for awareness, lest Mars-in-Cancer simply become the decision, action or judgment which is rash, the snarky snipe which comes back to haunt you or the obsessive self-absorption which is so typically Mars-gone-sour.

So as we start the month with the Sun in Virgo’s emotional degrees and Mars in Cancer’s early "doing" degrees, everyone’s determination and courage is being tested, primarily as to whether what you’re doing is leading anywhere and whether that goal is really useful, some kind of joke or something which is all about you, nevermind anybody else. With Mercury in early Libra there’s a lot of conversing and exchanging of ideas—which in bad moments will be heated words. It’s a time to mind your reputation and at the same time become more aware of what your reputation is. And we should all beware rumors, lots of which can be expected to be flying. With Venus in early Leo, what something "appears" to be is going to get a lot of attention.

But it’s not just all about the package—the real point is that what you put out will come back to you. You know—that cause/effect thing? Libra is news coming in (the acceptance, rejection, applause, critique, good/bad news) and Venus/Leo is all about what you’ve made something out to be, or your having earned acceptance through your personal application of creative thought, ideas, function or presentation. So where things go well—take a step forward, but don’t assume you can just forget the effort thing. Stay aware! And where things go badly? Consider what you’re doing. Like as not, it may not be all about "them." Some of it may be in who you have chosen to be. Or not be. Or do. Or not do. Mars in Cancer can preserve traditions, reveal fuddy-duddiness, put things in your hands or take things out of them. Whatever is going on, think about why it’s happening, not just whether you’re happy about it. That counts too—but it’s not the whole picture.

One last Mars note here: with Mars moving through Cancer’s physical degrees in opposition to Pluto, there are chances for illness, fevers and skin irritations/eruptions, GI problems and issues having to do with kidneys, bones, teeth, nails and absorption. Even more unpleasant is that this moment may well coincide with violence, particularly where prickly matters have been on hold. Such issues may well flare up with the Full Moon at 12 Pisces on September 4. Posed as a Virgo Sun (practicality, methodology, effort, propriety) conjunct Pallas (knowing) in opposition to the Pisces (vulnerability/trust versus ego/fears) Moon (all things valued) in conjunction with Sabine (violation/domination through intimidation) and Photographica (emotional-mental images and questions of “how things look”), this is a primal sort of moment which pits the reality of need against unfounded, unwarranted or even delusional emotionality.

Full Moons always being evocative times when issues come into focus to get reflected on (as the Moon reflects sunlight), this may be a time when needs materialize. With Mars coming into trine from Cancer, the issue may be basic. And widespread. But no matter: with all this in play, September 5 dawns and Mars conjuncts Niobe (pride produces loss) while in a "challenge-prone" (square) aspect to Mercury, exposing the "idea of the thing" and commentaries thereon.

With the astrological rule being that the faster-moving planet (Mercury) provide a "trip wire," it’s the saying or hearing something which sets things off—and with Mars and Niobe in Cancer, arguments are likely to be in/about the home, family—or some other commonly held Cancer issue like heritage, "the people," nationality, real estate, housing, ethnicity, childhood and cultural identification. Since Mars/Niobe is unlikely to manifest pleasantly, expect resistance and every form of defensiveness—from the justified to ridiculous and from the verbal to the physical. Careful discussions which emphasize exploring options and (emotional) reasons for resistance are essential as fear of loss or lack of social stature/position (perceived power) are running high, exacerbating insecurities. The rule of thumb is not to be hasty, but to not resist change simply because it’s new. Respect is important now, so try to keep an eye on that, too.

All of this is but a preface (in a sense) to Mercury going retrograde at 6 Libra on September 7 (September 6 in the Americas and Pacific region)—a fact which may load in a feeling of urgency between September 1 and 6. Lore tells us that things which happen "naturally" prior to a Mercury retrograde often work out well, but to force anything is unwise. Events a day or two prior to or after this station are literal "turning points" and with all this taking place in Libra, getting to the why things work/don’t work is highly useful. Whatever the theme of the moment is, don’t expect anything to settle out until Mercury goes direct on the 29th. In the meantime, scope things out. Ask questions. Look for new ways of capitalizing on gains. Just don’t glue yourself down.

And if you’re thinking this is "just a phase"? Well it may be, but with Pluto going direct on September 11 at 0 Capricorn as Mars moves into Cancer’s emotional degrees, it’s going to be a phase you certainly remember! Looking back to where Pluto went retrograde (at 3 Capricorn on April 4, 2009) when Venus was retrograde in Aries, we’re given the clear connection to this being a year of "building anew," no matter how uncomfortable that feels. And to many—no question, it really does feel uncomfortable!

Where changes have been put into motion, they now move forward. Where they’ve been (or get) stalled, look for breakdowns or just plain regular implosions. Even explosions. Why this happens is simple: what we won’t do willingly, the universe provokes. Having heard from readers that they’d like information on the United States’ efforts to deal with health care, this Pluto station occurring with Sun in Virgo is all about that—among other things. But don’t expect resolution—not just yet. This Pluto station is going to raise ethics questions, which in America will underscore the difficulty of resolving the needs of a capitalistic system (i.e., profits) against health—which is in the end, the support of human life. With the station posed at 0 Capricorn, the emphasis is on moral responsibility of power and the power of moral responsibility (yes, the door swings both ways) which in turn asks what freedom really is and whether any societal entity (government or commercial) bears (equal) responsibility for the society which they serve and which in the end, supports their existence. Where does individuality and individual dignity end and the right of the collective begin? These are huge questions which in truth are not likely to be fully framed (nevermind confronted) until after Neptune goes direct in November.

So while a health care bill may now go forward, the total picture has not yet developed. In the end, health care will become a question of money versus life, evolving into (among other things) a separation of human ethics (spirituality) from religious morality—which is terribly Neptune!

But we do get one more clue about current Big Picture processes here, one which in being so obviously global shows us that the US health care debate is but one facet, one symptom of a greater world dynamic. Remember the cosmic clock striking the Saturn-Uranus opposition last year? Saturn, representing all things stable and supportive (life’s various frameworks and what it takes to maintain and grow that framework), can be either stick-in-the-mud /status quo or a careful gardening force which in cutting away the overgrown and outdated dead wood allows and encourages new growth.

Against this, Uranus is the power source, one which can be shocking—hence its association with electricity and all things electrical—or a source of delight, hence Uranus’ association with innovation and discovery. So the question is whether we are breaking things or improving them. Or becoming broken because we won’t change, or being so afraid of change that we’re breaking down. Or being broken down. With this transit the easy thing is to point fingers. The hard thing is to recognize that the first thing we have to question is our own rigidity. The walls we build. Our limitations. Our escapist tendencies which we righteously defend either as "freedoms" or entitlement.

Society is Saturnine. But so is our individuality. And how we deal with changes which lead to growth, how we preserve the best of the past while living in the present and learn to be better people individually and as part of groups (“a people”) has been at the heart of Uranus opposition Saturn, which come September 15th, is over and done. This Saturn/Uranus connection—its synodic cycle being 45.36 years long, we’re in the middle of a cycle which began back in 1988 at 29 Sagittarius. If that rings a bell with you, it should: 29 Sagittarius is all about the morality of application—the living up to the "spirit of the thing" without being enslaved by it. That the recent economic collapse occurred when Saturn was at 29 Sagittarius tells us that much which took hold in 1988 had outlived its usefulness by 2008, needing cosmic redirection because we humans had failed to curb ourselves (that being a Plutonic function).

As this transit ends, with Saturn at 24 Virgo and Uranus at 24 Pisces we get two "outgoing" messages. Saturn’s position is all about public recognition good and bad: what it takes to bring things to public attention, the attention the public needs to pay to things and responsibilities required on all sides—with Uranus showing up the pluses and minuses on the individual and collective side. This opposition transit has been the very soul of "change what needs changing but don’t throw the baby out with the bath water" and a "shake up/wake up" call on everything done and built since the late 1980’s (Saturn and Uranus’ synodic conjunction point). Now, no question—some things need to go. Some things need changing. And some things we just need to get real about. If we haven’t learned it this year, we’ll hit difficulties come November, 2012. If we have, come 2012 we’ll all cope with challenges and avail ourselves of opportunities to a far better effect.

All this begins taking shape and provoking new activity and reactions as with a New Moon at 25 Virgo on September 18, Mercury retrogrades into Virgo out of Libra (this last happening late on the 17th in the Americas and Pacific Basin latitudes). Virgo being always about one’s willingness to do something with real implications, and because this New Moon occurs in conjunction with Saturn just finishing its opposition to Uranus, this is about instigation of the new and taking on challenges. Add in Virgo being a Mercury-ruled sign with Mercury currently in Libra, interactions with others, putting yourself (your ideas, your efforts) out there in new ways is also emphasized. Getting support, input, opinions—it’s all productive, but remember: talk is cheap! In the end, what we do provides the proof of our personal pudding.

And when will it begin providing that proof? When Venus enters Virgo on September 20, ushering in three-and-a-half weeks of feedback (how tasty is your pudding?). During this time, you want to listen, but not go crazy over what you hear as critiques will abound, but some are merely complaints being put out by those who would rather knock than do. So be discerning. Reflect on what you get told. You want support, yes. But this isn’t the moment for accolades—it’s about figuring out how to get where you’re going.

Once the Sun enters Libra on September 22, Show-and-Tell (otherwise known as Show Off, for good or ill) opportunities increase. But before you go showing yourself off, remember: Libra is about the quality of the total package. This is where bragging doesn’t work, since bragging is all talk with no backing-it-up, which in essence, is a form of lying.

With Ceres (results, provisions, nourishment) opposition Eris (discord) and Orpheus (abilities which under pressure, fail), a bruising of egos is confronted through efforts to change things. Add to this a Saturn fused to the retrograde Virgo Mercury (pragmatic consideration) conjunct Pallas (wisdom) and Scylla (being the object of someone’s anger), nay-saying is to be heard, particularly from those who have little or nothing constructive to offer as alternatives but who vehemently feel the status quo known is better than taking a chance on some devilishly new idea.

As Mercury goes direct at 21 Virgo on September 29, either the glitches will get recognized/ coped with, or the blathering will get shown up for "all talk, nothing doing." This won’t fix everything, but it will lower decibels, expectations and demands. Since Mercury won’t exit the shadow (scope) of its retrograde until October 14th, churning issues will continue in the mix until then. No, life isn’t heaven. But since heaven is a Neptunian concept, with Neptune currently in retrograde it’s to be expected that life’s gaps are really about some nirvana we’re yearning for and a reality which in the end is what we have to deal with.

Yes, it’s a challenging time, making the real question that of how you relate to being challenged. Yet what are challenges if not opportunities cloaked in discomfort born of ego? It’s the classic Neptunian philosophical quandary, and one which is apt, seeing as how Neptune is currently executing a "return" to where it was when first "discovered" by man. That this happens in Aquarius tells us that how we deal with the Aquarian concept of ideals and idealization—whether we just wish or do something about worldly realities—that they are a big part of whether we end up feeling liberated or abandoned, rewarded, lionized or offended and rejected by, and in life. That astronomers refer to Neptune (and Uranus) as ice giants where Saturn and Jupiter are gas giants translates to Jupiter and Saturn (knowledge and goals/achievements) being idea driven at some level. And indeed they are: for all that Saturn and Jupiter are about what we do, learn, apply ourselves to and accomplish in this life, all that begins with the formulation of ideas.

Against this we have Neptune and Uranus, which in being associated with ice (liquid’s solid form) are astrologically associated with emotion. On Earth, ice (fixed water) is an emblem of Scorpio, where hardened, contracted emotions (trepidation, fear) result from our feelings about risks confronted through relationships, interactions and transactions. Because Neptune’s return is in Aquarius (the sign secondarily ruled by Uranus) we come to understand why we tend to see social/societal risks in black and white—as great successes or disastrous failures—and why all such things seem so critical at the moment. Ultimately, Neptune teaches that the ego we depend on for identity is also the basis of most of humankind’s problems—a very Aquarian thought which also suggests why when we "succeed," we often end up feeling less than satisfied. As final ruler of the zodiac’s final sign (Pisces) Neptune tells us that our ultimate human challenge lie in knowing why we do somethingand why not just doing for our own pleasure (the Aquarian/Piscean fusion) defines and determines our ultimate satisfaction.

At the moment, life is just asking us to consider all such factors in the light of how our relationship to our ego ends up determining how we are received by the world—and maybe more importantly, what we end up thinking of ourselves.

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