This year, on September 22nd at 6:03 PM PDT we have the moment of the Autumnal Equinox! We are turning the corner from Summer to Fall, in the Northern Hemisphere, and it’s time for ceremony.
We are celebrating the seasonal change, and beginning the second half of the Solar Year. We have equal day and night hours on this date. It is marked by the Sun entering the sign of Libra, a Cardinal Air Sign. Cardinal as it begins the Autumn season, and with it comes the opportunity to begin anew. The first month of every season is Cardinal, bringing us new options, new ideas and new ways to communicate with each other. Libra is an Air Sign, one of intelligence, using their contemplation and analytical abilities to sort out life. Libra wants to give everyone a voice when leading a group. Libra is active/male in its polarity, but gentle and compromising energy. This makes it hard for the Libran energy to find its leadership opportunities, as it is its nature to seek all sides and at times, take no sides.
Libra is ruled by the planet Venus, along with Taurus. The arts, music, harmony and beauty are very important to Librans. Venus is the planet of love and attraction, affection, and values. Due to the active/male energy governing Libra, the feminine energy brought by Venus accentuates the balance of the sign: Male/Female. Again, astrologers believe another planet will be discovered that is the true rulership of Libra. Time will tell.
The symbol for Libra is the Scales of Justice. Libra energy denotes fairness, justice, and balance. It also is read as a half setting sun below the horizon, thus the first half of the year culminating and the second begun. Balance, equality, harmony and peace are necessary for a happy Libran. The highest use for a Libran is to seek balance in their life. To find balance in work/play, social/alone time, material and spiritual pursuits. To learn to make choices built on personal conviction rather than always trying to make someone else happy. To find their voice and work honestly toward harmony in all environments.
This year, the planet Mercury is conjunct the Sun at 0 degrees Libra, Retrograde. This bolsters up the mental ingenuity of this Equinox. When Mercury is Retrograde, we may have a logjam in our plans, misunderstandings with others that need to be looked at. With this planet and the Sun joined together, we can plan on needing to reexamine our choices, plans and actions in order to fully begin correctly and not spin our wheels. Take time to do this and you will be more successful.
We begin the new season with the Moon in Leo, setting the season up for creativity. Emotionally we will be rewarded when we use our imagination and generate beauty in our surroundings. We are blessed with beauty and fragrance to bring into our homes, and adding color to our environment assists us in keeping optimistic and hopeful in these difficult times.
The Sun, Mercury and Venus at 22 degrees Virgo all trine Pluto stationed at 26 degrees Capricorn. With these fortunate aspects you will have a deep belief in your own power and your ability to survive any change, and to emerge victoriously from any difficulty. Your mind is driven to study subjects that are mysterious, anything secret or hidden, and may be drawn to esoteric or occult studies. You’ll feel love deeply, passionately and wholeheartedly, and others may find your intensity either extremely attractive or threatening. Use this energy positively, don’t find yourself manipulating others.
So to truly celebrate the moment of this new season, it is customary to set up a ritual. I suggest going outdoors and setting up a medicine wheel. This can be a physical sacred hoop made with stones, bundles of sacred herbs, whatever natural ingredients you choose. Or, it can be a work of art on a canvas. This wheel represents the four directions and coincides with the four seasons. As you create this wheel, consider the Solar Year beginning with Aries in the East, Cancer in the South, Libra in the West, and Capricorn in the North. As you move through the wheel, begin your journey in the East and review what this new year has taught you, seeing it through the eyes of a child. Move to the South and look through the eyes of your youth. As you enter the West, you are seeing life through the eyes of your adult self. It is now time to imagine yourself making mature choices built upon the insights you’ve gained in getting here. Feel the shower of cosmic energy imbuing you with patience and compassion. Then, finish your journey through the Sacred Hoop with loving gratitude in the North, for the wisdom gained through a life well lived. Close the ceremony and seal it with love and hope for the second half of our Solar Year to bring us into harmony with each other and our world. Blessings to all of humanity now and always.
Thank you Judy Crescenzo for this beautiful post! For session please email judy@skypatterns.com
