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After the intensity of the eclipse season, September brings a little more room to breathe – but that doesn’t mean the changes are over. In this month’s forecast, Rick Levine walks you through the astrology of September and how to work with what’s unfolding, from a productive Virgo New Moon and Uranus stationing retrograde to Venus beginning a deeper journey through themes of relationships, money, and emotional healing. You’ll also explore Chiron’s return to Aries, the Equinox, and Mars moving into Leo as Rick helps you stay grounded, pay attention to what’s being revealed, and navigate this next chapter with greater awareness.
🌑 Still integrating eclipse season? Discover where the eclipses are landing in your chart and what they’re inviting you to explore with our FREE Eclipse Guide: https://astrologyhub.com/eclipses
🎬 IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL HEAR:
00:00 — September Astrology: A Breather After Eclipse Season?
06:32 — Virgo New Moon: A Productive New Beginning (September 10)
11:31 — Venus, Chiron & Pluto: Relationships, Money & a 3-Part Retrograde Story
18:23 — Uranus Retrograde: Why Unresolved Tensions Can’t Be Ignored
25:10 — Chiron Retrograde in Aries: Revisiting Healing, Health & Sovereignty
29:57 — Libra Equinox: Activating the Bigger Story of 2026
38:15 — Mars Enters Leo: What’s Been Held Back Comes Into the Open
45:06 — September’s Domino Effect: Stay Aware & Take Care of Yourself
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Subscribe to Rick’s channel for an even more in-depth monthly breakdown of September: https://www.youtube.com/@RickLevine
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“Lightning doesn’t make the storm go away. It just resolves the momentary maximum tensions.” — Rick Levine
Transcript
Laura: All right, everybody. Welcome back to The Astrology Hub Podcast. Rick, welcome back for another monthly forecast. Um, we're recording this on August 25th, uh, and you're probably watching this maybe on Friday's lunar eclipse in Pisces. So Rick, before we go into September, let's talk about August. How has this eclipse portal been for you?
Rick: It's been a bit crazy for me personally, and it's been a bit crazy for the world, and it's been a bit crazy for astrologers in general because there's just so much going on out there. Uh, it's like we don't get time to recover from what happened yesterday, and what happened… what's going to happen tomorrow already seems to be happening today. So it's, it's been a busy time.
Laura: Yeah. Yeah. It feels like every time there's an eclipse portal, I feel like time is just totally warped, and you just, like, can't catch up. But I feel like that's also kind of like a ha- hallmark of the world we live in, where there's just, like, one outrage after the next headline, and it's just like you can't even keep it straight. So, um, yeah, hope everyone out there is taking care of themselves, taking some time away, and going out into nature because things are moving quickly. So— Yeah… uh, all right. So Rick, walk us through September.
September Summary
Rick: Well, from my view, uh, September seems like, uh, I don't wanna say a, a, a, um, a breath of fresh air, 'cause I'm not sure the air is fresh. But it does seem like we have a little bit of breathing room in between so much, so fast over the last several months. And I, I mean, we're far from out of this period of increased change, and September will certainly feed into that. But we don't have any eclipses. You know, we don't have any huge, major, m- major, uh, outer planet alignments.
There is some activity. We do have Uranus on the 10th turning retrograde, um, which, you know, when a, when a planet makes its station, that often fires up some energy. And what that really also means is that from the very beginning of the month to the very end of the month, um, Uranus is not making a whole lot of movement at, um, at, at, at, at all. Um, and so that… And it, it, it's almost like Uranus holds, um, it's almost like it holds its position for, uh, for the entire month. On the first day of the month, Uranus is at, um, five, almost six degrees of, um, Gemini. And on the, um, 1st of October, um, Uranus is at five and a half degrees still of, of, of Gemini.
So it's almost like the rest of the world is moving around, and Uranus is kind of like a bit of an anchor. And if you want Uranus as an anchor, that's typically not a good idea, um, because it is the harbinger of, of great change. Now, you know, into that, we have a bunch of other stuff happening. We have a lot of the, the, the faster moving planets changing signs. And we're really beginning the month still with a little bit of background I want to say optimism, which is maybe hard to find in all of this mess that's unfolding.
But we still have this Jupiter-Saturn trine which is not going to, to, to leave us. Um, in, in fact, that Jupiter-Saturn trine is going to be playing, um, through, um, all the way through next July, and there's something about that that, that even though it is separating by the end of the month, you know, it was exact on, on the last day of August, which means even going into September, we, we are feeling it. Um, but it separates all the way to about m- eight degrees of orb by the 1st of October, but it's not going away.
And so there's this background of e- energy of maybe something will be okay in all of this. And we have a number of planets that are, um, that are changing signs, um, including Mars which has, um, you know, been moving through Cancer. Mars, um, moving into Leo, uh, toward the end of the month on the 27th. Um, but we also have, uh, Chiron, which has been retrograding, backs into Aries mid-month in s- on September, uh, 17th, and we've had a little bit of a flavor of the embodiment, um, of, uh, Chiron.
We can talk about that a little bit later. But as Chiron backs into Aries, we may get some cleanup on what's been happening over the last, you know, six, seven years as Mars ha- um, had been moving in, in Aries. Um, and then on the 10th, we have Mercury, uh, moving from Virgo, where it's been very active, very at home, exalted and at home, and on September 10th, it moves into Libra, and it's moving quickly enough that by the end of the month on the 30th, it moves out of Libra and into Scorpio.
And so we do have that, that sense of as Mercury is moving through Libra, it's going to oppose, uh, the planets that are in Aries, including, um, uh, Neptune and, um, and Saturn and, um, and Eris for that matter. And then we also have Venus moving, um, out of Libra into Scorpio. So we do have a bunch of change. That, by the way, happens also on September 10th. September 10th seems like a crazy day to me because, um, it's a day when Uranus turns retrograde, um, Venus changes signs from Libra into Scorpio. Oh, and it also happens to be, um, the, the, the day of the new moon. So there certainly is some stuff happening, for sure.
Ad Hey friends. As you probably already know, we are still in the eclipse window right now. If you want some guidance on how to work with this, these particular eclipses based on where they're falling in your chart, you can check out the free guide that we created for you. It's at astrologyhub.com/eclipses. It's yours to download right now. You can also find that link in the show notes. And now, back to the episode.
New Moon
Laura: So do you wanna talk about the New Moon a little bit and how that plays into all of those transits?
Rick: Um, y- yeah, sure. Um, uh, I mean, in particular, this, this New Moon doesn't seem, um… it, it, it doesn't seem like such a, a bad thing. You know, the last… because the last lunations, the Full Moon and the New Moon, were eclipses, um, they were a bit tough. And, uh, this New Moon occurs at 18 degrees of Virgo, and it's really the only aspect that the New Moon itself is making is a sextile to Mars at 19 degrees of Cancer.
So the Moon i- a- and the Sun are both applying toward that sextile, which, um, you know, could be a, an easier flow of energy. Um, there could be a sense of, uh, of movement, and that is really nice to have at a new moon. Now, the other thing that is going on is that because Venus is moving from Libra into Scorpio at the same time that we have retrograde Chiron backing into Aries, what, what, what happens is that as Venus moves from Libra into Scorpio, it will make an opposition with Chiron.
And I think that can be a bit complicating, especially since over the days ahead, then Venus will make a square to Pluto. And we're also coming into a period where Venus will be retrograding, and so we'll get some repeat dances on some of these Venus transits. Uh, I… and I think that that Venus, um, could be a little bit of a problem maker, especially since Venus… I wouldn't say Venus has a hard time in Scorpio. I would say that many of us humans have a hard time with Venus in Scorpio, um, because it can be intense.
Now, technically, Venus in Scorpio in traditional astrology is exiled, meaning that it's very far away, um, from its home sign of Taurus. But I think, again, some of that has to do with just how complicated Venus in Scorpio can be and also how, mm, what's, how resistant many humans can be to the intensity of emotions, the volatility of emotions when Venus is in, uh, Scorpio.
And especially since it's gonna be opposing Chiron and squaring Pluto, um, you know, I think that that can be, um, a, a, a bit complicating or a bit interesting. One other thing that's occurring at this New Moon, um, is that Mercury having just moved into Libra, um, having come through the sign of, um, of Virgo, which I mentioned earlier, Mercury loves being, you know, in, in Virgo, and as it moves into Libra it's going to, over the next couple of days, it will oppose Neptune in Aries and trine Pluto in Aquarius, and then trine Uranus in, uh, Gemini.
And I don't think this is a, a bad thing, but this replays so much of that deeper energy that's been playing really since last autumn and certainly coming to, um, a head through, uh, July when we had the Uranus-Pluto trine, um, with, uh, Neptune exactly sextiling both of them at their midpoint. And of course, as we've said here before, it wasn't so much about an event that should have or could have occurred in July, it's really the opening of a door, um, that is really a couple, two and a half years in process as these aspects repeat themselves.
The analogy I've been using recently is that at the Uranus-Pluto conjunction in the mid-'60s, it would have been like trying to forecast what was going to happen in '66, '67, '68, '69, '70, even into '71, which was all part of the unfolding of that conjunction. And we're at that same point still with the Uranus-Pluto trine with the Neptune there also.
But I think as Mercury at this New Moon moves into Libra, we're gonna get another wave of all of that change. Um, I, I, I don't have bad feelings about this New Moon. Um, there's some work to do, um, but I think it's actually kind of a productive New Moon.
Laura: Mm. The way I like to think about it when the, the personal planets kind of trigger this outer planet configuration is that, like, we're bringing the, like the collective energy into our own lives in some sort, s- way, shape, or form. I think—
Rick: That's a good way of looking at it, yeah.
Laura: Yeah. And we need to integrate it somehow. And so we got a little of a taste of that with the Sun did that last month, and Vena, and so we're getting that with Mercury, which I love.
Venus, Chiron & Pluto
Laura: But let's, um… I have a question about Venus and her three passes with Chiron and Pluto. When this happens, and this is gonna happen throughout, throughout the end of the year, I believe. Um, it— Mm-hmm… December is the last pass. But so something, maybe an event could happen in someone's life or, or something, uh, this energy could manifest some way the, when it's direct. And then when Venus turns retrograde and does another pass, the, kind of the themes come back. Is that how you would, like, work with this or describe that in some way?
Rick: Yeah, so that's one way of describing it. I, here's the analogy that I've come… Analogy, metaphor, I never know which one is which. Although this guy who collects quotes on the internet, uh, wrote a book called I Never Met a Four I Didn't Like. Okay. So, um, uh, the way I think of it is that as you're approaching a transit, imagine like you're on a, a, a large freeway. LA, good example. It's, it's four or five lanes wide, and you're in the far left lane, and you see an exit sign that says your exit ahead, you know, two miles. And you have to get over four lanes of traffic to get into the far right lane to get off at your exit.
That's the actual first of the three transits. You get over the lanes, through the traffic, you maneuver yourself. You get off, and you're driving on that exit ramp, and all of a sudden you see another sign that says, you know, your exit ahead, and there's four lanes to move backwards in the other direction. Mm. And then as you're traveling along, you think you're on the right road, and you are, but then you see another sign that's almost like a, “Wait a minute, I've been here before, but now I have to change lanes again.”
So it really is like a, you know, one, two, three pass, where the more work you do on whatever it is that comes up on the first of the three transits, the easier the second and third transits are. And in fact, often what happens on the first of three transits, and this is true for any retrograde, and remember all the real planets, meaning Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto, Chiron, Eris, they all have their retrograde cycles. And w- and if they repeat an aspect either in the sky to another planet or to a planet in your own chart, you always get that one, two, three, sometimes with the very slow-moving planets of Neptune and Pluto, sometimes you get a one, two, three, four, five.
Um, and, and, and, and so it's almost like the first transit is an opening of the door. Often what happens is we do what we humans do great, we go into denial.
Laura: Mm.
Rick: And we just push it away and we say, “I'll deal with it later,” or whatever. And often that later then becomes when it, when it turns retrograde. Now, if we've dealt with it in a way that is really positive, often when the retrograde, the number two of the one, two, three happens, often we get the same kind of event. It may be a different person involved, it may be a different scenario of circumstances, but energetically there's something that is, that is recurring from whatever's left over from the first transit.
And often what happens is we see what we did or didn't do at pass one from an opposite point of view. “Oh, I shouldn't have done. Oh, I should have done.” You know, that kind of a thing. And we kind of renegotiate what that energy was all about. Sometimes we can't undo what's been done, or we can't do what we chose not to do at that first point, but in some way we, we wanna negotiate that energy.
And then often by the third pass, it's somehow back and we either get confirmation that we done good or we in some way have to alter our, um, trajectory, uh, in order to accommodate what it is that we've learned in the interim. Now, here's the other thing to keep in mind though, and that is at each of these one, two, three direct retrograde direct passes, everything else is changing. Mm. And so it's never quite the same. It's always, um, it, it, it always is energetically different.
And the other faster moving planets, um, w- here we're talking about Venus, um, but the other faster moving planets of, um, you know, Mercury and Mars and even Jupiter will be in very different places and making different aspects not only to each other but to our own natal charts. So it's never as simple as a one, two, three same event, but it often feels that way if we pay attention and if we mark those dates and take notes around what was going on during phase one, what was going on during phase two of the retrograde, and looking back at how does that relate to what happened at phase one.
And then as we approach phase three, we can begin to get a sense of what we might wanna do to move through that, um, you know, that third and final intersection point.
Laura: Mm-hmm. Amazing. So just so people have these dates, I, I have the one, too, if people are curious. It's, I believe, the first, uh, possibly square to Pluto is September 15th, and then October 20th is that retrograde pass, and December 9th is the, the third hit. So just if people are curious. And so this will happen in everyone's chart in a different area, but because it's Venus, themes around finances, relationships, things like that are things to look for. Yeah.
Rick: And it's Venus… Remember, Venus only turns retrograde once every… well, a little bit less than once every other year, about once every year and a half or so, and, and when it does, it turns retrograde for longer, um, than, uh, than Mercury, which is typically about 20, 23 days. Venus retrogrades for closer to 40 days.
But the thing is, is that when Venus turns retrograde, as any planet, it means that it's closer to Earth, and so Venus events become more significant, more powerful, and sometimes harder to integrate. And this is Venus moving between Libra and Scorpio, um, and so again, in Scorpio, the intensity can be great, and it doubles down because it's gonna be doing that, um, square to, uh, Pluto which in modern astrology is the, you know, ruling planet of, of Scorpio. So— Mm… yeah, it could be intense.
Uranus Retrograde
Laura: Yeah. Okay, awesome. I wanna also come back to something you said earlier, which Uranus being an anchor, which is not really a good idea to have Uranus as your anchor. Um, I find this just interesting because Uranus was, is so involved in the lunar eclipse in Pisces, uh, square. Um, it's squaring the lunar eclipse, and then it goes retrograde. And so— Uranus as the anchor, is that really advice for people to use Uri- Uranian energy as an anchor? Is it more just to be aware of the lack of movement? Like, like what does a lack of movement for Uranus really mean in our lives?
Rick: Well, I actually think that the lack of movement for Uranus in our lives means movement—
Laura: Mm.
Rick: —in our lives that's held in the same place. Because normally Uranus, again, just using my hand as the transiting planet and me as the natal planet, whatever it is, it's like when, when, when a planet, like when Uranus goes across a planet, it's moving, it can move pretty quickly and it's just going like that. But as it's doing this, it's basically doing this, slowing down, turning retrograde, and then going forward.
And so i- even though it's not moving, a- and because it's such a dynamic planet because it releases… Uranus, Uranus, I sometimes say Uranus's only job is the instantaneous resolution of irresolvable opposites, which sounds impossible. How do you resolve irresolvable opposites?
But if you think in it, think of it, that's what lightning does when you have positive ions and negative ions in the sky. The warm, wet air is negative ions that feel good, and the cold, dry air is positive ions which don't feel good. And as the two air masses get closer and closer together, they do what we do psychologically when we have stress or tension, and that is we try to talk it out. Hmm. Which is what psychology encourages us to do.
But there are some things that the more we talk about, the more tense the situation gets because they're not resolvable. And in a way, this is what happens in a storm. The positive and negative ions are rubbing against each other, building the charges greater and greater, and the more they try to work it out, the greater the tension becomes until it's irresolvable. And in that moment, the lightning strikes, and that, just in that moment, the tension is gone.
So this is the way Uranus works. And because it's holding its position, there's things that are needing to resolve. There are things that are creating tension individually, in relationships, individually with friends, with, with people at work, whatever. But then culturally, culturally and socially, there's those same tensions that have been building for years, if not some centuries.
And it's those things that when Uranus stations, it's almost like it doesn't let up. You know, it's like, it, it's like the hur, you know, the, the dog with the bone that's not gonna let it go. And so even though Uranus is not moving—apparently not moving forward, holding still and then apparently, not really, looking like it's moving backward—it's basically forcing us, uh, it's almost like, you know, like, you know, like taking our nose and putting it into what—and not letting us get away.
We can't, we can't avoid smelling what smells bad because Uranus is making us, uh, uh, it doesn't make us do anything, but it's basically creating an environment where we're enabled to, where, where, where we are unable to escape from those tensions which have not yet been resolved. Now, does that mean they're resolved completely and fully? No. Lightning doesn't make the storm go away. It just resolves the ins- the, the, the momentary maximum tensions, and I think that that's what will happen.
Um, I think it's already been happening, but I think that through September and October as Uranus, um, continues to, you know, m- move retrograde, we'll get more and more of that stuff.
Laura: Mm-hmm. Yeah. So September 10th is a big day. Virgo New Moon with Uranus retrograde, Venus changing signs, Mercury changing signs. So I think I like that you called this productive. Virgo obviously is a sign that likes to be productive, and I think a lot of these signatures are gonna help us, like, kind of work through some things or see some things that maybe we've been putting off, so.
Rick: Yeah. And by the, and by the way, on September 10th, I mean, that is, as we said, that is the day of Venus's opposition, uh, to Chiron. It is the day that Venus changes signs, moves from Libra to Scorpio. It's the day that Mercury changes signs and moves from, uh, Virgo into Libra. Um, it is the day that, that, um, uh, that Uranus actually stations, but it's also the day that the Sun makes a sesquiquadrate.
That's a square and a half, which astrologers that, you know, that, that use sesquiquadrates and semisquares know they're every bit as powerful as a square. So not only, um, is, um, is Venus coming into its square to Pluto, but the Sun on that day, um, and therefore the Moon because it is a new moon, they are both making a square and a half to Pluto, which is bringing Pluto back into the equation.
And over the next couple of days, um, Mercury, um, which on the day of the new moon will also be making a half square to Jupiter. It's almost like there's so much going on on the 10th itself, and over the next couple of days, Mercury will then make that trine to Pluto. I th- and then a trine to Uranus by the middle of the month. I think there's so much stuff that's another wave of almost like a dump of stuff that has been hidden, things that we already thought we knew, things that we've seen the tip of the iceberg of, and it just seems like 2026 has been that one, you know, one thing after another after another.
And the unfortunate thing about that is something that psychologists call flooding, and that is that we become so, um, oriented towards the next huge thing that the brain just becomes deadened by it and just says, “Well, what's the next thing? Where's my next fix?” And, and so it, it's a mixed blessing for sure.
Chiron Retrograde in Aries
Laura: Yeah. Yeah. So let's talk about Chiron retrograding back to Aries. That happens just a week later on September 17th. So, uh, is this something that we're gonna maybe feel, or is this like a revisit from topics from the past? Talk a little bit about this.
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Rick: Now Chiron retrogrades back into Aries on, depending on where you are, on the 17th or, or, or 18th. Um, but it stays in Aries, then it turns direct, and then it moves back into Taurus in mid-April of next year, where it will stay for another handful of years, about five or six years. When Chiron was in Aries, we had all of these issues about health and healing that had to do with sovereignty.
Mm. You know, who has the right over my body? Whether we're talking about vaccines, whe- whether we're talking about medical, um, intervention, whether we're talking about being a female and being pregnant and, and where does my sovereignty, um, intersect with the authoritative control of government over my individual body? This has been one of the primary issues. I mean, there are other things certainly, but this is one of the primary issues that we had to deal with or that we were dealing with, um, as Chiron was moving through, um, Aries.
As Chiron tipped into Taurus, things felt a whole lot more personal almost immediately. You know, can't afford food. You know— Mm… where is power gonna come from? Why is that Chironic? Well, we need power to live, to… We need power to cook our food, um, you know, to get to work, to pay our bills. Uh, the economy is out of control with the, you know, rise in cost of, uh, of food, you know, of, of, of, of bread and eggs and, you know, and just regular food survival stuff.
And also again, with gasoline, with having to, you know, the gasoline isn't just about transportation, it's about making our living. It's about getting to and from work. And so as Chiron moved into Taurus, all of a sudden it felt a whole lot more personal. And I think that w- that this is the larger issue that we're going into. But as Chiron backs into Aries, will we feel it that day? Mm-mm, I don't know. Maybe, maybe. Maybe some people will.
Maybe we will feel it a little bit stronger, um, because of the new moon and the connection of the Venus opposition. Um, uh, uh, but it's certainly going to, uh, instigate a review, and we've seen this already with what's come out from, um, from Dr. Fauci's testifying in Congress, you know, and basically pleading the Fifth Amendment 100 and however many times, um, because telling the truth was going to incriminate him. Now, that hasn't all played out in any way that has had direct ramifications to, you know, us personally, but it may all come back on another level of what was really going on during that period, you know, of, um, of l- lockdown, um— I, I refer to that period, that period of time we may have had this discussion.
To me, regardless of what you think about it and wh- and where you fall individually with reference to ph- great, you know, big pharma or vaccines or government control or whatever, as far as I'm concerned, that, that was, you know, a very, uh, Chiron in Aries moment because, um, humanity had a stroke. You know, everyone was running around doing their thing and going to work and flying here and doing this and doing that, and all of a sudden, what? One day everything just stopped. And, and in some ways we've been recovering from that stroke now for, you know, four or five years.
And as, as Chiron backs into Aries, we may n- we may get another round of awareness of what that was all about before it moves into Taurus and we begin re-personalizing everything next spring. It's just one thought. I mean, it's… You know, when you have a subject that's as general as a planet changing signs like that, different astrologal, uh, different astrologers will have very different takes on what it might mean, but that's kind of what I've been thinking.
Laura: Yeah. No, that's, that's a good… I didn't even think about Dr. Fauci. That's a really good, um, reference point. Um,
Libra Equinox
Laura: So let's talk next about the equinox. We haven't really touched upon the equinox. Do you work with the equinoxes as well? This is the sun going into Libra.
Rick: Uh, um, uh, y- yeah, a little bit. I don't… Y- yeah, I mean, th- they're important points for sure. Um, and, um, and, and the sun actually, um, moves from Virgo, um, into Libra, um, on September 22nd, um, at least in the United States. Um, for some people it'll be on the 23rd. Um, and, and yeah, there are a lot of people who actually make that chart for the moment, um, that the sun actually, uh, changes signs.
Um, and for those of you who do care, um, the sun actually, um, enters Virgo, um, uh… I'm sorry, enters Libra on the 22nd at 5:05 PM, 5:04 or 5:05 PM depending upon how you, uh, round that number. So at about 5:00 in the afternoon on September 22nd, um, that is when the sun moves in, in, into Libra.
Now, one thing to understand about this particular equinox is that the sun's movement into Libra is going to stimulate the point at which the Saturn-Neptune conjunction was back in February, because that was at zero degrees of Aries. And because the sun moves about one degree a day, over the next three days after the sun moves, um, after the equinox itself and the sun moves into Libra, the sun is going to oppose Neptune and trine, uh, Pluto, and then a couple of days later it's gonna trine Uranus.
Once again—activating that background pattern that many people have, you know, inadvertently called Barbault's Basket, you know, or just this whole, you know, uh, series of trines and, and sextiles between, you know, Uranus, Pluto, Neptune, um, and other planets as they move in and out of that. Um, but the other thing that does occur, um, very close to the equinox moment itself is that the, is that Mars moving through the latter degrees of Cancer makes a square to Eris.
Now, Mars and Eris are siblings, and whether they're sibling rivalry or not, that that square certainly can stir some arguments, uh, among two, uh, two planets, two, two mythological characters, um, who don't necessarily always have the best reputation because, you know, although Mars is certainly necessary for us to maintain boundaries, um, Mars is also the, um, uh, aggressor. Mars can get hot under the collar, and Eris, um, although she also has a bit of a tough reputation, you know, as kind of someone who stirs the shit, she does it because, uh, the feminine instinct is to want to include that, that or those who have been, um, disenfranchised or excluded.
And so w- as Mars makes that square to Eris, um, on the day of the, um, of, of, of the equinox itself, um, we may see some stuff coming out, um, that, that can be m- complicated, that can be, uh, um, difficult, that can be, mm, um, un- uh, what's the word I'm looking for? And the exact, by the way, the exact square is a couple days prior because Mars and Eris both move slowly. Um, it's actually on the 20th, but it'll still be within just minutes of, of arc.
And, um, and so I think that feeds into the equinox itself, um, as does, um, that, a sextile between Mercury and Jupiter, which may say that people are saying too much, that there's so much going on, that people are speaking, and it may be the verbal Mercury, um, sextiling Jupiter in Leo, the put it out all, put it all out into the open, you know, say what's on your mind. Um, there may actually be too much being said that makes its own, mm, that makes its own problem, that makes its own, uh, i- issue stir.
And, and there's one other thing that falls into this also, and that is that Neptune and Pluto make an exact sextile on the 16th of September. Now, this is both significant and boring. Uh, why do I say that? Well, it's significant when any planets make an exact aspect. It's boring because Neptune and Pluto have been traveling about the same speed for the last 60, 70 years. And although they conjoined in the early 1890s in Gemini, setting a 500-year… It's almost like the Moon happens once a month, so with the New Moon it sets a tone for roughly a month. That's the seed period for a month.
Well— Neptune catches up to Pluto once every 495 years. We can say 500 years. And they did that in the early 1890s in Gemini, setting a 500-year pattern of intellectual, rational, um, connecting information. And of course, with Uranus now being in Gemini making that trine to Pluto, that becomes significant. And, uh, and Neptune and Pluto have been making these exact sextiles, I don't even know how many times they've happened, 30 times or something like that, since the m- late 19- since the 1950s.
And they will be making their final sextiles as, as, um, Neptune is now gaining speed and moving away from that sextile. Um, they will be making their final sextiles over the next couple of years. And so it's almost like all of us live with this energy of knowing that how our vision, our dreams, our imagination, Neptune, and Pluto, the deeper evolution, the transformations that come from the unconscious, that those two things kinda work together. They don't always. They just do in the l- mid-20th century through the beginning of the 21st century.
And so in the midst of all of this, right around the equinox, we also have Neptune making its, um, exact sextile again, um, to, to Neptune. Um, and it's very close on the actual, you know, on, on the day of the, um, equinox itself. Um, the, uh, they are, mm, uh, they're like seven minutes of orb. It's like less than a 10th of a degree, you know, from being exact. So, you know, that's kinda my read, um, on, on the equinox.
And a lot of people run charts for the moment of the equinox and use that as a forecast moment for, um, the, um, three months ahead, whatever the season is. But l- we always need to remember that for us in the Northern Hemisphere, what is the autumnal equinox for everyone living south of the equator, it's the, uh, vernal equinox. It's the spring equinox.
Laura: Right. Well, we'll be doing a fun free event for the equinox, so stay tuned for more information on that. We love to do free community gatherings around, um, these seasonal, um, thresholds. Uh, so stay tuned for that. It'll be really fun. So all of this at the end of the month is kind of leading towards September 27th, which—
Mars Enters Leo
Laura: Mars entering Leo. So let's talk a little bit about that, Rick.
Ad
Rick: Okay. Um, a, a, a couple of things. Yeah, Mars has been in Cancer. And by the way, as Mars moved through Cancer, um, M- Mars traveled some pretty difficult territory because, uh, al- although Mars in Cancer may not be as bad as traditional astrologers… It's not, bad is not quite the right word. Um, but in, in Cancer, um, Mars, um, is in its fall, meaning that it has a hard time being itself.
And that being said, as Mars moved through Cancer, it also, during that period of time, uh, and it began, um, I mean, uh, back in, in August, but on September 1st, Mars squared Saturn, Saturn being in Aries. Cancer squares Aries. And then by September 20th, Mars squared Eris, um, at 25, 25, 26 degrees of Cancer to, um, uh, uh, to Aries. Um, and then as Mars moves from, um, from Cancer into, uh, Leo just before it does because Chiron has just moved back, um, you know, from, from, uh, Taurus into Aries. Mars then makes a square with Chiron on the 27th just before it moves into Leo on the 28th.
So Mars has been moving through some difficult territory. At the beginning of the month, although we were talking about, I was talking about the Jupiter trine Saturn, at the same time Mars square, um, squaring Saturn was kind of like acting like, like the gas pedal that we were getting an okay from with Jupiter trining Saturn. Yeah, go ahead for it. Go for that big picture. Do it.
At the same time on September 1st, Mars was basically running into Saturn saying, “Whoa, whoa, can't go too fast. Better hold back. Better, better pull back.” And then as Mars squared Eris around the 20th, we got another wave of maybe too much aggression or too much assertion doesn't work. Mars in Cancer likes to be passively aggressive, meaning that it can do its… Mm, it, it, one of its greatest superpowers is not necessarily expressing all of its anger in a given moment or pushing hard in that moment.
But as Mars squares Chiron on the 27th, we get another wave of maybe feeling like we should have done more, said more, pushed harder, and then the following day on the 28th Mars moves into Leo. And, you know, Mars in Leo is a, it's a bit of a party Mars, and that doesn't mean all fun and games. It means it's, uh, it's like, “I'm here. I'm showing up. Let's push this energy out into the open.”
And so we might see some action of things that have been hanging out just under the surface just a little bit. We might see things coming out into the open, and we may see some of that rather suddenly as if it's been held back by Mars being in Cancer and Mars, uh, opposing, um, Chiron. Um, and so we may get what's that, you know, to every action there's an opposite and equal reaction. Um, we may get that sense of that Mars moving into Leo as being a real, um, reaction, and yet when Mars moves through Leo, what's it gonna do?
It, within a few days it's gonna be making trines to Neptune, um, uh, in, um, in Aries. Um, and it's gonna be making a, uh, sextile, to Uranus in Gemini, and it's gonna be opposing Pluto, and that Mars opposition to Pluto, um, I think will be a really important one, maybe even, um, louder and stronger, um, than the Venus, um, uh, square.
And Mars will make that exact opposition to Pluto not until October 2nd, 3rd, 4th. Um, and, um, and during that period of time, I think we're gonna really feel it, um, because there's a lot more going on toward the beginning of October. But that Mars, Mars moving into Leo is an important one, and remember we'll be having Mars and Jupiter cohabitating, meaning that they'll both be in Leo.
And even though they're not conjoined in the modern sense, they're both living under the same roof. And what is that roof? It's a roof of expression, of self-expression. It's a roo- roof of, you know, saying, you know, “Be who you are and animate your energy with Jupiter. Make it big, make it loud. And with Mars, push those boundaries, push, push against Pluto.” And I think we can see some of that Mars-Pluto, um, toward, toward the very end of the month of September and as we move into the beginning of October.
Laura: Yes, I'm very interested to continue this conversation through October and November to see how Mars in Leo plays out. Uh, so this should be an interesting month. Uh, another thing that's going on this month, of course, is UAC, which you'll be there. Astrology Hub will be there. If you are going to be at UAC or even if you're in the Chicago area and wanna come say hi, uh, please join our UAC insider list. We'll put it in the show notes of this video. It's just a way to stay connected to us while we're at UAC with, um, some of the events that we're doing at our booth and some of the meetups that are happening. So a lot of s- fun stuff. Um, so please outlook for that link.
Rick: I'll be doing, I'll be doing two talks on the UAC program itself, one on 30 years of doing what I call quantum astrology and what that means. Um, and then the other one is gonna be on the strange bedfellows of Mercury and Pluto because they have a relationship that most people don't realize and don't understand.
And then I'll be doing a post-conference, um, and even if you're not attending UAC, this won't be broadcast, um, live streamed, but even if you're not attending UAC and you're in the area, um, you can attend this. And it's gonna be revisioning, uh, transits that we normally think of as just a single moment in time, but transits are actually part of a life unfolding, and we're gonna be looking at how to look at transits in a way that captures the movement of time rather than just picking out a singular event. So yeah, I'm looking forward to UAC, and this, I, I can't remember whether this is my sixth or seventh UAC, um, but, um, they're always, um, a mind bender and a great experience.
Closing
Laura: Yeah. Very fun. Looking forward to it as well, and that talk sounds amazing. Yeah, in transit talk. Maybe we should do more on transits, Rick. Um, so Rick, you know I love doing this before we wrap up these episodes. I love to just put you on the spot. If you had to sum it up this month for people in a nice bow, something they can walk with, phrase, saying, what would it be?
Rick: You know, normally I know this is coming and normally I give it thought. I have to say, um, that, that maybe if you stalled and talked about something else for a minute or two, I would come up with something clever. Um, but I fee- feel like I'm gonna let you down. I mean, the thing about September, um, is that if I say it's more of the same, um, everything about what's going on right now is nothing is the same, you know?
And so in some ways it's more of the same contradictions and polarities and bifurcations, and which ones of these will turn into the event that perhaps becomes the catalyst for so many other things that— I mean, it feels like in some ways, in some ways we're at a point where, you know that, the domino thing where you see these complex things that have been set up where one domino, it takes 20 minutes for it to do this and then move into four different patterns and then a whole bunch of dominoes fall and change colors and then one thing.
It's almost like that's what's going on right now, and it's hard to tell which domino will either make the rest of everything begin to fall, or which one will just be slightly ajar and when everything reaches it, nothing after that'll move. I- it's really too early to call how all of this is going to fall out, but it is certainly moving. Um, and of course, in the United States, everything that we have going on through September and October is heading toward a midterm election that may or may not be the key thing to what occurs over the years ahead, but it's certainly gonna be an important piece of this.
And so I think that it's hard to separate, um, that from, you know, what it is that we're talking about. And I just kind of rambled, and I still didn't come up with… Maybe it's the domino effect.
Laura: Well, yeah, the domino effect or, like, more to be revealed, it sounds like. It seems like, you know, stay alert, stay aware, be discerning. Um, yeah.
Rick: And take care of yourselves.
Laura: Yes.
Rick: Uh, and that's not a selfish take care of yourselves. It's that, you know, i- is that if you don't have water in your own cup, that means you don't have any water to give someone who's thirsty. And I think it's really important, yes, to stay safe, but it's also important to pay attention to what's going on. You know, to, to, to not allow oneself, to not allow ourselves to just say, “Oh, it's too much. I'm tuning everything out,” because that's exactly what they, whoever they are, you know, it's exactly what they want us to do.
They want us to become so overwhelmed that we tune everything out, and then the course of least resistance becomes the course that the very few who have very different motives, long-term agendas that we, than we do, that i- without our resistance, they will do exactly what they want to do. And they, whoever they are, um, th- that's what they are planning on.
And so it's really important that even if we're tempted to not pay attention, that we do pay attention, and that we do whatever we can to keep the dialogue alive of what our individual hopes and dreams and ideas are, um, so that we can keep the dominoes falling in a way that has the long-term fallout, um, that we would like to have come from this very, very strange period of time that we're in.
Laura: Very strange indeed. I love that advice. Thank you, Rick. All right, everyone. Well, thank you so much for tuning into this episode. I love doing these monthly forecasts with you, Rick. Thank you so much for your expertise, and thank you all for making astrology a part of your life. We'll catch you on the next episode.