Welcome to September! I hope you find this as a helpful reference throughout the month. If you did not catch last month’s article and would like to catch up, you can find that here.
If you enjoy my articles and want to be updated when they are live (and to be notified about session discounts, the projects I'm working on, and more), subscribe to my newsletter! This is completely free, you can enter your email on the main blog page.
And you are always welcome to seek personal guidance by booking a session with me. Readings are open for the month of September. Here is the Full Service Page:
Now that we’ve done some housekeeping, let’s take a look at the most important astrological events of September 2023:
Major Transits:
9.03- Venus stations direct at 12º Leo
9.04- Jupiter stations retrograde at 15º Taurus
9.06- Mercury cazimi at 13º Virgo
9.14- New Moon at 21º Virgo
9.15- Mercury stations direct at 8º Virgo
9.23- Sun enters Libra
9.29- Full Moon at 6º Aries
9.29- Mercury exits post shadow period
Major Aspects: (We won't cover all of the aspects in this article, but these are dates to keep an eye on)
9.04- Mercury trine Jupiter rx
9.08- Sun trine Jupiter rx
9.15- Sun trine Uranus
9.17- Venus square Jupiter again (last time: 8.22.2023 and 6.11.2023)
9.24- Mars opposite Chiron
9.29- Venus square Uranus again (last time: 8.09.2023 and 7.02.2023)
9.30- Mercury trine Uranus
The month ahead:
Last month we saw Mars' ingress in the sign Libra, the Sun's ingress along with Mercury stationing retrograde in Virgo, and Venus who is still retrograde at the beginning of September in Leo. In fact, the only ingress we have in September is the Sun moving into Libra on the 23rd! This is a month continuing the themes we already have been seeing, though the story is unfolding a bit more. Completing (and adding onto) stories is largely the thesis of this month.
Venus in Leo will finally station direct on September 3rd, it stationed retrograde back on July 22nd at 28º Leo and it reached its direct station degree on June 18th at 12º Leo. A quick refresher on the retrograde process:
The Pre-Shadow Period: (Venus: June 18th-July 22nd, Mercury: August 3rd-23rd) brought up very specific themes, frustrations, and questions on our minds foreshadowing the retrograde period.
The Retrograde: (Venus: July 22nd-September 3rd, Mercury: August 23rd- September 15th) reviewed, reprocessed, and reworked the things that presented themselves in the pre-shadow. Turning points.
The Post-Shadow Period: (Venus: September 3rd-October 7th, Mercury: September 30th- October 4th) integrates all that was reprocessed and changed in a way that feels final and grounded.
We have to remember that Venus is stationing retrograde during a Mercury retrograde meaning that our minds and the ability to communicate what's been on them haven't quite caught up to all that was reworked during Venus' retrograde period. Venus retrogrades are considerably longer than Mercury retrogrades because aligning with the very value of an issue is much more challenging than simply understanding an issue. We can know things mentally and not know or believe them in a physical experience and vice versa. Mercury retrograde will help us put our Venus retrograde experiences into words. Have you ever read something that really put things into perspective? Maybe you've been having the experience, but you'd never heard anyone talk about it or put into words before? That's what September feels like.
I have already talked extensively about Venus in Leo and the retrograde period, so I won't recount it all here, however the post shadow experience varies. When Venus (or any planet for that matter) stations? Life resumes. The retrograde was a hibernation, a reflection period, maybe you saw certain things put on pause (especially relationship or monetary matters), the point was to slow down enough to notice what comes up, and why, and how. When a planet stations, it's a rocky adjustment time, the alarm clock is going off and it's time to start moving again. Some emerge from a Venus retrograde heart hardened, walls up. It depends on what your personal story was, what personal planets were hit, and how much they were challenged. A shadow came up for everyone, but some shadows are darker than others.
Some will emerge open hearted, with more understanding of their fears and how to coexist with them. Some are able to move forward feeling as though they received some kind of closure that they've been missing. To be clear, there is no right or wrong way to experience the integration period. If you are in the former energetic space, know that I've been there with you. Sometimes Venus brings us rejection, ego blows, deep security and esteem issues that rock our shit for years to come, I mean, she went to the underworld after all. It isn't for nothing, but that doesn't make it fun or comfortable. Venus can also bring us relationships and situations that force us to confront these things in order to create healthier bonds with ourselves and others. No matter what, whether you're feeling a little raw or energized this month in the post shadow, these are moments of realization and putting the fragments together.
This month we are likely seeing change, surprises, repeating themes that will challenge us to act differently than we have in the past. We can have beautiful insights during the retrograde period, but unless we use them to their fullest extent, they remain dormant. It's very easy to fall back into old ways and even more during a Mercury retrograde– be mindful.
To understand how the planets transitioning from Leo to Virgo work, we must examine how authenticity and genuine confidence create long lasting systems and projects. If you are committed to being yourself no matter who's around or what condition you find yourself in, you are creating the healthiest systems that work for you instead of compromising for others. The environment is clean because you have no hidden intentions or ego shields in place. Have you ever wondered why so many people die from heart disease? The urgency of the ego (Leo) is what creates health issues (Virgo). Each sign is a result of the one before.
It's time to create a real foundation and method for all that burning fire so that we can sustain it and use it to fuel our dreams. With Mercury stationing direct in the middle of the month, we are emerging with greater clarity (especially on the day of the Mercury cazimi) for what the best method and strategy is going forward. In the first half of the month, let the older systems fall apart, let it be chaotic while you're theorizing and moving things around. Don't forget to regulate, grounding the nervous system is important so that we aren't falling into the chaos ourselves. The opposite of fear is trust.
As I mentioned before, Mars is currently in Libra. The ingress was on August 27th and Mars stays in this sign until October 12th. In last month's article I mentioned that this was the first real encounter with the South Node in Libra emphasizing a month of adjustment and a decrease of relationships and codependence within the house themes affected for each rising sign. Libra is ruled by Venus, meaning that this transit is very connected to the Venus in Leo direct station. It's likely that the Leo sector of your chart has gone through very serious changes and Mars is now focused on application of these shifts now that Venus is moving forward again.
On Twitter, I posted the dates of the last Mars in Libra transit (September 14th-October 30th 2021) and someone quoted asking me to "explain this but in sports," and honestly, it was such a silly request I had to try! Mars in Libra is like if every 2 years a football player is sent to be a ballerina for two months as part of their contract and it goes just as terribly as it sounds. Mars, representing the gruff football player who is built for force and not agility, learns how to balance on just the tip of their toes.... what could go wrong? Mars is detriment in Libra which simply means we have to find a different way of expression with this placement. Mars can't do typical Mars things and expect to be successful when it's in Libra-Land. It has to try a different approach.
I think another great example of this energy is a Pilates workout. It looks like nothing, it feels like everything. Pilates is an example of a Venusian sport– it doesn't mean it isn't hard or that it won't do anything for your health, it just means that it takes a different approach. Mars in Libra wants us to embody more ease and diplomacy when we're dealing with difficult things, be it exercise or an argument. This transit will also bring mirrored challenges, if you find yourself angry and combative with someone else, it's likely that the solution or the root of the problem is being reflected internally or externally with something seemingly unrelated. This reflection time is ultimately about eliminating chaotic cycles that we've been stuck in, especially as it pertains to partnership. Mars in Libra is a big "fighting for what's right" placement too, it's important to speak up about what really matters to us right now. Libra's version of "fighting" is very different from the Martian way though, you'll be better equipped with truth, negotiation, knowing and understanding the loopholes. Embody a lawyer's mind this month, but remember that others are likely doing the same and who knows where their personal truth and intention lies.
Some practical things: It's very likely that we'll experience skin, scalp, and adrenal issues. It's very likely that breakouts, eczema flares, and dandruff is showing up, but it's probably temporary and a signal that something is out of balance. Imbalances of this nature are usually stress related, when we are not embodying ease or when something is out of alignment. Remediation is possible when we accept truths we may have previously avoided.
Jupiter will station retrograde in Taurus on the 4th. This is our planet of power, knowledge, and diversification that has only just begun its journey through Taurus on May 16th. This would be a great time to review the article I put out back in the spring about this transit. I imagine that money and resource is something that will shift around at this time. Something about this– Taurus is a very slow and intentional sign. If purpose has been missing from the pursuit of resources, this is something that I feel will be implemented at this time. It'll depend on where you have this transit personally, but it could be that you couldn't access Jupiter's expansion because there simply was no need for it yet.
For example, if Jupiter is transiting the social houses (3rd, 7th, and 11th), water risings may not have experienced the widening of their connections and network because they hadn't moved to x city yet, or they haven't discovered y website, or they were busy learning z in preparation for the connections coming in. There have been some missing variables with Venus retrograde all summer squaring Jupiter in Taurus. Jupiter requires a certain amount of knowledge and movement to tap into the proper resources at the right time. It's kind of like that phrase, "Spend money to make money," I imagine that Jupiter retrograde in Taurus will be an opportunity for us to use all that we've earned and review all that we've been taught. Jupiter will not station direct until December 30th 2023, keep all of this in mind for the remainder of the year.
On the 14th, we have a New Moon in Virgo. This lunation is opposite Neptune in Pisces and trine Uranus in Taurus. Other than these aspects to the modern planets, there aren't many other contacts in this chart. The Sun and Moon are ruled by a retrograde Mercury who is at its station degree at 8º Virgo. Venus is also coming into its final square with Jupiter after making contacts on the 22nd of August and the 11th of June.
This New Moon feels very much like trying to project the future based on trends of the past. Now, we know that this isn't always an accurate means of prediction (unfortunately for precise Virgo), but it is the best we have at this very moment. There is a veil over the future, this is one of the biggest battles of the Saturn in Pisces transit: Surrendering to the unknown. Personally, I think this is a great time to review all that has happened and to make rough plans with the knowing that something about them will probably change in the Mercury direct period. Remember– Uranus is very unpredictable, but this could channel very bright ideas and strategies at the time of the New Moon with the blessed electricity of Uranus.
With Venus squaring Jupiter again, we're seeing more to the story around resources. A big theme this summer has been not having enough, having a dream or a desire or a creative passion and not feeling very financially or relationally supported through it. This is where we could see something about this completing or a final leap toward what we really value despite the risks. Try to plan and find discernment as best as you can, but know that you're never really going to know what the future holds before you take the leap... and hey, that would be boring anyway. We'll talk more about the New Moon in a separate article later in the month.
The Sun will move into Libra on the 23rd. The Sun is in its fall in Libra. Why does the Sun do so poorly in this sign? The Sun is our individual life force, it's the pure identity that burns through no matter what we might do to hide it. The Sun does well in Aries and is at home in Leo, the two signs that are typically associated with children. The most innocent and pure expression of our identities often show through when we are children– we don't know to hide the things that make us who we are yet because we're being authentically ourselves. Libra is a goddess of refinement, a filter, the picture of practice and grace. How does Libra learn these things? Society for one, maybe a nitpicking matriarch, but no matter what: Libra learns by watching others instead of stepping into its own identity. *Please note that I am talking about the archetype of this sign, not people. People are much more than a sign (after all, there is a whole chart to consider), but Libra Suns especially, may relate to feeling like they have had to hide who they really are for the sake of others or to keep up their family's image.
As we get older, we learn that we can't say certain things in front of certain people, we learn about social cues. We observe how others dress, what is considered acceptable, and we may slowly repress all of the things that make us unique to feel accepted ourselves. This is where Libra will act as a mirror. When we speak to others, they hear their own wounds reflected back to them. You might say something like, "Oh, I don't want to eat fettuccine alfredo, it will give me a stomach ache." and they'll hear something like, "Fettuccine alfredo is fattening, how gross you are for even suggesting it." The Sun is always a projection field, moving light outside itself and in the sign Libra, it sees into the other and illuminates even the things they don't want you to see. Just by being yourself, you may make another person extremely insecure. This is the dilemma of the Sun in Libra.
Beyond that, there are issues of codependency, the "copycat", backhanded compliments presented in a social setting.
Despite these difficulties, here are a few of my favorite things about Libra season:
For one, there is this theme of reflection. As someone who dabbles with the akashic records, channeling, and other forms of divination, this is typically the most spiritual season for me. Libra can act as the scales– as above so below. Even the silliest interaction, like a scuffle over pasta, can reveal something much deeper that needs work and remediation. This is the season of adjustments based on triggers.
Libra is also a sign about justice. Divine balance is not about perfection, or evenness, or tit for tat. Divine balance and justice is like nature. The drought that resulted in a dry cracks and brown grass now has an abundance of rain to replenish the ground again. It can't rain for 3 months straight like the prevailing drought did, but even a drizzly season is enough to justify it. It kind of reminds me of co-parenting too. One parent may be solely responsible for the finances for awhile and the other is spending the bulk of their time with the children. Roles may reverse and shift when necessary, but there is always a shuffling balance that hangs.
Also, everything is pretty during Libra season. As a Venusian myself, I love when things are beautiful. A tragically gorgeous written piece that will now live in the back of your mind. The perfect pumpkin spice latte. The frilliest skirt that accentuates just the right spots. A dinner party with elegant hanging light fixtures. Libra season is a time for art, for study, for learning, and conformity. I often find it's helpful to learn the socially acceptable way at some point or another– how else will you mess it up and rebel against it later if you don't take the classical route now? This season, remember that there is value in a developed technique.
On the 29th, we have a Full Moon in Aries. This Full Moon is ruled by Mars at 21º Libra... the same degree that the Solar Eclipse will perfect in just 2 weeks on October 14th. This is likely a foreshadow of what is to come. Whatever is initiated or severed at this time is important to the larger changes over the next 6 months– especially within our relationships. Whether you're parting ways or joining hands with someone, there is a need to come to the plate as individuals. The annual Full Moon in Aries is often one where we are standing up for ourselves and giving ourselves the grace that's been lacking from others. I gotta say, this Full Moon does remind me a bit of the one we had in 2021 (October 20th) when Mars was in Libra ruling the lunation very close in degree too. I've heard a lot of people say that this was a time period where poor decisions were made– we may have a deeper wealth of wisdom to pull from this time around. Heeding the past, but ultimately staying to true to what we need individually.
I'll talk more about this Full Moon closer to the end of the month in its own article.
As I said at the beginning of the article, this month is largely about completing ongoing stories. Questions that we've had are now getting answered, the back and forth is resolving into a steadier pace (even if it takes a hot minute), we may have more understanding and direction by the end of the month for our eclipse journey in October. I hope you all enjoy this month, let's get into your horoscopes for September!
The Rising Sign Horoscopes
Aries risings
Much of your story this month is focused on relationships and how alive you feel within them. Aliveness is something you've been sleep walking through and I imagine the summer months were moments of reconnection to your awake state. What happens when you wake up from your slumber to find that you are a different person and the world has changed? Certain towers are crumbling, but this is where your personal freedom emerges. Get ready to reinvent yourself.
Taurus risings
When things seem abominably effortful, what will you do? This is a month of understanding process. Filtering out the complicated, breaking up the heavy, simplifying the scattered is the theme. When you reorder the chaos, you'll find it much easier to relax and you'll have room for the things you actually want to spend your time and energy on. Partner up and make a game out of it all. What did Mary Poppins say, again? Just a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down. This is truly the most delightful way.
Gemini risings
Ah, typical Gemini, overthinking your feelings when it isn't a matter of thought at all. What to do when the mind takes over? You have a few options: You can take a break, get into your body, find a new perspective, or you can let the chaos swallow you whole. Communication and feeling your way (instead of thinking it) is the gift that keeps on giving, it will move the energy, allow others into your headspace resulting in realizations and understanding. Let someone know how you're really feeling this month, if you don't like how things went in the past, do something different!
Cancer risings
Apathy could actually be your friend this month. It's not about becoming detached from empathy (this is what makes you who you are and you shouldn't have to compromise that), instead, it's about redirecting some of that understanding for others towards yourself. It's all about enough, do you have enough to give? is there a situation that has drawn on long enough? Are you paying enough attention? Satisfaction will come from something much deeper than the surface this month.
Leo risings
You may be feeling the weight of possibility, but it's only because you're still adjusting to your sense of self confidence. There's this fear of the behemoth that is the unknown. Your mind is firing off with all the possible outcomes and the uncertainty of your own ability to handle what comes next, but what if your mind can't quite make sense of it all because it's beyond your current experience? Whatever you find yourself thinking about, it will turn out to be very different than you think it will be. Have some faith in your capacity for greatness.
Virgo risings
It seems counterintuitive, but rest is actually the thing that will pay off the most this month. If you don't feel like doing something that you know you need to do? Delay. Come back to it when your mood has changed and see how big of a difference that makes. Sometimes the things that seem like priorities can wait. Your power comes from efficiency, not brute force! Let the hard things be easy– working smarter and not harder is the theme and challenge of this month. Let your personality shine through in the quality of your input and your output (i.e. if your mood is shit, your work will also be shit).
Libra risings
I know you're tired of not knowing, but the blindfold over your eyes is going to start making a lot more sense. Sometimes walking in the dark is the only way to get to where you're going without all the distractions. There may be a realization this month: All of the answers you've been seeking have been within you the whole time. Isn't that so annoying? "If I would have just trusted myself, I could've eliminated at least half of my frustration." But you know, this is apart of the process sometimes. You're gathering evidence for next time. You hold the keys to your dreams.
Scorpio risings
Ugh, options, options, and more options and no way to see the correct option. There is no "right way" Scorp. There is only what you feel. I want you to know that it is okay to have desires, goals, and dreams, but how are you acting? Why? What motivates you? If you're motivated by the desire to control, to achieve, to possess something or someone, you will always choose "wrong," but if you act on love, on joy, on faith you will always choose the right thing because it came from a place of purity. Examine the "why" behind your goals and know that there is always another way even if it doesn't make sense yet.
Sagittarius risings
What if I told you that your legacy is defined by your willingness to make mistakes? You have a habit of waiting for things to be perfect, but your process is already perfection. You don't need permission to share (even if it isn't where you want it to be yet). And like, what if you don't have to pick just one thing, or one way, or one method of expression? Being afraid of disappointment is what will keep you from the gift of experience. This month when you share, even just a little, you gain support. Inspiration comes when you risk looking a little funny and honestly, this isn't how others see you. They see your bravery, not your fear.
Capricorn risings
Okay, so this is where all of the shadow work becomes important. If you've been avoiding The You behind the You, you're going to feel like you're losing things this fall. On the other hand, if you're finding it within you to confront the patterns, you're going to gain something so sweet. What actually puts us at a deficit are the actions that we take to fill the gaping hole. If you sit in the emptiness, accepting, growing in empathy and authenticity– all of those superficial things you tried to obtain before will come like running water. The thing you want is always in the thing you're avoiding.
Aquarius risings
You're learning something really big this month and it's changing the way you communicate and relate to others drastically. Maybe in the past you've made things extremely personal when it isn't at all. The blurry lines and the murky water can create a mirage, but this is simply a sign that it may not be time to move forward yet. Ask more questions this month instead of assuming you know the answer. Things that feel deep probably aren't quite as deep as you think and the things that seem shallow are an ocean of wisdom. Test this theory out– everything is trial and error this month.
Pisces risings
Letting go is the big theme of the month. There are a lot of compromises that you're making right now, but it's important that this doesn't feel like you're compromising your personal vision for someone else's. Being a team player means that you consider others while also advocating for your needs. It doesn't mean letting others push you out and it doesn't mean taking up the whole space. Instead, how can you do what is necessary and allow the whimsy of your precious mind some space too. You are not here to be like others, you're here to be you– exactly as you already are!