The fall equinox is upon us, and I’m looking forward to it. It’s not that I want summer to end as I’ve learned to really enjoy summer, but I’m looking forward to astrological weather that wakes me up, because fall and winter are my seasons of creative motivation.

I also tend to look good in the lighter side of fall colors, and it’s a good time for me to get clothes.

And the people around me are looking forward to fall as well. It’s an interesting thing about autumn – it’s a season that only really exists in all its splendor in temperate climates, and unlike summer, winter, and even spring, you can’t find a place on earth with perpetual fall-like weather because even if the weather is cool and crisp, you’re not going to get changing and falling leaves because that’s a transition that can’t last.

And our culture likes fall because it’s the season we can relax – we can cover up, we can stay inside, we can eat, we can slow down without any guilt or FOMO because this is what fall is for even though that’s actually what all of life is for. No one needs to maximize fall – going for a hike, getting some apples, baking, doing Halloween? No big deal and requires little from you.

And autumn is also the time that normies get to indulge in the occult in a safe, culturally-sanctioned way. Is it a mockery? Is it disrespectful to other people’s sincerely-held beliefs? I suppose if it were any other type of religion, but occult practitioners find safety behind the curtain of the absurdity of commercialized spirituality and divination. I actually enjoy it. I don’t use ouija boards, but if some suburbanite wants to decorate their kitchen with them once a year, and if people stop thinking astrology is weird, that tarot cards aren’t possessed, then maybe what we’ll actually accomplish something wonderful for all of us, and I’m not talking about a “spiritual awakening” but an alternative religious path for those of us alienated from the major religions due to sex, gender, race, socioeconomic status, and internal differences, with no pressure or need to be affiliated with one of the major religions.

Much less of a spiritual “awakening” and more of a spiritual “no thanks, I’m doing my own thing.”

Because there is something very cozy and communal about fall, but also deeply personal because while we tend to make merriment in groups, we tend to rest alone or intimately, so why would I become the gatekeeper of dabbling in individual paths?

Mabon Weather

For fall, we get Mercury retrograde in Libra conjunct the Sun and still opposing Jupiter retrograde in Aries. We also get a Moon-Saturn opposition in Leo/Aquarius. We also get a Venus/Neptune opposition? What does this mean?

Well, nothing, actually. It’s not an omen for all of fall, but it may feel like one. Can you take the day off?

Mercury Rx opposing Jupiter Rx

First, Mercury conjunct the Sun isn’t that big of a deal because it happens a lot, and sometimes, Mercury retrograde is conjunct the Sun. The most likely thing to happen is that the ego overtakes reason, and because it’s in Libra, that things are left unsaid or even lied about (Libra is justice, not truth), in order to keep the peace. Yeah, and this happens all the time anywhere there’s more than one person present, but even if you’re a person who prides yourself in “telling it like it is” or even the dysfunctional person who says things like “people just think I’m an asshole because I tell the truth and they can’t handle it,” you may not suddenly develop a sense of diplomacy, but you may fear the consequences of telling it like it is (or rather, how you think it is), and may not be quite able to find the words to say what you think. This can happen with other people, too, and I’ll tell you:

Mercury retrograde opposing Jupiter retrograde on the Aries/Libra axis is a bitch for taking testimony, especially when it’s hitting your natal moon.

The nice thing about this opposition is that it can be good for internal work because Jupiter retrograde does two things: it takes a wise approach, or it explodes. Hubris is a danger wherever Jupiter retrograde is transiting your chart even if you’re more prone to self-honesty. And while I certainly don’t consider it an actual danger, I think that Jupiter retrograde has a sort of higher-minded Sagittarian or Piscean affect: it can make you take the bird’s eye view of things, taking it all in until whatever was your focus or priority starts to disappear into a giant Where’s Waldo of the universe. It can be a good time for self-reflection if you need to start seeing where you are in the grand scheme of things, and if Jupiter retrograde is transiting a natal planet or point, it can help you see that planetary energy in context. This isn’t analysis, nor is it meditation, but rather philosophy, a more open-ended acceptance of what is and having an internal dialog with yourself about how it works. The nice part is that you may come to accept something about yourself and your life that you may have previously found unacceptable.

The danger? Especially with Jupiter retrograde in Aries, seeing yourself as being much bigger, more important, or better than you actually are. And while we are all precious little flowers in the garden of God or some shit like that, in reality, you have a relative worth to others based on various things, some of which you control and some you don’t, and you may find that you over-estimate your relative worth because you’re too focused on what you think, what’s important to you, and how you personally feel. If you’re a hermit, that’s great. If you’re an artist who needs to build up your integrity, cool. But if you’re apply this out in the world, you may find something blowing up in your face, possibly your self-esteem.

If that happens, learn from it. The temptation is to have an Aries impatience and want it all yesterday, but nothing big happens overnight.

But it’s kind of hard to use that energy with Mercury retrograde throwing marbles on the track while you’re trying to run this marathon. It can, however, cause you to be more conscientious of everything – your body, the other runners, the crowd, the way you have to move to keep this disaster from getting worse – and while that could make you very anxious, and the temptation is to say nothing, say something. If you find that others are not in the same boat or don’t want to admit it, at least the truth is out there and you survived telling it.

Moon opposing Saturn: eh

So this happens every month, and it doesn’t necessarily affect everyone unless you have some planets or points that are being hit OR you’re involved with something lunar, like babies, like the public, like motherhood, like water or such. It may affect people who are naturally lunar (read: moody), but for the most part, this is a weak transit and it only lasts part of a day. However, if you are involved in something lunar, take care, because you may find that you’re not getting the response you want. Social media may not be satisfying when you post, children may not be cooperative, and it may be difficult all around to get the reaction you want. However, you may find yourself unable to react to things strongly, which is great if you need to appear stoic, but it could be out of exhaustion or fear. Sometimes this transit can awaken latent memories that cause people to numb themselves.

But the good news is that it doesn’t last long.

Venus opposing Neptune: dream lover and loving the dream

On this 2+ year path of self-discovery, I took an MBTI test for the first time in ages. I always thought I was an INTP, but the description didn’t sit right with me. I suppose I was taking the test answering the questions as I thought I should be, the way I was taught I needed to be in order to be acceptable. I take the test again and it turns out I’m an INFJ, and the description makes a lot more sense to me.

I can accept that I’m this weird even if it wasn’t useful to other people in the past.

Venus will oppose Neptune for less than a week, but it’s a good time, I think. I like Venus in Virgo. It may not come to your window at night and serenade you or propose to you in public, but it will make sure you are taken care of and that you become the best you can be. Venus in Virgo is a special kind of support, and I think that Venus in Virgo is a time when we take inventory of not just our assets, but our potential, and if you ever want to make a lifestyle change, it’s most pleasurable to do during Venus in Virgo because it feels easy and it feels good – Venus in Virgo makes things real and makes the practical pleasurable.

So takes this Venus having a staring contest with Neptune in Pisces, which is just super Neptune, unapologetic Neptune. The thing is that Neptune is the higher octave of Venus, so even if this opposition is a bad combo, it doesn’t feel like it is in the moment. I mean, if you’re binging on candy, it doesn’t feel bad until your body refuses any more candy, and then all the pain and suffering comes later. It’s two lovers living in the present, not concerned whether their vows of love and loyalty will stand the test of time or if they can even live up to the promises they made at the moment they felt those things.

Except this Venus isn’t irresponsible like that. It’s a responsible love, and it’s being inflated and is inflating Neptune in Pisces, that transcending dingbat confusing and obscuring things.

This is a good time to talk yourself into a relationship you know you shouldn’t be in because you can convince yourself of how it looks good on paper, or – because there is ALWAYS an “OR” with oppositions – it’s an opportunity to take that pleasant step toward making a dream a reality. It’s not a Mars/Neptune opposition, so it’s not going to be a catalyst to some major creative change drawn from the imagination, but it’s an ease into it, a wave in the right direction – it makes certain things seem like a good idea, and depending on where this opposition is in your chart, you may feel waved in a particular direction to do the thing you’ve dreamed of.

Or, you could be so enamored with the dream instead that reality is an inconvenience.

This is an issue if that dream involves something outside of you, particularly a person or institution that you want something from. You’re not going to suddenly become a stalker or fanatic, but you may too rosy a view of something, and you may not clearly see your relationship or where you actually are, and not because you inflate it the way Jupiter does, but rather because the dream is an investment, a world that’s hard to let go of, like the lotus eaters of The Odyssey, especially if you’re not actually hurting anyone else.

And if you’re the type who doesn’t have time to dream, or if you fear it, give yourself a chance to indulge. It’s nice.

Mabon gratitude

It’s the harvest. I’m grateful for things. There’s a lot of things that I’ve done that have gone right, and there’s things I started this year that are still in progress. I have sown, I have reaped. I am a human, and I am still learning what seeds are good and what is to be cast to the fire. Although the sudden drop in temperature isn’t so great for my headaches, it hasn’t been a bad start to fall, and now it’s time to start making plans again.

If there’s one thing autumn teaches us, it’s that while so much may appear free for the taking, so much work is hidden behind the gilded rays of summer, and nothing is free, though we must all eventually rest in the bed we made.