By Angel Lopez:
Can you believe it’s September already? The shock of this seems to be reverberating through everyone, as if we’re all groggily waking up from some strange, terrible dream. Though life is pretty damn strange these days, and even at times terrible, this is the new life we’re all in, and there’s no going back to the past.
To be frank, when I hear someone say, "I wish things would just go back to the way they were," I shudder.
Because yes, there was an ease to it all in some way. We had a rhythm and our routines and there was comfort in that. But as we’ve all seen this year, those old ways weren’t sustainable nor supporting our collective growth.
As a society, we’ve had to face the reality that “the way things were” was racist, misogynistic, and classist.
And a lot of folks still are these things, so those of us in the know on equality and truth must work harder to align with dismantling these faulty societal structures.
The gift of this September’s Virgo Season is some more clarity around the new structures and routines you need to get in place. You’re probably still weeding out the old though, wrapping your head around what exactly wasn’t working and why. For some of us, these structures were more tangible: jobs, relationships, the places we lived. They just weren’t working anymore, and you’ve probably found or are finding the proper ways to let them go. But for others, these structures are internal. They were outdated ways of thinking about yourself or ways of communicating your feelings.
Perhaps you’ve recognized that you just never fully grew up in some way, and now’s the time.
Whatever the case, this month can be a time to really gain some acceptance, to forgive yourself and move on. And move on you will, toward something better and more aligned to your authentic self.
The Pisces Full Moon on September 1st is a good way to continue the clearing and releasing process of this year. The Sun and Uranus sextile the Moon, which supports the transformation your life is going through.
You can take some real practical steps forward toward any of the dreams you’re currently working on. Use this entire week to be in touch with your dreams and/or your healing. Let it be a bright cue to release some of the fear that keeps you from letting go and trusting where you’re trying to go. It’s also challenging you to keep stepping further into your personal growth. It’s time to let go of any residual childish ways and be the full-on adult you need to be. It doesn’t have to be so terrible or scary, and it doesn’t mean your life of fun is over. How you define fun just needs to evolve.
On September 5th, the planet of communication, Mercury, enters the sign of Libra, the sign of balance and justice. Virgo season already activates the mind, and this switch urges you to find some good partners for your ideas. Thoughts will also just turn to your partners in general, and how your relationships are serving your own inner needs. It’s a good time to collaborate, to boo up your artistic ideas with another or to get better connected with the ones you love. Be careful not to fall into any manipulation traps, though. During this time, everyone is trying to find a peaceful solution to any situation, so some folks could just say what they feel the other wants to hear in order to finish the conversation. But that is not how true justice is found. So, do your best to be honest and trust that the charm of Libra will help you to communicate anything you have to say in a smooth-as-silk way.
The following day, Venus enters Leo, merging the Goddess of Love with the sign of creativity and expression. This makes your connections more heart-centered and exciting. You want to be in partnership with those who support your creative drives and your most enthusiastic expression, those who see your passions and champion your pursuits. This is the time to ask for any encouragement. Know that this can challenge Intimate relationships, because everyone will feel like their needs deserve the spotlight. Compromise may just fall a little short.
Mars begins its retrograde on September 9th. Any new beginnings that you’ve put into place since June 28th will start to slow down and come up for review. With this one, it’s your actions that need reconsidering. Did you go about something the wrong way or dive too quickly into it without taking everything you needed to into account? Mars is taking you all the way back to the last week of July, so any actions you’ve taken between then and now are what’s being questioned. This retrograde lasts until November 14th, so be aware that anything you start during this time will take twice as long to complete. Prepare for that. Especially with Mars in Aries, it could feel like some major stop and start. Do your best to not let it aggravate you to the point of blowing up at anyone, particularly yourself. It’s easy to internalize this energy if you let it.
As one retrograde begins, another ends, as Jupiter goes direct on September 12th for the first time since May 15th. Jupiter wants to shower abundance and personal growth over everything it touches, so if you’ve been making the necessary changes in your life up until this point, it’s going to amplify them. If you’ve been allowing fear or frustration to take hold, then it will water that and make it grow. So, it’s important to know that between this point and the end of the year, focus on taking actions that push you toward the next chapter, especially in October and November. Those are big months to get new ways of being into motion so that they can take full root and prosper from Jupiter’s visit.
September 17th brings the Virgo New Moon, which will be a good time to really activate some positive structures for a new, literal routine in your life. Challenge yourself to think beyond how you’ve always done things and get a little more creative with how you choose to move forward. Allow a little more play into it all too. Work and structure don’t have to be painful, especially if they involve activities you enjoy and are helping build the bigger dream for your life. And don’t forget the dream! With Virgo, it’s easy to get caught up in all the practical. This new moon says, “Don’t forget to engage your imagination too when it comes to your day to day.”
The Sun enters the airy sign of Libra on September 23rd, calling for us all to turn our attention toward productive communication and fairness. All of our ears will be cocked toward truth. The trouble is that everyone has their own idea of what’s true, which can create a war of words. There will be a lot of debate going on during this last week of the month, and it could get heated as Mercury shifts into Scorpio on the 28th. Libra Season tends to lend a gentle nature to our earthly proceedings, but with the communication planet in Scorpio, this one won’t be for the faint of heart. People will have some things to say, and you may not like their delivery. But we’re all going to be feeling this, so also do your part and don’t bite with your words. Instead, lean into Scorpio’s deep reservoir of passion and use it toward communicating your beliefs, goals, and ideas. Coupled with Libra’s quest for peace, we can all do our part to speak our truth out loud and do what we can to use our words for positive growth and change.
Angel Lopez is a film producer, writer, astrologer, and co-host of the podcast, THE SPIRITUAL GAYZ alongside his husband, our Spiritual Guru Brandon Alter. Angel has been studying and working with both tarot and astrology for twenty years. He hosted the astrology web-series, ASTRO TALK WITH ANGEL, and writes the blog ASTROLOGY REALNESS. He has also had pieces published on Upworthy.com and The Huffington Post.
On the film side, Angel produced the Sundance Film Festival award winning film DEAR WHITE PEOPLE, as well as the features THE DINNER and STATE LIKE SLEEP. He also wrote and directed his own short film, I CAN’T WITH YOU, which had its premiere at the 2016 HollyShorts Film Festival, and he recently finished producing filmmaker Justin Simien’s second feature, BAD HAIR.