Many of the themes of last month’s astrology continues into this month, with another round of challenging grand crosses wrapped around the Mars/Black Moon squaring Saturn and Pluto dynamic. However, thanks to the Sun and Mercury travelling through the earth sign of Virgo, we are also getting a series of brilliant grand trines involving water and earth signs, including a grand sextile or star of David pattern. Many of these trines support us to get more confluent with the processes of radical and deep change of this intense period of human evolution.
Virgo Sun in grand trine with Uranus in Taurus and Pallas Athena in Capricorn 
The Sun trining Uranus allows us to flow more easily with the spirit of dramatic change, to present less resistance to the necessity of that change, while sparking up our conscious awareness of the creative and liberating opportunities of this time.
This is not just about getting some great ideas, because of the grand trine links the earth signs, who demands the grounded, practical application of those ideas. Uranus represents our connections to our inherent genius, to the wizard archetypes within and the expression of greater individual freedom. In Taurus, we can apply that creative, magical genius to the material circumstances of our lives, amply supported by a very grounded and practical Virgo, and, by the precision thinking and action of Pallas Athena.
This gives the kind of message that, yes, big parts of our physical, material and financial lives are being dismantled, (something that should’ve been done during the global financial crisis!) and yet, for those who have the eyes to see, there are other creative possibilities that can completely revolutionise how you earn your income and how you give form to the expression of your authentic self.
(Now, I am fully aware that this is a statement made from a place of white privilege (in my case, partly or mostly white!) but the same energetic possibilities are available from wherever you are at. Uranus is the voice inside us that points to the possibility of a life that truly reflects your authentic self and your own unique genius. This is where my business coach would say to me “what would you love?” and “what would bring you more fully alive?)
Having Pallas in the mix is equally a gift as she is an awesome ally for concentrating our efforts, for penetrating clarity and one pointed intent. And she is an action goddess, a super intelligent feminine warrior, who’s own actions are heightened by the presence of the expansive Jupiter right next to her (who also happens to be her father!)
Joining Pallas with Uranus is the celebration of the higher dimensions of our intellects, the interrelationship between the personal mind and the higher mind, and both have their own unique forms of seeming magic. With the two in earth signs they are also very much in practical mode, acting as lightning rods to bring this heightened energy down to earth and into action.
The Virgo Sun will trine Jupiter exactly on the ninth!
Mercury in Virgo trining the Jupiter/Pluto/Saturn conjunction in Capricorn 
Here is the planet of the mind, communication and intellect forming a flowing series of trines to this most powerful line-up for the transformation, deep deconstruction and reconstruction of this time. This reinforces the themes of the Sun/Uranus/Pallas Athena grand trine but with greater depth and grunt. It supports a similar confluence with the deeper and more challenging processes of structural change, by getting more of our conscious intellects online with those processes.
It also helps that Mercury is conjunct the Shiva asteroid, as the latter confers a greater level of detachment that is especially useful when we are dealing with emotionally loaded challenges that surface when we are under great stress. Shiva energy also offers a deep and penetrating perception and, a deeper understanding of the processes of necessary death and rebirth involved in any real transformation.
It is indeed possible we can get the resisting parts of our minds out of the way more easily, while honing our attention and intention to get in sync with processes of deep change.
The Sun will follow up on Mercury and trine these big three from the 10th through to the 20th. This will be positively empowering and transformative period.
Mars conjunct Black Moon in Aries squaring the Pluto Saturn conjunction 
The very dark Mars/Black Moon conjunction was exact in the middle weeks of August, then backed off a little, with Mars continuing forward until he goes retrograde on the ninth. He then turns around to meet her again, exactly on the last days of the month, just in time for both to exactly square a stationary Saturn!
As I have said in the last months, this on one level is a meeting of our personal ego drives with the purifying and empowering energies of this dark face of the Great Mother. It takes a great deal of clarity, humility and integrity to be able to handle this kind of line-up, let alone be able to successfully wield its power potentials.
This is especially true when one of her agendas is to purify our destructive desires, sabotage mechanisms, abusive inner masculine, anger and more toxic rage, all of which she will tend to activate in order to flush out. Once again, we are being called to work deeply, therapeutically and spiritually with this material. At the very least, keep tweaking the pressure valves on our anger and frustration so that they do not built towards potentially dangerous critical mass!
Whereas, some people will be tempted to use this upwelling of toxic emotional power, entangle their own ego drives and unconsciousness with it and project it outwards, especially as Mars and the Black Moon lock in with Saturn exactly at the end of the month. We can expect a great deal of father issues projected in the direction of authority figures at this time as well as authentic assaults on corruption and on individuals who are misusing power. We can also expect more violence unfortunately.
Ultimately this is the time for challenging the inner tyrants, the internalised patriarchy, the excessively saturnine structures within our own psyches. And as I have raised before, working with sources of deep pain and toxic rage, whether from masculine or feminine origins.
Venus conjunct Hygeia in Cancer, sextile Mercury and the Shiva in Virgo
Venus conjunct Hygeia is one of the most beautifully erotic combinations, as the goddess of love meets a goddess of healing and sacred sexuality. This brings our hearts more deeply in alignment with the pure organically tantric sexuality inherent in each of our bodies. Unfettered, this can turn sexual experiences into full-blown, full-bodied, orgasmic healing ones, and provide enormous assistance to the healing of earlier sexual wounds.
As a Western version of the kundalini goddesses, Hygeia brings that luscious serpentine movements through our bodies and extended into an exquisitely sensual dance. She is a great favourite in our experiential astrology workshops for these very reasons.
The sextiles to Mercury allow for greater conscious awareness of these energies, as well as enhancing our love language, through writing, poetry and music.
Sextiles to Shiva, particularly from Hygeia, are quite literally expressions of the Shiva Shakti relationship and the positive flow between sacred masculine and feminine.
Now this is all very yummy, however unfortunately Venus/Hygeia conjunction is not unfettered.
Venus/Hygeia In Grand Cross squaring Mars/Black Moon, opposing Pluto conjunct Saturn and squaring a Juno/Kali conjunction in late Libra/early Scorpio
This is another version of the same grand crosses that made last month so intense, but this time Venus is one of the epicentres, putting our relationships under the same beefed up demands.
Traditionally Venus squaring Mars brings these two lovers into conflict, while the Black Moon brings out a great deal of distorted material from both. Excess Mars in Aries will basically want to f..k, while Venus has an agenda more akin to the above. Each of them has their own dark arts around desire and seduction, which can show up at this time as well as more ancient forms of trauma, abuse and rage. (I am currently reading “See What You Made Me Do”, Jess Hill’s ground-breaking description of power, control and domestic abuse. Unfortunately, it is a little too easy to project the potential for domestic violence to arise around line ups like this!)
However, within the dynamic are the great purificatory, transformative, healing archetypes, so for those who are prepared to really work this territory, this is the dark grace of this period.
And intensified by the opposition to the Saturn Pluto conjunction, however much we might want to resist, and by Juno and Kali. Juno, the queenly goddess of marriage, will both push for, and lay the foundation for authentic relationship evolution to come from this period, while Kali will use her ferocity, her desire for truth and her ego slicing weaponry towards the same end.
Take care with this Grand Cross though, out there in the world and do not put yourself in potentially dangerous situations.
Neptune in Pisces sextile Jupiter conjunct Pluto
In the midst of all these big-time and hard-core agendas, here is another more obvious expression of grace and fluidity around these processes of healing and deep change. Jupiter is closer to Pluto than Saturn at the start of the month, and so temporarily at least, the latter is in more expansive, growth-full operations that allow for transformation to flow more easily.
Our biggest planet gives us a look in at what the positive consequences of this period might be for us individually and collectively. He also confers greater courage, faith and optimism, making it easier for us to say yes in the face of great and potentially creative change.
Jupiter sextiling Neptune is also one of the best transits for subtler openings on the psychic and spiritual dimensions, in ways that enhance all forms of meditation and healing processes.
Neptune also lubricates the releasing of old psychic emotional baggage, of which there is no lack of at this time, and our ability to let go of the old, by supporting our ability to surrender whether it to love, to healing or more expansive levels of consciousness.
Together, they allow us to be more available to grace.
Take care, stay well,
With love and blessings.
Daniel
