The transit planets are the moving planets going through the Zodiac signs, and each has their own energy, moves at its own pace, and does its own thing. The transit Sun is no exception, and is the one who shines a light on matters. Transit Sun Astrology
The energy of the Sun in predictive astrology is to shine a light. In your natal chart, the Sun is your true inner self, the biggest part of your personality and of who you are. The Sun shines bright, and in transit, it shines its light on different parts of your natal chart as it tours through the signs and goes through your natal houses and aspects your natal planets.
The Sun moves about 1 degree per day, going through all 12 signs in about a year, and is relatively constant. It doesn't retrograde (appear to move backward), and is around the same position in the Zodiac each year. This is why your Solar Return (which is when the transit Sun returns to the exact position it was at when you were born) occurs the day before, day of, or day after your birthday every year. With the Sun going through all 12 signs every year, it goes through all 12 of your natal houses every year, and makes every aspect to your natal planets every year. The Sun Shines a Light on Your Houses
The house in your natal chart the transit Sun is touring has a light shone on it. The areas of life that house rules can get more of your attention.
The Sun spends about 1 month in each of your houses (more or less depending on the size of the house), and goes through each house around the same time every year. If you've noticed a pattern where certain times of the year seem to always focus on the same parts of your life or have similar events happening or similar energy, this may be why! The Sun Shines a Light on Your Planets
When the transit Sun is aspecting one of your natal planets, the planet and whatever it rules can get more of your attention as well. This may be in a challenging way with squares and oppositions, the hard aspects, while it may be in a beneficial way with sextiles and trines, the easy aspects. Conjunctions tend to be more neutral, especially with the Sun, so a transit Sun conjunction can amplify whatever is already happening with the planet it's conjuncting, or may amplify the energy of the planet itself so it operates on a stronger level.
With the transit Sun moving at about the same pace every year, you experience the same aspect around the same time each year as well. Again, this may bring out similar themes, events, and energy around the same dates every year for you. Suggested Reading: The Transit Sun page for interpretations of the transit Sun in the houses and aspects 
On to September! August is a nice little respite from the wonky energy 2020 has rained down on us, but it's not going to last - September is sure to make things interesting with the Mars retrograde! But, the new and full moons for September seem to be trying to help out, at least a little bit. What is a new moon?
A new moon occurs when the transit (moving) Sun and Moon are in the exact same position in the Zodiac (called a conjunction). New moons are related to beginnings, have high energy, and are enthusiastic.
What is a full moon?
A full moon occurs when the transit (moving) Sun and Moon are in the exact opposite positions in the Zodiac (called an opposition). Full moons are related to endings, culminations, and are emotional energy.
Full Moon in Pisces: September 2nd 2020 (1:22AM ET/September 1st @ 10:22PM PT)
We have a full moon in Pisces early in September, and this full moon is a time when we usually need to be sweeter, gentler, and more considerate and compassionate. With both others and ourselves! We all need a gentle, understanding touch now, and to think of how we can be kinder with one another. We can be extra sensitive to slights, and have to work on strengthening ourselves better so we're not so easily scarred.
Intuition and imagination run really high with Pisces full moons, so it's great for spiritual ventures and creative or artistic pursuits. But it can also be bad for boundaries, emotional and spiritual, and we have to do a better job of protecting ourselves. Focus on the areas where your boundaries have been frayed, torn down, or where you never had them at all, and get started on that. Having solid emotional and spiritual boundaries isn't a bad thing - it's healthy! The full moon is sextile (positive aspect, 2 signs away) Uranus in Taurus. This can help us to come together to focus on common causes and hopes and dreams for the future, and we can go about it in more productive ways. We can see the advantage of working together, while also respecting our individuality and unique forms of expression. This full moon seems to be helpful energy for us as we move toward the Mars retrograde, where frustration and anger may get the better of us! The full moon occurs at 10 degrees 12 minutes Pisces. Aspects to the full moon are: Conjunction: 8 degrees 12 minutes - 12 degrees 12 minutes Pisces Sextile: 8 degrees 12 minutes - 12 degrees 12 minutes Taurus or Capricorn Square: 8 degrees 12 minutes - 12 degrees 12 minutes Gemini or Sagittarius Trine: 8 degrees 12 minutes - 12 degrees 12 minutes Cancer or Scorpio Opposition: 8 degrees 12 minutes - 12 degrees 12 minutes Virgo New Moon in Virgo: September 17th 2020 (7AM ET/4AM PT)
Virgo new moons are times when we want to get as much work done as we can. We can be extra productive, get organized, make lists, and work to stay on track and on schedule. That is something we really need with Mars retrograde by the time this new moon occurs! The Virgo new moon tries to keep us from getting completely off, and we can keep extra busy with lots of little tasks and projects and chores. We just need to make sure we don't take on TOO much, otherwise we can bring on extra stress.
Virgo new moons tend to be good times to start new work projects, however with Mars retrograde, they may not be brand spanking new projects. They may instead be ones we're doing over again, we tried in the past but didn't follow through with or finish, or that we didn't pursue when we had the chance before and want to try now. Also note that Virgo is the sign of health, so we may be extra focused on health matters! The new moon is trine (positive aspect, 4 signs away) Saturn and Pluto in Capricorn (though a little wide for Pluto). Saturn helps us with discipline and focus, and we can get a lot more done, especially with a solid plan and good intentions. Pluto helps us take control over matters, find some personal power, and make transformations where needed to get everything right this time. The new moon occurs at 25 degrees 1 minute Virgo. Aspects to the new moon are: Conjunction: 23 degrees 1 minute - 27 degrees 1 minute Virgo Sextile: 23 degrees 1 minute - 27 degrees 1 minute Cancer or Scorpio Square: 23 degrees 1 minute - 27 degrees 1 minute Gemini or Sagittarius Trine: 23 degrees 1 minute - 27 degrees 1 minute Taurus or Capricorn Opposition: 23 degrees 1 minute - 27 degrees 1 minute Pisces Suggested Reading: The New & Full Moons page for interpretations for the new and full moons in the houses and aspects 
Mars retrograde is coming! Mars didn't retrograde in 2019, so 2020 comes with a Mars retrograde (it was the same with Venus). Like this year couldn't get any wackier! Make sure you're buckled up for this one, it's sure to be a bumpy ride ;) The basics - what is Mars retrograde?
A planet is called retrograde when it appears to be moving backward from our view here on Earth. It's not actually moving backward, and only looks that way. Mars retrogrades roughly every 2 - 2 1/2 years for about 2 - 2 1/2 months. Mercury retrogrades most often (3-4 times each year for about 3 weeks at a time) while Neptune and Pluto are retrograde for almost as much time as they're not (so much more subtle).
Mars is a personal planet (with the Sun, Moon, Mercury, and Venus), and personal planets have energy we feel more personally. This makes their retrograde much stronger in our lives. Mars rules our energy and drive, what makes us take action and how we do so. Mars retrograde tends to bring out frustration and annoyance, impulsive behavior and impatience, and we can see a surge in fights. Mars Retrograde in Aries 2020 Dates:
Mars Retrograde Effects:
Mars retrograde! This Mars retrograde comes to us in Aries, which is the sign that Mars naturally rules, so Mars is at home here. This means we're reeeally going to be hit hard by the Mars/Aries impact for this retrograde. It'll almost be like a pure Mars retrograde impact - lots of fighting, frustration, anger, annoyance, violence, and impatience. We may jump to act in ways that aren't very smart, and feel stuck in other ways where we need to be pushing forward. We may not be clear about what is driving us to act, what our motivations are, and what we want out of it. We have to work on being smarter with our actions and thinking them through. We may need to take action in ways that are new and different, or in ways that we've done before and need to try again.
Energy is likely to be crazy high in some ways, and this can lead to those actions that get us in trouble, that lead to violence and major outbursts, or that lead to accidents and injuries. I am definitely concerned about that with this retrograde! At the same time, we can burn ourselves out pretty easily, especially from anger and frustration. It takes a physical, mental, and emotional toll on you eventually, and you have to take a step back. There's likely some underlying cause that needs to be addressed, so peel back the layers and see what's there. We also need to be mindful of the urge to win. Aries is a highly competitive sign, and Mars rules Aries, so the desire to "win" may be huge during this retrograde. But that may cause us to not see a way out that's right in front of us, keeping us stuck in problems that we don't need to be, and drive a bigger wedge between us. It can lead to more fighting and frustration. Compromise doesn't have to be a bad thing, and understanding one another doesn't mean we're throwing in the towel. But this may be something we just have a hard time embracing during the retrograde. There are many complicating factors with this retrograde. We've got a cardinal t-square going for starters, with Mars opposing the Sun, Mercury, and Venus in Libra at different points, and all of them squaring (hard aspect, 3 signs away) the Capricorn stellium of Jupiter, Saturn, and Pluto. Aye! Likely super focused on ripping down old structures, the traditional, the status quo; but missing Cancer energy, so we need to come together more personally, be more nurturing and supportive and emotionally understanding, and make sure we're tackling the foundation of the problem and not just cutting off the top. Gotta get at the roots! To start the retrograde, Mars will be conjunct (aligned with) Black Moon Lilith in Aries, and this can stimulate some major strife. Black Moon Lilith helps us rise up, fight back, defend ourselves, and take a stand, which are good things, but this may go into overdrive with Mars retrograde and lead to some bad choices and actions. Remember, we have to resist being impulsive and impatient and be smarter about how, why, where, and when we take action. You might want to check out the article I wrote for Astrology Answers about the Black Moon Lilith in Aries transit to brush up! Mars & Mercury Retrogrades:
Mercury will retrograde October 13th - November 3rd in Scorpio and Libra, and this is likely going to bring out even more challenges. Libra opposes Aries (though Mars and Mercury won't oppose) so we're likely to feel out of balance, lack peace and harmony, and refuse to see eye-to-eye. There's a lot of oppositional energy during this period that needs to be addressed in a healthy way, otherwise we're just fighting and not getting anywhere.
Mercury retrograde in Scorpio is also super hard since Mars used to rule Scorpio, and Scorpio likes to dig up major issues, and rules rage and war. So there's so very angry, frustrated, potentially violent energy going on throughout this retrograde that I don't like at all! Try to use the Scorpio energy for positive transformations and deep understanding instead of giving in the rage and the urge for violence. Mars Retrograde in Aries Aspects:
During the Mars retrograde, Mars will make 7 major aspects to the other planets. They are:
Moons of Mars Retrograde:
Pay special attention to the full moon in Aries on October 1st; it's not conjunct (aligned with) Mars retrograde but is in the same sign, and it is conjunct Chiron (the wounded healer), so there is potential for some physical accidents or violence with that full moon. Also pay attention to the new moon in Libra on October 16th which is widely opposing Mars retrograde and might bring matters to a head between opposing parties. We have to work a lot harder to get on the same page, but compromise may feel like it's not an option as we're just looking past and talking over one another.
The Moon will be in the same sign as the Mars retrograde and the sign Mars rules, Aries, twice: September 30th (10:48PM ET) - October 3rd (11:13AM ET) and October 28th (4:45AM ET) - 30th (5:19PM ET). This brings our emotional energy squarely on the retrograde, and it's extra heightened. We can feel extra off, and have a hard time with focus and understanding. Healthy physical outlets for frustration are important, so long as we're mindful to avoid injury. Final Notes:
Mars retrograde will hit one critical degree, 26 degrees Aries, September 22nd - 27th. Critical degrees are special degrees of critical energy, and we may be extra annoyed, easily provoked, and need to keep busy. Don't give in to the fight!
The retrograde begins at 28 degrees Aries, so those of you Rams born April 15th and later can feel the start of the retrograde most. The retrograde ends at 15 degrees Aries, so those of you Rams born April 2nd - 7th can feel the end of the retrograde most. For the rest of you, check the house(s) Mars will be retrograding in your own natal chart, and any aspects Mars will make during its retrograde to your natal planets, to fully understand how it will impact you personally. If you have Mars retrograde in your natal or progressed chart, you may not feel the worst of this. Those individuals generally don't experience the difficulties of the retrograde because it feels more natural to them. Of course, chances are everyone else around them doesn't have the same aspect, so they can still experience difficulties brought on by others. Suggested Reading: The Mercury, Venus, & Mars Retrogrades page for interpretations for Mars retrograde in the houses and aspects 
Astrology can be used in a variety of helpful ways in your life, and one of the top ways that people usually want to use astrology is to improve themselves and their lives. We can all be better and do better! Astrology can help with that :) What does the North Node mean in astrology?
The North Node is part of the Lunar Nodes, which are the points in the Moon's orbit where the Moon crosses the ecliptic, and are spiritual/karmic in nature. There are two nodes and they exactly oppose one another, the North Node and the South Node.
The South Node connects to the past, your baggage, what you already know and can use as emotional crutches as times during periods of stress, so it's a point that shows what you need to move on from and let go of. The North Node, on the other hand, is your potential. It relates to where you'll find your ultimate happiness and satisfaction in life. But, it's unfamiliar, it's new, it's energy you haven't used and gotten used to yet, so we tend to shy away from it for a while. Over time, the more we get comfortable with it, the more we can find our potential in this life. North Node Astrology
We tend to avoid the North Node in our younger years, before we've grown up and learned lessons and all of that. Instead, we gravitate to the South Node, because it's comfortable and easy. We can fall back to the South Node time and again, but that doesn't actually help us make our lives better. Manifesting more of our North Nodes does, and helps us find the potential we have.
There is enormous potential in your North Node position, by sign and by house, as well as any planets in your North Node sign. But we tend to avoid them all, including the planet, before we've grown up a little! Once we do, we can see some of the potential that exists there. The North Node is one of the most positive positions in your natal chart, and the more you embrace it, the better you and your life can be. It generally doesn't feel that way at first, because it's so uncomfortable at first. It's the unknown, and we don't like the unknown! But as we work through that, everything can get better. Study up on the signs, houses, and planets of your North Node to get an idea of what you should be embracing and manifesting in your life and personality (the intro series may be of help: Zodiac signs, houses, and planets). Suggested Reading: Identifying Baggage With South Node Astrology |
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