September is a building energy month. Things may seem to quiet down for awhile and it is easier to focus on where we are going. As the month progresses though we will feel the energy increasing again as five planets change direction from the end of September through the beginning of November including another Mercury retrograde in October.

We are finishing up a six month cycle on ourselves (the Sun's passage from Aries through Virgo). This month starts a shift to others and the balancing act and evolution of our relationships as the Sun moves into Libra through Pisces over the next six months.

The seriousness in the air is real. Saturn's first of three oppositions to Pluto last month has set the stage to let go of excess and discern what is necessary to survive in our world. The economy is still slowing down, the unrest in the Middle East is increasing and the West Nile virus is creeping into the news. These are the realities affecting us all whether we are aware of our global village or not.

The Sun is moving through Virgo and the Evolutionary Astrology mantra for Virgo is: I discern with intuitive wholeness. This is the annual time of year for self-improvement. We can discern what is lacking in our world and make effort to create it, to evolve and grow.

Unfortunately, patriarchal principles have conditioned us for thousands of years to focus so much on our lack and imperfection that we are paralyzed. Virgo then becomes a vehicle for criticism and procrastinating guilt.

Patriarchal principles have conditioned the world to believe there is a perfect male god out there judging us, making us feel guilty at our imperfection. This is most strongly felt through the Virgo-Pisces axis of the zodiac. Well, why would a perfect anything create imperfection?

Natural laws teach us that the entire universe is in a process of perfection including the Universal Source. We are co-creators with the Ultimate Creator. The Unmanifest manifested.......to perfect.

Perfection, evolution and nirvana are all a process. Life is a series of choices and experiences, choices and experiences. From our experiences we learn to make better choices and evolve and grow. This is natural law Virgo. So, where are you learning to make better choices in order to create better experiences?

Venus makes an opposition to retrograde Neptune on September 1 at 6/7 degrees Leo-Aquarius. The lower and higher octaves of love face each other to gain greater understanding of love. Venus in Leo wants to be loved first. Neptune in Aquarius says all are equally important in giving and receiving love. Where are you being asked to create equality in love and give to another as they need to be loved, versus how you want to love them? Do others do the same for you?

Sun makes a waxing sextile to Jupiter on September 2 at 10/11 degrees Virgo-Cancer. This is the opportunity to discern new ways to move forward from a foundation of emotional self-reliance. Utilize the chance to believe that you can take care of all your needs in whatever ways are necessary. Make an effort to analyze your emotional insecurities and figure out how to love yourself better.

The Full Moon of Pisces is September 2 at 10/11 degrees Virgo-Pisces. The annual time to realize we are each where we need to be on our process to perfection. Healthy Virgo-Pisces energy understands the whole picture and the unique service to the whole that each of us can provide. This Full Moon allows us to release our negative, judging, critical patterns. Here is the chance to see the cup half full and instead of half empty. Where do you need to change your perspective?

Sun makes a waning square to Pluto on September 4 at 12/13 degrees Virgo-Sagittarius. It is time to realize those old desires within our soul that no longer work for us. Somewhere, somehow truth is being revealed that clarifies what we no longer desire in our lives. Release those old desires so that new ones may be born. Ask the question: does this desire separate me from, or return me to, God/Goddess.

Mercury makes a waning trine to retrograde Neptune at 6/7 degrees Libra-Aquarius on September 5. Here we can harmonize in all our social interactions. It is easy to understand another's point of view if we are willing to listen. Ideas and communications are in full swing about what really counts in our lives. Take the time to talk it out and make improvements in your relationships.

On September 6 Venus makes a waning trine to Pluto at 12/13 degrees Leo-Sagittarius. A few days ago Venus danced with Neptune to learn lessons of equality in love. Now Venus must again open up beyond self to see a larger picture of love and let go of another layer of selfishness.

We want to let everyone know just exactly how we want them to love us. This is also a time for everyone to let us know how they want us to love them better. The quest is to see how we each mirror for another the ways in which we must each learn to love ourselves better. How can your soul understand a deeper level of loving yourself and therefore than loving another more completely?

The Sun makes a waxing square to Saturn on September 6/7 at 14/15 degrees Virgo-Gemini. The mutable quadrant (Gemini, Virgo, Sag and Pisces) is about change, growth and understanding. We are continually perceiving new ways in which we can adjust our realities in the process of evolution. Mental energy is abundant with helping us step out into the new. Look at your reality as a pattern that you can change.

This month, again, is an opportunity to let go of judgment and criticism. This is what can help you move forward. Try giving feedback to others in such a way that you present choices to grow and step into new realities.

Venus next makes a waxing sextile to Saturn on September 8 at 15/16 degrees Leo-Gemini. How self-reliant are you? Here is the moment to find out. Can you believe in yourself enough that you are willing to initiate new directions in your world regardless of what others may think? How many new ways can you love yourself? This is the foundation that lets you create your soul's desires.

Mars ends its long passage (7 months) through Sag and enters Capricorn on September 8. The new desires within our souls are now fully conscious and we are ready to move forward with focused energy to create. Mars becomes all business here. In Sag Mars was willing to quest for truth and etheric principles. Now we must manifest.

Mars will spend 7 weeks in Capricorn, giving us the drive to get out there and get things done. The secret is to initiate action from a foundation of emotional self-reliance (Cancer, the opposite of Capricorn). Mars creates best in the outer world from an inner foundation.

As you make plans and set goals to move forward this winter, what emotional insecurities come up for you? These emotional arenas are where you also need to make an effort. This will help create the most success on all levels. Where are you wanting to, Capricorn, control things? More data on those emotions driving the need to control.

One of the lessons from Capricorn is the need to learn inner authority versus outer authority. Patriarchal principles have conditioned us to give our power away to sources outside ourselves: a perfect male god, religious leaders, parents, spouses, bosses, etc. No wonder we get angry. Mars in Capricorn is a chance to remember and reclaim your inner power and realize God/Goddess is found within first.

Remember outer is a reflection of inner. What do you want to change in your outer world? How does it correspond to what needs to change in your inner world? Mars retrograde this last summer has uncovered a deeper layer of truth for you. Separating, defeating desires have been exposed. What new desires have emerged, and how can you utilize them to return Home? Mars in Cap will provide the energy to do so.

Mercury makes a waxing square to Jupiter on September 8 at 11/12 degrees Libra-Cancer. A little testing of our beliefs about the current situations in our relationships. Jupiter represents the intuitive, right brain; Mercury the analytical, left brain. Together they help us become whole brain.

Mercury in Libra in asking us to listen and discern where our interactions with others are bringing up our co-dependencies. Jupiter in Cancer is asking us to create a personal belief system that totally supports us emotionally. If your belief system is desiring another to take care of everything for you, then this may be a time of tension with another letting you know they will not do so.

What messages are you receiving in regard to taking care of yourself? Can you mentally do so, and follow through with action?

Next Mercury makes a waning sextile to Pluto at 12/13 degrees Libra-Sagittarius on September 9/10. Mental messages are strong over the next few days. Here is the chance to understand the larger picture in our relationships. Honesty in our communications is most helpful in releasing our old relating patterns. How honest can you be? Can you intuit whether or not others are being honest with you? Are you willing to hear the truth?

Then Mercury makes a waxing trine to Saturn on September 11 at 14/15 degrees Libra-Gemini. We've been receiving a lot of relationship messages over the last few days. Now it is time to figure out how we desire to evolve our relationship realities and patterns. Here is the chance to express where we would like to go with our relationship situations. More communications, more relationship adjustments. Remember the need to go with the flow this year. How flowing are your relationships?

On September 14 Venus makes an opposition to Uranus retrograde at 21/22 degrees Leo-Aquarius. The shift into relating with others is coming into high focus. Venus and Uranus make for relationship excitement and shock. Both can manifest in a variety of ways.

The Venus-Uranus opposition helps to uncover our unconscious relationship patterns. Venus in Leo again, is love me, love me, love me. Uranus in Aquarius wants to love everyone, in the excitement of the moment at least. Here is another moment of equality, as the inequalities in our relationships burst to the surface, no Neptune hiding here.

Most likely, this Venus-Uranus will be another chance to love ourselves again as we wish another to love us through the shock of realizing they are not loving us the way we want.

The New Moon of Virgo is September 17 at 24/25 degrees. The annual time to quest for self-improvement, discerning new realities, and taking another step forward. This is the time of the year where we tear ourselves down or build ourselves up. The choice is yours. Here are the lessons in humility in order to move forward into relationships realizing that we are all a spark of the Divine.

Mercury makes the first of three waning trines to retrograde Uranus on September 17 at 21/22 degrees Libra-Aquarius. The conscious mind (Mercury) is returning to the unconscious mind (Uranus). Mercury is building up to a retrograde cycle in Libra in October. The themes of those relationship lessons are revealing themselves.

Uranus has been in the sign it rules (Aquarius) since 1995. So many insights and revelations have been revealed to each of us over the last few years. Are you paying attention? This is a harmonious aspect for Mercury to really communicate with others. Talking overtime so to speak. Take the opportunity to speak about those deep issues as those in your life are ready to listen. Then listen to what others have to say as well.

Venus goes into Virgo for 3 plus weeks on September 20. Venus in Leo was full of loving self, mostly via ego. Now we will learn how to love others better and how to be of service to others as well.

Mercury, Sun and now Venus are taking their turns traveling through Virgo. Venus in Virgo must watch the criticism here. Remember perfection does not exist on this plane, it is what we are here to learn. This is where we can learn to love ourselves on deep, soul levels, knowing that from unconditional love for ourselves we can grow and evolve.

Next Sun enters Libra on September 22 initiating the Fall Equinox in the northern hemisphere. This is the start of six months of relating to others and the world at large. We now shift from self to others, and we start by learning equality with others.

The Evolutionary Astrology mantra for Libra is: I balance a diversity of relationships with my own initiative. Here we learn to take everyone and everything else into consideration along with ourself. The last six months of solar energy has been all about ourself - who we are, how we feel, and what we desire to do. Now we must take all that we have learned about ourselves and go out into the world with it.

The quest is to do this in balance with others and their desires and emotions. Libra is ruled by the planet Venus, and here Venus teaches us about the psychology of hearing. Not just being quiet until someone else is through speaking so that we may speak. It is learning to open up and really listen to what another is saying. How often are you successful?

Our relationships are coming into focus now. Where are you receiving the messages to grow and evolve in your relating patterns with others?

Saturn starts it 4 month retrograde cycle on September 26 at 14/15 degrees Gemini. Saturn in Gemini is shifting enough. Now we are asked to loosen up our realities even more. We must watch a tendency to want to cling to only our point of view. Saturn retro in Gemini points to Sag, the zodiacal polarity, and understanding the larger picture.

With the 3 Saturn-Pluto oppositions this summer, fall and next spring Saturn retrograde also points to Pluto and the deeper soul lessons, individually and collectively. Here will be another emphasis to face reality. A deeper level of truth wants to be revealed so that are soul's foundations are inwardly solid.

Saturn turning stationary retrograde is one of the more interesting changes in planetary directions. Anywhere we are not facing reality is right in our face. Sometimes it is depressing to realize our life is not what we fantasize. Our foundations seem to be made of shifting sand, here today, gone tomorrow.

There is a theme to face our ordeals and limitations with outer authority and make a transfer to inner authority. We are totally responsible for ourselves and giving up our victimizations can be challenging. We are a victimizing society and to be responsible is to go against the average, to be different.

So how is your reality shifting? Where are you depressed by your limitations? How are you being asking to get grounded and grow from there? Utilize the next 4 months to steam-line and let go of your excess. Get to the essence of what you need to do.

Finally Sun makes a waning trine to retrograde Neptune on September 28 at 6/7 degrees Libra-Aquarius. More insight into our newly evolving relationships and relating patterns. A deep spiritual connection with others can be made at this time. An ability to see the spark of Divine in everyone exists. Wherever two or more are gathered can be holy.

May your awareness of reality become more grounded. May your role in society be supportive and fulfilling. May you understand the next relationship lesson in front of you. May all your interactions with others be harmonious and equally giving and receiving.

May God/Goddess bless you in September!

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If this is your first time reading my forecast.........I suggest reading the entire forecast to receive an overall impression of the energy for the month, and then refer back to it as things arise. My intent and desire is to help you understand the opportunities for personal changes on emotional, mental and spiritual levels which manifest the physical reality of your world. I send you blessings for a growing, evolving month!

P.O. Box 552, Rapid City, SD, 57709 605-348-5111, 877-348-5111 Email: kimmarie@astrologybykimmarie.com