NorthPoint Astrology Journal: Your guide to planetary energies for September 14 to 20, 2015 By Pam Younghans

NorthPoint Astrology Journal

Your guide to planetary energies for September 14 to 20, 2015 By Pam Younghans Highlighted Aspects This WeekWED: Jupiter opposite Neptune THU: Mercury stations retrograde 11:09am PDT, Saturn enters Sagittarius FRI: Sun trine Ceres SUN: Mercury semisquare Saturn THREE NOTABLE planetary events occur this week, clustered within 24 hours of each other. The schedule reads (in PDT): On Wednesday, Jupiter opposite Neptune at 11:53pm; on Thursday, Mercury goes retrograde at 11:09am, and Saturn enters Sagittarius at 7:49pm. The most intriguing of these three events, in my estimation, is the Jupiter-Neptune opposition. We've already been working with this influence for a couple of weeks as it has been building to exactitude -- but we always gain extra awareness of the effects of a planetary aspect around the time that it is exact to the degree. JUPITER is traveling through earthy Virgo now, emphasizing both the positive and negative traits associated with the sign. On the one hand, our desire to be of service to the higher good is activated, as are unselfishness and dependability. But, Virgo is also known for worry, nervousness, and fault-finding, so we must also watch any tendencies toward these less desirable manifestations of the sign. Virgo is on the opposite side of the zodiac from watery Pisces, the sign that Neptune is currently transiting. Where Virgo is practical, Pisces is romantic; when Virgo takes control and organizes, Pisces is sensitively in tune with the subtleties of what is required on other levels of reality. But, Pisces can also be moody and reclusive, prone to avoidance and over-idealism. AS JUPITER AND NEPTUNE oppose each other this week, we are called to find a balance between using our skills of practical discernment and operating from a more intuitive and mystical perspective. Oppositions can be problematic, in that we can seesaw back and forth between the polarities; but in this particular event, we have help from Luna. At the time of the exact Jupiter-Neptune opposition, the Moon in Scorpio is exactly sextile Jupiter and trine Neptune, providing an outlet for the tension of the opposition and enabling us to bring another level of insight to whatever project or process we are working on. This support from the Moon should help us access the positive potentials available through any Jupiter-Neptune contact. According to Robert Hand's book Horoscope Symbols, these include: "Optimistic dreams and speculations; idealism, concern with mystical and spiritual issues. Idealistic humanitarianism, the desire to work for the greater good with little thought of personal gain." THE SUPPORT offered by this Moon-Jupiter-Neptune configuration can help us tap into the best of all three signs involved: the solution-orientation of Virgo, the ability to access spiritual insights of Pisces, and the strong desire and determination of Scorpio. The overnight hours from Wednesday into Thursday may be especially fruitful for receiving insights through dreams or meditations. Before nodding off to sleep, this would be a good time to plant the intention in our subconscious to be open to messages and solutions from higher guidance -- and be sure to have a pencil and paper bedside to capture any fleeting images that are present on waking. MERCURY will be retrograde (moving backward) from September 17 until October 9. The usual cautions apply whenever Mercury is retrograde; since the planet represents the conscious mind and how we apply it to our daily lives, during these three weeks we are encouraged to review old or existing projects and less supported in beginning new ones. I always find it helpful to try to see daily events as symbolic rather than literal while Mercury is retrograde. It's an interesting exercise, at the end of the day, to consider: What would this event have meant if it had occurred in a dream that I now want to interpret and understand? SATURN re-enters Sagittarius on Thursday, after a three-month return to Scorpio that began during its retrograde phase. Saturn's transit of a sign usually requires us to take the themes of that sign very seriously, and to gain greater mastery over the related issues that present themselves. Some of the areas of life that Sagittarius rules are religion, philosophies, and belief systems; foreign cultures and travel abroad; and higher education, mind expansion, and the development of wisdom. Astrologer Isabel Hickey wrote that the symbol for Sagittarius -- the bow and arrow aimed heavenward -- "represents our attempt to liberate ourselves from our lower nature and become that which we already are on the higher plane." I TEND TO THINK that if the planet Saturn were a person, it would have a lot of the characteristics of Dr. Phil, the TV psychologist. Dr. Phil is very focused on people taking responsibility for what happens in their lives, and he doesn't spend too much time beating around the bush. He challenges his clients to be objective, learn their lessons, and create better lives. Saturn will be in Sagittarius until December 2017. Over the next 27 months, it will be interesting to watch what "Dr. Saturn" has to teach us about "liberating ourselves from our lower nature and becoming that which we already are on a higher plane." http://www.northpointastrology.com/northpoint-journal.html Copyright Pam Younghans 2015. All rights reserved.