Lifestyle
Astrology Forecast September 25 – October 1, 2023
The astrological star of the show this week is Friday’s Aries Full Moon, also known as a Harvest Moon. Because Full Moons symbolize a time of release, this is the perfect opportunity to release whatever no longer serves you once and for all. An Aries Full Moon is also about taking back your power, embracing your courage and taking action to reach your goals.
The week starts out a bit frenetic today and tomorrow under an Aquarius Moon. We may have many new ideas, innovative plans, and identify possibilities we’ll want to explore. Make note of what you discover, but refrain from taking any real action until you’ve had time to network with others to get more facts and information. The Pisces Moon on Wednesday and Thursday will fortunately bring us spiritual and intuitive insight to help move us forward on some of these new plans and ideas.
The Mercury in Virgo trine with Jupiter in Taurus this afternoon is also an excellent time to do some research. And if you are currently thinking of furthering your education or going back to school, this trine’s energy offers a perfect opportunity to look into courses, classes or schools, as you are likely to find useful information without much effort. If you have already applied for enrolment in a course or school, you may also get good news or positive feedback about that.
Practice extra caution under Friday’s Aries Full Moon, as well as Saturday’s Aries Moon, as both have a way of urging us to look before we leap. Caution on the road will especially be called for, as everyone may be in more a hurry to get where they think they are going, and they might not slow down if you get in their way!
Take a breather under Sunday’s Taurus Moon and try be more like Ferdinand the Bull in the popular children’s book. Ferdinand would rather smell flowers than fight in bullfights. Make Sunday your lazy, easy-going day to truly stop and smell the roses for a change. Don’t worry about those duties and chores, they’ll still be there waiting for you next week.
The Spiritual Virtue Of Patience
Patience is considered an essential virtue in most spiritual and religious traditions for several reasons. It is consistent with the core values and teachings of various spiritual paths and belief systems.
Many spiritual practices emphasize the importance of maintaining a state of inner calm in the midst of life’s challenges. Patience is fundamental to achieving inner peace and serenity. Patience helps us maintain a sense of serenity even in the face of extreme adversity.
Patience also enables us to surrender to the universal flow and accept the divine timing of outcomes for our highest good. We are better equipped to accept the divine plan and trust in the unfolding of events and circumstances as they are meant to be. Patience signifies our belief in a higher power and the universal order of all things.
Through patient introspection and self-reflection, we learn to understand our own thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, which leads to spiritual growth and self-improvement.
Impatience leads to negative emotions such as anger, frustration, and resentment. By practicing patience, we can better control and manage these emotions, which promotes emotional well-being and spiritual harmony.
Without patience, it is also difficult to develop understanding and empathy for others. Being patient with our own flaws and imperfections, as well as those of others, promotes the spiritual qualities of empathy and kindness.
Embrace The Fall Equinox In Mind, Body And Soul
As the vibrant colors of summer begin to fade and the air becomes crisper in the northern hemisphere, we stand on the threshold of the fall season of transition and transformation. It is a sacred time to prepare our minds, spirits, and bodies for the winter months ahead.
Today’s autumnal equinox is a poignant reminder of the cycles of life and the eternal rhythm of nature. Steeped in ancient tradition and folklore, this celestial event occurs each year around September 21st and marks the point at which day and night are of nearly equal duration. Spiritually, it symbolizes equilibrium; a momentary pause in time between the warmth of summer and the cold of winter. It invites us to reflect on balance and harmony.
Ancient civilizations held a deep reverence for celestial events such as the autumnal equinox, which were often seen as significant markers of time and the cycles of nature. The traditional interpretations and beliefs surrounding the autumnal equinox varied from culture to culture, but they generally recognized its importance in agricultural, spiritual, and cultural contexts, and saw it as a time of transition, balance, and connection between heaven and earth.
In many agricultural societies, the autumnal equinox signaled the time of the year’s harvest. The ancient Egyptians and Babylonians celebrated this event with festivals and rituals dedicated to their agricultural deities. This often included feasting, music, and offerings to ensure a bountiful harvest.
Spiritual Self-Care Or Ego Indulgence?
Spiritual or metaphysical practice is a pursuit designed to help bring greater meaning and fulfillment to our lives. It is a lifestyle that requires us to be very honest with ourselves and very intentional about the choices we make. But lately I’ve seen a lot of discourse around spirituality that basically encourages you to do pretty much whatever you want in the name of ‘free will’ and ‘self-care.’
Free will is sacred. Yes, it’s true that we are divine, spiritual beings who get to enjoy this incredible adventure of physical life. We get to choose how we move in the world, what we want for ourselves, and how we want to live. But there are two sides to this coin. Yes, we can choose what we want to manifest and how we wish to live our lives, but that does not absolve us of our karmic responsibilities and the consequences of our actions.
I’ve written before about karma and how it’s not meant to be a punishment, but rather a teacher. There are to metaphysical laws that are the basis to our karmic responsibility in this lifetime, namely the universal law of cause and effect and the spiritual law of karma.
The universal law of cause and effect is that for every action there is a reaction. There is a natural order in the universe in which our actions always have consequences, both good and bad.
The spiritual law of karma is a more specific application of the law of cause and effect. According to this law, the totality of our actions in this life, as well as all of our past lives, determine our future. This means that our actions create the conditions for our future experiences, both good and bad.
Astrology Forecast September 18 – 24, 2023
We start the week under a Scorpio Moon today and tomorrow, which will either have us exploring the mystical and metaphysical, or throwing all our focus into an intense project. Either way, we will be intent on finding out about and mastering something new.
The Sagittarius Moon will introduce a more light-hearted energy on Wednesday and Thursday, so we may be more inclined to goof off or daydream than get any actual work done.
Thursday a Sagittarius Moon sextile with Mars in Libra in the late afternoon, followed by a trine with Venus in Leo in the early evening, creates a unique opportunity for successful business networking over drinks or the ideal time to meet up for a romantic dinner date.
Friday afternoon a Sagittarius Half Moon might cause some trouble at work or disagreements with the family. Avoid the temptation of getting caught up in other people’s drama and take a few deep breaths before you react.
We’ll close the week out under a Capricorn Moon, choosing to focus on our physical surroundings and activities that improve our health or security. Capricorn also has its fun-loving side, so don’t forget to put aside a few hours for some socializing or relaxing.
The astrological highlight this week is the Sun’s entry into Libra on Saturday, which will mark the start of a new season. Libra is famous for creating loving relationships, restoring balance and expanding our perception to see beyond the obvious to the hidden aspects of any situation.
Astrology Forecast September 11 – 17, 2023
There’s lots of positive cosmic energy this week, starting with a bold Leo Moon today and tomorrow that will have us feeling confident, generous and self-expressive. We will also be more likely to seek pleasure and enjoyment in our personal life, instead of focusing on work and everyday responsibilities. This morning the Leo Moon sextile Mars in Libra will fortunately inspire positive social interaction at work, so make the most of this aspect to network and build rapport with coworkers.
We can get more work done on Wednesday under the Virgo Moon, which casts some extra energy our way to get paperwork and detailed projects cleared away once and for all. And once we do, the Virgo New Moon on Thursday will pave the way to inspired new projects or goals we are ready to pursue.
Mercury will resume forward motion on Friday, ending its three week retrograde cycle and those annoying communication and electronic anomalies it’s so notorious for! It could however take a week or two before its effects clear completely, but we’ll notice right away things taking a more positive direction.
The Moon cruises through Libra Friday through Sunday, promising a weekend full of joy, relaxation, and heartfelt interactions with all those around us. Saturday night’s Libra Moon sextile Venus in Leo sets the scene for the perfect romantic date or a lovely evening at home with friends and family over a sumptuous home-cooked meal.
Friends For A Reason, A Season, Or A Lifetime
I recently reconnected with a family friend with whom I had a very close relationship about three decades ago. She was like a mother figure in some ways, even though she was only about 12 years older than me at the time.
She is a very caring and nurturing person and was always there for me when my own mother was physically or emotionally unable. Her door was always open and she always had many people around her. After working in retail for many years, she changed careers to become a full-time caregiver, which she loved. After she retired and her husband passed away, she continued to be very active and had a very vibrant social life.
But during the Covid-19 pandemic, like many people her age, she experienced intense isolation and trauma. We spoke frequently on the phone during this time, and she was very much looking forward to the restrictions finally being lifted.
However, when the worst was over and most restrictions were lifted, her group of friends remained afraid to go out. Some of them even developed agoraphobia, a type of anxiety disorder that causes people to experience extreme, irrational fear of public places and unpredictable situations that they imagine could cause them harm, panic, or helplessness.
My dear friend was deeply affected by this. Seeing all her friends again was one of the things that kept her strong and hopeful through the chaos of the pandemic. But now she felt she had lost her tribe (beyond her family, who all have busy, demanding lives of their own and live several hours away). Fortunately, she is a determined soul who will not easily accept defeat and apparently she is gradually getting more of the old gang together for their usual fun meet-ups!