Autumn's Temperance
by Jean Hinson Lall

At the Autumnal Equinox on September 22, as the Sun entered Libra, we reached the astrological turning-point of the year, shifting from the local and personal to the social and universal concerns of the second half of the Zodiac. From Aries through Virgo the emphasis was on developing individual gifts and identity; now, beginning in Libra, we cultivate the arts of partnership and take up our place in society. Libra repolarizes our perception of the world, shifting the focus from "I" to "we". At the Aries Full Moon, the significance of this repolarization can be felt and absorbed.

This year’s Equinox gained extra dynamism as Jupiter and Mars followed the Sun into Libra, with Mercury right behind. The fiery masculine trio of Sun, Jupiter and Mars entering Venus’s sign could help us to break through communication logjams, energize peace talks and give people the confidence to start new partnerships, especially with Venus in Leo in mutual reception with the Sun. The danger in this combination would lie in overconfidence (in oneself or the other party) and excess.

The Moon in Aries, over against this Libran powerhouse, is full of restless energy, wanting to get started on something new and exciting. Her ruler, Mars, opposes her, which only heightens the tension, but as Mars is in Venus’s pacific sign, the impatience has to be tempered and modulated.

This kind of energy needs a major initiative or an important concern on which to expend itself. Projects that have been in the planning stages for some time may be ready for launch now. Analysis and criticism of these plans should have been completed with Mercury in Virgo during the past two weeks. Now, just an hour after the Full Moon, it will enter Libra, moving quickly toward its conjunctions with Jupiter, Mars and the Sun. Objectivity and clarity of communications should be enhanced.

If you have been incubating a change in your own life, you may be able to use this time to take the first definitive steps in the new direction. Be prepared for the changes to be profound and permanent, as the New Moon in Libra on October 13/14 will be a Solar Eclipse and the Full Moon in Taurus on October 27/28 will be a Lunar Eclipse.

Don’t worry if you feel conflicting pulls. Libra, as a Cardinal sign, wants to initiate new things but also dislikes the instability and messiness that accompany change. Under the sign of Balance we often become acutely aware of our inner imbalances and ambivalences! Be patient with yourself as you tolerate the tension between the need for freedom, action and innovation and the desire for comfort, refinement and stability. You may find yourself or others alternating between crude, aggressive and clumsy on the one hand and wishy-washy, indecisive and overrefined on the other. Enduring these opposites, which tend to be highlighted at this time of year, helps to temper our nature and fit us for social existence, without which we are not fully human.

On October 5, when Sun and Mercury are in conjunction shortly before the Last Quarter, they will also trine Neptune in Aquarius. Between now and then, reflect on your aims in the light of your ultimate values. Neptune connects us with deeper levels of reality where we recollect our oneness with each other and the cosmos. Neptune in Aquarius especially teaches us that everything is made up of energy, that what we perceive as "our" energy is like water being poured from one vessel into another, as in the image of Temperance in the Major Arcana of the Tarot. From this perspective we can see how best to express our individual gifts for the sake of the world. We can marry assertiveness with diplomacy and find ways to further the best interests of the larger community, the family or group to which we belong while also laying foundations for our own future accomplishments.

Look for the Libra New Moon
on October 13, 2004.