How to Make Bad Decisions
Why do we make decisions we later regret? Fear, anger, stress, and other people's expectations can muddy the waters until we can no longer see clearly. Marie T. Russell explores...

The Sun sits at the final degree of Virgo, one foot already out the door toward the equinox balance of Libra. This is the last gasp of the season—detail-oriented, clarifying, almost frantic in its need to sort things before the shift arrives. Mercury in Libra, just starting to gather real momentum, wants to talk about all of it, to weigh both sides with patience and fairness. But there's friction here. The Moon in Aquarius, waxing toward fullness, is pulling us toward the bigger picture, the abstract principle, the thing that matters beyond what we can organize on a spreadsheet. You can feel the tension between the practical and the ideological, between getting it right and getting it meaningful.

The Sun is at the final degree of Virgo, preparing to cross into Libra in less than 24 hours. This is the last breath of a season focused on detail, discernment, and getting your hands clean. Meanwhile, the Moon moves through Aquarius at a waxing gibbous phase—almost full, almost bright—and it's meeting Pluto there, the planet of transformation and excavation. This is not a gentle pairing. The Moon wants to feel; Pluto wants to strip away what's false. You may find yourself thinking about what needs to die in your life so something truer can be born.

The Sun sits at the last degrees of Virgo, nearly ready to cross into Libra, and the Moon in Capricorn is waxing toward fullness. There's a quality of consequence in the air—we're at that point in the lunar cycle where what you've planted is beginning to show itself, becoming undeniable. Mercury moves through Libra with careful deliberation, weighing options and seeking balance, while Venus in Scorpio pulls toward what is real and raw beneath the surface. The tension is gentle but present: between the analytical mind and the desire for emotional truth, between what appears fair and what actually runs deep.

The week of September 21–27, 2026 brings one of the year's most significant cosmic reset points, as the Libra Equinox arrives Tuesday and the Aries Full Moon peaks on Saturday. An inspiring air Grand Trine between the Sun, Uranus, and Pluto encourages us to embrace new ideas and step into greater personal empowerment, while a challenging opposition to Neptune reminds us to surrender to the unknown with faith. Mars moves from its urgent final degree of Cancer into fiery Leo on Sunday, signaling a major shift in how we pursue our desires and express our will. With emotions running high and transformative energies building all week, this is a powerful time for releasing what no longer serves us and opening to new possibilities.

Something extraordinary is gathering in the September sky of 2026 — a Fall Equinox and a Full Harvest Moon arriving within days of each other, weaving together the twin energies of balance and illumination at a moment when the world itself seems to be holding its breath. These are not merely astronomical events; they are cosmic mirrors, reflecting back to us the choices we are making, the systems we are sustaining, and the futures we are beginning to imagine. If you have been feeling the weight of transition in your personal life, your community, or your sense of the world itself, the skies of late September 2026 are speaking directly to that feeling.

Why do we make decisions we later regret? Fear, anger, stress, and other people's expectations can muddy the waters until we can no longer see clearly. Marie T. Russell explores how stepping back, finding your inner calm, and listening to your heart can help you make better decisions.

Can artificial intelligence figure out what kind of person you are simply from the way you talk to it? That question opens a far more unsettling one: can the patterns in your AI conversations reveal how easily AI can shape what you believe? The answer may change how you use the most powerful information tool most of us have ever touched.

The Moon anchors itself in Capricorn at 9° while the Sun burns through the last week of Virgo at 27°—we are three days away from the autumn equinox, and the sky is asking us to get serious about what matters. This is a First Quarter Moon, the moment of friction and decision that arrives roughly one week after the New Moon. Mercury has moved into Libra and is weighing our words with the careful hand of a jeweler; Venus in Scorpio is turning desire into something far more penetrating, far less polite. Mars lingers in Cancer, still tending to what we protect and what protects us. There is work happening beneath the surface—the kind that requires backbone and honesty.

The Sun is at the threshold of Virgo, standing at 27 degrees on September 20 and crossing into Libra by September 24. This is the Autumn Equinox week—the moment when day and night balance, when we shift from the detailed work of sorting and refining into the relational work of weighing and choosing. The Moon begins in Capricorn with a First Quarter charge, then sweeps through Aquarius and arrives at Pisces as a Full Moon on September 25. We are moving from the practical and grounded into the visionary and diffuse. Mercury is moving through Libra, slowing our speech and making us more careful about how we communicate. Venus sits in Scorpio, deepening our emotional commitments and pulling us toward what matters underneath the surface.

You are standing at the office party, drink in hand, scanning the room for someone you actually know. The music is too loud, the crowd is too unfamiliar, and the words that usually come so easily have apparently left the building without you. If small talk has ever felt like a social test you never studied for, you are not alone — and the good news is, it is a skill, not a gift.

The Moon sits at 27° Sagittarius in its First Quarter phase, a moment of decision and friction. You can feel it in the air—that restless pull between what you've already committed to and what your gut is telling you to question. Mercury at 13° Libra is weighing options with precision, trying to find the diplomatic path through a thicket of competing truths. Meanwhile, Venus has slipped into Scorpio's depths at 4°, bringing intensity and non-negotiability to what we value and who we let close.

The Moon sits in Sagittarius at 15° 40', in its first quarter phase—that restless, urgent moment when the lunar light is half-bright and demanding action. This is the Moon pushing back against what it began, asking questions, testing assumptions. Meanwhile, the Sun holds steady in Virgo at 25°, still in its detail-oriented analytical mode, but Mercury has already slipped into Libra, softening the edge of pure logic with the need to consider other perspectives. Venus moves through Scorpio's depths at 4°, and Mars in Cancer at 23° creates a peculiar tension: emotional intensity wanting to protect, alongside a pull toward something darker, more transformative. The friction between these energies is real and worth naming.

The rise of smartphones has transformed communication, yet this convenience may be harming mental health and relationships. Studies suggest that electronic communication can lead to increased isolation and unhappiness, particularly among the iGen cohort, who are the first to grow up with these devices. Understanding these effects is crucial as society navigates this new normal.

Exploring meditation can unlock profound inner wisdom. By visualizing a wise being or spirit guide, individuals can connect with their intuition and receive guidance. This meditation practice encourages relaxation, self-awareness, and personal insight, creating a safe space for reflection and growth.

The Moon is halfway through its cycle, sitting at 3° Sagittarius in a First Quarter phase—the moment of friction and decision. This is the lunar phase that demands we choose something, that refuses to let us drift. The Sun is deep in Virgo at 24°, still parsing details, still asking what actually matters, while Mercury in Libra at 10° wants to weigh all sides before committing to speech. These two energies—Virgo's precision and Libra's deliberation—create a moment of productive tension, not paralyzing but clarifying.

The Moon sits in Scorpio at 21 degrees, waxing crescent—still building toward fullness but already moving with intention. Mercury has just crossed into Libra, shifting our conversations from the precision of Virgo to the diplomacy and weighing of options that Libra demands. Meanwhile, the Sun at 23 degrees Virgo continues its work of refinement and clarity, asking us to see what actually matters beneath the noise. This is a day of careful discernment paired with the darker emotional intelligence of Scorpio.

Understanding how to recognize signs from the other side requires an open mind and heart. Regardless of personal beliefs, everyone has the potential to receive messages from loved ones who have passed on. By detaching from ego and embracing intuition, individuals can connect with a universal energy that transcends physical existence.

After years in a corporate environment likened to a battlefield, the need for change becomes clear. This article explores the detrimental effects of a profit-driven mentality on personal relationships and well-being, urging a shift towards compassion and connection in both corporate and personal lives.

Mercury slides into Libra on September 15th, bringing a shift toward diplomacy and dialogue just as the Sun deepens its work in Virgo. The Moon waxes in Scorpio, still early in its cycle, still building toward something — and it's already intense, already asking questions beneath the surface. Venus moves through Scorpio too, close to the lunar path, which means our desires and our instincts are speaking the same language. This is a day when what you feel and what you want are nearly impossible to separate.

The Moon sits in the last quarter of Libra, a waxing crescent moving toward fullness, while Mercury and the Moon dance in the same sign—conversation becomes currency on September 14, 2026. This is a day when words carry weight, when the careful, measured language of Libra meets the Sun's grounded presence in Virgo. The Sun at 21° Virgo is doing what Virgo does best: separating signal from noise, asking us to look at what actually works versus what merely looks good. Meanwhile, Venus has slipped into Scorpio, pulling our attention toward what we truly desire beneath the surface, and Mars in Cancer is tender but determined, protective of what matters most.

The week of September 14 to 20, 2026 brings a whirlwind of cosmic energy as Venus in Scorpio clashes with Pluto, Neptune, and Uranus, stirring deep emotions, unexpected revelations, and a restless hunger for freedom in our relationships and values. A rare and significant Neptune-Pluto sextile adds a spiritual undercurrent, quietly nudging humanity toward greater enlightenment and collective empowerment. Meanwhile, Chiron's return to Aries calls us to revisit and heal old wounds tied to aggression, arrogance, and the misuse of power. Astrologer Pam Younghans guides us through it all, reminding us that even in turbulent times, clarity and inner knowing are available to those who seek them.