Image by Andrew Martin
Horoscope: September 30 to October 6, 2019
Astrologer Pam Younghans writes this weekly astrological journal based on planetary influences, and offers perspectives and insights to assist you in making the best use of current energies. This column is not intended as prediction. Your own experience will be more specifically defined by transits to your personal chart.
Highlighted Aspects for This Week
All times listed are Pacific Daylight Time. For Eastern Time, add 3 hours. For Greenwich Mean Time, add 7 hours.
MON: Venus square Pluto
WED: Pluto stations direct 11:38 p.m. PDT
THU: Mercury enters Scorpio 1:14 a.m. PDT, Venus opposite Eris, Mars enters Libra 9:21 p.m. PDT
SAT: Mercury quincunx Chiron, Mercury semisquare Jupiter
SAT: Sun square Nodes, Mercury opposite Uranus
PLUTO reigns over the heavens this week, and over our earth-plane experiences as well. Pluto is the Great Revelator, god of the Underworld, agent of Divine Will, and arguably the most powerful change-maker of the solar system, in spite of its demotion to dwarf planet status in 2006.
Pluto's strengthened influence this week is because it comes to a standstill on Wednesday. It is completing its five-month retrograde phase (which began on April 24) and preparing to move forward once again. As I've written before, when a planet comes to a standstill to change direction, its effect on our lives is heightened--similar to the way in which we feel a train's vibration more intensely when the locomotive has come into the train station and is standing still, engine running, right in front of us as we stand on the platform.
IT'S ALSO been my experience, in observing both my life and the lives of my clients, that we start to work with upcoming Pluto transits as soon as the dwarf planet goes direct and sets its sights on the road ahead. In other words, if you will be working with a major Pluto transit in 2020, even if the exact transit is many months from now, you may start feeling its influence as early as this coming week.
(If you have your natal astrology chart: Check your chart for planets and points between 20 and 26 degrees of cardinal signs--Aries, Cancer, Libra, or Capricorn. These planets/points will be receiving a direct Pluto transit over the course of the next 15 months.)
This also means that the energies of the Saturn-Pluto alignment, which perfects on January 12, 2020, are going to start strengthening now, and increasing with each week that passes. We've already been working with bits and pieces of this life-altering/paradigm-changing influence since early 2019, but now is when we begin to see even more clearly what issues we will be dealing with, that will ultimately transform the landscape of our collective experience.
I'VE CHOSEN today's image of crumbling bricks because it represents one of the ways that Pluto in Capricorn can manifest--through the dismantling of structures, systems, and foundations that are outdated, out of integrity, and no longer adequate to meet the needs of the greater good. These systems may be social or governmental, or more personal.
In many ways, Pluto helps us purge toxins from our lives. It reveals places where darkness has infiltrated and exposes the effects of that darkness. Pluto requires that we do the work of energy transmutation, in which we change the fundamental elements of that which has become infested. This is an alchemical process, through which we symbolically change lead into gold.
Pluto's higher purpose always has to do with the reclaiming of power that has been given away or usurped. With Pluto in Capricorn, it is time for each of us to reclaim our authority, to take back the reins of our lives in some way, in some area of life. Wherever we have abdicated our power--whether it has been to other people, the status quo, or even to our own emotional reactivity--we will be feeling the pressure to make deep changes in the months ahead.
AS VENUS squares Pluto on Monday of this week, we may be feeling that pressure either within our personal relationships or in our financial situation, since these are both areas that Venus rules. And, given that this square is still "within orb" (in effect) when Pluto stations on Wednesday, there could be significant developments in these areas throughout the work week.
Adding to the tension, Venus opposes disgruntled Eris on Thursday. This aspect is likely to manifest through literal tugs-of-war between those who were once allies. Venus in Libra may attempt to mollycoddle, placate, or even manipulate the situation to bring about harmony, but Eris in Aries is not likely to be waylaid by tactics of distraction.
TWO PLANETS change signs on Thursday, further indications that we are shifting our perspective as well as our trajectory. Mercury, which represents our capacity for reasoning and our ability to communicate, enters truth-seeking Scorpio, setting aside Libra's need to see both sides of an argument. Mercury in Scorpio unleashes the investigator aspect of our beings, the part of us that is unafraid of darkness and passionate about finding the answers.
On the other hand, Mars is entering conciliatory Libra on Thursday. In the positive, this placement of Mars--which represents our capacity for individual action and application of personal will--indicates that we are more willing now to work side-by-side with others, to collaborate on mutually-shared agendas. Mars in Libra could also invigorate the need for fairness and equality. But, we will need to be on the watch for the dark side of Libra, which can manifest as indecisiveness and an excessive focus on an "eye-for-an-eye" application of justice.
NEXT WEEKEND appears to be a bit rocky, with several hard aspects involving Mercury in Scorpio. On Saturday, Mercury is quincunx Chiron and semisquare Jupiter, so we are paradoxically both uncertain of what we're really thinking while also being more likely to blurt out potentially hurtful words without taking the time to consider the ramifications.
Then, on Sunday, Mercury opposes Uranus in Taurus. On one end of this polarity is the planet that represents rational thought, and on the other end is the planet that symbolizes higher consciousness. If we are openminded, this can actually be a great time to open our awareness to receive new insights and inspirations that will lead us forward. However, this opposition can also manifest as very nervous mental energy, making it hard to focus. It may also be a time of fractured thinking and convoluted communications, or problems with computers and other electronic devices.
WITH THE SUN activating the nodal axis on Sunday, this could be a pivotal day in our collective evolutionary process. We should be able to see even more clearly the two choices before us: We can default to the South Node in Capricorn, which draws us into old patterns of fear and control, or we can align with the North Node in Cancer, which opens our hearts in trust and empathy.
As each of us makes our personal choice in the matter, we inform and influence the collective. Do we walk through Door #1 or Door #2? What do we want our legacy to be?
*****
IF YOUR BIRTHDAY IS THIS WEEK: Over this past year, you have been challenged to take a serious look at how your life and your relationships have unfolded. This reality check has required you to consider what you are ready to leave behind and what you want to create going forward. At the same time, you have been healing old wounds that have convinced you that your needs are not as important as the desires of others. As you look back over the past twelve months, you may be able to see where fears have blocked you from making certain choices. Going forward from here, you will have opportunities to act upon the insights you have gained, which will open up your life to new experiences. You may even surprise yourself by making more spur-of-the-moment decisions, a rarity for most Librans! Taking these risks brings new experiences into your life, and helps you see potentials that were once hidden. (Solar Return Sun square Saturn, opposite Chiron, square nodal axis)
For previous weeks of the Astrological Journal, click here.
About the Author
Pam Younghans is a professional astrologer, editor, and writer. She lives in a log home northeast of Seattle, Washington with her beloved animal companions. She has been interpreting charts professionally for over 25 years. If you are interested in an astrology reading, e-mail
