Sun into Libra 2010; It’s a Unity Thing

On September 22nd at 8:09 P.M. PST the Sun heads into the sign of harmony, balance and relating. Austere Saturn is already transiting Libra’s diplomatic terrain, and Mercury is poised to join them on October 3rd when it enters this cardinal air sign. With Mars and Venus traveling through intense Scorpio and Uranus and Jupiter resting back in gentle Pisces, 2010’s Libra cycle offers some keen insights into that most powerful of realms and popular of subjects, our relationships.

Setting the stage for the Sun’s entrance into the sign of grace and fairness are alluring Venus and aggressive Mars in the deep impassioned waters of Scorpio. Scorpio enjoys its renown for sexual prowess. So the presence of amorous Venus and desirous Mars in its sensuous depths can be an ideal influence for deepening levels of intimacy. However, Scorpio’s real purpose (obsession some would argue) is getting to the truth, in and out of bed. To that end, this Pluto-ruled sign is ruthless, indeed willing to exert even its destructive tendencies, in its pursuit. With forceful Mars in intent Scorpio, secrets will be unearthed and real motives and needs will be revealed. So, during this transit we can expect not only the blooms to come off a few roses, but many a stone to be overturned. Ultimately, courageous Mars will help us get our needs met, and Scorpio’s clarity will help us see our relationships more honestly.

Because relationship is inherently a two-way street and because one person’s or partner’s truth can be vastly different from the other’s, the Cosmos is bringing in a celestial officiating crew of sorts. Saturn, the Sun and Mercury will travel through objective, reciprocal and cooperative Libra. Like no other sign, Libra asks us relate to “other” and it insists that we play nicely. Venus-ruled Libra’s aim after all is wholeness. With unyielding Pluto in realistic Capricorn sitting 90 degrees away however, Libra’s mission will not be an easy one. That’s because Pluto will form exact squares to the Sun, on September 25th, and Mercury, on October 5th, as a general square to Saturn churns away in the background. And all four planets will be in those provocative cardinal signs. Add two full Aries moons, on September 23rd and October 22nd, to the mix, and balancing individual needs with the whole is bound to be challenging.

Elizabeth joins astrologer CA Brooks every 3rd Tuesday of the month at 11:00 A.M. PST on 12Radio.com

With head referee Saturn firmly at the Libra helm, we are in capable Cosmic hands. But we must be prepared to embrace those Libra standards of Truth and Justice. Any of our complaints about what “other” is doing will be met with stern judicious review. In addition to asking us to walk the proverbial mile in “other’s” shoes, the taskmaster is equally likely to remind us that we choose to be in a given relationship, or not. According to Saturn, we are not so much victims as we are the consequences of our choices. LIke a line judge, Mercury, whose spheres of influence include our thinking and communication, will echo Saturn’s sober sentiments. He lives in our minds and will likely be asking some pertinent and controversial questions of his own. Whose filters are we using to come to our conclusions? Have we genuinely tried to see the situation from “other’s” point of view? Are we are holding “other” in high regard or simply conveniently labeling to suit our own story? And most importantly, what is our end game in this situation? The Sun, representing our will, will help us answer that last question, as it also works to help us see our circumstance from Libra’s exalted, communal view.

On October 8th loving and virtuous Venus will go retrograde. The planet of exquisite beauty and immeasurable tranquility will diligently work to guide our relationships into a state of deep and abiding peace. If we are willing, through her we can see the Divinity in all things, including our foes. Her retrograde motion in Scorpio will aid Mars in his quest for the truth. Only she will take a much softer and more harmonious tact.

Aiding this kinder, gentler form of enlightenment will be Jupiter and Uranus in supremely serene and subtle Pisces. Under calm, spiritual Pisces influence, unorthodox Uranus may present us with a completely unique perspective, as expansive Jupiter offers us a broadened view of our reality. Though Libra is a cardinal or initiating sign, and Pisces a mutable or completing one, and Libra is air and Pisces water, the two have something important in common. Both are committed to unification. They are charged to explore the energies around them and to assimilate them, and they ask the same of us. To phrase it euphemistically, relationships offer us life’s greatest growth opportunities. This year the planetary hookups in Libra, Scorpio and Pisces will give us some stellar revelations about them and the tools for cosmic conflict resolution.

Sun into Libra - Keeping Love Real

The current Mercury retrograde cycle is sure to go down as one of the most entertaining in recent memory. South Carolina Congressman Joe Wilson kicked off the season of gaffs and laughs with his now famous, “You lie!” outburst during President Obama’s health care address to Congress. A few days later at the U.S. Open, tennis icon Serena Williams expressed her displeasure with a line judge’s call by shouting, "If I could, I would take this ... ball and shove it down your ... throat." The very next day Kanye West got into the act at the MTV Music Video Awards by butting into Taylor Swift’s acceptance speech, only to be inadvertently admonished on the following day by none other than President Obama, who mistakenly thinking that his comments were not being recorded, referred to the rapper as “a jackass.” And we won’t even start on the mischief Mercury is merrily making with the ACORN federally funded housing for prostitutes and pimps debacle. If you never quite understood why this planet is the famed Trickster of the zodiac, now you know.





Diplomatic, impeccably mannered Libra comes to town on September 22nd when the Sun enters the sign of relating and balance at 2:19pm PST. Ruled by the planet of beauty, Venus, the sign regaled for its tact and decorum will likely put a stop to the unwitting lip slippage, especially after the 29th when Mercury goes direct. Libra’s aim after all, is to see things from all points of view, to weigh them carefully and to then act harmoniously in the cause of peacemaking. Rude behavior of any sort is simply unacceptable to Libra sensibilities. In 2009, the Sun, Mercury’s entry into the sign of the scales on October 9th and Venus’s on the 14th will aid Libra’s lofty mission. We will be given the chance to think about and move towards our desires through Libra’s loving and laudable perspective. While we know the inherent truth and wisdom of parables such as love thy neighbor as thyself, walk a mile in another man’s shoes, and whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you, even so do ye also unto them, like no other sign, Libra challenges us to walk their walk. That’s because by its very definition it must relate to other, what or whoever that other is. So before us is an ideal opportunity to try on unfamiliar opinions and to try to see the things we believe in the most through the opposite point of view. The awareness gained from doing so can be transformative.

What’s so funny about peace, love and understanding? Namely Pluto set to square the Sun on September 23rd, Mercury on October 10th, Venus on the 15th and Saturn on the 29th. In an effort to please everyone and maintain a semblance of serenity, Libra can sacrifice its true feelings, compromise its core values or become indecisive to a debilitating degree. Pluto, 90 degrees away from Libra in matter of fact Capricorn, will keep the peace and love fest real. The energies of the Sun, Mercury and Venus squares with Pluto are a good precursor to the building Saturn square to Pluto. That Square will last until August of 2010 while Saturn’s overall journey through Libra will last until October 5, 2012.



These first three alignments, involving the personal planets, will give us a glimpse into the places in our lives where being pleasant is at odds with our true beliefs in matters. They ask us to negotiate and reconcile the distance between the two, and now is the time to get some mediation practice in. Learning how to honestly and constructively balance our conflicts and contradictions will prove to be an immensely valuable tool for the Saturn Pluto Square and long Saturn in Libra cycles ahead. Venus ruled Libra injects an (overdue) air of civility into our internal, personal, national and international debates. When personal or political arguments arise, we can try take the opposing view to see if a new insight is gleaned that helps the situation or our understanding of it. The Libra caveat simply insists that peace cannot come a the expense of what we hold sacred. So, contradictory as it sounds, we will have to fight for what we believe in. What can make the critical difference is how we fight. When upsetting the apple cart seems uncomfortable and un-Libran, it may be helpful to remember that this is also a cardinal sign which means that its true nature is aggressive, agitating and instigative. Two of the best examples of Libra’s ability to both disrupt the status quo and strive for a higher good for the majority are Libra natives John Lennon and Mahatma Ghandi. The seemingly incongruous and conflicting aspects of our lives and world must be confronted, integrated and balanced, like Libra’s symbolic scales.

Other points of interest along this year’s Libra solar journey are the full moon in Aries on October 4th, harmonious solar trines to Jupiter on the 10th and Neptune on the 16th and a new Libra moon on the 18th. If you want to learn how to harness and apply the energies of Libra, the upcoming Saturn Square to Pluto or Saturn’s transit through Libra to your life, have a reading with one of the professional astrologers at 12Listen.com. Julia Stonestreet Smith. C.A. Brooks, and Neil D. Paris can read a chart like nobody’s business. But an article about the Sun through Libra would not be complete without huge Happy Birthday wishes to Jungian Astrologer and 12Listen bedrock John Joseph, who is also available for readings. Sharing the Libra birthday limelight is Louise Hay, the woman who has changed so many of our lives in profound and countless ways. Happy Birthday Louise! On that note, remember to tune into Hay House Radio every Tuesday morning at 9:30 PST to get the latest on astrological conditions on Mark Husson’s Power Peek Hour - which will actually be going back to an hour long show beginning in October!

Sun into Libra: Truth, Justice, Peace & Love

Autumn Equinox takes place on Monday, September 22nd at 8:44 A.M.. On September 9th Pluto turned direct and pulled up a lot of old residual emotional energy for people. That and the full Pisces moon on September 15th gave us an opportunity to do some deep heart clearing in preparation for this very important change of season. This autumn will take us through the Sun cycles of Libra, Scorpio and Sagittarius, will include 2008’s final Mercury retrograde, and will see Neptune and Uranus turning direct and Pluto entering Capricorn, a cycle it has not transited since 1762-1778.   

This year’s Libra cycle will host the last of 2008’s Mercury retrogrades (September 24th - October 15th).  Mercury greatly influences communication and information, and its retrograde cycles are ideal for reviews and revisions.  Have you noticed that this year all of the Mercury retrogrades have taken place during the Sun’s passage through air signs while Mercury has also been in air signs?  Libra, symbolized by the scales, strengthens the mind’s ability to weigh all of the facts. Ruled by Venus’s loving energy, Libra deeply desires balance and above all, harmony, so invites us to stand in the other person’s shoes and to consider all points of view. And look what just happens to be taking place at during this Libra Mercury retrograde cycle.

First presidential debate:
Friday, September 26
University of Mississippi, Oxford, MS
Vice presidential debate:
Thursday, October 2
Washington University in St. Louis, MO
Second presidential debate:
Tuesday, October 7
Belmont University, Nashville, TN
Third presidential debate:
Wednesday, October 15
Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY

Libra’s unrelenting quest for truth, justice and ultimately peace will permeate the air and psyche of the American voter.  Under these intellectually alert astrological conditions, 2008’s debates will give the candidates the chance to define and articulate their positions more clearly and voters the opportunity to scrutinize these statements most keenly. And with Mercury’s penchant for bringing information from the past to light, who knows what stories from a candidate’s past might surface sometime between September 24th and October 15th?  

In terms of what has become this year’s most important political issue, the economy, we will continue to be forced to face the cold, hard facts.  Jupiter went direct in staunch pragmatic Capricorn on September 7th and Saturn is still making his uncompromising way through detailed Virgo.  Add the previously mentioned Mercury retrograde to the mix, and more information about the mismanagement of our financial system and institutions is highly likely to emerge.  In the end, Libra’s judicious approach to the “fuzzy math” will tee us up perfectly for the life-and-death energies of the Scorpio cycle and Election Day. 



So, as seismic shifts take place around us and the campaign for the White House intensifies, remember that astrology is a tool of empowerment.  It reassures us that everything runs in cycles and is ever-changing.  If some of the headlines are hitting a little too close to home, you can take comfort in the ancient and wise adage that “this too shall pass.”  Astrology vividly describes the conditions influencing our lives and shaping our world and explains the options available to us at any given time.  Enlightened with this knowledge, we are in a better position to calculate, consider and decide.

In part two of this three part-series I’ll take a close look at the astrology of Election Day 2008, relish in all things intense and Scorpion and add more planetary perspective on the activities of the large outer planets.  They are the ones doing the heavy lifting behind the scenes, subtly and slowly reshaping our reality.  Some of these revolutionary changes begin this Autumn. And did I mention that a certain pair of websites are having birthdays in November and that a very special new website is being created for me (and you)? In other Autumn news, we're hosting an in-person psychic fair in Denver which I'll be attending on September 27th, a dear friend is having her first book published in October, I’m heading back into the recording studio to record a new song in November, work mates are launching their own radio shows and my producer Peas is going to release a beautiful holiday CD called “A Christmas Chill.” It’s a collection yuletide favorites done up in hip downtempo style and it’s gorgeous. I’ll let you more about all of this in the coming weeks.

And I can't close this post without thanking everyone who has said a prayer for my cat Boris. Having him purring away in my lap as I sat on my patio enjoying my morning cup of coffee today, our routine, made me so grateful again to have him with me as we go into another season together. So often this Spring it was uncertain as to whether or not he would indeed still be here by now. He's such a precious and loving soul and words cannot convey the depth of my appreciation for his recovered health and the love and support so many friends, clients and colleagues have so generously extended to us over these long months. Thank you so much. Happy and Loving Equinox to you!