The Astrology of Mercury retrograde, September-October 2015

Sagrada Familia Staircase Barcelona

In view of the present retrogradation of Mercury in Libra (September 17 to October 9 2015) I’m re-posting here an edited version of a post I published in 2011, on the general subject of retrogradation. stressing in particular the significance of Mercury when retrograde.

Click here for my recent post on the September 2015 Mercury retrograde period.

The retrogradation of Mercury is a mystery and you are the only one who can unravel it!

In fact each Birth Chart will experience this phase in its own peculiar way. There is no given formula for the way Mercury Retrograde is going to impact on your life.

Lately I have reflected upon and researched a lot the phenomenon of retrogradation, this optical illusion that, at regular interval, makes the planets appear to stop in their tracks, and then move for a while in the opposite direction of the one they normally travel on.

In real terms the planets of course never moves backward. From a sun centered (heliocentric) viewpoint they all travel at their appointed speed, always in the same direction, identical to planet Earth’s.

The phenomenon appears instead very ‘real’ from our Earth’s plane. With long exposure photography we are now able to actually see the shiny loop the planet’s course makes when retrograde.

Too often Retrogradation is accepted as part of the astrological tradition, and not given much thought or meaning.

This cyclical phenomenon appeared instead positively magical to the ancient sky-watchers, who eagerly awaited it, calculated its timing and duration and attributed to it great significance, in forecasting future events, in accordance with the nature of the planet involved.

Modern astrologers don’t need any more to search the sky for signs, to wait to see a star or planet rising before the Sun. Cyber-planetariums and astrological software are all we need to practice our Art.

Thanks to technology we have the tools now to cast many horoscopes in record time, using the most sophisticated techniques ever, but we have also lost the ‘real’ magic of the night sky and twilight hours, the eternally returning cycles of the wandering planets, a vital dimension of the ancient wisdom tradition.

Understanding better what happens during a planet’s retrograde period and putting that particular period within the context of the planet’s whole cycle can help us to recapture some of its true meaning.

Every cycle in nature and therefore in the psyche of man can be conceived as having two halves or hemicycles, one of involution and one of evolution, a Yin and a Yang phase. The place where Yin and Yang meet is the matrix of each cycle, while the place of their maximum separation is the climax of each cycle. So we have a Waxing Phase, from matrix to climax, and a Waning Phase, from climax to matrix, in an eternal round. This specific rhythm permeates everything, all living beings, all experiences. The planets are no different. They too obey the inner order of things, and therefore follow a clear path of Ascent and Descent when viewed from the Earth’s plane.

The Moon is not the only celestial body to show phases, all planets do, each in its own peculiar way. Retrogradation has a lot to do with those phases.

I’m using Mercury here as an example of what retrogradation entails. Mercury is the planet that goes retrograded more often than any other, three or four times a year.

Each Planet is different in fundamental ways from all others, even with regard to their retro periods, but the underlying Waxing/Waning tempo is basically the same for all.

Mercury, from Evening to Morning Star

Often the period of Mercury’s retrogradation is simply interpreted as a time full of misunderstandings, technical glitches, disruption in communication, odd accidents, etc. These effects are often obvious indeed, especially for people who happen to have the Sun, Moon, Planets or their Birth Chart’s Angles (Ascendant, etc.) within the span of the zodiac covered by Mercury.

When we attempt to interpret Mercury in a Birth Chart we tend to take its position (and that of all other celestial bodies) as fixed, a point in a linear, perhaps circular universe, in which Sun, Moon and Planets interact by angular relationship with each other, as in a neat example of cosmic geometry. We tend however to exclude from our interpretation the actual experience of Mercury as it manifests on our Earth plane.

We may learn from text books that Mercury’s orbit around the Sun in just less than three months (88 days), but the experience we have of the twinkling star that is Mercury to our unaided eyes is indeed very different. The visual cycle of Mercury lasts in fact 116 days (a bit less than four months), during which time this Planet, from our view point, appears to wax and wane.

In the light of the entire cycle the Retrogradation of Mercury is a most significant moment. During this special time the planet passes from waning to waxing, from Evening to Morning Star. This is not only a miracle to the beholder, seeing Mercury disappearing behind the Sun and then re-appearing on the other side, but a real shift of our awareness of the planet’s energy.

The retro period of any planet, like the dark three days of the New Moon, is a twilight status, like the one in between sleeping and wakening. We take usually a little while to wake up completely after a deep sleep. In real life as well as symbolically the in-between waking and sleep phase is all important because it is then that our creative imagination provides the most fertile ground for new insights.

Ten to fifteen days after the beginning of its retro motion Mercury becomes completely immersed in the light of the Sun, which has, in the mean time, caught up with it, due to its slowness. It is of course the Earth that is actually accelerating on Mercury, amounting to the same visual effect. The date of this all important conjunction for the upcoming cycle is October 1, 2015. At first will be a tentative beginning, when the new impulse is guided by yet unclear urges, stemming from the past while longing for the future.

Mid-way through its retro period, Mercury is as close to planet Earth than it will ever be, orbiting directly between us and the Sun disk. This conjunction of Mercury to the Sun is known as the Inferior Conjunction, to distinguish it from the Superior Conjunction when Mercury is as far from Earth as it can possibly be and also disappear in the glare of the Sun, being visually just behind the Sun from our observation point on Earth. The Superior conjunction is really an opposition Mercury-Earth in a heliocentric view. The next Superior Conjunction will occur on November 17, and will represent the culmination of the cycle that starts in October.

The phases bring to the ‘reading’ of Mercury an extra dimension, showing it as an ongoing process, rather than a fixed placement to be interpreted in a rigid way.

In this new light the Retrogradation of Mercury stands for a sort of preparatory period during which the lesson of the last mercurial cycle is appreciated and we look back in order to understand and re-value, before a new cycle can begin in a conscious way, when Mercury turns direct on October 1.

I hope that, if you didn’t know these facts already, you may feel better equipped now to answer your skeptic friends when they tell you that retrogradation is just an optical illusion and non existent. Something really happens to the relationship between the Earth and the planet when this appears to move in a backward fashion.

The astrological meaning of the Retrogradation of  Mercury

All planets’ retro periods represent a revaluation of sort, but what we need to reflect upon differs in accordance with the nature of the planet. So, for instance, during the retrogradation of Mars we need to re-value and re-consider the way we assert ourselves and go out to get what we want from life. This need of self-reflection could make this an ineffectual and tentative period, when for a time we may lose confidence, becoming less able to interact constructively with our environment. At the end we will have gained however a deeper understanding of what need changing in our attitude in order to achieve a less confrontational and more effective method of proceeding.

During the retrogradation of Venus the same thing happens to our feelings. We are inclined to reflect on the way we usually relate to others, especially in a one to one situation. For a time this could mean that we become more tentative when we relate to others, less outgoing, more introspective, not the best social time. But at the end of this tunnel too we may have discovered things about ourselves and our loved ones that can help immensely in healing rifts or deciding the fate of shaky or unsatisfactory relationships.

It is the same with Mercury. Its Evening Star incarnation (spanning in the second half of 2015 from July 23 = Superior Conjunction to the Sun, to October 1 = Inferior Conjunction to the Sun), represents a time for giving due consideration to the way we communicate our thoughts and ideas to others, the way we tackle intellectual challenges, like writing, reading, studying, teaching. In particular the retro motion of Mercury (September 17 to October 9) corresponds to a period of mental introspection, at the end of which we can start again to project our minds onto the world, with renewed inventiveness and adaptability to different circumstances and people.

In the Morning Star phase Mercury’s direct energy does in fact facilitate everything mercurial, such as change, communication, expression of idea in speech or writing, travel, brain-storming, moving etc. This is a forward looking mental impulse, bringing us out of ourselves and onto active participation with the world. This period will end with the Superior Conjunction on November 17, when our mental tendencies will have reached their more concrete and objective state. From then Mercury will begin to wane again, arriving at its next retro Station in Aquarius on January 5 2016.

To discover which phase Mercury was going through at the time of your birth all you need to do is look for its position relative to the Sun. When Mercury is behind the Sun in longitude it appears as the Morning Star, displaying an outgoing type of energy, eager for self expression. When Mercury instead is found to be ahead of the Sun in longitude it appears as the Evening Star, directing its mental energy inward, aiding insight and introspection.

Mercury Retrograde in Libra, September-October 2015

To represent this event I’ve chosen a Tarot image from Alistair Crowley’s deck representing the ‘Magician’ or ‘Magus’, first of the Major Arcana. To my eyes it depicts well the cosmic side of our little brother, his connection to the spiritual realm, his ability to ‘magically’ interconnect the physical, the psychic and the metaphysical. Mercury, and his Greek counterpart Hermes were the only gods permitted to travel between the three worlds, the earthly, the heavenly and the underworld, signifying the human mind’s potential to function at the rational level (earth realm), the spiritual (the heavenly realm) and the psychic level (the underworld) and to be thus the go-between these different level of awareness.

Mercury Retrograde

On September 17 Mercury began its Retrograde period that will last until October 9 2015, from the middle to the beginning of Libra. Mercury, now an Evening Star, will conjunct the Sun on October 1 (Inferior Conjunction), and afterword return to the morning sky.

This special Transit will be felt by everyone, at some level, but in particular those people who were born with the Sun, Moon, Planets or Chart’s Angles in the first half of the Sign of Libra (0 to 17 degrees); and also people with natal placements in the other Cardinal Signs, Aries, Cancer and Capricorn. The effect will vary in intensity and quality of experience depending on the nature of the celestial body or Angle involved.

During the whole Mercury retro’s period we may encounter many opportunities to review our thinking, to become more flexible so to be able to adapt to changing circumstances. To have too rigid plans and expectations, from others as well as ourselves, may not work during this time.

Stay tuned to your inner feelings, listen to your intuition and don’t try to rationalize too much. Creativity, dreaming, imagination can all gain from a retro period of Mercury, especially in the artistic and aesthetically minded Sign of Libra.

Mercury/Hermes represents our inquisitive spirit and intellectual curiosity. He was he who ‘invented’ the spoken and written languages we use to share ideas and thoughts. Despite this, during a Mercury’s retro phase, non verbal communication are naturally facilitated over verbal, because we all can more easily tap into our innate abilities to ‘read’ other people’s feelings and thoughts.

October 1 will be the turning point of this period, with Mercury conjunct the Sun, when those inner experiences may be at their strongest. At this point in fact Mercury will be passing directly between the Earth and the Sun, the closest he can ever be to our planet.

Apart from the conjunction to the Sun, the major alignment of Mercury during his retrogradation will be the 90 degrees angle to Pluto in Capricorn, repeating three times (earlier, in direct motion, on September 10; again, in retro motion, on September 25; and lastly, in direct motion, on October 23). This type of connection indicates generally a time not suitable for small talk or superficial conversation and reading, but rather a time when we can all penetrate a bit deeper and explore more courageously subjects that we may usually consider taboo or just too hard to discuss, demanding a level of intimacy and trust that is difficult to achieve in normal circumstances.

It could be an ideal time to embrace some form of ‘inner’ therapy, meditation, visualization etc. and also confront deeply buried issues festering in our unconscious: fears, feeling of inadequacy, dislike, resentment, jealousy, even undisclosed stuff we suspect others are hiding from us, or those lies we like to tell ourselves when too scared to look into what’s really going on. Sharing secrets and, by doing so, building trust with the people who matter to us could be scary now as always, but it could also prove incredibly rewarding during this suitable cosmic time.

Considering that most of the Mercury’s retro period will fall between two Eclipses (Solar on September 13 and Lunar on September 28) a period that some astrologers defines as a sort of twilight zone, there is even a greater chance for this Mercury’s phase to stir up our longing for a better knowledge of ourselves and others, transcending our habitual way of thinking and sharing ideas. Even in his more mischievous aspect of disrupting our routines and muddling our plans, Mercury retrograde offers an opportunity to think out of the box, to stop and consider things in greater depth, to understand what it’s really important and what instead we can do without or do in a different, less ‘straight’, more creative way.

Libra is a Venus’ Sign. This Mercury’s Retrogradation in Libra coming up just after the end of a difficult Venus’ Retrogradation (July 24 to September 7) will impact particularly on love relationships, heightening difficulties while offering opportunity for more real closeness and honesty.

If interested click here for a recent post on the general mechanics and meaning of Retrogradation, focusing mainly on Mercury.

An aside: Saturn in Sagittarius and Jupiter in Virgo, the time Keepers’ recent Signs change

Contemporary with the beginning of the Retro Station of Mercury is the ingress of Saturn into Sagittarius, where ponderous Saturn will reside until 2017. Hopefully this is not such a negative event, as some astrologers have been predicting, but rather a lift from Scorpio’s emotional quagmire to Sagittarius’ more open and philosophical outlook. Because Sagittarius is known to presides over religious dogma and matters of faith, many believe that Saturn transiting this Sign could spell more religious divisions and prejudices. I am more optimistic about this (wishful thinking, fear that the international situation could get even worse than what it is?). I sincerely hope but also see the real potential for this Transit to help to lighten the situation, offering a more enlightened, less personal approach to everything. Moving into Sagittarius Saturn has also finished his mutual dangerous dance with Pluto in Capricorn, each transiting the Sign traditionally ruled by the other during the time Saturn was in Scorpio (Mutual Reception ¹).

¹ Section on Mutual Reception from my Tutorial on the astrological Aspects. Click here to see the whole Aspect Page.

Mutual Reception is one of those astrological terms that often baffle the beginner. It may be at first a bit difficult to understand, having to do with the Planets’ connection to the Signs rather than with actual distances or angles between Planets. To ‘notice’ these types of Aspects in a Natal Chart one needs to know the Planets’ rulership over the Signs by heart. This Aspect joins the Planets in a mysterious, subtle but very real way. Such mingling of energies can be very creative.

Definition: two Planets are in Mutual Reception to each other when one is positioned in the Sign ruled by the other and vice versa.

A few examples should make this more clear:

Venus in Gemini (Sign ruled by Mercury) is in Mutual Reception to Mercury in Taurus (Sign ruled by Venus).

The Moon in Capricorn (Sign ruled by Saturn) is in Mutual Reception to Saturn in Cancer (Sign ruled by the Moon).

Jupiter in Virgo (Sign ruled by Mercury) is in Mutual Reception to Mercury in Sagittarius (Sign ruled by Jupiter).

The Moon in Aquarius (Sign co-ruled by Uranus) is in Mutual Reception to Uranus in Cancer (Sign ruled by the Moon).

The Sun in Aries (Sign ruled by Mars) is in Mutual Reception to Mars in Leo (Sign ruled by the Sun).

The Virgo Solar Eclipse: Sunday, September 13 2015.

Solar Eclipse Antarctica 2014

A brief outline of the September 13 Partial Solar Eclipse, with individual people in mind

At the Virgo New Moon on September 13 the Moon will eclipse the Sun, a partial eclipse visible only in the very far south regions of the world, like Antarctica, the southern Indian Ocean and some western parts of South Africa, up to 15° Latitude South. Not a visible event in Australia or New Zealand.

A Total Lunar Eclipse will follow at the next Aries Full Moon on September 28. Here I am concerned only with the solar event.

This Solar Eclipse could have personal repercussions, via events and mental/emotional states, in particular for those individuals who happen to have the 19th, 20th and 21st degrees of Virgo highlighted in their Birth Chart (aligned to Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Ascendant, Descendant, Mid-Heaven or Lower-Heaven); to a less extent also those with the same degrees in the other Mutable Signs, Pisces, Gemini and Sagittarius.

The Eclipsed Sun and the Eclipsing Moon, on the 20th degree of Virgo, will be just separating from an in-conjunct aspect (150° distance) to Uranus in Aries and from an opposition to Chiron in Pisces (180°).

If your Birth Chart is somehow aligned with this Eclipse I would say that, during this time, your very basic unconscious impulses (Moon) as well as your conscious drive and will (Sun) will need to find truly original and upbeat ways of expression, through acts of brave decisiveness, even at the risk of causing disagreements and becoming isolated/alienated from others (in-conjunct to Uranus in Aries). In fact you could find your present spirit of initiative and displays of fierce individualism somewhat contrary to your usually passive and modest Virgo temperament.  The polarity with Chiron in Pisces (in opposition Sun-Moon) adds the element of fluidity and compassion, with the urge to heal emotional rifts and egotism while staying true to your ideals and core of independence (Chiron is semi-sextile, 30° distance, from Uranus in Aries).

Because both Virgo and Pisces are Signs of purification and elimination (Virgo concentrating on the physical aspect and Pisces on the psychic) this could be a very suitable time to tackle negative habits and addictions, to begin a healthier lifestyle, change diet, join a yoga class or a gym, engage a personal trainer to re-gain fitness or lose weight, or to deal with a chronic condition by embracing some form of natural therapy.

The effect of the Solar Eclipse could last from three months to a year, and could have been already active for some months before the Eclipse itself. The nature of the celestial body/bodies or Angle/s involved could describe more accurately the possible effect for each individual person.

With the world in mind

In the planetary picture weaved by this Eclipse I see a symbol of the collective drive, now gaining very rapid momentum, to be of practical service to others less fortunate than ourselves. The presence of Chiron, the archetypal ‘Wounded Healer’, on the opposite-complementary Sign of Pisces (in opposition to Sun-Moon), shows that the helpmate also aspires to become a savior of sorts, our desire to humbly serve others in their most pressing needs, like food and shelter (Virgo), merging with the longing for spiritual union and the awareness that ultimately all is one, and the suffering of others is our suffering (Pisces’ universal sympathy).

The in-conjunct aspect of Uranus in Aries gives raise to the combative spirit, the irrepressible drive to take different measures, trying to find out of the box ways to address the collective issues that have been gripping the world with amazing force since the start of the millennium.

Virgo is the archetypal symbol for Purity, tirelessly endeavoring to keep at bay anything, in the form of substance, food, thought that can harm our bodies as well as the Earth Mother’s. Virgos are born environmentalists and natural healers. It was certainly this Virgo archetype which, since the beginning, inspired and instructed scores of farmers, gatherers, healers, doctors, nurses, help professional, social workers, light workers etc. to pursue their search for the universal elixir to heal all ills and restore purity in ourselves and the world we live in. This elixir ultimately resides in the eternal flux of life, surpassing while including our individual lives and consciousness. And this is astrologically symbolized by Pisces, Virgo’s opposite-complementary Sign. Practical Virgo is forever calculating what can be done within the limits of the possible, while Pisces tends to blur these limits and thus make what seemed impossible possible, via acts of good will and trust in providence. These two opposite Signs seem fit symbols for the situation people who want to help the refugees fleeing conflicts and mayhem in their own countries are finding themselves: how to reconcile the need to be practical and realize the limits of what can be realistically achieved, within reason (Virgo) and the desire to uphold the ideal of compassion and open the gate indiscriminately to all those in need of support (Pisces). Virgo would see the need for helping as a moral obligation while Pisces would consider it more like a spiritual responsibility.

Since early August Jupiter has also entered Virgo and will be transiting this Earth Sign until September 9 2016. This transit of course also reinforces the collective drive to help each other in practical ways and could even inspire some to find contentment in a simpler, more humble and down to earth life style, while many may be forced into it by financial crisis and unemployment. The August 90° between Jupiter in Leo and Saturn in Scorpio, a classic aspect of economic and social downturn, will repeat itself in March and May 2016, between Virgo and Sagittarius, clearly indicating that the near future will not be a time for wild spending and borrowing but rather for hard work and a cautious approach to financial matters, avoiding debts and get rich quick schemes. We could embrace our reduced circumstances as opportunities to find more lasting values in our daily life and work (Jupiter). I am preparing a post about the transit of Jupiter in Virgo and the all important Jupiter-Saturn’s cycle. I should be able to publish it here shortly.

The connection of the Solar Eclipse with Uranus could favor the more aggressive, militant approach to the humanitarian and environmental crisis the world is experiencing. We could all become more pro-active in seeking a resolution to those crisis, more defiant of authority and the status-quo, with the clear goal in mind of restoring the human dignity of dispossed and traumatized people and the health of a polluted environment (Chiron in Pisces). This uncompromising spirit seems also enhanced by the aspects of the transiting Mercury in Libra at the time of the Eclipse, separating from a Square to Pluto in Capricorn and coming onto an opposition to Uranus in Aries. We can add to all the above the present position of transiting Saturn on the very last degree of Scorpio, ready to enter Sagittarius, a rebellious and freedom loving Sign, on September 18; this time for good (previous ingresses were at the end of December 2014 and in middle June 2015).

This Eclipse then should also generate greater awareness of the need of environmental healing, especially in view of the upcoming UN Conference on Climate Change (November 30 to December 11 2015). Just few days before this Solar Eclipse all UN nations, including Australia, have submitted their Climate Action Plans ahead of the Paris conference.

Following this post I have re-posted an edited version of a two parts tutorials/articles on eclipses  that I published in June 2011.

These tutorials seem again relevant  during the present Eclipse Season of September 2015. These are the links:

Eclipses as Doors of Perception – Part 1

Eclipses as Doors of Perception – Part 2

The first half of October 2011, focus on Libra and Leo

Around the time of the Spring Equinox (September 23) we are seeing important changes taking place in the sky picture. Earth’s inner companions, Mercury and Venus, and her closest neighbor in outer space, Mars, have moved or are soon moving into new Signs. Venus entered Libra on September 15, Mars Leo on September 19, and Mercury will be in Libra from September 26.

The influence of gentle Libra will calm the impetuosity of Mars in fiery Leo, a great combination for all creative activities and loving, passionate relationships.

The dance of the planets close to Earth is always an important indicator of the pulse of life on our globe, generating the special focus that makes some periods best suited for certain activities and experiences, from week to week.

Mercury and Venus, in particular, moving as they do within Earth’s own orbit, have a very special link to the Sun, defining the solar expression in specific ways according to the Sign they transit at any given time, be the same as the Sun or different. Both planets will be in Libra for a while, the same Sign as the Sun: Mercury until October 13 and Venus until October 9. The Sun will remain in Libra until October 24. Libra then is coming to the fore in a big way during the first half of the month of October.

Libra is eminently a Sign of relationship, because through Libra we all seek to achieve a degree of harmony with the external world and other people. With Libra we experience loneliness and boredom when our lives are not socially active, or our love life not fulfilling.  The ideal for Libra is to share the world with others in the fairest possible way. Relationships are not the ‘merging with another’ emotional roller coasters characteristic of the Water Signs, or the passionate affairs and conquests of the Fire Signs. Libra strives constantly, like all the Air Signs, to keep its cool and maintain a degree of detachment, despite the terrible urge to interact. One’s sense of self depends however on Libra’s ability to relate without compromising its integrity and principles. So Librans, or people with Moon, planets, Ascendant in Libra, often walk a tight rope, constantly balancing their own needs and preferences with those of others, in the often vain attempt to find the perfect balance they so much aspire to.

Early October will be a great time for everyone to walk that rope, spending some extra energy to make our relationships come closer to our ideals, rather than accept or lament all the things that are not actually up to our standards.

Venus in Libra is in her own ambience, because Libra is one of the Signs over which the Goddess of Love exerts traditional rulership, bringing up the most desirable traits of this Sign, the gift of diplomacy and a special eye for beauty.  Because Mercury, planet of communication and all form of exchanges, is also in Libra, our reading, writing and conversations will also take on the colour of Venus, taking on a lighter tone, leaning toward the arts, while conversation will be stressing understanding and fair play rather than confrontation and heated debates.

On October 7 Mercury will make contact with Saturn in Libra, an aspect suitable for serious thinking, studying or any type of mental work that requires concentration and profundity. On the down side it could bring up some sadness especially if we concentrate too much on the past or on our real or imagined failings, stirring up feeling of inadequacy that could paralyze our efforts for a little while. Help is on its way though, with a gentle transit of Venus and then Mercury to Neptune.

As Venus ends her stay in Libra she will form a harmonious angle (trine) to Neptune in late Aquarius on October 8, a romantic, dreamy and imaginative contact, inspiring for artists, lovers and day-dreamers, especially if they had planets in the late Air Signs at birth, the last three degrees or so. A bit later on in the month, on October 12, Mercury will also form the same angle with Neptune, confirming the period between October 8 and 13 as one suited for romance, artistic expression, especially through music, spiritual encounters and magical trips.

In the meantime Mars will remain in Leo, until November 11, and then begin an eight months long journey through Virgo. Leo is a positive placement for Mars, providing the fiery passion the Red Planet feeds on, but also containing that passion and controlling it, enabling us to utilize the positive energy for creative and enterprising feats.

The most important of Mars’ transits during this period will be a challenging square to Jupiter in Taurus on October 3, an aspect that stresses the need for caution in order not to overstretch our resources or take too many risks. ‘Look before you leap’ should be the keyword at this time, in particular for some Leo (born between July 30 and August 1), Taurus (born April 27/29), Aquarius (born January 28/30), and Scorpio (born between October 31 and November 2); also for anyone with the Moon, planets or one of the Natal Chart’s Angles between the 7^th and 9^th degrees of the above Signs.

For a more in depth view of the major transits becoming exact between the Libra Equinox and Capricorn Solstice 2011 (September to December) please click HERE.