Astrology forecasts are back, baby! After taking time off in July and August from publishing forecasts, I’ve decided to return to publishing overviews of the astro weather for the month ahead. These forecasts will be a little more general, speaking to the most important transits and themes.

If you are looking for detailed, transit-by-transit forecasts, check out the zodiac season workbooks I co-create with Erin Alise of the Hollow Valley. In addition to learning about the energy of Virgo season and getting suggestions for rituals, magical practices, (and soooo much more), you’ll also find detailed descriptions of every single transit of the month ahead! The full forecast is full of valuable information about how to best navigate and support yourself through the astrology of the moment.

September 2021: a month of foreshadowing

September 2021 feels like a transition month. We have moved out of the big Fixed Sign intensity of June and July, and are now setting up for what the last quarter of the year has in store for us. The first half of the month is relatively peaceful and pleasant, but the end of the month will have a very different tone. September ends with three planets in signs where they struggle (The Sun and Mars in Libra, Venus in Scorpio), plus Mercury will station retrograde on September 27th while square to Pluto, which is bound to be eventful. Plus, while Venus is in Scorpio, it will square Saturn and oppose Uranus (because heaven forbid we have an astro forecast where we don’t talk about the Saturn-Uranus square!).

There’s a strong emphasis on Libra this month — Venus, Mercury, Mars and the Sun will all spend some time in the cardinal air sign. This brings focus to the house in your birth chart that contains Libra. In general, the fall equinox is a great time to recalibrate and refocus our attention. Are you happy with how you’ve been allocating your time and attention? Are you feeling pulled in multiple directions or leaning toward extremes? Libra season can help us find more balanced, sustainable ways of managing our energy and attention.

Whatever themes come up for you now will be revisited later in December, when Venus stations retrograde at 26° Capricorn — conjunct Pluto, and highlighting the same degree as Mercury. Pay close attention to the houses that contain Libra and Capricorn in your birth chart — there’s some important information coming up around these topics for you to work through and process. Whatever begins with the Mercury retrograde will be revisited in December and January.

Mercury retrograde: September 27 - October 18

The biggest story of the month is Mercury's retrograde in Libra. Although the retrograde will take place from Sept 27 to October 18, we will spend most of September in the pre-retrograde shadow, which beings on September 6th. Pay attention to the House in your birth chart that contains Libra — if you are a Capricorn rising, for example, Libra contains your 10th house of career and public life. Mercury will travel from 25° to 10° Libra. If you have any planets in cardinal signs (Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn) between those degrees, they will be activated by this transit, and you'll likely notice you are affected more by the retrograde.

Mercury retrogrades are always powerful moments for self-reflection and to "go into the underworld," as it were, but this one will be especially deep and poignant. Mercury is going to station retrograde while square to Pluto, which imbues the entire retrograde with a much deeper and dramatic tone. There will be three exact squares with Pluto: the first on September 22, when Mercury is direct (but slowing down); the second on October 1, when Mercury is retrograde; the third on November 1, when Mercury is direct again.

When Mercury squares Pluto, it might bring up a sudden revelation or piece of important information that had previously been obscured. Pluto is often associated with those things we try to repress, those subterranean parts of ourselves that we deny. There is something about how we've been harmonizing with others and being diplomatic (Mercury in Libra) that is going to be challenged by something a little more ambitious and aggressive (Pluto in Capricorn). Themes of power and control might surface over the course of September and October that will be very resonant, especially for those who have prominent cardinal placements at 25°. Notice what comes up right now — these themes might reoccur in December when Venus stations retrograde conjunct Pluto in Capricorn. This is a kind of mini-preview of what that time period might reveal for you.

Venus in Scorpio

Venus moves into Scorpio this month, leaving its home sign of Libra. What a bummer! Venus is leaving a sign where it has a lot of power and resources and entering a Mars-ruled sign. Whenever Venus is in a Mars-ruled sign (like Scorpio or Taurus), it is in the sign opposite of her home sign. In this case, Scorpio is opposite of Taurus. Thus, Venus is said to be in "exile" when it's in Scorpio. This is a difficult placement for Venus (note: I am NOT talking about people with Venus in Scorpio in their birth charts!), who struggle to make peace, create beauty and find common ground when in this sign.

While in Scorpio, Venus will re-activate the Saturn-Uranus square, squaring Saturn on September 17 and then opposing Uranus on September 23. This will highlight themes of liberty and authenticity vs responsibility and obligations in our lives. Where are you looking for more joy and pleasure — and what is stopping you from pursuing it? Venus governs how we connect and build relationships with others, so these transits might spark difficulties, since they are hard aspects and Venus is already in a sign where she struggles to make peace.

Mars in Libra

Mars has a couple of big transits at the beginning of the month, where it starts with an opposition to Neptune and then a trine to Pluto. The Sun will go through those exact same aspects later in the month before it moves in Libra — check out the Virgo season workbook for a more detailed Astro forecast for info on what those transits might bring up.

Mars' big move this month happens on September 15th, when it enters Libra. Just like Venus struggles in Mars-rules signs, Mars struggles in Venus-ruled signs. However, since Venus is currently in one of Mars' signs, we have a relatively rare phenomenon known as a mutual reception. This happens when two planets are in one another's signs, and it gives both planets a bit of boost. The planets are able to support each other in unexpected or subtle ways. This doesn't negate the difficulties inherent in the placements, but it does give us more tools to work with them.

September’s New Moon and Full Moon

We have two lunations this month. The New Moon in Virgo takes place on September 6th, and it highlights some of the more positive and flowing energies of the month. Venus will still be in Libra on the 6th, forming a very lovely and abundant trine to Jupiter, while Mercury, the ruler of the New Moon, enjoys a supportive and productive trine to Saturn. All of this speaks to building something sustainable and supportive and collaborating with others to make it happen. The Full Moon in Pisces takes place on September 20th at 28° of Pisces and represents a moment of heightened energy as we move into the more difficult half of the month. The Mercury-square-Pluto vibes are already there, as Mercury slows down and prepares for its retrograde station.

And those are some of the highlights of the month of September! The tone and vibe of the month are going to start out pleasant (if not a little hazy), but by the end of the month, we are going to be entering into some much more dramatic and intense energy.

For fully detailed astrological forecasts, check out the Virgo season workbook. You'll find a day-by-day/transit-by-transit overview of the astrology of the month ahead, plus ritual guides, magical correspondences, tarot spreads, and so much more.