art by Wendy Andrew. The Sun entered Libra this morning at 5:04 am EDT (9:04 am GMT) , marking the Autumn Equinox in the turning of the wheel of the seasons.  The beginning of each season is marked by the entry of the Sun into one of the cardinal signs – the signs that initiate action.  (The cardinal signs are Libra, Aries, Cancer and Capricorn.)

Libra is the sign of balance -under the influence of Libra we seek harmony between aspects of life that are dissonant.  At the sign of Libra we have just crossed the midway point of the zodiac, and at the season of Autumn we have crossed the midway point of the wheel of the year which begins in the spring with Aries.

The Full Moon that occurs nearest to the Autumn Equinox is known as the Harvest Moon because at the Equinox the last of the crops are brought in from the fields.  There is a sense of closing down the earth in preparation for winter and finding that balance between the indoors and the outdoors – the interior of our lives and the exterior world.

The astrological chart for the solstices and equinoxes are often used as a predictive tool for the next three months, and these charts are also used for weather prediction.  Because of the intense planetary alignments of the past few years the solstice and equinox charts have also been intense, and while the chart for this Equinox is milder than we have seen recently it still packs a punch.

Uranus and Pluto are still locked within three degrees of a “square” (90 degree) formation, the planetary dynamic that began this spring and summer and which will dominate the astrological landscape for the next four years, and these planets are in tight aspect to the Equinox Sun.  But this time we have a conjunction of the Moon (emotions) and Mars (energy and warfare) which is in a harmonious trine to Uranus, suggesting that the will to find a way out of conflict is available to us if we utilize it.

This conjunction of the Moon and Mars is also in a quincunx aspect to Pluto.  The quincunx creates dissonance and discomfort without providing a crisis as the squares and oppositions do, so it can be more difficult to find our way out of this aspect even though it is less severe.  This aspect suggests that wars will be breaking out over the next few months for no apparent reason as frustration builds without a direct outlet through which to channel that frustration.

The Moon is in its third quarter phase in the Equinox chart, suggesting that this is a time of fulfilling goals and dreams that were set earlier in the year.  This is akin to rounding the bend towards the finish line in a race, and the Leo Moon can help provide the energy to get there.

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