PISCES
Move down and in.
Go deeper and deeper still.
Get to the roots, where they twist
and turn.
Untether yourself from fear.
Unwind from cords that bind.
And then root deeper until you touch
the essence of your origin.

0:00  

Hello, Pisces! Welcome to your month ahead horoscope for Libra season, September 22nd through October 22nd, 2021. When I'm moving into these horoscopes for the season, I am wanting to start a couple of days before it begins on the 20th of September, which was the day of the Pisces full moon. This is also a day where some planetary aspects occurred that will be major themes and will repeat in various configurations throughout the course of Libra season. So I want to start there. And this again, was a full moon in your sign, in Pisces. 

0:40  

If you happen to be a Pisces that has placements in the late degrees of Pisces, around 28 degrees, then this may have been a full moon that you remember very easily, September 20th. And maybe you want to go back in your calendar or text messages or something and try and just meditate back to that day, see if anything arises for you. 

1:01  

So this is a full moon that feels like it brings in some new energy that is also kind of completion energy, it's like letting go of some old stories, letting go of some old ways of being—it was in your sign. And so there may be significant turning points in relationships, or in attitudes towards relationships or attitudes towards who you are for other people, and kind of the identity that you may have had, when it comes to what other people are thinking about you or how you're putting yourself out in the world. And it feels to me like this was a full moon that helped you get closer to your own essence, that may have brought sensations with it that reminded you about ways of being that are really important for you. Around the full moon, it may have kind of felt like you were getting waves of, oh yeah, you know, this is who I am now, and this is what's important to me. 

2:10  

Then as we move into Libra season, the themes of the month really start to get underway. And these are themes that will be predominant throughout the 30 days of Libra season and will also take us into Scorpio season. And for you, my friend, these themes are very personal. They bring us into the most personal, private spaces in your life, into your home life, into your family life, into your intimacies, and the places where you are in exchange with other people in kind of deeper, more energetic or emotional ways, and also into your unconscious—into your intuition and into the space of your dreams and fantasies. So this is a very deep time for you. I want to say that first. And I also want to say that if you are experiencing the need to retreat from the world, this would be a good time to do it. I would not at all be surprised to hear from my Pisces friends that they can't hang out in Libra season, because they're going to be retreating in some way, shape, or form. It feels like a time when your orientation and your focus gets pulled downward and inward. Now, this is also the beginning of a Mercury Retrograde. So Mercury stations retrograde on the 26th of September, though it's been in its shadow periods since September 7th. And for you, Mercury rules a part of your chart that has a lot to do with the energetic and emotional spaces of exchange in relationship. 

3:45  

So you may have heard at some point in your life that 70 to 93% of our communication as humans is nonverbal. That's a lot for a verbally oriented and language oriented culture that uses words and concepts a lot. 70-93% of our communication is nonverbal and that means that we're paying attention to body language, to vibe, to energy, to what we're picking up in the psychic space, in the etheric space, etc. And there's also a lot of communication that is probably happening outside of the realm of anyone's intention that might have to do with conditioned ways of being, or ways of being that we can't escape from because of our conditions. So for example, you might have some kind of communication exchange with a person who is a very different age than you. And because of the conditions of your bodies being very different ages, you might both be making assumptions about each other that's feeding into your communication, and really influencing it. And if you were to take a step back and move outside of those assumptions and kind of put yourself into a mindset where you're like, you know what, we're both people, we're both wise, we both have a lot to bring to this from very different perspectives, your communication might radically change. 

5:17  

And this is definitely a space in the chart where we get into the thick of stuff that comes up in the space of relationship—into entanglements and enmeshment, but also into the unspoken stuff, the insinuations. We get into insecurities and phobias and taboos. And you probably have had multiple experiences now of either shutting down or shutting someone out, or feeling someone else shut down or shut you out and not knowing why,  but it's like, oh, there was friction there—someone did something, and it rubbed you the wrong way. And there's a taboo, right, like, ooh, no, you don't say that you don't do that. So this kind of experience is the focus for Libra season this place in your chart. I also want to say that this place of the chart deals very specifically with energy that is exchanged between people. And energy can be just that, like energy and emotion. 

6:20  

It can also be money, or resources. So where you're caught up with your partner's resources or your partner's family's resources, or something like that. And then because of the nature of energetic exchange, this is also the place in your chart where we find information about activities that facilitate a lot of energetic exchange, sex is one of those activities. In sex, there is at least like some fluid exchange, and cellular exchange, if not very deep emotional or psychic exchange. Death is another one. When people die, sometimes there is an inheritance or a debt. We exchange energy with our ancestors all of the time—either embodying certain characteristics of theirs, taking on inheritances, debts, etc. Sex and death are two places where energy gets very exchanged. 

7:28  

So, I had an astrology teacher once that introduced me to this part of the chart, which is your eighth house, by the way, and she called it "the altar." And that has stuck with me ever since. Because I love this image of tending to one's altar space. And an altar space is where we give reverence and pay homage, and it's also where we perform ceremony. And over the next 30 days, or over this span of time, whenever you happen to be listening, consider that the entirety of Libra season might be ceremony, and you can show up to every single day, as if you're coming to your altar to give reverence or to pray or to check in with your ancestors or something like that. So with this Mercury Retrograde, there is a distinct need for Pisces identified people to really turn within—to fearlessly, courageously, and with a whole lot of love, look at where you're getting "hooked", caught up, entangled and,  kinked with other people—with their hang ups, with their emeshments, with their kinks.

8:50  

You want to bring things into a space of clarity and this is a really good time for you to concern yourself with what is unclear. If there's a person in your life that is on their way out—I'm thinking of some Pisces that I know who are sitting with elderly parents right now who are on their way out, they're probably going to die fairly soon. In this kind of example, this might be a time when you're really thinking about conversations that need to happen and agreements that need to be clarified, or understandings that this could be some of the last chance to get them. If you are involved in an intimate relationship, and there are things going on and it's like, we got to talk about this. This is the time to talk about it. Anything that has to do with money, now is the time to look at it and even if you're not actively thinking about how you're sharing it with other people, just paying attention to your finances is important right now. Money is an energy that is exchanged. It's a currency that travels all over the globe, right? Money has its own carbon footprint. It has its legacies, it has its impact. There's no such thing as clean money. So consider your relationship with money. How do you want to be in relationship to money to wealth to resource? What does it mean to share? What does it mean to be shared with? These are some big themes that could be coming up.

10:35  

The last thing that I want to say is that this is a time to really turn towards your shadow. All of us have a shadow and it's the parts of ourselves that we don't see—that we shove into the dark, that we obscure somehow, that we closet, that we try to hide. And it can also be parts of ourselves that we're not necessarily consciously trying to hide, but for whatever reason, they get hidden. And maybe they get hidden really early on in our lives, because we get taught by a culture or by community or by a family member, that those parts of ourselves are shameful or something like that. There's so much brilliant writing on the shadow and if this is a new concept for you, then check it out. This is a time, regardless of all the other themes—like if there were other things that I said, and you were like, "Ooh, yeah, I'm going to check that out"—also check in with your shadow. Because this is a time when it feels like you have a lot of opportunity for healing and integration, when you hold the parts of yourself that have felt hard to hold before or that weren't held for whatever reason—it wasn't the right time, people, place, there weren't enough resources, etc.

12:01  

If there are parts of you that feel wretched, or terrifying, or pathological, and you're like, "Oh, my God, I really want to turn away from that part of me"— I know I have so many parts of me that are not at all my favorite parts that come out when I'm feeling fearful or triggered or insecure. This is a time to turn towards those parts, and to get really curious about them. And in general, when we turn towards our shadow and start to explore it, usually we can find something to love and someone that is very deeply worthy of love. And a lot of our shadow parts are parts of our inner child or inner children selves that have been wounded somewhere. A lot of our shadow parts are parts that we've inherited, that we've taken on for ancestors or for community, that weren't integrated, that weren't healed in them. And maybe we take on their wounded ways of being. But deep inside of any component of shadow is probably a wound. And underneath that wound is probably some sincere desire to love and be accepted and have a place of belonging. 

13:19  

So this Libra season, number one piece of advice for all Pisces identified folks: be with your shadow right now. There's so much healing, there's so much growth for you. And then all of the other areas of entanglement, of enmeshment, of vulnerability and intimacy, be with them. We can't be with those parts of ourselves without at least, in some way, scratching the surface of the shadow. So Mercury Retrograde commences on the 26th of September. Mercury will station direct on October 18th. But the shadow period spans between September 7th and November 3rd. So this entire period of time is a time to honor Mercury Retrograde. Mercury, in astrology, symbolizes the mind and the mental process, as well as deeper layers of the mental process which have to do with perception and cognition—how we intake information and how we make sense of it. 

14:24  

When Mercury is retrograde, it's an invitation to reflect and reconsider and reimagine and remain with something. The re- prefix is incredibly helpful to think about during mercury retrogrades. This isn't a time to get freaked out or to feel like everything is gonna go wrong in the world. This is a time to notice any slowdowns or blockages or changes of plans and trust that there's divine timing at work, and if something is getting messed up in terms of schedule or time, it probably shouldn't happen that way or at that time anyway. And the way that it's going to work out will be better for you in the long run. So try and be adaptive and flexible. This is also a period of time when it's really good to just double and triple check some stuff. Make sure that you are moving slowly and moving with care. Mercury Retrogrades often point us to hastiness and urgency and where we are moving without care, mindlessly. As a symbol that is associated with the mind, Mercury Retrograde sometimes want to show us where we are being mindless. So slow down; pay attention. When you're making plans and decisions, be careful, be thoughtful. Now, especially for you, Pisces, really pay attention to financial considerations and resource considerations. So resources can be all kinds of things, but it has to do with something that you need or want or have, or something that somebody else needs or wants or has, and you're in a dynamic with them. So issues around resources and finances—really take your time. Double, triple check. Make sure that if things are feeling funky or off, or you're not sure that there's space for a process, have backup plans in place, if they're applicable. During this time, if something is not essential to act on, don't act on it. That's a great rule for Mercury Retrograde—this is a time to take pleasure in patience.

16:47  

Slow down, the world is fast and crazy and there is a lot of fucked up shit that happens because people are moving way too fast and they have unexamined desires. So slow down. Think about your desires. This part of your chart, the eighth house, the altar, where Libra is for you, has so much to do with desire. And a lot of the planetary movement brings issues of desire to the forefront. Examine your desires, what is it that you're wanting right now. Get really clear about 'why'—get into the deepest essence of why. It is probably not material—the why—it probably has something to do with a basic need, with an energy in your body, with a quality of your spirit. Really understand your why and then act. But wait, wait, wait, wait until you know why before you're acting. 

17:50  

Between Mercury station retrograde on the 26th and October 10th, there are a number of planetary aspects that are happening. And they kind of go into a little bit of a wave. So the 26th through the 6th of October bring a lot of energy and maybe for a fair amount of people some frustration or a feeling of exhilaration. There could be a feeling at this time that there is a lot of clarity, or that new opportunities are coming up or you feel kind of pressed to make a decision. So again, take your time. If it's not essential, wait. Double, triple check everything that is essential that you have to do. If at all possible, build an expectation for some kind of review period that can give you until the beginning of November to change your mind and make adjustments—if at all possible. Now on the sixth, there's a new moon in Libra. And then the next couple of days are bringing a couple of planetary aspects as well as a few planets stationing direct that have been retrograde for a while. You can think back to May and June. And maybe some processes that have been in the works since then are starting to get ready to move forward. And during this period of time, it does feel like things are clicking, they're falling into place and you might get some important new pieces of information. This is still a time to wait because information is still rolling in. But if things do start to feel more clear, and you are ready to move forward, go ahead. And again, all the things that I already said: Be cautious, be careful. 

19:35  

But then these next couple of weeks from September 10th until the end of Libra season, the 22nd of September, more information keeps coming in. And this information for you has a lot to do with direction and plans and what you're trying to do with your life. It also has a lot to do with money. So you want to take your time. New pieces of information are coming in. New ideas are coming in. You might be looking at old information in new ways. Take your time. 

20:10  

There's a full moon on the 20th of October. And this full moon brings more emphasis to the place in your chart that has to do with your resources, your money, your finances, and also your values. And so it may be that it becomes clearer to you where you want to align or point some of your resources or what it is exactly that you're trying to gather. And then there's still more that happens as we move into Scorpio season, which begins on the 22nd of October. And like I said, Mercury's Retrograde shadow takes us in until November 3rd. So I'll say it one last time: If it isn't essential, wait. 

20:53  

In the waiting period, dig deep, go in, look at your shadow, work with your core stuff. Go all the way down and get into your family stuff. Get into your psychic stuff, get into the cultural stuff, get into the stuff that's bigger than you that has shaped you, that has informed you. Get into the patterns that you are working to repattern. Meet yourself with love. Meet yourself with compassion. Meet yourself with readiness to change your mind. Be open to changes. Be flexible, be adaptive, during this time, especially. And whatever you need to move forward on, move with care, move with consideration. Move with consciousness of where you want to be moving in the future. And don't be hasty. This is a feeling of you're moving into the future by making sure that there isn't a lot of mess from the past. That's kind of the feeling. It's like, you're moving into the future, and you're going, "Okay, how can I clear up enough karma and enough stuff that's in the past so that I can really move into this future space with what it is that I want to be bringing into it, with the clarity, with the conversations, with the agreements, with the understandings, etc.?"

22:14  

I'm gonna leave it there for now, I hope any or all of that is helpful for you. If you want more astrology from me, check out your Year Ahead Report for 2021. It is almost the end of 2021 somehow, believe it or not. So those reports are 50% discounted now. They're an hour and a half long reading, special for your sign, where I go over the major themes of this year, which by the way, do extend into 2022. You can find those on my website where you can also find information about my extended content subscription. When you sign up to be a subscriber you'll get access to my month ahead calendars, to worksheets and tools to help you learn astrology, and invitations to my twice a month subscriber only meetups where we work with embodied creative exploratory practices to learn astrology and work with our own charts. You can follow me on Instagram @EmbodiedAstrology for regular Astro updates and musings as well. And if you love this work, please support and sustain it. The number one way to do that is to share it with your friends and networks. Subscribe, rate, and review on your favorite listening platforms. Your financial donations are so appreciated. They are so helpful. Thank you. I'm wishing you all the best in Libra season and beyond. Bye for now.