Week Ahead Astrology | September 21 - 27
I woke up this morning in a full-body sweat. Hello, perimenopause, or what I prefer to call it…transitioning into my crone era. And I honor it! I honor my body's wisdom and the process of transition. Because that is what this time in my life and the season we are in is all about: transition. Here is the podcast I mentioned in my voice note: https://mythicmedicine.shop/blogs/podcast/jane-hardwicke-collings This week ahead marks the fall equinox. The start of autumn in the Northern Hemisphere and, most importantly, the start of Libra season. Now, I may be a little biased because I am a Libra, but this is my favorite season. Sweata Weahta! The season of the witch. The season of transformation. The cards I pulled this week further solidify that theme. The tarot card I pulled is the 9 of Swords. Okay, I didn’t pull it; it basically jumped out of the card deck, TWICE! I put it back in the first time because I was like, give me a better one, but spirit was like, nope. Stop hiding the truth: we all have fears, anxieties, and worries, and it is okay to talk about them, to show them, to be human together. So much of what we see or what we show people is what we want them to see. But why? Why are we afraid to say “I am struggling” or “I am scared”? Because that takes vulnerability, which we don’t teach in school, and many of us didn't have a good example growing up. We were told to perform or put on a brave face when, in reality, the bravest thing you can do is be vulnerable and authentic. And this week is asking you to be brave. To face your fears and even to show them. Give them space to breathe so you can move through them. On the other side is the truth, and that truth is wisdom. It’s transformation. This week's animal and plant allies both speak to this: the butterfly and the Elderberry. The butterfly says: you are undergoing great change and transformation. You are in transition. And the way to work with this is to create a daily routine that supports you through it. This helps you move through that frustrating energy and find grace in the process.Elder, or elderberry, is steeped in folklore and legend across many traditions. It is known as the Queen of the Faries or Queen of the Underworld for its association with the planets Jupiter and Pluto. It signals the end of a life phase and the beginning of a new major cycle. Very fitting for this week. She will assist you in stepping through the doorways of this change and protect you and your body during this transformation. That is also why, in herbalism, Elder is used to support your immune system. When you go through major change, your body needs time to adjust and is more susceptible to illness because your immune system is lowered. So, I highly recommend taking it as a tincture or making a syrup to keep on hand. Astrologically, this week brings the Sun entering Libra, which will interact with both Neptune and Pluto, bringing intuitive and underworld themes, then oppose the Moon in Aries, marking the Full Moon in Aries. We close out the week with Mars squaring Chiron and then shifting into the sign of Leo. Let’s break it down, plus more detail on the week ahead…Monday, September 21Moon enters AquariusMercury in Libra sextile Jupiter in LeoWe begin the week with a little breathing room, which feels appropriate considering the Nine of Swords practically threw itself at me twice this morning. Mercury in Libra sextile Jupiter in Leo invites us to zoom out and see the bigger picture. Sometimes when we’re in the middle of a transition, we become so consumed by the details of what isn’t working that we forget how much possibility still exists beyond our current circumstances. The Aquarius Moon helps us gain perspective, while Mercury and Jupiter encourage conversations that open our minds and remind us that we don’t have to figure everything out alone.This is a beautiful day to talk to someone you trust about what you’re experiencing. Not because they need to fix it, but because sometimes simply saying something out loud takes away some of its power. You might discover that the thing you’ve been quietly struggling with is something someone else understands all too well.Vulnerability creates connection. And connection reminds us that we aren’t alone in the transition.Work with it:* Have an honest conversation with someone you trust.* Share an idea you’ve been keeping to yourself.* Step back and look at the bigger picture.* Let yourself imagine a more expansive outcome.* Ask: What might change if I stopped pretending I had it all figured out?Tuesday, September 22Sun enters Libra — Fall Equinox Happy Libra season and happy fall equinox!Sweata Weahta has officially arrived, and I am here for it. Bring on the cozy sweaters, candles, changing leaves, and all the witchy things. Although, considering how I woke up this morning, my body might have some opinions about the sweater situation. 😂The equinox marks a seasonal turning point, when day and night are approximately equal in length. In the Northern Hemisphere, we begin our descent into the darker half of the year. Nature starts withdrawing its energy, the leaves begin to change, and we’re invited to reflect on what has reached completion.Libra is represented by the scales, so there's beautiful symbolism in beginning this season at a moment of balance between light and darkness. But balance doesn’t mean everything is perfectly equal or that we’re supposed to feel peaceful all the time. Sometimes finding balance means acknowledging what's become unsustainable and being willing to change.And that brings us right back to the theme of transition.You cannot create a new equilibrium while insisting that everything remain exactly as it was.Today, honor the season you’re leaving and the one you’re entering. You don’t have to know exactly what this next chapter will look like. Simply acknowledge that you’re standing at a threshold.Work with it:* Create a simple equinox ritual.* Reflect on what the summer taught you.* Notice where your life feels out of balance.* Clear something from your home or schedule.* Ask: What needs to change so I can feel more at home in this new season of my life?Wednesday, September 23Moon in Aquarius conjunct HekateVoid Moon until 9:21 PM MT, when it enters PiscesWell, hello, Hekate. Of course the goddess of crossroads would show up during a week devoted to transition.Hekate stands at the threshold between worlds, holding her torches and illuminating the paths that lie before us. She doesn’t necessarily tell us which road to take. Instead, she reminds us that we have the wisdom to navigate the darkness, even when we cannot see the entire journey ahead.With the Moon conjunct Hekate and void for much of the day, this isn’t necessarily the moment to demand answers or force a major decision. It feels more like a day to stand at the crossroads and listen.And if you’re feeling uncertain, that’s okay.We have been conditioned to believe that uncertainty means we’re doing something wrong. That if we were truly aligned, we would have absolute clarity and unwavering confidence about every decision.But sometimes being at a crossroads simply means you’ve outgrown the road you were traveling.You don’t have to choose the next one out of fear.Let the day unfold. Rest your mind. Notice what comes forward when you stop trying to control the outcome.Work with it:* Spend time in meditation or quiet reflection.* Journal about a crossroads in your life.* Avoid forcing an answer before you’re ready.* Pay attention to intuitive nudges.* Ask: What becomes possible when I stop demanding certainty?Thursday, September 24Moon in Pisces trine Venus in ScorpioAfter yesterday’s crossroads, today’s astrology invites us to soften.The Pisces Moon trine Venus in Scorpio creates a beautiful connection between emotional sensitivity and the desire for deeper intimacy. This is an invitation to feel what you’ve been trying to think your way through.And perhaps, more importantly, to let someone else see it.Remember what I said about vulnerability in the introduction? This is where we get to practice it.There is something incredibly intimate about allowing another person to witness us when we aren’t performing. When we aren’t trying to be the strong one, the capable one, the person who always has the answers.When we can simply say, I’m having a hard time right now.That is not weakness.That is an act of trust.Venus in Scorpio doesn’t want the polished version of intimacy. She wants the truth. And the Pisces Moon reminds us that compassion creates the space where that truth can be expressed.Of course, vulnerability doesn’t mean sharing everything with everyone. Choose people who have demonstrated that they can hold your truth with care.Work with it:* Allow yourself to feel without immediately analyzing.* Have a vulnerable conversation with someone safe.* Make time for creativity, music, or water.* Offer yourself the compassion you give others.* Ask: Where am I ready to let myself be seen more fully?Friday, September 25Sun in Libra opposite Neptune in AriesSun in Libra trine Pluto in AquariusToday, the Sun finds itself in conversation with two very different planetary forces: Neptune and Pluto.Neptune can dissolve the boundaries of our identity, making it hard to distinguish what we know, what we hope, and what we fear. Pluto, meanwhile, invites us beneath the surface to uncover the deeper truth.And with the Sun in Libra, this may play out through our relationships and the ways we define ourselves in connection with other people.Who am I when I’m not trying to keep everyone happy?Who am I when I stop performing the version of myself that others have come to expect?Who am I when I finally admit that something I once wanted no longer feels right?Neptune may make the answers feel a little foggy, but Pluto reminds us that transformation begins with honesty.This is a day to be mindful of projection. We can sometimes mistake our fears for intuition or our hopes for reality, especially when we’re navigating an uncertain transition.You don’t need to dismiss your intuition, but you also don’t need to treat every feeling as an established fact.Get quiet. Look beneath the story. Give the truth room to reveal itself.Work with it:* Notice where you’re idealizing or catastrophizing.* Question a role you’ve been playing in a relationship.* Allow an outdated identity to fall away.* Give yourself space before making assumptions.* Ask: What truth am I ready to acknowledge about who I’m becoming?Saturday, September 26Full Moon in AriesThe Full Moon in Aries illuminates the relationship between self and other, bringing the Libra–Aries axis into focus.Libra asks how we relate, compromise, collaborate, and create harmony. Aries asks who we are as individuals, what we want, and whether we have the courage to pursue it.Neither is meant to exist without the other.But sometimes, in our desire to maintain peace, we lose touch with ourselves. We become so focused on what everyone else needs that we forget to ask what we need.Or we become so afraid of disappointing someone that we convince ourselves our desires don’t matter.This Full Moon invites us to notice where that imbalance has developed.And given the Nine of Swords that practically assaulted me this week, I think it’s worth remembering that being honest about what we need can be scary.It might require a difficult conversation.It might mean admitting that something isn’t working.It might mean allowing someone to be disappointed.It might mean choosing a path that other people don’t understand.But courage isn’t the absence of fear.Sometimes courage is telling the truth while your voice is shaking.Let this Full Moon illuminate where you’ve been abandoning yourself to maintain an illusion of harmony. You don’t have to become combative or burn everything to the ground. You can be honest, compassionate, and firm at the same time.Work with it:* Reflect on the balance between your needs and others’ needs.* Release a pattern of people-pleasing.* Express a desire you’ve been minimizing.* Move your body to release pent-up emotion.* Ask: Where do I need the courage to choose myself without closing my heart to others?Sunday, September 27Mars in Cancer square Chiron retrograde in AriesMars enters LeoWe close the week with Mars making one final challenging aspect before changing signs.Mars in Cancer square Chiron in Aries may stir up tenderness around identity, independence, emotional safety, or the feeling that we have to fight to have our needs acknowledged.Something may touch an old wound.And when that happens, we can become defensive before we even understand what we’re defending.So before reacting, pause.Ask yourself whether you’re responding to what is happening now or to something that happened a long time ago.You don’t have to shame yourself for being triggered. But you do have the opportunity to recognize the pattern and choose how you want to respond.Then Mars enters Leo, shifting the tone from protective Cancer into expressive, creative, heart-centered fire.And after a week of facing fears, acknowledging vulnerability, and navigating transition, I love the symbolism of this shift.Mars in Leo reminds us that courage can also look like joy.It can look like creating something.Putting yourself out there.Following a passion.Allowing yourself to be seen.You don’t have to wait until you’ve healed every wound or eliminated every fear before you begin living more fully.You can be a work in progress and still take up space.Work with it:* Pause before reacting from an old wound.* Notice what you’re trying to protect.* Express your needs without attacking.* Make time for creativity or play.* Take one heart-led action toward something you want.* Ask: What would I do if I allowed myself to be both vulnerable and courageous?The Message for the Week As we cross the equinox and enter Libra season, I hope you’ll give yourself permission to be human through whatever transition you’re experiencing.You don’t have to perform.You don’t have to pretend you’re not scared or worried.You don’t have to have the entire next chapter mapped out.And you certainly don’t have to wait until you feel completely fearless before taking the next step.Sometimes the bravest thing you can do is admit that you’re struggling and allow yourself to be supported. Sometimes it’s telling someone the truth. Sometimes it’s setting a boundary. And sometimes it’s simply getting out of bed, honoring what your body needs, and trusting that you’re still moving forward even when the transformation feels messy.The butterfly doesn’t become a butterfly by pretending the caterpillar never existed.It honors the entire process. So, honor yours.love & stardust, Ashley Get full access to Ashley Tracey at thewholisticsoul.substack.com/subscribe