Autumnal Equinox Astrology

Today is Mabon, the Autumnal Equinox, when the Sun enters Libra. Libra is an air sign associated with balance, harmony, cooperation, collaboration, justice, and beauty. Libra invites all voices into the conversation with equal say, and knows that in order for justice to flourish, it must be both collective as well as particular and situated. There is no “one size fits all” for balanced justice, even in "justice for all." True balance is dynamic and responsive, attending to many perspectives, and meeting different kinds of needs, each on their own terms.

These themes are emphasized for us as the nighttime and daytime come into perfect balance in our journey from the longest day of the year (summer solstice) to the longest night of the year (winter solstice). This is the midpoint, at which we experience illumination and shadow in equal parts.

When we think about all the ways in which our world feels out of balance right now—the exponential escalation of climate change and the Sixth Great Extinction, patriarchal abuses of power at every scale from the intimately personal to the highest politics of the U.S., the ongoing state and socially-sanctioned violence against people of color and trans folks, the dramatically disproportionate distribution of wealth, just to name a few—we can see how the values and voices of some are given excessive weight, priority, and privilege. What is required to bring each and all of these systems into balance?

As soon as the Sun moves into Libra, it applies an almost immediate opposition to Chiron. Chiron is an asteroid that has also been called a minor planet; in astrology, it is marks the site of a primal wound, the part of injury and trauma that we each carry. Chiron is sometimes called the “wounded healer” in that it asks us to do the work to heal parts of ourselves in a way that is also a part of collective healing. At the start of this new season, as the Sun moves into Libra and this opposition to Chiron, we find ourselves facing our personal and collective wounds, the traumas that we carry, and also the task of healing.

The Sun—as well as Mercury, which also moved into Libra today—also moves into a square (90-degree aspect) to Vesta in Capricorn. Vesta is an asteroid associated with the Goddess of the hearth, the one who tends the eternal flame. Vesta is the warmth and comfort of returning home, the nurturer who supports us in our survival as we move through this difficult world. Vesta also symbolizes devotion to oneself, one’s own integration and purpose, and commitment to a cause. Vesta is also trine (120-degree aspect) to Uranus in Taurus. With Vesta sitting in these aspects—square Sun and Mercury, trine Uranus—this equinox calls us back to ourselves, to the comforts of home, to the inner flame that nurtures each of us, in order to commit our cause during destabilizing times and to do the work of pursuing balance and healing. What is the hearth around which you gather? What are the resources that will support you in—to borrow language from adrienne maree brown and Autumn Brown—surviving apocalypse?

Lastly, the Moon moves into Pisces today and applies a supportive trine to Venus in Scorpio. Together, we dip into the deep waters of compassion and empathy. We soften our boundaries and borders and recognize that connection itself is a process of healing.

As we move into this powerful moment of balance, how can we respond to the call of justice? 
How can we come to face our own deep wounds and ask how our injuries are traces of collective traumas? 
How can we take the time to return to our inner flame, the experience of hearth and home that we each carry inside of us, in order to step back out into the struggle? 
How can we practice softening, dissolving that which divides us, and coming into connection as a process of healing?

Blessed Mabon, everyone.