Monthly Vedic Astrology Forecast

Mars in Leo
Mercury Resumes Direct Motion in Leo September 5
Full Moon in Aquarius/Shatabishak September 6
Jupiter Transits Libra September 11, 2017 – October 10, 2018
Venus Transits Leo September 14 – October 9
Sun Enters Virgo September 16
Kala Amrita Yoga September 17 – 29
New Moon in Virgo/Uttaraphalguni September 19
Mercury Transits Virgo September 26 – October 13

Mars in Leo

What we can expect from Mars this month? Mars moved into Leo on August 27, leaving his sign of debilitation (Cancer) for a more friendly sign, Leo, by squeezing through the gandanta between these two signs. Mars transits Leo through October 13. This will put some fire on Mars' own sign of Scorpio, currently hosting Saturn, while Saturn gazes right back at the sign of Leo and the planets therein until October 25, when Saturn moves into Sagittarius.

This mutual aspect of Mars and Saturn brings back memories of the extended conjunction of Mars and Saturn in Scorpio during 2016. While we can have friction with Mars wanting to charge ahead Saturn wanting to hold back, when we make a good balance between these energies we can move ahead powerfully and safely, but perhaps not at the fastest speed. Pay attention to the caution signs but also trust the inner fire that gives courage and direction.

Mercury Resumes Direct Motion in Leo September 5

Mercury has been really busy in the past few months, traversing many signs in a short period and most recently completing a triple back flip in the sign of Leo, which has been the site of some excitement in the past month with an eclipse pair, the departure of Rahu and of course that of which we speak, the Mercury retrograde cycle from August 12 – September 5.

Mercury pauses at 5º° Leo on September 5 before stepping again in the regular zodiacal direction. This puts Mercury very close to Mars as they move through Leo in lockstep for the remainder of September. On September 16, Mercury actually moves ahead of Mars, which could be an interesting day to note due to some possible friction as Mercury conjoins with Mars.

Mercury and Mars will be within a few degrees of one another starting in the last few days of August all the way through the third week of September. This is an interesting theme to note. While Mercury and Mars don't have a formal friendship or affinity with one another, placed together on a project, the boundless energy of Mercury can be applied to the plans of Mars with great success. This could be a good few weeks for building and making great strides on work projects.

Mercury exits Leo and moves into its own sign of Virgo on September 26.

Full Moon in Aquarius/Shatabishak September 6

The Moon is waxing as September begins, becoming full just shy of 20° Aquarius, in the final pada (quarter) of the lunar mansion (nakshatra) of Shatabishak, reflecting the light of the Sun sitting opposite at 20º Leo. This occurs just after midnight (Mountain US) on September 6, 2017.

This Moon is extremely strong, having no conjunctions with other planets and receiving the planetary aspects of only Mars and Mercury who are also placed in the sign of Leo.

The sign of Aquarius is co-lorded by the planets Saturn and Rahu and the nakshatra Shatabishak is also ruled by the planet Rahu. The deity known as Varuna, lord of the waters, is associated with Shatabishak, bringing some varied influences into the interpretation of this nakshatra. Aquarius in Sanskrit is known as "kumbha," which means pot, or that which contains water.

Varuna, as lord of waters, being the deity associated with Shatabishak, enclosed within the sign of Kumbha, can bring both destruction and sustenance. The waters are deep and connect all things, therefore Varuna is aware of all that occurs and with his noose, he deals punishment to all who sin without remorse. Also, Varuna is the deity that is worshipped by healers, as he holds all knowledge and all remedies in the depths of his all pervasive waters.

With Rahu having recently relocated to the sign of Cancer, which is ruled by the Moon, we will experience an exchange of signs between Moon and Rahu each month when Moon passes through the sign of Aquarius, with this first instance also coinciding with the full Moon phase.

The bright, strong Moon in Aquarius with Rahu being in Cancer with bright Venus may work together to shed light on confusing or manipulative behaviors. The Sun's position should also be noted as being in his own sign of Leo accompanied by Mars and Mercury, all three standing in the light reflected by the Moon. Time to clean things up!

Jupiter Transits Libra September 11, 2017 – October 10, 2018

After a very sensitive month of August that saw an eclipse pair followed by Saturn resuming direct motion on August 25 in the final degrees of Scorpio, the biggest news of September will be the transit of Jupiter into a new sign.

Jupiter takes about 12-13 months to traverse one sign and has been placed in Mercury's sign of Virgo since August 11, 2016. We look to Jupiter as our guide toward higher knowledge and understanding. The transit of Jupiter through certain houses and signs in our individual charts can signal a period of growth or learning.

Hallmarks of Jupiter's presence are protection and auspiciousness, so with the shift of Jupiter into a different zodiacal region, we can expect some changes to occur in the zones of our lives indicated by those signs in our charts.

For example, let us take the sign of Taurus. For the past year in Virgo, Jupiter has been placed in the 5th sign from Taurus which could mean a very fertile time for Taurus with regards to progeny, creative projects or educational pursuits. Jupiter will aspect all of the signs of the same element as that in which he sits. The earth signs all have benefitted from Jupiter's presence in the past year.

On September 11, 2017, Jupiter moves into the sign of Libra, an air sign, and from there will affect all of the air signs: Libra, Aquarius and Gemini. Returning to the example of Taurus, Jupiter will be transiting the 6th house from Taurus which could signal a focus on growth and knowledge that comes through traversing difficult situations such as illness or litigation. A remedy for Taurus during this transit could be to pay it forward by donating service or money to programs and organizations that focus on education or social support.

Jupiter, Brihaspati, moves in forward motion nearly all the way through Libra until March 8, 2018 and then moves retrograde through the last ten degrees of Libra until July 10, 2018, resuming direct motion and exiting Libra to Scorpio on October 11, 2018.

We can expect good results in the fields of education and social justice with Jupiter passing through Libra, Venus' air sign. In this new position, Jupiter is out of sight of Saturn and Rahu throughout the entire transit, making it possible for the auspiciousness of Jupiter, who encourages growth and protects life, to expand.

Since July 2015, Jupiter has been under the aspect or conjunction of Saturn and/or Rahu if we consider the special 2nd aspect of Rahu, who from Leo can affect Virgo. With this new territory of Libra, we see Jupiter finally clear of difficult influences for the first time in a couple of years.

Venus Transits Leo September 14 – October 9

Venus moves into the Sun's sign of Leo for a few weeks on September 14, leaving behind the newly situated Rahu in Cancer. Leo will be quite crowded, housing the Sun, Mars and Mercury. While Venus' presence could calm this fiery situation, it also puts Venus at risk of getting singed.

By September 26, both the Sun and Mercury will have moved forward into Virgo, leaving Venus quickly approaching an exact conjunction with Mars on October 4. As Venus overtakes Mars at 25° Leo, we see that Venus will continue on a path that takes her past the other planets during the following three months: Jupiter in Libra, Mercury in Scorpio, Saturn in Sagittarius and finally Sun in Sagittarius.

The sign of Leo has been quite the scene due to the eclipse pair of August which also coincided with the tail end of Rahu's transit there. Venus is the planet of connection, social ties, diplomacy and creative spark. It seems as if some repair and rejuvenation could be needed in the realm of Leo. As always when the Sun and Venus interact we can confront relationship themes that are defined by the play of self vs. other. This could also be a good time to indulge in recreation and relaxation!

Sun Enters Virgo September 16

The Sun moves from Leo, its own sign, into Virgo, a sign of Mercury, on Saturday, September 16, leaving behind Mercury, Mars and Venus in Leo and entering the otherwise empty sign Virgo. This creates a nice exchange of signs, parivartana, between Sun and Mercury until September 26, when Mercury joins the Sun in Virgo.

Parivartana situations generally empower both planets involved and also both signs involved. This makes both Mercury and the Sun strong as if they are in their own signs, which will boost the creative expression of the Sun and the sharp and quick analytical powers of Mercury.

The sign of Virgo is generally looking pretty good at this time, with little in the way of difficult aspects. When Mercury enters Virgo on September 26, this will even further strengthen this sector of the zodiac, as Mercury both lords and and reaches exaltation in Virgo.

The sign of Virgo has been under the effects of Rahu by 2nd house aspect and prior to that by occupation of Rahu. Now that Rahu has moved to Cancer, this clears the air a bit for the sign of Virgo. The Sun's transit here will be the first in a few years where Rahu is not involved. This could bring some empowerment and clarity to this sign, which may be felt in individual lives that carry important placements in Virgo.

Kala Amrita Yoga September 17 – 29

Kala Sarpa Yoga is formed when all of the visible planets are hemmed in the signs between Ketu and Rahu; the yoga is considered partial when one or more of the planets joins the sign(s) where the nodes are and is considered full when none of the planets conjoin the nodes. A variation is Kala Amrita Yoga, when the planets fill the signs that are between Rahu and Ketu, meaning that the planets have passed by Rahu and are heading toward Ketu.

With Venus moving out of Cancer, the current location of Rahu, we are moving into a period when we will experience this yoga fully during the days when the Moon crosses into Leo and traverses the signs Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio and Sagittarius. This oscillating pattern will continue until Venus moves into Capricorn, joining Ketu on January 13, 2018.

There will be four instances of this pure Kala Amrita Yoga within the next four months, when all of the visible planets are located within the signs of Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio and Sagittarius, hemmed between Rahu in Cancer and Ketu in Capricorn:

September 17 – 29, 2017
October 14 – 26, 2017
November 11 – 22, 2017
December 8– 20, 2017

Since Ketu is the indicator for liberation from worldly bondage, when we see the planets all moving between Rahu, the indicator for worldly experience and toward Ketu, we refer to it as Kala Amrita Yoga in order to emphasize the journey toward bliss and liberation (as opposed to a journey toward worldly entanglements.)

During these periods of time in the upcoming months, perhaps it would be good to put forth effort in the direction of practices and actions that are liberating, in whatever form that means for each individual. We may find ourselves feeling bound or entangled in some way during these periods. Just as struggling only makes matters worse when one is being constricted by a snake, we should relax into our circumstances so that our mind may see from a calm perspective the best path toward liberation.

New Moon in Virgo/Uttaraphalguni September 19

Just before midnight on Tuesday, September 19, the Moon and Sun come together at 4° Virgo, in the nakshatra (lunar mansion) of Uttaraphalguni, which spans the signs of Leo and Virgo.

This new Moon is nicely cradled between some benefic planets, with Jupiter on one side in Virgo and Venus + Mercury on the other side in Leo. Mars is also in Leo, but he's outnumbered by the cheerful combination of Venus and Mercury and likely will not cause too much trouble to the Sun and Moon.

Uttaraphalguni's effects are governed by its planetary ruler, the Sun, and by the deity Aryaman, the esteemed, respected and honored one, the third son of Aditi, and therefore one of the Aditya, the twelve deities related to the Sun. With this, we can see Uttaraphalguni as an abode of the Sun, he who keeps time, who creates the day and night and who upholds righteous activity.

While none of the malefics afflict this new Moon by aspect, there is still the effect of the Kala Amrita Yoga, wherein all of the visible planets are hemmed between the nodes. In the midst of the illusion of being entwined in the worldly happenings beyond our control, the trick is to become aware of this illusion. With this new Moon, we look to the Sun to shed light on situations that have been obscure or mysterious.

If we divide the zodiac into three parts, each of the parts would contain four signs or nine nakshatras. The first part would be the signs from Aries to Cancer and the nakshatras contained therein. The second part would be from Leo to Scorpio and the third part would be from Sagittarius to Pisces. The transition between each of those parts is the gandanta, the karmic knot, between the water and fire signs. This transition between elements is dramatic and transformative.

Also note that the first part begins and ends with a moveable (cardinal) sign, the second part begins and ends with a fixed sign and the third part begins and ends with dual sign. During this new Moon, all of the visible planets are placed in the second part, between Leo and Scorpio. This division having the nature of the fixed signs, we can associate this part of the zodiac with the mental plane and our need to have an unmovable reality such that our minds can believe that there is stability.

All of the visible planets are in this portion of the zodiac at this time, making it a good time to focus on how our mental perceptions and activities may be keeping us stuck, for good or ill. By observing how the mind moves and returns to habitual patterns, the knots that are keeping one restrained may be revealed.

Mars is pushing on Saturn from Leo, having just moved through the gandanta between Cancer and Leo. Saturn pushes back at Mars from Scorpio, getting ready to move through the gandanta between Scorpio and Sagittarius. What looks like a stalemate may break apart finally when Saturn moves to Sagittarius in October.

Mercury Transits Virgo September 26 – October 13

Mercury becomes even stronger upon entering his own sign of Virgo for a rapid transit from September 26 – October 13. With many of the other planetary configurations indicating bouts with stubborn or fixed situations, we count on planets like Jupiter, Venus and Mercury to lead us toward a positive orientation.

Mercury is at its greatest while in Virgo, therefore we can draw on the positive gifts of Mercury during this time: intelligence, analysis, rapid thinking, flexibility, communication, management, marketing, networking, transactions.

Mercury catches up to and passes the Sun at 22° Virgo on October 8, putting Mercury close to the Sun for this entire transit. Planets so close to the Sun are considered combust, which drowns their own energy in that of the powerful Sun. However, Mercury is quite often in proximity to the Sun, so we are accustomed to the blending of those two influences. Additionally, Mercury is well disposed at this time, so we should see some confident communication and easy analysis of true data during this Mercury/Sun transit of Virgo.