The Third Quarter Square unfolds on September 17 at 2:52 pm PDT, with the Sun at 24° Virgo squaring the Moon at 24° Gemini and opposing retrograde Neptune at 24° Pisces. This is an exact mutable T-square configuration that may correlate to very intense feelings, including an amplified sense of vulnerability. An effective way to deal with this welling of emotional sensitivity is to tell others what we are thinking and feeling as honestly and authentically as possible. With an even deeper layer of Neptunian influence present, some of the diffused quality of the Full Moon will still be palpable. Willingly opening to Neptune’s movement can lead to compassionate self-discovery and blossoming relationships. Neptune asks us to be in touch with ourselves and those around us, and perhaps come to realize we are all inextricably linked to one another and to the cosmic mysteries.
Other alignments during this lunation also support more profound engagement with others. A nearly exact square between Venus in Virgo and Mars in Gemini correlates to a strong drive to engage in vigorous exchanges while an opposition between retrograde Mercury in Libra and retrograde Jupiter in Aries encourages us to communicate openly and honestly to develop a more authentic way of relating. Maintaining awareness of the Neptunian sense of connectedness can inspire us to act with integrity in win-win creative collaboration with others rather than devolving into win-lose competition against them.
As the final push to close the cycle proceeds, we may reflect on how seed ideas forming at the New Moon have developed. Impartially noticing what worked or not can help us develop the ability to respond with greater levels of awareness as we go. The cycle began with an archetypal paradox between a Mars-driven need to act countered by six retrograde planets asking us to slow down and review. Because our society is programmed to focus on constant doing, this countervailing current of review can be stressful and lead to feeling overwhelmed, which is precisely the time to stop all activity and allow ourselves to feel what we’re feeling. From a place of stillness, we regain awareness of our beingness beyond all thought and action. This is when the magic of insight and revelation occurs.
As the energy of the cycle decreases, the Moon in Gemini offers a way to maintain balance between action and stillness. Communication with others is important to share information and come to agreement on appropriate action, which could include stopping to gather additional information before acting. Yet also important to Gemini is creating space for ourselves to do nothing. The Gemini glyph represents the gates of the cosmic temple at which we are invited to vigilantly sit and receive its penetrating, guiding wisdom.
The Sun, Moon and Neptune all in mutable signs indicate a willingness to open to this level of receptivity. To be mutable suggests being in a constant state of evolution, changing not just how we think and operate in the world, but in fact mutating at a psychic and cellular level. If this idea seems radical and therefore dismissed outright, perhaps the strong archetypal mutability of this lunation may open us to engage in discourse on this concept with others. We may discover that even cognitions we barely notice are indications of micro-mutations in our consciousness.
This week ask yourself: How can I get in touch with my true feelings and thoughts and convey them honestly and authentically as possible? How can I create space to just be and contemplate who I am as a being evolving in consciousness?
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