Last week I had a dream in which I danced an unusual version of a square dance. Surrounded by others, twirling and whirling in circles, my partner and I danced. I felt confident and happy even though I didn’t know the steps, because the man who I danced with led me with such skill and grace.

When I described this dream later at my dream group and mentioned how effortless my dream dance had been, someone made the point that there is an art to following as well as leading, and suggested that part of the reason our dance went so smoothly was because I knew how to follow.

The Fall Equinox and the Full Moon in Aries that occur tonight (September 22nd 8:09 pm pdt) and tomorrow morning (Full Moon exact September 23 at 2:17am pdt), perfectly highlights this interplay between leading and following. Now, as day becomes perfectly balanced with night, we transition from enjoying the bright light of the sun, to embracing the growing darkness that peaks at the Winter Solstice. The leader (light) has now become a follower and the follower (darkness), has stepped forward to lead.

In astrology, Aries is the sign of leadership. Bold, brave and confident, the ram faces life head on, stepping off into the adventure of life without doubt or hesitation. Libra, Aries’ opposite sign, is a natural follower. Effortlessly attuned to others moods and needs, Libra is the perfect helpmeet, ready to accommodate, negotiate and mediate.

Combine the energy of the Equinox, with the Full Moon and add in transits to Pluto and Saturn this next week and the final result may see us all engaged in a crash course in leadership, with some of us leading and others trailing close behind.

Though the Aries archetype certainly plays a part in this planetary story, Saturn’s prominent placement in Libra especially highlights our need to pay greater attention to the art of following. Saturn solidifies and adds weight to whatever it touches, grounding us in the lessons of whatever sign it happens to be transiting through. In this case we will be growing more and more aware of the particular Libra attributes that we each need to develop.

Following is one Libra quality that may appear to come naturally, without much thought or effort. But when Libra becomes Saturnized, it may be necessary to take another look, to get serious, to “grow up“ in regards to the issue of following. Pluto’s transit through Capricorn also squares the Sun in Libra now, adding even more depth to our awareness and forcing us to ask questions that may uncover the more shadowy parts of our Libra nature:

“Do we resist following others lead, or do we instead mindlessly go along with whoever seems to be in charge?How do we hand over our decision making power to others, letting them set the pace, rhythm and timing of a dance we’re not sure we even want to do?

What does it mean to gracefully yield to life? Is it hard for us to let go of control (Capricorn) of a project, relationship or problem and hand it over to someone else to deal with? Or how do we fight against a leader who we intuitively know is doing a good job,but whom we resist simply because we‘re having a hard time changing and letting go?“

Learning how to follow means knowing who or what we want to follow and also making choices about what kind of dance we want to be engaged in. To follow well, we must be receptive and open, ready to respond and yield with grace. To follow well means sticking with the commitments we‘ve made and seeing them through to the end.

The planetary square dance that has been taking place all this year changes steps now, as the Saturn/Pluto square eases off. But this Full Moon, which comes so closely on the heels of the Fall Equinox, is a potent reminder of the lessons we’ve learned. We have a chance now to not only integrate and understand the changes we’ve experienced, but also to make last minute adjustments and emergency repairs to our plans.

As the scales pause in a breath of perfect balance tonight, take a moment to meditate on your own dance of life. Is it square or is it round? Are you leading, following or dancing alone? Maybe it’s time to change the steps or learn new ones. Or perhaps you even need a new partner and a different beat.
The Fall Equinox offers us the chance to stop and notice how we move into the approaching darkness, feeling gratitude for what we have and taking stock of what we might need to gather before winter approaches.

“Never, never give up”, said Winston Churchill. Saturn, like Churchill, is a planet that at its best, believes in patience, persistence and fortitude.
Recently, as Saturn completed a quincunx aspect with Neptune (the planet of letting go, release and surrender), we may have experienced a strange juxtaposition between forces encouraging us to “Never give up” and other pressures which told us to “let go” or “surrender”. This paradoxical pull between different cosmic energies makes for a starry soup that is a bit hard to swallow.
Why? Blame it on the quincunx. The quincunx as an aspect is confusing precisely because its hard to see the parties (planets) involved clearly. There’s a disconnected feeling between the two energies as they try to make sense of each other’s differences as well as their places of understanding. We have to gently wear a groove with the quincunx, taking time and building trust. This is a slow aspect that works better over time, as we grow comfortable, or at least more understanding, about the wedge that it forms.

Currently, we are moving into a whole new wave of Saturnian energies as the ringed planet moves into its place of exaltation in Libra and forms another opposition to Uranus, now in Aries.

Unlike the quincunx, the opposition is bold and obvious. We know exactly what’s involved with an opposition: conflict, tension, challenge. Call it projection, love, or hate, the opposition stirs up strong feelings that are designed to help us experience the extremes in life. With the opposition it’s always black or white, hot or cold, left or right. There are no shades of gray, no uncertainty. The truth, (at least on one side of the equation), is obvious. Oppositions offer us lovers or enemies, but rarely anything in between.

The Saturn/Uranus opposition which began under the Virgo/Pisces regime and has since moved into Libra/Aries, brings us into a place of stark awareness of the places of polarity in our lives. This opposition, like all oppositions, asks us to learn how to integrate two seemingly different paradigms and find a place of understanding somewhere in the midst of it all.

The Aries/Libra theme fits the relationship oriented nature of the opposition aspect perfectly, carefully enhancing the planetary pattern already so nicely laid out. These two cardinal signs evoke the energies of self/other, peace/war, justice/corruption, beauty/ugliness, etc.

Where will this drama play out in your life? Look to the houses of your chart with the signs of Aries/Libra on the cusp for further understanding of how these themes will effect you.

Below are listed a few brief tips about some of what you might expect during this Aries/Libra time:

Aries/Libra on the 1st house/7th house-Defining your own identity in the context of a relationship, or defining your relationship in the context of your identity.

Aries/Libra on the 2nd house/8th house-Defending and asserting your values, skills and resources, while finding balance with shared resources, or finding balance with your own resources while courageously exploring the resources you share with another.

Aries/Libra on the 3rd house /9th house -Bravely speaking your own truth while diplomatically learning to listen to others truths, or, learning to defend your beliefs and philosophies with balance and moderation.

Aries/Libra on the 4th house /10th house -Forging new territory at home, while keeping the peace at work or out in the world, or, blazing trails out in the world, while keeping the peace at home (or within yourself).

Aries/Libra on the 5th house /11th house -Acting on your creative breakthroughs and new inspirations for self-expressing and using these to seed beauty out in the world for others to share, or, bravely taking action on behalf of others while continuing to make time for yourself to have fun and relax.

Aries/Libra on the 6th house /12th house -Blazing new trails in your health routines, or taking risks to serve others while you maintain a sense of inner peace, or, having spiritual adventures while keeping your body in balance.

So when the transiting sun moves into Libra, I feel soothed, supported and very at home. You can probably only imagine my delight that this Autumn Equinox, the Sun, Mercury, Venus and Mars are all in Libra as well, creating a sort of Libra cadre, and bringing out some of the best and worst of my own Libra qualities. For example, I’m feeling rather peaceful and balanced, but also can’t wait to lay around the pool this weekend and just do the leisure, Libra spa thing at the Fool’s Journey retreat.

I also wouldn’t say no to a little clothes shopping. Though the times are rare that I would say no to a little clothes shopping…..that’s the Libra addiction to beauty and shallowness rearing their head.

Anyway, moving away from clothes and on to the season….lucky me, there’s even a sort of holiday to celebrate this notable Libra event. We call it the Autumn Equinox, but those on the more witchy end of things probably also know it as Mabon. A holiday in honor of Libra only adds to my Venusian pleasure…..

And pleasure is just what I recommend today.

Don’t know about you, but here in Fairfax, CA it’s 82 degrees, a little breezy, a lot sunny and really just about perfect. Fall leaves turning, sunflowers blooming, and I’m sitting outside with my two sweeties, canine and human, feeling grateful, abundant and blessed.

The Autumn Equinox introduces the season of Libra, when we turn our attention towards the reflections in our lives. The sense of “otherness” or the mirrors to ourselves that show us who we are, both light and dark.

This is the harvest season, when what we have planted, tended, weeded and watered bears fruit. This Mabon, the harvest quality of the holiday is emphasized, falling as it does during the time of the waning moon. This strenghthens the focus on reflection and meditation of what we are grateful for in our lives.

The seeds of self that were planted at the Spring Equinox, when the Sun moved into Libra’s opposing sign of Aries, are now coming to fruition.

Look around you. What is in your life that you feel grateful for? What are you reaping? Celebrating and giving thanks for? Which projects need a little more time or care? Which can be let go of?

This is the time of the crossroads, when we stand at a perfect balance between light and dark, when the sun is equal in length to the night. This moment is a moment of beauty, of stillness, of life. Breathe it in, there will never be another like it.

Happy Equinox!