Astrology is an ancient practice of mythology and divination, which we can use to interpret our individual selves and shifts in humanity at large. This cosmological art helps us to make sense of seemingly random events, patterns, and energies, which we experience collectively as human beings. We all know that the Moon pulls on the tides. Since our bodies are comprised of mostly water, it’s no wonder that all of planets and their shifts seem to affect us also.
We are all impacted by the collective unconscious. According to the stars, we are just now entering a new age in humanity. If we look at a timeline of human history, a new age begins each time Saturn and Pluto form a conjunction in Capricorn. The next time this will happen is 2020. It’s difficult to deny that the current paradigm is coming to an end. It’s clarifying and comforting to map out seeming chaos and uncertainty, and discover the patterns of planetary influence and their meaning. It connects us to the profundity of human experience when we see that we are reflected in the stars. It helps us develop greater awareness around who we are and what we feel.
The following calendar maps out upcoming transits so we can tune into the cosmic influences. It can help us determine how best work with the energies that arise. This calendar also contains recommended herbal remedies for each of the major planetary transits. The suggested herbs have been determined using the ancient practice of Medical Astrology, a tool that links human anatomy and physiology to plant and fungi spirits.
As these ancient practices become increasingly popular in modern times, we are learning to join heaven and earth. We are discovering powerful ways that we can relate not only to our bodies, hearts, and minds, but also to the Earth, its seasons, and our collective unfoldment.
The suggested herbal remedies in this calendar are brought to you by medical astrologer Emily McDonald of Ethos Rising.
Read more by Juliana McCarthy at Ethereal Culture.
FALL 2018
Fall Zodiac Signs: Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius
Fall begins with the Autumnal Equinox, when the Sun crosses the Earth’s equator, making day and night of equal length. The next day, the Sun moves into Libra—sign of balance, relationships, and harmony. Ruled by Venus, Libra fills the earth with color. In the Northern Hemisphere, trees turn to oranges, reds, and golds—a peak of beauty. Summer is now over, and the weather is growing colder. Astrologically, we’re beginning to mature and think outside of ourselves—relating to others (Libra), our deeper psychological drives and desires (Scorpio), and our broader culture and philosophical frameworks (Sagittarius).
This fall holds many significant and inspiring transits. Venus will retrograde, recalibrating our relationships, the arts, our notions of beauty, and the divine feminine. She’s turning direct in her natural domicile as a daytime star. This means we are experiencing the empowerment of the feminine. This comes on the tail end of Mars Retrograde, which represented a major shift in the collective masculine. We’ve been reorienting and clarifying our desires, sexuality, and direction, while liberating from patriarchal values. In November, Jupiter moves out of Scorpio and into Sagittarius, shifting the magnifying glass away from issues around sex, shadow work, and power abuse—and toward expansion, peace, and joy. Inspiration and hopefulness are in sight as we begin barreling toward the new paradigm and the new golden age—which are set to begin in 2020.
Supportive Remedies for Fall:
Herbs that soothe the nervous system can help us settle from a summer’s livelier energies, and that help us prepare for a season of growing darkness.
Passionflower (Passiflora incarnata) — supports restorative sleep, alleviates nervous tension around the heart
Mimosa (Albizia julibrissin) – stabilizes mood, facilitates processing of grief and and sorrow
Calamus Root (Acorus calamus) — clears scattered thought patterns, aids in translating ideas into words
Recommended products from Alchemist’s Kitchen herbalist Emily Berg: Anima Mundi’s “Qi: Adaptogenic Adrenal Revival,” Stress Finesse, Sun Potion Ashwagandha
Fall 2018 Astrology Transit
September 23–October 23 — Sun Moves into Libra
Good time for: Love, Socializing, Finding peace and balance, Creating art, Connecting with beauty
September 24 — Aries Full Moon
Good time for: Clearing karma, Liberating from old traumas and conditioning, Making commitments, Building our visions for the future, Implementing discipline, hard work, strategy, and deliberation
Full Moons are a time to let go and release anything that no longer serves us. They’re a moment of culmination and fruition as the Moon reaches maximum brightness—falling directly opposite the Sun. The Full Moon exposes the night, tapping us into magic, hidden dimensions, and our unconscious minds.
Falling along the Aries-Libra axis, this Full Moon is asking us to examine the tension between our individual desires and our relationship to others. With both the Sun and the Moon squaring Saturn, we’re releasing old conditioning—from our parents and soceity—and purifying old patterns and karma. It’s a time to set intentions for the longterm future and to fully devote ourselves to our next path forward. If we’re wavering on making commitments, now is the time to anchor down and begin the hard work of building our visions and ideals for the future—in ourselves, our relationships, our careers, and society.
Supportive Remedies for Aries Full Moon:
Borage (Borago officinalis) — nourishes adrenal glands and hormonal axis, brings courage to the soul
Maitake (Grifola frondosa) — strengthens immune system, opens intuitive channels of understanding
Schizandra (Schisandra chinensis) — restores balance between organ systems, promotes endurance
October 5–November 15 — Venus Retrograde in Libra/Scorpio
Good time for: Reevaluating our inner feminine as well as our love lives, beauty, values, and peace, Recalibrating our relationships, Empowering the gentler, more receptive aspects of ourselves
When Venus retrogrades, she appears to move backward from the perspective of earth. This occurs once every eighteen months. During this period, we are called to reassess our relationships, values, and understanding of beauty. We’re questioning our connection to the inner feminine, and seeing what needs to be strengthened and fine-tuned.
Venus retrograde will begin in Scorpio and station direct in Libra as a daytime star. Venus has not stationed direct as a daytime star in our lifetimes, and this indicates an empowerment of the divine feminine. Her journey through Scorpio, back into Libra, reflects a journey of transformation and empowerment around the collective feminine and how we relate to love. Rather than placating any higher powers, or weakening ourselves to make others more comfortable, we are more fully inhabiting the receptive parts of ourselves. We’re prioritizing our tenderness and gentleness, anchoring into them as the source of our greatest power. This is a beautiful period to reflect on how we’re relating to love, while transforming the ways we connect to the people closest to us. Dynamics around dating, the arts, and intimate partnerships are all set to change and become deeper, more deliberate, and meaningful.
Supportive Remedies for Venus Retrograde in Scorpio/Libra:
Damiana (Turnera diffusa) — strengthens sexual vitality, encourages relaxation into present moment
Pond Lily (Nuphar spp.) — tones the reproductive system, connects the physical body to spirit
Rose (Rosa spp.) — promotes peace at heart, softens memories of emotional trauma
October 8 — Libra New Moon
Good time for: Adjusting our relationships and love lives, Expressing deep love and care, Releasing toxicity and breaking out of internal and external oppression, Empowering the inner feminine
New Moons are a time for fresh starts and setting intentions. Falling into complete darkness, the New Moon marks the beginning of a new lunar cycle—when the Sun and Moon meet at the same degree. It presents a clean slate that helps us recharge and begin again. What projects or relationships do we now want to initiate and continue over the next six months?
Falling in Libra—sign of relationships, beauty, and balance—we are experiencing a fresh start around love and the arts. Forming angles to Ceres and Neptune, we will feel especially tender and caring toward the people closest to us. Venus, Libra’s ruler, is now retrograde, and we’re recalibrating how we relate to one another, and how we form relationships. Squaring Pluto, this New Moon also holds the potential for deep alchemical shifts. We’re liberating from toxicity and oppressive powers, in our lives and our deep unconscious, and readying ourselves for greater peace, harmony, and love.
Supportive Remedies for Libra New Moon:
Red Clover (Trifolium pratense) — detoxifies the circulatory system, instills confidence
Mullein (Verbascum thapus) — hydrates the body, illuminates emotional blockages
Motherwort (Leonurus cardiaca) — nourishes the heart, promotes inner strength and healthy boundaries
October 23 — Sun Moves into Scorpio
Good time for: Deep psychological work, Shamanic ceremonies, Sexuality, Purification
October 24 — Taurus Full Moon
Good time for: Yoga, Body work, Eating nourishing food, Creating visionary art, Breaking our of ruts, especially in relationships, Revolutionizing the feminine
Full Moons are a time to let go and release anything that no longer serves us. They’re a moment of culmination and fruition as the Moon reaches maximum brightness—falling directly opposite the Sun. The Full Moon exposes the night, tapping us into magic, hidden dimensions, and our unconscious minds.
Taurus rules sensuality, the earth, and our places of stubbornness and stuckness. A Full Moon in Taurus is a potent time for break out of ruts and release any stagnancy that’s holding us back. With the Moon conjunct Uranus and the Sun conjunct Venus, we’re revolutionizing our connections to love, beauty, art, and relationships. We’re building new paths forward from a place of questioning the status quo while liberating from toxic dynamics. We might remember to ground and connect with our bodies. Change is underway, and the feminine in each of us is rising powerfully like fresh shoots from the mulch.
Supportive Remedies for Taurus Full Moon:
Lion’s Mane (Hericium erinaceus) — promotes new brain connections, helps spirit manifest physically
Turkey Tail (Trametes versicolor) — checks unregulated impulses, refines relational balances
Shiitake (Lenintula edodes) — moves stagnant energy, imparts vitality and longevity
November 7 — Scorpio New Moon
Good time for: Deep alchemical transformation, Powerful creative work, Relationship breakthroughs
New Moons are a time for fresh starts and setting intentions. Falling into complete darkness, the New Moon marks the beginning of a new lunar cycle—when the Sun and Moon meet at the same degree. It presents a clean slate that helps us recharge and begin again. What projects or relationships do we now want to initiate and continue over the next six months?
Scorpio is the sign of our shadows, sexuality, and inner power. A Scorpio New Moon allows us to begin again, shifting alchemically into a new phase. This New Moon is particularly potent, with Venus Retrograde trining Mars, opposing Uranus, and Squaring Pluto. The feminine is coming into her power as she harmonizes with the masculine. We’re finding ways to liberate the gentler, more creative elements of ourselves, and to shift them into greater strength and assertion. We’re also continuing to break out of relationship ruts and find new ways of connecting with each other—with greater authenticity and kindness. Jupiter will ingress into Sagittarius the next day, so we’re also ending a yearlong period of deep shadow work after upending abusive and toxic power dynamics in the collective culture. Now we begin again, healthier and more conscious both as a whole and within ourselves. The deeper we’ve faced our shadows, the more we can open to the light. We’re now preparing for a year of optimism, joy, and expansion.
Supportive Remedies for Scorpio New Moon:
Yellow Henbane* (Hyoscyamus albus) — alters state of consciousness, induces a trance-like state
Yohimbe* (Pausinystalia yohimba) — relaxes blood vessels, sexual stimulant and aphrodisiac
Ayahuasca* (Banisteriopsis caapi) — uncovers deep seated trauma, expands limits of consciousness
*Vibrational remedies, as these are highly potent, potentially hallucinogenic plants – highest degree of caution is warranted.
November 9–December 3, 2019 — Jupiter Enters Sagittarius
Jupiter moves into Sagittarius for the next year, bringing a period of peace, expansion, light, optimism, and joy after a yearlong period of collective shadow work with Jupiter in Scorpio. Looking back, we’ve done some extraordinary collective purging—addressing outworn power abuses and collective norms that include toxic sexuality and the oppression of the feminine. With the feminine coming into her power and entering more positions of leadership, Jupiter is now supporting us in connecting with our wisdom and establishing widespread peace, inspiration, greater education, and inclusion.
Supportive Remedies for Jupiter in Sagittarius:
Gotu Kola (Centella asiatica): nourishes the nervous system, promotes meditative states
Chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla): relieves indigestion and tension, tempers emotional extremes
Marshmallow (Althea officinalis): soothes friable tissues, supports softening of willpower and desires
November 22 — Sun Moves into Sagittarius
Good time for: Adventure, Travel, Studying, Teaching, Following your inspiration, Expansion, Meeting new people
