Lughnasadh is associated with the Irish God Lugh. Legend has it that the feast began as a funeral feast for his mother, who died of exhaustion after readying the fields for crops. Appropriately, this Lughnasadh feast day falls at the Balsamic Moon, with the Moon in Cancer opposed Pluto and square Uranus, and Mars at the last degree of Scorpio. More than just summer is ending.
Mercury is retrograde between August 30 and September 21. Since Mercury will be in Virgo, a sign in which it’s especially strong, the effects of this retrograde period may be particularly vexing. Start backing up your computer files right after your Lughnasadh feast!
No fewer than three eclipses fall during this season: a Lunar Eclipse in Aquarius on August 18, a Solar Eclipse in Virgo on September 1, and a second Lunar Eclipse in Pisces on September 16! These will be particularly intense lunations with a great energy of change and unexpected, often critical developments.
Jupiter, the planet of growth, ceremony, education, travel, and adventure, enters Libra on September 9. Jupiter last visited the sign of relationship from September 24, 2004, through October 25, 2005. All important relationships, as well as the Libra house of your chart, are about to experience a period of expansion and risk-taking that you haven’t seen in twelve years. It’s particularly fitting that Jupiter enters the sign of marriage during Lughnasadh’s season, as this is also considered a good time of year for handfasting.
Jupiter Birth Chart
Find the house of your birth chart that has Libra on the cusp. This is where Jupiter will call you to adventure and growth in the coming year:
Jupiter in 1st house: Growing stronger in your individuality, blessings through meeting emergencies with strength.
Jupiter in 2nd house: Expanding your income, blessings through property and possessions.
Jupiter in 3rd house: Enlarging the scope of familiar territory; getting to know more of your neighbors; blessings through sibling relationships and communication.
Jupiter in 4th house: Moving to or visiting a new country. Family growing through birth or marriage.
Jupiter in 5th house: Blessings through creative activities and children.
Jupiter in 6th house: Blessings at work and related to health. Taking on new and more adventurous duties.
Jupiter in 7th house: Blessings through close relationships with others. Growing as a result of compromise and cooperation.
Jupiter in 8th house: Taking on debt, increase in partner’s income, blessings through inheritance, tax refunds, or other shared resources.
Jupiter in 9th house: Blessings through travel, foreigners, higher education. Expanding your belief system.
Jupiter in 10th house: Career blessings and earned respect. Expanding your scope of influence. Getting a promotion, earning a new status.
Jupiter in 11th house: Blessings through friendship and social networks. This is the most likely year for significant income from your career.
Jupiter in 12th house: Blessings through spiritual pursuits, quiet times spent alone. An increase in psychic ability and activity.
Eclipse Season
Three of this season’s lunations are eclipses. Eclipses signal that some part of your life has reached a turning point. These eclipses will be most powerful for those with the Sun, Moon, Ascendant, or Midheaven within about four degrees of the New or Full Moon degrees. Look to the previous years that eclipses fell near the eclipse point for clues about what the eclipses will mean for you personally.
New Moon in Leo – August 2, 2016
This is a gentle, happy, upbeat New Moon before three eclipses in a row. The Sun and Moon in Leo are trine stable Saturn in Sagittarius; we can play like children, knowing we are safe and have the support that we need. Venus makes an exciting trine to Uranus, and this is a good New Moon to wish for creative breakthroughs and new, exciting relationships. Mars approaching a conjunction with Saturn can be a little frustrating, but remember that slow and steady wins the race; try to slow down and let matters unfold at their own pace.
Full Moon/Lunar Eclipse in Aquarius – August 18, 2016
This Full Moon Lunar Eclipse is at 25.51 Aquarius, a sign of friendship and fraternity, and is sextile Uranus. This could be a time when you must examine the importance of fitting in, and whether or not it matters that you are popular. You may find new friends or admirers, or realize that some friendships have outlived their purpose for both of you. Previous eclipses near this degree occurred on February 16, 1999, and on August 16, 2008; events and feelings similar to those you experienced near those eclipses may recur within a week either side of this Full Moon.
Grounding Ritual for Eclipse Season
Eclipses can be unsettling and nervous-making, particularly in an unpredictable sign like Aquarius. To ground yourself, try this ritual. Gather a black candle, a white candle, and a small bowl of fresh earth, preferably taken from your own garden, mixed with a little salt. Just before sunset the evening before the eclipse, lay some paper on your altar, sprinkle the earth and salt over it, and light both candles. Let the candle burn into the evening until it extinguishes itself.
New Moon/Solar Eclipse in Virgo – September 1, 2016
This solar eclipse at 9.21 Virgo is opposed Neptune and square Mars and Saturn. It falls on the Sabian Symbol, “Two heads looking out and beyond the shadows.” This eclipse indicates that it’s time to stop seeing things the way you wish they were, and begin dealing with them as they truly are. The square to Mars and Saturn suggest truth telling, often in language that is difficult to hear; Mercury retrograde during this period suggests it is news that has been heard before, though perhaps it’s only now that it can be fully understood.
Eclipses near this degree previously occurred on September 1, 1997; February 26, 1998; and March 3, 2007.
Full Moon/Lunar Eclipse in Pisces – September 16, 2016
This Lunar Eclipse at 24.19 Pisces is on the Sabian Symbol, “The purging of the priesthood.” Along with Venus opposed Uranus in the Full Moon chart, there is the strong suggestion that some friends or partners must be “purged” from your life. There is the sense that they have proven to be unworthy or unfaithful—not necessarily in a sexual sense, but simply that they have been revealed to be something quite different than you thought they were.
Sometimes, lunar eclipses are simply a time when those who are ill and ready to leave the earth decide that it is time to go. In these situations, it falls to us to be “the good priests” who help them make a peaceful and joyful transition to the next life.
Previous eclipses near this degree occurred on September 16, 1997; March 13, 1998; March 14, 2006; and March 19, 2007.
The Nodes of Influence
The August 18 and September 16 Full Moons occur near the Moon’s South Node, a point of release and surrender, while the September 1 New Moon falls near the North Node, symbol of growth and spiritual evolution. The South Node represents the comfort zone that must be abandoned, and the North Node the qualities that must be embraced, if we are to move forward in our development. The South Node in Pisces and North Node in Virgo emphasize the need to critically evaluate the articles of faith that may be keeping us stuck in confusion and disorder. With transiting Jupiter close to the North Node, our harvest will be abundant if we work diligently, plan carefully, and get organized.