Before we look at astrological specifics of the 2019 Autumn Equinox, it’s useful to reflect on what happens at an equinox. The Equinoxes occur when the extended plane of the Earth’s equator cuts through the center of the Sun.

If you were standing on the Earth’s equator, the Sun would be directly above you; this only occurs twice a year.

The significance of an equinox is that the length of the day and night are almost exact, depending where you are on the planet. From a symbolic perspective, this heightens the natural tension in our world of polarities. At the equinox, we are given an opportunity to see with clarity opposing forces and how they might mirror one another.

When we look in a mirror, we think we see ourselves as we are, but we see our physical body in reverse. The reverse lens on a phone presents us with this same orientation.

With the endless stream of selfies, we are awash in polar images of ourself.

The illusion of the mirror deserves a bit of reflection (pun intended) at this Equinox, because it is a strong indicator of the shifts we all must undergo in the coming months and years. The tendency to put ourselves outside the dark or negative has brought us to this place.

We all need to be accountable at this time, which is why Joe Biden’s quote from the 1970s has come back to him for a thoughtful response: “I don’t feel responsible for the sins of my father and grandfather. I feel responsible for what the situation is today, for the sins of my own generation, and I’ll be damned if I feel responsible to pay for what happened 300 years ago.”

This was a comment made by a man who did not comprehend the subtleties of white privilege. Joe Biden wasn’t alone in that perception in the 1970s. Even with growing awareness, many people maintain that they receive no easier ride than people of color. Yet to evolve into a more equitable society, the culture of denial must erode.

Saturn, the planet we call Lord Karma, went direct on 9/18/19. When Saturn is direct, we are in forward motion to decide, build and commit. Anything that cannot hold should be weeded out.

As I write this, Canadian PM Justin Trudeau deals with photographic images from his past “costumes” in blackface. We are in a time when the mirror is pointed at all of us; those who deny and shirk responsibility do so at the cost of us all. How Trudeau talks about these past choices are crucial. The date of his Arabian Night “costume” was spring 2001, something to note since this theme would have been unlikely as of autumn 2001.

Trudeau was having his Saturn Return in 2001. At your first Saturn Return, you choose a concrete course (or try to dodge one). Trudeau’s father had died shortly before his Saturn Return and soon after the party where he used dark makeup as “costume”, Trudeau became more involved in politics.

As someone who has worked to bring an ethnically diverse and gender balanced cabinet to Canada, Trudeau can benefit from their counsel to make atonement for his youthful transgressions, if he chooses to learn from this. As awareness of white privilege grows, Trudeau can understand that to color his skin embraced a harmful fantasy; it trivialized another human being’s essence.

With his Aries Moon, he’s more comfortable when he tells others what to do. To truly understand another person’s perception, he needs to listen and feel their discomfort without defense.

Deep atonement is necessary. To allow this requires a priority to listen, educate and change unconscious behaviors. But this lesson is not just for Trudeau — it is for all of us who project on to others whatever the perceived blame of the problem. Trudeau is a celebrity target and embodies what we all must address at this Autumn Equinox. This is not just for a day, but a mandate for a more equitable world.

Throughout the world, privilege and status quo will continue to collapse in governments, business, finance and interpersonal relationships. Greta Thunberg gave her speech to Congress just hours after Saturn Direct.

As Pluto sits on the threshold of its closing return to the USA chart, Saturn pushes forward in Capricorn (its natural sign). These two planets in cardinal earth reflect the structural dismantling that is before us. Uranus, the planet that symbolizes change and revolution continues to move through early degrees of Taurus, also an earth sign. Once Jupiter moves into Capricorn on December 2, the hard reality of what we’ve wrought becomes crystal clear and the looking glass shatters.

Borders are the ultimate illusion. Hurricanes, floods, nuclear waste, forest fires, drought — none of these conditions are deterred or contained by human-contrived borders.

The blame-game and reactionary divisions that seem impossible to bridge can shift. That includes governments, countries, power struggles in business or families…. but it’s going to get harder before we see the give.

When the mirror is held up, we have to be willing to sink into its lessons; it does no good to cover it up.

This Autumn Equinox invites us to be warriors like Alice. Lewis Carrol’s Alice pushed through the mirror to discover an alternate Universe which was “curiouser and curiouser”.

Both Trudeau and Biden are in positions that allow them the ability to give voice to a new conscious awareness. Whether they do or not, depends on how willing they are to take the real risks of self-awareness and responsibility.

How personal this is for you depends on where this particular equinox intersects with your birth horoscope. We all have the signs of Capricorn and Cancer somewhere in our natal horoscope, whether you are comfortable with that acknowledgement or not; synchronistically, human DNA is all basically the same.

From a global orientation, an equinox sets the stage for the months to come. The Sun enters 0° Libra (the sign of balanced relationships) at 3:51 AM on 9/23/2019. This horoscope is set for Washington DC, but as our world shifts, the capital of the USA feels less relevant as the center of world decisions. Nonetheless, it is valuable to note what occurs from the US perspective, because these decisions add to the shift of this nation on the world stage.

The glaring notes of this Equinox are Pluto and Saturn hugging that South Node in Capricorn.

The South Node signals that Humanity has been on this road before – we’ve made choices to prop up the powers that be and regardless of revolution and change, we are most comfortable with a small elite in charge. WHY??? This simply does not benefit the majority of humankind.

This configuration falls in the 5th house of children. As a South Node influence, it not only signals the youth of today but triggers the youthful history of the elders. As they watch youth raise their voices about guns and the climate, do they feel a solidarity because of their own dashed youthful desires?

Or does the Moon’s opposition to Pluto square Mercury indicate an unwillingness to allow today’s youth any more power and voice than they had when young?

This is not a quick fix indicator, but it does show the continued confusion and erosion of longhand beliefs that is necessary to change the status quo. Watch how people react at this point in time. Listen to the emotional content in people’s “rational” platforms. Pay attention to your own knee-jerk reaction to situations and any tendency to blame a person or condition for why change is not possible. We all must become conscious of patterns that keep us on the same slide to disaster.

Are the masses unwilling to take responsibility for their fate? We are in difficult times, the biggest challenge the world has ever faced. The heavens mirror this struggle but they do not indicate that we are doomed. It is our choice, each and every one of us. We have moved from the 1 millennium which celebrated the pioneer, individual and led to the 1%. Here in the 2 millennium, our survival as a species hinges on our ability to rise up to our individual power and expression and work in tandem with community.

Jupiter is on the fast clip to join the other heavy planets in Capricorn by early December. Yet in the Washington DC Autumn Equinox horoscope, the Cancer Moon hugs the North Node (destiny point). It is in the 11th house of hopes and wishes.

This signals that the people long for familial connection, compassion and a sense of unity within the fractured United States.

This will simply be a pipe dream if US citizens fail to act and vote. With Pluto, Uranus, Saturn and Jupiter all in Earth signs by December, it is time to shape a New Reality. Neptune, the planet of spiritual vision and the highest octave of Love is in Pisces, the sign of the Universal Unconscious.

The possibilities of creating of New Vision that benefits all the people is on the horizon, but it needs to come down to Earth. Lip-service and recycling are not enough — I’m not just talking about ecology. There are other avenues of sustainability that actually need to be tackled before people embrace environmental sustainability. Are we able to sustain human relationships and respect for all nations/ cultures?

There are so many seductions to escape in the US (self-medication, binge streaming, the rabbit hole of internet), but it’s time to draw lines of resistance and create an architecture for the present that supports the future. We are all under continual assault of negative and distracting messages; they compete for our attention and stress us out.

The question is, do you moderate this information stream enough that you are able to maintain personal equilibrium? Stress undermines our ability to succeed or meet the challenges before us.

Let’s eradicate borders of fear; with each Equinox and Solstice, we get better sites of what is possible. With the Climate Crisis strikes orchestrated by the youth, we are faced with their reality – they are panicked by the future. Complacency = Extinction.

Look into your mirror and see Love; look into the eyes of your perceived foil and project Love. This is a tremendously difficult exercise for most of us, perhaps even impossible.

Start with someone with whom you’ve an incentive to connect — save the inconceivable for another time.

What is important for the future is to expand the possibilities of Love. The Autumn Equinox signals it is a battle with our subconscious patterns and deep-rooted allegiances. It is time to choose the Future and release the Past. We must cut through the ties that bind us and make bold moves for those who will live after we have returned to the Earth like the falling leaves.

La Belle et la Bête – Jean Cocteau