ECLIPSED IN PISCES: What September’s Full Moon Means for You

We are entering eclipse season with the Pisces Full Moon of September 17, which will be briefly reddened by the shadow of the body of Earth from about 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. US/Pacific. We may have to measure discrepancies between our ideals or dreams and the practical steps needed to get there, or reorient our timelines and account for obstacles. This season’s second and final eclipse will be the annular solar eclipse on October 2 falling on the balancing scales of Libra. The second eclipse also makes a stressful square to Mars in Cancer, which is already pricking into our emotional sensitivities and our instincts to protect family and home.

Mars’ partner in love and strife, Venus, will bring a breath of ease, enjoyment, and rest in mid-September. She will be trine to joyous Jupiter, while also poking at any misgivings concerning our place in our communities as she opposes wholeness-seeking Chiron at about the same time. Once she leaves her home sign of Libra for the deep waters of Scorpio on September 22, we’ll need to guard against paranoia if this cosmic influence manages to stir up our sense of vulnerability about our intimate connections or resource flows. With mindfulness, we could use this influence to see through perceived weaknesses and cut off self-sabotaging stories at the roots.

 Strange plot twists emerged for so many of us under Mercury’s third of four retrogrades this year, and we are released from that retrograde’s zig-zagging ways on September 12! We might find our minds swinging from pessimism to grandiose optimism near the September 22 autumnal equinox. Likewise, any need for steadiness as the seasons shift may be found in leaning into our physical connection to Earth. Her grounding negative electrical charge can help clear our minds of overstimulation of all types. Taking time to appreciate her strong, sweet embrace upon our bare skin is a powerful medicine for the equinoctial reshuffling of the energies of life, death, and rebirth.

Eclipsed Full Moon in Pisces

On September 17, 2024, at 7:34 p.m. US/Pacific, the Full Moon in Pisces will be eclipsed when it falls partially into the Earth’s shadow, casting a reddish-brown hue over the Moon’s surface for nearly four hours. This eclipse envelops the planet of dreams, Neptune, and also draws in the hopeful quality of Jupiter, bringing attention to the limits of our beliefs or aspirations, and any hard work required to fulfill our dreams. Some of us may need to reassess a timeline we’ve set, while others may be called to work smarter rather than harder.

If we have been hesitating to pursue a bigger (Jupiter) vision (Neptune), this eclipse could catalyze some crucial steps in that direction. We might discover friends or collaborators can aid us in accomplishing our work, though it is important to carefully scrutinize and test potential partnerships before making lasting commitments. The desire to break free of limitations, or a tendency to simply not recognize obstacles, may try our patience and our resolve to follow through, so it can be helpful to allow each part of us to voice its concern: hope and optimism, pessimism and deflation, strategy and practicality, trust and surrender. All of our inner perspectives can help us pick our way through difficulty, even if that difficulty may be an overwhelming abundance of choice and possibility.

Venus in Libra and Scorpio

Venus Trine Jupiter

Venus Opposite Chiron

Venus’ traverse of her home sign of Libra (August 29 to September 22) is sweetened by a harmonious trine aspect to the generosities of Jupiter (exact September 14), which does speak to abundance, bringing us several days that are very good for networking or aesthetic enjoyment or taking a needed rest. However, the very different influence of Venus’ beauty transiting opposite the tenderness of Chiron (exact September 16) could also cause us to question our belonging, how much space we can take up in our relationships, and our self-worth. Such questions are amplified as the peaceful nature of Venus makes a dynamic square aspect to Pluto’s intensities (exact September 22) and enters the truth-seeking waters of Scorpio (September 22 to October 17).

It may be difficult to strike a balance between pursuing authenticity and being pulled into paranoia when it comes to our connections to intimates, our resource flows, and the joys in our lives, due to a heightened awareness of vulnerability in those areas. Venus in Scorpio feels so deeply and demands the emotional maturity and intelligence to understand that power comes from knowing when to lose and to accept losses, rather than trying to hold it all together and maintain total control. Oftentimes, grasping for total control creates a misreading of the situation, an illusory vulnerability where there actually isn’t any.

Mars in Cancer

The general theme of vulnerability is also carried by Mars’ entry into Cancer on September 4, which likely brought some foreshadowing of events and issues that will emerge under the upcoming Mars retrograde in Cancer and Leo (October 2024 – May 2025). We might take note of any events that stand out from the first week of September, and prepare ourselves to meet those issues head-on, whether they are desirable or undesirable, as Mars’ retrograde will just generally bring an emphasis to the area of our personal natal chart where it falls.

Mars has its challenges in the Moon’s sign of Cancer since its ordinarily fiery, direct energy is said to route through the unconscious depths of the Moon before being able to engage. Emotional knots, oversensitivity to the needs of others, and difficulty fully connecting with our will, our passions, and our anger (or the true source of our anger), are a potential of Mars in Cancer (September 4 to November 4 and January 4 to April 18).

On the upside, this retrograde of Mars will let us know exactly what we most care about, and what we are willing to do to protect that. It’s also a time for slowing down and refocusing our actions. We’ll perhaps be reminded to take enough time for restoration and rejuvenation, particularly if we tend to plow ahead without regard for the impact on our bodies or emotional well-being.

Mercury Opposite Saturn-Neptune Square Jupiter

Many of our efforts may have already been slowed or reworked under the influence of Mercury’s third retrograde of 2024 wrapping up on September 12, with Mercury’s mental function continuing to operate powerfully in their home sign of fastidious Virgo through September 26.  Mercury’s opposition to obstinate Saturn (exact September 18) can bring both a helpful sobriety or focus, and a dose of pessimism that could quickly give way to exaggerations, flights of fancy, or overestimation once Mercury makes a square to expansive Jupiter (exact September 21) and nebulous Neptune (exact September 25).

Mercury’s position looks helpful for sorting through the details of any immediate manifestations of September’s eclipsed Pisces Full Moon, even if that may contribute to a bit of unsteadiness on our feet. In seeking confidence, we should be careful to look for confidence in the right things, rather than placing it in areas or with others we cannot influence. No matter how the lunar eclipse in Pisces, and the subsequent solar eclipse in Libra on October 2 affect us, stopping to touch the Earth and feel her living presence all around us can ease anxieties and clear our minds. In particular, the practice of earthing, or placing our bare skin on the Earth to allow her negatively charged antioxidant electrons to flow into us is one important support that will ease the seasonal transition of the September 22 autumnal equinox and support our health on all levels of our being.

Lunar Eclipse: Full Moon in Pisces by Moon Sign

The Moon represents who we are before we even think about who we are. She represents our instinctual self, and she describes our deepest vulnerabilities as well as our most profound capacity to connect with others. Full Moons amplify energy and emotions, and an eclipse adds an additional fateful quality to the realization of dreams and ideals, probing for the true sources of confidence in our lives. Let’s see how the eclipsed Full Moon in Pisces impacts your own Moon placement!

Aries Moon

Ancient memories are stirred under this eclipse of the Pisces Full Moon. Should big waves of feelings well up within or around you, find a way to let them move through without capsizing the whole ship, Aries Moon. You’ll find important information communicated through those feelings, and it just cannot wait any longer.  

Taurus Moon

Some fresh connections to new groups and networks may be on the horizon for you, Taurus Moon. Whether these bring financial bonuses or a boost to your self-esteem and generosity with your growing edges, the eclipse of the Pisces Full Moon is bringing some positive vibes.

Gemini Moon

It takes the collected nectar of about 2 million flowers to make 1 pound of honey, and the eclipsed Pisces Full Moon looks to be just about that busy for you. As the meaning of this eclipse unfolds over the next six months, reserve your attention for only the most beautiful fields of flowers, Gemini Moon, and that pound of honey will taste oh so sweet!

Cancer Moon

Your habitual thought patterns seem to be in a state of reorganization, Cancer Moon, as fresh perspectives refuse to fade into the background. The eclipsed Pisces Full Moon may correlate to some confusion as your mental habits are repurposed and refashioned over the next six months, but this confusion is a big part of adopting new ways of thinking.

Leo Moon

It may be impossible to tell if optimism or pessimism provides a more accurate read under the eclipsed Pisces Full Moon. It could take some time for the picture to come clear, Leo Moon, but it seems like making bolder choices will serve you well.

Virgo Moon

The lunar eclipse in Pisces emphasizes the interplay of your public persona and the relationships you tend to. Whether you’re having to mend relations due to conflicts of interest, or find yourself propelled to greater intimacy with others because of your public roles, trust yourself that you can rise to the occasion, Virgo Moon.

Libra Moon

Taking an enlarged view of your situation could be helpful in any tight or uncomfortable scenarios you may find yourself in, such as Libra Moon. The lunar eclipse carried by the Pisces Full Moon harbors a somewhat surprising liberation that will unfold over the next six months.

Scorpio Moon

You may be getting the message to lighten up a bit, Scorpio Moon, but there’s such an instinct to keep digging in deep under the eclipsed Pisces Full Moon. The good news is, it really is okay to lighten up and just allow events to unfold as they will—removing distractions of second-guessing every move will keep your attention in the right places.

Sagittarius Moon

Your home, your roots, and your foundations are highlighted by this lunation, Sagg Moon, and you might find your closest relationships helpful in regaining stability should the eclipsed Pisces Full Moon turn up something unexpected for you in that area of life. It could in fact be a very positive turn of events, just a bit overwhelming to take in.           

Capricorn Moon

You may feel a bit burdened by heavy topics emanating from the eclipse of the Pisces Full Moon, and it could help to scope out and locate a bigger picture, Capricorn Moon. While it is important to be with reality, even that can become unreal if elements of the story are magnified out of all proportion.

Aquarius Moon

A fresh connection to the emotional layers of your being is brewing in the Pisces Full Moon’s lunar eclipse, and it promises riches of greater spontaneity and ease. The initial phases of this new emotional flow may be a little unsettling or even shocking, but stick with it, Aquarius Moon, and watch old rigidities melt away over time.

Pisces Moon

It’s your Full Moon of 2024, Pisces Moon, and you get a lunar eclipse! Don’t let your dreams be squashed by the Reality Police should you get sideswiped by a shortcoming you overlooked or a miscalculation you made. What at first looks like a failure could in fact turn out to be a great gift of bringing your dreams much closer to realization.