Autumnal Equinox and Retrograde Planets
On the Autumnal Equinox on September 22, 2026, nature provides us with a moment of perfect balance. We don’t find perfect balance too often in nature, and certainly not within ourselves. We have a tendency to judge one end of the spectrum as better than the other. But don’t we appreciate those liminal times - the ones that lie between darkness and light? We marvel at daybreaks and are awestruck by sunsets. There can be spectacular beauty where light and darkness open to one another.
Do we need to experience both the light and the darkness to know the difference? Not just with our eyes, but with our hearts and souls, as well?
It’s natural to want to glorify our better moments and reject those that are cringe-worthy, painful, and inauthentic. We live on a spectrum of light and shadow. We push away our shame and embrace our pride; we judge ourselves for our difficulties and praise our accomplishments; we hide in fear and we doubt our luminosity. Often these feelings exist within us at the same time. The truth is, most of us are kind of messy inside.
Our light and our darkness co-create who we are becoming. Growth does not mean erasing the past or the painful. Growth is allowing yourself to learn from both.
The Retrograde Planets:
We enter Autumn with five planets that are retrograde (moving backwards) right now. Astrologically, that means that their energy turns inward and provides support for reflection in certain areas of our lives. Their energy offers us a spectrum of growth, as well. And it’s a rare occurrence for someone to inhabit only the more mature expression of a planet’s energy. We tend to move back and forth along the spectrum. Below, I’ve have abbreviated the themes that the planets are offering us to consider:
Saturn Limitations ⇔ Healthy Boundaries
Chiron Woundedness ⇔ Healing
Neptune Idealistic Illusions ⇔ Embodied Truth
Uranus Stagnation ⇔ Freedom
Pluto Repression ⇔ Power
This Autumn is filled with opportunities to turn inward and learn something about ourselves. It is a liminal season. Summer hangs on a bit, bringing crisp air. The trees put on a brilliant show before they release their adornments and the revealing winter returns. If you pay attention, nature teaches us that we don’t always have to have everything in balance. There is beauty in holding two things to be true.
Reflections:
What can I learn by honoring both my light and my shadow and letting them inform one another?
Where am I ready to release confining limits and create healthy boundaries that support my growth?
What wisdom is emerging from an old wound? How can what I am learning help others?
How do I find the clarity that I need, to live my spirituality in tangible ways?
What will liberate me from my past so that I can embody my truth?
How can I stand in my own power?