Each year when the Sun is in the final sign of summer, Virgo, the Full Moon is the Harvest Moon in the opposite sign, Pisces. This is the time when crops are gathered and the season begins to shift to fall. Sometimes this Full Moon comes very close to the actual change of season, the autumnal equinox. This is one of those years. The degree of the Full Moon is nearly 27 (out of 30 in the sign) so the equinox is just three days away, on the 22nd. The implication is that the next three months will be a time of gathering and cashing in on what built in the two seasons that preceded it.

There are interesting images called the Sabian Symbols which are associated with the degrees of the zodiac that you might consider synchronistic. They were channeled by a clairvoyant at the request of an astrologer decades ago and named for a theosophical society. Sometimes they correspond with the circumstances in an uncanny way. The Sabian Symbol for the 27th degree of Pisces is "The Harvest Moon illumines a clear autumnal sky." Astrologer Dane Rudhyar (in his book An Astrological Mandala) notes this as "the light of fulfillment that blesses work well done." So harvest the fruits of your labor at this Harvest Moon.

The equinox chart has the North Node, which acts as a directional indicator for our soul's growth, together with Saturn, pointing to the importance of respect, maturity, responsibility and living within restrictions. Nearby is Venus, the planet associated with love and money. Now is a time for commitments entered willingly, as well as for careful use of resources.

Pluto is the economic indicator and it is in a very fortuitous configuration, a Grand Trine, with Ceres (a dwarf planet named for the harvest goddess) and the Moon (the planet of sustenance). The Moon is in Taurus, the fruitful Earth sign where it is said to be exalted (also a sign related to money). This bodes well for the economy and makes me hopeful that we will not have a major debt ceiling crisis or government shut-down. Of course, Pluto is in its square with Uranus, but there is no other planet turning this into a T-square at this time. Hooray!

Maybe it's not just the wind and pressure patterns swirling around our planet that have an impact on our weather. In working on the 2014 Janet's Plan-its (yup - it's still in progress), I was writing how astrological phenomena often correlate with meteorological conditions. For example (and this is simplified), we could look for heat and drought if a majority of planets are in hot, dry Fire signs.

Even though in my prior eNewsletter (found in this archive), I wrote about "Water, Water Everywhere," the moisture had not added up to a good hurricane in a prompt fashion. I figured that was associated with a lack of planets in Air signs this hurricane season. A hurricane isn't just rain; it's wind.

There are experts in the specialty of astro-meterology. For instance, I have been very impressed over the years by Carolyn Egan. She's been an excellent speaker for the Astrological Society of Connecticut (and will present again in the 2013-2014 line-up). Carolyn's been on the Links list on my website from the get-go. She hasn't yet posted her Autumn forecast but keep your eyes open for it.

From Weather.com: "It took until 5 a.m. on Sept. 11 for the first hurricane of the 2013 Atlantic hurricane season to form. Humberto's intensification into a hurricane fell just three hours short of the record for the latest-forming Atlantic basin hurricane in the satellite era. The previous three storms all succumbed to dry air and/or wind shear in the main development region before they could strengthen into hurricanes. In the satellite era (since 1960), the Atlantic Basin had never previously gone through seven named storms without a single one becoming a hurricane."

The chart for the birth of our first Hurricane of the 2013 season (using data from Accuweather.com's hurricane tracker, a cool site that gives the time and location for when a tropical storm becomes a hurricane) shows the infamous Uranus-Pluto square formed into a T-square by Mercury in Libra. This Air sign supplies the requisite wind power. In the location where the hurricane force winds were first recorded, Mercury was within three degrees of the eastern horizon, a power point in any chart. The wind was on the rise.

This is the first year in a long time that we have not had a slow planet in an air sign for the entire hurricane season. From 1998 to 2012, Neptune, God of the Oceans, was in the Air sign Aquarius. Most of the last hurricane season, Jupiter was in Air sign Gemini. For two years before that, there was Saturn in Air sign Libra. So I expected there wouldn't be much in the way of hurricanes this year. There were only two named tropical storms before Jupiter left Gemini June 25 and entered Cancer. Then, there were no slow planets in an Air sign and we have to look to the quick ones for activation. Three more named tropical storms failed to reach hurricane force before Venus entered Libra Aug 16. The we had two more named tropical storms that petered out. Venus stayed in Libra through Sept 10. Mercury entered Libra Sept. 9, making it two planets in that Air sign for two days, and that's when Humberto began as the eighth tropical storm, which became the first hurricane.

There are a lot of people having difficulties with shared finances at this time, such as how adult siblings cover the costs or work of elder parent care or divvy up inheritance. This is consistent with the Pluto theme in the current Uranus-Pluto square.

Saturn is a planet that often brings us rewards for our hard work. At the autumn equinox, it is joined by Venus, so we should be getting our just desserts in love and money matters. Jupiter is trine Venus, bumping up the abundance a notch. If you have a planet in any of the Water signs (Cancer, Scorpio or Pisces) from 10 to 20 degrees, whatever it signifies gets a boost from this nice Venus-Jupiter trine. (See the Keywords on my Astrologer's Apprentice Cheat Sheet, a free downloadable PDF.)

You can compare the degree of Uranus and Pluto in motion to your natal planets by looking in an ephemeris. There is one in the reference section of Janet's Plan-its, with instructions! Or look at the All Star List on page 70 to see if any of your planets are at the degrees where major astrological phenomena are occurring. (If so, read about that in the Star Pages.)

If you would like to discuss what the planets are doing in your chart, contact me for an appointment.

Friday the Thirteenth Deja Vu

Again on a Friday the Thirteenth (Sept. 13), I was a guest on a blogtalkradio show, Joyce BarrieAndFriends, with numerologist Lois T. Martin. Click here to hear the podcast.

Lecture Oct. 8 in Rocky Hill, CT - FOLLOW YOUR LUCKY STARS

This talk about your Venus and Jupiter signs and their aspects (connections to other planets) is FREE but registration is required. Details are on my website.

Dinner Lecture Oct. 10 in Torrington, CT - TAP THE POWER OF ECLIPSES

A delicious four-course meal accompanies this exploration of the power of eclipses in your life. After you call the venue to register, I will need your birth data to bring your chart to the talk.