This week, we are officially stepping out of the hyper-critical, spreadsheet-loving grip of Virgo season and crossing into a season of balance, beauty, and justice! This week, a few significant astrological shifts are coming up, and I wanted to go over them with you guys so you know how to manage the energy ahead… or that you may already be feeling now.
The equinox lands on September 22nd at 8:05 pm EST, right alongside the start of Libra season—marking the literal first day of fall in our Northern hemisphere, and spring in the South. The word itself comes from the Latin roots "aequi" and "nox", meaning equal night. The day gives us a rare moment where light and night sit in perfect, fleeting symmetry across the entire planet, and it’s not just a calendar change; it’s a pivot in the entire collective consciousness from the solo grind into the realm of the interpersonal. And what I’m sensing is that this shift will reveal exactly where we need to align with our own inner truths, rather than waiting for the world—and the people in it—to recognize and align with them first.
Libra gets a reputation for being all about the softer aesthetics—romance, pleasant manners, fairness, and fitting in. But people forget that Libra is also a cardinal sign: a natural instigator, a force that demands absolute truth, systemic justice, accountability, and the courage to restore harmony where it’s been disrupted. As the Sun enters this territory, we’ll all feel a subtle urge to host more gatherings, fix broken dynamics, and obsess over the curation of our lives. This could mean visiting more museums, attending wine tastings and plays, or completely overhauling your closet, or redecorating your home.
I happily blame Libra energy for the pleasures of fall wardrobes, cozy decor, and even its lingering themes in the holiday season! Although all the holidays technically land after the season, the entire foundation for why Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas feel so significant stems directly from the interpersonal aftereffects of Libra season. Libra sets the stage for us; she styles the environment and gathers everyone together.
However, the shadow side of this transit is reaching for peace in unaligned and untruthful ways; the temptation to people-please, swallow your convictions, and sweep massive issues under the rug. These will subconsciously be at an all-time high starting Tuesday. Passive-aggressiveness is the ultimate trap this season, so watch your step. What’s fair and true to you matters just as much as what’s fair and true to others. Never forget that two truths CAN be held at the same time, but you are allowed to stop bending over backwards trying to be fair to everyone else’s truth at the expense of your own.
In the tarot deck, Virgo is represented by The Hermit—seeking wisdom and light through self-reflection—and Libra by Justice—speaking and acting on that truth for others to see and acknowledge. Justice is not a love and light card; it’s karmic in nature. It’s sharp; it cuts, and it weighs everyone’s truth because it can no longer be hidden.
In the Justice card, I see an absolute figure of authority—someone you could call a ruler. This is about becoming the sovereign ruler of your own life and making the executive decisions about who and what actually gets to stay in your orbit, including your own thoughts and actions. Sometimes that means hurting someone else with your honesty, and sometimes taking accountability and being honest will sting for you.
But one thing I noticed when thinking about the Major Arcana (the 22 cards representing major life themes and archetypes) is that between the Hermit and Justice is only one card… the Wheel of Fortune. This is the card of major shifts, pivots, and surprises. Its presence here is a sign that the collective will be faced with choices to create real change, but it requires fighting our own resistance to dropping the masks we wear, the ways we pretend, and the ways we completely exaggerate ourselves. Instead of locating our truths and hiding in isolation with them, it’s time to start living our truths out loud.
We will all be given a second chance to face something head-on. With Venus retrograde in Scorpio on our heels, it makes perfect sense why this is bubbling up right now. This isn't just about our superficial connections or keeping things pleasant in our friendships and love lives; this is about our core choices and values. Some of us are hiding our deepest desires and feelings away in the dark, and Libra season is going to force them into the light to be spoken with truth—even if it stings. Whether your honesty separates you from someone or brings you closer together, you have to say it. That’s the only way you actually open the door to the opportunities and changes waiting for you on the horizon.
Let’s be real: a job could never satisfy you if your soul isn’t actually committed to the work—no matter how fat the paycheck is. A relationship won’t feel satisfying or reciprocal if you’re hyperfocusing on what you’re capable of giving and diminishing what you desire to receive in return. And you’re probably going to stay exhausted if you’re consistently spending aimless hours scrolling and bingeing TV instead of resting and participating in rejuvenating rituals and activities when you can. If you want to receive real change, you have to be brave enough to enact it yourself this time around.
Throw those half-truths out the window!!
To align with this Equinox shift, you’ll want to bring some physical intention into your rituals this week:
Take a sensory walk outdoors to actually watch the sun sit lower in the sky and notice the changing leaves.
Clear out the stagnant corners of your home to give your brain a symbolic reset; maybe change your bedding and deep-clean that crowded closet or drawer.
Write down an old habit, a lingering worry, or a toxic narrative you are finished carrying and safely burn it in a candle flame to match the way the trees are about to drop their dead weight.
Cook something that feels like a warm hug. Personally, I’m eyeing a massive pot of pasta e fagioli or another chicken pot pie to share with the people who keep me grounded—using the kitchen table as a space to actively voice what I am grateful for before the quiet of winter sets in.
The real tension of the week builds in a steady staircase of aspects. It starts on Wednesday the 23rd when the Sun squares Lilith in Capricorn, pushing our shadows and hidden resentments right to the visible surface. By Friday night the 25th, the Sun-Neptune opposition finally exacts. Neptune has been slowly dissolving the illusions we carry about our identity, independence, authority, and courage—and everything we might’ve been ignoring or pretending not to see will have a raw, uncomfortable light shone on it.
With the Sun in Libra, this could come through conversations where you can no longer laugh off or tiptoe around dynamics that disrespect you. It'll be a wake-up call that could take away the comfort blankets you've been using to hide your lack of boundaries, forcing you to stop playing a character at a soul-sucking job or in a one-sided relationship. And right after that, the Sun trines Pluto retrograde in Aquarius at 1:34 am EST on the 26th—handing us the power to actually transform and reclaim our identity and authority within our connections and agreements just as we head into the weekend fireworks.
This entire storyline hits an explosive culmination point on Saturday, September 26th, at 12:48 am EST with a volatile Full Moon in Aries. This lunation will be crammed into the early degrees of Aries and sandwiched between both Saturn and Neptune retrogrades, while a fresh Chiron retrograde hovers at the tail end of the sign. The Full Moon will make positive aspects to its ruler—Mars in Cancer—as well as Lilith in Capricorn, Pluto retrograde in Aquarius, and Uranus retrograde in Gemini. This will all force a massive, undeniable release of pent-up emotional frustration tied to a seed planted during the Aries New Moon back on April 17th.
On top of that, Pluto retrograde will square Venus in Scorpio and Chiron retrograde, while opposing Mars. Translation: the truth is coming out, and the illusions are shattering. Whatever breaks or clears out during this Aries firestorm paves the way for a total reset and new beginnings waiting for us when the October New Moon lands in Libra. A baptism of fire, if you must.
To wrap up this wild week, the entire engine behind our actions and tempers undergoes an elemental shift. For the last several weeks, our drive has been stuck in defensive, emotionally guarded territory—making us play small, overprotect our feelings, and let resentment simmer under the surface. But on Saturday night at 10:49 pm EST, that energy breaks out of its shell and moves into the bold, expressive gates of Leo.
For the following several weeks, we’ll be transitioning from tiptoeing around confrontation to acting fiercely, feeling somewhat impatient, and being ready to charge forward at full speed! This shift is going to amplify everyone's main-character energy. It’s an incredibly empowering fuel, but the shadow side is pure, unchecked ego. Be highly mindful of burnout as the heat rises, and if you cross paths with someone who is throwing a dramatic tantrum just to be seen—do yourself a massive favor and do not feed into their fire.
To navigate these astrological transitions, I broke down the energy with my tarot cards—by element groups—to see exactly how this Libra season, Aries Full Moon, and the Mars in Leo ingress will test your foundations. Read ahead for your sun and rising signs. If you’re a pro, you can check the sign placements of your chart rulers too…
