The Libra Ingress is on Friday, Sept. 23, at 5:04 AM EST, 3:04 AM on the west coast. The wide Grand Cross of the Cancer Ingress has broken up, as Saturn has moved a ways out of reach to the opposition to Uranus and speedy Mercury has moved from his position then to a conjunction with the now Libra Sun, although still out of sign. But while the Grand Cross is absent this chart, there is still a T-Square pattern for us to ponder and cope with. While generally not as challenging as the Cross, which pulls us in four directions at once, this pattern still presents us with tugs in three.

The Libra Ingress is always, at least on some level, about relationships and / or communications, so those become underlying potentials for us this time of year. It suggests an opportune time to put some greater than normal energy and thought into how we relate to others in a one-to-one manner, and to how we communicate with those people in our lives. While we should, of course, always be aware of these issues, not everyone has Libra strong in their natal chart. The cosmos seems to send an annual message when it’s time for a tune-up.

The Sun, having moved 90 degrees around the Zodiac, is now opposite Uranus and square Pluto, instead of being square Uranus and opposite Pluto, as it was at the Cancer Ingress. Instead of being face to face with the transformational influence of Pluto, that energy now feels like it’s coming from somewhere off to the side, and is perhaps a bit less conscious. At the same time, the eccentric energy of Uranus, now opposite the Sun, becomes a bit clearer in our perception. We can more easily see where the impetus to make changes is coming from than we could three months ago. Keep in mind that both of these outer planets are harbingers of change, Uranus in its drive to try something new, and Pluto in its steady pressure to dispense with the old and no longer useful things, attitudes and emotions that are no longer productive to our aims.

Uranus, in Aries, can be said to be more impatient than usual to break the mold of past habit patterns. Aries adds the dynamic energy to “just do it” to Uranus urge to replace the old way of doing things with something - anything - different. The opposition to the Sun can often seem like this drive is coming from outside ourselves, and is often projected onto someone around us. But this push is really an internal energy. We are perhaps only vaguely aware of what we need to change within ourselves to improve the way we related and communicate with others. Take this time to honestly consider your style of relating, evaluate what still works and what you’re doing just out of habit. Old habits, no matter how outgrown they may be, are still hard to change. Uranus can provide the spark to start.

And Pluto, as the fulcrum of that T-square, can certainly increase the pressure to make some changes. His placement in Capricorn, the sign of the established order, signals that this order contains elements that need to go, no matter how dear we might think those things are to us. Pluto’s drive is to eliminate what is no longer worthwhile, and in this chart it reinforces the message of Uranus. Since the square often feels like it’s an energy coming from our blind side, be alert to unexpected events or situations that may seem confrontational, but are really asking us to consider what we are doing, and whether or not that still is really helping us achieve our goals in relationships, or is just an old strategy that, really, no longer works. Be willing to release those behavior patterns if they are no longer helpful.

Both the Moon and Mars are in the early degrees of Leo in this chart, making easy aspects (sextile and trine, respectively) to the Sun and to Uranus, and an awkward inconjunct to Pluto. They add a dash of ego awareness to the mix, helping us to hold on to our basic identity and emotional center while dealing with the stress of the needed changes. But beware a tendency to heated or rash emotional reactions to the pressures that will surely unfold over the next three months, as Mars can sometimes be a bit hard to handle, especially when linked this closely to the emotional and protective Moon. There may be an unconscious tendency to lash out at the perceived source of our tension when we forget that the push to change is really coming from within, as we start to process our habit patterns in the field of relationships and communication.

Mercury, in late Virgo, reminds us to seek precision in our communications and can help us to articulate clearly to our partners what the stresses we’re going to be going through are bringing up, and emphasizes the communication issues that are, actually, part of the stresses. If we can’t talk clearly about the pressure for internal changes we may precipitate the volatile emotional reactions that the Moon / Mars conjunction warns against.

Venus is now also in Libra, and suggests that what we really want is to improve our relationships, so by becoming more aware of what works well in that area of our life… and of what no longer does! We’re on the right path. Being willing to let go of the counter-productive behaviors, once identified, is the hard part. Saturn, still in Libra, can be the needed self-discipline to do so, if we take personal responsibility for our actions. On the other hand, if we don’t take that responsibility on ourselves, Saturn will still be an energy of discipline, except that it will be felt as coming from outside, and will likely reduce our options. Taking ownership of the energies of the chart and making proactive choices, rather than seemingly being boxed in and limited, is the best way to use astrology.