As you pack in the final beach days of the summer and look forward to what's ahead, things are shifting in the stars and September ushers in a totally different vibe. While things cool down temperature-wise, the change-making intensity of August chills out a bit too. That isn’t to say that September isn’t rife with pivots and fluctuations, but it’s definitely not as overwhelming as what we moved through last month. The astrology of August pushed us to our limits, it showed us the type of intense pressure that we are capable of surviving. September brings us a necessary moment of pause in the form of a Mercury Retrograde, giving us permission to stop, catch our breath, look around, and proceed forward with some grace and dignity. It’s a process, though.
Mercury stations retrograde on September 9 and remains in backward motion until it stations direct on October 2, when retrograde ends. When Mercury—the planet that governs communication, the sharing and receiving of data and information, as well as local travel—slows down to a stop and pivots to move backward on September 9, it’s our sign to slow down and pivot as well. Specific parts of your life will be up for review, re-evaluation, or re-dos during the retrograde period. Whether you’re traveling this month or staying in, you’ll thank yourself in October by heeding the call to take advantage of this three-week portal in Retrograde Land by using the time to slow down and reflect before life—and travel—revs back up in October. Below, your September 2022 horoscope.
Astrologer's note: Below we refer to your signs as “rising” signs, also known as your ascendant sign. Horoscopes are more accurate when read this way—using your birth time and location, you can quickly find your rising sign online (it takes less than 30 seconds).
Aries Rising
Brace yourself for whiplash as you enter into September, for while you might be feeling more energy and movement in your body than last month, your mental faculties require more rest and quiet moments than you might realize. It’s a busy month—no, a busy season for you—as we head into autumn. You have tons of places to be and likely have quite a bit of travel on the docket already. What’s important to keep in mind is that Mercury, the planet that governs your local transportation and methods of communication, will be stationing to go retrograde on Friday, September 9. We know Mercury in retrograde has a bad rap—but don’t panic. If you’re traveling during this time, be sure to triple check your itinerary, leave extra early, and anticipate delays. If you’re staying close to home but feeling the need to take a spontaneous adventure, the following day, September 10, there’s a Pisces Full Moon that signals the perfect time for a solo escape. The full moon lights up your 12th house of solitude, retreat, and contemplation. Even if you have to be around people that weekend, do your best to carve out some quiet time just for yourself, preferably in or near water (bath tubs count) so that you can properly process all that you’ve moved through this past season. Yes, it’s been a lot, and no, you’re not being dramatic. The key for moving through this retrograde season is to operate with the expectation of miscommunication and delays, and to find the silver lining in any hiccups—as there are bound to be plenty.
Taurus Rising
It’s a rather social month for you, and you’re probably ready to blow off some steam. August was a doozy in all ways, shapes, and forms, and you deserve to let loose a bit. A full moon in Pisces on Saturday, September 10, brightens up the part of your chart relating to friendships, community, and networking. You may be traveling with friends, or to see friends you haven’t seen in a while. Get ready for some heart-opening connections, lots of joy, and maybe a few tears (the good kind). While you’ll find lots of love in connecting with others, note that the Mercury retrograde beginning on September 9 directly affects your wallet, and ends October 2. Mercury governs your income and purchases, so when it’s retrograde, you may end up buying things you’ll later want to return. When it comes to travel, you may want to hold off on booking anything that doesn’t have a gracious refund or rescheduling policy. But you have plenty else to do at home: It’s a great time to review your travel budget. This should be a fun month, so just be careful about your spending habits—and remember that you can still have a blast without going overboard. You’ll thank yourself for it in the future. (Maybe you could pay it forward to yourself and start a new travel fund for a winter getaway in December.)
Gemini Rising
September finds you home-bound and rooted this month as your ruling planet, Mercury, stations retrograde on Friday, September 9. Being ruled by the messenger god means that you have the role of communicator, facilitator, connector, and bridge-maker. So when Mercury appears to stop in the sky, you similarly must take a pause. Mercury also governs your home, family, and ancestral roots. Perhaps you’re beginning a re-evaluation of where you live and how much (or little) access to joy, pleasure, and fun that space affords you. Or perhaps you’re becoming curious about your ancestral identity in ways that might inspire travel to homelands and cultural spots. Be sure to allow yourself plenty of time and space to reconsider, change your mind, pivot course, and return to previous paths this month. Whether you’re returning home from a trip or just going to your hometown to see family, be open to special revelations. Remember, while Mercury is retrograde (September 9 to October 2), you are retrograde, and the best way to move through it is to move with it. Honor this sacred pause and allow it to become a homecoming of sorts, a way to reconnect with yourself and where you come from.
Cancer Rising
September ushers in a busy season for you, where you’re going to be on the move quite a bit while simultaneously focused on the home and settling. There’s tons of busywork to do, and your mind is moving a mile a minute lately, potentially bringing out some perfectionist tendencies, especially when things start to feel like they’re coming undone. Don’t panic—it’s just Mercury retrograde, back again in an attempt to slow your roll and help you fully realize your plans with more accuracy and better alignment. Mercury governs the part of your chart that has to do with your day-to-day movements, communication, and local travel, as well as your mental health, and needs for isolation and retreat. So with Mercury stationing retrograde on Friday, September 9, you might find that both your everyday movements and mental chatter get a little wonky. You can expect miscommunications, having to redo tasks multiple times, plus delays and cancellations. It might get annoying, but if you approach things like travel with that in mind, you might be able to prepare in advance by giving yourself extra time on travel days and having backup documents and plans (hello travel insurance) just in case. What’s important is that you don’t blame yourself for small hiccups. These things happen, and everything tends to work out in the end.
Leo Rising
This month brings the cool-down you need after an August full of intense changes and surprises. Hopefully, you’ve landed in September somewhere more comfortable than where you were this time last month (don’t worry, Leo season gets a lot less wild next year). Try to find time to catch your breath during the Mercury retrograde that takes place from September 9 through October 2. Mercury governs your finances, income, and purchases as well as your friends, supporters, and communities you’re a part of. The retrograde could bring you into a space of reuniting with old friends or colleagues. Be open to opportunities for collaboration as well—you never know what type of magic could spark between those you’ve known a long time.
Money is also on your mind this month and the retrograde is a perfect time to review your finances and begin to plan for the future. A full moon in Pisces on September 10 highlights your debts as well. Is now the best time to invest in new travel gear or a plane ticket? It’s probably best to hold off until post-retrograde if you can wait. If it not, double check return and refund policies before purchasing—just to be on the safe side.
Virgo Rising
It’s finally Virgo season and as planets move through your first house of self, identity, and embodiment, you might have more eyes on you than usual. The Sun is the main source of light in the sky, so when it moves through Virgo, it lights you up from the inside out. While this may feel uncomfortable at times, try to enjoy the light—bask in it, but don’t burn out. Venus, the planet of love, beauty, and attraction, also enters Virgo on September 4, giving you a little extra charm and grace. The increased attention could lead to a greater inner-focus on identity, both also on how you internally identify with your more external, public identities, including your career and any professional titles you hold. What works and what doesn’t? Maybe there’s a role or identity that better suits you—and maybe you don’t know what it is just yet. The Mercury retrograde from September 9 through October 2 is an important period for you to consider these questions, as Mercury governs both you, your identity, and your body, as well as your professional and public identity. While it moves backward through the zodiac, you are too invited to pause and look back, reconsider and reimagine what a more aligned path could look like. Travel has been an important aspect of this year in general for you and offers time and space to process a lot of the changes that you’ve been moving through. If you find yourself in transit this month, dedicate some time to exploring your thoughts, whether it's through quiet contemplation while driving or journaling on a plane. The retrograde period is a gift; a time to reorient before charging forward.
Libra Rising
It’s a bit of a low-key month for you, which you’re probably welcoming at this point. It’s been a busy summer, after all, and you deserve a cool-down. Solitude is likely what you’re craving these days, whether you know it consciously or not. Finding a way to get out of town on your own, even for a day, will do wonders for your mental health this month. There are a few reasons why: There’s a lot of activity in Virgo, your 12th house of mental health, retreat, escape, and undoing. Your ruling planet, Venus, is also hanging out there most of the month, which essentially means that you’re going to be living in a similarly liminal and elusive mind-space as well. The Sun being in Virgo for the first three weeks of the month also brings a spotlight to your mental state, making you more aware of your inner world and the difficulties you might encounter while navigating the systems of life.
On top of all of that? Mercury is stationing in retrograde on September 9 and subsequently moving back into Virgo, your 12th house, bringing even more emphasis to your need for retreat. Long story short: Heed the call, get out of dodge. Find a way to get to a forest or beach, somewhere you can physically interact with nature and ground your energy. Virgo is an earth sign and the best way to recharge earth energy is by touching grass. You return to yourself after the new moon in Libra on September 25, which should help rejuvenate your mind, body, and soul, which could lead to more embodied travel experiences.
Scorpio Rising
You survived one of the toughest months of the year and made it to September, so congratulations are in order. August was a biggie, and now you’re being afforded the opportunity to rebuild your mental faculties as we shift into the fall season. How are you taking care of yourself right now? Do you have care systems in place? The astro weather has been rough all year and yes, you’re still hanging in there, but that doesn’t mean that you have to be the strong one in survival mode all the time. Consider how you’re showing up for yourself but also recognize the people in your life willing to help shoulder some of this with you. In fact, throughout the rest of the year, you might find yourself in a space of needing to lean on others more than your independent self typically likes. Explore what feelings this brings up. Relying on others can be scary as it surfaces fears of abandonment, of being resented, or let down. However, mutual reciprocity, aid, and care is what brings us closer to our loved ones and ourselves. Mercury’s retrograde from September 9 through October 2 gives you extra space to consider these questions and process these feelings, as it pertains to your close relationships. Toward the end of the month, your need for space and alone-time is heightened with the Libra New Moon lighting up your 12th house of retreat, escape, and solitude on September 25. Get your social time in earlier in the month so you can decompress at the new moon. Perhaps you can find a botanical garden or go take yourself on a solo date to a dinner and a concert. Being alone in a crowd could be the soothing retreat you need.
Sagittarius Rising
September is all about relationships and the people you find yourself in close contact with. For the past month you’ve begun contemplating how you can create a life that is centered around joy, pleasure, fun, and exploration—and now, the people in your life are acting as foils to you and your aspirations. Pay attention to these situations when they arise and note your feelings and reactions. Mercury is the planet that governs your relationships, and on September 9, it stations retrograde in Libra, your 11th house of friendships and collaborations. Mercury, which represents your partners, makes its pivot directly opposite Jupiter, the planet that represents you. This planetary stand-off symbolically emphasizes the importance of your interactions with other people this month, and the major lessons you’re bound to learn from them. It’s likely these encounters will take place in social spaces and situations, maybe on a group trip, and oftentimes Mercury retrogrades will reunite you with people from your past, sometimes unexpectedly. If you’re traveling with a partner, friend, or colleague this month, be sure that you’re giving each other plenty of physical and mental space. Oppositions in the sky (like what Mercury and Jupiter are doing this month) speak to the need for distance, which often brings greater clarity and understanding as a result. Be open to spontaneous interactions that could greatly influence the next steps you take on your path (don’t write off the strangers you encounter while traveling).
Capricorn Rising
September offers a lot of potential for special experiences through travel and exploration. A full moon in Pisces on Saturday, September 10 lights up your third house of local travel. A lunation like this can really make your neighborhood or local area come alive and fill with magic. If you’re traveling during this time, be sure to get out and about over the weekend and see the sights. If you have access to water, whether it's a beach day or bath, a Pisces full moon is a perfect day for a soak (spa trip, anyone?). While magical potential lurks around the corner this weekend, it’s important to know that Mercury will be stationing retrograde the day before, on Friday, September 9. With Mercury governing your sixth house of physical health and wellness, as well as your ninth house of foreign travel, traveling abroad during this time could present some difficulties. Be sure you’re taking health precautions, as well as giving yourself extra time while traveling—expect delays. This time is unlikely to present anything too worrisome, rather annoyances and inconveniences. Nevertheless, don’t let little things get in the way of you having new experiences and making fun memories.
Aquarius Rising
Money’s on your mind in September, especially around the Pisces full moon on Saturday, September 10, which brings a spotlight to your second house of finances, income, and purchases. You could find yourself inclined to drop some big coin, perhaps on new gear or accommodations for a big trip. However, pause if you can, and see if it can wait a few weeks. Mercury stations retrograde the day before the full moon, on Friday, September 9, which might bring some previously scheduled plans up for review. Mercury particularly governs your debts as well as your access to fun and entertainment, so you may want to review your finances one more time to make sure there’s nothing outstanding that you might be forgetting, before moving forward with a big purchase. The retrograde ends on October 2, and a week prior there is a new moon in Libra, bringing new energy to your ninth house of foreign travel and spiritual journeys. Perhaps after this new moon and the mercury retrograde station, you’ll be in a different place that might better align you with the trip that’s right for you. Retrogrades tend to pull us into situations that feel tricky in the moment, but leave us better off in the end, so trust the process and be open to making adjustments on the way.
Pisces Rising
Virgo season tends to highlight your relationships and the dynamics you tend to enter into, and this one is no exception. Virgo is your seventh house of relationships and partnerships, so when planets move through this sign, that part of your life becomes more active. Venus, the planet of love, beauty, and attraction, enters Virgo on September 4, facilitating more connections with beautiful and artistic people. The Sun is there for the first three weeks of the month and also lights up this area of your life, bringing a spotlight to “the other” (the other side of your person, other people). On top of all of that, Mercury, the planet that governs the topics of relationships and home will station retrograde on Friday, September 9, further emphasizing the role certain people play in your life. And then there’s the question of what role you play in their lives. Is it a position you’re willing to continue filling? Is it working for either of you? Many discussions will be had throughout the month of September, which is what Mercury retrogrades are all about, but know that communication becomes more difficult during this time and it can become difficult to find a resolution. Give yourself more time than you think you need to process and find the right words. The Pisces full moon on September 10 activates your mind, body, and soul. If you’re traveling with someone you’re in a close relationship with this month, be sure to find space for alone time. Being in water, whether it’s the ocean, lake, an unexpected downpour, or a tub, will rejuvenate you in ways that help you sort through your emotions and find the right words to express yourself. You got this.
Enjoyed your September 2022 horoscope? Take a look back at August.