A couple of oppositions this month will test our ability to balance the real and the surreal. The key is to honor both: the worldly Sun (9/7) and Mercury (9/13) in Virgo, and the other-worldly energy of Neptune in Pisces.
One way of doing this is to voluntarily access the oceanic mind, whence all creativity has its source, and use it to inspire artisanship.
If we don’t access Neptune voluntarily, it will come in involuntarily — always a bad bet with the outer planets. For example, were we to forge ahead with our duties (Virgo) despite not feeling like it, doggedly refusing to be sidetracked by our imagination (Neptune in Pisces), we would invite a sneaky backlash from Neptune. We might find ourselves spacing out at best, self-escaping with substances at worst.
Neptune’s influence is subtler than that of the conscious Virgo planets, but far more powerful. To ignore it is to risk slipping involuntarily underwater like Ulysses’ sailors; that is, letting the unconscious take over.
Virgo vs. Pisces
The differences between Virgo, where the Sun and Mercury are for part of the month, and Pisces, where Neptune has been for seven years now, are easy to see. Virgo is dry-eyed and careful, dedicated to the realistic pursuit of crossing chores off the list. Pisces, by contrast, loosens the grip of everyday reality, nudging us to remember that there are other dimensions of existence (sleep, fantasy, artistic inspiration and spiritual inquiry), without which our souls feel like they’re drying up.
The similarities between these two signs are harder to see. But understanding them is the key to acing their transits.
They are both signs of service. Virgo puts the focus on helping, in practical ways: taking care of small worldly tasks without ego-aggrandizement. Pisces is self-effacing too, but in ways that have nothing to do with practicality. Pisces compels us to lose our own individuality in something greater than ourselves — whether consciously or not (ah, there’s the rub.)
When these oppositions are expressed with awareness, we feel like pouring ourselves into work that serves the world.
Uranus
Uranus is also active this month. Venus opposes it on 9/11-12, and Mars squares it on 9/18. These transits work best when we deliberately leave open space in the days in question, making it relatively easy to change 
plans. Uranus sees a wide-open schedule as an invitation to bring us marvelous surprises.
During the Venus opposition, this could mean the arrival of unexpected pleasures, or novelty into an existing relationship. During the Mars opposition, a week later, it’s even more important to approach the transit with an open schedule and open mind. If we don’t free ourselves of expectations ahead of time, the event level may intrude, and violate our expectations for us.
Saturn
The Sun and Mercury square Saturn just after the Equinox, Libra to Capricorn (9/23-25). If you have early-degree cardinal signs in your chart, this will hit you especially strongly. But all of us will feel a certain tightening
up; a sense of boundaries drawn and responsibilities exerting pressure. Give in to it. Use the time to clarify the underlying structure of what you’re doing.
