Between Love and Lessons
- Shannyn Rhodes
- Sep 16
- 10 min read
Some weeks feel like the universe is wrapping us in velvet, and others ask us to roll up our sleeves. This one? It’s a bit of both. Love and connection bring sweetness, while Saturn insists on discipline, and the Virgo New Moon Eclipse reminds us that change starts in our daily rhythm. Let’s walk through it together.
September 15–16 – Healing Through Connection
The weekend opens with a kiss of harmony: Venus sextiles Mars, sparking playfulness, romance, and creative flow. This is the kind of energy where laughter comes easily, ideas bloom, and passion feels supportive instead of demanding.
But the next day, Mars opposes Chiron, which may tug on old wounds around anger, independence, or not feeling seen. Before it gets too heavy, Venus trines Chiron, offering the reminder that love is the balm. Lean into connection, whether that’s a heart-to-heart, a cuddle, or simply softening when you feel yourself harden.
Venus sextile Mars brings harmony, flirtation, and creative flow. The next day, Mars opposes Chiron, stirring up old wounds, but Venus trines Chiron, offering soothing through love and connection.
Most affected signs:
Aries: You may feel pulled between independence and vulnerability. Let others show up for you instead of carrying it all alone.
Libra: Relationships take the spotlight balance your needs with the needs of others without losing your own voice.
Cancer: Emotional triggers may rise, especially around family. Allow tenderness to soften your defences.
Capricorn: Tension between ambition and intimacy may surface. Love doesn’t make you weak, it makes you stronger.
The week opens with a blessing: Venus sextile Mars on the 15th brings playful harmony, magnetic attraction, and a sense of flow in relationships and creativity. This is cosmic chemistry at its best the kind that helps us connect with ease, laugh without effort, and feel supported by the people around us. You might notice sparks of inspiration, moments of flirtation, or simply the joy of being seen and appreciated for who you are.
But the very next day, the tone shifts. Mars opposes Chiron, stirring old wounds around anger, independence, or feeling misunderstood. It’s the kind of energy that can make us bristle when we feel cornered or lash out when deeper pain is touched. The trigger may seem small, but it often points back to a much older story.
Thankfully, the cosmos doesn’t leave us hanging here Venus trines Chiron on the same day, reminding us that love is the healer. Connection becomes the balm for our raw edges. A gentle word, an act of kindness, or allowing ourselves to soften instead of harden can shift the entire story. Where Mars might want to fight or flee, Venus offers another path: compassion, presence, and care.
This two-day dance shows us both sides of the coin where wounds still live in us, and how love (in all its forms: self-love, friendship, romance, even community) can begin to stitch them closed.
Journal Prompt:How can I soften when I feel triggered? Where can love be the healer in my story?
Take some time with this one. Reflect on a recent moment where you felt your defences rise what would it have looked like to respond with softness instead of reaction? Where can youlet love (from yourself or others) seep into places that have long felt armoured?
September 17 – Mercury Opposes Saturn
If the weekend was about heart, Tuesday is about head. Mercury opposing Saturn can feel like a wall in conversation. Words may come slowly, criticism may sting, or boundaries may feel strict. This isn’t a “fast results” day it’s a “listen, learn, and take it seriously” day.
Conversations may feel restricted, heavy, or even critical. Words carry weight, and lessons may sting but they’re meant to build resilience.
Most affected signs:
Virgo: You may feel misunderstood or pressured. Use the feedback to refine your ideas rather than doubt yourself.
Pisces: Boundaries in relationships may feel like barriers. Try to see structure as support, not punishment.
Gemini: Communication hiccups could frustrate you. Slow down, clarify, and don’t rush your words.
Sagittarius: Responsibilities may feel like they clip your wings. Remember: discipline is the path to true freedom.
After a weekend that highlighted love and connection, the energy shifts into something much more sobering. On the 17th, Mercury (the planet of communication, thought, and perception) stands opposite Saturn (the planet of structure, responsibility, and lessons). This alignment can feel like running into a wall mid-conversation.
Words carry weight today sometimes more than we expect. A passing comment could land like a heavy stone. Criticism may sting, even when it’s meant to be constructive.
Conversations may feel restricted or formal, and it might be harder to express yourself with your usual flow. Saturn doesn’t allow shortcuts he asks us to pause, reflect, and take communication seriously.
This isn’t a day for quick wins, witty comebacks, or skimming the surface. It’s a day to face what feels difficult, to listen closely, and to embrace the lessons hidden in the heaviness. Think of it as the universe placing training weights on your words yes, they feel heavier, but they’re building strength, clarity, and resilience.
For some, this energy may show up as delays emails not answered, contracts stalling, or conversations that take longer to resolve than you’d like. For others, it might feel like a reality check around boundaries, responsibilities, or the need to take a situation more seriously. Saturn asks: Are you showing up with integrity? Are your words aligned with truth and accountability?
It may not be comfortable, but there’s value here. These are the conversations that help us grow up, step into wisdom, and honour the power of communication as a tool for building lasting trust.
Higher Self Journaling Exercise: Reframing Feedback
Step 1: Ground Yourself
Light a candle, take a few slow breaths, and imagine a calm, steady energy settling in your chest.
Whisper to yourself: “I am safe to receive. I am open to learn.”
Step 2: Recall a Moment
Write about a recent experience where you felt criticized, restricted, or “shut down.” Be honest don’t edit yourself. Describe the situation as if you’re simply telling a story: what was said, how you felt, how you reacted.
Step 3: Explore the Trigger
Ask yourself:
What part of me felt attacked?
Was the reaction about this moment, or does it echo an older wound?
What fear or insecurity got stirred?
Allow the answers to flow, even if they surprise you.
Step 4: Reframe Through Saturn’s Eyes
Now step into the higher perspective. Write about the same experience as if Saturn, the wise teacher, is guiding you. Ask:
What was the real lesson here?
How might this “restriction” actually be protection or guidance?
What truth or integrity is being asked of me?
Step 5: Affirm Your Higher Self
Close your journaling with a short affirmation that shifts the story from rejection into resilience. For example:
“Feedback strengthens me.”
“Boundaries guide me toward clarity.”
“I trust my voice is growing wiser.”
Write your chosen affirmation three times to anchor it.
Step 6: Integration
Keep your affirmation somewhere visible for the week a sticky note, journal margin, or phone wallpaper so each time Mercury-Saturn energy feels heavy, you remember you are being shaped, not shamed.
Journal Prompt Reminder:When do I tend to take feedback as rejection instead of guidance? How can I reframe moments of criticism or restriction as opportunities to grow stronger in my voice and presence?
September 18–20 – Shifts in Love & Words
The midweek brings a cascade of changes:
September 18: Mercury enters Libra, turning our conversations toward fairness, harmony, and compromise. But on the same day, it opposes Uranus cue surprise news, sudden shifts in plans, or truth bombs you didn’t see coming.
September 19: The tension clears, and Mercury trines Uranus, sparking exciting breakthroughs and fresh insights. Venus also moves into Virgo, asking us to express love through care, service, and practical gestures.
September 20: Venus squares Uranus, shaking up relationships or values. Expect changes in what feels important or in how we give and receive affection.
Mercury enters Libra, Uranus shakes conversations, Venus moves into Virgo, and Uranus stirs relationships expect changes in love and communication. Surprises come first, breakthroughs follow, then love asks for practical care.
Most affected signs:
Libra: Communication shifts in your Favor though surprises may test your balance. Stay true to your values.
Virgo: Venus moves into your sign, highlighting love through acts of service. You may feel more needed than usual.
Aries: Sudden relationship changes may test your patience. Adaptability will help you grow.
Capricorn: Your values or work-life balance may feel disrupted. Use flexibility as your superpower.
Gemini: Conversations could spin in unexpected directions. Stay curious and embrace the breakthroughs.
Sagittarius: Your philosophy around love and freedom may be shaken look for growth in the shake-ups.
Pisces: Emotional intensity may rise with sudden changes in love or finances. Anchor yourself in compassion.
How to work with it: Stay adaptable. Love may take an unexpected form, but authenticity is the key.
Journal Prompt: What does “love in action” mean to me, and how can I show it in small, tangible ways?
When Mercury moves into Libra, communication softens toward harmony and balance, but with Uranus stirring things up, words and connections may shift in sudden or surprising ways. At the same time, Venus (the planet of love) enters Virgo, reminding us that real love isn’t just about grand gestures it’s about the quiet, everyday acts of care that nourish trust and connection.
This journal prompt is important because it calls us to look at love not as a feeling, but as a practice. Love is most powerful when it’s embodied, lived, and expressed through action. It’s the choice to speak kindly, to show up for someone, to water a plant, to take care of your body, to listen without rushing to reply.
Why This Prompt Matters
It grounds love in reality
We often imagine love as lofty or idealistic, but Venus in Virgo shows us that love is practical it’s made of the small things we do. This prompt helps us identify what love looks like in action in our daily lives.
It strengthens relationships.
Writing about how we can show love tangibly reminds us that others often feel cared for through consistency, presence, and thoughtfulness not just words.
It connects us to authenticity.
Uranus’ involvement in these days shakes up old patterns, asking: Am I loving in ways that feel real, or just habitual? This prompt can help us strip away what no longer resonates and redefine love in a way that’s true to our higher self.
It nourishes the Higher Self.
When we align love with conscious action, our Higher Self learns that love is not only an emotion it’s a daily devotion. This builds integrity between what we feel, what we value, and how we move through the world.
How It Benefits the Higher Self
It teaches us to embody compassion, not just think about it.
It brings mindfulness to the small, often overlooked choices that shape our relationships.
It anchors love in responsibility and service, reminding us that the simplest actions can hold the deepest meaning.
When you sit with this prompt, imagine you’re creating a map for your Higher Self to walk through daily life. Every small, tangible act of love becomes a stepping stone toward living as love embodied.
September 21 – Virgo New Moon Eclipse and Sun Opposes Saturn
Here’s the big pivot point. The Virgo New Moon Eclipse asks for fresh starts in health, work, and service. It’s a cosmic reset button for routines, wellbeing, and how we care for ourselves and our world. But because the Sun opposes Saturn at the same time, this new beginning comes with responsibility. It’s not about quick fixes it’s about long-term rhythms that honour discipline and purpose.
A powerful reset in health, work, and service. Saturn reminds us that change requires responsibility and discipline.
Most affected signs:
Virgo: This eclipse is your new chapter rethink your daily habits, routines, and wellbeing. Anchor into purpose.
Pisces: The focus falls on relationship show balance, boundaries, and compassion shape your growth.
Gemini: Work-life patterns may shift. Look at where your routines need more grounding.
Sagittarius: Big questions about freedom vs responsibility arise. Build a rhythm that honours both.
Collective focus: We’re being asked to reset our relationship with daily life our habits, health, and contribution to the bigger picture.
Ritual: Write down one habit you’re ready to release and one new intention for healing or service. Burn the release list. Keep the intention list somewhere visible on your desk, altar, or even your fridge.
Journal Prompt: What new rhythm would support my wellbeing and purpose right now?
This eclipse in Virgo is like a cosmic reset button an invitation to reimagine how we live, work, and care for ourselves on a daily basis. Virgo is the sign of routines, wellness, and service, while Saturn’s opposition reminds us that discipline and responsibility are required if we want those fresh starts to last.
The prompt asks us to look beyond short-term fixes and into the heart of sustainable rhythm. A rhythm is more than a schedule it’s the steady pulse of how we show up for our body, our mind, our spirit, and the world around us.
Why This Prompt Matters
It shifts focus from intensity to sustainability.
Eclipses can spark big breakthroughs, but the real power comes in how we integrate them. Asking about rhythm encourages us to design supportive habits rather than chasing one-off bursts of motivation.
It weaves wellbeing with purpose.
Too often, we separate self-care from our larger mission. This prompt bridges the two: How can my daily life nurture both my health and my calling?
It calls for conscious alignment.
With Saturn opposing the Sun, we’re reminded that responsibility isn’t punishment it’s a structure that allows our purpose to flourish. This question grounds us in the idea that freedom comes from rhythm, not chaos.
How It Benefits the Higher Self
Embodiment of purpose: The Higher Self thrives when your outer life mirrors your inner truth. Rhythm transforms intention into action.
Clarity of direction: Reflecting on rhythm helps you see where scattered energy is draining you and where steadiness could nourish you.
Holistic harmony: Virgo reminds us that body, mind, and spirit are connected. Aligning rhythms supports all three, lifting you closer to your soul’s alignment.
Sacred discipline: Saturn’s influence elevates discipline from drudgery into devotion, showing the Higher Self that structure can be sacred.
Reflective Questions to Go Deeper
Which of my current habits feel supportive, and which feel draining?
If I imagined my life as a song, what rhythm would it need to play harmoniously?
Where have I been resisting structure, and how might that structure actually free me?
The gift of this eclipse is the chance to rewrite the tempo of your life. Your Higher Self already knows the beat this prompt is about listening closely enough to hear it and then choosing to dance in time with it.
Closing Thought This week reminds us that healing and growth aren’t separate they happen hand in hand. Love softens our sharp edges. Responsibility gives our dreams a container. And eclipses remind us that change isn’t something to fear, but something to honour.
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