How This Week’s Cardinal T-Square Commands Us To Step Up in Emotional Maturity

As we begin a new month, we do so with a full moon. On September 2nd, at 1:24 a.m., ET, the moon in Pisces opposes the sun at 10 degrees of Virgo. But before we go there, let’s first discuss the last two days of August.

Sunday, August 30th, and Monday, August 31st, close the month out dynamically. With Mercury opposing Neptune, and Venus opposing Pluto, unruly emotions may lead to rip-roaring focus. While tears may flow abundantly (thanks to the planet of communication facing off with Neptune, amplifying our feelings), Venus, who rules our values in opposition to Pluto, makes sure that we are clear on the directives of our soul. Come Monday, Venus perfects her square to Eris, further setting the tone for the week ahead, which holds our feet to the fire and commands us to bow down to our truth so we can eliminate what’s not working.

Here’s why: Venus in Cancer opposing Pluto in Capricorn while squaring Eris (and Mars, too) forms a cardinal T-square, which will bring about many cosmic events. Pluto’s proximity to Saturn amplifies this celestial gridlock, and with Mars’s square to Pluto, Saturn, and Venus (also participating in the formation of the cardinal T-square), we have even more potency fueling this dynamic. Altogether, this may result in what feels like the cosmic forces commanding us to eliminate what’s not working, say it like it is, and take a considerable step up in emotional maturity.

This week’s cosmic forces command us to eliminate what’s not working, say it like it is, and take a considerable step up in emotional maturity.

Venus, who’s rising in the morning, communicates with two heavy hitters of the underworld—Pluto and Eris—receiving a dose of their magic. Pluto, the planet of death and rebirth, doesn’t live in life’s grey areas. He draws a firm boundary between truth and deception. He brings what’s been swept under the carpet out into the open for everyone to see. Eris, who’s traveling very close to Mars, and rules feminine rage and discord, squares both Venus and Pluto.

The bottom line? there’s nowhere to hide from this cosmic energy. The faster you try to run, the more you may feel trapped and the only way through is to face it. However, incredible alchemy arrives by staying with what is coming up, and then handling it head-on.

This dynamic amplifies Tuesday night’s full moon in Pisces, which would otherwise serve as a dreamy, peaceful, and creative full moon. At the full moon’s time, the sun forms a perfect trine to Uranus in Taurus. Uranus is in a beneficial placement, encouraging radical truth, the embodiment of our soul and wisdom, and the ability to break free of what holds us back from our most profound sense of freedom. Virgo’s sun calls for order and organization, while the moon in Pisces elevates our sensitivity to the truth.

The cosmic curriculum asks us to speak to feelings rather than act out emotions in dynamics with others. We have to find our words, learn to be direct, and say what we mean. There’s no margin here for error. It’s a full-throttle call to being emotionally mature and to the point, even though the full moon in Pisces will want us to retreat. Pisces, after all, doesn’t favor confrontation. Of all the signs, it’s most comfortable letting things lurk. It prefers art, poetry, and mystical ecstasy. It wants to hug it out, sleep it off, meditate through it. But this full moon commands Pisces’s high road: emotional intelligence, insight, and trust. While Pisces can be an escapist, it’s also one of our most spiritually mature signs. We need to cultivate this maturity now.

So, yes: Meditate, pray, breathe, chant, do a ritual, call on the universe’s benevolent forces, and cultivate magic’s power by tapping into Earth-based spirituality and guidance. But do so knowing that you still need face whatever the universe is curating for you. Amplify your agency, achieve greater clarity, stay in alignment with love, and heal, not as a way to bypass pain or escape reality. This full moon in Pisces is an invitation into a deeper relationship with trust.

Mercury is also in Virgo at 24 degrees, forming a trine to Saturn, which is lucky because Saturn and Mercury cooperate beautifully and elevate integrity all around. Mercury trining Saturn supports our ability to articulate our needs with a sense of authority. Yet, Neptune in Pisces, the ruler of the full moon, opposes Mercury, which means that knowing our needs won’t come easy. Consider it all the more of a reason to dig in, explore our feelings and articulate our wisdom.

Meanwhile, Venus opposes Saturn and requires us to do our work (before we put our out of office notice on for the holiday weekend ahead). From the murky emotions can come radical breakthrough, assuming we stay with the process, feel our feelings, and voice our needs without bypassing pain or responsibility. Things start to lighten up on Friday when Mercury sextiles Venus, before moving into balanced Libra on Saturday. The holiday weekend holds high hope for ease, joy, and an atmosphere of lightness—precisely the sort of weekend we need. Enjoy.

Jennifer Racioppi is the creator of Lunar Logic—a philosophy that integrates the deep wisdom of both science and spirituality, and blends her expertise in astrology, positive psychology, and women’s health—which she uses to coach high-achieving female entrepreneurs to reach their next level of success. Pre-order her book, Cosmic Health (January 2021), here.