Justice can only be served when both sides of an issue get an equal hearing. Where does fairness lie? That is the Libra question. Can we really put Humpty Dumpty back together again? Or should we? If something fails this badly, should we try to patch it up and hope for the best? Or do we need to start all over again with new laws (Libra) and a new sense of justice for all?

Thom Hartmann has suggested that if we create an agency to fund the bailout, loan that agency the money from the Treasury, and then have that agency tax Wall Street to pay us (the Treasury) back. It's called a Securities Turnover Excise Tax (STET)  Check out his article. We've had these taxes before and they stop speculation and would pay back the money within a year. Any way you look at it, if Congress pushes through an ill-conceived, hurried plan, we are in for more trouble.

Heck, we're in for more trouble any way you look at it. Ever since Pluto first went into Capricorn last January for a two month foray into the sign of government, culture, corporations and structures, we've seen the beginning of the end for our institutions as we know them. Bear Stearns was just the beginning in March 2008. Just look what's happened since Pluto along with Jupiter in Capricorn (makes things bigger) went direct on September 9th. Even though Pluto is still in Sagittarius, the impact on our financial structures is explosive. They are foundering because they are obviously rotten at their core. And we still have another two months to go before Pluto goes back into Capricorn for the next 16 years! Stay tuned for more surprises as we reform our society along more equitable lines.

For those of you who have missed my previous newsletters, when Pluto goes through a sign, it destroys the forms that no longer serve life. Which is a good thing in the long run, but hard in the moment. Evolution is the force of change and growth. Without it we stagnate and die. The last time Pluto was in Capricorn was in the years before and during the American revolution. They were fighting against corporations back then too – remember the Boston Tea Party? Well, for the first time since our country was formed, we are going to have the chance to create a real reformation of our government and laws. We just have to get through it. I would remind you that our souls chose to be born in this time, so we are part of the plan.

So while we probably won't feel very balanced when we look at what's happening in the outer world, it behooves us to find our inner balance. Let's look at the new moon that occurs on Monday September 29, 2008 at 1:12 am pdt and 4:12 am edt.

Libra is the sign of the Autumn Equinox, and the Libra new Moon is another reminder that we are at that balance point, that moment of stillness that signifies a turning point in the year. Now the darkness will rise until its greatest depth is reached at the Winter Solstice. Now the days begin to get shorter and the nights longer. It is the time of harvest, when we look to what we have accomplished this year. Was our harvest life-giving or death-dealing? Either way, we now have to look outside ourselves to others. Libra is the sign of the Other. Now as the darkness grows, we have to band together and form partnerships and community. That is the purpose of Libra.

Libra's symbol is the Scale, or Balance, the only symbol in the Zodiac that isn't a living being. The scale is a symbol of balance, harmony, equality and cosmic law. We often associate Libra with the ideas of relationship, balance, fairness, justice and diplomacy. But in ancient times the Scale, or Balance, had a different meaning. A Scale was used to weigh things against a socially accepted standard weight. It was used to measure and evaluate the fundamental worth of something in terms of social value. It therefore implied a judgment. Libra's scales want to know our social worth to the collective, as well how that worth weighs in with the cosmic laws of Justice and Mercy. What do people and our society need from us? What do we have to offer them? How synchronistic that our banking system should fail just as they are weighed in the cosmic balance of this year of change and found wanting!

The Scale goes back to the Egyptian belief that at death, your heart (conscience) is put in the balance over against a feather belonging to the Goddess Maat (the goddess of natural law and cosmic justice), to discover the truth of your heart and if you had served your fellow human beings. Your life itself was weighed in the balance. We get a chance to put ourselves in that balance each Fall Equinox.

At the moment, our world is in upheaval, which is always the harbinger of change. The scale swings wildly, until it comes back to rest at the still point of balance. In the midst of change, it's good to stop and take a breath, and go still, so you can sense your next step. This is a very creative way to meet the uncertainty of life, and it's much more relaxing then worrying. It is the feminine way to experience life, for feminine energy is open and receptive. Feminine energy knows how to listen in the silence for what's needed to create new possibilities and new life.

Cosmic law says this has been planned since the beginning and now we have arrived at the point of disruption and change. So while the world's economy says that things are bleak, cosmic law says now is the time to find a new way of Being and then a new way of Doing. And since our consciousness at the moment is formed by the energy of Libra, we are asked to find a way of beauty, a way of truth, a way of honor, a way of grace. It's time to let the Feminine Spirit of Life open us to our inner truths. It is time to connect with like-minded people.

Venus is the ruler of Libra, and she is the one who demands that we bring beauty, honor, compassion, love and partnership to the table to cooperate with others. Venus just moved into the sign of Scorpio on September 23rd, and while Venus is said to be in her detriment in Scorpio – meaning that she's uncomfortable there – she is a Goddess after all, and can make the best of things wherever she is. At her best in Scorpio, she pushes us toward transformation. She says, “Let go of what you no longer need. Hold onto beauty, truth, love and light and you will come out the other side of this transformation intact. And Whole.” As many of you know, Venus/Aphrodite was wholly herself. She needs no partner, and yet she is the Goddess of partnership. This tells us that when women and men find their wholeness within themselves, when they are conscious of both their masculine and feminine sides, they can partner with anyone. They know the mystery of Love.

So if you're in a sexual relationship, this is a great time to pull back your projections on each other and own your own shadows. Don't stay in your head – it's time to look at the deeper emotions you usually ignore. Are you living by your own values, or by others? Do you understand what motivates you? Look at yourself, weigh yourself in the cosmic balance, own up to your faults without guilt, and bring yourself into balance. Once you do, your relationship will flourish.

For those of you who aren't in a sexual relationship, look at the people you are relating with day after day – children, parents, siblings, co-workers, strangers – and stop projecting your own insecurities, judgments and faults onto them. Be humble and take it back into yourself. Right now, the world needs us to stop being unconscious. And the first step is to own our shadows. Relationship is the place we learn to see ourselves for who we really are. Even your relationship with your animals will tell you something about yourself. If you kill wolves and bears from airplanes for sport, it says something about who you essentially are. We are finally realizing the truth that we really are all One just as the Master said, “What you do to the least of my brothers, you do to Me!” Our four-legged brothers and sisters are just as important to the health of the world as we are.

The grand trine with Jupiter in Capricorn, Saturn in Virgo, and Vesta in Taurus is still in effect, telling us that healing comes through taking a practical, grounded approach to the issues, both personal and collective.

Neptune's aspect to this new Moon forces us to deal with the consequences of our lack of self-restraint. Will we let the shock of what's happening overbalance our emotions? Will we forget our interdependence? Open up to your imagination, analyze what you find and you'll see a way through, as Mercury retrograde is aspected by both Neptune and Uranus. A grand trine with Neptune, Mercury retrograde and the asteroid Pallas in Gemini asks us to have faith, create art, stay mentally balanced.

The Sabian Symbol for 7 Libra: A woman feeding chickens and protecting them from the Hawks. The feminine spirit can nurture and protect all future-oriented people who believe in an ideal of freedom, cooperation and unity from the attacks of traditional minds that can only follow the lines of an old, automatic response. We are charged with the Guardianship of the future.

With Mars set to sextile Pluto on October 1, we have an opportunity to clean out the last of our old belief systems so we can go forward with an open heart and mind to embrace the future with courage and determination.

My Dream Blog is up and running at www.astrology.com just find the blog sign or look down the page for our pictures. If any of you have a dream you'd like me to work on in the blog, please send them.

Good luck in these turbulent times!

Cathy Pagano

www.imaginecoachingservices.com

www.wisdom-of-astrology.com

Cathy Pagano is a spiritual advisor and Jungian psychotherapist, storyteller, author and teacher.

She is the author of a book on the return of the Goddess, "Wisdom's Daughters: How Women Can Change the World".

Cathy trained at the C. G. Jung Institut-Zurich in dream interpretation, has an M.A. in Counseling Psychology in Feminine Spirituality, and is a certified Life Coach.

As an astrologer and storyteller, she weaves the Cosmic Stories written in the stars. From The Bard's Grove, she writes about emerging archetypal themes in movies and books.

Cathy works with the tools of the imagination - dreams, alchemy, myths, astrology, symbolic language, storytelling, ritual - to awaken the Soul's wisdom.



I believe that Americans are called to a higher consciousness at this point in our history. We are called on to live up to our ideals and create the country our forefathers imagined. Inner consciousness needs to be acted upon for social justice.



Cathy believes that our writers and artists must take up our responsibility to create art that inspires, teaches and heals our humanity.



Cathy writes about political, psychological/spiritual, and cultural issues.