Leo Horoscope for September 2023

This is another powerful month of internal contemplation and course correction, Leo. The recent New Moon in your sign, accompanied by retrograde Venus there as well, has given you some conundrums to fathom and yet also an opportunity to try for a better balance between inner and outer concerns. Mercury is also retrograde as this thoughtful and reflective month begins. Your very sense of your identity has been somewhat in question, perhaps especially regarding your work in the world, and how well this reflects your most sincere internal values. There are many more layers of meaning in what you concretely do than can be superficially acknowledged. Regarding your own deepest values, if there is a mismatch to your work in the outer world, this is a cause for concern and an opportunity for review and reorientation. Partnership agreements come into this, and your pathway forward is equally subject to internal reflection, review, and readjustment. The very potent Virgo New Moon on the 14th further assails your sense of what is possible in terms of your values and finances, and how these can potentially come to a better alignment with the vocational realities that must also be taken into account as you proceed.


The following was written by our guest columnist Alea Balzer. You can write her at alea.balzer@gmail.com


The New Moon in your sign from last month, having taking place on August 16th, continues to be a strong influence on your activities as September begins. The final two weeks of the Leo lunation cycle, leading up to the mid-September Virgo New Moon, have yet to run, and will continue the new start from last month in the most personal sector of your chart, that of identity. There is a quality of reinvention relating to how you meet the world around you and feel seen. The retrogrades of both Venus and Mercury that are also active as the month begins infuse this lunation with an interiority emphasizing introspection, review, or startling conceptualizations including, potentially, course corrections. Outward action might need to be muted for a while, perhaps until October. With the New Moon squaring Uranus, there might still emerge a few wildcards related to your public image and professional aspirations. Be it exciting and new, or having the effect of throwing a spanner into your plans, an ongoing part of the work right now is letting go of your attachment to perceived outcomes and the perceptions of others. In accepting yourself courageously and wholeheartedly, flaws and all, and sharing your gifts of joyful self-expression, however muted, you inspire others to also share their spark.

Venus stations direct on September 3rd, signaling the end of its six-week retrograde through your sign, with a focus on highly personal changes related to your identity, body, psychology, and self-presentation. From August 29th all the way to September 10th, Venus remains at the same degree as it slows and turns direct, which might take you back to themes arising from the latter half of June. This energy, combined with the analytical nature of Mercury in Virgo, could have you ruminating on a certain issue with frustration or wanting to resolve it more quickly. This might relate to the way you express your creative life force and how it is received and appreciated, particularly regarding your vocational ambitions, income, self-esteem, and how well you feel resourced. You might try to step out of urgency and simply observe whatever has come to light during this renewal process, recognizing that there are some important things to work through in the coming weeks. October might support more externalized action and productivity once Mercury has escaped its retrograde shadow.

Another interesting aspect of Venus’ retrograde journey is her month-long square to Jupiter, which has remained active since August 22nd. The emphasis of Uranus and Jupiter throughout this retrograde indicates that unexpected shifts related to vocation might require you to let go of self-consciousness and share what you feel excited about – which could likely be well received.

Mercury’s inferior conjunction with the Sun on September 6th signals the halfway point in its retrograde, which may have drawn focus to your financial health, possibly by revealing what isn’t working. The Cazimi moment with Mercury in the heart of the Sun takes place in the early morning hours of the 6th, up to about 7 am, PT, and reflects a moment of extreme clarity in the midst of the ongoing retrograde. The Last Quarter Moon in Gemini transpires on this same day, and extends the mutable Mercurial quality of this final seven days of the Leo lunation cycle, connecting your social sphere and evolving life ambitions to that of your bank balance, gifts, and skills you may be learning. Both Gemini and Virgo support a flexible attitude so that readjustment, particularly as this time, may align with information coming to light or clarity related to Venus’ retrograde story. The simultaneous trine from the Sun and Mercury to Jupiter indicates news might be positively related to beneficial alliances, professional ambitions, or finances. You might also be reassessing certain connections or seeking new networks to support these goals.

On September 14th we have the Virgo New Moon in your resources sector. Streamlining details related to material realities remain a focus at this timing. The New Moon trines Uranus in Taurus which again marks this lunation as having an experimental quality supporting innovative approaches to utilizing your assets or talents. There could be a boldness that may feel familiar. This new cycle supports budgeting, making a list of goals, or considering certain patterns of thinking that might inhibit your creative fulfillment and happiness, possibly connected to your ability to earn a living. There might be a quality of finishing or reorganizing related to income and expenditure or how you offer your skills and services to the world. Mercury’s station direct the following day, along with Venus’ ongoing square to Jupiter in Taurus, instills this lunation with the depth gained from these two planets that have been conducting a significant review in your Leo and Virgo sectors of identity and values. Having taken stock of what you have and reconnected with what you want, you might now be spending some time adjusting priorities to give yourself more freedom to cultivate your passions.

From the 17th to the 20th, the Sun in Virgo opposes Neptune in Pisces, possibly bringing up topics related to intimacy, trust, and how you share and wield agency within merged relationships. This might include debts, shared resources, contracts, or a relationship ending or changing. While this transit can be confusing and does not lend itself to signing agreements, more clarity is on offer toward the very end of the month. You may also observe a need for firmer boundaries around material and energetic give and take. Aspects from the Sun and Neptune to Pluto in Capricorn imply transformation; these are perhaps indicating that changes to your daily routines, habits, and approach to health could be of help.

The Sun enters Libra on the 22nd, illuminating topics related to the mind, communication, and local environment over the next month.

From the 22nd to the 25th, Mars in Libra makes an applying opposition to Chiron in Aries which could activate inner wounds related to mental health, intellectual autonomy, and the embodiment of your values and worldview. This may be related to learning, spirituality, travel, the law, or a teacher or mentor. If you are feeling defensive, pay attention to your own internal realities; this period might help you identify the ongoing utility and continued viability (or not) of certain frameworks of belief. Supportive aspects from Venus to Mars, and to Chiron, suggest integration or healing is on offer. It might help if you can achieve updating your ideas as you expand your horizons of understanding or have the confidence to stand for what you truly value. It may help to remember that you don’t have to respond to all communications immediately – reducing your phone use in the days surrounding this aspect might reduce mental fatigue.

The Full Moon culminates in Aries on the 29th, placing further emphasis on your ninth sector of higher mind. This might extend topics related to the recent Mars-Chiron opposition or shed light on how your belief systems or matters of spirituality, education, and travel are connected to your finances and resources. Also, this same day, Venus makes her final square with Uranus, and Mercury leaves its retrograde shadow, while also trining Uranus. These transits suggest a freeing up or revivification related to how you express yourself and pursue what you love, reminding you that play, adventure, joy, and full-hearted participation with life are the birthright of your sign.

The transits of September might help restore health and heart to you by emphasizing the self-balancing rhythms of life, where your inner process, rest, and reorientation are just as important as outward shining. This could support emerging coherence related to a big-picture vision and the realignments and practical structures that enable you to get there.