MIND-BODY-SPIRIT
ASTROLOGICAL INSIGHTS
Fall 2026: Eliminating Garbage From Your Life
Psychedelics... ...continued from page 17
Some experienced for the first time what it felt to be held in love, and others found the grace of forgiveness and the unloading of old griev- ances. Many found nurturing and joyous communities among their fellow journeyers. But what I heard consistently throughout all the interviews was that, through the intentional use of psychedelics, they were experiencing older age as the most healing, meaningful, spiritual and joyful time of life. The picture that emerged through these conversations was that, if psychedelics once were part of a radical counterculture of youth, now they are helping us imagine a radical new counterculture of aging. Respect and Due Diligence Psychedelic journeying in older life is not without its risks. There are very real physical and psychological issues older adults should con- sider well before any psychedelic medicine is ingested. In my book, I outline the basic questions anyone considering a psychedelic journey should be asking as part of their due diligence process. Psychedelics are also powerful and unpredictable. In indigenous cultures, they are considered to be sacred medicines which can open access to guidance and healing from the spirit world. Regardless of one’s relationship with spirit, it behooves us to relate to them with appropriate humility and respect, and acquaint ourselves with the in- digenous concept of sacred reciprocity. Making Peace With Mortality One of the earliest clinical findings for psilocybin therapy was that it can be remarkably effective in helping terminal cancer patients find relief from depression and anxiety. To date, there have been dozens of studies affirming that the opening psilocybin offers, to experience consciousness beyond the limits of one’s personal stories, can help the dying person reframe their relationship to death. Reading about those studies, it occurred to me that one needn’t wait until they are at death’s door to face this most primal fear; and that psychedelics can help us not only die well, but age well. The Opportunity for Community Psychedelics can be extremely useful in clinical, therapeutic settings. But they are also powerful means for enhancing wellbeing and spiri- tual exploration, often in group ceremonial contexts. These collective immersions into sacred space add an extra level of group healing and cohesion, which can be particularly valuable for older adults. We know loneliness and isolation in the older population can stifle the mind and deaden the soul. I envision the creation of a framework that offers older adults the opportunity to build communities of mu - tual support based on group study, community service and periodic, ceremonial psychedelic journeying. Bringing that vision to life is the focus of my own elderhood. Abbie Rosner writes about how her generation of baby boomers are discovering – and rediscovering - the drugs of their youth, in ways that enhance their aging. Her new book, Psychedelics and the Counterculture of Aging (Park Street Press) is the first to systemati - cally explore the emerging phenomenon of older adults using psyche- delics. Her writing has been published by Forbes, Double Blind, Next Avenue and others. She lives in Washington, DC. www.abbierosner. com To follow Abbie’s progress of psychedelic journeying into elder - hood, consider subscribing to her ELDEREVOLUTION Newsletter on Psychedelics in Older Life, available on Substack (free to subscribe): https://abbierosner.substack.com/.
BY MISTY KUCERIS As the new Moon occurs on September 10, 2026, you feel the need to start fresh. You want to toss out what no longer matters. You want to improve your relationships through better communications. You want to heal from any pain, which was caused by negative situations, and you want to find a way to correct mistakes from the past. That’s be - cause this new Moon not only has the Sun and Moon in Virgo, but both Venus and Mercury entered new signs (Venus in Scorpio and Mercury in Libra). Usually when the new Moon occurs, you want to start fresh, take on new projects. With the Moon in Virgo, you tend to take on too many responsibilities. But the true lesson during the time of a new Moon in Virgo is to learn how to simplify your life — delegate what you can, and learn to reach out for help when you need it. Understanding that you don’t need to do it all becomes more im- portant on September 16, 2026, as Neptune retrograde forms a sextile to Pluto retrograde. Neptune dissolves boundaries and in doing so re- veals what’s behind the curtain. Pluto represents garbage that needs to be thrown away so that the toxins from that garbage don’t poison you. At the same time both planets can also represent fears that lurk in the subconscious mind. If not careful, you tend to react in a manner driven by primal concerns rather than logic. It helps that the aspect is a sextile because sextile aspects represent opportunities; and the op- portunities represented at this time involve creating space so you can move on with your life. When Chiron entered the new sign of Taurus on June 19, 2026, it only stayed there for a short time period; it turned retrograde on Au - gust 3, 2026, and now, on September 17, 2026, is re-entering the sign of Aries until April 17, 2027. Chiron represents the danger of inflicting self-harm when you go through frightening situations. Yet, more im -
it was back in the day. We are now more mature, risk-averse, and will- ing to invest time and resources to ensure a foray into expanded con- sciousness will be safe and meaningful. An Emerging Phenomenon As someone who came of age in the 1970s, my youthful experiences with psychedelics ended when I got married and had kids. Forty years later, after receiving a copy of How To Change Your Mind for my 60 th birthday, I decided to celebrate my entry into a new chapter of older age with a psilocybin experience. That opening into a new vision of myself as a vital, inquisitive elder led me on a journalistic journey, to investigate if mine was an isolated experience, or whether older adults doing psychedelics was, in fact, “a thing.” (Spoiler alert: it is!) Over a period of about a year, I sought out other older journeyers to hear their stories of how, why, where and what the outcomes were of their psychedelic experiences. Ultimately, those 36 interviews formed the basis for my book, Psychedelics and the Counterculture of Aging . Everything about the people I interviewed was notably diverse. They represented different ages — from their 50s to 80s. They were trying different psychedelic medicines, in different contexts, with different intentions. Some had experienced psychedelics back in the day and, like me, returned to them after a decades-long hiatus. Some found healing from deep, psychological trauma. Others found that entering sacred space through psychedelics allowed their authen- tic voice to come through, bringing profound, transformative insights.
Source: CC0 Public Domain portantly, Chiron represents how you bring healing into your life and the lives of others. In the sign of Aries, it’s all about you — the health of your physical body and the understanding of your personal identity. It’s knowing you don’t need to give up your individuality in order to get along with others. Astrologically the fall quarter starts on September 22, 2026, at the time of fall equinox when the Sun enters the sign of Libra. Spiritually this is when you move from focusing on your needs to the needs of others. During this Equinox you start re-evaluating your relationships as the Sun forms a trine to Pluto retrograde (the planet of passion and
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18—PATHWAYS—Fall 26
PATHWAYS—Fall 26—19
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