Monthly Astro Forecast: New Moon in Virgo
The new moon this week (on Wednesday 20th September) falls just two days before the Autumn Equinox here in the northern hemisphere. It's harvest season, time to look at what we are gathering in, what we have nurtured into reality during the bright Leo days of summer. They may seem like a distant memory now as we transition fully into autumn, but we carry the fruits of them with us as the season changes.The fruits of this harvest contain the seeds of the next crop - what seeds do we carry into the dark half of the year, to keep safe until their time is right? The Virgo energy is full on now, with Mercury, Venus and Mars all there at the time of the new moon. The harvest maiden (who is virgin only in that she is whole unto herself, and answers to no-one) demands that we focus on what is real, what is in front of us. We need to be efficient, to be effective. We harvest diligently, carefully, not wanting to damage or waste our accomplishments. We dot the 'i's and cross the 't's, ready to send our creations out into the world, to hang them on the scales of Libra and measure them against others.
Venus moves into Virgo only a few hour before the new moon, last of the inner planets to leave behind the bright lights of Leo for another cycle, to find a calmer, quieter measure of worth. Virgo is the work behind the scenes, the practicalities which make the big ideas actually happen. Ruled by Mercury the trickster, Virgo is about adapting and being flexible, about using the mind in service of the earth. Mars in Virgo adds steady action and the ability to do what needs to be done, and to stand up for the underdog.The individual using their power and energy in service of the greater whole.
Each sign of the zodiac is one half of a duality, and the opposite pole to Virgo's careful practicality is boundaryless Pisces, where we dissolve back into the universal. The personal planets moving through Virgo continue to make connections with the outer planets currently moving through Pisces. Every time this connection is made, we get a chance to plug the details of Virgo back into the whole picture, reminding ourselves of the holistic vision at the core of our work. Its a dynamic that moves between the physical and the spiritual, between imagination and practicality. We are constantly reminded what is real and what is fantasy.
On September 22nd, the Sun moves into Libra, marking the autumn equinox in the northern hemisphere. Day and night, light and dark are equal. The equinoxes are often a turbulent time, with changeable weather and intense energies. Finding equilibrium is an ongoing process, a constant re-balancing as we move away from the light, towards the quieting, darkening time of the year. We are half way through the journey around the zodiac, and the move from Virgo into Libra moves us out of the individual journey described in the first six signs, meeting the other, the rest of the world, for the first time. The scales of Libra show us what we seek to bring ourselves into balance, the "other" through which we can begin our journey towards inner union and wholeness. On October 14th, Venus comes home to Libra, relaxing into her happy place of charm and beauty and relationship.
Mercury moves into Libra on September 30th, joining the Sun in conjunction on October 8th. We are able to articulate our connections and the ideals we live by. Libra is the sign of abstract thinking, and also of living our ideals, seeking justice and equality for all. Libra asks us where and how we need to bring ourselves into harmony. The opposite energy to Libra is Aries, sign of individuality and willpower. Once again the dynamics of the opposition come into play, with Mercury opposing Uranus in Aries on October 15th, and the Sun on October 19th, just before the next new moon. Our inner rebel challenges us to stand up for what we believe in, even when Libra would choose harmony over all, refusing to rock the boat for fear of disturbing the peace. But the times we live in demand that the boat be rocked, and we can use this dynamic to give both our inner and outer truths a chance to shine. On September 28th Jupiter, coming to the end of his sojourn in Libra, also opposes Uranus, expanding our understanding of the truth and of what it means to live by that truth.
The outer planets usually describe generational energies, and we their position in our natal charts shows how we plug into the zeitgeist we are born into. Pluto is currently on a journey through Capricorn, transforming the structures of power and the hierarchies which define our society. On September 28th Pluto goes direct after period of retrograde movement, and we may find that this journey of transformation is brought back into consciousness, and that we are able to work with it more easily. Not that Pluto, full of intense power and a drive to confront the shadow is ever easy. Our path towards transformation, collective or individual, may become clearer around October 10th, when the Sun squares Pluto and illuminates that shadow. We may not like what we see, but what is conscious and visible can be worked with much more easily than that which is hidden in the depths.
October 10th is a powerful time for Pluto energies, with Jupiter moving into Pluto ruled Scorpio on that day too. If you have strong Pluto energy in your chart, or have Pluto transiting your chart at the moment, you are likely to get a reminder of your personal journey towards transformation around this time. Scorpio is the sign of fixed water, and strong Scorpio energy can bring intense and turbulent emotions. Scorpio season gathers momentum a week later, when Mercury moves into that sign, allowing us to articulate our deepest feelings and give voice to the darkness within. Mercury meets Jupiter in conjunction the following day, making October 18th, in the dark phase just before the next new moon, a good day for some inner work excavating and articulating our personal and collective shadows.
Venus moves into Virgo only a few hour before the new moon, last of the inner planets to leave behind the bright lights of Leo for another cycle, to find a calmer, quieter measure of worth. Virgo is the work behind the scenes, the practicalities which make the big ideas actually happen. Ruled by Mercury the trickster, Virgo is about adapting and being flexible, about using the mind in service of the earth. Mars in Virgo adds steady action and the ability to do what needs to be done, and to stand up for the underdog.The individual using their power and energy in service of the greater whole.
Autumn Equinox and the beginning of Libra season
On September 22nd, the Sun moves into Libra, marking the autumn equinox in the northern hemisphere. Day and night, light and dark are equal. The equinoxes are often a turbulent time, with changeable weather and intense energies. Finding equilibrium is an ongoing process, a constant re-balancing as we move away from the light, towards the quieting, darkening time of the year. We are half way through the journey around the zodiac, and the move from Virgo into Libra moves us out of the individual journey described in the first six signs, meeting the other, the rest of the world, for the first time. The scales of Libra show us what we seek to bring ourselves into balance, the "other" through which we can begin our journey towards inner union and wholeness. On October 14th, Venus comes home to Libra, relaxing into her happy place of charm and beauty and relationship.
Mercury moves into Libra on September 30th, joining the Sun in conjunction on October 8th. We are able to articulate our connections and the ideals we live by. Libra is the sign of abstract thinking, and also of living our ideals, seeking justice and equality for all. Libra asks us where and how we need to bring ourselves into harmony. The opposite energy to Libra is Aries, sign of individuality and willpower. Once again the dynamics of the opposition come into play, with Mercury opposing Uranus in Aries on October 15th, and the Sun on October 19th, just before the next new moon. Our inner rebel challenges us to stand up for what we believe in, even when Libra would choose harmony over all, refusing to rock the boat for fear of disturbing the peace. But the times we live in demand that the boat be rocked, and we can use this dynamic to give both our inner and outer truths a chance to shine. On September 28th Jupiter, coming to the end of his sojourn in Libra, also opposes Uranus, expanding our understanding of the truth and of what it means to live by that truth.
The next step towards transformation
The outer planets usually describe generational energies, and we their position in our natal charts shows how we plug into the zeitgeist we are born into. Pluto is currently on a journey through Capricorn, transforming the structures of power and the hierarchies which define our society. On September 28th Pluto goes direct after period of retrograde movement, and we may find that this journey of transformation is brought back into consciousness, and that we are able to work with it more easily. Not that Pluto, full of intense power and a drive to confront the shadow is ever easy. Our path towards transformation, collective or individual, may become clearer around October 10th, when the Sun squares Pluto and illuminates that shadow. We may not like what we see, but what is conscious and visible can be worked with much more easily than that which is hidden in the depths.
October 10th is a powerful time for Pluto energies, with Jupiter moving into Pluto ruled Scorpio on that day too. If you have strong Pluto energy in your chart, or have Pluto transiting your chart at the moment, you are likely to get a reminder of your personal journey towards transformation around this time. Scorpio is the sign of fixed water, and strong Scorpio energy can bring intense and turbulent emotions. Scorpio season gathers momentum a week later, when Mercury moves into that sign, allowing us to articulate our deepest feelings and give voice to the darkness within. Mercury meets Jupiter in conjunction the following day, making October 18th, in the dark phase just before the next new moon, a good day for some inner work excavating and articulating our personal and collective shadows.