Monthly Astro Forecast: New Moon in Virgo
Sunday 9th September brings a new moon in Virgo, as the bright Leo energy of the summer begins to fade. This new moon forms an awkward aspect with Uranus, in Taurus, emphasising the earthy energy and the Virgo focus on health, well being and the body. It's a good time to reflect on how our physical body reflects our mental state, our emotional state, even our spiritual state. And of course, how our spiritual, emotional and mental states affect our physical body. Virgo is the sign of refining and perfecting, adjusting and evolving as we approach the halfway point of the zodiac and begin to look beyond the individual towards the other. This is a perfect new moon for setting intents around improving our diet or physical practice, de-cluttering our space (physically, mentally, emotionally - wherever it's needed), and changing our habits and daily rhythm in ways that help us to be our best selves.
Discrimination is key for Virgo energy, and when Virgo energy is strong it can help us to examine and analyse all the parts of ourselves - how do each aspect of our selves and our lives work for us, and for the whole? Virgo energy is good at filtering, at retaining what we need and discarding what no longer helps us. This process of discarding waste energy is also an important part of the Virgo dynamic. Holding on to waste has toxic effects, whether it's in our body, in the clutter which fills our homes, or in the pollution in our environment.
Virgo sees each of the parts of ourselves, and works to perfect each of them, but is always aware that the apparent separation between them is an illusion. The self we are at work, at home with our families, our creative self or our dutiful self, they are all part of the same whole. Moving outwards, we realise that as individuals we are not truly separate either, we are all part of the collective whole, of the body of the earth. By truly seeing and understanding all the individual parts we are able to form the fragments back into a whole. An emotional whole, a spiritual whole, a physical whole. The process of healing - also a key Virgo energy - works on every level of our being, and indeed works to synthesise all those different levels of being to bring us a truly holistic sense of wellbeing. This is a never-ending process, of course, and one thing Virgo understands well is that healing is a journey, not a destination.
This lunation brings some deep shifts in celestial energies, with Pluto and Chiron, both planets which can bring challenges and learning experiences, changing direction, along with Venus who goes retrograde in Pluto-ruled Scorpio. Mars moves back into Aquarius on September 11th, demanding that we fight for our cause and put our energy into collective goals. The balance of power and injustice is highlighted the following day when expansive Jupiter connects with shadowy Pluto. Although it's traditionally seen as a benefic planet, Jupiter exaggerates whatever it touches so we may find the manipulative, ruthless energy of Pluto seems extra strong around this time. There may be power struggles in financial or religious institutions as the collective shadow just seems to grow. This symbolism may also play out as buried wealth coming to light, and ideally, we can use that Mars in Aquarius energy to make sure these resources are allocated wisely. When Pluto goes direct on October 1st we will be able to see more clearly what is happening in the shadows, and what we have brought back from the underworld. Pluto's journey through earthy Capricorn means that the coming weeks may reveal transformations in the world of work or perhaps the economy, as the establishment structures which form the foundation of our society are challenged.
From September 22nd we begin to move into Libra season, with Mercury transitioning into Libra that day and the Sun the day after, on the Autumn Equinox here in the northern hemisphere. Light and dark are equal and we become aware of the process of balance and how it works in our lives. Do we have an equilibrium which keeps us functioning at our best? Balance is not static, and is different for everyone - veering between extremes is just as valid a process of balance as keeping everything on an even keel all the time. It's all about finding what works for us, and using that Virgo discernment to know what brings us out of balance and how to find our sense of harmony again. A few days later, after the full moon on the 25th, Chiron retrogrades back into Pisces for the last time. The spiritual warrior becomes the healer again, reminding us of our connection to the mystery and the need for a little chaos to balance all that Virgo order.
Venus goes retrograde in powerful Scorpio on October 5th, just a few days before the next new moon. we might find ourselves feeling less sociable, and new relationships or financial ventures might take longer to get started. This is because when a personal planet goes retrograde, apparently moving backwards in the heavens, the energy of that planet is internalised. Venus retrograde asks us to look within, to consider our self-worth and our level of emotional security. Scorpio's natural tendency towards privacy is likely to be extra strong, and we may find ourselves reluctant to share our inner selves even with those closest to us. Scorpio is the deep water of our emotions and our unconscious, and we may feel our energies shifting internally in ways that we are barely able to articulate, even if we wanted to. As with all the water signs, there's a need to surrender and go with the flow. Fighting or resisting the process of transformation may lead to even more intense drama than is usual even for Scorpio, and will drain our energy. Positive ways to use Venus retrograde energy might be to actively seek out this process of transformation, perhaps meditating or journalling on what we are experiencing. If we can make the time and space to honour the obsessive tendencies of Scorpio, we may find this to be a period of intense creativity when we are almost channelling something from our very depths. It may take a while to see what that something is, but it's sure to be powerful.
Virgo sees each of the parts of ourselves, and works to perfect each of them, but is always aware that the apparent separation between them is an illusion. The self we are at work, at home with our families, our creative self or our dutiful self, they are all part of the same whole. Moving outwards, we realise that as individuals we are not truly separate either, we are all part of the collective whole, of the body of the earth. By truly seeing and understanding all the individual parts we are able to form the fragments back into a whole. An emotional whole, a spiritual whole, a physical whole. The process of healing - also a key Virgo energy - works on every level of our being, and indeed works to synthesise all those different levels of being to bring us a truly holistic sense of wellbeing. This is a never-ending process, of course, and one thing Virgo understands well is that healing is a journey, not a destination.
This lunation brings some deep shifts in celestial energies, with Pluto and Chiron, both planets which can bring challenges and learning experiences, changing direction, along with Venus who goes retrograde in Pluto-ruled Scorpio. Mars moves back into Aquarius on September 11th, demanding that we fight for our cause and put our energy into collective goals. The balance of power and injustice is highlighted the following day when expansive Jupiter connects with shadowy Pluto. Although it's traditionally seen as a benefic planet, Jupiter exaggerates whatever it touches so we may find the manipulative, ruthless energy of Pluto seems extra strong around this time. There may be power struggles in financial or religious institutions as the collective shadow just seems to grow. This symbolism may also play out as buried wealth coming to light, and ideally, we can use that Mars in Aquarius energy to make sure these resources are allocated wisely. When Pluto goes direct on October 1st we will be able to see more clearly what is happening in the shadows, and what we have brought back from the underworld. Pluto's journey through earthy Capricorn means that the coming weeks may reveal transformations in the world of work or perhaps the economy, as the establishment structures which form the foundation of our society are challenged.
From September 22nd we begin to move into Libra season, with Mercury transitioning into Libra that day and the Sun the day after, on the Autumn Equinox here in the northern hemisphere. Light and dark are equal and we become aware of the process of balance and how it works in our lives. Do we have an equilibrium which keeps us functioning at our best? Balance is not static, and is different for everyone - veering between extremes is just as valid a process of balance as keeping everything on an even keel all the time. It's all about finding what works for us, and using that Virgo discernment to know what brings us out of balance and how to find our sense of harmony again. A few days later, after the full moon on the 25th, Chiron retrogrades back into Pisces for the last time. The spiritual warrior becomes the healer again, reminding us of our connection to the mystery and the need for a little chaos to balance all that Virgo order.