Venus trine Jupiter

Virgo New Moon

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Pour Gustave l’adoré by Dorothea Tanning

New Moon in Virgo

The New Moon in Virgo on September 6 heralds the coming turn of season, uniting Moon with Sun sixteen days before the Libra Equinox initiates the final quarter of 2021. As a mutable sign Virgo bears wisdom for transitions, for attuning to how our inner mutations may emerge within the changing external circumstances surrounding us. The accelerated pace of change that has been present throughout 2021 will not be easing in the season ahead, and so the darkness of the lunation is ideal for drawing inward away from the cacophony of current events to become rooted within the inner ground of your essential integrity. In correspondence with the rebirth of another lunar cycle, make the time and space for connecting with the resources and relationships that nurture your capacity for creativity, that inspire inventive expression and provide a container for giving life to your deepest desires.

The Virgo New Moon is centered within activating aspects that can stoke forward progress on goals yet require thorough application of the sharp discernment that can be cultivated within the zodiacal terrain of the Winged Maiden. The Virgo Moon is applying to an exact trine aspect with Uranus in Taurus as well as an opposition with Neptune in Pisces, a trine with Pluto in Capricorn, and a conjunction with Mars in Virgo. The earthy triangle formed between the lunation with Uranus, Pluto, and Mars can foster tangible productivity that can be helpful in breaking free from what no longer is working or ways in which you have felt stuck or stagnant. The synergy between the Virgo New Moon with Uranus, Pluto, and Mars can generate the courage and determination to take a new risk in not only constructing plans and conceiving goals, but also following through with meaningful effort.

Yet the boundless, oceanic expanse of Neptune must also be taken into account as the waxing Moon will form an opposition with Neptune on September 7 followed by the Sun in Virgo forming an opposition with Neptune a week later on September 14. While there are many illusory choices to circumvent within a digital age of misinformation and endless distractions, the underlying influence of Neptune upon the lunation can facilitate a release of conditioned beliefs into its dissolving waves. Rather than restricting your path forward based upon what you have led yourself to believe is or is not possible for you to create, see what new vistas of imagination enter awareness through exploration of inner landscapes. Allow a refreshing reordering of longterm goals to emerge that will be in greater alignment with the dreams you want to manifest.

The astrology of 2021 has been centered upon the kind of change that unsettles and disrupts our former sense of normalcy, a trend that will be continuing to occur at an accelerated pace. Indeed, the astrology of the final quarter of the year promises to bring another round of increased volatility that can upturn old storylines and structures while providing impetus for embracing an enlivened resiliency in pursuing what we truly wish to create with our lives in spite of the obstacles we will need to work through. As a result, the Virgo New Moon will be opportune for contemplating and clarifying the various desires and ideas you have been carrying and considering so that you may be more focused on forging an authentic path forward.

Aurora by Remedios Varo

Mercury in Libra rules the Virgo New Moon while separating from a flowing trine aspect with Saturn and applying toward a tense opposition with Chiron in Aries. Mercury is in both the airy home of Venus and the exaltation of Saturn, and so has support through its harmonious aspect with Saturn and the fact that Venus is also present within her domicile of Libra during the lunation. As a result, both sides of the ongoing square aspect between Saturn and Uranus are involved in harmonious aspects during the lunation, with the New Moon in trine with Uranus and its ruler Mercury in trine with Saturn. Mercury in Libra can assist in finding a greater degree of balance in recovering from any difficulties that have led us to feel off-kilter, despondent, or overwhelmed amidst so many collective and personal changes occurring at once in recent months.  The airy nature of Mercury in Libra combined with Venus, Jupiter, and Saturn also occupying air signs can help in connecting with restorative sources of uplifting inspiration and creativity. 

In contrast, the opposition between Mercury with Chiron in Aries can help pinpoint internal issues and blocks that have been getting in the way of pursuing passions connected with our greater purpose. Pay attention to signs in your environment or insights gleaned through relational encounters for messages regarding wounds or places of vulnerability needing your care and awareness. As the Moon waxes in light during the forthcoming lunar cycle into the Full Moon in Pisces on September 20, Mercury will move from its opposition with Chiron into a trine with Jupiter in Aquarius and a square aspect with Pluto in Capricorn. Mercury will be in position to not only dig into internal issues that have been limiting our growth, but also to find the support needed to find ways of moving through places of previous restriction into important development. Mercury in the airy sign of Libra can be helpful in remaining flexible in response to arising challenges, drawing from the strength that Libra possesses in communication and listening as well as both intellectual and aesthetic arrangement and analysis.

Heron Maiden by Nakamura Daizaburo

Providing a buoyant boost underneath the Virgo New Moon is the harmonious trine aspect between Venus and Jupiter, the two planets considered to be the beneficial sources of the good and the beautiful in the astrological tradition. Venus is at full strength in her airy home of Libra, as well as glowing bright in the night sky in her Evening Star phase. In fact, in the days before the lunation Venus made a visible conjunction with the beneficial fixed star Spica in the night sky. Spica symbolizes the wheat held by the Winged Maiden of the Virgo constellation and signifies a brilliant gift or talent. Since Venus crossed Spica in the sky while forming a flowing trine with Jupiter in the days before the lunation, make space within the fertile darkness of the Virgo New Moon to explore what important message about your own unique gifts and talents that the star of Aphrodite is bringing to your attention.

In addition to Venus separating from a trine with Jupiter that can help with stabilizing amidst currents of change, Venus is also separating from a more disruptive square aspect with Pluto in Capricorn during the Virgo New Moon. The square between Venus with Pluto may dredge up issues within relationships that need attention and mediation as well as unearth desires we had been denying or resisting. Due to the trine between Venus with Jupiter at the same time, however, there will be opportunities to make productive use out of whatever deep material becomes stirred up by the tension between Venus and Pluto. As 2021 will end with an extended period of Venus being in close proximity with Pluto in Capricorn due to Venus stationing retrograde in Capricorn on December 19, it will be wise to make space for sorting through what Venus and Pluto force to the surface.

Venus is also separating from a recent conjunction with Vesta in Libra that took place on September 3, with Vesta applying to a trine with Jupiter and a square with Pluto. While Venus in Libra has an emphasis on relationship and social interaction, the recent contact between Vesta with Venus could have revealed insightful meaning regarding how to rebalance relational dynamics in greater alignment with inner needs and our authentic being. Vesta draws attention to the inner hearth of our heart and what is front and center within our inner desires. As Vesta in Libra follows the path of Venus through the same aspects recently formed between Venus with Jupiter and Pluto, we may deepen into contact and discovery of the inner desires needing our attention removed from the demands of external relationships. Vesta in Libra can hold space for the experiences and material dug up by Venus with Pluto as well as whatever inspiring yearning arose from the contact between Venus and Jupiter, helping us sift through their meaning with acceptance that allows for necessary integration.

Self Portrait by Dorothea Tanning

While Venus is comfortably at home in Libra during the Virgo New Moon, within a week of the lunation she will enter the deep waters of Scorpio. As the Moon waxes toward the Full Moon in Pisces on September 20, Venus will enter Scorpio on September 10 and will be less than three degrees away from an exact opposition with Uranus in Taurus at the time of the upcoming Pisces Full Moon. This means that Venus will be setting off the ongoing square aspect between Uranus and Saturn, with Venus in Scorpio forming an exact square aspect with Saturn in Aquarius on September 16 before forming an exact opposition with Uranus in Taurus on September 23. As a result, we can expect another round of dramatic changes in storylines especially within relationships; previously in this past year, Venus set off the friction between Uranus and Saturn from the sign of Aquarius in mid February, from Taurus at the end of April, and from Leo in early July. Venus in Scorpio will encourage an unflinching gaze into the internal dynamics present within relationships, helping us uncover issues that have been buried, feeling into the emotional impact of the changes taking shape in our lives.

Mercury in Libra will also be on a pivotal journey during the forthcoming lunar cycle that will correlate with pivotal events in storylines for us to respond to. Indeed, Mercury is crossing the threshold into its “retrograde shadow zone” during the New Moon in Virgo, meaning that it will ultimately return to the same degree it is occupying during the Virgo New Moon when it stations direct on October 18. This means that in between the Virgo New Moon and October 18, Mercury will move from ten degrees of Libra to 25°28’ Libra when it stations retrograde on September 26, and then will backtrack through the same degrees until stationing direct at 10°07’ Libra on October 18. Contemplate the aspects and house topics this degree range in Libra applies to in your natal chart to begin getting a sense of the issues related to the upcoming Mercury retrograde period that will begin emerging in your life following the Virgo New Moon.

While Mercury is moving direct with the strength of its own visible light during the waxing half of the forthcoming lunar cycle, the fact that Mercury will eventually return to the same degree it is occupying during the Virgo New Moon means that some issues and experiences emerging following the lunation will end up needing to be returned to for reflection and reworking in one way or another. If you realize an important project you are developing is aligning with this same timeframe, it doesn’t mean you should refrain from proceeding but rather be mindful of how things are proceeding step by step, promptly responding to arising issues. The extended period of time that Mercury will spend in Libra from now until early November will give the star of Hermes ample time for thoroughly working through whatever we are designing and generating with our creative output.

9 of Pentacles by Pamela Colman Smith

Virgo 2 Decan

The New Moon in Virgo is in the second decan of Virgo associated with the Nine of Pentacles card illustrated above by Pamela Colman Smith. The image is saturated with a golden aura, with an elegant woman covered in flowing, golden robes. On her hand sits a hooded falcon, its capacity for swift flight and hyper vision temporarily restrained. Surrounding her are ripening grapevines and a large estate upon which we can imagine numerous marvels of nature and art residing. Since it is a tarot card associated with gains in wealth and creation of beautiful works, it makes sense that Venus and Saturn are the co-rulers of the second face of Virgo. While Venus is like the guiding star of beauty and love that gives us an overarching reason to seek wealth we can share with others, Saturn functions as the force of necessity, discipline, and hard work required to seed, cultivate, and gather a bountiful harvest or shape primal material into rarefied form.

Austin Coppock in his book on the decans 36 Faces ascribed the image of “The Hammer and the Anvil” to the second face of Virgo. Coppock described a theme of continual reshaping and refinement of matter in this decan that results in beautiful products and gains in wealth, yet “conceals the pain and toil utterly necessary for its creation.” Coppock concluded that this face brings alchemical “understanding of the many beautiful and repulsive states the matter attains throughout the Magnum Opus,” while the “residents of this decan oversee the ever-transforming world, guiding and shaping the Great Work on a microcosmic level,” inspecting and keeping track of how efficiently material processes are running.

Interestingly, the Hellenistic text the 36 Airs linked the Moirai to the second face of Virgo. These are the daughters of Necessity, the goddesses of fate: Clotho the spinner of the threads of life, Lachesis the measurer of fateful threads, and Atropos who cuts the threads. In Plato’s Myth of Er, the Moriai not only ascribe ones destiny but also the guardian daimon who can bring guidance in accordance with one’s intrinsic virtue and authentic character. As the Virgo New Moon initiates us into the final quarter of 2021 and a season of changes that will likely contain significant experiences that feel like they have a fated quality, making the time and space to center within your essential character will help in discerning how to navigate forward. Like the inspired guidance provided by one’s guardian angel, make the choice to share more of your creativity and gifts with your wider community.

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References

Coppock, Austin. (2014). 36 Faces: The History, Astrology and Magic of the Decans. Three Hands Press.

Virgo Full Moon: Pisces Wave

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Rosette

India (1645) from Metropolitan Museum of Art

Full Moon in Virgo

Now all the truth is out,
Be secret and take defeat
From any brazen throat,
For how can you compete,
Being honour bred, with one
Who, were it proved he lies,
Were neither shamed in his own
Nor in his neighbours’ eyes?
Bred to a harder thing
Than Triumph, turn away
And like a laughing string
Whereon mad fingers play
Amid a place of stone,
Be secret and exult,
Because of all things known
That is most difficult.

To a Friend whose Work has come to Nothing by W.B. Yeats

The Full Moon in Virgo on March 1 is full of inspirational force, imaginal vision and emotional tidal waves.  The Sun, Neptune, Mercury, Venus, and Chiron are all lined up in Pisces opposite the Moon in Virgo, with the lunation’s intensity deepened by a harmonious aspect with Jupiter in Scorpio and catalyzed with explosive vitality by an amplified Mars in Sagittarius.   Ideally during the period of fully reflected light one can situate themselves in a place of stimulating learning or creativity where the dynamic force of the Full Moon can be transmitted into tactile manifestation or revelatory reception.  The potential conflict from Mars comes from dogmatic ideals and subjective projections within an atmosphere making the dry discernment of Virgo challenging.  Mercury rules the Full Moon as it applies to a union with Venus in Pisces and so we experience the Moon in Virgo under the sway of poetic richness, emotional reception, and the intuitive knowing of feelings within the body.

There is simply something sublime about the Moon in Virgo ripening full in reflection of light cast by the Sun uniting with Neptune in Pisces.  In Virgo we can sense the spirit in our flesh and the soul of the earth around us like nowhere else in the zodiac.  Virgo can both discern and analyze insight from difficult or confusing experiences, as well as weave together meaning into tangible forms of shared understanding.  Attaining calm presence in the moment amidst the tumult of ceaseless change is key to optimize the grounded, pragmatic wisdom available in the sign of the Winged Maiden.  The overflowing Piscean influence on the surrounding time period of the lunation makes it easier than normal to fall into illusory pursuits or projections, yet the combined earthiness of the Virgo Full Moon in harmonious relationship with Saturn in Capricorn brings the potential to make the magic of Pisces real, true, and embodied.

deer mandala of kasuga shrine
Japanese silk scroll (late 14th century)

The Virgo Full Moon is ruled by Mercury in Pisces applying to conjoin Venus and Chiron in Pisces, as well as applying to a stabilizing trine with Jupiter in Scorpio.  Mercury resides in Pisces in polarity to both its home and exaltation in Virgo, yet since it is being received by Jupiter it has the resources of Jupiter fully loaded in its tool kit.  Combine the fact Mercury is simultaneously uniting with Venus in its place of exaltation, and we have a deeply visionary and imaginative Mercury that can grasp understanding of one’s larger emotional environment as well as perceive creative solutions.  Flashes of intuitive, direct knowing may be received and the inward earthiness of the Moon in Virgo can facilitate processing perceptions in order to receive a harvest of important insight.

Most auspiciously, both Mercury and Venus are emerging as Evening Stars at the time of the Full Moon, regaling the twilight with their bright starry presence.  Venus has already been visible at twilight in the week leading into the lunation, but the fullness of the Moon rising is perfect for celebrating the return of Venus glowing bright on the horizon.  We haven’t been able to see Venus since she was in her Morning Star phase last November, and so her longly anticipated return to visibility is an omen of good tidings.  The following hymn “The Lady of the Evening,” adapted from ancient Sumerian text by Diane Wolkstein and Samuel Noah Kramer, celebrates the re-emergence of Venus as an evening star:

At the end of the day, the Radiant Star, the Great Light that fills the sky,
The Lady of the Evening appears in the heavens.
The people in all the lands lift their eyes to her.
The men purify themselves; the women cleanse themselves.
The ox in his yoke lows to her.
The sheep stir up the dust in their fold.
All the living creatures of the steppe,
The four-footed creatures of the high steppe,
The lush gardens and orchards, the green reeds and trees,
The fish of the deep and the birds in the heavens-
My Lady makes them all hurry to their sleeping places.

The living creatures and the numerous people of Sumer kneel before her.
Those chosen by the old women prepare great platters of food and drink for her.
The Lady refreshes herself in the land.
There is great joy in Sumer.
The young man makes love with his beloved.

My Lady looks in sweet wonder from heaven.
The people of Sumer parade before the holy Inanna.
Inanna, the Lady of the Evening, is radiant.
I sing your praises, holy Inanna.
The Lady of the Evening is radiant on the horizon.

Fascinatingly, due to Mercury slowing down and then stationing retrograde in Aries on March 22, Venus and Mercury will remain in range of a close conjunction all the way through the waning half of the forthcoming lunar cycle, so that on the following Pisces New Moon on March 17 they will still have only one degree of separation between them in Aries.  This is an unusually long time to live with Venus and Mercury transiting in such close proximity to one another and so brings an opportunity to find greater alignment between inner values and outer expression and communication.  There will be a notable shift on March 6 when both Mercury and Venus will move into Aries, bringing potential to take the inner illumination received from their time together in Pisces into direct, courageous action in the world.

While Venus and Mercury are uniting at the end of Pisces they are also taken into a deeper dimension of perception by their additional conjunction with Chiron in Pisces.  Chiron is a celestial centaur who bridges the divide between Saturn and Uranus, the key holder who brings access to vital subconscious information.  Since Mars in Sagittarius is also approaching a challenging square aspect with Chiron, there is a collective trigger that reflects the gaping, aching wounds of trauma and oppression felt throughout the collective, injuries often brought about through violence and conflict connected to dogmatic paradigms of belief.  During the days following the Full Moon there is potential to journey within to both face and dissolve old wounds that are ready to be dislodged.  However, some wounds may still feel more painful than fully engaged in healing and if this is the case the over abundance of planets in Pisces can allow for a flow of emotive release.

One of the biggest factors in the Virgo Full Moon, however, is Jupiter in Scorpio not only forming a trine to Mercury, Venus and Chiron, but also beginning to station retrograde.  Jupiter in Scorpio will station retrograde a week after the lunation on March 8 and is barely moving at the time of the Full Moon, bringing its archetype into a stronger presence within the collective.  Whenever a planet stations its archetype saturates the landscape, so prepare for lessons involving Jupiter in Scorpio to become abundantly clear.  We have passed through a season of eclipses that formed a square to Jupiter in Scorpio, and so we are primed to receive direct knowing from the accumulation of recent experiences.  Although Jupiter and Mars are not in a major aspect, they are mutually exchanging signs with Jupiter in the home of Mars and Mars in the home of Jupiter.  With regard to the additional interplay between Mars and all of the action in Pisces that Jupiter also rules, Jupiter in Scorpio can help us shed attachments to old illusions of belief and ready us for a new influx of understanding.  Once Jupiter turns retrograde in the first week of March, it will move backwards through our zodiac until stationing direct again on July 10 at 13º20′ of Scorpio.

mount meru mandala
Cosmological mandala with Mount Meru (14th century China)

While Mercury and Venus are separating from a square with Mars in Sagittarius, Mars is applying to a trine with Eris and Uranus in Aries.  When we also factor in Mars being conjoined with the asteroid Vesta at the Full Moon, there is potential to utilize the fiery volatility of Mars in Sagittarius to not only explore exciting frontiers but also utilize the focus necessary to bring something worthwhile back to share with the wider collective.  Aspects between planets are multivalent in expression, and so while there is potential destructive conflict signified by the aspects Mars is making at the Full Moon, this same energy of Mars can correspond with separating yourself from previous limitations or oppressive circumstances and making visionary strides forward.  Mars in Sagittarius is fast moving and curious with ample stores of generosity and optimistic hope available to fuel striving for greater freedom and making real progress toward idealistic pursuits.

In addition to all of the watery and fiery dynamics previously mentioned, there is also a lot of the grounded earth element involved in the Full Moon.  As the Moon waxes full in Virgo it will form a trine with Saturn in Capricorn, and then following its opposition with the Sun the Moon will move toward a trine with Pluto in Capricorn.  When we also consider the placement of the asteroid Pallas Athene in the middle of Taurus, there is a stable earth triangle formed that also involves harmonious sextile aspects between Saturn with the Sun and Neptune in Pisces.  As a result, there is potential to find surrounding structures to stabilize and ground the insight available in correspondence with the lunation into tangible manifestation.  It also highlights the availability of outlets for grounding or compassionate support if the emotional waves of the abundant Pisces influence becomes overwhelming.

pents09
9 of Pentacles by Pamela Colman Smith

Virgo 2 Decan

The Full Moon in Virgo arises in the second decan of Virgo associated with the Nine of Pentacles card illustrated above by Pamela Colman Smith. The image is resplendent with a golden aura surrounding a Venusian figure, and fittingly Venus is the ruler of the second face of Virgo.  On her hand sits a bird of prey ready to strike out for resources, while ripening grapevines surround her.  This tarot card is traditionally associated with gains in wealth, and Austin Coppock in his book on the decans 36 Faces analyzed how the hooded falcon (a symbol of spirit enclosed in matter) is a protector of the grapevine resources linked to her wealth since it feeds on the creatures who would damage the growth of the grapes.  Coppock found a theme of continual reshaping and refinement of matter in this decan that unveils the diverse extremes of experiences that unite within the final form of a created work that contains spirit:  “Alchemically, this face provides understanding of the many beautiful and repulsive states the matter attains throughout the Magnum Opus . . . . [and] brings one to inspect material processes and note the efficiency or lack thereof” (p. 146).

Interestingly, the fragmentary Hellenistic text the 36 Airs linked the Moirai to the second face of Virgo.  These are the daughters of Necessity, the goddesses of fate: Clotho the spinner of the threads of life, Lachesis the measurer of fateful threads, and Atropos who cuts the threads.  These goddesses of fate appearing in this decan points to the importance of centering within the actual currents of life so that choices can be discerned that will allow one to navigate with as optimal a flow as possible.  While there is incredible imagination available with the overflow of Pisces influence on the Virgo Full Moon, this visionary capacity needs to be grounded in the truly developing elements of life rather than dissipated through denial of what is actually happening.  Through a combination of grounding while simultaneously opening to the full range of possibilities available in the moment, the Virgo Full Moon can facilitate awareness of new choices freed from the limiting thoughts of the past.

References

Coppock, Austin. (2014). 36 Faces: the history, astrology, and magic of the decans. Three Hands Press.

Wolkstein, Diane and Kramer, Samuel Noah. (1983). Inanna: Queen of Heaven and Earth.  Harper & Row.