One way to think of the new moon is as a renewal. When two planets meet in the same alignment, their energies merge. Symbolically, a new moon is a time when the energy of the Moon (representing interior, subjective awareness) meets the energy of the Sun (representing vast, objective consciousness). As these two lights come together we are invited to bring our personal awareness intentionally inward, to take note of this moment in our evolutionary cycle, to reconnect with a greater sense of purpose, and to renew our intentions for the next phase of growth.

Today’s new moon begins a new growth cycle for Virgo’s energy. Remember that all signs are contained in each person’s chart. Virgo, as an energy, is associated with a person’s capacity to attend to the details of their existence. How we each balance our responsibilities, meet the demands on our time, energy and attention, care for our environments, care for our bodies and health, and care for any beings who depend upon us for their survival is Virgo’s domain. 

In our bodies, Virgo has rulership over our intestines and spleen. How we digest, assimilate and absorb directly affects our energy and attention. When we efficiently process and make use of what we take in, we have energy for the various aspects and demands of our lives. When we are able to effectively eliminate what we don’t need and identify and release toxins, our energy is clearer and we are more available for complex, elevating and abstract experiences.

Remember that astrology works in metaphors. This symbolism is not just about food or metabolism. Absorption, assimilation, elimination and purification are necessary on all levels, including: mental, emotional, psychic and spiritual as well as physical.

Today’s new moon occurs in the middle of a larger phase of renewal. Over the course of about a month, the Sun and all of the personal planets will form conjunctions with one another. 

• Two weeks ago, on August 13 and 14 the Sun and Venus came together at 19º Leo. 

• Last week, on August 24, Venus and Mars formed a conjunction at 3º Virgo. 

• On September 2, the Sun and Mars will meet at 8º Virgo

• On September 3, Mercury will conjunct Mars at 9º Virgo and then hours later will form its superior conjunction to the Sun (this is an important moment in Mercury’s retrograde cycle) at 10º Virgo. 

• Finally, on September 13, the day of the full moon, Mercury will form at conjunction with Venus at 29º Virgo. 

The planets mentioned (including the Sun, which is a star) are considered “personal” within the language of astrology because they represent our personalities and personal needs. The Sun as a symbol of essence, represents “how we radiate” and our unique personality, Mercury describes communication style and the internal narrator, Venus represents personal relationships and what we care about most, and Mars presents the qualities of passion and personal desire, and the force with which we exert ourselves when provoked (either through pleasure or pain). 

When the personal planets come together in conjunction, we find ourselves in moments of heightened personal awareness. Particularly in Virgo, which (by necessity) must discern, compare and discriminate, these aspects bring increased capacity for self-reflection and (new) choice-making. Our habits and mental tendencies are blatant, our patterns of communication are exposed, relationship styles become obvious and we are confronted with our personal energy/power and how we use/don’t use it effectively. 

As the personal planets move through Virgo, they each make important aspects to the transpersonal (outer, more slow-moving) planets. Over the course of Virgo Season, the Sun, Mercury, Venus and Mars will all form inconjuncts to Chiron in Aries, trines to Uranus in Taurus, trines to Saturn in Capricorn, squares to Jupiter in Sagittarius, oppositions to Neptune in Pisces and trines to Pluto in Capricorn. 

While the personal (inner) planets describe our personal styles and experiences. The transpersonal (outer) planets describe larger social, cultural and collective experiences. There are many possible associations. At the moment, what seems most relevant for me are these:

• Chiron in Aries - identity politics, increasing awareness of intersectionality, privilege and oppression, the ways we each embody and carry ancestral force and trauma.

• Uranus in Taurus - climate change and climate chaos, rapidly shifting environmental landscapes and geopolitical economic landscapes and their interrelation (specifically in terms of natural resources and global supply and demand). 

• Saturn in Capricorn - restructuring governmental powers, urgency and effort to take control and assert leadership (specifically in response to the symbolism of Uranus in Taurus). Also, (as a social planet, one of two planets which bridge the personal and transpersonal) personal duty and responsibility within the larger needs of this time. 

• Jupiter in Sagittarius - cacophonies of information in the digital age, “fake news” and confusion regarding truth. Also, (as a social planet, one of two planets which bridge the personal and transpersonal) personal beliefs and opinions, how we each try (or don’t) to expand our perspectives and understand our differences. 

• Neptune in Pisces - the collective momentum and overwhelm of global forces failing, mass addiction and avoidance patterns, the “silver lining” and possibility that this moment will give way to greater global consciousness

• Pluto in Capricorn - the end of the Industrial Age and the surfacing of its toxicity. Exposures of corrupting forces, grappling with power and power struggles. Genocide and mass extinction.

As the inner planets form aspects to the outer planets, we feel ourselves in connection with the larger world. We feel affected and perhaps also sense our capacity to affect. The news is in. Our climate is changing dramatically and quickly and these changes will ripple through all aspects of life-as-we-know-it. Climate chaos and species extinction are fully connected to industry and capitalism, which are fully connected to patriarchy and white supremacy, which are fully connected to religious doctrine, which can’t be separated from genocide and indigenous erasure. This is a time on Earth when none of us can hide away pretending “it’s all good”. It hasn’t been good for a good long while and we’re reaching the point that that truth is impossible to ignore. If this is news to you, it’s not news to today’s children. The younger generations don’t have time for pretending that everything isn’t connected to everything else. 

I don’t believe that astrology is causal. It’s not “because” a planet is doing something that we go through the experiences we do. Rather, astrology presents a precise and non-judgmental description of how energy is moving and the options it can take. It’s not telling us what will happen, it’s telling us what can happen, and there are always at least a few options. 

The options we’re presented with today are options that each one of us can take personal responsibility for, and as we do we can affect a larger whole. If anything, Virgo shows us how to show up and make ourselves useful. As one point of the polarity between Virgo and Pisces, this sign reminds us that although the details aren’t the big picture, each one matters within the larger priority. So what can we each show up for?

• The Sun in Virgo reminds us that we can show up for our choices. Yes, there are many choices we don’t get to make, but there are plenty that we do. Bring consciousness to your choices. Don’t fall asleep at the wheel. Your consciousness is like a garden, it needs attending. Don’t pollute it and clear it out regularly. This means, be aware of what you take into your body, your mind and your emotional experience. Say no to junk.

• Mercury in Virgo helps us develop a healthy inner critic. Because critique is necessary and not everything is awesome. Not every word needs to be spoken, but some of them really do. The power of language is the power of attention. Use your inner critic to cut through the bullshit of self-absorption. Use your inner critic to discern what’s actually worth your mental energy. 

• Venus in Virgo teaches us to love through acts of service and to put our money into service for our values. Show up for what and who you care about. Clean up litter. Do a favor for a friend. Pay reparations. Donate to healing and restorative justice projects. Spend more money for better quality and buy less stuff. Volunteer your time. When love is offered through labor our spirits are fortified. 

• Mars in Virgo reminds us that every action counts and it’s worth the energy that change takes. Yes, it takes more time to walk than drive… wake up early and give yourself an extra hour. Yes, you have to remember to bring your reusable bags and utensils… write notes on your hand and develop better habits. Yes, it’s deeply uncomfortable to look at how you carry ancestral habits and biases that continue to harm others… take deep breaths, commit to your own education, show up and find ways to participate with what needs to be healed.

With all the chaos and destruction of right now, there is also so much goodness. There are cultural shifts happening and global priorities are changing. Maybe it’s because it’s the 11th hour and there are no other options, and maybe this is part of some larger, vaster cycle of spiritual evolution and awakening, I certainly don’t know. But, I do know that when I focus on small steps and what I can do personally, I am bolstered and uplifted. I do know that when I focus my efforts on restoration and healing for my community and environment, I myself am restored and healed. 

Today and tomorrow the moon will form all the aspects the personal planets will make throughout their journeys in Virgo Season. The Moon, again, is a symbol of the interior. It’s the subjective landscape. It illuminates our deepest, most internal and personal feelings. As the Moon renews in its cycle, it asks us to embody Virgo’s power for critique and refinement. How are you taking care of yourself and your life? How and where do you recognize the ways your personal life is connected to your community, your environment and the larger world? Where are you leaking energy and resource through unconsciousness, avoidance, neuroticism or self-absorption? How can you drop the bullshit and get over what actually doesn’t matter? What is really effective? What is actually necessary? Where and how can you show up and help with the work that needs to be done? 

One of the ways Virgo gets tripped up is in negativity and self-punishment. As you read and register the paragraphs above, notice what you do with them internally. One of the worst habits of white-supremacist/capitalist/patriarchy (which is a condition we all live in, at least some of the time) is to think “it’s all about me”. This shows up for many of us as fear and anxiety, thinking that we have to go it alone, thinking that we’re the ones who are guilty, or thinking that we’re the ones who should have the answer or be able to fix the problem. If, when you read the paragraphs above, your heart started to beat a little faster, or you got a sinking feeling in your stomach, or started to feel urgency… take a breath. Soften your chest and belly.

While we all need to show up for the choices we each make individually, where we really need to show up is together. Remember that Virgo’s opposite sign is Pisces, and two of Pisces most important symbolic associations are “the whole” and “love”. As we each attend to our details let’s not forget the big picture. We’re here together. And, maybe there’s some wisdom in the idea that on some level, we all chose to be here together at this time. There are more problems than any of us have answers for on our own. If we’re fractured, there are way more answers than there are problems, which means there are arguments about who’s right and who’s wrong. The way through this time will have to be together and alone. Through our personal answers and in our willingness to follow each other’s lead. In our conversations, collaborations, and somehow, some way, in our unity, or at least our unison. 

Ultimately, Virgo is a sign that teaches us to hold space and to attend. To do this we need to be both humble and confident in our abilities. As the sign that comes after Leo, Virgo teaches us to take care of our hearts, our passions and what we love. If there’s any difficulty in discerning where your priorities are, or how to take action towards them, perhaps this is the bottom line: take care of what you love. Really, deeply consider what you love and what fills you with love. I am absolutely sure it’s not money or new clothes or a job description or whatever is going on on your phone. Prioritize what you most deeply care about. Make time every day to give it/them attention and find simple ways that your efforts can enhance the essence of what and who you love. If we all do this together, we will be just fine.

I’m wishing each of you and all of us deep and whole well-being on this new moon day.
Renee

To learn more about Virgo Season 2019 and Virgo’s Embodied Astrology, listen here
For more embodied support on this new moon, listen to a previous guided meditation for a Virgo New Moon
To find your audio horoscopes for Virgo Season, click here