Waning Moon in Virgo Moving into Libra

The Moon completed her transit through Virgo early this morning with oppositions to Jupiter and Uranus, and inconjunct angles-of-adjustment to Chiron and Neptune. These four outer planet messengers asked the patient Virgo Moon to look up from her focus on practical details, and gaze out across the great expanse of the universe, challenging her to see the big picture.

Navajo rug

The Moon in Virgo takes comfort in serving others, offering healing and everyday support. Morning dreams may offer a wider, deeper context for Virgo's work, reminding us why details are important and connecting us with larger cycles. This reminder might be disquieting, as sometimes Virgo can hide in the details, hanging back from addressing big issues until everything is organized and all the pieces are in place.

During her void of course time, which officially began at 7:20am EST, the Moon enjoys the company of Juno, the asteroid goddess of committed partnership and respect for tradition. Finding partners in work, friendship, spiritual community, and love is one way Virgo integrates the big picture with the small but vital details that keep our lives going.

At 12:38pm EST, the Moon steps into balanced Libra ... and she will need her balance today, as she forms challenging squares to the powerful Capricorn group of the North Node, Pluto and the Sun. Libra is Cardinal Air, challenging Capricorn's Cardinal Earth: initiating thought and communication, and the balance and beauty of Venus, challenging initiating action and the responsibility and determination of Saturn.

With today's square between Moon and Sun, we reach the last quarter of this lunar cycle, when the Moon moves back towards the Earth, closer to Venus. This is a time of understanding and insight, if we are open minded.

As Mercury continues his retrograde path for a few more days, we can flow with the Libra Moon into a time of assessment and reflection. With all the energy pouring into Capricorn's determined commitment to reaching goals, it's good to ask whether the goals are the right ones, whether they are just, whether they are, in the broadest possible sense, beautiful.

The shadow side of Capricorn includes the single-minded pursuit of goals at any cost, even to engaging in ugly means to reach a desired end. Libra knows that ends never justify means, that in fact our means have a sneaky way of becoming our ends, as we get caught up in action and need to excuse certain behaviors.

Today is a day for reassessment. We've committed to certain goals, but how are we reaching them? Do we feel at peace with our courses of action? Where might we need to realign, rebalance, and walk in beauty?