Virgo New Moon Cycle: Chop Wood, Carry Water

Wikimedia's Picture of the Day ... perfect!

We're just past the New Moon. The window for wishes and intentions is still open, as Virgoan ears gently listen.

Today's post looks ahead through the week to amazing events coming our way, with that New Moon window open, lace curtains fluttering in the breeze. Looking ahead, noting the possibility of challenge, tucking a few extra provisions in our pack––these are Virgo moves.

September 18, Pluto stations direct, which means he's especially powerful that date, and a few days on either side. Calling Pluto "especially powerful" sound like a message from the Department of Redundancy Department, so think of this as a time when we notice in a deeper way how power is moving, where it's moving, and how it works, both in our own lives and in the world.

The Moon and Saturn are conjunct in Libra this day, semisextile the Virgo Sun, which also pulls attention to how things are structured and how they work.

On September 19, we reach the Crescent Moon, a time when we first see the shape of what's to come peeking through the soil. Have we set intentions for more mindful living? We may begin to see what that looks like for us.

Also arriving on September 19 is the second exact square between Uranus and Pluto, revolution and tradition, the explosive and the tectonic, the lightning and the glacier. Pluto's first direct action, in other words, is to engage Uranus.

This Crescent Moon, pulling away from the careful Virgo Sun in an edgy semisquare, is in psychic and wary Scorpio. Life is not as simple as it seems! How can we expect to continue living simply, taking small steps, when events are exploding around us, when our foundations are rocked and split open? The night is dark and we have far to go.

And yet, this is the message of Virgo and mindfulness and simple living: When all hell breaks loose, there is still that next step. The garden needs tending, the dog needs a walk, we are hungry, we need to sleep, the baby is laughing.

Whether we experience tragic upheaval, or the wondrous beauty of spiritual joy, the laundry is there. Virgo invites us to look past the burdens of ordinary life and see loveliness, comfort, symmetry––not to overlook the burdens, but know them, deeply, as beautiful.

Can we breathe through whatever comes, and still walk the path? This is the question of the Crescent Moon arriving with the Uranus–Pluto square.

On September 22, we reach the First Quarter Moon and the Autumn Equinox. The Equinox arrives first. Astrologically, this is the moment when the Sun enters Libra, cardinal Air. 

For those who love Autumn, this is a longed-for moment, a breath of fresh, cool air after the overheated stillness of late summer. Now life feels possible again. New books, sharp pencils, crisp apples, clear nights.

At the Equinox, the Moon sits in late Sagittarius, optimistic and expansive, opposing Ceres in Gemini, abundant and generous. Saturn in harmonious Libra trines Ceres and sextiles the Moon, supporting realistic appreciation of all we have.

How is this a challenge?

When the First Quarter Moon arrives a few hours later, the Moon has shifted into 0 Capricorn, squaring the Equinox Sun. The waxing Moon continues to pull away from the Sun, eager to move on, move ahead.

At 0 degrees, the opening degree, each sign is focused and intent. These are cardinal Air and cardinal Earth, the Moon ready to take action and the Sun wanting to be sure the plan is clear.

Do we really understand what we've committed to? Have we fully explored the risks and benefits? Are we prepared? The Libra Sun wants to know.

Strike while the iron is hot! says the Capricorn Moon. Time and tide wait for no man. This push-pull reflects one of Virgo's core issues: Do we take the small steps we can see, or do we suffer the paralysis of analysis?

Virgo is careful, anxious, keenly aware of the many pitfalls and errors out there, and the inordinate consequences of failing to prepare properly. Virgo is also the helper, the healer, the willing servant who sees what needs to be done, and simply does it.

At this First Quarter, with the Sun poised at a balance of the year, in Libra the sign of balance, our Virgo equanimity is tested.

Here, we see where we're holding ourselves back with overplanning, trying to control what cannot be controlled. We also see where we're avoiding information we find troubling, moving ahead with the plan as it is.

Neither extreme will work; we need just-right planning and timely action. In fact, one informs the other. Action brings response, which is information. Thought allows us to anticipate and gauge the effects of action. At the First Quarter, we bring ourselves into balance.

A lot for one week. A good time for mindfulness and caring.