The Daily Astro for September 5, 2013

NEW MOON AT 14 DEGREES VIRGO

by Valerie Sylvester

Today’s New Moon arrives at 7:36 AM EDT, at 14 degrees Virgo (rounded up from 13″ 4′). Since it’s a New Moon, it means that the Sun and Moon are joined together in Virgo. The asteroid Ceres and Mercury also fall in Virgo, making this a loose stellium, which tells us that a large part of the energy focus from now until the Full Moon will be Super-Virgo-ized. I’m trying to picture what a Virgo superhero would be like. One thing I know: he or she won’t be rushing around saving the universe in ripped tights or with loose threads hanging from that uniform!

A casual glance at the New Moon chart shows an emphasis on planets in earth and water signs (the stellium in Virgo, plus Pluto in Capricorn, Saturn in Scorpio, Neptune and Chiron in Pisces, and the Moon’s Nodes in Taurus and Scorpio). Venus is at home in Libra, but that’s the only major placement in air signs, and Mars in Leo and Uranus in Aries are the fire sign team, waving at each other from across the stadium. Much of the action triggered by this New Moon will take place in the areas of your chart that contain the signs Leo, Virgo, Libra, and Scorpio. Check and see where 14 degrees Virgo falls in your birth chart to see what’s being highlighted. Those of you with planets or chart angles near 14 degrees Virgo (give or take 2 or 3 degrees) will find that area of your chart is where the action is right now.

New Moons = new beginnings, seed points, birth and new starts. They’re like the Ace cards in the tarot deck. It’s pure potential, a rush of energy waiting to be directed. The New Moon in Virgo points the way, illuminating the areas in our lives that need to be streamlined, dusted off, and (re)organized. Since the asteroid Ceres is part of the Virgo grouping, it adds the idea of nurturing and nourishing–-and not just on the physical level, either. Virgo is also the sign of the initiate, the holy wanderer (like the Hermit card in the tarot deck), the one who performs a sacred service that uplifts humanity. Purification, intensity of focus, stripping things to the essence (most efficient operation), and making sure all the cogs and gears are ready to rumble are themes to ponder during this New Moon time. It’s about the daily zen. Take a look at your habits, all those things you do on automatic pilot every day, and see if they’re supporting your life or just adding an extra layer of complexity. Banish empty rituals.

This New Moon (remember, that includes both the Sun and the Moon) opposes the asteroid Chiron in Pisces. Chiron works between worlds, as a bridge, and oppositions involve confrontation with the “other”, the opposite, or what’s been projected, so one of the things that can happen now is that we come face to face with the “dark side of the Moon”. The myth of Chiron relates to learning from our most painful wounds in order to teach or help others. Since we’re dealing with the Virgo/Pisces polarity, it’s a good time to take a look at your “terms of service”. If there’s a whiff of the martyr lingering in your environment, maybe you need to renegotiate the contract. (Remember the mantra, “Oh bondage, up yours”. I do so miss Poly Styrene of X Ray Spex.)

New, healthier habits are waiting in the wings to replace the old. Jupiter in Cancer sextiles the New Moon to give us the added confidence boost (just say yes to bigger-n-better!). This New Moon also trines Pluto in Capricorn, which shows us the pathway to transformation/manifestation. However, with Mars in Leo square Saturn in Scorpio and the Moon inconjunct Uranus, the road isn’t entirely bump-free. Frustrating surprises can waylay us. We need to work through some internal blocks in order to make changes. Maybe we’re more resistant than we thought, or we may find that we’re tied to people who don’t understand how important it is for us to work this process right now. This can place a great deal of stress on relationships, so that’s one area where major winnowing may occur. We may be painfully aware of where we need to make the cut, but are reluctant to carry it out. Think of it as a detoxification process–a whole lot of gunk rises to the surface before we feel better. With the Moon’s Nodes hooking up with Saturn and falling in a T-square with Juno in Aquarius and Mars in Leo, we connect with people who mean serious business and throw us a lifeline. Maybe they’ve been through and know the ropes, maybe it’s kismet, or a little of both, but pay attention to the people who come into your life in the next month or two.

Mercury, ruler of this lunation, is in its home sign of Virgo and parallel both the Moon and Uranus, giving us the gift of detachment and the ability to examine our emotions in an almost “out of body”, slightly clinical way, which is just what we need right now. It’s easier to discern patterns (another Virgo specialty) and unravel complications. Later on in the month we may finally see the bigger picture, how all the pieces fit together.

This New Moon reminds me of the old game show “What’s My Line?” That’s the question we’re all going to be asking ourselves this month. Where do your skills lie? What’s the thing you were put on earth to do? This New Moon takes us into the heart of our own unique identity.

THE SYMBOLS:

Sabian Symbol for today’s SUN: “A family tree.”

Kozminsky Symbol for today’s SUN: “A torn document, old and crinkled, on which is a large black seal.” (Influence is SATURN.)

The Keyword for the Sabian Symbol is: “GENTILITY.”

The Keyword for the Kozminsky Symbol is: “CONSCIENTIOUSNESS.”

If you bounce today’s Symbols off each other, the idea of “family contracts” pops up. Both relate to what we “signed up for”, whether you call it fate, karma, magnetic attraction, it’s all about what we’ve brought in with us. The Sabian Symbol, “A family tree”, reminds me of the 10 of Pentacles card, with its emphasis on growth and family lineage. When you compare the astrological charts of family members, you’ll often find similar planetary themes or aspects that reflect the “story” each family embodies. The Kozminsky Symbol represents the ancestral line (Saturn relates to the old stuff, “the way it’s always been done”, the old-world theme). Saturn honors agreements and takes them seriously, which works well with the New Moon in Virgo. Once we sign on the dotted line, we have to follow through on our commitments. This can also relate to family karma, where we feel bound to keep our lives within certain confines due to pressures from others. As noted above, it may be time to take a look at just exactly what we’ve signed up for. Old and new loyalties may cause an internal struggle as we try to break new ground.

The Sabian Symbol suggests that the roots of the situation lie in the distant past and bear closer examination (Here’s a job for our stellium of Virgo planets!). We may discover uncomfortable truths as we begin our round of psychic genealogy. We may feel a need to finally “get to the bottom” of something that’s been nagging at us. It’s our task to honor our heritage but at the same time acknowledge our own needs and unique destiny. This can indicate ancient alliances or blood-oaths that tie people or groups together and are the secret source behind the actions of nations, governments, or groups. It can relate to using “tradition” as a way to deny others a chance to be themselves, or to keep others down. On a spiritual level, today’s combination of symbols can mean rediscovering ancient connections and contracts that can be applied constructively to our lives today. Maybe we’re drawn to ancient Egypt and its spiritual practices, or feel a strong connection to our family religion. Negatively, it can relate to feeling cut off, alienated, or being rootless or adrift.

THE DAILY DRAW:

The Devil / 7 of Cups

“The Devil’s in the Details.” OK, I’ve been talking about this New Moon being a time of examining and possibly uprooting bad habits, which is what this combination is all about. The Devil relates to all those things that obsess us or own us. Fear and loathing of our own enslavement is the game here. It’s time to take that Virgo laser-beam focus and examine what we’re most afraid of, where we’re enslaved and ashamed. Where are the chains hanging in your dungeon? The Devil has a Capricorn connection and the New Moon is in Virgo, another earth sign, so we’re talking about things that manifest in the body– and all the habits that are part of being born human. What’s grabbing you by the throat, where are you blocked? The 7 of Cups shows us possible futures. It’s time to make a choice. With Neptune and Chiron in Pisces, sometimes it’s easier to float around, hiding from commitment to avoid dealing with the scary stuff. It’s so easy to betray yourself by pretending you have so many gorgeous options that you can’t decide which to take, so you’ll just stay in suspended animation. To quote Graham Parker, ” The world is easy when you’re just playin’ around with it…”. Time to get serious. And listen to this sage advice.