A Full Moon in Virgo can highlight things we feel anxious about, things we hope to keep organized and under control, things we take care of, and how we offer practical service.
At each Full Moon in Virgo, the Sun is in Pisces, offering a contrast, highlighting places we can’t see clearly, where words like ‘organization’ and ‘control’ don’t apply, which create anxiety for a Virgo Moon.
This year finds the Moon alone in Virgo opposing not only the Sun but Mercury and Neptune in Pisces as well.
We already know we’ve embarked on a deep Piscean journey. So the focus is on where and how we’re uncomfortable in mystical, foggy, open-ended, creative but unfocused places.
One of my recommendations for any lunation is to check your birth chart to see where the Sun and Moon intersect your chart. For the Full Moon itself, find 16º40’ of Pisces and Virgo.
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Note which houses in your chart the transiting Sun and Moon are in, and whether you have planets or points this Full Moon is aspecting. This will point to aspects of who you are and areas of your life that will be affected.
I mention this now because this is a complicated Full Moon. One that’s throwing a few curve balls our way, so, it’s good to know what we personally should look for.
So, a Virgo Moon facing powerful Piscean planets. Virgo is mutable Earth, the practical, organized, hands-on sign. In Virgo, we want to know what’s real.
Virgo is ruled by Mercury, our mind, how we perceive, how we process, how we communicate. But, oops, Mercury is currently in Pisces. In addition, Mercury is under the beams of the Sun, heading toward their cazimi, which will happen March 17. This creates extra barriers to clarity.
In a quirk of the astrological system, Mercury is both in fall and in detriment in Pisces–because Mercury is both ruler of and exalted in Virgo. So, Mercury would definitely prefer to be over with the Moon, but is lost in the mists. Our minds are drawn to exploring mysteries, not sorting out reality on the ground.
There are more challenges here.
The Full Moon squares Mars at 21º48’ Gemini. Yes, Mars is direct, yay, and starting to pick up speed, but there is one aspect of the long Mars retrograde that’s brought into focus at this Full Moon.
Over the last months, Mars has squared Neptune twice: Once in direct motion and once retrograde. The last square, also direct, will be exact on March 14 and is definitely in play at this Full Moon.
Note that Mars in Gemini faces the same challenge the Moon does: Gemini, like Virgo, is ruled by Mercury. So Mars is foggy about what to do. Imagine Mars squaring off with the Sun, Moon, and Neptune, saying, “ok, look, I know stuff needs to get done. I know I need to do it. So, help me out here. Give me clear information so I can move forward.”
Clear information is just not available right now.
Also, the Sun and Moon are separating from a sextile and trine to Uranus at 15º44’ Taurus. The stable Earth of Taurus feels good to the Virgo Moon, but Uranus the revolutionary does not. Quick, unexpected change is anathema to this quiet, detailed-oriented Moon.
Another challenge: Saturn teeters in the final minute of the final degree of Aquarius. Less than an hour after the Full Moon is exact, Saturn enters Pisces. This shift from fixed Air–a place of power for Saturn–into mutable Water–a place where Saturn is lost at sea–is part of the Full Moon.
It’s as if Saturn says in this moment, “Here. Here are the principles. Here is the vision. Here is what we know. … oh, wait, wait a minute. Ummm … no, that’s … there’s new information coming in and I … uhhh … I need to recalibrate. I’ll get back to you.”
The world is changing. What seemed certain, now is not. During Saturn’s years in Pisces and its copresence with Neptune, reality itself is going to bend.
What can a Virgo Moon do?
The strengths of Virgo will be key to making it through the next years.
In pop astrology, Virgo gets painted as anxious, fussy, OCD, and nitpicky. Not a party person. And yet, Virgoan skills are exactly what we need now.
Virgo, as Mercury’s Earth sign, is skillful. Virgo knows how to chop wood and carry water.
Virgo can plant a garden that feeds bodies with good food and souls with beauty. Virgo is hands-on.
Sure, sometimes anxiety can lead Virgo into herding cats and trying to get ducks into rows. But in the end, I want Virgo skills and abilities. I want to get my hands in the soil and my feet on the ground. Connecting with the reality of daily life, of cycles of the year, of patterns of weather–this is where we live.
Full disclosure: My Moon is in Virgo. I’ve been on a very long journey to reframe my own tendencies to feel anxious about what I do, what I don’t do, and whether any of it is good enough. Now I’m in a place where I fully appreciate what Virgo brings.
So the pivot I’m suggesting for this Full Moon is to feel where the uncertainties of the world cause you anxiety. There are 100% completely legitimate reasons to be concerned about anything and everything in the world today. 100% And believe me, I share those concerns.
What I try to avoid, though, is the kind of anxiety that keeps me from taking effective action.
Anxiety interferes with our ability to take good care of ourselves, another Virgo strength. Anxiety can become so pervasive it clouds our capacity to enjoy the life we have. Virgo excels in appreciating the simple things.
Virgo gets back to basics. Virgo wants evidence. Virgo wants the truth.
My keyword for this Full Moon is “touchstone.” Today, that word usually refers to qualities that are unseen, spiritual, or esoteric. Banks and investment firms like to use Touchstone in their names, because it feels solid but isn’t really.
In its current definition, a touchstone is something that describes a fundamental belief or value.
But that’s not where the word came from. A touchstone, a real one, is actually very practical and Virgoan.
A touchstone is a piece of rock, usually basalt, something very hard, that you can hold in your hand, carry in your pocket, or at least have somewhere handy. It’s used to test whether gold or silver are really what they’re claimed to be.
Let’s say someone wants to sell you gold rings.
You take one ring, rub it across the surface of your touchstone.
The color of the mark from the softer metal tells you if it’s truly gold or not.
It’s very real, very practical, and so useful. Just like Virgo.
Imagine if we had a touchstone like that for testing claims made by the media, politicians, insurance companies, employers, or anyone who wants us to believe, accept, or act on something we’re not sure about.
This Piscean world we’re entering will lead us to question many aspects and levels of what we’ve called “reality.” This journey has great creative potential, but is also likely to be confusing. When we inevitably feel disoriented, what will be our touchstone?
This is the key question of the Full Moon in Virgo.