The Sun and Moon meet before dawn in the early degrees of Virgo, the first decan. This is the sign of mutable Earth, of simple gifts, tending gardens, mending, weaving, and caring for the world around us.
This is an inwardly focused New Moon. Virgo is rarely loud, preferring to keep under the radar. Mercury, ruler of the New Moon, is slowing down. In about two weeks, they’ll turn retrograde, initiating another kind of inward time. Much of that retrograde will be spent in the sign of Virgo.
One way to think about this New Moon is to take note of what is not happening.
With the Sun and Moon at 4 Virgo, there are no aspects to Saturn, or the outer planets, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto. The Nodes of the Moon are not involved.
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Naturally, there are patterns in the sky that reflect the intensity of the times we’re living in. Venus at 19 Leo anchors a T-square that once again activates the Saturn–Uranus square. Venus and Ceres in Leo oppose Saturn in Aquarius. Each side of this opposition squares the Nodes of the Moon and Uranus.
This Grand Cross in Earth, and in the fixed signs, is a stark reminder that this time in history sets those who dig in their heels and refuse to change against those ready to knock down what isn’t working and build anew. Saturn and Uranus feel like titanic forces. Saturn feels tied to the past, ready to roll back the clock to a golden age of order and good living. Uranus rushes toward the future, certain it will be better.
But Saturn, in this situation, looks toward a past that never existed. And Uranus has no more idea than we do what the future might hold, being certain nonetheless, it will improve, well, everything.
The presence of Venus creates connection. In Leo, Venus is regal, diplomatic, and passionate. Surely equitable solutions can be found if we bring our best creative capacity and make sure everyone is represented at the table.
Meanwhile, somewhere sitting before a humble hearth fire, the Sun and Moon make bread and soup. After supper, they might knit, or carve wood, or tend to the animals and gardens. And children too, of course, who always need tending.
This is a hobbit New Moon taking place as our Middle Earth experiences cataclysmic change.
It is a mistake, though, to equate the simplicity of Virgo with simplemindedness. Virgo knows how vital the basics of life really are. So many proverbs and sayings have a Virgo point of view: A stitch in time saves nine. Take care of the pennies and the pounds take care of themselves. An army marches on its stomach. An apple a day … you get the idea.
It’s not that we can, or should, forget the big issues. It’s more that the Virgo New Moon reminds us without the basics–good food, secure housing, education, health care–those big issues no longer matter. If we can’t function in our day-to-day lives, how can we expect to rule the world?
I see Virgo as a very shamanic sign of the zodiac. Perhaps Virgo doesn’t have the dark mystery of Scorpio, or access to the wisdom of the world like Sagittarius, or the cosmic connections of Pisces. Shamanic practices are based in a strong connection to the natural world. They’re linked to Earth mysteries. To the cycles of the seasons. To how we live our daily lives.
Virgo is the home of the hedge witch, the herbalist, the ones who can walk silently through a forest and leave no trace. This is St. Kevin who, when a bird landed in his hand as he was praying and began to build a nest, chose to remain silent and steady until the nestlings finally flew off.
There is one important aspect to this New Moon: a very tight square to Mars in Gemini. Squares between planets in the mutable signs are not nearly as contentious as those in fixed signs, yet there is a challenge here.
Mars in early Gemini wants information. Data. Stuff to work with. This Mars is an analyst, a researcher, and a communicator. This Mars finds patterns.
The Sun and Moon in Virgo keep Mars in Gemini grounded. All information, everything we know, begins with our physical bodies and their existence in time and place. Much as we might like to imagine ourselves floating among the stars, communing with the heavens, or maybe living inside a huge computer, we do in fact need to eat, sleep, and engage in a variety of other physical functions.
Mars reminds the Sun and Moon that eating, sleeping, and working, resting, and starting over is not all there is. From our experience of life, day to day, we learn. We notice. We collect data. We tell stories. We make meaning. Mars in Gemini is fabulous at gathering up the bits and pieces of daily life and turning them into something new, curious, and compelling.
Note that both signs, Virgo and Gemini, are ruled by Mercury, currently in early Libra and preparing to turn retrograde. It’s as if Mercury is asking us to slow down. Notice. Examine.
Recent lunar cycles, including the last one, have been marked by big changes. This one, beginning with the New Moon in Virgo is quieter, as befits its energy. On September 5, Venus enters Virgo. On September 9, Mercury stations retrograde.
Check there these patterns fall in your birth chart. You may already know where Saturn and Uranus and the Nodes of the Moon are, relative to your chart, since they’ve been such a focus these last two year.
But where is Venus? And what about the New Moon and Mars? This is where we can notice how our daily routines support our goals or get in the way. Perhaps there’s a change or two you can make in the next few weeks so your daily life, your physical life, is better.
The cosmos is signaling a time of reflection. Getting back to basics. Understanding how our lives work. Addressing any troubling patterns or habits.
What we build this cycle needs to be grounded in the Earth we live on and in our day to day lives. There is much wisdom in simple things.
