Today is a new moon AND a total solar eclipse in the sign of Virgo. New moons are fresh starts, when Sol and Luna kiss in the sky a seed is planted that expresses the themes of that sign. Virgo, one of the most consistently misunderstood signs of the zodiac, presides over the harvest after the fullness of summer. Hard work, sorting, analyzing, serving, cultivating health, daily ritual, and mentoring are all activities belonging to the season of Virgo.
Symbolized by the Virgin (originally meaning one who is whole unto herself) and ruled by the quick-moving and mental planet Mercury, Virgo seeks to create a purified, healthy vessel for the blossoming of the mind and spirit. Opposite to watery Pisces, the last sign along the zodiac wheel, Virgo involves the intelligence required to make it through the world of matter. Virgo seeks to perfect, to express spirit through each detail of living, to make the sacred alive through the mundane.
Virgo desires to share herself so fully, so completely, and to be a totally willing vessel for the mystical; these characteristics are gravely misunderstood in an era that champions exploitation of the earth and denigration of the female body.
Virgo can give and give and give without depleting so long she is taken with grace and gratitude. When she feels depleted and misunderstood, she closes and criticizes, contorting into the narrowed stereotypes that we’ve come to key-word Virgo with, nit-picky and tight-assed!
With so much action in Virgo (Sol, Luna, Luna’s nodes, Jupiter, and retrograde Mercury), we are urged to lovingly and humbly work toward self-mastery - may each action and word be in service to divinity here on Earth.
Humility and quiet dedication are not easy modes to access in a sky like this as Mars and Saturn, the two extreme planets, very hot and very dry respectively, are currently paired up in the seeking sign of Sagittarius. Saturn with Mars demands that our sexual energies be disciplined and that our actions be based on sound, sober judgment. Righteousness and bold anger is the shadow side of this pairing.
Mars and Saturn must answer to Jupiter, meaning that our actions and social structures should be founded on faith and wisdom, but Jupiter must answer to Mercury. Jupiter is the guru and Mercury is the eternal student - what happens when Jupiter becomes student to Mercury?
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A highly respected teacher of yours, who you tend to place upon a grand pedestal, visits your home after a long, arduous journey, a journey that starkly contrasts with your teacher’s regular adventures and spiritual questing. Of course, you welcome your teacher to your home, eager to be host this inspiring presence and happy to be the comfortable, knowledgeable one for a change.
Your teacher is very tired and humbled, a state rather unfamiliar to you. Overwhelmed with the new teachings and difficult experiences accumulated, your teacher is grateful to receive your keen insights and welcoming presence so they can sift, organize, and integrate the new teachings.
At night when your beloved teacher rests, you tiptoe into the basement of your home to process the stories of their journey into service.
- What do you find?
- What can you teach your teacher?
Whatever it might be, make sure it is practical (Virgo), founded on real, lived experience (Saturn in Sagittarius), compassionate (Neptune in Pisces), and prompting of action (Mars in Sagittarius). Gather the information and discern what is most compelling, what is most urgent.
A sky like this leaves an imprint that lasts at least 6 months so do not fall into an endless spiral of criticism which is easy enough with the strong Virgo signature. Be honest with what could be better and be ruthless in mastering yourself and your work but stay soft and yielding to the world around you too. The Virgin is the earthly alchemist, sorting wheat from the chaff, and cultivating a temple worthy of the Divine current.
***blog art by Henry Asencio***