September 2 9:56 PM EST
In many ways, this new moon is functioning as a kind of “re-start”, or 2nd chance, energy for us. It is a time to simplify, purify, and re-root ourselves. It’s a time to eliminate distraction and apply what we have been learning. We are just emerging out of Mercury retrograde and Mercury is the ruler of Virgo. We can think all the way back to July 17th which is when Mercury first entered it’s shadow zone at 21 degrees of Leo. Whatever has been coming up for us since that time is still up to be processed, but we can see it – and potentially resolve it – now if we are willing to approach from a different perspective.
Virgo is all about refinement and improvement. In it’s shadow expression it can be fussy, critical and eternally unsatisfied. But if we are willing to see and acknowledge now that issues related to our health and habits (Virgo), authentic self-expression (Leo) and organizational and communicational abilities (Mercury) can be shifted and improved, then we can make big progress with that now.
Mercury began it’s retrograde on August 4th at 4 degrees of Virgo. The new moon is at 11 degrees of Virgo and is very much activating that point. Furthermore, Mercury is at 23 degrees of Leo, still in it’s shadow zone despite now being direct, and close to the 27 degree Leo degree where it had it’s cazimi inferior conjunction with the sun on August 18 (during the Aquarius full moon). Again, we are still in the midst of a “larger story” that has been playing out since mid-July, it’s just that we are in the crucial part of that story where we get to pivot, adjust, re-direct and up level our way of “dealing with” whatever is on the table.
Virgo is a mutable sign. It does not rush into action but rather observes, adjusts, and course-corrects as necessary but with thoroughness and an ability to make small but meaningful ‘tweaks’ that pay dividends. It’s worth spending the time reflecting now on what exactly we can do differently in order to get improved results. And how we can best focus our energy, intelligence, and observational skills into impactful adjustments.
This is especially true since the new moon at 11 Virgo is opposed by Saturn at 16 Pisces. Saturn is the pragmatist of the solar system, the wise elder who reminds us time and again that our actions have consequences and it’s important to choose from a place of responsibility and maturity. When we reflect on and accept the lessons that the past fews months (and this recent Mercury retrograde) have given us, then we can apply this Saturnian and Virgoan discrimination and improvement with great effectiveness. If, however, we are still caught up in past drama or resolute about NOT taking responsibility for our choices, then this new moon could feel uncomfortable and restrictive. We could be met with news or circumstances that force our hand into dealing with issues we would rather continue to sweep under the rug.
Some of this centers on our ability to be authentic and heart-centric, since Mercury itself is in Leo. It requires Leonine courage to express our needs, desires and creativity boldly and from a place of both warmth and self-respect. It also requires Leonine bravery to be accountable and genuine when we fall short and take ownership of that and make true repairs. Shadow Leo would instead point fingers in order to preserve it’s fragile ego and self-esteem. We must be honest with ourselves where we are tempted to do this and instead hold strong (Leo is a fixed fire sign) and see what is in front of us and how we can improve as we go.
We have quite a bit of energy in the air signs, with Venus in it’s home sign of Libra, and both Mars and Jupiter in Gemini. This lends a breezy and sociable energy to the collective, even though we are dealing with very real and important situations in our lives with Saturn so dominant now. Venus in Libra is beautifying and elevating our relationships so if there are indeed situations where we need to have important conversations or course correct, we are very supported in doing so when we maintain a win/win and fair approach (Libra). It’s also a positive time to say YES to social invitations and engagements. Mars and Jupiter in Gemini invite us to continue to explore all of the options and possibilities on the table in front of us. The more curious and open-minded we can be then the more original, inventive and appropriate solutions and paths can emerge in front of us.
Jupiter in Gemini is a year-long transit that lasts until June 2025. With Mercury being the ruler of Gemini (as well as Virgo) there is significance here too with this Mercury-ruled new moon. The biggest challenge of Jupiter in Gemini may be the abundance of choices and possibilities that, like a kaleidoscope, turn into confusing distractions and actually hinder our ability to discern wisely which of the options is right for us. So this Virgo new moon is an important “stepping stone” on our journey of Jupiter in Gemini (which began in late May) to help us in an initial process of culling, refining, readjusting and eliminating of things that may have been swirling as far back as the spring.
The more we are able to do this work of refining, eliminating, adjusting and improving now the better served we are moving forward into the fall- for several reasons. First of all, Saturn as we have mentioned is opposite the new moon and does not “let things slide”. If there are things that need to be dealt with at a practical level, it will only get more stressful to deal with them later so we are encouraged to face them head on now. Secondly, we risk getting ‘overwhelmed’ by the sheer abundance of ideas/options/possibilities on the table with Jupiter in Gemini, so seeing some of them for what they are and eliminating them now helps “tidy things up” and then we can continue to embrace the highest possibilities of Jupiter in Gemini. Thirdly, we are at the beginning of eclipse season.
The full moon that falls at the midway point of this lunar cycle is a lunar eclipse in Pisces. It is the first eclipse in the Virgo/Pisces polarity we have had since early 2017. While 3 out of 4 eclipses in 2024 are in the Aries/Libra polarity, we are now beginning to transition to Virgo/Pisces eclipses and 3 out of 4 eclipses in 2025 will be in Virgo/Pisces. This calls even more attention to the themes we have been discussing about discernment, refinement and improvement. The more we can do now, the more we are setting ourselves up for success later. The Pisces full moon lunar eclipse that falls on September 17th at 25 degrees Pisces brings our awareness to our psychic inner landscapes and will help fill in the “missing pieces” of anything we are not “seeing” right now that needs to be attended to. It will also deepen our perceptions about the true stirrings of our heart and so yet again, the more “room” we are able to make to attend to these more subtle and romantic stirrings at the end of this lunar cycle, the better we will feel. It’s time to do the laundry now, so to speak, so we can enjoy the second half of the month.
Finally, we have both Uranus and Pluto making their presence known. Just one day before the new moon, Uranus turned retrograde at 27 degrees of Taurus. Whenever a planet is “stationing” (at the degree where it turns retrograde or direct) it is highly powerful. Uranus is not afraid of breaking eggs to make an omelette. It urges us forward towards our highest calling through sudden awakenings, realizations, and breakthroughs. It is unsentimental about leaving the past behind. We are well served now by tuning into this energy in order to avoid drama in whatever shifts we are making. When we take the “personal” out of it, then it becomes easier to make decisions or have potentially sensitive conversations. Uranus urges us to move forward in this vein.
Pluto has been retrograde since May 2nd when it began reversing at 2 degrees of Aquarius. But also just one day before the new moon, on September 1st, Pluto retrogrades back into Capricorn. Between September 1 and November 19th we have the very final period of Pluto in Capricorn in our lifetimes. It will sit at 29 degrees Capricorn between now and mid-November stirring up all kinds of “unresolved issues” that have been kicked up since Pluto first entered this sign in 2008. Especially in the Capricornian realms of business, institutions, government and VIPs. In our personal lives as well, we can look to the house in our chart ruled by Capricorn and observe the deep transformation there over the past 16 years. This autumn is a time to focus on our “take-aways” from this period of deep restructuring and make any “final adjustments” that will serve us on our path forward.
We are integrating a lot now, so perhaps it’s fitting that Virgo is concerned with health and nutrition. What is our level of emotional, energetic, practical and relational health right now? What have we learned about those things in the past few months and how can that information help us make meaningful adjustments now? The more we can re-set and re-focus now based on this information, the more available and prepared we will be for the twists and turns that are on the horizon during eclipse season.
*art by @fvckrender
vibrational-astrology.com 