NEW MOON IN VIRGO: ENDINGS & HEALINGS

New Moon in Virgo: 1:30am EDT (3am NDT) September 20, 2017.

Mercury, grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.

☿

The New Moon in Virgo comes to us on the threshold of the Fall Equinox here in the Northern Hemisphere. The beginning of this lunar cycle finds us in the liminal space between the brightness of summer and its imminent decay.

Two days after the New Moon on September 22nd, at 16:02 EDT, the Sun enters the sign of Libra and signals the beginning of Autumn.

ENDINGS & HEALINGS

The New Moon is often associated with the beginning of a monthly cycle and renewed vigor for the month ahead. Since this New Moon takes place in the last degrees of Virgo just 2 days before the Fall Equinox, she carries with her an air of finality and closure as oppose to new beginnings.

It is within the current endings that we will find the new beginnings taking shape. Something is being composted into a nourishing and fertilizing soil. However, we must appreciate this process fully and bid farewell to past fantasies and bewildering ideas that keeps us looking backward. To cross this seasonal threshold, something must be surrendered or given as a token gesture to those ideals and fantasies. It is in this paradoxical abandon that we shall receive the necessary healing for the next part of the journey and the accomplishment of our future goals.

OPEN WOUNDS

Under this New Moon in Virgo our wounds will take an incandescent glow calling to our attention what can’t be ignored any longer. The surfacing of these wounds could make us feel vulnerable but it will allow us to apply the necessary medicine. The pain which usually lies dormant under the surface of our skin will rise up and give us a clear indication of what must be healed. The remedies could be a bewildering blend of intuitive visions and practical applications. The most difficult task will be to rid ourselves of the intangible poisons and parasites.

Mercury, ruler of Virgo, presides over this New Moon and will be in exact opposition to Neptune at the time of the New Moon. Mercury began its retrograde motion on August 12 – in this exact part of the zodiac and opposing Neptune.

The train we have been riding since last month had Neptune coloured windows. When Neptune is involved, facts and fiction blend together creating a confusing cocktail of wishful thinking and unrealistic expectations. Under Neptune, we are intoxicated by an ideal and susceptible to delusion. At its best, Neptune gives a romantic tone to the object of desire, making us see what we want a see. Hopefully, the Sun in Virgo has helped us discriminate between what is achievable and what was mere fantasies. Regardless, in the days to come, we should slowly start to gain clarity on our current situation and any confusing scenarios we have been engaging with since the beginning of August will be seen for what they are. The New Moon in Virgo is also in exact opposition to Chiron; once the rose-coloured glasses come off, the truth could be hard to digest and the pain quick to locate. Be easy on yourself.

HONESTY & PRAGMATISM

Finally, remember that not everything can be solved at once. Patience and humility will be required for your perceived mistakes and failings; nothing is perfect in this world. Special attention must be paid to anything that requires fixing; whether physiological, spiritual or mechanical. Some of the keys you hold in your hands will heal what ails you and some of those keys will open dead-end doors. Pay attention to the repeating clues given to you as you cross the threshold between Summer and Fall.

 

Paintings by Zdzisław Beksiński and Magritte

 

SOLUTIONS AND DISSOLUTION

FOR WHEN THE SUN IN VIRGO OPPOSE NEPTUNE IN PISCES AND
THE MOON IN AQUARIUS CONJUNCT THE SOUTH NODE:

Can you discriminate between omens and wishful thinking?
Between poison and medicine?
Delusion and honesty?
Between a ghost and your own shadow?
Do you know your boundaries?

Still from the film ”The Dance of Reality” by Jodorowski

MERCURY RETROGRADE: Ordinary & Extraordinary

Small minds are concerned with the extraordinary, great minds with the ordinary
-Blaise Pascal

☿

Mercury retrograde always brings some form of revision either willingly or imposed on us by unforeseen circumstances. There is no reason to hop on the Mercury-Retro-Freak-Out-Train as this occurs approximately 3 times a year.

Mercury will be retrograde in the sign of Virgo and then Leo from August 12th to September 5th, 2017.

One of the striking aspect of this particular retrograde is the Mercury/Neptune opposition mere days before the beginning of the retrograde.

This means that the week leading up to the retrograde is somewhat foggy or tinted by wishful thinking and clarity is already lost. There could be confusion between facts and fiction. It could be that a situation is not seen for what it is and we are getting lost in glamorous thinking. Venus is also trine to Neptune and the Sun is in Leo after all!

Mercury/Neptune is not a terrible aspect in itself but decision making might not be anchored in reality. If you know this already, work it to your advantage and take into account that your perception will shift considerably by the time this retrograde is all said and done.

The Full Moon in Aquarius on August 7th was the first of 2 Eclipses happening this month and this also has to be taken into account. The liminal space between Eclipses can be thought of as a transitional period. Often the time surrounding Eclipses bring unforeseen circumstances which shake the foundations in our lives. Events pushes us to take a leap of faith or break with the old ways. Sometimes these events are forced upon us and the path we were until then walking on vanishes aligning us on a totally new and unforeseen trajectory.

Mercury retrogrades are best spent re-evaluating, sorting out, and revising what is already in place. Mercury retrogrades are not so great for launching major new projects and ideas. Since this retrograde begins in the Mercury ruled sign of Virgo, there is no better time to get down to the nitty-gritty details of your life and put them in order. Mercury will retrograde back into the sign of Leo on August 31st. The subject of self-esteem, pride, the desire for recognition, following one’s heart, dreams and passions will all be added to the mix.

*If the eclipses are already bringing major changes in your life, embrace them and apply a good strategy to insure your success.

Here are a few more tips to help you navigate the upcoming retrograde in Virgo & Leo:

☿-Don’t sweat the small stuff: Virgos can be hyper critical and self-loathing since they have such unreachable high standards for themselves. Give yourself a break and pay attention to your internal dialogues; keep it positive and guilt free.

☿-Sweat the small stuff: Mercury retrograde in Virgo is a great time to revise and organize. A great time to tackle all the menial jobs that you have been putting off. Paper work, writing, editing and organizing could really put you ahead of the game. Re-evaluate the processes in your life and find solutions that will help you be more efficient.

☿-Find activities that help alleviate anxiety: Over-thinking and the endless quest for perfection is a modern diseases. Step-away from it all with activities that help you disconnect from the over-achieving mind. Go pet a goat.

☿-Find healing

☿-Be easy on yourself: You are where you are suppose to be. Trust the process.

☿-Get in touch with your procrastination: The more you put things off the tighter the grip will get. Maybe your to-do list is to big? What can you do to alleviate the pressure?

☿-With Mercury going back into the sign of Leo, issues of pride and self-esteem could come up. Following our heart is always a work in progress. Practice asking for what you need directly and without shame. Allow your heart’s desires to express themselves in a healthy way.

☿-Understand that success is a state of mind.

☿-Do not let your pride get in the way of the hard work needed to succeed.

☿-If you know your chart, look at where Virgo and Pisces are located. Do you have important planets or is your Ascendant in Virgo or Pisces? Perhaps some organizing is called for in those areas of your life.

☿-Since this Mercury retrograde is weaved in with the 2 eclipses in August, look at where Leo and Aquarius fall in your chart. Do you have any important planets or is your Ascendant either in Leo or Aquarius? Events surrounding the next two months will bring opportunities to break away from an old way of being. This could be subtle or dramatic depending on your natal dispositons.

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                              Jack Kerouac (Virgo rising and Moon in Virgo) on Self-Loathing
                                                          

“The rucksack sits hopefully in a strewn mess of bottles all empty, empty poorboys of white port, butts, junk, horror … ‘One fast move or I’m gone,’ I realize, gone the way of the last three years of drunken hopelessness which is a physical and spiritual and metaphysical hopelessness you can’t learn in school no matter how many books on existentialism or pessimism you read, or how many jugs of vision-producing Ayahuasca you drink, or Mescaline take, or Peyote goop up with – that feeling when you wake up with the delirium tremens, with the fear of eerie death dripping from your ears like those special heavy cobwebs spiders weave in the hot countries, the feeling of being a bentback mudman monster groaning underground in hot steaming mud pulling a long hot burden nowhere, the feeling of standing ankle deep in hot boiled pork blood, ugh, of being up to your waist in a giant pan of greasy brown dishwater not a trace of suds left in it – the face of yourself you see in the mirror with its expression of unbearable anguish so haggard and awful with sorrow you can’t even cry for a thing so ugly, so lost, no connection whatever with early perfection, and therefore nothing to connect with tears or anything.”

 

 

 

Full Moon in Virgo: A Purging Process

Times of transition are strenuous, but I love them.
They are an opportunity to purge, rethink priorities,
and be intentional about new habits.
We can make our new normal any way we want.
-Kristin Armstrong

A CLEANSING LIGHT

The Full Moon in Virgo on March 12 brings a dry outlook amidst the tides of the last few weeks. This is a sobering Full Moon and we have the opportunity to reset our stance as the light shines on the chaos and structures of our lives. In this Earth sign, the Full Moon asks us to come back down to reality for a moment and attend to the details and responsibilities of our existence.

Efficiency is not as simple as it sounds and must be developed day after day until the habit is well established. Under the Full Moon in Virgo on March 12, you could find yourself vividly aware of how you go about setting yourself up for success or… failure.

You might have the urge to discard the clutter that has accumulated over the last few months. Whether the mess is internal, external or general, this Full Moon is excellent for getting rid of what is weighing you down. This purging process is further supported by Venus who is currently retrograde. Amongst many other things, Venus is linked to luxury and beauty and this is an excellent time to discard the clothes and objects which are causing stagnation and perhaps donate them to charity. Creating space might not come as easily as we hope and conscious discipline might need to be applied. With Mars in the very first degree of Taurus, our earthly abode and the material reality that surround us is doubly emphasized. Our attention is on the objects that surrounds us and we could feel the polarizing need to acquire and discard simultaneously.

MERCURY IN PISCES SQUARE SATURN IN SAGITTARIUS

Narrow-mindedness, irrational fears, and excessive worry could very well be highlighted this  weekend. Mercury – the ruler of the Full Moon in Virgo – is in the sign of its detriment and fall at the time of the Full Moon. Mercury will also be in a square with Saturn in Sagittarius adding a dash of mental anguish to this already unhappy placement. Choose your conversations and words wisely and monitor your thoughts. Chances are the lack of clarity around a situation could create more anxiety than its worth. Avoid guilt-trips and mentally straining situations if you can do so. Next week will provide illuminating solutions that are not visible at the moment. For now, simplify where you can and do not become hyper-critical or overly concerned with a situation that is out of your control or simply not your fault.

THE PROMISE OF SPRING

Our desire to have everything right and our inability to do so might be highlighted on this Full Moon. However, the opportunity to find some form of contentment in organizing and simplifying is available. Processes are what bring lasting changes and we now have the ability to make the small adjustments needed to bring bigger results. Reset your stance by purging your space. Attend to your body and its basic needs. Nurture and calm your mind with meditation and breath and most importantly: don’t sweat the small stuff!

“We love the imperfect shapes in nature and in the works of art,
look for an intentional error as a sign of the golden key
and sincerity found in true mastery.”
― Dejan Stojanovic

The Moon will be Full on March 12, 2017 at 10:54 EST at 22º of Virgo

Anxiety

With the upcoming Full Moon in Virgo on the 22nd of February and more extensively with the transit of Jupiter in Virgo and the Nodes of the Moon on the Virgo/Pisces axis, where most of the eclipses will happen this year it seems like anxiety is on everyone’s lips.

Chronic anxiety has become a modern epidemic affecting millions of people. We can never be good enough for the standards of perfection. The pressure is to be productive, efficient, beautiful, healthy, active, successful, driven but relaxed AND happy. How is it even possible to breath through this type of burden? With the increasing speed of life through technology, we are wired, stimulated and constantly comparing ourselves to an imagined standard of perfection. This is a very cruel and deceitful game.

Putting pressure on ourselves is fantastic to accomplish some of our goals. But we also have to accept that perfection is not the ultimate goal and that life is perfect in all of its messiness.

Sayaka Maruyama

In their 20 years of treating and studying trauma survivors, Drs. Dennis Charney and Steven Southwick have identified ten common practices in people who have shown resilience in the face of extreme stress.

• Maintaining an optimistic but realistic outlook
• Reliance upon own inner, moral compass
• Turning to religious or spiritual practices
• Seeking and accepting social support
• Imitation of sturdy role models
• Staying physically fit
• Staying mentally sharp
• Cognitive and emotional flexibility (finding a way to accept that which cannot be changed)
• Looking for meaning and opportunity in the midst of adversity
• Facing fear (ability to confront one’s fears)

The Full Moon in Virgo on Monday might increase our desire to have everything perfectly compartmentalized. But with the Sun in Pisces we might also need to know when surrendering to the tides is necessary.

We are in a relatively calm period and March will pick up speed again. Take advantage of this time to get yourself in order and prevent possible stressors down the road. Get rid of unnecessary pressure or accumulated responsibilities and BREATH.

Reference from: Brain & Behaviour Research Foundation