When you pay attention
to the detail,
the big picture
will take care of itself.
Georges St. Pierre
The New Moon on September 14/15, 2023, at 22 Virgo brings the needs of our physical day to day life into sharp focus.
We may have dreams for the future, but the New Moon guides us to tend to the day's particulars to generate health, balance and wellbeing. By tending to the specifics of what works for our bodies, surroundings, relationships, and daily rituals, our efforts will synchronize one with the other to reveal the big picture of what we are to actualize.
We are to operate with the notion of "as above, so below," with the understanding that the macrocosm exists in the microcosm. In this, we can discover how mindful attention to the details of a select activity tends to the fabric of the whole of who we are and who will become.
Denebola, The Tip of the Lion’s Tail, conjunct the New Moon
New Moon Co Ruler: Mercury stations direct oppose Saturn
New Moon Co Ruler: Chiron stations direct trine Venus, oppose Mars, quincunx the New Moon
Neptune oppose the New Moon
Earth Grand Trine with The New Moon, Uranus/Jupiter and Pluto
Pluto square Nodal Axis
Retrograde Season continues (all outer planets are Retrograde)
The New Moon is an optimal time each month to set an intention for what we will initiate and grow for the coming month. The area of your life where we are primed for a new beginning and the quickening of our heart's desire is revealed by the nature of the house in our natal charts where 22 Virgo resides. If we have Planets at 22 and 23 degrees in our chart, the New Moon will provide increased potential for something new to sprout in our lives.
A few steps back
is sometimes needed
to find clarity
in the confusion. April Mae Monterrosa
The New Moon Coincides with Mercury stationing direct as it completes its Retrograde. We have been slowed down to re-evaluate, regroup and to arrive at new understandings. Over the next weeks, it will feel like a fog is lifting that has created uncertainty or confusion around a decision or desire. We are ready to connect the dots, see how the puzzle pieces fit together, to have clarity on a solution, a plan, a way forward.
Discernment and mental lucidity dawns around something that has stumped or slowed us down in recent months. While we may wonder if we can believe that we are accurately seeing what we are to handle (New Moon oppose Neptune), we are encouraged to trust our discernment about what will work and what will not and to take concrete steps based on our assessment (Earth Grand Trine). While we take resolute steps, we may also periodically need to take a step back to review and adjust our approach as further pieces of the puzzle are revealed (All outer planets still Retrograde).
New understandings support a fresh start, especially if there were delays, misunderstandings, and uncertainty as we come into September. We have been purging what no longer serves us and embodying our values and earned wisdom during this Retrograde Season. A fresh perspective and a fortunate situation may spontaneously arise (New Moon in earth grand trine) and we are to be open to receiving end an unexpected surprise that supports us in nailing down the plans, resources and practical steps that can move us forward in the most beneficial way (Uranus trine the New Moon.) We are to continue to deepen our spiritual connection and intuition to help guide us (Saturn and Neptune in Pisces) through the big movements occurring at a societal and cultural level (Pluto square the Nodal axis) and have this offset confusion or patterns that zap our capacity to trust ourselves (New Moon oppose Neptune).
Virgo, as an earth sign, is pragmatic and responsible, supporting us in being organized and having routines that create efficiency with tangible results. Virgo values consistency and is inviting us to get real about what activities are supportive and which ones deplete us, and armed with this knowledge we can clean up our act. We can look for ways to declutter, to streamline and simplify, so we experience greater balance and wellbeing. Small adjustments can have a bit impact, like being on time for appointments, having our linen or toiletries better organized in a closet, or committing to go to bed at a particular time each night. Virgo, as a mutable sign, helps us to remain flexible and to adjust routines or plans in the face of evidence that shows us that there is a different and better way to handle something.
It's the little details
that are vital.
Little things
make big things happen. John Wooden
Self-Validation
New Moon conjunct Denebola
The fixed star Denebola, in the constellation Leo, is located in the “Tip of the Tail” There is a coarse tuft of hair at the tip of the Lion's tail. The tuft swings one way and then another guided by feeling and mood. With Denebola activated by the New Moon, we feel emboldened to move counter to mainstream thought, and revel in our nonconformist nature. We may be thinking differently than those around us and are not needing external validation to go ahead and do things the way we are seeing to do them. Listening to others’ opinions is of benefit but not necessarily to change our mind but merely to enable us to understand another's points of view. The shadow energy of the star can open us to disgrace or sickness, but we can avert this if we heed the invitation of the New Moon and take concrete actions to run with what we know what will work and leave behind what does not. This is especially true around habits that serve our mental, physical and emotional health.
Magnification of the Small
New Moon Ruler: Mercury stations direct and opposes Saturn
Mercury is at a standstill in the sky, which gives it great strength. Mercury naturally is fleet-footed and is inclined to dart about. So at a standstill, its energy just ramps up. Like a car revving its engine at a stoplight, our mind may feel pumped up over the next days (Mercury goes direct September 14). We can easily find ourselves analyzing, taking inventory and making judgments about small details that at other times we would simply overlook or not deem as important. As September continues to unfold, we will have greater clarity and discernment about how to use the information or discoveries we have had in the last few weeks and see how the pieces can best fit and come together.
Mercury's extended stay in Virgo (July 28 -October 4). We are zeroing in on the detail, the minutae of life, to the point of being nitpicky. To use this to our advantage, it is an excellent time to organize our file drawers, go over the fine print of a contract, or edit a document. We can easily detect what is offkey or missing, what is worthy of keeping and what we can discard. We can have an uncanny knack at pinning down exact facts and getting all the 'i's dotted and 't's crossed.
On August 23, Mercury was one of the last planets to turn Retrograde for this Retrograde Season. Since mid-summer, we have been slowed down from making productive movement forward, giving us time to re-evaluate and catch up with ourselves. This time afforded us to discover a missing piece of information that was previously overlooked, and perhaps revisit a conversation to create better understanding between us and another. People from our past may have re-entered our lives to give us some vital experience or information that, like a puzzle piece, added an new awareness about something needing our attention. Now beginning to emerge from the retrogrades, we are integrating what has been happening, acknowledging lessons learned, and have a refined understanding of how to move forward.
Mercury oppose Saturn. Mercury has retrograded back into a stressful aspect to Saturn. We may be feeling hypercritical or hyper-analytical. We may find ourselves with a headache or not able to relax because our mind is fixating on what is missing or not working. Saturn in Pisces is giving us a reality check on where we are deluding ourselves or on what we are ready to complete and no longer give dedicated energy to continuing. The remedy to the tendency to overthink and put our analytical mind to a task that is small and defined. Minor tweaks or adjustments made to our diet, exercise routine, organization of closets, or edits to a business plan can increase have effective and satisfying results.
Mercury in an Earth Grand Trine through the End of September. After Mercury turns direct on September 15, there are several days it will form no relationship to another planet, indicating that we are to continue integrating and putting the puzzle pieces together from what was gleaned from the Mercury Retrograde. Then on September 23, when Mercury trines Jupiter, and we can see the big picture of what we have been about the last months and how all the various parts of our daily life and plans fit together. Mercury will then arrive at the same degree as the Virgo New Moon and into a grand trine with Uranus and Pluto. By the beginning of October, when the Grant Trine supsides, we should have a complete picture for how to engage our days and routines to support us in reaching the goals we have set. Until this time, we are best served by giving our attention to the well running of each puzzle piece of our routines, relationships and plans, and then see how one piece can seamlessly fit with the other as the means to revealing the big picture.
That's why I was always maniacal
about transforming every problem
into a puzzle
which I can solve.
I can solve a puzzle—
a problem just stresses me out.
Quincy Jones
Renewed Self Esteem and Wellbeing
New Moon CoRuler: Chiron
Chiron trine Venus, oppose Mars, quincunx the New Moon
Transiting Chiron stimulates healing. In Aries since 2018, we have been healing our ability to trust ourselves and act with courage and conviction. As Chiron continues its retrograde journey, we may feel a crisis of confidence in the face of something. But if we slow down, we may realize that we are reacting in an old habitual way that no longer has a grip on us. We can recognize that we are not who we once were and that we are now stronger, more resilient, and able to hear and support ourselves in a way that was previously not possible.
We may encounter a crisis in a relationship or with finances (Chiron trine Venus), or in our ability to take action (Chiron oppose Mars), or in our ability to nurture and care for ourselves (Chiron quincunx the New Moon). But this crisis has emerged to challenge us to move beyond the fear and trauma that once had us abandon ourselves and to align with a newfound confidence to meet what faces us. As coruler of Virgo, Chiron rules health, and we are especially supported in making decisions that tend to our physical and emotion health in practical ways. It can be as simple as drinking eight glasses of water a day. Whatever it is for each one of us, it should be something concrete and quantifiable.
Discerning the Real from the Unreal
Neptune oppose New Moon
We live in a time where the real is unreal and truth is untruth. Distortion of facts and hidden agendas can easily lead us astray. Things are not necessarily what they seem (Neptune in Pisces 2011 - 2026).
Neptune is the dream and our spiritual ideals. Confusion, disillusionment and substance addiction are common side effects of mishandling Neptune energy well. The opportunity of Neptune in Pisces is to deepen our relationship and connection to the divine dimension of creation. In this, we can deepen our intuition as we feel the divine movement of life and how it moves in and through us.
The New Moon opposes Neptune. We face issues of what is true, what is a fantasy, and what we are to trust. We may need to acknowledge where we have deluded ourselves and what habits zap sensitivity to our feelings and intuition.
There is something we may need to let go of and leave behind. It may be in some arena of life where we have dedicated a lot of time and energy, thinking we knew what we were doing. We simply need to see the truth of what is not working and look for other options. The potency of the New Moon may just bring us a new option in a surprising and delightful way.
What you seek is seeking you.
Rumi
Let It Be Real
Earth Grand Trine
Earth signs are practical and value tangible results. An Earth Grand Trine gives us a turbo boost to concretize plans and take defined action. We can make real something happen we have just been dreaming about or saying affirmations, hoping it will magically come about. For instance, if we want to be in better physical shape, it is an opportune time to start that daily walk, begin a yoga practice, or make a change to our diet. Something that did not seem possible before, can suddenly seem doable. As we move through the rest of September, with the Virgo Sun seeking practical solutions and results, we can feel propelled to take beneficial and concrete action to enhance our wellbeing (Sun in grand trine with Pluto and Uranus).
Jupiter trine New Moon. Six days after the New Moon, our confidence increases. Faith in our future, in something we cannot yet see, is strengthened. Leading up to this, we have been getting clear on what lights us up (Jupiter square Venus). By the end of September, we will be ready to take concrete steps towards what will bring joy to our life.
Uranus trine the New Moon lights a fire under us, compelling us to break out of some stale or confining routine. We are moved to feel more alive, more vital. We may be delightfully surprised by something that opens up for us or comes our way just in the nick of time. Over the next days, there can be renewed confidence to step into the future on our own terms.
Pluto trine the New Moon. Pluto’s 15-year journey in Capricorn (2008 - 2023) has seen the deconstruction of what is no longer useful, disrupting the status quote of our personal and collective lives, in order to make room for a new way of living that is more aligned with our soul and human potential. With Pluto approaching its last weeks in Capricorn, we can in hindsight see the wisdom around the shifts that have been happening in and around our lives. We are gaining a new understanding of our life purpose and feeling greater emotional security in our capacity to move in a good way within the sea of collective change and to take advantage of potentials that were not previously available to us.
28 Degrees Pluto trine The Sun. There is a building momentum beginning with the New Moon and culminating with the Sun's exact trine with Pluto on September 20. Pluto is about transformation and empowerment and as it is in the last degrees of Capricorn, strengthened by the Sun's gaze, we receive the affirmation needed to dedicate ourselves to a particular direction. We have only to let go of what is already leaving and identify what we are here to do now. The Virgo New Moon supports us in achieving the clarity needed so we are prepared to lock something in and drive it.