In the Pacific Time Zone, the New Moon will occur at 4:00 a.m. on Thursday, September 17. This New Moon finds the Moon and Sun in conjunction (0°) at 26° of Virgo. To further clarify how this New Moon will impact you on a personal level, locate 26° of Virgo in your birth/natal chart. The issues associated with that house are going to be most influenced by this New Moon’s presence.
The sign of Virgo is our focus in this New Moon, and the qualities of Virgo provide hints to where we are being provided with an opportunity for a new emotional start or creating new habits. The higher expression of Virgo’s energy includes being practical, efficient, analytical, and health conscious. The lower expression can be perfectionistic, picky, and critical.
In general, Virgo New Moons tend to be quiet times when we are often more comfortable being alone than being with others. Given we still have the asteroid Chiron and 5 planets (i.e., Mars, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto) in retrograde, this means that puling inward is advised. Further support for this is Mars recently beginning its 2-month retrograde phase on September 9. (Read more about all of this in the last Moon Update.) We can use this window of time around the New Moon to do more of the inner work needed to prepare for the increased activity that will be coming later this fall. This is a wonderful opportunity to use the Virgo energy to organize something, especially if it is a task or topic that requires careful attention to detail or is related to our health. Another outlet would be to focus on humble service, which is another area in which Virgo thrives.
Luckily, the New Moon is forming trines (120°) to the trio of planets in Capricorn that we’ve been talking about for several month (i.e., Jupiter, Saturn, Pluto). In fact, the Sun and Moon are in exact trines to Saturn at the time of the New Moon. This positive, supportive aspect will hopefully help us access Saturn’s discipline and penchant for hard work. Perhaps we can begin the next phase of creating a solid foundation or structure for something new that we are attempting to accomplish. All of these trines can help us find concrete answers and clarity to problems that recently felt unsolvable. The Virgo energy encourages us to break down any goals into smaller, incremental steps; and Saturn reminds us that it may take some time to get to the goal line and that hard work will help us get there. The only caution, due to this strong Virgo energy, is that we need to avoid striving toward perfection. Yes, we can have high standards, but perfection is seldom attainable or sustainable.
The New Moon in Virgo is in opposition (180°) to Neptune, and this can pull in a dreamy quality that may cause some of us to get lost in fantasy. Hopefully, the groundedness of earthy Virgo will help counterbalance that tendency, as will the supportive trine to the planets in Capricorn, which is also an earth sign. In fact, having Neptune prominent during this New Moon and having so much earth energy involved may help us see how to bring our dreams (Neptune) into some concrete form (Capricorn). Additionally, with Neptune currently in retrograde, this often means that the typical fog that is associated with Neptune may lift, which may help us see our dreams and aspirations more clearly. But the retrograde could also mean that our dreams seem to have stalled or that they are being blocked right now. It will be important to remember that Neptune always advises us to not get lost in fear but to move toward having spiritual faith that all is unfolding as it should and for the highest good of all involved.
A close square (90°) between Venus and Uranus could indicate our relationships and finances could be unpredictable around the time of the New Moon. Uranus strongly prefers independence, so we need to permit all parties in our relationships a degree of freedom. If we don’t, the unpredictable Uranus energy could mean that any “change” (Uranus) is sudden and unexpected. Yes, we may have differing values with those we care about, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that one side is wrong and the other is right. We need to acknowledge that everyone has a right to their opinion. This is, also, not a great time for impulsive buying or investing. Wait until the energy settles down in a few days before making any long-term or permanent decisions about love or money.
Finally, the Virgo New Moon is squaring (90°) the North and South Nodes. We may become acutely aware that our past is not necessarily supporting where we want to go in the future. Squares mean that change is needed, so we may realize that we have belief systems that need to be altered in order for us to move to the next level in our life lessons. Another way this could play out is that we need to access skills learned long ago, but we need to use them in new ways.
During the week immediately after the Virgo New Moon (Thursday, September 17), we will experience a series of powerful aspects involving Mercury. Mercury is a fast-moving planet, so the influence is usually only a day-long event. However, when put back-to-back, it means that the entire week will likely be impacted.
- Mercury will square (90°) Jupiter on the same day as the Virgo New Moon (Thursday, September 17). We may find ourselves experiencing “information overload,” which could cause us to overlook important details. Our thoughts and/or words could go too far. However, Mercury is currently in Libra, and this may be helpful. Libra seeks balance and harmony. We will all benefit if we consciously choose to use the influence of Libra by pulling back and making sure our thoughts and words seek a point of balance, diplomacy, and even grace.
- Then on Monday, September 21, Mercury will square (90°) Pluto. This could cause us to see everything through a negative filter and result in suspiciousness, anxiety, or compulsive thinking. However, it could also be the catalyst for deep healing of our thoughts and conversations, if we can avoid overpowering others.
- Two days later (Wednesday, September 23), Mercury will form its next square (90°); this time, it is to Saturn. We may find that communication problems and/or negativity block our progress. We need to avoid being overly critical or (even worse) sarcastic. Although this can be a difficult time to trust ourselves, we can again consciously choose to pull on Libra’s gift of helping us find a point of balance.
- Finally, the next day (Thursday, September 24), Mercury will be in an exact opposition (180°) to Mars. This is a day when we need to be very careful that we use Libra’s tendency toward diplomacy. Given that Mars can veer into being aggressive, this could be a good day to work alone. If you need to vent some frustration, then use your journal, talk to a neutral party, and/or engage in some cardiovascular exercise. The good news is that this aspect can motivate us to work hard and produce a lot, but we just need to watch our tongues (or fingers when typing) if we are dialoguing with others.
On Tuesday, September 22, the Sun moves into Libra. Depending on the hemisphere you live in, this marks the change of seasons from summer to fall (Northern) or from winter to spring (Southern). Given that here in the United States, we are headed toward the final weeks before our national election on November 3, we should all be grateful for this shift into the astrological sign that is most associated with diplomacy, tolerance, and graciousness. Libra is the peacemaker, which means that there is the potential for negotiation or compromise during this time of year. But when Libra is involved, solutions are seldom about one side winning and the other side losing. It’s about meeting halfway. The downside of the Sun in Libra is that decisions can be more challenging because the Sun shines its light brightly on both sides of the equation.
Finally, on Sunday, September 27, Mercury temporarily moves out of Libra and into Scorpio. I am saying this is temporary because on Wednesday, October 14, Mercury will begin its final retrograde of 2020, and it will eventually move back into the sign of Libra for a few weeks. This retrograde period will last until November 3. Yes, for those in the United States, you read that date correctly; November 3 is our national election day. The bad news is that whenever Mercury is in retrograde, it means that communication can be challenging. The good news is that Mercury will go direct at 9:50 a.m. in the Pacific Time Zone, so Mercury will be direct most of the voting day here in the Western USA and for part of the day in the rest of the 48 contiguous states. Unfortunately, it usually takes a few days for the change in direction to completely work itself out, so we could still be experiencing some problems. This could involve issues related to technology in addition to communication. I know this retrograde phase doesn’t begin for another Month, but it’s worth making the following recommendations in advance. Regardless of your political leanings:
- Let’s all start now to use the Law of Attraction and visualize everything going smoothly with the upcoming election in the USA.
- If you have the option to vote by mail, then vote before Mercury goes retrograde on October 14.
- If you vote by mail, you might want to hand-deliver your ballot to your county elections office (if that’s an option in your state).
- If you vote by mail or in person during the retrograde period (October 14-November 3), be very sure to double- and triple-check that you filled in the right box for the candidates of your choice.
Overall, this Virgo New Moon is likely best used as a quiet time for either personal reflection or humble service . . . or both. It’s a great time to work patiently on anything that can be broken down into steps and involves attention to detail. We will likely feel emotionally and physically better if we can bring order to anything that feels disorganized or chaotic. Virgo is also about our physical body, so we can use this time to make sure we are taking good care of our “Earth Lander” (as I lovingly call it). However, remember that the goal in all our endeavors should be progress and not perfection. And in closing, just one final reminder about the week following the Virgo New Moon: With all the challenging influences involving Mercury, we are all well-advised to be very mindful of both our thoughts and our words. If we do choose to speak, remember to access the energy of Mercury in Libra to be as diplomatic and gracious as possible. As I always tell my students: “It doesn’t matter what you say, but it does matter how you say it.”
And, of course, be sure to vote!
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THIS BLOG POST WAS WRITTEN BY
- Anne Reith, Ph.D. (AnneReith.com)
- For information about Dr. Reith’s downloadable ebooks and meditations, feel free to visit her online Store
SOME INFORMATION TAKEN FROM
- The Mountain Astrologer (magazine)
- Various online sources (e.g., www.cafeastrology.com)
REMINDER
- New Moons and Full Moons often influence us for the 3 days before and 3 days after the actual event.
NEW MOON
New Moon at 26° of Virgo
- Thursday, September 17, 2020, 4:00 a.m. PDT
- Thursday, September 17, 2020, 7:00 a.m. EDT
- Thursday, September 17, 2020, 11:00 a.m. GMT