21° 58′ Virgo, 15 September 2023, 3:39 a.m. Central European Time
Fall Cleaning
A new moon in Virgo can feel just like you’d hope it would: a clean, fresh start. Resetting your priorities. Getting ready on a Sunday night for work that week.
Virgo’s archetype is where we learn the importance of routine and the beauty in everyday life. On the highest level, Virgo’s symbolism has to do with being “in service” to something. Having graduated from Leo, where the focus was on the self as an individual, Virgo is far more humble. How can I be in service to something outside of myself?
Our modern society distorts the meaning of Virgo’s service. The mindset of today can exploit Virgo’s efficiency and work ethic. Virgo does long to contribute to something much bigger than itself, but that does not have to be a company or government. Virgo’s calling is a sacred one; service to spirit itself, which it discovers with its relationship to Pisces.
Moon in opposition to Neptune in Pisces
First, a note on astrological duality—
Astrological symbols (like many others) exist in duality – self/other, home life/life out in the world, individual/community, and so forth. Each astrological placement in a sign is a call to resolve that sign’s duality, and understanding the duality is an important first step toward freedom.
At any given time, Virgo resolves its duality with Pisces through the balance of themes such as:
- Mundane work vs. spiritual work
- Control vs. loss of control
- Hero vs. martyr
- Time vs. timelessness or eternity
- Anxiety vs. trust
As well as many others.
Virgo’s relationship to Pisces is quite fascinating. As an example, take for instance the notion that Virgo is associated with domesticated animals, while Pisces is related to wild ones. Virgo is the archetype that teaches us time and routine, and is therefore associated with our stomachs, which also function best on a routine and which suffer the most from anxiety (Virgo): anxiety is also a lack of trust in the divine (which we learn from Pisces). Domesticated Animals, associated with Virgo, also need to be on specific eating schedules and have routines (Virgo), while wild ones do not (Pisces).
This is just one way to start feeling the relationship of the duality between these two archetypes. This is particularly important at this time because this New Moon in Virgo is opposing Retrograde Neptune in Pisces, making the duality between the mundane and spiritual very palpable at the time of the new moon and for this upcoming moon cycle.
Neptune spends approximately 14 years in each sign. Neptune rules our very connection to spirit. What is that spiritual awareness that you can barely grasp, that deeper awareness that is your spiritual awareness?
When Neptune is in its home sign of Pisces, contact with spirit may be easier, but the potential for confusion, to be taken advantage of, or to search for spirit in the wrong places becomes far more likely, due to the innocence of Pisces to always see the good in people and situations.
The opposition of the New Moon in Virgo and Neptune in Pisces is a reminder to balance critique and too much safety (Virgo) with opening your heart and taking risks (Pisces). USe your discernment to keep yourself safe, but don’t close yourself off too much. This is a good time to explore this axis. Are there issues that you’re too critical about, where you could maybe benefit from more trust? Or are you too open and not protecting your boundaries enough? There is no one right answer – it’s important to resolve the duality.
Retrograde Mercury opposing Retrograde Saturn
Mercury and Saturn are both still retrograde, and opposing each other at the new moon. Mercury-Saturn aspects can have a lot to do with controlled or constrained speech, guilt or punishment for what one says or believes, etc. Themes and issues around this may arise in society around this time (they are definitely already here) or be felt interpersonally.
Saturn in Pisces will continue to be about themes such as making our spirituality real, having a spiritual practice, etc. But it can express itself as a spiritual constraint as well. No matter the case, with Saturn Retrograde, there will be less focus on things happening spontaneously but rather that we will be more productive by working actively with this symbolism. Is there something you can do to make your spiritual practice more concrete?
Preparing for Fall Equinox
Shortly after the new moon and as part of this moon cycle, we’ll welcome the Fall Equinox when the sun enters the sign of Libra on September 23rd. This crucial moment in the real calendar will shift the light from Virgo to Libra, where we’ll experience a Solar Eclipse on October 14th.
Libra is the sign of relating to others. We have developed a sense of self in Libra’s opposite sign, Aries, and we’re ready to relate that self to other people who are also selves. We have moved forward from Virgo where we learned how to analyze and discriminate what is true and what isn’t, in order to keep ourselves safe, and we are now ready to learn what there isn’t one fixed truth. We all have our own individual realities.
The highest expression of Libra is learning to listen – can you listen to another person’s reality just as it is for them, without imposing your own experience or beliefs? Can you give in accordance with what they really need, instead of what you believe is good for them (Aries)?
The lowest expression of Libra is people-pleasing, which is ultimately a loss of self. So even if you do not agree with someone else’s worldview, can you let it be theirs while holding steadfast to your own truth?
These are some of the issues we’ll be facing collectively now and moving forward.
More soon.
/F
Moon Counsel 
Leave a comment