On September 8, 2010 3:30 AM PDT we will celebrate a New Moon at 15° 41′ Virgo, the sixth sign of the zodiac, and have our annual refresher course on this service oriented sign with its penchant for organization and ‘to do’ lists.

This year’s New Moon chart finds the planets grouped together as [...]]]>

On September 8, 2010 3:30 AM PDT we will celebrate a New Moon at 15° 41′ Virgo, the sixth sign of the zodiac, and have our annual refresher course on this service oriented sign with its penchant for organization and ‘to do’ lists.

This year’s New Moon chart finds the planets grouped together as if they were at a house party holding forth in separate venues with little interaction between the groups. The Virgo Sun and Moon have wandered out into the kitchen garden to chat about what’s in season and needs to be harvested; Venus and Mars in Libra are in the library ostensibly discussing the artwork while Jupiter, Saturn and Pluto are hammering out serious issues in the great room. Mercury, Virgo’s ruler, is wandering around somewhere but no one’s quite sure what he’s up to. Uranus is making a pest of himself bothering Venus and Mars while Neptune is busy encouraging their romantic expectations.

As was the case with the New Moon in Leo on August 9, 2010, the luminaries in Virgo stand alone, making no major aspects to the other planets allowing for a pure expression of the sign. Wherever the New Moon falls in your natal chart, you will get a nice, clear shot of Virgo energy. The only caveat I have is take into account the fact Mercury, Virgo’s ruler, is still retrograde and mental acuity may somewhat lacking. Might be good time to focus on Virgo’s less mental benefits, like checking out the new health food store or a yoga class you’ve been interested in attending. Head over to your favorite park for a brisk walk is another good option . . . staying out late and partying is not!

Speaking of Mercury, it is on schedule to station direct on September 12 and is beginning to slow down on the New Moon. It is waxing semi-sextile to Saturn in Libra and I suspect Saturn will bring out the more exacting side of Virgo. In other words, dig a little deeper for the patience you will likely need to get much of anything done. Dealing with petty bureaucrats for the week after the New Moon could be excruciatingly painful under this influence.

Venus is at 29° Libra, exactly inconjunct Uranus in Pisces as well as still traveling in tandem with Mars in Libra. Since Venus will be conjoining my 29° Libra Sun, I will have my personal antenna up on this aspect to see what it shakes out. It IS Venus, Libra’s ruler, and this gives me hope for a positive breakthrough. Venus moves into Scorpio the next day and starts seriously preparing for her upcoming retrograde . . . more on that event later.

Romantic notions and plans are encouraged by the trine from Neptune in Aquarius to Venus and Mars. If you are single and looking, keep your expectations in check because making snap judgments about someone could come back to haunt you later . . . remember Uranus in Pisces is agitating in the background!

One thing we have to be grateful for is the annoying cardinal T-square is slowly separating and gradually fading into the background. It is still active on this lunation but by the time the Full Moon in Aries rolls around on September 23, Jupiter and Uranus both will be in Pisces and Saturn out of orb with Pluto.

How this New Moon affects you depends on whether you have planets or Angles in the very early degrees, right in the middle or the very end – whether you will continue to be caught in the adrenaline rush of the cardinal planets, join the practical Virgo contingent or jump into a red hot romance with Venus and Mars in Libra. Whatever happens, please remember to practice treating others with kindness and patience . . .

After spending the last couple of years hopefully learning important Saturn in Virgo lessons like proper diet and exercise, maintaining a decent daily schedule and always remembering to back up your computer; we are now firmly in Saturn in Libra territory where the lessons are all about doing what it takes to have good, equitable [...]]]>

After spending the last couple of years hopefully learning important Saturn in Virgo lessons like proper diet and exercise, maintaining a decent daily schedule and always remembering to back up your computer; we are now firmly in Saturn in Libra territory where the lessons are all about doing what it takes to have good, equitable one-on-one relationships.

While Saturn in Libra is pretty serious when it comes to relationships, it is equally important to keep in mind Libra also encourages us to find the moderate, middle ground . . . too much time “working” on our relationships is not the best either.

Knowing Saturn’s penchant for keeping the old nose to the grindstone, we may have to deliberately set aside time with our significant other for relaxation with clear agreements to steer clear of sensitive subjects. Right now with both Venus and Mars in Libra this may be fairly easy but once both of those planets move into Scorpio (who loves to stir the emotional pot) it will take more effort to maintain a balance. If your sweetie stops answering your calls and ignoring your texts, maybe it’s time to back off the heavy discussions for awhile.

As a general rule of thumb, those whose personal planets are in fire and air naturally stay on the lighter side of things; earth signs can take it or leave it and those with water LOVE swimming in the deep end emotionally.

Look to your Moon, its sign and aspects, for further insight into your personal style for handling your feelings as well as all those unconscious daily habit patterns. It can be very helpful to know about your SO’s Moon as well to avoid inadvertently stepping on toes. For example, someone with a Gemini Moon will seek to keep all discussions about feelings on an intellectual level making a Scorpio Moon person feel deprived whereas a Pisces or Cancer Moon will happily join Scorp Moon in the deep end.

Compromise (another Libra favorite) is the best route to finding a satisfactory balance for most partners. Most of us know we have to devote time to learning more about our own relationship issues and discussing those with our SO. However we may not realize the importance of choosing to take time to have fun and recall why it was we got together in the first place. Think about it . . .

Now that we’re well into this Mercury retrograde I’m finding I can’t concentrate worth a darn, my mind skips around all over the place jumping from topic to topic.

Mars in Libra is not helping any either because he is currently exactly trine my natal Uranus which in turn is inconjunct natal Mercury. Any transit triggering [...]]]>

Now that we’re well into this Mercury retrograde I’m finding I can’t concentrate worth a darn, my mind skips around all over the place jumping from topic to topic.

Mars in Libra is not helping any either because he is currently exactly trine my natal Uranus which in turn is inconjunct natal Mercury. Any transit triggering my natal Mercury-Uranus inconjunct always throws my fixed sign Mercury in Scorpio into a tail spin.

So I thought I would share this lovely image in honor of Libra in Venus’s love of beauty while waiting for some coherency to return. Thankfully Mars moves along fairly quickly . . . unlike some other planets I will not name.

I read Ray Merriman’s Weekly Market Analyst every week to learn more about the world financial trends and because I love his insights as an astrologer. This week is especially good on the Cardinal Climax, something he has been studying for many years.

Many astrologers were baffled that the astrological midsection of the Cardinal Climax did [...]]]>

I read Ray Merriman’s Weekly Market Analyst every week to learn more about the world financial trends and because I love his insights as an astrologer. This week is especially good on the Cardinal Climax, something he has been studying for many years.

Many astrologers were baffled that the astrological midsection of the Cardinal Climax did not produce any spectacular events, such as another financial crisis or political overthrow, or start of a new world war. Yet this simply demonstrates a lesson in how astrology works. It is not “causal” in terms of human activity, although it may be causal in terms of natural phenomenon, such as the severe heat and dryness that led to the fires and drought in Russia, and the floods that displaced hundreds of thousands in China and Pakistan.

Astrology correlated to human activity is more “synchronistic” than causal. In the thoughts of the great Swiss psychologist and astrologer Carl Jung, “Every moment of time has its own unique quality, and whatever is born in that moment takes on that quality.” So as I approach the study of astrology, it is not from the viewpoint of predicting an event related to the meaning of each planet and sign. I am more interested in “what is born in that moment” in which an unusual cosmic pattern unfolds. To me, that is the key to understanding what the outcome will be. Read more

This point of view fits quite well with my own personal experience and observations when it comes to transits. My feeling is I have made some deep internal shifts that have yet to work their way to the surface but are in the process of doing so. The current Mercury retrograde can be instrumental in allowing the necessary processing to happen along with both Jupiter and Uranus returning to Pisces for the next several months. Right now Uranus is annoying the heck out of me sitting at 29 Pisces quincunx my Libra Sun . . . grump, grump.

Have a good weekend!

We are now entering my favorite time of year when the Sun travels through Virgo and Libra. Here in the northern latitudes the days are growing visibility shorter with longer, cooler nights . . . much more agreeable in my opinion.

For those of us with Libra Suns and Libra rising in our charts, Virgo is [...]]]>

We are now entering my favorite time of year when the Sun travels through Virgo and Libra. Here in the northern latitudes the days are growing visibility shorter with longer, cooler nights . . . much more agreeable in my opinion.

For those of us with Libra Suns and Libra rising in our charts, Virgo is the twelfth house sign and signifies a time for introspection and reflection on the past year not to mention a chance to rest and catch one’s breath. Now that the cardinal T-square is easing apart, the Saturn-Uranus opposition is history and the final Saturn-Pluto square was last Saturday, maybe we can relax some. I know I need to!

This is a perfect time to revamp the personal daily schedule. Most of us need more quality sleep than we have been getting over the past few months and restful sleep is critical to overall health. Virgo loves a good discussion about sensible diet and exercise programs too. We all know the drill by now . . . more fruits and veggies, fish, whole grains, nuts, etc. And don’t forget to get out and walk for at least 30 minutes or more as often as possible.

Most of us know Mercury, Virgo’s ruler, is currently retrograde. Virgo is the sign on my Midheaven and my husband’s sixth house AND where Mercury will be spending the most time. Interestingly enough, the day it stationed retrograde my Aries spouse came home and said he had the most productive day he has had in months with people showing up in a timely manner, phone calls being returned and materials coming in on time. (I consider him my “control” because we do not discuss astrology ever. He’s so not interested!) My experience last week was equally favorable because I was finally figured out why I had been unable to get my old laptop connected to the internet. I had to download and install 81 Windows updates as well as update the antivirus/malware software – all of which went well. It was during the height of the cardinal cross/T-square when we both had the most difficulties in these areas.

This is our peak harvest period here in the Pacific Northwest with the widest variety of fruits and vegetables ripe. I have peaches ripening on my front porch, blueberries and blackberries ready to pick, sweet corn, tomatoes, summer squash, green beans, green peppers, cucumbers all available and our garlic is ready to use. This year I am going to try my hand at making blackberry syrup from our bumper crop of blackberries . . . so good on pancakes and ice cream!

Anyone else ready for some quieter days and more restful nights?