Mercury in Libra & the Virgo New Moon

The elements guide our practice of attunement with the universe. We are all a mixture of earth, air, fire, and water, which correlate to our physical form, mind, spirit, and emotions. The cardinal astrological sign that initiates a season gives us the overarching theme for that trimester, and the subsequent signs are the subtle sub-periods. September begins with Virgo season, a time of harvest, when we consider what has been created since the Summer Solstice on June 22, and give thanks for the glory of Leo season. Virgo season, from August 22-September 22, closes out summer and delivers us to fall. There is a need to clear away what has been to make room for the new. This mutable earth sign that asks us to consider our individual health, and to think critically about the wellbeing of the collective. Mercury entered Virgo on August 11, activating our mind and motivation for this work. The winged messenger is moving fast, having just made its superior conjunction to the Sun at 9’32 Leo on August 1, and departs for Libra on the last day of the month. Mercury in the sign of the scales gives the Virgo season of September quite a different tone than August. 

Mercury enters Libra on August 30, and equity and fairness take on added importance. Our focus is going to be on what’s out of balance and how to bring it into alignment. Organization and functionality are the hallmarks of Virgo, but Libra cares deeply about aesthetics. Loveliness is a value. Libra knows that art doesn’t just heal and inspire, it saves lives. The desire to reorder the world over the next three weeks will be with an eye towards harmonizing what has been in discord. A great mediator and diplomat, Mercury in Libra will search for what is uniting and agreeable. This practice of seeking the highest and best in situations and people is going to be especially important in September due to the Mercury retrograde and Venus and Mars changing sign mid-month. 

Venus moves into Scorpio on September 10, and Mars enters Libra on September 14. The two nocturnal planets have a natural attraction, but do not love to be in each other’s signs. There is a frustration at not being able to function easily and comfortably. Libra likes to keep it light while Scorpio wants to plumb the depths. Unfortunately for all the Virgos who just wanted to get sh*t done and all the Libras who just wanted to make it nice, September is more about the shadow of what’s preventing those goals than the attainment. 

Pay attention to what arises at the beginning of the month because Mercury will station retrograde at 25’28 Libra on September 27, and enter its pre-shadow at 10’07 Libra on September 6. From September 6, through the retrograde station, Mercury will be moving through territory that it will cross not once or twice, but three times before November 2. The first pass of Mercury through this section of Libra will bring your awareness into the conditions and situations that will come up for revision in October. 

The skies are busy at the start of the September with planets in mutable signs and the air triplicity doing the most. The month opens with Mars in Virgo opposite Neptune in Pisces on September 2, inspiring us to go hard for an ideal or cause. Mars and Neptune together create spiritual warriors, those who feel passionately about their beliefs and will go to the ends of the earth to satisfy their thirst for divinity. Neptune can bewitch and befuddle so this energy can be misguided, getting us involved in fantasy situations we mistake for reality. If you’ve gotten a bit deluded, this transit can bring you back to Earth, but it's often usually through a confrontation. Mercury trines Saturn on September 4, grounding your thoughts in the tangible and practical if they’d gotten swept away to sea. The air signs are working together this year to try and elevate our ideals. If there are consequences we’ve been seeking to ignore, especially about the pandemic, this transit will help us face them and move in a helpful new direction. 

We’re drunk on love when Venus squares Pluto on September 5 and trines Jupiter on September 6. Pluto increases our desire for whatever we’re attracted to and Jupiter brings it towards us. There is great power in beauty and this transit will heighten our ability to access it. The two benefics enjoy having a good time and Pluto wants to watch. Jupiter and Venus like saying yes, so think through whatever Pluto is requesting before assenting. Pluto can have us accruing from an unconscious place of avoidance, and the idea of something can be better than the actual attainment. Make sure whatever catches your fancy is worthwhile. Ask yourself if you’ll still love it tomorrow before buying in. 

Questions of function and form are present at the Virgo New Moon on September 6. The ruler of this lunation, Mercury, is separating from the trine with Saturn and about to enter its retrograde shadow in Libra. Venus is in a good position to support Mercury thanks to her positive aspect with Jupiter. This Moon asks us to consider how the little habits and daily routines can be adjusted to bring greater balance. The Sun is in a partile trine with Uranus, granting inspiration for these musings. Uranus has been disrupting Taurus since March 2019, but the intensity of the shock waves have increased this year. The longing for freedom and autonomy that Uranus inspires is tempered by Virgo’s practicality. The dark Moon is an introspective time, but meditating on the inner stillness will allow you to witness the brilliant light of rebirth that Uranus sends. Life isn’t meant to be drudgery. This Moon will help you find the sweet spot between productivity and spontaneity.  

The Moon will move into its monthly opposition with Neptune while conjoining Mars on September 7, bringing all the energy that’s been percolating in the atmosphere for the past week into our bodies and hearts. The Moon gets its physical and emotional needs met through connection. Mars prefers to remain independent and autonomous. In Virgo, the Moon can become critical of itself for having feelings and of others for not meeting its needs. Steer clear of this practice as it is not the way to greater happiness. Instead, give yourself over to the worthy task of supporting your nervous system through meditation, exercise, and healing tinctures and tonics. The Virgo Moon feels best in a tidy space so even just folding the laundry and making your bed can brighten up the emotional landscape. 

Virgo is excellent at to-do lists, but chilling out does not come as easily. Use this Virgo New Moon as an opportunity to get clean and clear on what needs to get done before the Autumn Equinox on September 22.