Virgo New Moon: Claim Your Turf

When staff at the Meadow Brook Medical Care Facility in Bellaire, MI arrived one recent July morning, they were astonished to find a dog curled up on the couch in the waiting room. Miraculously, Scout had escaped the night before from a nearby animal shelter, managed to scale the 10-foot chain link fence and another 6-foot solid privacy fence, cross a busy highway without being run over, find the nursing home, go in through the front door and crash on the sofa.

Scout was sent back to the shelter, only to escape again a few nights later and return to the facility. Then, a few nights after that, the whole thing happened again! At that point, the nursing home staff saw that it was meant to be. They adopted Scout, who quickly began making friends with the residents. His presence has improved life for everyone – including the formerly abused dog himself, who has now found a sense of purpose. The Detroit Free Press reported that he patrols the halls as both security guard and professional greeter, plays with residents who still have the energy to do so, visits those who are near death, and accepts dog treats from his many admirers.

“To each and every one of them, it’s their dog,” said Jenni Martinek, the nursing home’s household coordinator. The mysterious part is, how did Scout know exactly where to go? It was as if the facility was calling him. Luckily, the determined canine followed his instincts and despite all odds, claimed his turf.

We all have the opportunity to claim our turf in one form or another at the Virgo New Moon (Sept. 14, 6:39 p.m. PT). Virgo rules life’s practicalities – food, shelter, work and health – and we’re invited to set intentions, stake a claim and move forward in any of these areas of life. This message is emphasized by Mercury (ruler of the New Moon) turning forward in Virgo the next day, ending its three-week retrograde phase. As Mercury starts to pick up speed over the next few weeks, many things can finally get handled.

To make matters interesting, the New Moon opposes Neptune in Pisces – ruler of intuition, dreams and fantasies. The road ahead might look hazy, or going on faith may be required. Yet this lunation also trines innovative Uranus in Taurus and potent Pluto in Capricorn, creating a stabilizing Grand Earth Trine. The close trine to Uranus, in particular, advises us to embrace surprises and insights, and be willing to streamline our methods to obtain the best results. A number of planets (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto) are still retrograde, suggesting that certain factors (especially regarding the weather or society at large) are not within our control. Still, we can draw up plans, brainstorm possibilities and start to see results from things we’ve been working on for some time.

For guidance, we can follow the lead of the intrepid Scout, who somehow knew where he needed to be and didn’t give up until he claimed it. His story reminds us to heed our instincts and to have the patience, faith and persistence required to manifest our dreams.