My vegetable garden yielded some delicious squash, peppers, tomatoes and herbs, thrilling my novice gardener’s soul. Still, despite regular watering and fertilizing, many things I planted in the spring never made it to fruition. Each morning I rip something out of the earth, bidding farewell to the withered cornstalk, or the brown raspberry bush for which I had high hopes. Such is the nature of gardens—and life.
In the Northern Hemisphere, September is harvest time. We give thanks for the bounty we’ve received and release what has failed to produce. Yet unless we’re planting a winter garden (an undertaking which seems beyond me right now), the soil we most need to cultivate during Mercury-ruled Virgo is in our minds. It is there we must clear space, root out what’s dead, and prepare the ground for future planting.
The September 15 Virgo New Moon (7:11 p.m. PDT) brings this sorting-and-clearing process to a head. Mercury, the planet which rules Virgo, conjoins the Sun and Moon at the lunation. This hyper-mental energy requires placing our thoughts in service of our goals, not our worries (Virgo’s dark side). There may be a strong desire to control the uncontrollable this month. Better to take charge of our thought processes—one of the few things we can control—and practice faith and relaxation as we surrender outcomes to a Higher Power.
On September 19, Uranus and Pluto will form the second of seven exact squares, catalyzing sudden changes, whipping up emotions and offering the potential for liberation. This square occurs just after Pluto stations (on September 17), turning forward after five months of retrograde motion. Pluto’s direct turn adds volatility to the mid-September time frame, as whatever has been held inside seeks an outlet. Because this is the opening square to the revolutionary Uranus-Pluto conjunction of the mid-to-late Sixties, reforms that were seeded at that time will become more urgent, and hopefully more firmly rooted, over the next few years.
This New Moon broadcasts a call from your deeper self to improve your health and work habits, and calls for a close examination of the soil that sustains you. Could your garden use some fertilizing, weeding, or breaking up of tough dirt clods? Most of us are like novice gardeners—scattering seeds, trying different things, not sure what will yield results. It’s time to acknowledge that despite some failures, you’ve also experienced successes, whether great or small, since the spring. Write down these successes and celebrate them. Virgo likes making lists and tallying progress; it also supports regular practice—the dedication which slowly moves us in a new direction. Whether it’s a daily walk, a morning blessing before heading off to work, clearing clutter one drawer at a time, sending out resumes to find a more fulfilling job, or volunteering for a cause you believe in, small acts will yield big shifts over time.
If your planets are being activated by Uranus and Pluto, you may be in for some bigger changes that will revolutionize your life. Email me for a short Snapshot reading ($35) to find out how the current energies are affecting your chart. And, at this New Moon, be sure to clean, clear and activate your Health gua at the center of your home. For inspiration, check out my latest mini-video featuring Cassie and Ben, who used my suggestions to revitalize their health and work. Finally, here’s a Virgo ritual from my book, Astro Feng Shui: Making Magic in Your Home and Life, to help ground and relax you during this high-energy time.
© 2012 Simone Butler
Painting by Claudia Fernety. See more of Claudia’s work at her website.
Great to read northern hemisphere.For us Australians Virgo New Moon works just as well for Spring cleaning!