Virgo Solar Eclipse: God is in the Details

Some years ago, shortly after my mother’s death, I lost my wallet. I’d been running around, preparing for a trip to Greece. When I realized the wallet was gone, I called every place I’d been, imagining the worst. How could I possibly replace my ID and credit cards in the short time before I left? Finally I reached a clerk at Target. They had it! I rushed down there and got my wallet, cash and cards still intact. Some nice person had found it in the parking lot, where it had apparently fallen out of my purse.

Dizzy with relief, I felt a sudden shiver. Mom was there. “Just be more careful next time,” she said. It was exactly the sort of thing she used to tell me when I’d get lost in my dream world and lose track of details (like zipping my purse). And then it hit me: From the other side of the veil, my kind, conscientious Virgo mother had engineered this miraculous outcome! I thanked her profusely, and did so again while scattering her ashes around a tiny church she would have loved in the countryside of Crete.

It’s not clear who coined the phrase, “The devil is in the details,” but French author Gustave Flaubert had the original thought: “God is in the details.” Both are true, depending on your viewpoint. Either way, with an impending Virgo New Moon, it’s time to take a look at the details and see who’s controlling your thoughts – the devil or the divine.

This New Moon (Sept. 1, 2:03 a.m. PDT) is intensified by being a solar eclipse (though not a total eclipse, as some have claimed). It squares Saturn and opposes Neptune, triggering their third and final square, which will be exact on Sept. 10. Since it began last Nov., this square has called us to claim our inner authority and not succumb to fear and illusion. Reality (Saturn) has been in a state of flux (Neptune), epitomized by rampant terrorism, fear-mongering, and the truly surreal (President Trump??).

Now it’s time to get back to what’s real. To help with the process, messenger Mercury stations retrograde in Virgo on Aug. 30, shortly before the New Moon. It joins giant Jupiter at the final degrees of Virgo, amplifying the call to complete what’s been happening with work, health and thought patterns during the last year, while Jupiter has been shining a flashlight on those issues. Starting on Sept. 9 when it enters Libra, Jupiter will do the same for issues related to relationships, fairness and justice. Mercury stays in Virgo until early Oct. due to its retrograde, giving us plenty of time to sift through options before making any firm decisions. Try not to make any long-term commitments till after mid-Sept., as things are changing rapidly and the dust hasn’t settled yet.

So, how to work with this perfect storm of Virgo energy? First, think about what bad habit is not serving your higher good – from watching the news to eating junk to working too much. Then remember a time when you felt better. What were you doing then? Sometimes it’s the simplest things, like getting to sleep at a reasonable hour, or doing something inexpensive but effective for your health, that make the biggest difference.  Once I cured a stomach ailment by getting in the habit of putting raw apple cider vinegar in my water. After recently wasting a lot of money on supplements that didn’t help, I went back to taking vinegar – and my belly was once again healed. What habit might you reinstate (Mercury retrograde takes us back to the past) that could make a big difference for you?

Most of all, the Virgo New Moon requires separating the wheat from the chaff. And that’s all about consciousness. What are you putting your precious mental attention on? Stay focused on the wheat (what you desire) – not the chaff (fear and illusion). As metaphysician Joel Goldsmith reminds us, “The secret to having anything is first attaining the consciousness of it. Why is that? Because consciousness is God.”

If you need help boosting your health and relaxation, check out this Virgo New Moon ritual from my book,Astro Feng Shui: Making Magic in Your Home and Life.

© 2016 by Simone Butler.

Painting by Claudia Fernety. See more of Claudia’s work at her website.