The New Moon in Virgo on September 8 is a quiet, thoughtful time in which we can view old problems in a new light and perhaps see important details that we overlooked in the past.

Sometimes all it takes to make big changes is a new perspective, and those little details can make all the difference in the world.

There are two stand-out features of the chart for this New Moon. First, Mercury, ruler of Virgo, is retrograde until September 12. Traditionally, the New Moon is a powerful time to begin new ventures, but that will not be the case this month. With Mercury retrograde, we’ll have to wait for results, and anything we attempt to start anew before he returns direct will be less likely to succeed. If you do manage to pull it off, you could get some unwanted side effects in the bargain.

Second, the New Moon makes no aspects to any planets other than Mercury, and even that conjunction, at 7 degrees, is a bit too wide to have much of an influence.

Together, these two features reinforce the theme of taking quiet time to analyze your situations and relationships in an attempt to get a different point of view. If someone offers you one, listen … even though you’re not obligated to take all you hear as the goddess-given truth.

Virgo is known for being very practical and efficient, so at the very least, any advice you get – including what you may hear by listening to your own internal voice – is likely to be valid. Write it down and ponder it, and examine all the different ways you could put it to use for your benefit and the benefit of others.

That may sound kind of boring, especially after a summer of intense activity and stress. Personally, I’d welcome a little boredom right now. Others I know who could use a rest probably would agree.

As for all that intense activity, you’re likely still dealing with the fallout, as the cardinal T-square is still active as of this New Moon. It’s far less potent than it was over the summer and will wind down even further once Jupiter returns to Pisces on Thursday, the day after the New Moon. Nevertheless, certain issues remain, making it all the more necessary to look back and rethink your circumstances.

The other big change on the way is Pluto’s imminent return direct on September 14, right after Mercury resumes forward motion. Whether or not the grand cross is in the cardinal signs, Pluto is at the apex of an extremely stressful configuration. Wherever he’s transiting your natal chart, that’s where you’re feeling pressured the most.

As it so happens, Mercury will return direct in a fairly close sextile to Pluto, which I suspect will increase your insight by orders of magnitude. Not everything you discover will thrill you, and some of it might be downright uncomfortable. But I guarantee you that the information will be useful.

Mars, meanwhile, makes a trine to Neptune and Chiron, helping us heal by restoring balance. That could mean anything from eating a more balanced diet to finding more balance between work and play, activity and rest, socializing and solitude, and other areas of your life that may have a lopsided focus. Venus, in the final degree of Libra, also adds her voice to the notion of balance and harmony. If you don’t already do some form of meditation or yoga, give it a try.

Although Ceres makes no aspects to any planets in the New Moon chart, I should mention her. As you may know, I’m a proponent of giving her co-rulership status of Virgo with Mercury. If we make that presumption, then she rules this New Moon, too, and that changes the picture a bit.

At 23 degrees Sagittarius, Ceres is moving toward a third and final conjunction with the Galactic Core since March of this year, and then she’ll make another alignment with Pluto. The energy of the GC funneled through Ceres has a deep message for us regarding our environment and the fragility of all life on the planet. It doesn’t take much to disrupt entire ecosystems, as we’re becoming more and more aware.

In terms of our personal circumstances, Ceres reminds us that all life is cyclical. If we’re at a peak now, we must plan for the valleys that inevitably will follow. If we’re in a valley – as many of us seem to be right now – then we must have faith that it won’t last.

The Sabian Symbol** for the Sun and Moon at 15°41′ Virgo is an orangutan, with the keyword DEXTERITY. This image contains the symbolism of evolution and the development of the human mind. Marc Edmond Jones, in his interpretation of this symbol, talks of a “primitive power” inherent in everyone, which we must refine through the powers of the mind in order to meet the demands of stressful situations.

As I’ve written before, sometimes the way out is up.

Wishing you all much love and courage,
Pat

P.S. Don’t forget to write your abundance check!

** From The Sabian Symbols in Astrology, by Dr. Marc Edmond Jones. The author, an astrologer, channeled this work in the early 1920s. There’s one symbol one for each degree of the zodiac, and we can use them to gain insight into charts.