the new moon at 4’04 virgo was exact on saturday august 27th at 4:17am EDT, commencing a new lunar cycle that focuses on work, service, health and well being. this is one intense lunar cycle as the new moon is EXACTLY square mars by 3 minutes with the exact sun/mars square occurring just under 3 hours before the new moon is exact. as mars is heading into his front end shadow (exact september 3rd) with his retrograde happening end of october- we are moving into some big mars Underworld territory and this new moon can really presence for us what this descent will be about. so PAY ATTENTION!
mars is the will, warrior and drive- as well as the planet connected to ego, anger, conflict, aggression and war. the tense mars energy in this lunar cycle can exacerbate issues, arguments and conflicts – personally, interpersonally, between countries and more. as mars is in gemini we want to be aware that words are like weapons- they can create or destroy, they can raise people up or cut them down. we want to be SUPER conscious in the coming lunar cycle in how we wield our thoughts and our words. finding balance between speaking the Truth AND listening to others so we can find common ground is key.
the coming mars retrograde cycle (with blog coming soon) features a triple square to neptune- which can make it easy to not see or say the full truth. honesty and integrity is important- but also discernment and cultivating the capacity to dive deeper so we are going beyond the surface and getting to the truth is necessary. mars in gemini can govern accidents and impulsivity- so we want to be extra conscious and aware as we move about the world (as well as when we speak). grounding, pausing, counting to 10 so we can respond rather than react can be some great practices to cultivate in the days/weeks/months to come!
the ruler of this lunation is mercury and he is in front end shadow (as of august 20th) with his station happening september 9th- so he is also heading into his Underworld journey. mercury retrograde is a time to rethink, review and revise- to go over the past. not all the information is in just yet so we have to back to address and resolve things, get more pieces to the puzzle before we can see the whole picture clearly. interestingly as mercury stations retrograde he makes a double opposition to jupiter in aries and as he goes direct he makes a double quincunx to eris in aries. aries is ruled by mars- so there is a mars signature in the mercury retrograde as well.
the only aspect the new moon makes is the square to mars!!! this is a very pure and focused new moon and lunar cycle. because the new moon is in virgo the conflict or issues coming up can play out in work situations, with co-workers or people that work for us, in daily life and routines, and even in regards to health and well being. watch out of being overly critical and judgmental OR alternatively sweeping things under the carpet too much so as not to truly see reality. as both the new moon and mars are in mercury ruled signs- there can be excess mental tension, anxiety and disturbed thinking we have to navigate. grounding, nature, breath work, yoga, relaxing are all great antidotes!
we have the sun moon and mercury all slow in movement with jupiter and all the planets beyond him (saturn, uranus, neptune, pluto, eris, chiron) retrograde. the only two planets moving fast are venus and mars- the Divine Lovers. with mars involved in this lunation we have to watch out for impulsive actions taken, setting things into motion we cannot undo. mars tends to be impulsive and in the moment but that can cost us.
interestingly the moon is parallel kassandra- the greek prophetess who could see into the future but no one believed her. trust your gut at this new moon and in this lunar cycle- even more so because virgo co-rules the gut and digestion. you can get some very clear intuitive hits and messages right now- and you have to have the self confidence and self worth to trust in your inner voice, even if everyone around you is telling you you are wrong. discerning intuition from fear or fantasy is key though- it’s easy to conflate them for each other. somatic work and shadow work support us in being able to discern our intuitive voice from fear or fantasy.
i titled this blog ‘discernment vs judgement- how to see the Truth without shaming’. this is a lesson for virgo. virgo is able to see the pieces and has strong critical faculties which can be super useful in many ways! shadow virgo can devolve into criticism, judgement, being hard on the self and others, and shaming. yet we don’t want to throw the baby out with the bathwater. healthy virgo along with the mars square can cut to the core of things like a surgeon’s knife. we want a surgeon to do this when doing surgery- we don’t want him poking around everywhere trying to find something. we want him to be specific and focused- which is an energy we can tap into during this new moon/lunar cycle ahead. the key is in learning to see Truth clearly without shaming others or ourselves based on what we see.
the etymology of judgement is connected to putting someone on trial which usually results in a penalty imposed by the court. discernment, on the other hand, means to perceive or understand. to put someone to trial and impose a penalty is very different than seeing/perceiving Truth and understanding what is going on beneath the surface. great things to mull on in this lunar cycle ;)
i leave you with the star sparks degree for this new moon- a powerful message! it reminds us to not stay in our heads full of worry and anxiety when it is time to face obstacles and times of (symbolic) death. he talks about staying with the Underworld energy so we can see it all the way through to the end of the transformation portal it truly is. a very apt meditation for a powerful and intense lunation!! read on below.
blessings…
~harmony
P.S. for the whole month of august all my membership content (weekly/lunar monthly horoscopes, solar/lunar gate calls, monthly forecasts) has been OPEN ACCESS. you can tune into the Lunar Gate Call for this New Moon at link below. Lunar Horoscopes will be up by saturday.
https://divineharmony.com/lunar-gate-calls/lunar-gate-call-new-moon-in-virgo-8-27-22/
STAR SPARKS
by ellias lonsdale
Virgo 5
A skull on a pole at the entrance to a dark wood
The crystallized image of death stands before us to mark our passage from one world into another. Ordinarily, this death mask gathers to itself our superstitions, our folk memories, our previous deaths, everything that limits and binds. When this happens, we hold ourselves tightly to the grind of proving somehow that we can and will carry onward while everything is stacked against us.
The sad part is that when we assume that the obstacles are mountains and the odds forbidding, we will most of the time stay in our heads, filling with worry and anxiety, and not set out at all. We psyche ourselves out. We become convinced that it is better to be cautious, to be forewarned, and to steer clear of terrible things awaiting us if we risk, if we go out on a limb.
There is, however, another kind of death sign and symbology. This starts with the vision of what death can be and must be within a shamanic or sacred initiatory path. And it can become as real and experiential as we are able to flesh out by following what we know and discovering the path beyond collective taboos and spooks.
If we ever grasp this side of death, we are given a skeleton key that will open into any and every door throughout the inner worlds. All we have to do is follow our impulse for the initiated and not let ourselves be talked out of it by the hordes inside the head or the hordes outside.
Our path in this degree is a double-edged sword between immense constriction and vast freedom. Most of us will live shuttling between the two deaths. When we constrict, the old death shows up, consuming our substance. When we let ourselves go beyond those rotting pictures, the freer death portal opens and we know we can become absolutely anybody.
By holding the tensions between these two deaths, we develop quite an edge. We can take that edge to freedom whenever we are ready.