Sometimes strands spend a long time seeking each other, fumbling without light, and interweave without knowing that it is exactly what the web wants.
~ Emmi Itäranta, Kudottujen kujien kaupunki

Details are super important in Virgo-land. They can make the difference between achieving versus falling short of success. Getting the details right requires tenacity, persistence, endurance, determination, and willingness to keep fiddling around with them.

Cutting corners or settling for guesses can mean that the end result falls far short of what you're looking for. It's like using salt instead of sugar in a cake recipe because it looks the same and is easier to reach – what comes out of the oven is definitely not going to be what you were aiming for.

Details matter. Accuracy matters. Sure, it's possible to fudge an approximate outcome by guessing or filling in the blanks, but Virgo knows that the less you pay attention to details, the more you risk winding up way off the mark.

Virgo's mission is to hone things to perfection, which means you have to play around with things to make the pieces fit together. Virgo is a Mutable sign and an Earth sign, so it's made for the job by combining the flexibility and adaptability of a Mutable sign with the focus on results, methodology and practicality of an Earth sign.

On the other hand, if you get too obsessed with perfection, purity and precision, you can get lost down the rabbit hole of never thinking what you've done is perfect enough. In that case, your fine-tuning could go on forever and you might never let yourself to be satisfied with your accomplishments. So, what was the point of all that fiddling??

In this Virgo New Moon, and the 4-week lunar cycle it begins, we are bringing together several energies, dreams, plans and resources that may be a little out of reach or out of sync. How you do this, the intentions we use to do this, and the frame of mind we bring to it, can make a big difference in what you wind up with.

It's a bit like weaving threads together that are not quite long enough, or are so different from each other that the result may not be quite what we're after. Do you change the plan? Add more materials? Make the best of what you have? How do you strive for the best results by channelling your frustration into your work, and not ripping it up in exasperation.

Virgo is about problem-solving. So, what can you do if you "can't get there from here?" You start with the bigger ideas and break them down into details, of course.

Tangled Knots and Loose Ends

If we keep pulling threads, trying to see which ones make the pattern, we unravel the cloth and left with nothing but tangles.
~ Esther M. Friesner, Deception's Princess

In this Virgo New Moon chart, there are a variety of energies in effect. Some could work together very nicely, while others might push and pull against each other, leaving you indecisive and feeling perpetually out of balance or incomplete.

One factor is Mars in Gemini which at 3 minutes of orb is so tightly square the Sun and Moon, you would need a laser beam to get any more precision. Mars is a big factor too because he will be in Gemini until March 25, 2023. Yes, you read that right – 7 months with Mars in Gemini! More about this below.

Another factor is that Uranus is stationary, having officially turned retrograde on August 24 (18:55 Taurus) and is still within 1 minute of orb (from August 18 to 30). Stationary Uranus is also at the apex of a T-square aspect pattern along with Venus and Saturn.

This T-square brings into focus the contradictory energy of the Saturn-Uranus square (which remains within a 6° orb from July to December this year, reaching their closest orb of just over half a degree in early October). The fact that Uranus is stationary now, and therefore especially strong, means the fragile peace between Saturn and Uranus (order versus disruption, status quo versus making change) is likely to lean more toward the disruptive end of the spectrum.

Yet another substantial factor in the Virgo New Moon chart is Mercury, ruler of Virgo and therefore an important source of energy for the New Moon. Mercury's aspects in the chart have mostly wide-ish orbs, but also some midpoints that bring those aspects into closer focus. The bigger pattern that is woven by these aspects and midpoints is a bit complex and intricate—which puts a big smile on Virgo's face.

Mars On Your Mind

To have what you have never had, you have to do what you have never done.
~ Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart

Mars is in Gemini exactly square the Sun and Moon. 'Nuff said! ...Except with Mars in Gemini, words may never be enough, nor will an abundance of communication be enough. The speed, spontaneity and unstop-ability of Mars being channelled through the mental faculties of Gemini could put Mercury on steroids!

You may find your mind racing a bit, or becoming scattered, or being distractible when trying to figure out what exactly you need to say. Your awareness may scamper through observations faster than your mind can process it all into concrete thoughts or words.

And Mercury being in Libra right now probably doesn't help when trying to make a choice between all the different options and ideas flying around.

Being so tightly square to the New Moon, Mars makes a splashy entrance into the 7 month-long era while in Gemini. The reason is because Mars goes retrograde in Gemini from October 30, 2022 to January 12, 2023 (from 08:07 to 25:36 of Gemini). So buckle up, get your thinking cap on, and start making a list of ideas, coping mechanisms, and ways you can take advantage of this fizzy, spicy energy.

On the plus side, Mars is an awesome motivator. It can provide a strong incentive to get unstuck from a frame of mind that's holding you back. It could come in the form of conflict or being backed into a corner where you can't just ignore the situation. Or Mars in Gemini could get your mind moving with inspiring ideas or implications about possibilities and opportunities.

On the other hand, your mind could start racing in circles, perhaps making it hard to sleep or focus. That's when it helps to have a list of strategies you can use to get yourself centered and grounded again, focused in an orderly or paced way. That's where the Virgo New Moon comes in, where you might find there's a tug of war between your racing mind versus your attempts to calm down and harness that energy instead of letting it run wild.

Mars in Gemini can also make it necessary to find ways to express your frustration, disappointment, anger and resentment. If these feelings are intense enough, and especially if you become easily overwhelmed by uncomfortable feelings, this could be a difficult time. In that case, it's important to make a list now of strategies and support systems that you can turn to when things get too hot or heavy.

It can help to take some advice from Virgo – make a plan, figure out an achievable goal, and take it one methodical step at a time. Virgo can be the conduit through which you channel all that Mars energy toward a productive, constructive and useful end. The trick is to get out of react-mode, where you're just trying to adjust your response to what's happening or what you're feeling. Just do one thing at a time and keep your eyes on the prize.

This lunar cycle can help you find an effective strategy to cope with and utilize this energy, and help you get through the coming 7 months of Mars in Gemini. Think of it as the trailer before the movie.

T-boned by Uranus

First, break free; then break through.
~ Talismanist Giebra, Talismanist: Fragments of the Ancient Fire. Philosophy of Fragmentism Series

The Fixed T-square brings the Saturn-Uranus square into the foreground again, which has happened on and off throughout this year when a faster-moving planet opposes either Saturn or Uranus, forming a T-square aspect pattern. This time it's Venus' turn.

Venus is in Leo which brings the need and opportunity to make ourselves and our lives more beautiful. She invites us to see ourselves as more lovable, worthy, valuable and confident, and to see the best in others too.

Venus opposes Saturn in Aquarius (180°), which can raise the contrary view of self-doubt. For example, you might have thoughts like, "Who am I to believe I'm more special than anyone else?" or "Maybe I haven't done enough to deserve all that positive regard."

On the other hand, you might need to come to terms with the expectations of others that determine if they see you as worthy, valuable and desirable. It can also be a time when you put new habits and actions into place that helps you make your self-esteem more solid.

Uranus in Venus-ruled Taurus squares them both (90°). Uranus carries a higher voltage than usual because Uranus is stationary. The fact that Uranus is also still conjunct the North Lunar Node adds even more vividness to this energy.

The Venus-Uranus square is extremely tight at just 11 minutes of orb, so the urge is more likely to be one of breaking free of old roles and limitations (Uranus) than trying to fit in with them (Saturn). Fortifying this T-square is that Venus is also parallel to Uranus by declination as well as being contraparallel to Saturn.

At its most dramatic, think of the Uranus "T-bone" as a battering ram intent on breaking down a bolted pair of double doors. At its most reasonable, this is about learning to fit yourself into expectations while still leaving room to be yourself and or even to try being someone else. Even at the best of times, Uranus is highly allergic to following the rules and obeying expectations just to feel that we're okay and deserve to belong. Uranus tells us we are each unique; an essential part of the whole.

Uranus' perspective interferes with Saturn's agendas, one of which can be shaping society by imposing firm roles and boundaries around who we can/cannot be. At the same time, this could put our inner Venus on the spot to feel like we have to emulate a more idealized version of ourselves than we feel ready to live up to. All Venus in Leo wants is for us just to be ourselves and be happy with that, never mind all these high flying mandates from transpersonal planets.

Again, it might be helpful to take some time when you're feeling "up" to make a list of things you're good at, things you enjoy doing, things that are fun, things you like about yourself, things you're grateful for, and things that others have said they like about you. Go back and read this when you're feeling the pressure of this T-square.

Mercury Steals the Show

Biology gives you a brain. Life turns it into a mind.
~ Jeffrey Eugenides, Middlesex

One would expect that under the New Moon in Virgo, Mercury, the planetary ruler of Virgo, will have a front row seat in the events of the upcoming lunar cycle (Aug. 27 to Sep. 25). But in this case, Mercury upstages just about everyone else in the chart! Unsurprisingly, his story is more complicated than usual.

Right now, the highlight of Mercury's story is that he is already in the retrograde shadow, preparing to go retrograde from Sep. 9 to Oct. 2 (in the shadow from Aug. 20 to Oct. 17).

That means whatever is initiated under this New Moon in Virgo, and during its lunar cycle (until Sep. 25), will likely need to be processed, examined, questioned, rediscovered, fine-tuned, and polished more extensively over the next 2 months.

Mercury is currently in Libra. The sign of love, beauty and harmony can bring out a desire to be fair-minded, even-tempered, and find diplomatic solutions to problems when possible. On the other hand, since Libra is intent on establishing a balance with all sides of a situation, Mercury in this sign can also potentially bring out indecision, promote debate and discussion, and settle for "peace at any price" if genuine consensus cannot be reached.

Mercury sends this energy "back home" to both the Virgo New Moon and to Mars in Gemini since all are in Mercury-ruled signs. So, when Mars squares/yells at the New Moon to "Stand up and fight! Don't let them get away with that!" Mercury will be urging Mars to calm down and look for a solution where everybody wins, not one that merely vanquishes the enemy. Mercury will also be advising the Sun and Moon to be satisfied with "good enough" and not burn out because everything isn't 185% perfect.

All Roads Lead to Mercury

Creativity is that marvelous capacity to grasp mutually distinct realities and draw a spark from their juxtaposition.
~ Max Ernst

Mercury is only in the second degree of Libra (having made his entrance back on August 25). As a result, he gets the benefit of several applying aspects (approaching exact) to planets in the early degrees of their signs (Sun, Moon, Mars, Jupiter). At the same time, he's close enough to the previous sign to still be buzzing from separating aspects (past exact) with planets in the late degrees of their signs (Neptune and Pluto).

Mercury and Mars are in a cooperative trine aspect (120°), contributing an assertive yet calming ability to mediate between Mars and the New Moon. However, Mercury is slowing down and goes retrograde before reaching the exact trine. They reach their closest orb (about 1° apart: 7° Libra and 8° Gemini) on Sep. 4, although Mercury doesn't catch up to trine Mars for real until October 26.

Nevertheless, the Mercury-Mars trine is in effect from Aug. 20 to Sep. 14, making it easier to find the courage to say what's on your mind, explore new ideas, and learn dynamic ways to connect with people socially. Make the best of this energy, but don't be surprised if the final outcome doesn't really come together for another couple of months.

Mercury is also in a separating trine with Pluto (exact on Aug. 22), which encourages you to speak from the heart in an emotionally authentic way. That said, Pluto packs a powerful punch even in a soft, supportive trine aspect, so this transit could also lead to speaking your truth in a more abrupt or forceful way than will be easily received by whoever is on the receiving end.

Normally, one might expect Mercury to pull together a Grand Trine aspect pattern through these trine aspects. Mars and Pluto were trine on Aug. 14, but are 7:29 apart now – a wee bit too far apart to convincingly complete the Grand Trine triangle (which was loosely in-orb August 19-24).

However, being in orb of trine aspects to both planets, Mercury creates an effect called Translation of Light. In addition, Mercury sits on the midpoint between Mars and Pluto, which also pulls their energies together again.

But wait—there's more! ;-)

In a similar kind of setup, Mercury is in a separating opposition to Neptune (exact on August 21, currently 6:43 orb), and in an applying opposition to Jupiter (exact September 2, currently 6:01 orb). However, Jupiter and Neptune are much too far apart to be in conjunction (currently 12:44 orb).

So, Mercury fills in the gap through Translation of Light from around mid-August to early-September, bringing the Jupiter-Neptune conjunction energy back into focus for a couple of weeks(-ish). Here too, Mercury sits on the midpoint between Jupiter and Neptune which strengthens the Translation of Light effect in bringing them into a combined focus.

Jupiter and Neptune were exactly conjunct on April 12 of this year, and come back within an 8° orb in November (in orb from mid-October to the end of December), reaching their closest proximity of around 6° on November 21. At their most sparkly, these two planets combined can ramp up hope and faith in the best of all possible worlds, although if all that glitters is not gold they can also amplify disappointment or disillusionment.

With mental Mercury opposing them and smudging their energies together again, this could be a time when you are entranced by a grand vision of what your Virgoan efforts could accomplish, full of inspiration and motivation. Wishful thinking can be a good thing when you need some optimistic encouragement, but could also be counterproductive if you simply assume that the outcome will magically appear without your own efforts to make it happen. Remember that this is in the context of Virgo's New Moon, a sign that believes that miracles will materialize only when you combine clear focus with elbow grease.

Mercury at the Nexus

She felt herself to be at one of those nodes of the planet's human vibrations where absolute calm, albeit engendered by the juggling interference of contrary motions, is all the more soothing in its perilous instability.
~ Julien Gracq, Château d'Argol

These aspects to Mercury actually creates two Wedge aspect patterns – Mercury opposite Neptune, with Pluto at the apex in trine and sextile, respectively, and Mercury opposite Jupiter, with Mars at the apex trine and sextile. In the Wedge pattern, the apex planet provides an outlet, distraction or cooperative support that can mediate the stress and conflict of the planets in opposition.

So, Pluto talks to both Mercury and Neptune, reminding them that when confronted with confusion, (dis)illusionment or deception, being willing to see things as they are in all their rough-edged glory can help to break through the fog. Also, your depth of passion when applied in a realistic, grounded way can give you a direction to channel any wishful thinking creatively – but remember that this is creativity and not necessarily factual.

In the same way, Mars converses with Mercury and Jupiter, suggesting that when trying to find a way to express wisdom, knowledge and benevolence, it may be best to consider that it's all just mental floss unless you find a way to take action on it. Similarly, the value of your actions will likely hinge on the honesty, integrity and quality of impact that they have on others around you.

Normally, 2 Wedge patterns put together will create a Grand Trine Kite formation, but in this case the two Wedges don't meet other than through Mercury. So, Mercury becomes the keeper of a rather complex Translation of Light not just for Mars and Pluto, and Jupiter and Neptune, but also for the two aspect patterns that almost come together into a larger one.

In other words, Mercury – your mind, perceptions, awareness, ideas, questions, thoughts and self-expression – is juggling a lot of information right now. There is a need to make connections between concepts and experiences that may seem to fall away like a half-finished bridge. Mercury is in Libra which always seeks balance, and in this case the balance may not be the kind of equilibrium that comes from sameness but from equivalency that finds its own awkward balance. Add to this the fact that Mercury is heading into a retrograde cycle, which complicates things further.

The lesson to take as you move into the coming 2 months is to let the connections form in their own time. Don't try to force a conclusion or you may wind up at the wrong destination, wondering how you got there. As you question and try to understand things going on around you, saying "I don't know" is a perfectly good answer. Clarity will come at its own pace and may in fact be different than you expect.

Sabian Symbol

Sabian Symbol for Virgo 5: A man dreaming of fairies, OR A man becoming aware of nature spirits and normally unseen spiritual agencies.

This is a surprisingly Piscean image for a Virgo degree, and happens to reflect the chart's Mercury opposition to Jupiter and Neptune, the two ruling planets of Pisces. The Symbol shows a rational person who encounters non-rational entities within a non-rational medium (dream). Dane Rudhyar (the second wording above) likened this degree to "the opening of new levels of consciousness" through "imagination."

In the context of this New Moon chart, this Symbol seems to remind the Virgo side of us that a balanced mental focus is called for – not just rational, logical, analytical and specific (as Virgo tends to be) but also open-minded, visionary, imaginative and intuitive. We are dealing not just with the physical, material world but also with realities beyond the physical – the metaphysical. This Symbol calls for an open mind that can perceive both realms, so that the interaction between them can flow freely within our conscious and unconscious minds.

Weaving It All Together

Our life is composed greatly from dreams, from the unconscious, and they must be brought into connection with action. They must be woven together.
~ Anais Nin

So, the New Moon chart contains several transpersonal (outer planet) energies that come together because Mercury is holding the reins. That's a pretty big to-do list for Mercury. Being in Libra, Mercury will be determined to ensure that all things remain in balance, merged together through peace, harmony and elegance. And yet, with such big energies involved, that might not be easy – kind of like trying to juggle bowling balls. There's a lot to keep track of so that it doesn't all come crashing down.

That said, with stationary Uranus radiating laser beams, the upcoming lunar cycle (Aug. 27 to Sep. 25: New Moon to New Moon), as well as the approaching Mercury retrograde cycle, may hold some surprises for us. Some of them may be unwelcome, but many are likely to be fun, creative and opening up new opportunities.

Therefore, you might find yourself caught up in indecision, struggling to weigh one factor against another and choose how best to prioritize them. At worst, this could mean the Mars-New Moon square might result in you beating yourself up for not being able to do it all as easily, gracefully or effectively as you envisioned – or worse, beating up someone else for the same reason.

It may help to take some time out to bring yourself back to centre, ground yourself in realism and reasonableness, and let your mind clear before you decide on your next step. Manifesting the most lofty vision still starts with a clear plan and a solid sense of what resources are in your grasp and what you still need to acquire.

Whatever you are weaving together in your life will come from an interplay of divergent energies. Paying attention to the details will help minimize the risk of winding up with a mess.

The next update will be for the Full Moon in Pisces on September 10, 2022. In the meantime, stay safe. Stay sane. Stay awesome. The world most definitely needs you. ❤️

There are no monsters in the world, and no saints. Only infinite shades woven into the same tapestry, light and dark. One man’s monster is another man’s beloved. The wise know that.
~ Katherine Arden, The Winter of the Witch

© 2022-08-26 Wendy Guy, all rights reserved. Astrological diagrams by Wendy Guy. Divider of weaving hands by hbeiser via Pixabay.com. Image of medieval battering ram by havos123, via Pixabay.com. Image of awkwardly balanced rocks by qimono, via Pixabay.com. Sabian symbol image of Fairy Dream by Theodor Severin Kittelsen, via WikiArt.org.