August 27, 2022
1:16 AM PDT / 4:16 AM EDT / 8:16 AM GMT
4 Virgo 3
The Virgo New Moon offers fresh starts and clean sweeps, with gusto.
It’s a highly intellectual moon that supports analytical and discerning approaches, without emotional fuss and bother. Virgo has a bent for assessing anything with an eye toward how it could be better. The sign encourages organizing, noticing (and chewing on) details, and drawing and enforcing boundaries.
This moon has a decided back to school, back to work vibe, even if your part of the planet is not currently experiencing summer. In this atmosphere it feels appropriate to tidy, to get serious, to clean up your environment or diet or habits, and to return to an orderly routine.
Sound boring? Probably not. It holds the prospect of bringing grounding and sanity into your life, which could be mighty appealing after a summer of upheaval. (Okay, a year. Okay, a few years.) As simple an act as doing the dishes might be exactly what you need to feel better – and gain the clarity to tackle even more.
And you have motivation. This moon comes with pep talks, with a cosmic cheering section, with hands shoving you to put ideas into action. Ideas and projects have no chance of standing still, with the Moon exactly squaring Mars, planet of push. A square demands action; Mars is all about action, and he’s currently in a fast-moving, every-which-way mode.
Mars is in Gemini, whipping up conversations and messaging, flooding data streams, unleashing juggling and multi-tasking (as well as a lot of arguments and fighting words). His time there starts August 20, a week before the New Moon. It’s effectively kicking off his tour of duty, which will last an uncommon seven months.
Gemini is mutable air, flexible, changeable, now you see it, now you don’t, while Virgo is mutable earth, flexible, changeable, very much on the ground and in the present. Their current clash is not ephemeral, though, given Mars’ schedule. The collision between Mars and the New Moon is giving practical, tangible form to ideas and campaigns that could blossom over the rest of the year and beyond, instead of the usual lunar cycle.
Their clash may not be exceptionally challenging, either. Both the Moon and Mars are answering to communication god Mercury, ruler of Gemini and Virgo. Mercury in Libra is semi-sextile the Moon, an uncomfortable aspect that invites (read: nudges toward) dealing with situations in a new and improved way. Facing up and talking may not be all that difficult or unpleasant, because Mercury is also trine Mars, making for an easy flow of information, conversation, and collaboration.
All of this has a mushrooming, larger than life quality. The Moon and Mercury both have less than flowing contacts to Jupiter, the guy who ups the ante for any action. The Moon is inconjunct, which requires a zig zag instead of going from Point A to B, and Mercury is opposite, which creates tension and frustration. Neither has an onerous or dramatic impact. Jupiter contacts tend to be nuanced, amplifying energies rather than bashing anyone in the head. His role in this line-up is likely to encourage self-starting and daring, as well as echo the excitement coming off Mars.
How to work with this Moon: Read. Talk. Make to-do lists. De-clutter your mind and information sources. Reorganize your diet and daily routine. Talk more. Walk your talk. Collaborate (Mercury’s in partnership-oriented Libra). Start projects that have scared you. Start projects that energize you. Keep your knees loose, and be ready to adapt and improve as circumstances shift.