Transits for the Virgo-Libra Lunation

The world is an interplay of illumination and shadow, and the intermingling of darkness with light creates the dazzling spectrum of colors we know. As the seasons turn, the balance of day and night are equal, showing us the value and necessity of both diurnal and nocturnal consciousness.

The next lunation cycle begins with the Virgo New Moon, before the Sun enters the sign of Libra and the cycle continues through the cardinal signs. The dominant alignment through the entire month is Mars retrograde in a square to the Jupiter-Saturn-Pluto stellium, which will be highlighted at hard angles by both Mercury and the Sun as the weeks progress. There is no denying the times are difficult and filled with uncertainty, and finding grace and equilibrium in the midst of the turmoil and heaviness can be challenging. Libra is a Venus-ruled sign, and if we find ourselves struggling or down-hearted, it can be important to remember our connections with loved ones and community.

Transits of the Virgo-Libra Lunation

*September 17 @ 4:00 am PT* The New Moon in Virgo offers a fertile, mutable soil in which to plant the new seeds of intention. Mercury in Libra aligns in a square to Jupiter in Capricorn, calling forth grand ideas, inflated thoughts, philosophical musings, and an optimistic perspective on the growing potential of the newly seeded intentions. Plant kernels of hope in abundance now, for although not all may come to flower, some of these ambitious ideas may grow to great heights.

*September 21 @ 11:13 am PT* As the Moon in late Scorpio forms a sextile with the Sun in Virgo, Mercury in Libra squares Pluto in Capricorn. Gossip and intrigue, paranoia and slander can taint and corrupt the thinking mind. Who pulls the strings of our thought patterns, and do we have the power to think for ourselves?

*September 22 @ 6:31 am PT* The Sun enters Libra with the autumnal equinox, marking the shift of seasons and the fading of light. A Venus-ruled air sign, Libra oversees the fall winds scattering many-colored leaves in complex patterns across the dappled ground. The elves are on the road in autumn, and some may hear the call to adventure echoing in their hearts.

*September 23 @ 6:55 pm PT* The waxing quarter Moon in Capricorn squares Libra Sun, while Mercury simultaneously squares Saturn. Hard problems, difficult conversation, misperceptions and miscommunications can make nuanced communication challenging. Saturn negates the voice, calling for silence and quiet contemplation instead.

*September 24 @ 3:53 am PT* As Mercury still lingers in Saturn’s and Pluto’s rays, it perfects an opposition to Mars in Aries, bringing heightened tempers and argumentative debate into an already frustrating communicative environment. Instead of getting caught in a shouting match, writing a rage-filled letter and burning it to ashes may help to release and redirect the fiery energies.

*September 25 @ 12:11 am PT* The Moon in Capricorn spends the entirety of the day traversing the Jupiter-Saturn-Pluto conjunction, and forming a T-square with both Mercury and Mars. If it all feels like too much and your emotions boil over and break down, know that you may be feeling not only your own emotional whirlpool but that of the collective as well.

*September 26 @ 6:30 am PT* The Gibbous Moon in early Aquarius forms an airy trine with the Libra Sun, which may offer some breathing room and a little perspective on the previous day’s emotional turmoil—although the Moon’s simultaneous square to Uranus may still lead to unexpected and erratic emotional outbursts and sensations.

*September 27 @ 12:41 am PT* Mercury descends into the underwater grotto of Scorpio, the sign in which it will turn retrograde in a fortnight. What hidden and obscured information and ideas have been secreted away within these caves of the mind, and what is the measure of your impassioned desire to know?

*September 28 @ 6:01 pm PT* Venus in Leo forms a fire trine with Mars in Aries, taking the next steps in the erotic dance initiated just three weeks prior when these two planets formed a dynamic square. Perhaps this relational dance can express a greater harmony, a balancing between the allurement of Venus and the initiatory desire of Mars.

*September 29 @ 2:50 pm PT* Mars in Aries perfects its square to Saturn for the second time, just hours after Saturn stations direct. These stubborn, frictional energies are pulling in opposite directions, grinding action to a halt and enforcing patience with an aggressive hand. If no forward motion is possible, how instead will you plan for the long game?

*October 1 @ 2:05 pm PT* The Full Moon in Aries opposes the Sun in Libra, culminating the lunar cycle initiated with the Virgo New Moon. This highly activated Full Moon in Mars’s home sign reflects the agitated state of the world, currently dominated by the archetypal principles of the red planet. How to cultivate Libran balance and harmony when so much needs to be done?

*October 2 @ 1:48 pm PT* Venus steps into the earthy realm of Virgo, bringing a logical and measured approach to love and aesthetic sensibilities. Everything has its right place, and all that is beautiful must also be practical, while all that is practical ought to be aesthetically pleasing as well. As a Mercury-ruled sign, Venus in Virgo desires to be expressed through carefully chosen words. What words would you choose to write a love letter to your own heart?

*October 7 @ 2:18 am PT* The Disseminating Moon in Gemini forms a trine with the Sun in Libra, while Mercury in Scorpio opposes Uranus in Taurus. Mental activity may accelerate, taking on an electrified, frenetic pace that can at times disturb sleep as sparks fly off of new insights and realizations.

*October 9 @ 5:40 pm PT* The waning quarter Moon in Cancer forms its closing square to the Sun, as Mars perfects its second square to Pluto. Volcanic intensity drives the instincts, and simmering tempers may ignite over pools of shame and rage. The power to take action resides within, but directing this ferocious warrior energy takes self-awareness of unconscious tendencies.

*October 10 @ 4:08 pm PT* Venus in Virgo forms an earth trine to Uranus in Taurus, bringing forth unusual desires and unique aesthetic tastes, sparking unexpected heart connections, friendships, and love.

*October 11 @ 6:34 am PT* The Sun in Libra squares Jupiter in Capricorn, beginning its angular sweep across the Capricorn stellium. While the focus may be on the need for growth, expansion, and the cultivation of joy, the problematic sides of Jupiter may also be highlighted: grandiosity, arrogance, and an inflated sense of one’s egoic identity.

*October 12 @ 9:39 am PT* Jupiter in Capricorn makes its third and final sextile of the year to Neptune, while Mercury perfects its own sextile to Venus for the second time since they came into this configuration in late August. In the midst of this season’s intensified turmoil, these alignments may offer a diplomatic perspective and capacity to perceive a broader, unified vision.

*October 13 @ 4:26 pm PT* The Sun in Libra opposes Mars in Aries, the same day as Mercury stations retrograde in Scorpio. The flow of information slows into quagmires of confusion, bringing the need to review and reflect critically. With the Sun highlighting retrograde Mars, encounters with misinformation may inflame the frustrations and ignite the temper.

*October 15 @ 3:15 am PT* The Sun continues its angular journey to the Capricorn stellium, squaring Pluto next and intensifying the awareness of the shadowy underworld dynamics of power and corruption. Following the path of descent can bring profound regeneration and rebirth, but only after the outworn ways of being have been dismembered and composted.

*October 16 @ 12:31 pm PT* The New Moon aligns in Libra, still carrying the dynamic energies of the T-square with Mars and the Jupiter-Saturn-Pluto stellium. Seeds need darkness to germinate and take root, and although the night may feel long and foreboding, the dawn always comes at last.