I’ve been asking this question quite often over the last couple of weeks: “How’s that working for you?” With the 2018 Virgo New Moon occurring at 11:01a PDT today, Sunday 9th September 2018 (17.00°), I’ll explain why that question applies to each and all of us and why it holds so much importance at this stage of our individual and collective journeys.
The reason for my persistent question is that the Zodiac sign of Virgo is associated with practical service and the everyday activities which support the functionality of our day-to-day lives. It is the effort and energy applied to making our lives actually work! It is the mutable energy of the earth element Zodiac trilogy as Capricorn (cardinal earth) sets the objective, Taurus (fixed earth) acquires and secures the necessary resources to facilitate those objectives, and Virgo (mutable earth) utilizes those resources in applying its efforts and facilitating the process by which Capricorn can fulfill and complete the originally-set objectives.
Practicality, pragmatism, and functionality are the name of Virgo’s game. If it’s broken, Virgo energy tries to fix it. If it’s not broken, Virgo energy will try to make it more efficient and effective. It’s often said that nothing is ever good enough for Virgo; that there’s always room for improvement as far as it’s concerned. Yet despite its constant quest for “a better way”, Virgo’s main objective is always to serve and/or heal and/or facilitate matters in the most effective ways possible, and if there can be a more efficient way to fulfill those objectives, Virgo will find it.
To that point, Virgo tends to believe there are certain ways to do things. There are systems, processes, and standards in place (or which get to be put into place) in order to move things forward and upward – in order to apply our resources wisely. Virgo strives to establish and uphold those systems and processes and standards. Some call it “perfectionism”. Others call it “hypercriticism”. But a Virgo would call it “integrity”.
The reason this 2018 Virgo New Moon is such a big deal is because it provides us with an opportunity to make a fresh start in regard to the way we go about doing things in our lives. This is an opportunity to hit the reset button on our individual and collective integrity.
Yet many of us have a misguided understanding of what integrity is actually comprised of. Let’s get the record straight.
Per Dictionary.com:
- Adherence to moral and ethical principles; soundness of moral character; honesty.
- The state of being whole, entire, or undiminished.
- A sound, unimpaired, or perfect condition.
That’s because in order for functionality to be at its most efficient and effective quality, it must be through or within conditions for that functionality to be possible. It must work properly and effectively in its entirety, it must operate with sound moral character, and anyone involved in facilitating the process “should” adhere to those moral and ethical principles.
This is why Virgo is associated with physical health, wellness, and healing in addition to being known for being the facilitator of all matters of practical service. However, when we work too hard to serve others and apply our resources to addressing others’ needs, it can sometimes lead to us neglecting our own physical wellbeing. If your physical body isn’t healthy and well or if your material or financial resources are not healthy and well, how can you expect to be of positive and practical service to others let alone yourself?
If your physical being is compromised or if you don’t recognize how you may already have the resources you need to move yourself forward, you are not operating with integrity. In fact, it’s when we believe we lack necessary resources or the means to get them that we tend to perceive ourselves as incomplete, seeking to fill ourselves with whatever we believe is missing, and sometimes willing to compromise our moral and ethical characters in order to justify the means to our desired ends.
Notice how I said “believe”.
That’s because in order to compromise our moral and ethical integrity, we must on some level believe we do not have what we need to operate with it.
This is why the amount of physical, material, and/or financial resource we actually have doesn’t matter. It’s not about what we have – it’s about how we perceive it and how we choose to use it.
This 2018 Virgo New Moon – It’s an opportunity for you to recognize that the amount of physical, material, and/or financial resource you actually have doesn’t matter. It’s not about what you do or don’t have – it’s about how you perceive it and how you choose to put what you have to use.
We all have free will. Yes, things may not always go according to our plans. However, when plans fail, this is when and how get to adapt our plans, our resources, and our efforts to the circumstances at hand. We get to choose how we adapt to the circumstances. We get to choose how we want to respond…
…and this is where the real work happens. This is where we work to honor and/or restore our integrity.
This 2018 Virgo New Moon occurs on a numerological 11 universal day of peer leadership and peer inspiration. We get to look around us and see how people are applying their resources and efforts to make amazing things happen within and around them. We get to be inspired by how our peers are using their resources, and we may learn a few things about how we can more effectively and efficiently utilize our own resources to improve the functionality and quality of our individual and collective everyday lives. This reinforces the collaborative energy of the 11 universal year – a year in which strong individuals may find community with like-minded individuals all seeking to make contributions to something greater than themselves through their unique individual self-expressions. Yet September 2018 is a 2 universal month, and this will reinforce the presence of and desire for one-on-one connection. The one-on-one connections we make within our peer communities remind us that nothing truly gets accomplished in our own individual lives without the assistance or presence of other beings in some way or form. Partnership and companionship may be necessary at times, reminding us that no one can do it all alone.
There are also some amazing astrological configurations and interactions happening on this day:
The Virgo New Moon (a.k.a. – Virgo 2 Sun conjunct Moon) forms a “Blessing Triangle” through its sextile aspect to Scorpio Jupiter (18.49°) and trine aspect to Capricorn Pluto Retrograde (18.86°). This indicates matters growing beyond the confines of the darkness they’ve been hidden in and emerging into the light of collective awareness with societal structures showing their wear as result. Our societal systems were intended to keep all of these hidden agendas and darker intentions in check and weren’t built nor conditioned to handle the amount of revelation coming forth. The hierarchy of these structures and those who are subject to the authority and discipline of these structures are feeling the stress, consciously or subconsciously realizing that unless a transformation occurs, their structural integrity is compromised and structural collapse is imminent. This is a blessing in that we have an opportunity to recognize these stress points and address them to alleviate the stressors if we choose to. The thing is, in order to address these stresses, we may need to surrender or sacrifice something that we fear will make us vulnerable and subject to the controlling or destructive behaviors of others. It’s fear that keeps us in this stressful conflict. Nothing more. Once we understand that, we have choice and power in the matters-at-hand through how we deal (or don’t deal) with that fear.
There is also an Earth Grand Trine-Kite of Taurus Uranus Retrograde, Virgo Pallas Athena, and Capricorn Saturn (all at 2°), with newly-ingressed Scorpio Venus (0.25°) acting as the point of the Kite. This is a potent configuration in that Uranus Retrograde is showing us the impact of our personal and collective values – how we’ve allowed our values (or what we say are our values) to influence our communities, societies, and the whole of humanity; Pallas is revealing our behavior patterns and the systems and processes we have in place which are aligned with these values; and Saturn is holding us responsible and accountable for the rules, regulations, limitations, and restrictions we’ve placed upon ourselves as result of these values. Venus reveals how our relationships with others may act as the potential access point to our transformation of these structures – the point at which we see our value-driven behaviors being reflected back upon us, see how we may have compromised our integrity, and begin to understand that the only way out of our emotionally-driven values conundrum is to change (do something differently externally while still keeping our emotional guard up) or “die” (change from within through emotional vulnerability and the deep emotional-spiritual transformation which occurs through that process). The way out of our harsh judgment of ourselves and each other is to earnestly and honestly feel our way out through emotional vulnerability and emotional intimacy.
There’s a Fixed T-Square which is actually an approaching Fixed Mode Grand Square/Cross of White Moon Selene (3.50) conjunct the North Node in Leo (5.27°) opposite Black Moon Lilith (3.82°) conjunct South Node in Aquarius (5.27°), with Selene and Lilith square Taurus Uranus Retrograde (2.13°) and Uranus opposite Scorpio Venus (0.25°) at the time of max phase, just outside of 3 aspect orb° with Selene and Lilith. This is powerful on two fronts as 1) This indicates a coming reflection and/or revelation of one’s long-hidden “values-based” intentions and a confrontation of value polarities which may finally come to a head; and 2) This identifies Taurus Uranus Retrograde as a corner of this approaching Grand Square and as the Earth element launch point of the afore-mentioned Kite’s energy, bringing the energies of these two configurations together through collective/mass awareness of the values-driven agendas of various factions of the collective whole.
Scorpio Venus and Taurus Uranus Retrograde are also part of another T-Square, this one with Capricorn Mars (29.76°). This forms an out-of-modality T-Square for about 24 hours before Mars enters Aquarius to rectify the modal energy (fixed). That said, this T-Square is potent in that Mars is all about action, and in Capricorn, it takes action to enforce rules, regulations, and restrictions aligned with the societal structures at hand. Yet when Mars enters Aquarius tomorrow and this T-Square becomes even more exact, it’s likely that the course of actions shifts away from favoring institutions and toward the favor of those rebelling against them. This could result in either the people/”the masses” regaining their voices to rebel against the institutions which are trying to hold them back, or it could result in those who seek to change or destroy our societal institutions making progress toward gaining the access they’ve sought, finally putting them in position to significantly alter the status quo. This could very well mark the earnest initial manifestation of the events (re)aligning us with the integrity of our institutions as we’ve known them to be, or the forging of a completely clean slate, a fresh start, and entirely new values to align ourselves with as a matter of integrity.
Since this is a New Moon, I have a feeling we’re about to embark on a new journey – a journey in which our collective values are redefined and our personal journeys are about to be forever transformed. What this looks like in collective manifestation, I have no idea.
Yet what I can say is that on an individual level, this is an opportunity for you to see if you’re acting with integrity with your personal values. Are your intentions and actions in alignment with your values, and where in your life do you recognize that you may be out of integrity? Where in your life do you recognize that you may be doing exactly what you say you don’t want to be or do? And how will you allow yourself to be transformed? How will you take action to transform yourself and your life so you are living in your fullest integrity possible? What work are you willing to do to make your life work?
Today – this 2018 Virgo New Moon day – is a wonderful day to begin being the leader for yourself in matters of the integrity of your own life.
Live healthy, live happy. Make your life work for you.
Thanks for reading and sharing Signs and Numbers. Until next post…
~ Light, Love, and Blessings,
Grace
