Virgo
Full Moon – March 10, 2009
With daylight savings starting on Sunday, we’ll all have more sunlight in our lives. But don’t forget to go out and look at the night sky. Venus, which has been brightly shining in the evening sky for months now (remember when Venus and Jupiter lit up the night?), will begin to move closer to the horizon, and then will disappear completely on March 25th as she joins the Sun. Next time we see her, on April 1st, she’ll be The Morning Star.
On March 6th, Venus turns retrograde at 16 Aries: Brightly clad brownies dancing in the warm dying light. Spring might not be here according to the calendar, but we’re beginning to see the signs of returning life. Out here in Las Vegas, white almond tree blossoms are fragrant and full of buzzing bees, while baby foals are frolicking in the pastures with their mamas. Brownies are nature spirits and they dance for pure joy, in bright colors, to evoke the spring flowers and light of the re-awakening Earth. They dance at sunset because it is during those in-between times that magic happens. Why not go look for them at sunset?
Interestingly, America’s progressed Venus is at 16 Aries! The cosmic story is very coherent, don’t you think? This is all happening when for the first time since America became a country, our progressed Mars just turned retrograde. Mars symbolizes our energy and war-like qualities. Now retrograde, perhaps we’ll turn within and work on ourselves for a change.
For the next six weeks, until April 17th, Venus will travel back to kiss the Sun and return to 30 Pisces: A majestic rock formation resembling a face is idealized by a girl who takes it as her ideal of greatness; as she grows up, she begins to look like it. Venus is going into the Underworld to reclaim the vision of who we might become. What were you doing on St. Brigit’s Day, February 2nd? That’s when Venus was last at 30 Pisces. What were you looking at then?
With all the financial trouble in the news, Venus retrograde (Venus rules money and pleasure) will just bring on more of the same. Of course we all know that these reckless financial institutions are so bankrupt that only a major housecleaning will work. Venus retrograde will hopefully encourage President Obama not to throw ‘good’ money after ‘bad’ any longer. Since this full Moon is conjunct his natal Mars, perhaps he’ll be ready to put a stop to the old ways of handling this crisis and start using his common sense. Just where is all that money going anyway?
When Venus is retrograde, our connection energy goes within and we connect with our Self. It is the time to ask ourselves what is really valuable and important in life. We have to figure out who are our allies, who is our lover, who are our friends. We have to look at our finances and decide what is really necessary for a beautiful and enriching lifestyle. Perhaps real conversations will come back into style! We are pushed to reclaim our creative initiative and stop looking to others for answers. Venus retrograde will also burn away whatever is no longer relevant. Don’t fight it. Venus/Aphrodite knows what you really love and need. The rest is ego.
While times are economically stressful, LIFE itself is still with us. Spend time outside, looking at the stars, feeling the wind in your hair, the sun on your face, the moonlight on the waters. All of nature is still available to us, and if we look to the most important things in life, we might not worry so much about what we can’t have. And instead of paying for 300 channels that have nothing interesting to offer you, why not write a poem, sing a song, kiss your lover. There are so many fascinating and delightful things available to us in life. Now is the time to find them!
Everyone seems to be in need of healing this week. The Full Moon in Virgo is especially suited for healing, although some of us might find the cure difficult to swallow. This full Moon sits right on the Uranus/Saturn opposition that’s been the continuing saga in the cosmic story since Election Day. It’s the fight of the century, the OLD vs. the NEW! And we still have three more rounds to go before we really find out which side is going to win. So just remember to expect the unexpected. Until next time.
Saturn rules form and structure, the old, unchanging ways, as well as discipline and responsibility. Uranus energizes freedom and innovation, the breakdown of outmoded structures and restricting beliefs. It brings in the new, quickly and unexpectedly. Sometimes forcefully. With the Sun conjoined Uranus, we consciously embrace the new and revolutionary energies awake in the world. With the Moon conjoined Saturn, our unconscious fears and limitations hold us back from the innovations we need to implement in our lives.
The lesson of a full Moon is awareness, so use this time to become aware of these tensions in your life. Jung said that if we can bare the tension of opposites, a third, transcendent path will open to us. Now that the Sun and Moon, symbolizing the two types of consciousness, have finally caught up with this opposition, the inherent changes and challenges of this story will begin to manifest more strongly in our lives. Bear with it!
You can see the tension in the political arena already. The ultra-conservatives have decided to prophesize the downfall of America rather than see the opportunities to revamp and revise a badly out-of-balance system. It almost seems like they’d rather have America go down into the darkness than use our creative invention to re-imagine ourselves and our economy. It’s because they’re afraid to let go. The system doesn’t work anymore. It needs revamping. That’s where Venus will help. Perhaps by the time she goes direct in April, we’ll have a more comprehensive vision that sees we’re all in this together.
This full Moon will highlight the personal tensions this opposition brings us as well. What have you been trying to achieve? What haven’t you been able to let go of? The energies of Pisces and Virgo are very mystical, service-oriented and sublime. Both these signs demand that we let go of ego and allow Spirit its say. They both seek improvement of the situation. While Pisces knows that we are all one, Virgo knows that each of us has a part to play in the whole. These two signs unite the one and the many. Whatever we do from now on, must take everyone else – people, plants, animals, the Earth – into consideration. Sorry men, but we are now entering a more feminine, holistic, loving mindset. It’s the only thing that will get us through these trying times! So ask how you can be of service, and then go do it.
As I’ve mentioned in many of my past newsletters, this Uranus/Saturn opposition represents the cosmic energy of change. The last time these two planets were opposite each other was in 1965-67. At the time, Pluto and Uranus were in Virgo and Saturn was in Pisces. It was a time of evolution and revolution, of major social, political and economic challenges. The same is true of earlier oppositions in 1918-1920 and in 1873-1875. Each time this cosmic story gets repeated, we have economic breakdown, cultural revolution and creative innovation followed by cultural re-birth and adjustment.
Since this has happened before and the world still goes on, perhaps we need to chill out and remember that we live in cyclical time as well as linear time. And that, ‘this too shall pass’. The less we live in fear, the easier it will be to see the new path before us.
Lady Wisdom says, “Choose love and creativity over fear and divisiveness.”
Wherever 21 Pisces falls in your chart is where you must listen to your intuition, trust your dreams and open yourself to love. Wherever 21 Virgo falls, you have to be practical and understand what your priorities are.
The Sabian symbol for the Sun 21 Pisces: Under the watchful and kind eye of a Chinese servant, a girl fondles a little white lamb. There is ‘divine protection’ around us as we allow ourselves to embrace a more innocent and trusting attitude toward life. We have been reluctant to accept our intuitive knowledge because the patriarchy demands only rational explanations. With Uranus joining the Sun, we are being given information we can’t pinpoint and prove. But it’s true. Ask yourself if ‘all is well’ – and trust the answer.
The Sabian symbol for the Moon at 21 Virgo: A girl’s basketball team. The value of working together toward a common goal is a very feminine undertaking. Women naturally know that we are here to help each other. There’s power and strength in knowing that we are all working toward a common goal. And excitement as well! We can have fun and work out at the same time! With Saturn joining the Moon, we have to watch out for feelings of insecurity and depression. Just remember – we’re all in need to help and healing. Knowing you’re not alone can be very hopeful. The healing comes when you understand your experience.
There is still plenty of energy in Aquarius:
1. North Node is very close to America’s South Node, suggesting that we look to our past to understand our future.
2. Jupiter opens us to curiosity. What new challenges are waiting to unfold? What new stories are waiting to be told? Think outside the box for the answers.
3. Juno/Hera travels through the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, perhaps part of an ancient destroyed 11th planet. Her symbolic energies evoke partnership and perfecting the union – of opposites, of a relationship or of a country. And a world. Sister/lover/queen to Jupiter, she asks, “What are you curious about? Go and find out why.”
4. Neptune has been in Aquarius for 11 years now. Neptune, the creative imagination, infuses Aquarian objectivity with compassion and purposeful innovation. We can find ways through this crisis of death and re-birth. The old must die so the new can be born. It’s evolution and cosmic law. Why not go with it?
5. Mars has just moved through all of these energy fields and is now heading out of Aquarius to take all that charged energy into Pisces, where it will stir up the collective unconscious. What will we discover inside us? Fear? Courage? Terror? Hope? Love? Just how centered are we? We’ll find out when Mars goes diving into our collective emotions. Mars is within a degree of America’s Moon in Aquarius. What will the American public be up to this full Moon? Stay tuned and see.
6. Mercury is in Pisces communicating with the Unseen. Be prepared to be very psychic for the next few days. Mercury and Pluto are dancing, energizing our minds and providing opportunities to come up with solutions to our collective or personal problems. Or you might just feel like you’re going crazy for a few days. So meditate to open the mind to its imaginings.
Full Moons do energize us. But they also give us cosmic feedback if we look for it. We really do have an opportunity to change the world. That’s what some of us in the 60s’ believed. But we didn’t know how to do it. Now we have the Pluto/Uranus generation (1957 to 1972) who know about service and technology and work. In the next few years, the intense energies that flooded the 60s will be back in the cosmic story. This time, we are challenged to struggle in a different way to change the world. Either way, the Cosmic energies will have their way. It is our choices that will make all the difference.
Spring Equinox: March 20th
This year’s equinox will feel a little more tense than other years. At this moment of balance and new birth, Pluto will challenge us. Usually this time feels like a release. A rambunctious time! Life and light returns and anything’s possible. This year, it would serve you better to pay attention to how you use this energy. Just as we’re being more cautious about how we spend money, we need to take stock of what we’re doing and decide if it enhances our life. It can be a very transformative Equinox, or it can be troublesome. Expect extremes! But beyond that, go have fun. It’s Spring!
You’ve all be very kind with your responses to my newsletters. I’m happy they inspire you. Like raising children, writing these newsletters keeps me grounded - in the seasons and attuned to the Cosmic story.
As you can see, I know how to think ‘outside the box’. Symbolic thinking finds meaning in every aspect of life.
I can help you access the wisdom you need to make the best choices for your life and the world.
A single Wisdom-session of problem-solving and ‘thinking outside the box’ may be what you need. Email me for an appointment.
Wishing you happiness and fun this Spring season.
Cathy Pagano
cathy@imaginecoachingservices.com