Virgin Territory : New Moon in Virgo

 We are approaching virgin territory in no uncertain terms. The new moon in Virgo means Lady Luna and her crown of stars joins our Lady Venus, her firecracker lover Mars and old Uncle Mercury and his fleet footed wisdom in the mansion of the virgin; here she is beholden to none other than herself and whose stellar powers of organisation, pragmatic vision, healing and compassion gift us a most beautiful clean slate on which to paint our fresh start.Although eclipse season itself is fast fading in our rear view mirrors, the ripples continue to impact our lives. As well they should given that eclipses usually extend their tendrils six months in either direction and any total solar eclipse is said to magnify through our lives for the number of minutes that the sun was occulted by the moon. This means what we are working towards now is our 2020 vision. Casting our eyes around the ring, it is becoming clear that the cosmos is conspiring in our favour. Yes I know eclipsia was brutal. True too that this year has been a bumpy ride to date, peppered with the kind of unnatural disaster that has begin to make us wonder if stop, drop and roll is the new self care. But still the sandpaper loving is working its magic, as we realise that it is the sharpest edges that have to smooth first.The sun moved into Virgo back in the last week of August and it was from then that we began the grounding process. As I noted back then, by their very nature Virgos are that common sense sage whose boundaries are clear and plans are well thought out. Order is everything and chaos is their cryptonite. Not for them the blurred lines and shifting sands. It either is or it isn't. Their virginity speaks to this firm boundary. They are worthy gatekeepers who do not bow to the imperatives or desires of any but their scrupulous self. Virgoan focus is spectacular, these canny detail oriented maidens whose fresh eyes see far into the distance. Time now to nurture thyself and all we have learned by placing feet on terra firma and crafting a new plan. The trick is to limit our criticism and judgement and firmly check our skepticism and cynicism. Channel instead the staggering work ethic, unwavering commitment and stellar intuition that is the signature skillset of our Virgo.The sun and Mars moved into Virgo closely aligned, Mars having been reborn through the heart of the sun (and his cazimi) in Leo. Mars in Virgo turns his significant energy to getting busy, upping productivity and multi-tasking his way through - although he has to be careful not to take on too much at once and burn out. His renowned explosions switch gears from flat out aggression to a snarky criticism and nitpicking, so beware this tendency in yourself if your impatience is triggered as you gulp down this universal vat of Get Shit Done. Mercury finished his retrograde in Virgo, having briefly dipped and danced over the eclipse point in Leo (but then hasn't everyone *sigh*) and today emerges from the retrograde shadowzone. This is ever a cosmic green light for projects, plans and anything in your life that was tripped up or hamstrung through his retro. Mercury is in his home state in Virgo and here he gets organised. New projects will benefit not just from superior planning and strategy under such stars but also too from the fine eye for detail when researching or fleshing out new projects and ideas.It is today that Mars, Mercury and the Sun are joined by the moon and Venus in Virgo. Venus sweeps into Virgo hours before Lady Luna, heralding the arrival of the feminine to the mansion of the virgin. Venus is said to be in fall here, which means that it is not her natural state nor a place for her to shine. There is work for her to do and it is her discomfort that will provide the motivation. The divine is always in the details but here Venus can be distracted or tripped up them, particularly if she applies emotion rather than practical common sense to their finessing. Venus rules that which we love: beyond people and places, this can also be applied to our creativity (that which we love to create) and our prosperity (how we are rewarded when we align out output with what we love doing). Use her time in Virgo to drill down into the details or hidden stumbling blocks and bring them into the light. Watch any tendency to judge or criticise. Aside from being supremely unhelpful and counter productive, a kind eye falls on solution far more quickly.The most interesting part of the new moon for me this month is the switch up we have had in where she rises from the dark, thanks to the two new moons bookending Leo (and eclipse) season. The new moon used to rise in tandem with the sun's journey into a sign, landing her in the first decan. It is from here that we embraced the new, the change in energy and the change in the world about us, and had a month to marinate in its gifts. Now the new moon will be rising in the third or final decan of a sign: the part where it completes rather than begins. Does the cosmos presume a knowledge buried within us that is ready to be unlocked? Has it had enough with us mincing about making promises and casting spells and then doing precisely nothing to further those aims as the moon waxed? Is it trusting us to work with higher order life skills and figuring that learning on the go is the only way forwards? Yes. Absolutely. Definitely. Yes. The eclipse tipping point has changed the game.The other two key players in this lunation are our divine healer Chiron (left) in Pisces and our taskmaster Saturn (right) in Sagittarius. Think of them as the parents of this new moon, beaming their significant ethos directly at us throughout this tipping point. Chiron and Saturn have been working in tandem throughout the year really, as they link to ask us to dig deep into our oldest wounds and do the work to heal and integrate the big life lessons on offer. If you thought you were skating through, eclipse season probably saw to it that your clean break was at a minimum, murky. Chiron is always the darkness we do our best to avoid excavating but like all fear of the dark, it is rooted within our capacity for catastrophe. Our fear and projection is far more horrifying than the reality of Chiron's teaching, always. When it comes to our sore spots, yes it hurt. And yes, healing is hard and it can take way more time than we would like. This is where Saturn adds his significant gravitas, patience and his diligent commitment.  In Saggilands he is only interested in the whole truth. That symphony you have been hearing all year? Time to turn and face the music.New Moon @27 VirgoLa La Land – Tuesday 10.30pmNew Yoik – Wednesday 01.30amOld London Town– Wednesday 06.30amWollombi – Wednesday 3.30pmNew Zealand – Wednesday 5.30pmThe moon in Virgo is exhorting us to be our own guru, our best guide, our own sacred goddess to worship and revere. New foundations are ready to be laid, courtesy of all we have learned this highly instructive year. That does not mean it is yet time to set them in stone. Now is the time for the requisite planning and formwork. As works in progress ourselves, it is crucial that we pay due mind and attention to the work Chiron and Saturn have been banging on about all year. If your greatest wounds are still a trigger for blame and pain, there is still much work to be done. If you have not even begun to excavate your shadow, you are probably not ready. If your focus remains external, your finger pointing and your judgement constantly hurled, you are refusing to look into the mirror the outside world with its clown shop of horrors is constantly providing. This is your start point.If you have utilised our constant dance with our shadow this year as the brilliant teacher it is, then you may just be starting to feel your new beginning as it is moving from the dreamscape into your reality. It is a wonderful time for you to emerge from your chrysalis and feel the first flutters of your wings. My favourite new moon ritual in any earth sign is to plant something. In Virgo and with the spring equinox only days away, now is the time to infuse your seeds with intention and to set a schedule for your verdant growth. Plunging both into the soil at the moment of the new moon is an extremely powerful signal to the mighty forces about us that you too are lined up at the starters gate.Bright blessings of the new moon to you, luna lovely. Here's to the magic of new beginnings. © Kerrie Basha, 2017Images from top to bottom via Instagram: @cult_of_the_virgin, @wildmoonwoman, @beyonce