Astro Forecast 9.3.24: Virgo New Moon Horoscopes
We are kicking off eclipse season and Virgo is not going to give us any breaks.
What is happening?!
We just exited a lovely little week full of Venusian energy; creativity, romance, devotion, and maybe even a little obsession ushered August to a close after months of chaos. The sun and moon are meeting up in Virgo as we speak, setting the stage for a September filled with more astrological friction, and we know what the Satanists say…as above, so below.
Mars, Saturn, and Venus are all making moves connected to this new moon that, just to be straight, are going to make this week feel like an enormous fucking bummer. Yes, new moons are fresh starts, which usually warrant optimism, but things are never cut and dry when the malefic planets are involved. On top of that, all the action is dogpiling onto the double-bodied, or mutable signs like Pisces and Virgo, muddying our progress and action plans even further than they were in August.
Virgo season is always a drag in some way, because that is how the 6th house rolls. Duty, purity, service, and routines are non-negotiable for any planet in Virgo’s lair, and some planets fare better than others, just like some people. The sign of The Maiden turns us into adolescents bitching about homework and chores; we know we need to do these things to keep our lives on the rails, but we’re still going to grumble about them under our breath.
Discipline is Virgo’s jam, consequences are Saturn’s jam, and Mars is here to yell about it while he waves a sword in everyone’s face, so expect critical feedback on all of this week’s endeavors. (Know that every Virgo reading this just shuddered with pleasure at the phrase ‘critical feedback’, as an indication of how the week, and probably the month, will progress.) Both long and short term projects could be gummed up due to missteps, mistakes, or disagreements that are only illuminated when someone else discovers them. We might be subject to restriction, reprimands, or purposeful delays that feel punitive. Self-discipline can easily slide into self-flagellation when a new moon is poorly aspected, and we could struggle to give ourselves a break over our screw-ups, creating a pitiable, thwarted mindset that affects everything from our motivation to leave the house to the way we communicate with our boss, friends, and family.
Despite the distorted perception and ego blows that our new moon will serve, an invigorating revision of our routines and goals might ultimately ensure the happiness and success we are chasing, in the same way that a parent forcing their child to do boring, frustrating homework can contribute to higher test scores, which then contribute to college, which then produces a doctor. (Or an astrologist, if your parents were really, really unlucky.) This is how September of 2024 begins; irritating roadblocks and consequences will force us to work harder and smarter, and keeping our nose to the grindstone while we walk an uncertain path is the only way we’ll get through it. After all, obstacles create new and interesting possibilities; if we cannot go through them, we have to forge unique ways around them. We have to innovate. Necessity will rise to the occasion, like Venus, and become the mother of our inventions.
Why would this affect me?
Lunar cycles begin with a new moon and do not terminate until the following new moon, which means we have until October 2nd to fulfill the teachings of our downer Virgo moon. Eclipse season exacerbates and accelerates these issues, making September extra spicy for some of us, and extra confusing for others, both collectively and publicly.
Uncertainty and friction are common reactions when we have intense lunar activity along the Pisces/Virgo axis, because mutable signs are confusing-ass people! They are line-straddlers in a very cerebral sense, and they do not anchor themselves to any one side of things because Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius and Pisces understand both sides of everything at all times. This could lead to a kind of general confusion in September as we are bombarded with information and arguments from a Mercury that will be feeling sassy in their chariot. Many astrologers have examined the natal charts of public figures directly involved in this fraught moment; Donald Trump and Kamala Harris, who both have prominent mutable placements in their charts, are looking rough around the edges for September. This could indicate the release of new, divisive information, or perhaps even a divisive event that muddies public perception and creates community friction.
We can see where this lands on the micro level when we look at our planetary placements, ideally using the whole sign house system. Hellenistic astrology, the cranky domain of yours truly, requires a birth time to determine your ascendant, or rising sign, so go bother your parents if you don’t know it! Once you know your birth time, plug it into any of the various astrology apps available and you will discover the sign rising at the time you were born, which we call the ascendant. Once you know your ascendant, you can narrow down the area of life wherein planetary aspects might be felt, which in this case is a persnickety moon that wants to discipline you. Not in the fun way, either. In the discouraging way. It’s alright to read for your sun sign if the ascendant is unavailable; just know that the effects will be felt less specifically and more generally, because our sun represents our life path more accurately than our embodied selves.
Let’s see what kind of bummers we all get to look forward to!
Virgo: This is all about you, baby, and that can be both terrifying and illuminating because you are really fucking hard on yourself - so brutal, in fact, that you miss a lot of opportunities and connections by insisting on perfection. Saturn is opposing this moon from Pisces, and he’s trying to teach you patience and compassion when it comes to your standards. Imagine a beautiful maiden, adorning herself in flowers and doing her makeup for hours before meeting her suitor, but getting so wrapped up in the minutiae of a chipped nail or a wilted petal that she never shows up at all. That’s you, Virgo. Stop it.
Libra: Your ruler is frolicking on your home turf, Libra, and while that enhances your charisma, diplomacy, and creativity, it can also turn you into an indecisive emotional mess. The Virgo new moon is traversing your 12th house of all things hidden - mental issues, long illnesses, losses, endings, dreams, and spirituality. This might be a good time to establish a physical routine to acknowledge any friction lingering in your subconscious. I don’t expect Libra to turn into Baba Yaga or anything, but a ritual of some kind to give your inner world a release might soothe tension in other parts of life as well. Yoga, dream journals, and meditation are all good options, but so is dedicating a few minutes every morning and every evening to zoning out and watching the birds. You don’t have to be woo about it.
Scorpio: Normally, you arachnids are very Groucho Marx about joining committees or quorums - you don’t want to be part of any group that would have you as a member. This moon is asking you to change that and make a god damned effort with people, because isolation will make Scorpios even weirder than they already are. Additionally, If you’ve been putting things off or making half-assed efforts when it comes your career, expect a kick in the pants this month that forces you to knuckle down and create better professional routines. This is where joining an organization could come in handy - you always make more of an effort when you care about the cause or the people involved.
Sagittarius: Your professional ambition might take a hit during this lunar cycle, possibly due to confusion or miscommunication. Saturn wants to restrict you in order to force growth, and superiors or benefactors might reject a new idea or accuse you of overstepping. Your ideas can often be left field and half-baked, Sag, so let’s be real - the criticism may not be unwarranted. If you take this opportunity to come up with a more solid idea, as well as to tighten up some skills, your new direction could result in greater professional achievement.
Capricorn: Stop being a dilettante. Money and status is not the only key to power, Capricorn - knowledge is another way to ascend the ranks of society and reap material rewards as well as respect. This lunation hits your 9th house of travel and expansion like a winged bug, urging you to get on a bus, or a plane, or a chair at your local library and broaden your horizons. With Saturn as your ruler, you’re no stranger to keeping your head down and working hard, but Virgo insists that you work more efficiently with what you have before adding a new item to the brain agenda. Whether it’s a pottery class gift certificate that’s about to expire or an online course that you never finished, it’s time to place more attention on completing things.
Aquarius: If there is anybody equipped to deal with 8th house horseshit, Aquarius, it’s you, given your propensity to see things as systems of patterns as opposed to individual desires. Some kind of karma needs to be dealt with, however, according to this Virgo new moon - possibly money or financial issues that didn’t begin with you but that have fallen into your lap. Perhaps this is Saturn’s way of forcing granularity on you; by asking you to examine smaller, more personal issues with a fine toothed comb. An ending or transition needs your undivided attention, so you’ll have to pause your more aloof, high-minded endeavors.
Pisces: The sign of famously porous boundaries is going to have to examine relationships and interpersonal communication over the next month, thanks to the Virgo moon traversing your 7th house of partnership. There is always a risk with water signs of falling into co-dependent relationship patterns, and the possibility is highest with Pisces because y’all can be too generous for your own good. Rules and routines can be important to incorporate emotionally as well as physically, Pisces, so buckle down and figure out where to draw red lines. What do you need that you aren’t getting from people? They will never know unless you spell out clear expectations and hold to them.
Aries: The sign of The Ram is great at crashing through walls to begin things, but not so great at the maintenance and minutiae of seeing projects through to completion. You need to establish better practical routines, Aries, and of course you hate being told what to do - just know that your efforts would travel further and faster if you spent some time tweaking the basic structure of your days, weeks, and months. Focus on laying groundwork and tweaking your approach to be more practical; buying a planner is all well and good, Aries, but you have to actually use it every day in order to reap any benefits.
Taurus: You really luck out with this moon, Taurus; putting your nose to the grindstone and buckling down on routines is how The Bull spends a casual Friday. This lunation wants to turn the brute force of your focus towards things peripheral to work and money, however. Hobbies are important, too, Taurus, even if they don’t directly build wealth. Spend time on things like art, aesthetics, or self-care; whatever you like to do for the simple joy of doing. Saturn thinks you have some old talents that need a dusting off - an instrument, book, or beautification project that was never quite fulfilled might bring you joy and buoy other aspects of your life with a bit more time dedication.
Gemini: Something needs to change at home, Twins - whether that’s improvement projects that weren’t completed, routines with the other inhabitants, or the placement of your home altogether, your attention will be diverted to domestic issues. Stay particularly attuned to the health and wellness of family or parents - it’s possible that they need more support than they’ve been receiving. The issues that arise won’t be a total surprise, Gemini - they might be things you’ve been meaning to address but that you have allowed other distractions to subsume, like a leaky faucet that finally starts to gush, or a lock you’ve been meaning to replace. There will be no ignoring it, now.
Cancer: The moodiness of The Crab is well documented, and ya’ll tend to react with extremism when encountering critiques or feedback; you take it way, way too personally. The new moon is asking you to find more temperance, Cancer, and to eat a grain of salt with every external assessment you encounter, particularly when said assessment is from friends or siblings. Someone praising you does not make you the next coming of Christ, just like making mistakes and having shortcomings won’t indicate that you’re some evil, worthless cretin. Communicating more mildly in your day-to-day will help offset any petty drama that the lunar eclipse is going to trigger, so make sure you give the same grace to other people that you give yourself. We all send weird emails and misspeak, Crab. Let it go.
Leo: Okay Leo, here’s the thing; sometimes, you veer towards an attitude of entitlement, especially when it comes to the kind of rewards you expect to be given for your work. Like your ruler the sun, you are always one of the best and brightest in any field you pursue, but riding a high horse doesn’t set us up for growth or development. Enter…Saturn. Expect someone to tell you that you need to do more if you want to level up your ideals, security, or wealth, because in reality, your bare minimum is often the equivalent of someone else’s maximum effort. How much more could you achieve if you really, truly knuckled down and gave it your all? You’d probably be President of The Universe.
When do I have to deal with this?
Here is a more detailed breakdown of the daily transits; remember, planetary effects can be slow moving and they often bleed into the days before and after perfection.
MON 9.2 - The “Do Better” Virgo Lunation + Paranoid Mars/Neptune Square
Sun in Virgo: Your Dad Nitpicking Your Financial Routines and Career Goals
Moon in Virgo: Your Mom Telling You to Finish Homework and Clean Your Room
Neptune in Pisces: A Dream So Vivid That You Are Mad At Involved Parties in Real Life
Mars in Gemini: That Shit Talker on Your Social Media Issuing Death Threats
Critiques of your work, ideals, or goals are coming, and it may seem appealing to curl into a self-pitying ball of stress, but it behooves us to avoid extreme reactions when Mars and Neptune square each other. Things will seem more dire than they truly are, so avoid making major decisions until your head clears, which will not happen fully until the next new moon on 10.2.
SAT 9.7 - The Missing “Day of Bullshit” from Mercury’s Retrograde Was Hiding Behind Uranus
Mercury in Leo: That Guy At The Movie Theater Who Cannot Speak Below A Shout
Uranus in Taurus: An Activist Bulldozing a Corporate Building to Protest a Land Grab
This day is like its own crappy little retrograde - technology could go haywire, communication will lack diplomacy and accuracy, and everybody will be very, very loud about the fallout. When Mercury squares Uranus, public square communication in the form of technology upon which we rely is overdue a massive update, and something might break in order to force improvement. Uranus is also in retrograde, so we may be looking at an older event or situation that requires rebooting.
SUN 9.8 - The Fall of Authority Figures and Death of Old Power as Saturn opposes the Sun
Saturn in Pisces: A Benevolent Grim Reaper Gently Gathering Souls with a Scythe
Sun in Virgo: Your Dad Nitpicking Your Financial Routines and Career Goals
When Saturn opposes our sun, authority, parental figures, and leaders of old institutions pass from relevance to antiquity. Some old way of doing things, though valuable at the time, must be ended if we are to reach a new ideal. This could mean turnover in government or corporate leadership, parental retirement or relocation, or simply a change in public opinion. The old guard is over and must pass the baton, an action that could be forced if it is not gently conceded.
Cool, what does the Tarot say about this?
This Monday, 9.2, the 9 of Swords has us in permanent nightmare mode, either because of communication or feedback we’ve received, or because of anticipated failure. Carnelian accompanies this pull and indicates that we need to energize ourselves, take action, and steer clear of self-pity, which is always a temptation on the Virgo/Pisces axis.
Temperance continues to admonish us for reacting in extreme ways on Tuesday, 9.3, and we need to remind ourselves to take current opinions and circumstances with a grain of salt. Emerald represents loyalty and fidelity, encouraging us to stick to our guns, keep our heads down, and continue on our path. .
On Wednesday, 9.4, 4 of Pentacles will restrict us due to someone’s greed. It may be that collective worries about resources and security tip the scales toward miserliness and material anxiety - everyone will be out for themselves. The red amethyst that accompanies this card wants us to remain grounded, calm, and reflective; if your instincts tell you to avoid certain financial situations, follow them.
The Fool on Thursday, 9.5, requires an open, flexible mind when communicating with both allies and opposition. After several days fearing the worst, we need to approach goals and interactions with more optimism, otherwise we’re pooh-poohing new possibilities due to fear and missing out. Amazonite inspires honest, harmonious communication, so there is no need to hide your hope or your fear today.
The 7 of Cups reversed gives us long-awaited clarity on Friday, 9.6., and boy do we need it. Maybe we’re exhausted from so much gloom and we simply stop doom-scrolling, or it’s possible that we uncover some information that fully informs us with more hope. At the very least, we see a tangible path forward. Chalcopyrite brings joy, confidence, charisma, and maybe even a little abundance to the table.
Saturday, 9.7 brings us 10 of Arms and a strong need to focus - tiger’s eye is a useful stone for narrowing goals and remaining on task. Mercury is associated with this major arcana, and they are forming a sextile with Mars today, infusing the general population with sharp tongues and quick minds. This is an auspicious moment for competition and debates, so don’t waste it arguing with online trolls. Engage in discussions and tasks that contribute to the greater good.
On Sunday, 9.8, The Tower concludes our week, immediately following an opposition between Saturn and the sun. Some authority figure or institution faces an ending, and it could be the result of imbalance on the Virgo/Pisces axis. Virgo can be too stringent, making perfect the enemy of good, but Pisces has no boundaries, lacks routines, and is often too relaxed about important matters. A collapse due to these extremes, or due to the extremism of an embodied, masculine archetype, is inevitable. Something, or someone, needs to die so that a new, more balanced archetype can take over. The addition of an onyx, the stone of sorrow and grief, points to divided emotions; some of us will welcome this change, while others lament. Such is life, my friends.
Visit @alectochaos on IG for the full, wordy breakdown and video of each card pull, and to get the jump on the Mon - Wed card pulls. If you are into that sort of thing.
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Thank you for the response. I would like to do a zoom reading at some point if possible do you have a schedule or a menu available anywhere? I am not on Instagram or any social media. I stick with Substack etc and text a lot lol.