the sun moves into Virgo on August 23rd
The sun moves into Virgo on August 23rd at 2:01 AM PT, and it will remain there until late in the evening on September 22nd when it moves into Libra.
Virgo season is upon us, but this might be a Virgo season unlike any other, with Mercury stationing retrograde, just a few hours after the sun’s ingress, and making its mark loudly, not necessarily clearly, and immediately. With Mercury, Virgo’s ruler, moving against the grain and more slowly than usual, this Virgo season may be a little different. Typically Virgo season offers us a moment to zoom in and focus on the details, whether that’s editing the words on the page with a fine-tooth comb, meticulously sorting through and organizing files, or using the small details of your life, intentionally, as building blocks for the life you want; and this Virgo season is not necessarily exempt from that, but it will provide a decidedly non-linear means to that end. We can expect this Virgo season to have us turned around, retracing our steps, rewriting our plans and even reviewing old work for patterns of what works or rather sussing out what doesn’t work.
While many planets are stationing retrograde, Venus is preparing to station direct in Leo on September 3rd, giving us all a break from review in at least one area of our lives, and when it comes to our partnerships, our appreciation of the arts and expression of creativity, and our relationships with money, values and assets, forward movement will likely be more than welcome! Venus stationing direct will bring some fresh energy, momentum, and clear decision-making to our lives, and when, Mercury follows suit, stationing direct on the 15th of September, we will have our systems and our hearts in order (and hopefully aligned)—giving us a chance to make some moves, and put ourselves back out there. This summer may have felt derailing, confusing, and maybe even kind of painful, but what have you learned about what you want and what you definitely don’t want? How can you implement this knowledge into your life and move forward in a direction that makes you feel valued, aligns with what you want in life, and adds to your feelings of connection and love?
This Virgo season is coming in teeth barred and pulling on our heartstrings, but by the time September rolls around the energy begins to pick up and take an optimistic turn, then by the middle of September things begin to quiet down and we close out Virgo season with a more internal energy, potentially giving us some space to integrate our retrograde lessons.
The breakdown
Week 1:
Mercury stations direct, slowing down and mixing up communications, travel plans, and thinking patterns.
Mars trines Pluto, which may have us feeling more ambitious and empowered, it gives us a chance to dig deep when it comes to understanding our motivation and drive.
The sun opposes Saturn, leaving us feeling isolated, constrained, and hyperaware of the limitations around us and the obligations that pull on us.
Mars moves into Libra, giving some relief to the Virgo parts of our charts and mutable signs more generally, and bringing motivation and drive to the Libra parts of our charts. While this transit can be generative when it comes to art and even relationships, Mars is uncomfortable in libra and struggles to be as direct and forthright as it wants to be. This is a great time to focus on balancing your own wants and needs with the ants and needs of others.
Uranus stations retrograde, pulling focus to changes in, and unpredictably of, the Taurus parts of our charts.
The full moon in Pisces, with the moon conjunct Saturn, and the sun’s ruler, Mercury, retrograding through Virgo, this lunation may feel strict, yet messy. The full moon in Pisces looks like a reality check, but maybe one where we don’t have all of the information or a clear view of the whole picture, it may feel harsh, brutal even, or it may feel like a pat on the back, reinforcing your boundaries, handwork, and diligence.
Week 2:
Venus stations direct, setting us back on track and realigned with forward movement when it comes to the Venusian aspects of life, connection, values, beauty, etc. When Venus stations (either direct or retrograde) it slows down, so while we are back on track it might be a while before we feel like we’re moving forward at a typical speed.
Mercury trines Jupiter, bringing out our optimistic thinking, expanding the scope of what we explore, and what information we take in, and helping us to put our sharp minds to work for us.
Jupiter stations retrograde, pulling focus to some big-picture dreaming, philosophy making, and exploring that we have been doing in the Taurus parts of our chart.
The sun conjoins Mercury, which is the most powerful day for Mercury during its retrograde cycle, the Mercury cazimi empowers Mercury to communicate effectively, piece apart important details, and take in information—while Mercury is still retrograde, this is the best day for Mercury-related tasks.
The sun trines Jupiter, which is one of the most lovely transits, bringing optimism and joyful energy to the day, when put to use this transit can help expand your sense of yourself or your place in the world, it can help you expand your point of view and take advantage of new opportunities.
Week 3:
The new moon in Virgo, opposing Neptune and trining Uranus, makes for a dreamy lunation that might shake things up as its effects come into form. This is a great time to set intentions for the Virgo part of your chart and to allow yourself to get a little inspired and radical when it comes to those intentions. What would your ideal life look like, and do you want to take steps toward that? This is a good time to set that life in motion.
Mercury stations direct on the heels of the new moon increasing the movement and helping us to get our intentions to work for us. While Mercury picks up speed, we can prepare to speak our minds, use our communication skills deftly, and take forward-moving steps in the Virgo part of our charts.
The sun trines Uranus, bringing energy and excitement, this is a great time to try new things, learn topics that catch your interest and expand your worldview, and make changes in your life that help you more authentically express yourself and who you are.
Venus squares Jupiter, which can be a lovely energy, helping us to enjoy the people around us and the experiences of our lives. This a day to enjoy your favorite pastimes, without overindulging or taking anything too far.
Week 4:
The sun opposes Neptune, which can leave us feeling depleted, confused, misled, and maybe even a little demoralized. We may feel inclined to avoid and withdraw, and even deceive others as a way of disengaging. If something complicated pops up unexpectedly, remember that there is nothing wrong with postponing something until you’ve had some time to reflect and digest.
The sun trines Pluto, which is a great time for investigation, and studying, whether that’s digging deep into a new topic of interest, your own inner workings, or life more broadly. This energy can feel intense, you may find it easy to make an impression today and you might feel connected to an innate source of power, but be careful how you weld that power.
This Virgo season will see Mars, Pallas, Vesta, and Ceres change signs, as well as 5 planetary stations, so the energy is shifting and changing, in keeping with the mutable earth of Virgo, the ground beneath us may feel like it’s moving from time to time. These changes are helping us to refine and realign at times and shift focus in other instances, but both are moving us forward even when forward doesn’t feel linear, or real, or even possible to locate.
Welcome to Virgo season!
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August 23rd (2:01a) the Sun enters Virgo (0°)
August 23rd (12:59p) Mercury stations Retrograde in Virgo (21°)
August 24th (2:57a) First Quarter Moon in Sagittarius (1°)
August 24th (5:22p) Mars in Virgo trines Pluto in Capricorn (28°)
August 27th (1:27a) the Sun in Virgo opposes Saturn in Pisces (3°)
August 27th (6:20a) Mars enters Libra (0°)
August 28th (7:39p) Uranus stations Retrograde in Taurus (23°)
August 30th (6:35p) Full Moon in Pisces (7°)
September 3rd (6:20p) Venus stations Direct in Leo (12°)
September 4th (3:28a) Mercury in Virgo trines Jupiter in Taurus (14°)
September 4th (7:11a) Jupiter stations Retrograde in Taurus (15°)
September 6th (4:08a) the Sun in Virgo conjoins Mercury in Virgo (13°)
September 6th (3:21p) Last Quarter Moon in Gemini (14°)
September 8th (4:12a) the Sun in Virgo trines Jupiter in Taurus (15°)
September 13th (9:35a) Pallas enters Libra (0°)
September 13th (4:22p) Vesta enters Cancer (0°)
September 14th (6:40p) New Moon in Virgo (21°)
September 15th (5:47a) Ceres enters Scorpio (0°)
September 15th (1:21p) Mercury stations Direct in Virgo (8°)
September 15th (6:23p) the Sun in Virgo trines Uranus in Taurus (22°)
September 16th (11:09p) Venus in Leo squares Jupiter in Taurus (15°)
September 19th (4:17a) the Sun in Virgo opposes Neptune in Pisces (26°)
September 20th (10:20p) the Sun in Virgo trines Pluto in Capricorn (27°)
September 22nd (12:32p) First Quarter Moon in Sagittarius (29°)
September 22nd (11:50p) the Sun enters Libra (0°)
