What dreams and great ideas do you have you hidden away in various corners of your mind — the ones you drag out occasionally like a child’s comfort blanket to sooth your soul? Then you fold them up in the morning and put them away, because you’re too afraid, or too busy, or too full of doubt to actually translate those dreams into accomplishments.  You know the dreams I’m talking about — we all have them. This is a good month to pick one of them — one that feeds your soul — and make it happen.

The New Moon in Virgo this year occurs at 2:41 am on Sunday, September 13th (NOTE: All times are EDT. Find the chart here).  This New Moon is an eclipse, which means this chart will continue to resonate in the zeitgeist for about 6 months. Let’s look at some of the big issues that will be brought to our attention over the next few months.

First, the only important aspect that this New Moon is making is to Uranus in Aries, which means we are weaving with energies of somewhat pliable Earth (think well-tilled soil, not solid rock) and inspired, enlightening, but also highly unpredictable Fire. How can you manage inspiration and ideas in your life so that they don’t burn you up — or out? Do you have practical strategies in place for capturing fleeting, but important, thoughts and insights as they come to you? Do you regularly make some time to review and plan your life, to set goals and follow up on them? We all lead such busy lives that sometimes it can seem our lives are living us instead of the other way around. This is a good month to start new habits, to take control of your life so that you can manifest your dreams.

Adjustments will need to be made to accommodate both personal autonomy and personal responsibility. Creative fires are burning brightly (note the trine between Venus and Mars to Uranus) and we may feel as though we want to run off and do our own thing. But it’s important to keep reminding ourselves to consider the needs and feelings of others, and our responsibilities to the people and structures that keep the gears of our society turning. Virgo’s focus on service helps bring the individual — that unique and creative expression of All That Is — back into balance with the whole, but from a different perspective than the Piscean oneness that is Virgo’s opposite on the wheel of the Zodiac. Virgo seeks to understand and cherish the multiple expressions of individuality that Consciousness has created.  Where Virgo can stumble is in forgetting the underlying whole, and so excluding, criticizing, and demanding perfection.

Perfection can be the enemy of creativity, and All That Is is nothing if not creative. Honoring All That Is in each one of its multitudinous expressions while always assessing and guiding creative energy into more positive and useful achievements is the soul-work of Virgo.

Jupiter is also in Virgo, coming into opposition to Neptune in Pisces, an aspect that will be exact on the 17th. This is a powerful aspect, though only exact once, because both planets are co-rulers of Pisces, and the aspect is imprinted in this eclipse chart and the chart of the upcoming Equinox.

Jupiter in Virgo seeks enlightenment (Jupiter is always seeking enlightenment) in a “chop wood, carry water” kind of way. Jupiter can never let go of the expansive, enlightened perspective, which is the gift of Pisces, but here in Virgo the demand is to put philosophy to work in the world, to “see the world in a grain of sand, and eternity in an hour”.

Jupiter expands whatever it touches, and when it aspects Neptune, also an expansive planet, things will be growing and inflating like crazy all over.  (This will particularly affect you if you have natal placements in the early- to mid-degrees of Virgo, Pisces, Gemini or Sagittarius) Virgo is the sign of craftsmanship, that practical variety of art. Do you have some kind of creative, practical form of artistic expression in your life, or have you always longed to take up pottery, or weaving, or woodcrafting? If that is one of those dreams that feeds your soul, then this is a great time to make it happen.

Neptune always loves a good flood — whether from tears or rain — and we are likely to see a considerable amount of flooding worldwide (we already are) as this aspect continues to move closer. (Droughts and fires too, but that’s another column that will talk about Saturn moving back into Sagittarius. Just know that weather will continue to be extreme.)

You may or may not see actual floods in your personal life, but you will probably see floods and waves and tsunamis of emotion, so be prepared. Stay grounded, and remember that empathy is something that can be developed — this would be a fabulous time to practice metta, the Buddhist meditation to generate loving-kindness. If one of your cherished but un-manifested dreams involves developing or expanding a spiritual practice, this is a good time to start. But don’t get over-inflated  — spiritual materialism is definitely a pitfall of this aspect. Ten minutes of meditation a day, practiced regularly, will bring you more personal progress than an occasional weekend spent on an expensive “spiritual retreat”. 

Unfortunately, the things that are expanding will not all be positive — the combination of Jupiter and Neptune encourages fanaticism, out of control ideologies, illusion and delusion. Yes, we’ll doubtlessly be hearing more from Daesh, the Christian Right and Donald Trump. But this is something you want to look out for closer to home, as well.

The chart suggests an obsession with keeping up appearances, and using deception for the purpose. Part of taking on personal responsibility means going deeper into who we are at our core, why we are here, and whether or not we are living our lives in line with our higher goals. Those goals are not going to involve pretense and deception, and almost certainly will involve being clear and honest with ourselves. But here’s the thing about being honest with ourselves — if we beat ourselves up for our perceived faults and shortcomings every time we honestly assess our lives, then we will try to avoid that honesty just to protect ourselves from the pain of our own judgements and criticisms. Neptune in Pisces invites us to explore the concept of forgiveness so we can let go of the pain, guilt and shame that invariably accompany criticism and blame.

Forgiveness  — of ourselves or others — does not mean acceptance. Quite the opposite — to forgive, we must first acknowledge that a wrong was done, and we can use that knowledge to correct or avoid that wrong in the future. But when we cling to the wrong, then we deny that change is possible. We may not be able to change others, but we can certainly change ourselves. Learning to love, value and accept who we are, to understand that we make mistakes, AND we can change and move on, allows us to face and create our future with an honest and clear vision of what is possible. Invariably, that clear vision is much greater and a lot more fun than any futures we might manage to envision while castigating ourselves for our sins.

So drop the pretensions and the ego dreams. Let go of the idealized self so you can get to know your Self -- and learn to love who you really are. Here's a poem you might find inspiring.

Mercury in Libra square Pluto in this chart is reminding us that it’s important to make sure people’s feelings, not to mention art and beauty, are all taken into consideration and not trampled in a mad rush to have and build more. We can’t live from our soul if we are constantly placating and/or manipulating others — or allowing ourselves to be placated and manipulated. It's all still part of that honesty thing.

If you want to learn more about how these transits are affecting you personally, contact me to set up a consultation.

If you'd like to learn enough astrology to work with your own chart and those of your family and friends, my class Chart and Soul: Astrology For Yourself starts October 19th. (Yes, I pushed the date up a week). You'll have the opportunity to register starting next week. Class size will be limited, so you'll want to register early. You can sign up for my mailing list (you'll also get a copy of my "Planning Your Day With The Moon" booklet) like my Facebook page, or just contact me if you want me to hold a space for you. You'll get first shot at registering.

We have the Autumn Equinox coming up, and that chart will be a strong influence for the next three months. I'll write about it, and the chart of the upcoming Lunar Eclipse, next. Sweet dreams to you!