September New Harvest Moon

Your teachers

Are all around you.

All that you perceive,

All that you experience,

All that is given to you

or taken from you,

All that you love or hate,

need or fear

Will teach you---

If you will learn. -Octavia Butler

September 24^th, 2:14am EST

4* Sidereal Virgo in the third house

After a summer full of super-moons culminating in the intense and emotionally charged full moon in Sidereal Pisces (the same day Mercury was squaring Pluto) the fall equinox greets us with a new moon in Sidereal Virgo. Interestingly enough, my last post on this blog was on the new moon in Tropical Virgo of September 2013, and here I am coming back full circle, just in time for the new moon of Sidereal Virgo, 2014.  Can’t make this stuff up!

Heavy September

Since the onset of tumultuous energies that were activated by the Grand Cross back in April, this year has been no walk in the park. At that time the foundations were set when the Uranus- Pluto squares set off and now in September we are here again. And while I really wish I could deliver some light, happy news for the month, alas, such is not the case. These are the times we are living in folks: just look at the news or your Facebook feed. This month is no different, with its volatile energy ready to pop at any moment. There are some pockets of light though…let’s make the very best of them. Virgo season in the sidereal zodiac is upon us. As I said in last year’s post, the Earth signs are having heavy influence (Sun, Moon, Rahu all in earthy Virgo) and themes around practicality, perfectionism, and artistry abound. It’s a time when we are being pulled to hone the intellect and become more precise as we prepare to go back to school, back to work and into autumn. That summer feeling is gone and the seriousness of the earth signs ruling this period bear the weight of that energetic vibration. The Grand Cross that went into effect on September 5^th pushed into a cross roads and when everything is all said and done, it will all look vastly different.

There is an overall heaviness to the month of September. Mercury and Saturn give us a feeling of tension and urgency from the Grand Cross, and Mars transit through it will form a T-Square. While we can easily see this play out all over the world- from the Middle East to Ferguson- individually we could experience this as a feeling of being pushed to our limits, demanding to unravel us at the seams.  It’s an exhausting tension because this interesting cocktail of dynamic forces pull away at us and the only way out of it is through it. We have to stay focused and not get sucked into the whirlwind before us.

This new moon is in the third house which deals with communication, our immediate environment- siblings, peers, colleagues- primary and secondary education and apprenticeship. It beckons us to discuss our feelings and become aware in order to plant new seeds for what we’d like to see come to fruition by the next full moon and beyond. This new moon in Virgo rules our health and our analytical processes. Virgo wants to apply what it has learned- the information that it has acquired through practical means in a way that serves itself and the whole.

According to Kemetic astrology this time of year is ruled by Tehuti (Greek: Thoth). This Neter of wisdom brings us into alignment with our capacity for learning and retaining information, bring balance between the one and the many. This is a time to intuit the parts in order to truly see how they fit within the whole. This is a time for organization and making use of our practical skills. Do not give into rash decisions, impatience and hasty moves. At 4 degrees of Virgo, the moon is in the first decanate, ruled by Mercury. This is the most pronounced aspect of the sign as a whole and relates it to its Mercurial cousin, Gemini. All of this Mercury gives those born in this season a critical nature, making them able to separate and compartmentalize life’s experiences and information, and they attract practical tangible benefits from doing so. This gives this decanate the keyword “achievement”. Virgo checks all the details and nuances to anything to scope out the best possible outcomes. The issue is to not become obsessed with understanding these small parts and continuously apply them to the best resolution for the whole. Because the mind is so expansive in Virgo, each new insight leads to another, and another perspective…soon Virgo is lost in its own mental machinations. Virgo must learn not to get so hung up on each and every tree that it loses sight of the entire forest. The higher expression of Virgo energy brings high ideas down to earth and makes them accessible. It brings practicality to any situation. The lower vibratory expressions in Virgo see the negative in everything and critique it accordingly.

There is a bright side to all this heavy, earthy energy and that’s found in the presence of Venus and Jupiter. Jupiter is exalted in Cancer which is a very happy place. In this position Jupiter brings unification, understanding and a focus on home, marriage, humanity etc. Venus enters Virgo on the day of the new moon. When Venus is in Virgo it’s a time where we express our love through practicality. We take care of our responsibilities, run errands, handle the minutia or simply become present for our lovers. Here love needs to make sense in a grounded, accessible way. Venus in Virgo adds an element of desire and purification, softening the tension and giving us a way to find enjoyment through it all. Focus on your artistic and creative endeavors as means of self-expression. When things get tense, go inward and create. Come together in groups for philosophical discussions and share meals together. Create together. The mutual support will lift everyone’s spirits.

The Autumnal Equinox

The fall equinox is on September 22^nd at 10:29pm EDT here in the Northern Hemisphere. Understanding how time moves, there are two equinoxes a year that bring light and dark into balance and usher in a period of time where either light will begin to take over the dark- vernal equinox leading into the summer solstice- or the dark will begin to engulf the light- autumnal equinox leading us toward the winter solstice. The ancients celebrated these markers in numerous ways as each has its importance. The fall equinox begets a time of increased darkness as the Sun continues its descent (which it began at the summer solstice) bringing us into longer nights as we move towards the cold depths of winter. These times serve as markers that point towards the types of spiritual work we can do when we move with the seasons and the cosmos. The autumn equinox is a celebration of the harvest not that summer has finished bearing its fruit. The onset of fall’s darkness points us towards the work of spiritual transformation, the worship of the dark and aging Goddesses, death and rebirth along with the realms of the ancestors. Honoring the equinox helps us to understand that light and dark are inseparable and necessary for the existence of each other.

Sun Conjunct Moon; Mars Squares Neptune

During the time of this transit we can benefit from asserting ourselves in a more confident manner and be clear on our goals in life. Take time to dig into your roots- family, ancestry and you home. Doing spiritual cleanings with herbs for the season (see below) will ground us as well as smudging with fresh tobacco to bring in that earthy energy. Emotions will run high so try not to reach rashly or make any last minute decisions. Everything should come from a clear, peaceful, grounded place.

Our physical energy may seem low and our normal work may be hard to get through. We may become more irritated by small things than normal and there is a tendency to feel apathetic with this transit (Mars square Neptune). Be wary of deceiving or being deceived when Neptune is in this position. Use your intuition and trust yourself. Be as honest and transparent as possible. Do not get involved in business ventures that do not seem practical or have unrealistic goals.

Power Flow: Solving problems with facts, grounding routines, supporting individuals, paying attention to details, reading the fine print.

Meditation: During this year, what have I learned? How can I channel all that I have learned into a practical plan that will help me move to the next step? How have my family and my siblings/peers/colleagues influenced my perspective? What are my plans for the rest of the year? What seeds would I like to plant to see come to fruition by the full moon? The third house speaks to communications and siblings but also the goddess on a base level. The moon in the third house wants to express its feelings- namely around themes of what do I truly believe at my core? How do I express that? Is what the world sees in alignment with how I truly feel? With my family and siblings or even peers how do I express my feelings? These are great things to meditate on during the dark moon.

Additional stats:

Herbs/Plants: millet, corn, wheat, barley, oats, rye, skullcap (Virgo); benzoin, grains, honeysuckle, marigold, milkweed, passion flower, tobacco, thistle (autumn equinox)

Scents/Oils: myrrh, sage, rose

Stones: jasper, agate (especially yellow), marble, topaz, aquamarine

Tarot: Eight of Coins

Color: Red, orange, russet, maroon, brown, and gold.

In the meantime, here's a little FKA Twigs loveliness to help mellow out your vibe. I'm not sure why, but these Neptune transits always make sounds like hers much more attractive and healing to me. Perhaps it's the energy of surrendering into a dreamy abyss that Neptune brings...

On a final note, please be sure to check out my good friends over at Udja Temple Ministries! They are doing fabulous healing work and offering Oracle Readings that are wonderful. They can certainly help you navigate the energies of this September and beyond. Also, check out their radio show on Sundays for more information on African Matriarchy, Black Goddess Consciousness and Spirituality. Let's support our own!

Until next time Beloveds. 

- Ty Shaw