Healing in Virgo

The month of September may almost seem as if it is split into two parts. During the first half, with four planets still in Virgo, there is still a lot on our plate and we may either be feeling like we have prepared for this moment, or as if we’re fully ready to retreat – and of course it is quite possible and natural to be feeling both.

A lot is happening this month, but, luckily, most of it is harmonious. Here are some of the main themes we’ll experience as we head into the new season. 

Emphasis on Healing

With Neptune in its annual consecutive retrograde in its home of Pisces, the planetary focus right now, as a collective consciousness, is healing. We are really being encouraged to come home to ourselves by switching up  our daily routines and replenishing our souls through interacting with other people who, well, just get it. The sign of Pisces also rules the subconscious, and cleansing rituals like baths, music, and dancing it out are all ways to get more in more in touch with our true nature. 

Seek to Surrender

Neptune and the Moon rule our subconscious, dreams, feelings, and emotions. This month, it is in direct opposition with the Sun and Mars, which rule our conscious personality, drives, and desires. When the Moon joins Neptune in Pisces on Friday the 13th, there is a sort of surrender that wants to happen, a feeling of being able to let go and go with the flow —if we can trust it. Some of us may have difficulties trusting ourselves and trusting that the things we want are the best things for us. But we can trust that our intuitive nudges are divinely guided this month as we head toward the planning stages for the year ahead. 

Neptune can be full of deceit, and it is often the deceit we keep from even ourselves. Living in our conveniently constructed realities is actually a fear-based way of living. It takes mustering up some courage to look our problems squarely in the eye and face them head on. It takes trust to turn towards love in times of struggle, and not give in to the illusion of control. 

So, what else is going on this month?

Saturn Stations Direct in Capricorn on September 18

The planet of systems, traditions, and responsibilities has been spinning retrograde in Capricorn since April 29, and along with Pluto, this transit has been reconstructing a lot of the physical and emotional structures we have in place. Because of this backspin, Saturn has been moving through Capricorn in the same direction and at the same rate as the south node, increasing the sense of polarity between our comfort zone and the steps to get to the next level of where we are trying to be. Those of us with Saturn-heavy charts or who are going through a Saturn return period may have been feeling this chaos more intensely than others. You may feel as if you’re able to move forward again with clarity and purpose after the dust settles from this period.

When any planet is retrograde, it invites an opportunity to review the lessons that the planet and sign have to teach. With Saturn stationing direct in its home sign, mountains that previously seemed insurmountable seem to have a clearer path through and forward. 

Neptune and Jupiter Make Their Third and Final Exact Square of 2019

Neptune in Pisces and Jupiter in Sagittarius have been dancing around in squares all year, urging us towards healing the parts of ourselves that live in fantastical realities or in the highs and lows of life. Those of us with a lot of mutable energy, especially in the mid-points of our charts, have been feeling as though there is a sort of closing of a chapter happening this year. The first exact square these planets made was on January 13th, the second was on June 16th, and now this third and final square will fall on September 21st. Look back on your year and take an introspective look at all of the progress you have made in an area of your life you have been working on. Sometimes we cannot move forward until what needs to be healed is first uncovered, brought to the surface, and allowed to be fully felt and released. We do not always like to confront these aspects of ourselves, but the discomfort that comes from this process is ultimately positive as it is beneficial to our growth. 

All of us will have an opportunity to see the fruits of our labor, so to speak. Actions we have taken have led up to this moment and leave us feeling lighter as a result of shedding the weight of worrying how things will turn out.

Sun Moves Into Libra on September 23th

Each year, the sun moves into the sign of Libra and with it with it comes the autumn equinox (here in the northern hemisphere) and the planning season begins. We are seeing the results of our efforts from the past year and that sense of accomplishment feels good. Allow yourself to celebrate all of your wins, no matter how big or small you perceive them to be. Whether it is external recognition or the internal sense of accomplishment that comes with completing what we set out to do, feeling that our work has made a difference (even if only for us personally) motivates us to continue on our paths. 

Mercury and Venus Also Move Into Libra

Planetary friends Mercury and Venus move into Libra in the hours following the Full Moon in Pisces on the morning of September 14th, clearing the path for a more harmonious second half of September. We will feel lighter after the deep healing surrender of the Full Moon, and Mercury (the head) and Venus (the heart) balance each other out and work together in Libra, the sign of diplomacy and partnership. This is a good time for creative collaborations and coming together with the people we care about. It is also an auspicious time for meeting new people, perhaps people who will become future teammates in career as well as other areas of life. We are coming out of our cocoons, in a way, ready to share with others, and even celebrating, gearing up towards the holiday season that is quickly approaching. 

Still in the season of Virgo right now, and with all of this healing and transformation happening, if we lean too much into the Virgo side, we can over-structure ourselves. If we slip into too much of the Pisces side, we can become too passive and fall into chaos. The balance happens somewhere in the middle. Planting our feet firmly into the ground of the earth as the chaos of what is happening to and here on earth elicit emotional reactions within us. It can be helpful to understand that not all of the sensitivity we feel is our own. As empathic people with loving intentions — as I’m sure you must be if you are reading this — we may have visions to make the world a better place.t can be easier for us to pick up on the feelings and emotions of others around and the global collective as a whole. 

This Full Moon in Pisces reminds us that we are all connected to each other and to the planet we live on, so, of course, we feel each other’s pain from time to time. We can also feel each other’s joy. To numb one is to numb the other, and to escape one would be to discard the other. Perhaps there is a way to be here with it all. Perhaps there is a way to hold the whole world in unconditional love, while deciding on a better path forward. Maybe, if we can take responsibility for our own healing, we can also heal as a collective. The influences of Saturn, Jupiter, and Neptune have us seeing the world as it is and feeling optimism on the path forward, all while dreaming up a more connected reality and faith in what is possible. With the head and the heart working in tandem more effortlessly after the illumination of the Full Moon, we can trust that our healing as well as our deepest desires are serving a greater good. 

Elisabeth is an astrologer and writer based in Seattle. Learn more about her astrological offerings and contact her directly for more personal insights at www.elisabethmckinley.com/chartreading.