EPISODE 92 | Virgo New Moon: Measure Twice, Cut Once (Aug. 30, 2021)
Read the show notes and listen to the episode here.Jen: Welcome to the Big Sky Astrology podcast, with April Elliott Kent and me, producer and cohost Jen Braun. Hey friends, Jen here. Today is August 30th, 2021. And here with me, as we labor into September, is my friend, astrologer April Elliott Kent. Hi April.
April: Hello, Jen. This time last year, we were just about to Podathon our hearts out.
Jen: We did. Yes. That was so great.
April: It really was a lot of fun. Well, we’re doing something similar this year. We’re going to have another gala Podathon celebration, and we want to make sure people mark it on their calendars for the week of September 20th.
Jen: Yes.
April: We’ll have five daily episodes. And what we’re asking people to do is leave us some questions that we can include in the episode. We would like to hear your beautiful voices. We know you’re out there. We know you have things you would like to know.
Jen: They might have questions for you about why you love Bob Ross so much. It could be anything really. It doesn’t have to be astrology related…
April: Yes. Within reason, within reason. And of course, your well-documented love of LaCroix fizzy water. People might want to know all the details about that.
Jen: To be fair, I love all fizzy water, not just LaCroix. But I am drinking a LaCroix right now.
April: Even as we speak.
Jen: Limon.
April: Limon. So, just anything that you would like to throw our way. We would be interested in hearing from you. What you’ll do is go to speakpipe.com/bigskyastrologypodcast. We’ll link this in the show notes, of course, but it could not be easier to use. There’s a little button, you click it and leave your recording. And just know that by doing that, there’s every possibility that we will be using this bit of audio on the podcast during Podathon week.
Jen: We will put your question on air, as it were.
April: Indeed. You need to keep it to one minute.
Jen; Right. Good point.
April: Because there’s only so much time that we can record on SpeakPipe. So, please do keep it to one minute, but we’d love to hear from you.
Jen: Yes. We do. Maybe people will sing!
April: Maybe they will!
Jen:
April: Maybe they could do their own Moonwatch. Wouldn’t it be a great way to set up Moonwatch every day that way? To have a different person singing the Moonwatch theme? Do it! Do it, listeners. Do it!
Jen: Do it, people! Do it! We are egging you on.
April: We are! We can harmonize with you. Fantastic.
Jen: That’s great!
April: Well between now and then, however, we have a couple of weeks, of course that we are covering in this episode. So, I guess we have better get to it. Jen, what do we have coming up for the first week?
Jen: For the week of August 30th through September 5th, we have a focus on the earthly realm versus the psychic or spiritual realm. And so, we might find that our values and money can possibly complicate relationships and conflict with goals and ambitions. The week’s important aspects are indeed present in the September 6th New Moon chart that we’ll talk about in a moment.
April: That sounds good.
Jen: Tell us what we should break down for people here. What’s first?
April: We’re going to begin with Mars making an opposition to Neptune, that’s on September 2nd at 10:43 AM Pacific Time. Mars is on the Sabian symbol, 23 Virgo, which is “The Lion Tamer.” It’s one of my favorite Sabian symbols. It’s the symbol for my natal Mars in my birth chart. And then the Sabian symbol for 23 Neptune is “Spiritist Phenomena.”
On the one hand, we have this uber-organized Virgo Mars. And what does it do when it’s face to face with things that are non-physical? You know, Mars in Virgo has a very particular set of skills and is very good at coping with the day to day world. Taming it, if you will. And, when we put it together with something like Neptune in Pisces, it’s very other worldly. And we say, “Hmm, what is that Virgo going to do? What can it get up to? How can it feel productive when it’s faced with things that are not really of this world?” That’ll be kind of fun.
This goes back to the conjunction between Mars and Neptune on June 13th, 2020, which we talked about in Episode 29, “Neptune Washing Over All and The U.S Pluto Return.” So, we have come to the revelation point in that particular cycle between Mars and Neptune. Mars and Neptune anyway, regardless of their signs, are sort of odd bedfellows.
Jen: Say more about that.
April: Yes. Well, Mars is interested in focused direct action. And wants to get things done, wants to go after what it wants. It’s very decisive. Neptune is quite different. Neptune is about our spiritual orientation toward the world and about what we believe about the world, rather than trying to bend the world to our will, which is more Mars.
Jen: Yes. It’s more about feeling your way through the world. And I think of Mars in Virgo as very meticulous.
April: Yes. Mars in Virgo thinks, “Well, if I just have enough checklists, I can overcome anything.” Right? I mean, that’s us, Jen, with our Mars in Virgo!
Jen: Exactly!
April: And Neptune is quite different than that. Neptune is not about having a schedule or checklist. It says: There is a world that runs on clock time where things unfold sequentially. But there is also this part of our existence that is invisible, that we can feel, but we can’t see. And that is Neptune’s realm. So, when the two of them try to interact with each other, they have a lot to learn from each other, as always with an opposition. But it’s not necessarily super cozy, the relationship between them.
Well, fortunately in that regard, Mercury this week will trine Saturn on September 4th at 06:30 PM. And it trines the North Node in Gemini the day before on September 3rd. So, what we’re getting here is a really nice grand trine of Mercury, the North Node and Saturn, which seems very nice. So, this is a great transit for focus and for completion of projects. If Mars and Neptune on the 2nd is like wading through oatmeal or something, trying to get anything done, just rest assured that two days later on September 4th, Mercury will trine Saturn and it’ll make it a lot easier to get the focus that eluded you – as Mars opposed Neptune – to get a few things done.
Jen: Yes. And do you want to say anything more about a grand trine in air signs?
April: Well, grand trines, as we’ve said before, work sort of like a closed system where those three planets, in this case two planets and a point, the North Node, act fairly self-sufficiently. The tradition does say it’s lazy and it’s not, really. But it says that those planets feel like they have everything they need, they don’t want to entertain a lot of input from other planets – in this case, other people, whatever it is. But the fact that they’re in air, it’s about communication, it’s about how we are communicating with each other, how much of that we need. And this probably just suggests that we’re getting all the voices we need. So, this would be an echo chamber kind of configuration, because it says, “We have the luxury of only listening to voices and viewpoints and people that agree with us.” So, that’s a downside.
But the good side of it, of course, is, again, Mercury and Saturn are working really well together. Fantastic to get projects done. And with the North Node involved, it says, well, there are things that are really important to you. If there’s something you’ve been trying to do for a long time, especially of the nature of Gemini – communication, learning, traveling, whatever it is – this is a pretty good couple of days for that.
Jen: Yes. A grand trine actually makes me think of a story that I think I’ve told before: My wife and I were walking one time, we were going around a lake near our house. And as we turned the corner and came around the other side of the lake, we noticed the strong wind against us. And Joanie said, “You know, it’s funny, you never notice when the wind’s at your back.” And that’s kind of how I think of trines in general or in this case, a grand trine, is: You don’t always necessarily notice it because it’s just happening in your world and it’s what you’re used to.
April: I think that’s such a good metaphor for trines. Because when things are going well, we don’t notice it. It’s when things are off a little bit, some level of challenge or difficulty that we are awakened -and that’s much more analogous to a square or an opposition or something like that. So yes, enjoy trines while you’ve got them. And knowing what they’re good for is really helpful. And that this can be very helpful for making progress towards something that’s kind of difficult, but that’s really meaningful to you. All those things working together.
Jen: That’s lovely.
April: Then on September 5th, Venus squares Pluto at 08:07 PM Pacific Time. These are a couple of planets we don’t like to see disagreeing with each other, but a square says that they probably will. Venus is about our personal relationships, our values, our money. Pluto in this case, I think, especially since it’s been in Capricorn for lo these many years, is very much about ambitions and goals and what we’re trying to achieve. So, this says there’s some disconnect, some conflict between our ambitions, our goals, the things we want to get done versus the amount of time and energy that we’re able to commit to personal relationships. And I mean, from time to time, we can get very ambitious about doing something for not necessarily the best reasons. So just doing it for money for instance, is an example of Venus square Pluto, of saying yes, just for money rather than because it’s really coming from the heart.
This is a timeframe, say between the 4th and the 6th – the day either side of the exact aspect – where maybe we’re being asked to examine questions like that. “Am I doing these things for the right reasons? Am I motivated in my relationships by the right things? Am I sacrificing too much in the personal realm versus what I want to achieve in the eyes of the world?” Which is more of the nature of Pluto in Capricorn.
Jen: This is the closing square from a conjunction that happened on January 28th earlier this year. And I will link in the show notes, Episode 66, “Leo Full Moon: Dinner and Bingo” because that is the week that the conjunction happened.
April: ‘Conjunction junction, what’s your function?’
Jen: And I’ll link School House Rock…
April: You have to!
Jen: …from the 1970s!
April: Oh my goodness.
Jen: Excellent.
April: Jen?
Jen: Yes.
April: Do you know what time it is?
Jen: What time is it?
April: It’s time for Moonwatch…
Jen: Moonwatch…
April: Play it!
April: Oh yes dear friends, and what a Moonwatch it will be. We’re going to tell you all about this week’s Virgo New Moon, but first we want to reintroduce you to a past non-imaginary sponsor who’s back with us again for a couple of episodes. The wonderful artist, Victoria Pendragon.
Jen:
April:
Jen: Victoria Pendragon, who goes by V, as some folks may recall, is a wonderful painter who’s combined her love of astrology with her artwork. It sounds like, from the last time she had a sponsorship on the podcast a few months ago, she received some really great responses about the beautiful large elaborate natal chart paintings that she creates. But in her desire to share her artwork, she also came to realize that perhaps a smaller version of the personal birth chart painting would be equally meaningful and more affordable for a wider range of people, which I think is really cool that she’s doing that. So, yay for that! Thanks V!
April: We are hearing this Venus square Pluto, which we were talking about.
Jen: Love that. Look how you just threw some astrology in there.
April: That’s right. And she’s been reconciling that. So, it’s a perfect example of what we were talking about.
Jen: Yes. Tell us more about this, pal.
April: V says she fell in love with the planets before she was even in elementary school. And her love of astrology has continued throughout her life. But it wasn’t until 2020 when art and astrology merged in her paintings. And it snuck in via her unusually insistent subconscious. V says, “I finally saw what was trying to happen, larger abstractly elaborate works up the chart as art as well as significantly smaller 12 by 12 pieces and more get to the point pieces that look like actual charts. Only, wow. Instead of black and white symbols on lines, on a piece of paper, you’ve got planets in full color and a night sky dotted with stars. If you look closely, you can even see indications of the occasional important aspect. And there were a little dots just outside the houses that are the appropriate constellations and they are in pearlescent paint, so they shine a little.”
Jen: They are very cool. Have you looked at them?
April: Yes. I have. They’re wonderful.
Jen: Yes. It’s awesome. So, these paintings, like I said, based on your personalized birth information… they give you an opportunity to deepen a meditation process that occurs automatically as you gaze at the artwork. V says, “It allows you to connect more profoundly with the you that you came here to be.” They can also be created to honor, of course, a special date such as a wedding or the establishment of a business or any date that is significant to you.
April: Wonderful! Wouldn’t that be a great wedding gift for somebody?
Jen: Oh, it really would. That’s a great idea.
April: Amazing.
Jen: I love that.
April: She says that “these are created with awe and fascination that’s only grown deeper with the passing years. My heart is in this work and it really does show.” V has a website that she’s put together for this very cool astrology artwork at www.yourchartasart.com. We will link it in the show notes as we do. You can also visit her full website, www.victoriapendragonpaints.com to view more of her paintings. They truly are amazing.
Jen: They really are. And thank you so much, V, for your sponsorship of Moonwatch. We really appreciate that.
April: We do. Thank you so much.
If you’re a person who is interested in underwriting the Moonwatch segment or something in the months to come, just get in touch with us and we would love to talk to you about it.
Jen: Yes. And how should folks get in touch with us?
April: Oh, they can email me April(at)bigskyastrology.com. It’s a good place to start.
Jen: Okay, perfect.
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April: So, what about this New Moon, Jen?
Jen: This New Moon happens on Monday, September 6th at 05:52 PM Pacific Time. It’s a Virgo New Moon at 14°, 38 minutes. Of course, a New Moon is always when the Sun and the Moon are lined up together in the sky,
April: Right. The same degree of the same sign.
Jen: Exactly. Tell us more.
April: Well, the Sabian symbol for this degree, which is 15° of Virgo is “An Ornamental Handkerchief”, which we’ve talked about before.
Jen: We actually talked about it on the Cancer Solstice episode that went to donors. So, I think that’s the only time we talked about it.
April: Interesting.
Jen: But we talked about it being something beautiful but useful.
April: Yes. Which is very much in keeping with Virgo, which we think of as somewhat dignified sign, but also, yes, the beauty of useful things is always something that I associate with Virgo. It’s the best New Moon all year for setting intentions about health, about daily routine, about work and the way you would like your work life to improve over the next 12 months. This particular chart features the Mars Neptune opposition of the previous week, which we just talked to you about and the Venus Pluto square. So, they’re all kind of rumbling around in the background of this New Moon chart.
Jen: Do you mean that that feeling sort of carries into this day and this month as we embark on a New Moon month?
April: Yes. The energy’s building and it sort of crests at the New Moon. And then of course this New Moon, as they all do, initiates a lunar phase family that unfolds over two and a half years, and those aspects are going to be part of that story that’s unfolding. The peaks of that cycle will come in June of 2022, March of 2023 and December of 2023. So, we’re starting not just a 28-day cycle, but also a two-and-a-half year cycle. In the short term, this is a really good time to review the extent to which the work that you do and the values that you hold are congruent with your spiritual life and with not just your personal goals, but the goals of society, which is that Venus/Pluto.
This New Moon point in Virgo is also in a nearly precise trine to Uranus. So, if we take care of business and details in Virgo fashion, as the New Moon wants us to do, then positive change should come pretty easily, because the positive change is Uranus. A trine between them means that can come easily. We don’t have to struggle so much. None of the earth signs – I mean, neither Virgo nor Taurus, which are the signs represented by this aspect – are super happy about change. They’re always going to be somewhat resistant. But this says, yes, just take care of business, take care of the details, do the Virgo work and change will come kind of naturally.
As we said before, the Virgo New Moon is perfect for setting intentions around better health, being more organized and perfecting the creative projects that we began at the Leo New Moon.
Jen: Well, my Virgo planets look forward to this New Moon.
April: Very good. I’m going to take some creative projects that were begun at the Leo New Moon, and I’m just going to tighten them up and nail them down and analyze the heck out of them.
Jen: Maybe measure them a couple of times. Measure twice, cut once.
April: Absolutely, exactly what I plan to do. Well, I mean this generally, the second week of this period that we’re covering in this episode is trine city.
Jen: Yes. It really is.
April: And September 6th is the day to watch because we have three different trine aspects on that one single day. The first is a trine from Mars to Pluto on September 6th at 05:19 AM Pacific Time. And if you have to have some kind of connection between Mars and Pluto, I think trine is about as good as any. Although, it does summon visions of shadowy henchmen in the corner, plotting and…
Jen: Lone shadowy figures.
April: Yes. Yes. Nobody to prevent them from their nefarious activities. So, what happens though is the fog clears after last week’s Mars/Neptune opposition. And the Mars is ready to get really focused on the things that really matter. And that’s represented, I think by the trine to Pluto.
Jen: Yes. And Mars is really action and Pluto lends an ability to recognize what’s no longer needed.
April: Yes. Or the extent to which action is even productive. Because Pluto talks about the things that are outside of our control. Mars talks about us trying to impose our will on the environment around us. So, when they’re trine, maybe what we actually see is we reconcile ourselves to what is and isn’t possible for us to do. And then Mars can be effective within those boundaries. It feels almost a little bit like a Mars Saturn aspect in a way. It’s also saying your individual actions can be used in the service of something larger than yourself, which is Pluto.
And Pluto is in Capricorn, which, maybe that’s where I’m getting that Saturn vibe as well.
Jen: Good point.
April: What else?
Jen: Well, we also have of Venus trining Jupiter on this same day, September 6th at 06:05 AM Pacific Time at 25° of Libra and Aquarius.
April: Yes. Very sweet to bring these two, what we call the benefics. Venus was known as the lesser benefic, Jupiter is the greater benefic. It’s kind of a happy ending after last week’s Venus/Pluto square. Venus perhaps had a little bit of tension or conflict with that one, but we hopefully learned something from that conflict, reconciled something, and we can let something or someone go even, possibly with no hard feelings. Because, the Venus/Pluto is about letting go of what’s not needed, and Venus trine Jupiter is, “Yes, let’s get rid of what’s not needed so we can bring in all these yummy, wonderful Jupiterian things that we want to have in our lives instead.”
Jen: Nice.
April: And then, the Sun trine Uranus, which was getting set up at the time of the New Moon is exact on September 6th, at 06:29 PM Pacific Time. And Virgo and Taurus are earth signs, the Sun’s in Virgo, Uranus in Taurus, so, they’re absorbing, the earth signs will actually absorb a lot of the high tension, very electric, Uranian energy. There is an opportunity to redraw the boundaries of who you think you are or you think you have to be. It’s stepping outside the role that you play in the world, which is the Sun. And Uranus says, “No, you have an opportunity to decide to do things a little differently.” I think I wrote about in a column recently and said, “It’s like, we have a story that we tell about ourselves. And we say, ‘Oh, that’s not something I could ever do.” Say, take a vacation by yourself or something because, “Oh, that’s just not who I am. I wouldn’t do that.” And we grow, we change. And Uranus says, “Well, why can’t you do that? That might be a fun thing to do. Give it a try.” It’s sort of a nice little trine.
Jen: Uranus says, “Why not?”
April: Indeed. So, tell us, Jen. Venus is going into Scorpio on September 10th at 01:39 PM Pacific Time. It will be there through October 8th. You possess such a Venus.
Jen: I do.
April: Give us some insights.
Jen: People with Venus in Scorpio value authenticity, relationships with depth. I saw a quote recently I really liked. It was “Love is a verb.” I can’t remember where I saw it…
April: Yes. Who was it that said that? We’ll to link in the show notes.
Jen: For sure.
April: But it’s one of my favorite quotes. And in fact, we renewed our wedding vows on our seventh wedding anniversary and we put together something for our friend to read who was kind of officiating, and that was one of the quotes that we put in there. And there’s a beautiful song by some country artist. We’ll have to link in the show notes. It’s a really lovely song. And it says, “Love is something that we do.” And it really is true. It’s about demonstrating… it’s all good and well to say that you love somebody, but unless you back that up with authentic actions, it doesn’t mean a heck of a lot. So, yes. I can see that with Venus in Scorpio. It’s very passionate. It’s very penetrating. People with Venus in Scorpio, once they’re in, they’re all in. But you have to earn their trust and earn their loyalty. So, it’s a good time to work out any longstanding problems in relationships because Scorpio is always about that process, or Pluto.
And this kind of takes us back to the Venus/Pluto square of last week. But it wants to again, take out what is not authentic and what is not structurally sound. So, while Venus goes through Scorpio, that’s a little bit of what we’re doing, I guess.
Jen: Show your actions in an authentic way.
April: That is right. I mean, it’s traditionally, Venus is not considered to be very much at home in Scorpio because it is a Mars-ruled sign. But it’s as good as sign as any for Venus. You know, there’s no bad sign for any planet to be in. It just says “We have to struggle a little bit, because Venus, all things being equal, would like to just keep things nice and pleasant.” And Scorpio doesn’t play that way. Scorpio says “No, let’s really talk about things. Let’s really work on things.” And Venus goes, “Well, alright, if we simply must.”
Jen: Yes. And this piggybacks on what you were saying just a minute ago, but I think it’s also about recognizing and honoring what’s in alignment with who you are now and what you value, not who you were or what you valued 10 years ago.
April: Right.
Jen: It’s about letting go of stuff that’s not, at a deep level, really fitting you anymore.
April: I like that.
Jen: Thanks.
April: Spoken like somebody who’s got Venus in Scorpio. Alright my friend, I think that is everything on this everlasting show sheet. Have we done it?
Jen: Episode 92. 92!
April: We’re going to get up to a hundred during Podathon.
Jen: Yes, we sure are.
April: I am so excited.
Jen: Totally.
April: Well, thanks to all of you for listening to The Big Sky Astrology Podcast. If you like what you’re hearing, do be sure to follow us on whatever app you use to listen to podcasts. Leave us a rating or a review, and please help us spread the word. Tell a friend. You can read show notes and full transcripts and leave your comments about each episode at our website, bigskyastropod.com.
Jen: We’re so grateful to everyone who has shown support over the past year. Of course, each week we thank some of you by name. Who do we have this week, April?
April: Everybody get out your bingo card because I got some challenges this week. We are giving a Big Sky Astrology Podcast shout-out to Bernice Harmyk, Darla Catalano, Deb Kirkland, Annette Eikerenkoetter, Nicole Ervin, Kellie Ulyate… I know Kellie, but I’ve never had to pronounce her last name… Ulyate. It’s almost like Elliott, like my surname, my maiden name. And Sheska McLean and Michelle Kapanen, I think.
Jen:
April:
April: Bernice, Darla, Deb, Annette, Nicole, Kellie, Sheska, and Michelle, we appreciate you. And we thank you so much for listening to the podcast and for supporting us with your donations.
Jen: Thank you so much to all of you. If you’d like to support the podcast, you can always make a contribution at our website, bigskyastropod.com. And if you donate $5 or more, we’ll send you the special episode that we put together for the Cancer Solstice, as well as our hilarious bingo card, which includes “mispronounce donor names” as one of the boxes!
April: You’ll enjoy it! Well, that is it for us this week. Now, friends, as we mentioned in previous episodes, we have been taking a little extra time off this summer. This may end up extending into the Fall as well. We will keep you posted on that, but we’re not gone altogether. We are releasing episodes every two weeks instead of weekly. Our next episode will reach your eager ears on Monday, September 13th. And the upcoming episode will be just like the old days – it will cover one week, because the next week we will be launching into our second annual Podathon, on September 20th!
Jen: Podathon!
April: Podathon! So, don’t forget to send us those questions. Go to www.speakpipe.com/bigskyastrologypodcast. And in the meantime, let’s all get a little rest and relaxation. And remember, keep your feet on the ground…
Jen: …and your eyes on the stars!
Thank you for listening! To learn more about April Elliott Kent, please check out her website, www.BigSkyAstrology.com, where you can sign up for her newsletter, read her thought-provoking weekly essays, purchase her books, sign up for a personal astrology reading, and more.
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