"There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature – the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after winter."
(Rachel Carson)
"To pay attention, this is our endless and proper work.” (Mary Oliver)
“Out of order,” we say when a tool whose parts were orderly arranged and functioning has fallen in disarray, no longer working. For some, more than others, order is synonymous with working properly, stability, and purpose. "Order" has come to mean effective, and "out of order" has come to mean its opposite. Interestingly, the word comes from Latin "ordinem" which means just everything that has a pattern, "a row, line, rank, series, arrangement, and routine." It is also connected with the Proto-Italic root word *ordn-" and "ordiri" meaning "to begin to weave." Just imagine the ancient practice and sacred art of weaving, where such a variety of threads come together in a specific order to create a beautiful tapestry and holy images.
This capacity to skillfully organize and coordinate various parts for a purpose, to observe and discern what can be changed so that it can fulfill its objective, to establish order or some resemblance of order, are some of the great gifts of Virgo. In this sign, belonging to the Earth element, the Full Moon will bloom on March 9th, receiving a supportive trine from Jupiter in Capricorn. The Full Moon will be disposed by Mercury in Aquarius, sign of its exaltation. This might indicate that communication and perspective-taking could be sharper and insightful than it has been when it was in Pisces, the sign of its Fall. However, Mercury will be stationing direct, suggesting that its effectiveness will strengthen as Mercury will begin moving forward after the 10th. The Moon will also oppose the Sun in Pisces conjunct Neptune, ruler of Pisces, which opposes Virgo. All of this suggests a complex picture that constellates the opposing and complementary meanings and values of these two signs. This might also be so because the Super Moon will be at her closest point to the Earth, and Neptune might exaggerate what she'll bring to the light of our consciousness.
These time ask of us to be aware and conscious of our emotional responses, to recognize that we can weather an invisible storm (Neptune) by noticing, discerning, and finding purpose in our lives, as we navigate foggy waters. We can harness this Full Moon by cultivating our spiritual life, our beliefs in a higher power (Pisces) that we can access through rituals and practices (Virgo). In the words of Marion Wright Edelman, “we must not, in trying to think about how we can make a big difference, ignore the small daily difference we can make, which, over time, add up to big differences that we often cannot see.”
On the one hand, this Full Moon invites us to notice and recognize what fulfill our purposes and bring order where confusion reign in our lives. Like Mary Oliver, whose Virgo Sun conjunct Neptune suggests to us, we can notice and pay attention, recognize what works and what might need to change. Perhaps we notice we are not taking care enough of ourselves, or of our children, or something is really out of balance. We can then create rituals and practices that are aligned to those purposes and re-establish order that supports our physical and emotional well-being. The great gift of Virgo is the capacity to discern what has been working for us and what might need to be changed. The houses in our chart where we have Virgo and Pisces might be those where we'll experience this more intensely.
Virgo also represents the tools that we use for work, for our well being, in our kitchen, garden, and this might be an excellent time to consider making changes. Or if we have started any clean-up during the retrograde cycles, these might be good days to bring our project to completion as Mercury slowly moves forward after the 9th.
To understand the energy of Neptune in opposition to the Moon, let's just sense into the meaning of some words associated with Neptune: nebulizer, nebulous, nebula. When it comes to cloudy, misty, foggy, and haze, all roads lead to Neptune, the gods of the mighty oceans that presides over Pisces, the fishes swimming in this mysterious watery realm. Boundaries-less, always changing and other-worldly, the presence of Neptune might feel like a beautiful song that transports us far away while we are walking on the street, or cleaning our closets. This configuration offers us an opportunity to embrace both and to create for ourselves such opportunities.
This Full Moon asks for our “compassionate discernment,” it invites us to notice and recognize what works (Virgo) with compassion (Pisces) so that we can heal ourselves. It might show us we illude ourselves when we try to be in full control, and invites us to find what nourishes our well-being and health, both associated with Pisces and Virgo. We may ask ourselves, “how am I taking care of my self and my body?” and “How am cultivating my emotional well-being?.” We can assess how we would like to be and what can we change along the way to “improve,” a word that is for Virgo like CO2 is for trees.
However, the quest for improvement without compassion, empathy, and recognition of our diversities and efforts may, at times, turn into criticism and harsh judgments. This may sound as “I should do” or "I should have done," and "if only I had been such and such I would be..." These judgments of ourselves and others can reiterate the patriarchal narrative of dominance and superiority that has affected all of us in a variety of ways with unnecessary criticism. Imagine those small plants that grow through the cracks of cement, we cherish their strengths for growing in such conditions, rather than criticizing the plant for not being a beautiful rose. This Full Moon, along with what Mercury has resurrected during this cycle, can assist us in healing this collective wound. It encourages us to soften the voice of discernment and improvement, allowing us to recognize and honor the blessings in our daily lives. This might helps us creating the habit of offering support and praise to us and our loved ones, as we align our actions to our intentions. We assist the little plant by praising her, giving her water, as she grows more robust, and her roots crack the cement that crumbles away. Virgo assists us with discerning, and commit to practices and rituals that heal us, give us guidance and inspiration. Perhaps, through a ritual walk in the park, we weave ourselves to the land, we found ourselves grounded as we learn to listen to the mysterious language of nature that communicate with us in a myriad of ways. We'll know the colors of the leaves, that bright green full of life that turns darker as it matures into summer and we may experience that sense of healing that Rachel Carson reminded us.
Venus will join Uranus in Taurus on the 8th and 9th, suggesting us to embrace unexpected and eclectic experiences, likely disruptive and likely to change us in matters of love, relationships, values, and beauty. It invites us to be open to experiment as we might discover that we might find pleasure (Taurus and Venus) in unexpected new places. This will particularly relevant for those with planets and points between 0 and 5 Taurus, Scorpio, Leo, and Aquarius.
A last note on Mercury retrograde that on March 5th will move back to Aquarius, one of the air signs where this planet representing communication and perspective-taking operates at its best. It will turn direct on March 9th and will be in Aquarius till March 15th. It will then move again in Pisces, and over the path where it was retrograde until March 30th. While retrograde in Pisces until March 5th, I invite you to reread my post in the last newsletter on the new Moon in Pisces, which will be still relevant to harness its energy. For those of us traveling abroad, or that have calls with people located in foreign countries, or simply have appointments over the weekend, we may all check our clocks. In the U.S., we are moving the clock an hour forward, and stationary Mercury and Neptune opposing the Moon might manifest with hick-ups in the system. This Full Moon might correspond with some information related to the Coronavirus coming to light, given that both signs relating to health and medicine. However, the station of Mercury suggests that more relevant and correct information will become available as Mercury turns direct and begins moving forward on March 10th.
Wishing you to find your blessings and healing during these stormy times. And an invitation to notice and be inspired by nature, in the beautiful words of Mary Oliver.
Yes! No!
How necessary it is to have opinions! I think the spotted trout lilies are satisfied, standing a few inches above the Earth. I think serenity is not something you just find in the world,
like a plum tree, holding up its white petals.
The violets, along the river, are opening their blue faces, like
small dark lanterns.
The green mosses, being so many, are as good as brawny.
How important it is to walk along, not in haste but slowly,
looking at everything and calling out
Yes! No!
The swan, for all his pomp, his robes of grass and petals, wants
only to be allowed to live on the nameless pond. The catbrier
is without fault. The water thrushes, down among the sloppy
rocks, are going crazy with happiness. Imagination is better
than a sharp instrument.
To pay attention, this is our endless and proper work.
(Mary Oliver)
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Gaia Somasca is a professional astrologer in private practice and therapist-in-training with a deep interest in psychological and humanistic astrology.