We begin this article by looking at the future that we are about to create.
At 9.03 am UTC, 1st September 2016 – the Moon conjuncted the Sun in a Solar Eclipse (New Moon) at 9 degrees Virgo.
Solar Eclipses / New Moons are potent times for the setting of seeds, or intentions which we reap – or see culminate – at moments predicted by the mathematics and energy of astrology. The seeds you set now you will most certainly see during the next Virgo Full Moon (March 12, 2017).
That´ll be interesting as the Sun will conjunct Pallas Athena and Chiron in Pisces whilst squaring Saturn and the Galactic Center in Sagittarius – and of course opposing the Moon at 22 Virgo.
Let´s just say that´s going be … a very telling time.
Many questions shall arise, such as: Are we on the road to Healing, or simply Self-Deception? Are we on a path of Service, or simply Self-Aggrandizement? (and so on and so forth)
Less than a month later (April 6, 2017), Saturn will retrograde at that exact degree – 27 Sagittarius (The Galactic Center), forcing us to re-visit these questions. Saturn will re-enter, and then finally leave Sagittarius from the last week of November till the first week of December 2017.
So really … the seeds we´re setting now, at the very least (putting aside the fact this is an Eclipse for a moment), will find structure, consolidation and form in fifteen months from now!!!!
I also note two curious features shared by the current Virgo New Moon (September 1, 2016) and next year´s Virgo Full Moon (March 12, 2017):
(1) The Sun and Moon square Saturn in Sagittarius
(2) Pluto in Capricorn opposes Vesta in Cancer (owing to Vesta´s long retrograde from the start of Leo and back into Cancer).
So let´s break that down.
The focus on Saturn tells us that – ALL – of this comes back to the question of what Path we ultimately take towards healing, learning, expression, service – or simply the paradigms we use to navigate our lives and find a sense of place in the world.
There´s going to be a lot of physical and/or intellectual movement as we expand our horizons. Be it by travel, migration, higher education, training, speaking – or finding sources of knowledge you see as authoritative in other forms.
Without surprise, this will equally translate into consolidation and/or conflict across the lines of political, spiritual and religious ideology.
As an astrologer, I also see this as a powerful time for the creation (and necessary destruction) of different approaches to this field of human-and-celestial understanding. The same message comes through strongly through the various other hats I wear: as academic, public speaker, global traveller – my own Saturn is in Sagittarius anyway 🙂 .
But long story short …
December 2017 is going to be a definitive time for the planet. And the seeds and energetic path-working we bring to our lives right now – is going to fuel whatever direction emerges then.
So … find the road you want to take and commit to it. You might change it over the next fifteen months – and that is fine. Just pick something, and get to it.
You might want to hold off signing paperwork till early October, just to allow Mercury to finish retrograding – unless of course, it´s just following through with something you previously committed to.
And it´s probably a good idea to let the Pisces Lunar Eclipse on September 16, 2016 pass first. The Moon (24 Pisces) will be conjunct Chiron, the Wounded Healer (22 Pisces), both trining Vesta (20 Cancer).
Amazingly, Vesta will be at the same degree (20 Cancer) during the Pisces Lunar Eclipse (September 16, 2016) and the Virgo Full Moon (March 12, 2017) – and when the Vesta Retrograde ends on March 7, 2017!
Interesting times … .. and such a focus on Vesta, The Priestess – to whom we now turn.
The second shared feature between the Virgo New Moon and Virgo Full Moon is the Pluto-Vesta opposition in Capricorn-Cancer.
This tells me that what we choose now is vital in helping us understand our Path of Service, Facilitation, Priest/essing – and its relationship with familial, ancestral, shadow-based karma, alchemy, manifestation and the deepest levels of energy-working.
That´s putting a very long story in a nutshell.
Vesta, the Priestess is going to want to sacrifice herself for her family, belief system, culture, custom, tradition – or simply to feel that she belongs someplace, that she has a Home.
Pluto will challenge Her by bringing her back into the Shadow-Domains, perhaps through the pursuit of power, perhaps through pain, perhaps both. I see The Priestess needs to understand the truth of what she seeks, what she is willing to sacrifice for it, and why – without giving into Pluto´s seductive wares and/or bullying ways. Remember – this is the planet that rules violence and breakdown, just as it does intimacy and rebirth.
Navigating this alignment alone will require an level of incredible transparency, groundedness and a willingness to ´cut through the karmic BS´ (as a loved one put it). You might prefer the language of transmutation, release and/or acceptance – it comes down to the paradigm of your choice.
Whatever you choose now, let it be a choice born of love, rather the fear of abandonment, betrayal, persecution or the desire to find brute power over another. It can be easy to give into those parts of the self when one believes they have no other way out. But that too is a belief, and one that can be shifted should you choose.
This bodes to be a very very transformative time for energy-workers and facilitators, particularly those who are not averse to exploring the relationship with the Shadow in its various forms. Those of you who do ancestral work will probably already be focusing on inherited (or mimicked) energetic vulnerabilities that have passed through family lineages.
I have found that working with the Golden Ray at the Solar Plexus Chakra in particular to be very, very effective at this time. Gemstones such as citrine or golden topaz will be of great use. Watch as well the messages that (literally) come from your gut, humanity´s ´second brain´, bringing with it the information of 100 million neurons. Probiotics and Vitamin C are also things I would encourage exploring to complement energetic work at this time.
But back to the astrology ….
I have also noted another curious emphasis on Vesta in a different Eclipse – the one coming right up on September 16, 2016. At that time, Vesta will be at 20 Cancer. She will be at that exact degree (as well) on the day the Vesta Retrograde ends (March 7, 2017) and the Virgo Full Moon (March 12, 2017) – when Vesta will oppose Pluto (just as she is doing now, albeit at 15 Cancer-Capricorn).
I would suggest looking into this particular degree (20 Cancer) in your natal and/or progressed charts to see what transformations arise. Vesta finally moves past this degree in the final week of March 2017 – which is when I would expect to see further movement in the way we navigate the Vesta/Cancer-Pluto/Capricorn opposition. The final Vesta-Pluto opposition in Cancer-Capricorn will take place in late July 2020, at 23 degrees. Then we get into the Leo-Aquarius oppositions, which is an entirely different kettle of fish.
To me, what this says is that we´re going to be challenged to move past, transform and/or embrace the role of Vesta-as-familial-caregiver-custodian, sacrificing her power and freedom and limiting herself into the home or domestic sphere. For some, this is ideal – for others, it is a prison. But there are too many ways that particular dynamic can play out – this is just one example. The possibility of resolution here comes in the Shadow (Pluto), in being willing to face what remains unseen in the deepest energetic chambers of the ancestral line. Certainly an interesting time for Priest/esses and Facilitators in general.
As a Priestess – I have to say that this has been one of the most … incredibly intense times of my life.
(I figure that will resonate with many others in a similar vocation).
To sum up what we´ve said so far … what you do during this Eclipse – counts – big time. The ripples you make in the pools of your sub-conscious will transform into ocean tides that move and shape (and dissolve and re-create) us all.
And last but not least – remember – this is an Eclipse. And eclipses come as part of families of eclipses, most popularly classified in terms of Saros cycles. To quote NASA:
“The periodicity and recurrence of eclipses is governed by the Saros cycle, a period of approximately 6,585.3 days (18 years 11 days 8 hours). It was known to the Chaldeans as a period when lunar eclipses seem to repeat themselves, but the cycle is applicable to solar eclipses as well. “ ~eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEsaros/SEsaros.html
The current Solar Eclipse / New Moon in Virgo is No. 39 of 71 in Saros cycle 135. It began on July 5 1331 and will end on August 17, 2593. Eclipse No. 38 was on August 22, 1998, with No. 40 on September 12, 2034.
Look back to August 1998 to see how the events of then connect with the present (that´s been true to a ridiculously specific degree for me – AND – Vesta was at 20 Cancer on that date as well… you just can´t make this stuff up ). And, if you remember, look back on today if you´re still about in September 2034 😀 There will be considerable energetic linkages between all these dates (which you can find on Wikipedia).
And that is where I would like to leave this article. Rather than going into Saturn-Neptune-Nodes and their relationship with the Sun/Moon/Eclipse – I wanted to take this in a different direction – as we´ve all spent the past months moving through these exact challenges (in the mutable signs).
I felt it was time to take a step forwards and look to the future we wish to create in the time that we have NOW.
Blessings and Thanks,
Priestess Bairavee Balasubramaniam PhD
The Sky Priestess
Post & Image ´Virgo New Moon Solar Eclipse September 1 2016´ © Bairavee Balasubramaniam, 2016. All rights reserved. Please do not use or reproduce without permission.
Terms of Use and Sharing: Feel free to use the Share button on FB or Reblog on WordPress for personal, noncommercial or educational use with all links intact. If you are an organization, institution or individual seeking to use this material for promotional purposes, please ask first. If wanting to include this information into your workshop materials or written work, please cite accordingly. All information provided, be it through sessions conducted or this post is non-liable and is not intended to replace professional legal, medical, psychological, psychiatric and/or financial counsel.
Dr. Bairavee The Sky Priestess 
You must be logged in to post a comment.