Sun enters Virgo/Sedna goes retrograde

The Sun (Xray image taken by NASA's solar observatory)

Come August 23rd at 5:28 GMT, the Sun will enter Virgo. Given that the first ten degrees of every sign is where sign attributes manifest physically and through one's physicality (in a body or through actions), this sets a variable stage built around the three standard Virgo keywords: health, work, service. 

By 'work,' Virgo means doing things which either are done simply because they need doing and/or because they are part of a greater effort. Thus going to the job (or finding one) is Virgoan. Being an employee is very Virgo. Being part of a team effort is a Virgo sort of thing as is brushing your teeth, washing the dishes (car, dog, etc.) as is helping someone out because they need assistance.

This last, in particular, naturally blends with the Virgo concept of 'service.' Where work meets service we naturally come to a sense of those who serve, which in the sense of 'in a process' is again why Virgo represents employees, but at a more esoteric level is why Virgo also embraces any one whose job is to provide a service to others. Medical people, help desk people, civil servants, members of the military - and indeed anyone who may be in a honcho position, be they lawyer, leader of a nation, CEO/CFO...to the extent that they have any responsibility to anyone, they too have a Virgo connection.

Must be why every chart comes with a Virgo component, don't you know!

Yet because Virgo is ruled by Mercury, the Virgo 'service' as well as 'health' concepts are not just the physicality of doing for others, or taking care of yourself (exercise, eating right, going for checkups, etc.). 

Being that Mercury also rules thought-thinking-idea-choice-oriented Gemini, all things Virgo also involve the idea of the thing. Which is why say in the 'work' category, Virgo becomes not just going to work or doing the job, but every facet having to do with improving the ways things get done, inventing the better mousetrap and making efforts efficient, effective and thorough.

Which yes, leads to that Virgo negative of obsessing about details. Virgo is so the sign which loses the forest for the trees so often! Instead of listening to the sense of the idea being presented, Virgo is perfectly capable of glomming onto one little word in the presentation being used "incorrectly" and acting like that's the make-or-break in the whole deal.

Why does Virgo do that? There's a thousand reasons - maybe more. And in your chart or the chart of whoever is getting stuck on such minutia, there are indicators about what it is they really don't want to contend with, those being the reasons they instead glom onto the misused word. Or that one smudge on the mirror. Or the chore list which never ends which they are using to effectively prevent them from ever having to get on with life, broaden their horizons or....

Know anyone 'married' to cleaning, chores and 

errands? Or someone who simply can't bear anything
having to do with keeping (themselves or their house) clean? 

It's probably all about Virgo/Mercury in their chart.

...deal with mental health. The combination of Virgo and Mercury is not just about dealing with health, it's the mentality of health, the health care 'marketplace' and the fine balance between health obsessions (from hypochondria to fitness nuts) and dealing with mental health problems or problems in general in a mentally healthy way.

And lets remember - this is not just about Sun, Moon and Virgo rising people (or entities). This is global stuff. This is all of us! Every chart around includes Virgo. And those who moan, groan or twitter at such? Those would be pretty sure 'tells' (as they say in poker) pointing to  issues with responsibility and various forms of internal/mental self-discipline which in balancing need against want tests our sense of propriety and priority  (otherwise known as entitlement).

So as the Sun enters Virgo, life 'lights up' these arenas. It can do it on the mundane level - meaning you'll be busy, the job thing will be particularly on the front burner, someone may have some health issue which needs attention or there's just someone who needs help. Sun transiting Virgo can also be a time when you become aware of where you're too invested in one thing - maybe even to the degree that you're damaging something good by putting SO much focus on it.

And that includes you - the physical you. As well as your environment and the environment, seeing that ecology (recycling, etc.) is so very Virgoan.

Entering Virgo in the company of Sphinx and Orcus with a direct opposition to Athena at 0 Pisces, it's to be expected that we will all be dealing with the repercussions of things done or choices past (Orcus).

 one artist's concept of TNO Orcus

Some of us will think (or may have thought) we could just wait it out (Sphinx) and that some storm would blow over. But because Orcus and Sphinx are sitting here side by side greeting the Sun at Virgo's door...apparently not! Together, Sphinx and Orcus are a sort of earthly, earthy manifestation of eventual consequence: the paying of the piper which in the end must be dealt with.

With Athena in opposition, some sort of emotional 'knowing' in the mix. Given that Athena stands in opposition to the Sun here, that may manifest as someone who confronts you with how you have hurt, unfairly compromised or cheated them. Or it could just be that your conscience just kicks in. Or that necessity now rears its demanding head.

That this will affect us greatly on an internal basis is shown by the fact that Mercury, ruler of Virgo, has just gone into retrograde. With Mercury in emotional degrees of Virgo, we get another indication of emotionalism - and with Mercury now in retrograde, this would tend to indicate internal emotionalism. So it's either your emotional reaction or something emotional which is/has been hidden by someone else, or with regards to someone else's emotional (Virgo) functions.

Or yes, maybe lack of same. That quality - the 'lacks' - are likely to become even more apparent in the first couple of days after Sun enters Virgo, too. Why do we know that? Well, it's a combination of two items: Bali (paradise) being at 2 Virgo and Atropos (cut-offs) standing at 16 Virgo, two shy of Mercury at 18 with Mercury moving backwards through the zodiac.

The Three Fates by Sodoma (Atropos is on the left) 

This gives us a 2 day, 2 week, 2 month sort of implied 'progression' of circumstances which imply and end (Atropos) to some sort of conceptual paradise (Bali).

Some party is almost over, people. And since asteroid House stands at 16 Pisces - in exact opposition to Atropos - this is about some 'end' to some sort of 'being at home' with something. Or someone. Or some thought, effort or idea.

One other item coloring this event - and a big one - is Sedna going retrograde. Ultimately a figure of oceanic fertility and creation which requires that we wrestle with immature (often egotistical) urges and/or personality traits which have developed out of childhood experiences or "programming," Sedna applies at very separate levels to our planet, our feelings (water always equals emotions) and our process of growing into our Self and purpose as an individual and as a race of beings living on our planet.

 Sedna's orbit is shown here in red. The orbit of all the rest

of the (inner solar system) planets is shown by that set

of small concentric circles at the upper right.

Going station/retrograde in Taurus on the 23rd, Sedna's station highlights any sort of meaningful event which highlights (Taurean) values - yours personally, those of a community, or on any sort of global basis. Standing in an inconjunct to Ceres - which has just recently gone direct (link) - we are reminded that we need to think through what we do.

Ceres being goddess of the harvest and also associated natively with Mercury reminds us that we must sow and tend before we can reap. Ceres also tells us that we cannot decimate the 'ground' we till - be that human/physical, human/relational, human/emotional, human or global/ethical or strictly planetary - if we expect to survive long term.

Sedna itself indicates an adjustment - and a difficult one for many. The simplest way to think of Sedna is as the individuation which comes from a successful passage from dependent childhood to independent adulthood. But it's (unfortunately for us...!) more complicated than that.

Sedna's story starts with her wanting what she wants - and wanting those desires to be provided to her by others. Hers is not a compassionate or empathetic world at all.

Ultimately, it takes bitter disappointment, great ocean storms (i.e., emotional storms) and the experience of actual physical violent rejection to get her to relinquish her hold on...on at least the concept or ideal of life as she has known it. And yes, the reality which goes with that - which by then includes some really sad tales of reaching for what she wants so desperately, only to find that when she throws everything aside for her dream, the reality which her dream becomes is not far different from the dream, but not all that pleasant.

In the mythology of the Inuit people, from Sedna has come seals, 
fish, walruses,whales and much else we think of as the beauty and
wealth of the sea. That originally Sedna rejected every effort made
to teach her that life is about both give AND take - only to end up
as goddess of/providing that which her people rely on for life
...that implies a good deal about human growth, the process
of maturation, and some of the key metaphysical concepts with
regards to that which we are so attracted to getting - ultimately being
that we should provide or teach to others (i.e., personal karmic purpose).

Ultimately given a chance at reprieve, Sedna thinks she's been 'saved' and that she can reverts to old ways, but it doesn't turn out like that. A great storm erupts. Sedna gets thrown overboard into stormy seas. And there she drowns.

But since this is a myth, she isn't really dead. So what has she drowned in? Answer: the ocean - the metaphorical equivalent of our 'sea of emotions.' And  through that drowning which comes at such great cost and through such painful means (Sedna's father cuts her fingers off as she's trying to hold onto the boat) once Sedna accepts being cast into the great sea of her emotions, she acquires a new life. Sinking into the icy depths (the 'cold aloneness' of our individual soul) she  becomes the great ocean provider. Her severed fingers become seals, walruses, whales and fish, and thus the Sedna who had wanted to have everything provided for her becomes the respected protector and goddess of her sea-dependent Inuit people.

With Sedna going retrograde now in Taurus, we look to Venus, ruler of Taurus for a clue on where this energy will manifest. And we find Venus at 15 Libra, exactly conjunct Mars and TNO Haumea.

Mars in Libra is the quintessential lowering of ego which allows relationships to happen. Conjunct TNO Haumea however, we have an indicator of manipulation and 'trickiness' - trickiness also being a quality associated with Mercury, the trickster/game player/joker and poser of questions (recalling the Sphinx, another riddle-asking entity of lore).

Have we been fooled? Is someone playing a trick on us? Or have we played some trick on ourselves? Any of these things can be true now. All of these things might be true now.

And throughout the Sun's passage of Virgo, especially until Mercury goes direct come September 12th, these will be issues either on the table or niggling us from the sidelines.

That Pluto will go direct right after Mercury does? That indicates a change is certainly in the works. Those who resist now will be forcefully confronted with it next month. Those who begin moving through the process now will find their efforts beginning to bear fruit and clear problems out - again, next month.

  Planet Earth - source: NASA

One more note here...as the Sun enters Virgo, the Moon stands at 13 Aquarius, a degree which is either honorably assertive or reactive and aggressive. Just at the edge of its conjunction range (at 18 Aquarius) stand Damocles and Nessus, a truly formidable duo totally worthy of the  article on same which will post at Daykeeper Journal as of September 1st (mark your calendars!).

Again using progression theory, this five-degree separation suggests looking ahead five zodiacal months, which takes us to Sun in Aquarius. And the New Moon which occur that month (on February 2nd/3rd, depending on where you are)? That New Moon will occur at 13 Aquarius, underscoring the long-term effects of what we do - or don't do - now.

Will you be on the initiating side of it or the receiving side of it? Will you let go of the boat and actually through drowning in your own emotions come to a truth and some understanding of the true potentials of your life? Will you refuse to let go and cling to being provided for simply because you are so spoiled and so indolent in your own desirous way?

Will you own up to your own issues? Will you seek help or give it where it's actually needed? Will you recognize errors and own up to them? Will you accept that some measure of pleasure, compensation, 'the good stuff' or gratification has to be deferred in order to not rape your own life, this earth and the future or even present of others?

At the moment, it's all questions. And only over time will you provide yourself - and others - with your answers. But that's the Virgo way: we have to work for it, lest we compromise all for ourselves and others by denying the truth of reality.

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