Sun in Virgo, Grand Cardinal Cross (Sun in Virgo: 8/22/13 through 9/22/13)

I hope you’re ready to grow because staying safely within comfortable limitations, within the bounds of the known, within the same-old, challenge-free & familiar status quo is about to be officially and cosmically disallowed.  These are stern & firm orders from the big balls of rock and gas out yonder in the solar system, so I suggest you roll up your sleeves, and get to work doing those things you know in your heart it’s time to do.

But first, let’s take a moment to orient ourselves in solar time.  Let’s orient ourselves with the Sun - the center of our solar system, the massive ball of nuclear fission-fueled fire that keeps all of these other balls of rock & gas in line.  As the Sun completes its transit through Leo, its home sign, in the next few days, we are still in the phase of connecting with & expressing our heart’s joy.

Once the Sun enters Virgo on 8/22, we will be in the time of harvest.  Virgo’s unfortunate reputation as a hyper-critical fuzz-budget is an over-inflation of this rich sign’s shadow.  The light of Virgo is wholeness & mastery, which is attained first through understanding the order of things (how all the parts fit into the whole) in this material realm.  Mastery brings forth a great harvest, which Virgo is intended to thoroughly enjoy.  The shadowy critical side of Virgo comes forth if Virgo forgets to relate the parts to the whole.

Here are some guiding questions through the time of sensitive & sensual Virgo:

What do I perceive as the order of things in my life, in my relationships, in my career, in my family, in my past, in my present, & in the world around me?

What are the contexts within which I find myself, my various relationships, my career, my family, my past, my present, etc?

How can I ground myself & my perceptions within these greater contexts?

What am I harvesting?  Hint: harvests can be joyous &/or painful.  Note both.

What am I mastering?

Who are my teachers?

Who are my students?

What are my skills?  How can I improve upon them, or improve upon my sharing of them?

In what ways am I of service?  Does this feel in proper alignment with the wholeness of myself & the contexts in which I find myself?

Because Virgo enjoys being of service, you may enjoy helping me a wee bit by posting this introduction to my work in your emails & f-book pages.  Much obliged, dear readers.

And now it’s time to dig into the nitty-gritty of the Grand Cardinal Cross - the major energetic imperative of this solar month.  In true Virgo fashion, let’s look at the parts, & relate them to the greater whole.  In this case, the whole is a grand cross in cardinal signs.  Cardinal signs are initiators, so this is time of new beginnings.  A grand cross occurs when four or more planets form a cross in the sky - two sets of opposing forces that are simultaneously at odds with each other.  We are overthrowing the old, & bringing some new vision into four major areas of life (in this case selfhood, relationship, nourishment & calling).  Another imperative of a grand cross is to consider a united whole (further supported by this Virgo solar month), rather than being drawn & quartered by the various needs that pull at you from hither & thither.

At the crux of this configuration, we have the longterm square (2010 through 2015) between Pluto in Capricorn (death and rebirth at the structural level) and Uranus in Aries (revolution now, often in sudden & aggressive ways).  What is similar about these two energies is the imperative for change, but the difference is in style & timing.  Both Capricorn and Pluto are in it for the long haul, making slight shifts that lead to major change over time, & focusing on the big picture & on major goals.  Uranus & Aries, on the other hand, are more sudden.  Aries is impatient & interested in proving itself, while Uranus is inspired & revolutionary, & tends to act in disruptive ways.  This energy is affecting us on the personal & collective levels (hence all of the revolutionary activity in various countries, overhauling of governments, massive earthquakes shifting the tilt of the planet, etc).

Part two of the Grand Cross is Jupiter in Cancer - opposite Pluto, & square Uranus.  This energy has been building throughout the Leo solar month, so you may already be familiar with the three-way tugs between your family/nourishment needs, your outer world responsibilities, & your personal freedom/desire for newness.

The final element of the Grand Cross is peace-loving Libra, initially graced by its ruling planet, Venus, & then swiftly traversed by wily Mercury.  Because Venus is in this Grand Cross position at the time of the Sun’s entry into Virgo, however, her energy permeates the Grand Cross throughout the solar month.  In layman’s terms, we now have the added elements of right relationship, wise compromise, grace, beauty, & fair communication thrown into the mix.

Add it all together, and what do you get?

1, Death and rebirth at the structural level with attendance to appropriate longterm goals & right use of power

2, in proper balance with increasing personal nourishment, attending to home, family, & a more buoyant sense of personal history,

3, while at the same time balancing personal revolution based on fresh insights

4, with fairness, beauty, & grace in relationships, with the added help of open & honest communication.

Here are some leading questions to help you bring these opposing energies into a whole picture:

Bringing out the best of Jupiter in Cancer:

How can I be more nourished by my career/calling?

How can I be more nourished in my various relationships?

Which relationships do I need to nourish more, & which relationships do I need to back off on?

How can I alter my sense of self so that I receive more nourishment, just from being who I naturally am?

Bringing out the best of Venus & Mercury in Libra:

Am I making compromises that are equally fair to myself & to those I am in relationship to?

Am I able to effectively articulate my perceptions, while maintaining openness to my partner’s perceptions?

Do I need to learn better communication skills (good listening as well as right speech)?

What is the beauty in myself, in my relationships, in my home, in my calling, & in my life?

How can I increase my experience & awareness of beauty?

Bringing out the best of Pluto in Capricorn:

What is my true calling?  How can I better answer that call?

How might I alter the structures of my life so that they are more nourishing, & allow for a healthy balance of inner & outer world needs?

What is dying in my life, & how can I let go, & allow it to die?

What is the rebirth, already in motion, that follows that death?  How can I create space for that newness?

Bringing out the best of Uranus in Aries:

Who am I now?  Hint: Forget, for a moment, who you have been, & who you would like to be.

How can I perceive & express myself in ways that deeply nourish me?

How can I perceive & express myself in ways that are respectful of those I’m in relationship with?

How can I perceive & express myself in ways that move me in the direction of my true calling?

In what ways have I freed myself since 2010?  For fun, write up a 5-year self-liberation plan.

Well, friends, thanks for reading.  Next month’s posting will cover the lunar eclipse in Aries, & get you prepared for October/November’s round of Mercury in retrograde.

For more personalized insight, you may go here to schedule a private astrological consult, or an Alithesis healing session.  As I transition into Oakland, CA, I’ll be available for astrological consultations over the phone, & for Alithesis house calls.  My studio will be up & running by October 1st.  Until next month’s posting, return to the wholeness of yourself, & thoroughly enjoy the fruits of your personal harvest.  Please forward this posting on & repost it as you see fit.  Thanks for reading,

Rae Diamond

rae13diamond {at} gmail.com