{"id":69912,"date":"2013-09-05T00:01:11","date_gmt":"2013-09-05T04:01:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/planetwaves.net\/news\/?p=69912"},"modified":"2013-09-05T04:21:26","modified_gmt":"2013-09-05T08:21:26","slug":"virgo-new-moon-how-to-think-for-yourself","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/planetwaves.net\/news\/astro-daily\/virgo-new-moon-how-to-think-for-yourself\/","title":{"rendered":"Virgo New Moon: How to think for yourself"},"content":{"rendered":"

Today\u2019s Virgo New Moon is exact at 9:44 am EDT. All New Moons are a conjunction of the Sun and Moon, and this one is in a sign represented by Mercury. This means that how we think, how we feel about what we think, and our understanding of that process are all part of the equation.<\/p>\n

\"Simplified
Simplified chart showing the Sun and Moon conjunct in Virgo (New Moon). Jupiter is the orange ‘4’ in Cancer, making a sextile to the New Moon; Chiron is the orange key opposite the New Moon. Also shown: Mercury in late Virgo, which it rules. View full chart here<\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

New Moons can represent starting points; the blending of ego consciousness (Sun) and intuition\/emotions (Moon); and blind spots in our awareness — kind of like how it\u2019s hard to see someone right beside you without turning your head. With a New Moon in a sign ruled by Mercury, we get a question about \u2018how to think for yourself\u2019. <\/p>\n

One of the first things to ask yourself in any situation you\u2019re trying to figure out is, \u201cWhat don\u2019t I know?\u201d <\/p>\n

That is, you have to be aware of what you don\u2019t know in order to ask the right questions and have an idea of where to look for the answers. It\u2019s a simple concept. <\/p>\n

Yet in this age of lightning-fast sharing on the Internet, it\u2019s easier than ever to take information at face value and assume you have the whole story. The irony is that it\u2019s also easier than ever to research, fact-check and follow up on sources. <\/p>\n

The key ingredients are making the time and having the motivation to do so. For most of us, that is not a top priority when it comes to news stories — not when you\u2019re working two jobs, or taking classes, or battling a chronic illness, or just trying to make some time for creative expression (or, let\u2019s face it, distracted by the Internet).<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Think of it as simply considering multiple points of view. That\u2019s as much of a thought exercise as it can be actively searching out sources from outside your usual worldview. Once you\u2019ve made that adjustment to your mental posture, it\u2019s possible for curiosity to take over — and then looking for alternate sources of information (or the lineage of an article you\u2019re reading) becomes more like fun than work.<\/p>\n

Once you start shifting perspective regularly, you might find yourself pausing before you click \u2018like\u2019 on Facebook or forward an email. What exactly are you saying if you put that information\/image\/etc. out there? Check your facts and test your theory.<\/p>\n

You might also notice yourself coming out of either\/or mode and beginning to take an integrated point of view, one that synthesizes different perspectives into something original and personal.<\/p>\n

Finally, anytime you hear yourself saying, \u2018I believe…\u2019 or \u2018I think\u2026\u2019 or \u2018I thought\u2026\u2019 notice how much of the statement is verifiable fact. How far back can you trace your beliefs — as in, do they date back to childhood, your parents or even further? How able are you to allow them to be questioned (by yourself or by others)? It\u2019s good to know the basis of your ideas. <\/p>\n

Our culture doesn\u2019t seem to put much value on doing so, but with a few basic tools, it can be done. As the astrology heats up in the coming season (we\u2019re approaching the Libra equinox, a \u2018personal is political\u2019 Aries Point event), these will be good mental habits to cultivate. No better time than a Mercury-ruled New Moon to start.
\n
\n— With Eric Francis<\/em><\/p>\n

[Note: Eric provides additional coverage of the New Moon in the new edition of Planet Waves FM<\/a>. for the influence on Chiron in the New Moon configuration, see Monday\u2019s post<\/a>; for Jupiter\u2019s influence, Len Wallick\u2019s Tuesday column<\/a>.]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Today\u2019s Virgo New Moon is exact at 9:44 am EDT. All New Moons are a conjunction of the Sun and Moon, and this one is in a sign represented by Mercury. This means that how we think, how we feel about what we think, and our understanding of that process are all part of the … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":191,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"generate_page_header":""},"categories":[1734],"tags":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/planetwaves.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69912"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/planetwaves.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/planetwaves.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/planetwaves.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/191"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/planetwaves.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=69912"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/planetwaves.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69912\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/planetwaves.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=69912"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/planetwaves.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=69912"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/planetwaves.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=69912"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}