Sun enters Virgo, the sign of the Holistic Principle

Dear Friend and Reader:

Today I have your extended Aquarius Full Moon horoscope. It is based on the chart for the Full Moon in the last degree of Aquarius. I have also based the Astrology Studio for Leo reading on this chart, with some input from the Leo New Moon two weeks ago. Astrology Studio readings are focused on one referenced sign (in this case Leo) and are designed to be accessible, relevant and even therapeutic to everyone.

In this past Tuesday’s subscriber letter, I looked closely at the Full Moon chart. Like all concentrated spiritual writing, it grows with you, and I propose is worth a second or third look. I work with classical astrology, the Theosophical-era tool known as the Sabian Symbols, and the distinctly modern planet Sedna. Many will resonate with this object — please don’t miss the link to the Melanie Reinhart article. I give a detailed reading on Sedna, and delineation ideas, in Wednesday’s STARCAST. Note, when I post Friday, I will move Wednesday’s down to the list of archived programs.

Please note the August monthly edition was published two weeks ago and is worth a second or third look. More thought goes into each of these sign horoscopes than the average natal chart reading. I suggest you find out your Moon and rising signs if you don’t know them. We are happy to help you look them up.

As you may be aware, I am keeping a more human pace with my writing. My astrology output for the past decade or longer has been about 250,000 words a year — more than two full-length novels, every year.

I am gradually catching up with myself, and with important Planet Waves tasks. I will be back with another extended horoscope soon before the Virgo New Moon. As my workload and personal energy come into balance, I will start adding horoscopes back into the schedule.

Meanwhile, the STARCAST program published each Monday, Wednesday and Friday is getting excellent reviews. This offers a careful look at the astrology, presenting information that would take 10 times longer to write out.

Sun Entered Virgo Sunday (at 5:35 pm EDT)

The Sun entered Virgo a few hours after the Full Moon on Sunday; the Moon enters Pisces just minutes after the Full Moon. The Moon-Sun opposition from the last degree of Aquarius to the last degree of Leo is exact at 8:02 am EDT. Sunday will be an interesting day, between the Full Moon and then both bodies changing signs almost immediately.

Overnight, ahead of the Full Moon, the Moon formed a conjunction to Jupiter. So the weekend has a big feeling, of something ominous brewing. That is true enough.

I have covered the mythical and spiritual meaning of Virgo in one of my favorite articles, The Threefold Goddess in a Field of Grain (view in our old-style newsletter format).

It seems like I wrote that one yesterday; I still remember working on it. You will get a taste of Virgo from the standpoint of Esoteric Astrology. That is not an easy book to read, but if you get into it, you will find it mind-expanding. The chapter on Virgo is one of the best pieces of astrological writing I have ever read.

I would like to take a moment and remind you of another factor of Virgo, which you might think of as mundane or psychological. Or, you could say, energetic. I’ve been talking a lot about the primary function of Aquarius, which is pattern-setting. I think we probably have a good idea how that feels by now. Virgo also has an energetic property, which is integration. What Virgo and Aquarius have in common is technological expression. Hold that thought.

Regarding integration, this is about a reckoning of every facet, fact, or idea with every other. Integration is from the same word-root as integrity, which means to render something whole. An integer is a whole number — same idea. All of these come from a word root (called a PIE root) that means to touch or to handle.

Others have noted that Virgo is about the holistic principle. The early astrologers who worked with Chiron associated it with Virgo (in its expression as a healing element). This is the holistic principle in action. Other terms for this are whole-system thinking, biophilia, or synergy: they all say the same thing — the whole is more than the sum of the parts.

Psychologist Erich Fromm came up with the term biophilia as a way of describing the innate attraction to processes of life and growth. The book by Edward O. Wilson is excellent. The Bjork album is a profound education.

As for touching and and handling, the word Chiron is from an Ancient Greek root that translates to one who has hands. This is why hands-on healing and touch are so important to the holistic process. They are also absent from modern medicine.

Of Figure and Ground

Integration and the holistic principle are more than concepts. They are active processes, and they are in a sense spiritual exercises. It’s easy to pay lip service to them, or to think that just because someone does herbalism or Chinese medicine, they are holistic.

What distinguishes holistic principal is the willingness to work with the background energies, rather than fixating on the figure or what is in the foreground. We have by now heard of terrain theory, which is the opposite of germ theory. As many have noted, if germs exist, they can only take root in terrain suitable to them. So one way to maintain health is to attempt to disinfect or shoot all the germs; the other way is to help establish your living system in a way that is supportive of your vital force.

The terrain is the ground, meaning the environment. The ground is where the action is. The ground contains the truth that we are seeking. The ground is what we stand on: what holds us up. It’s also what we tend to not notice. The figure is often a total distraction.

I am concerned how far not just society but people who say they believe in the holistic principle have drifted from the central concept of wholeness, and healing through wholeness. Even if one believes that a vaccine can prevent an infection (actually, it does not — it only suppresses the symptoms), then we would need a different vaccine for every single virus or bacterium. That is not practical; that is not evolutionary. It is better to take care of oneself: to take care of the ground or the environment.

In the coming few articles, I will be exploring this territory, and also extending the idea to Chiron, a delegate of Virgo, which is in Aries — the sign of self, and by association, the integration of self.

Right now, everyone is under incredible pressure to conform, conform, conform. This is an old story: as soon as young people are social, most of them want to be like everyone else. However, there comes a time when you are summoned to be yourself — your whole self, your true self, and nothing but yourself.

When you take your first few steps on this path, you might feel woefully incomplete or imperfect. It might seem easier to focus on the presumed enemy instead of on your wellness. In the end, wholeness is easier, and it has the added benefit of leading to peace of mind. You have to do some work to get there. And others will notice that you’re not doing things the same way that they are.

This is why Chiron is about standing out as much as it is about the holistic principle.

Thanks for your attention. Check for a new Planet Waves FM Friday night before 10 pm ET.

Faithfully,

New E-Book Available on Planet Waves!

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