Special Note: my neighborhood is supposed to get hit by Hurricane Henri later today, and I may lose power or internet or both during the writing and editing of this column. So I’ve scheduled it to publish at 4:35 pm EDT regardless of whether it’s done or not. If it doesn’t look done, that’s why — and I’ll finish it when the weather improves and I come back online.

If it’s unfinished, that’s why.The horoscopes of Decan I of any sign are free to everyone, but Decans II and III are available to supporters of my Patreon account at the $3 or greater tiers. Deborah Sam’s generosity through Ko-Fi.com has made all the Virgo columns available to all readers for free. I have closed readings through most of August, September and Octber due to my upcoming wedding. My Almanac is also available! It’s for sale through my Etsy website as a PDF.

The Sun enters the sign of Virgo (and the decan Virgo I, which Austin Coppock called A Tree Bearing Fruit), on 22 August 2021 at 5:35 pm EDT. Associated with the Sun who administers this orchard, it is ruled overall by Mercury who is highly favored as the exalted ruler of the whole sign — and indeed, the nonbinary herald-planet is at home in this sign, just outside the region of space-time that is considered under the beams of the bright daystar of our solar system.

In this Day Chart, Mercury is separating from a conjunction with Mars, and the two planets share the same sign and decan — Mercury is self-assured and confident here, Mars uneasy and ill-placed. The two have just performed a scene where the non-binary twink has just helped the jock understand he needs help to pass his Statistics class… and that such help comes with strings attached. The middle decan of Virgo, the Hammer and Anvil, is administered by Venus: so there is a suggestion of coming together in more than mere bromance here. In our own lives, we may find that this pairing manifests as a learning opportunity or a thing observed in our travels — but it may also be an actual relationship among known friends or acquaintances.

The Alexandrian Greeks assigned this decan to Themis, the blind ‘goddess of good counsel’ that we now know as Justice — wearing a blindfold and bearing scales and sword. To the Greeks of the Mycenaean Age and the Trojan War, she was the goddess of proper custom and suitable action, the mores and attitudes of civilized people. Rarely concerned with right thinking or orthodoxy, she was more concerned with orthopraxis: are you doing the right thing at the right time in the right way? Today, we tend to ignore themis in favor of good intentions: “He did something illegal, but he’s basically a good young man,” or “She brought bacon-cheese dip to the party at the Jewish senior center, but at least she was trying.” Themis throws all that ‘good intentions’ out the window as nonsense — the good young man should be punished, and the traif food and its bearer are banned from the party. Right action matters, and those who perform actions that aren’t right are thrust into exile or social detriment until they mend their ways with suitable apology and recompense where necessary. Just thinking good thoughts doesn’t cut it — the action which follows from good thoughts, must also be aligned with the moral law.

Yet Themis “of lovely cheeks” and graceful action was not retributive nor vengeful. Instead, she was seen as the tender of the garden and the manager of an orchard. Orchardists can afford to take the long view: the two apple trees I planted this spring won’t bear fruit for three years at least. Olive trees take twenty years to come to maturity, and some trees take even longer. For Themis, corection takes the form of pruning and weeding — pulling out the less useful plants, and trimming the branch that goes the wrong way toward shade or a place where it isn’t welcome. Themis is also an oracular power. She is able to see the future, in part because of her knowledge of how people react when custom and traditional ways are or are-not followed.

We live in an era of shifting social mores and guidance, and in a time when shifting social mores are particularly fraught: wear a mask, don’t wear a mask, announce your vaccination status or don’t, yell at and unfriend people of different status than you or make peace with other people’s choices. All of that is on the table this week, and for several weeks to come, I suspect.

But there are other shifts coming in social mores, signaled in part by Mercury’s dominance over Mars in this chart. In the US at least, we’re approaching thirty years (a full generation) since the Gay and Lesbian March on Washington: the uneasy tolerance of my parents’ generation to queer people has given way to acceptance by mine, and a kind of wholehearted embrace among the younger generation below me (at least as I’ve observed it among students and children in the communities I interact with) — What was too icky to discuss when I was a child is now an open element of identity fifty years on. This came to my attention at a memorial service yesterday, where many attendees were openly showing the sort of affection for the same gender, that was impossible a generation ago.

That’s how Themis tends her garden, and that’s how this particular tree bears fruit — a little at a time, with judicious pruning and careful management over many years, and seeking the sorts of changes that you’d like to see bear fruit. So if your audacious plan to revolutionize the world’s norms isn’t quite working out as planned, remember to take the long view: a small shift now can take much of a lifetime to achieve; and you may not dwell in the shade of the tree that you choose to plant. It doesn’t mean that the fruit won’t make someone happy a few decades on. Plant the things you want to see in the world, therefore, and tend them.

Planetary Placements

The Ascendant in Capricorn makes the next ten days unusually earthy and materialist and practical — and also settles a dark undertow of limits over the next week or so. Given that I’m writing under the threat of hurricane taking out the power or internet, this seems appropriate. There’s an approach between the Ascendant and Pluto as well, indicating a great many things could accumulate into a large pile of difficulty: a not-unusual result of a hurricane’s many small difficulties leading to a widespread disaster. Neptune makes a sextile with the Ascendant first, though, suggesting “water without limits”: widespread sudden flooding is possible in my neck of the woods, though maybe not yours.

Saturn retrograde and Jupiter retrograde occupy Aquarius as the second hous of money and personal property. Aquarius is fixed air, and I usually think of this as stale air, such as found in a tomb or vault. Yet it’s also possible to think of this as ‘hard air’, such as from a storm or hurricane. Here’s an indicator that a lot of people’s stuff will be blown down or blown around. Saturn indicates breakage and difficulty; Jupiter indicates forgiveness and replacement. With both planets retrograde, the storm is likely to be more dangerous later on and cause more damage later rather than at the start; cleanup is likely to be delayed or hampered in some fashion, and insurance companies may be slow to offer payouts.

The Moon is in Pisces in the third house, at the bending where it is square to both the North and South Nodes, which are in the 12th and sixth houses at the moment. All of us are likely to be dealing with family issues with a mix of love and trouble — necessary work for them calling out to us, but also feeling cut off from others and facing difficulty. The Moon is in the 27th mansion, a place of expenditure and wasted resources. Combine with Neptune retrograde, it’s easy to see flooding and financial trouble in our relationships with family and neighborhoods… especially when I see how strongly it’s raining outside right now. Perhaps I’m overstating this hurricane thing, since the Moon is cadent — but it is the case that my own family is more in harm’s way than I am.

Uranus and the Imum Coeli are in the fifth house of Taurus, just separating from a conjunction. With Pluto and Mars, the planets form a loose grand trine by house — not as stirring nor as positive as one which is exact by degree, but still worth notice by house. The three planets together are not particularly nice, though they’re in a favorable combination with each other — surprises are in store that affect us, our happiness, and our long-distance travel plans or higher education. It seems likely that these surprises are more likely to affect us in negative ways rather than positive ones.

The North Node is in the sixth house, while the South Node is in the twelfth. THere’s work to be done, and you’ll find you have subordinates to hire and servants to manage — but they may be in short supply for a while, as experts may be busy with other customers. That’s the nature of hurricanes, and Themis’s pruning, too: resources you thought you had aren’t available. Still, the cleanup of the next ten days may go more smoothly due to Mercury’s favorable placement in the tenth house… but it will take active effort, and there may be less time for your own plans.

The Lot of Fortune is in the seventh house. Favor, good luck, and financial well-being comes to us through others in the next ten days — spouses, significant others, business partners, and allies.

A stellium of The Sun, Mars, and Mercury occurs in the ninth house. Cadent in the chart, the trio promotes learning and travel, but also highlights risk and challenge in these spheres, and foretells difficulties in managing conflicting expertises in deciding on a course of action.

Venus is in her how song, trine to Saturn retrograde. In the tenth house of business and reputation, you’re likely to find yourself managing scarce resources in the next ten days, or having to play expectations for reconnection against genuine natural limitations (you can’t deliver a product like an astrology column if you have no internet, for example; and you can’t restore electricity or power to a house if fallen trees are in the way of your repair trucks). Venus and Saturn are co-equal in power in this trine relationship — each in their own sign and each determined to do what they do best: Venus to reconnect and join up, and Saturn to put up obstacles and limitations. Where these things work together, there will be positive results; where they don’t work together (which is many places!), we can expect delay and boundary. If you’re one of the people who gets the power cut off here in New England… recognize that everyone is doing what they can, and try to be patient.

The Midheaven is in the eleventh house, suggesting that we all benefit from an alchemical awareness of synergetic relationships with allies and friends — none of us can do all of the work necessary to keep ourselves safe in a crisis, but each of us bring skills and powers to the table. Reach out to your neighbors in an emergency, and find out how you can help them; they may in turn be more willing to help you as a result. Together you’ll improve one another’s current condition.

Horoscopes by Rising Sign

Capricorn: ruling Saturn is in a sign it rules and in a succedent house but inconjunct and in the wrong sect. A focus on learning is necessary, but sometimes it’s just about making sure you have yourself in a chair (and possibly on camera) for enough hours in the day. A student-teacher relationship may be awkward, but work it out professionally. Financial matters are an unusual mix of difficulty on some fronts and openness on others. A sudden opportunity may appear for a ‘bucket list’ happiness to appear: take the chance if it emerges!

Aquarius: ruling Saturn is present but succedent and in the wrong sect. You have duties and obligations to partners and allies that it will be difficult to fulfill without wasting your time and resources. Try t be generous and fulfill the needs of others, but recognize that you’ll still probably have to give more than you get. Have fun at home for a while, and be cautious about activities that require you to spend money on extended family or be around too much water without boundaries (beaches without defined swimming areas, for example).

Pisces: ruling Jupiter is succedent and inconjunct and peregrine and in the wrong sect. What people ask of you these days, particularly close friends and family members, is probably more than you can subjectively handle — you are stretched thin. Practice saying “no” a little more, and make sure you put time on your schedule for yourself. At the same time, say ‘yes’ to the things you really want to do. A partner (business or romantic) is feeling as though they’ve been overtaken or replaced or defeated in a usual area of expertise. Regrounding and reconnecting them to their skills and abilities with recognition is probably necessary. A family member is dealing with an unpleasant surprise in their neighborhood.

Aries: Ruling Mars is cadent, peregrine, in aversion, and in the wrong sect. A spouse or significant partner is trying to reconnect to you, but you’re deep in your own business and not doing well at it. Remember to take time for yourself, even if that causes an interruption in your own funding; it will sort itself out. Unlike other horoscopes here, you need to avoid taking too much solo time: consider visiting extended family, or spend some time with older friends who probably haven’t seen much of you of late. A boss or superior at work is causing you trouble with a series of micro-difficulties. The headache may go on for a while, but the cure is found in supporting some of your own private interests at home, or helping a spouse or household member with their own project.

Taurus: Ruling Venus is angular, but in aversion and in the wrong sect. You may be finding that your thinking and attitude around sex and sensuality is undergoing a sea change — or that your existing attitudes are firming up. Planets in all three earth signs invite you to explore, to learn, and to investigate; but just because the invitation is open doesn’t mean you have to accept. Familial traditions may wash away opportunities, and concern about the disapproval of friends may cause trouble. Be cautious about putting your partner in the spotlight, though, or holding their feet in the fire too long — you may both be transformed by reckless experimentation.

Gemini: Ruling Mercury is in a sign it rules, but both square and cadent and in the wrong sect. You’re likely hungry to bite into some new work project, but you also need to be cautious about wasting local resources, especially in a corporate environment where headquarters keeps an eye on local ops like yours. A nice windfall comes your partner’s way, but there’s a potential for argument over a household matter of some importance. Reconnect over your obligations to a partner that have nothing to do with duty, and everything to do with graciousness and kindness. You’re honored for your knowledge in the next ten days, but that may come with strings attached to bring results. You also have to learn more about money soon, than you’re used to.

Cancer: Ruling Moon is trine and in the right sect but cadent. There’s great importance in focusing on how your wealth and health are tied in with a partner (business or romantic), but also how you take charge in their life and manage aspects of their overall duty. Pay attention to how much effort you put into their success over the next ten days, and point out the ways in which you support their dreams. Where appropriate, ask for a raise, or at least a shift in resources. However, if you’re a man, be aware that you are not likely to come out of this negotiation looking good — chances are that you don’t do enough to support your partner’s life goals. After collecting a little data, see if you are worth their time… and if not, plan to step it up. You have some learning to do before you are assisting a partner as an equal. Cancers of all genders may discover that ‘friends with benefits’ has something to be said for it, but it may be unprintable: either because it’s so good or because it’s so bad. Listen to your gut on these matters and trust your intuition.

Leo: Ruling Sun is in a decan it administers, but inconjunct and succedent. Financial matters may boil over these next ten days, but three strategies — quick thinking, acting like a leader in a crisis, and assuming powers you don’t acutally have — may be the best way to stay on top of things. Assume that you’re going to be flying blind most of the next ten days. You won’t be able to see the solutions to your problems with any deep foresight, so focus on your friends who you’ve changed as much as you’ve changed them. Additionally, your partner is probably inclined to bad habits or the more snarky side of melancholy in the next ten days (mostly on Tuesday-Wednesday this coming week), so their advice is probably not as reliable as it usually is. Don’t berate them for it — this too shall pass — but do go with them as they pick their way across the current set of challenges.

Virgo: Ruling Mercury is present but in the wrong sect and cadent. You’re bright, you’re intelligent, and you’re expert in the fields under discussion. However, you’re also angry and ambitious and inclined to debate with others — and your sunny disposition will be infuriating to your chosen mental sparring partners. Remember that courtesy is more useful than winning, at times; and that anger is sometimes useful only to one’s opponent. You’re likely to be drawn into intellectual double-binds and forced into contradictory positions if you’re not both wary and clear about your own position; however, massively long emails are not likely to solve anything. Stick to short, precise phone calls wherever possible. A significant partner is wrestling with dissolved boundaries and wasted energy; you’re wrestling with expanded opportunities that nonetheless can’t quite be acted upon due to your own limits — Yes, you need help… but you also have to widen the circle of helpers to get what you genuinely need, this time around.

Libra: Ruling Venus is in her sign and angular. Of all the signs during this coming decan, you’re in the best position to get what you want and do what you need to — as long as you recognize that some of it are things that only you think are important, and that you’ll have to use your own energy to get them done. Some of this is going to require a bit of cash flow magic: sometimes you have to spend money to get money. Some of it is getting the seating arrangement under control at work.

Scorpio: Ruling Mars is sextile but cadent and peregrine. Your skills at self presentation can help you shift an audience to watch you, but take care how much you let the audience transform you. We all shift to become more of what our fans want us to be, but this has alchemical dimensions and you can shift far more than just your outward appearance if you’re not aware of it. A partner’s latest needs and hungers may drain your bank account far more than you’d like, and you may have to make adjustments to your plans with family members, and establish clear boundaries about home. However, if you choose such boundaries, make a point of sticking to them when it comes to things you buy for personal happiness: what you think of as essential looks like waste to people whose opinion you value.

Sagittarius: Ruling Jupiter is sextile but peregrine. So much of your effort goes to supporting a partner’s desires and needs, and the result and those values are likely to bring waste and difficulty in the next ten days that puts stresses on home and house. Financial matters are a source of stress but also require your ongoing governance. The limitations of age and leadership affect family members in unexpected ways that are both difficult to think through and provide moments of lasting joy. Fun feels like work and work feels like fun. A young upstart in your profession may give you a little trouble; learn something from the experience and develop some new skills through dedicated learning.

Colophon

have a Patreon account for those who want to support this column as it approaches the end of its second year (I began with Leo I in 2019 )We’re currently doing a decan walk through some Tarot, astrology, mythology, and magic. If you don’t want to become a regular patron, you can also buy me a Ko-fi in $3 increments, and any column I write after receiving a Ko-Fi donation will be open to the public.  You can also schedule an appointment with me using Accuity Scheduling, for a natal or solar return consultation.

I use iPhemeris for my charting software, and screenshot it to make charts. I want to thank the team that develops iPhemeris for the addition of Terms and Decans to their charts, appearing here for the first time! I use Hugh Tran‘s Physis typeface to craft logos for this blog, as well.

I use Christopher Warnock‘s The Mansions of the Moon as the basis of my Moon placement delineations, and Austin Coppock‘s 36 Faces as the basis of much of my planetary delineations. Neither gentleman endorses me. My own book, A Full Volume of Splendour and Starlight, is now available as PDF download from my Etsy website, as is my Almanac for 2021. I follow T.Susan Chang and the Reverend Erik Arneson for insight into Tarot. Any errors in these columns are my own.

If you’d like to schedule a consultation with me, you can find additional information on the Services and Classes page.

If you want to read some of my other astrologically-oriented poetry, “A Full Volume of Splendour and Starlight” contains these smaller collections: 

• To the Mansions of the Moon is a collection of hymns to the angels of the Mansions 
• For the Behenian Stars is a collection of hymns to the first/brightest sixteen stars. 
• The Sun’s Paces are hymns to the thirty-six Hellenistic-era deities and ascended souls of the Greco-Egyptian Decans-calendar. 
• Festae, hymns to some of the older Roman gods and spirits.