The first decan of Virgo begins August 22, 2025, at 4:34 pm EDT. Associated with Themis, the goddess of parliamentary procedure and Speaker of the Assembly of All the Gods, she presides over the decan called A Tree Bearing Fruit in Austin Coppock‘s naming convention; T. Susan Chang calls it It’s the Little Thing , as she notes its connections to the 8 of Pentacles in the Tarot. Pamela Colman Smith drew this card as an artisan at the workbench, putting the finishing touches on the repoussé work of a golden platter, as part of her work on the pips cards for the Rider-Waite tarot deck in the early 1900s. Virgo I lasts ten days, eight hours, and 28 minutes and ends on 2 September 2025 at 1:02 am EDT.
Themis, for those who don’t recognize the allusion, is not Thetis the sea-goddess and priestess, wife of Okeanos and mother of Achilles by the mortal Peleus. Instead, she’s the mother of Prometheus, the bringer of fire to humanity. Her name means something like “divine law and good order.” She was the original keeper of the oracle of Delphi, and gave it — and other forms of prophecy — into the hands of the god Apollo to safeguard as a trust. Yet the power to prophesy is hers, and hers alone — Apollo wields it temporarily, but it is hers to bestow, or withdraw.
Nor is this her most important or essential gift to humanity. As one of the twelve Titan children of Gaia and Uranus, it is part of her destiny to create acceptable conditions of life on Earth for humanity — and her particular role is as the maintainer of custom and order and divine law, particularly in assemblies. The family, the sept, the clan, the tribe, the secret society, the school, the legislative body, and even the nation or the world, all thrive under her attention and devoted care — and wither when she neglects her duty.
It’s important to understand that there is no one pattern to this kind of “divine ordering” — but that the diverse patterns all produce a state of delight. If a community has a clear sense of how its rule-making and management goes, chances are that happiness results. The reverse is often not so. It’s the lack of clarity about rules, both their creation and any inconsistency in their application, that creates disorder — and disorder almost always results in unhappiness. Leo Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina opens with a sentence that has been translated as “happy families are all alike; unhappy families are each unhappy in their own way.” A friend of mine, Chris LaFond, and a talented astrologer in his own right, has remarked that considerable difficulty in the world arises from the clash of Germanic-style law (in which the written law consists of the ‘bare minimum standard which must be obeyed’) with Roman-style law (in which the written law consists of ‘the ideal which we know will never be reached’). When lawyers write Roman-style law which is then enforced by police officers in a Germanic style, difficulties arise immediately. When Germanic style law is written, and forms the basis of the arrest record, but it’s then adjudicated in the courtroom by Roman magistrates, everyone screams injustice! How much worse when the law is administered for some ethnic groups in a Roman way but for others in a Germanic way!
Themis provides numerous different ways for different kinds of communities to resolve its conflicts or make rules together. For some households, it’s the Sunday night dinner with pot roast and potatoes. For others, it’s the monthly business meeting to compare budgets with actual expenditures. In some places, it’s a dictator announcing the rules, with a corrupt wink at his buddies, “the law here binds them but protects us… as long as you’re not on my naughty list.” In others, it’s the democratic school committee haranguing each other for hours. The shape of our rule-sets matters a great deal, and Themis stands guard over both what we say we uphold as our values and commitments to one another — and where we wink away procedure in favor of other less-savory priorities. If we say, for example, that the government is of, by and for the People, but then let a narrow elite decide all the rules and set the allowable agenda for discussion… there’s a disconnect.
Themis, granted the epithet “of the lovely cheeks” is the first to offer a cup of sympathy to Hera when she rages about Zeus’ infidelities. Judges and magistrates are called “servants of Themis”, and while she’s usually depicted with sword and scales (and interestingly enough, without blindfold), she’s sometimes called Gaea, or Themisian Gaea — the justice-seeking Earth herself. It’s easy to see how many prophetic activists and saints such as Martin Luther King, Jr. were just as much servants of Themis, urging the establishment of good order and essential custom, as of the God or Christ in whose name they acted.
Virgo’s first decan is ruled by the Sun, appropriately enough for the start of the season of harvest. Yet it also signifies something that various authors have commented on, the way that the Sun shines on the just and the unjust alike. One of my favorite forms of this observation came from the astronomer Galileo Galilei, “The sun, with all those planets revolving around it and dependent on it, can still ripen a bunch of grapes as if it had nothing else in the universe to do.” It is as much a part of Themis’ function in the world that plants ripen in their proper season and come to fruition — and that humans go out to the harvest with a spring in their step and a song in their throat, and come home weary to the bone, but hopeful for the future. My garden produced just a handful of berries this year, that I kept from the birds… it’s not much, but it’s a beginning.
The dodeks of Virgo I are Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, and Sagittarius — representing the analysis of custom and tradition, the careful weighing-of-options and the balancing of competing interests, the surgical strike to target and eliminate undesirable or improper behavior, and the technical but humane restoration of the proper norms.
Dates to Watch
Venus enters Leo on August 25 at 12:27 pm EDT. Among other factors, this means that no sign is in aversion to one or the other of the two benefic planets Venus and Jupiter — while the fixed and mutable signs are either trine or in aversion to the malefic planets Saturn and Mars. Houses represented by your cardinal signs are likely to have some difficulties, but favorable conditions may help balance out negative forces for a period of time. However, Venus is pergrine, or a tourist on vacation, in Leo — so romantic liaisons and creative delights are going to require some initiative from humans rather than arising from serendipity.
Saturn returns to Pisces during his retrograde on 1 September 2025 at 4:06 pm EDT. This may result in Saturn showing us his hidden strength for a period of time, as the last four degrees of Pisces are the term of Saturn; he won’t leave this window until October 25, and will pass through it again from December 29 to February 13. It may be a harsh and cold winter for us all. The last time Saturn passed through this zone was April-May 2025 — the height of the Trump administration’s flip-flopping on tariffs. I think it likely that we’ll see another round of attempts to fine-tune tariffs in the US — although with a similar lack of clarity about what the intention or purpose of these adjustments is supposed to be.
Mercury enters their own sign of Virgo on 2 September 2025 at 9:23 am EDT (just a few hours after the start of Virgo II) and remains until 18 September 2025 at 6:05 am EDT (when they enter Libra). Mercury’s powers of communication, analysis and sophisticated development of ideas will be in full and dazzling display. For most of this time, though, Mercury will be either combust or under the beams — that is, within 15° or within 7.5° of the Sun. This particular condition afflicts Mercury the least of all the planets, but it still affects them — and it serves as a reminder to marry your intellectual capacities to just, fair, and honest goals that are dependent upon facts.
A Mercury Cazimi occurs on September 13, 2025 at 6:35 am EDT, just at dawn. Mercury will pass from being a morning star (rising before the Sun each day), to being an evening star (appearing in the sky after sunset). For several weeks, they’ll be first under the beams (within 7.5° of the Sun) and then combust (within 15°) — this usually expresses itself as a shift from a curious, expressive, and imaginative mindset to one which is more practical, hard-nosed about facts, and more rooted in understanding fundamental causes.
House Delineations
The First House of self and self-presentation is Capricorn ruled by Saturn square and retrograde in Aries. Big decisions for your own self image may be rushed or feel unwise— choose in favor of household norms where you can’t pick based on preference.
The Second House of money and possessions is Aquarius, ruled by Saturn sextile but retrograde and exiled in Aries. Hosting Pluto retrograde. Financial matters require putting resources at risk ubi order to try to make more money — but no guarantees that more money will be made. Sometime you just have to put up the cash and hope.
The Third House of extended family and intimate friends is Pisces ruled by trining and exalted Jupiter hosting north node. Prefer one on one or small group meetings with closest confidants to large groups of casual friends, and evening events to morning gatherings — but but still focus on celebratory occasions. Allow your schedule to be over-full; good things come from deep and emotional dialogues.
The Fourth House of home, household, and parents is Aries ruled by Mars opposing and in detriment from Libra, hosting Saturn and Neptune in close alignment to each other. Households are subject to tight restrictions and close quarters, and yet there’s a vision of a better future. Contentment comes from choosing your own path as a family or a household — but you have to be prepared to leave some things behind.
The Fifth House of pleasures and pastimes is Taurus, ruled by Venus as a triplicity ruler in Cancer from the sextile. Pleasure and comfort is most often found while doing your usual things together with a spouse or significant other; take a business partner to lunch if you’re single — or go on a date! But stick to traditional first-date grounds like a late morning coffee date or lunch, rather than making a big production of it.
The Sixth House of daily routines, pets, and injuries is Gemini, ruled by sextile Mercury as a morning star in their own term. Hosting Uranus in reception in Mercury’s term, too. Hands on experience counts for more, and it’s more important to believe your own eyes and ears than the official party line. You can’t do ALL your own research, but you do have to dig deeper than headlines. Leadership of your team requires deeper communication than mere positive thinking — but you do have to imagine a better future for them than what you’ve got now.
The Seventh House of spouse, peer partners, and rivals is Cancer, ruled by the Moon in Leo in the XXth Mansion, inconjunct. Hosting exalted Jupiter and triplicity ruler Venus. Doing good for your partners, spouse or romantic interest brings numerous bonuses but sexual activity may not be among them in this simmering summer heat. Being good by doing good results in contentment and inner peace.
The Eighth House of obligation, duty and legacy is Leo, ruled by inconjunct sun in Virgo. Hosting Mercury and the Moon. Triplicity ruler Saturn, though retrograde and exiled, trines. Large responsibilities and difficult tasks are usually handled with lots of local errands and “I know a guy…” relationships. “Holding on” through a swift round of high-profile tasks is likely to make you into an expert in this matter but be emotionally draining.
The Ninth House of higher learning and long-distance travel is Virgo ruled by inconjunct Mercury. Hosting sun and south node. Venus triplicity ruler forms a sextile. Travel plans may come to abrupt ends or shift shape significantly. Sweetness and personal graciousness gets you onto a new flight faster than churlish rudeness. Take the noble route with service personnel whenever you can.
The Tenth House of career and professional reputation is Libra ruled by squaring Venus. Hosting Mars. Triplicity rulers Saturn and Jupiter either oppose or square. Familial or household duty gets in the way of career matters in wearily necessary ways; conflicts with a spouse’s schemes or scheduling may be unavoidable, but more enjoyable.
The Eleventh House of friends, associates, and allies is Scorpio ruled by inconjunct Mars. Triplicity ruler Venus trines, but the Moon squares. Lunar apogee is present, and the moon progresses toward it. Career matters, travel plans, and social time with friends are desired, but hard to schedule on the fly. Make plans now for several days in advance to put your agenda first, and get the chance to see the people you want to see.
The Twelfth House of both obstacles and opportunities is Sagittarius ruled by inconjunct Jupiter exalted in Cancer. Sun squares, Saturn trines. Collect your health data privately and observe regulatory environment with renewed care and precision. Observe speed limits when away from home. Plan to do less, but stay closer to home.
Horoscopes by Rising Sign
Decan I of any sign (usually covering the 21st of the month to the first of the following month) is free to all visitors; Decan II is only available to Patreon and Ko-Fi.com subscribers; and Decan III is available to Patreon, Ko-Fi, and MailChimp subscribers.
I recommend reading your Sun sign, Moon sign, and Rising sign for best results. I write them with rising sign in mind, but several people have told me they find that they do better with all three.
Capricorn: Your personal sense of identity may feel threatened by household or familial matters which require you to be more … generous? assertive? visionary? The goalposts may keep changing but the expectations that you’re not reaching them remain the same. The same thing may also prove true in your workplace, where the standards require you to keep everything operational, but both the duct tape and the WD-40 supplies are running low. A heart-to-heart with an important peer in each setting, household and workplace, may be needed in order to shine real light on your responsibilities and obligations. Be kind and generous, but set boundaries on what’s realistically possible.
Aquarius: A favorable conclusion to money matters may require you to ‘squeak by’ this week, especially if your wider family are suffering from issues with the house, home, or neighborhood. Be more attentive to the risk of fire this week than usual — for example, move the barbecue grill farther away from the house, and preferably downwind. Be alert to wind and fire risks to neighbors, too. If you have big trips planned before “back to school”, or Labor Day, get the car serviced this week. Daily routines would benefit from an additional creative act every day, like writing a “poetry magnet” poem or doodling a picture; make a point of giving your creative output a way to reach an audience.
Pisces: There’s a strong desire to sit down with neighbors or extended family and close friends for social time and pleasant one-on-one activities. There are a range of favorable conditions for making such connections possible, but you have to do the work of setting up the appointments. A few work-related issues might get in the way, last minute, but press on and reschedule wherever possible. A spouse may be on a work-related trip at the moment, or buckling down for a certification of some kind, but that endeavor will be over soon. A deeper communication about daily responsibilities with and for housemates may be needed, too. Be alert to difficulties with ongoing expenses.
Aries: Family or household matters face tight restrictions at the moment, but also require looking back at the past to establish a long range vision for the future family life together. Contentment matches desire on the opposite side of this difficult reflection on the past and what you want for the future. This means stepping up to responsibilities which may not be immediately obvious, because they require unlearning helplessness and analyzing how you’d like to grow (and therefore which parts to prune). A housemate or romantic partner (even a savvy co-worker) can help you see what kinds of changes you need to make in your life. Don’t wait for the sudden upset at school or the difficult conversation at the office: remove your own obstacles, and recognize “this thing that has got you trapped” is also pretty easy living.
Taurus: Favorable relationships with family and siblings can help smooth over some difficulties with money, but you may find that your pleasures and entertainments have to take more parsimonious forms. Money matters on a day to day basis may be somewhat disrupted. You’ll likely chafe against apparent restrictions at home but the long-term outlook is probably great. Shine some light on what you like to do, how you like to learn, and where you like to go — you may find that there are some forms of pleasure that you’re ready to let go of. Along those lines, there may be a job or career thread that you may be thinking is ready to cut. Give it another month before you cut the cord, at least — there’s a potentially valuable recognition that would make the current trials worthwhile.
Gemini: The next ten days will require you to get by with a little help from your friends. But this also requires you to communicate your needs with them, and to announce both your successes as well as your struggles. You don’t have to blab your latest dramas all over social media, but you do have to publicly tout your successes (even as you ask for help with important issues behind the scenes from people that you know care about you). Your housing situation deserves to be studied a little carefully — is your home situation as secure as you can make it? Are there any repairs worth doing now, before they break (any more)? Financial matters are likely to improve in the future, especially if you’re in some kind of partnership where there are shared resources — what can you do together that puts you both (all?) in a better housing situation?
Cancer: Relationships (and the growth and consequences that come from them) are an important theme of the next ten days. You may find that money has a range of challenging emotional attachments and issues by the halfway mark, round about August 27 — but you can avoid some of the feelings and drama by being clear-eyed and analytical about the actual financial issues. It’s important to be generous and forgiving of your partner’s quirks and upsets through this period, but also to find creative and caring ways to say I love you… not simply in private, which is important, but in how you demonstrate that love in front of others and around your wider community. Save any necessary arguments for private places and times, and recognize that money is not a good measure of emotional attachment.
Leo: There are times when you really want to get a prize for fulfilling your responsibilities. Sometimes a gold medal would be nice, or even just a cookie. You may have to get your own award, though, and tell yourself why you’re giving it to yourself — OR, you could convince a complete stranger to give it to you instead and make a nice speech? There’s two important tasks ahead of you — the first is getting over the emotional hurdles necessary to build a support team for yourself and not try to do everything on your own; the second thing is to actually build the team that will see you through the next few years. Some of that team may cost you money that you don’t think you can afford — you may be in a situation where austerity seems to be the right aesthetic for both your professional and fun-loving life — and you’re skipping travel and learning opportunities to focus on what you believe is the best path.
Virgo: You may be talking yourself out of an important trip or certification in your professional field right now, and it may be due to a lack of money, or the pressing urgency of locally important business that you feel requires your daily attention. Be careful that you don’t let your emotional upset get in the way of what you need to personally advance your brand; there are big surprises in your professional life, but maintaining austerity for the sake of fulfilling your existing duties is not something you need to do. Work on your big vision — what do you want your responsibilities to be a decade from now? How will learning this new skill or going on this trip aid that vision? Or get in the way? Think bigger. At the same time, though, pay attention to your homebody hobbies and personal pleasures, and don’t ignore the checkbook register — sometimes a bit of bookkeeping and tidying of your finances brings rewards.
Libra: Is your boss on the warpath? Are you trying to stay out of their way, or are you angling for a creative confrontation? Sometimes it’s important to have a diplomatic and creative solution, and to coach your supervisor more like a peer or ally into taking a more generous or merciful tack. Be the bigger heart in the room, even if you feel like being the warrior who cuts everybody down to size. If you’ve ever thought about turning one of your hobbies into a side-hustle, it’s worth doing the financial legwork right now to see if it could be profitable; most aren’t, and you owe it to yourself to work out if that’s true for you. A partner or spouse may be operating under a lot of strain or stress and you could review their workload and ease it by taking up some regular housework. Be prepared for sudden business trips — but consider sending an underling on a journey on your behalf instead.
Scorpio: In the next ten days, try to do yourself a favor of collecting a few friends and connections, rather than driving them away. The temptation is going to be to cut some old links or sever some long-standing ties that bind. Yet it would be worth going on a road trip to see some old friends, or make a point of attending a new conference or workshop with the intention of making some new ones. Taking a work colleague out for a coffee break might also be a useful way of connecting to others, or winning some future accolades. It’s valuable to assemble a team that thinks like you do, and understands your way of doing things — in some ways having underlings can feel like a prison or a trap to you — but having a team can also be a way of realizing your vision faster, rather than doing everything yourself.
Sagittarius: You’re longing to be at home and in one place, but earning a living and managing family matters requires managing responsibilities for which there may be no payment except honor and love. That’s great, but as the artists say, exposure doesn’t pay the rent. Breaking some of your rules around friendship is important, but sometimes you also have to hold boundaries and sever some connections. You should be shining a light on your professional duties, but it’s still the case that by mid-September there are things you’ll have to give up in your career, or at least gradually expect that you’ll be letting go of them. Long-distance travel may be needed in the next ten days, but the emotional work of the trip will be more important than the necessary business. Be generous in how you attend to others’ needs, even if it cuts into your own relaxation time — with special attention to your spouse or significant other, whose life may be more disrupted than usual.
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If you want to read some of my astrologically-oriented poetry, the largest collection is called A Full Volume of Splendor and Starlight, available through my Etsy shop, and containing poems and hymns to the planets, constellations, decan deities, and Moon Mansion angels. While not astrological, Festae contains hymns to some of the older Roman gods and spirits from the calendar created by Numa Pompilius, the second ancient King of Rome.
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. I also 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 for much of my planetary delineations. Neither gentleman endorses me.
