Virgo's basic themes are of work, service and health. She's an earth sign, so inclined to take a pragmatic approach, but is mutable, so willing to adapt as needed. In Moon Tides, Soul Passages I associated the mutable earth moons with Crone of the Triple Goddess, and Virgo with the Eleusian Mysteries that grew out of the worship of the Grecian earth goddess, Demeter, who in Roman mythology became Ceres.

Ceres' promotion, since last New Moon, from asteroid to "dwarf planet" raises a

Ritual for New Moon/Eclipse in 29° Virgo

According to the Metonic cycle, eclipses may repeat at 19 year intervals for up to four times. Since this one is significant for me, I looked at my eclipse tables in Moon  Tides, Soul Passages to see if it repeated, and sure enough, it has, in September of 1968, 1987 and 2006. If you can remember what was going on in your life at around September 1987, you may find that it relates to something quite significant in your life now. The 29°Virgo eclipse will repeat once more, in 2025.

In ritual at the 29th degree of Virgo, it seems especially important to focus on her most spiritual qualities and how we might express them within and toward others. In that, Virgo is about service, acceptance, humility and healing. Too often the magical working in ritual is directed toward what we think we want or need. Let's do this one to simply do some small service to Earth or for someone else, and perhaps, her own way, Mother Earth will teach us something we need to know. Create an active meditation of doing work that needs to be done. While working with the hands, the body, mind and soul can be free and open. Scout out a task that needs to be done. Possibilities might be clearing trash and clutter from your own or public areas, preparing a garden or yard for seasonal change, participating in a community ecological project, or many other things. Look around and choose your task, assemble what you need to accomplish it, and then center yourself to begin:

As you work, be alert to your task, but also to small signs and signals from Earth that may bring you unexpected but valuable wisdom.

Sun enters Libra the day after the Solar Eclipse. The Libran Scales are in balance, equal light and equal dark, but from this point forward, the dark overtakes the light, and days will grow shorter. But it is a time for gathering and giving thanks for the abundance of Harvest. Click here personal and group ritual for Fall Equinox.

This is often the prettiest, brightest and biggest Full Moon of the year—definitely a night to be out doing ritual where you can see her above you, if you possibly can! Can't help but wonder if she'll be even redder than usual this year, with our new planetary Goddess of Discord and Chaos in her sign. Eris is at 21 Aries, but retrograde and perhaps fortunately, at least not closely conjunct the Full Moon. Mythologically, it seems she's capable of being quite a little troublemaker. When she wasn't invited to a wedding party, she threw into it a golden apple inscribed "for the fairest." This caused such a dispute among the goddess (vying for who should get the apple), that Eris' action was one of the causes of the Trojan War!

But, then, on the other had, who caused the problem here? Eris and her apple, or the jealousies of the other goddesses? We're all responsible for our responses, as well as for our overt actions. And a little healthy competion can be a good thing. Nobody is all bad...maybe a positive keyword for Eris could be "incentive." How about that? Maybe we can use her fiesty energy for a ritual to quite procrastinating on a goal we've dreamed about, and fire up our energy to accomplish it. How about drumming and dancing under this Full Moon?

Get together with some friends who like to drum and dance, or it that's not possible, you could use drumming music on a boom box. If you can see the Moon outside on a clear night, then by all means find an outdoor place for your ritual. You can always imagine the Full Moon above, if you must, but I hope that you (and I) will be out under the Moon, to both see and feel her energy.

Take your music, a metal cauldron or bowl, charcoal, some fire incense, matches or fire wand, and a paper on which you've written your goal, with strong focus and concentration. You'll be sending your goal into the realm of Spirit with the fiery energy you will raise. When done with magical focus, sending an intent into Spirit can be a strong path toward its manifestation.

So, place your tools on the ground before you and light the charcoal. Keep your paper intent in a pocket for now, or anchored so it won't blow away. Let the drums begin, slowly at first, and set a pinch of incense burning. Now stand and savor the energy from Moon above and the living Earth beneath your feet. Reach up toward the Harvest Moon, holding one hand on either side of her. As you bring your hands in a bit more closely, you'll see rays of light coming down from the Moon. If your eyes blur just a bit, you may see two Moons with light streaming. Cup the Moon light in your hands and bring that light energy down over your entire aura from head to toes. This feels wonderful! The energy is palpable. Touch Earth, sharing some of the lunar energy and now feel Earth's energy, too. Bring your hands slowly back up over your aura. Feel the Earth energy coming up through your body and then reach upward, sharing some of that energy and your own with Lady Moon. Now, charge your paper intent by gathering Moon's rays once again, focusing it down onto your intent, charging it with the light and energy of Harvest Moon. Then, add more incense to your fire and dance freely, circling around while holding your intent and focusing on your goal. Feel the joy of already having accomplished it. Visualize what that will be like and celebrate it. Dance until you feel ready, and then with focused intent, place your paper into the cauldron and burn it with the fire incense. Chant the following, nine times, as you focus energy onto your intent as it burns into Spirit energy:

Reach high up toward the Moon once more, as you thank Goddess for assisting your rite, and then kneel down to ground the energy into Earth. Go forth with confidence to take what mundane steps must be taken to manifest your intent.

Balsamic Moon, October 17, 9:37 PM EDT, 9 Virgo 32

Balsamic Moon is the optimum time of any month to release that which you no longer want or need in your life—physically, mentally or emotionally. It's the end of the lunar cycle, the Crone's Moon, seen only as a slender crescent in the pre-dawn sky. Do your magic of release from the time given above, but before New Moon, which will occur at 1:14 am EDT on October 22.

Balsamic Moon Ritual of Release

Choose your form of release according to the element of Moon at the time. She will be in Virgo, an earth sign until 4:18 am EDT, when she moves into Libra, an air sign. If you live where autumn leaves are falling, you can use them for this very simple ritual of release, or you could collect small seeds or stones. Let each thing you choose represent something that you would release from your life. Name it, and say its name as you release it and what it represents to you. If Moon is in Virgo, you'll bury it in the Earth. If Moon has moved into Libra, then for a leaf, hold it up in the wind and let it be carried away, or if there's not enough wind, hold it lightly in your hand and blow it away. If it's a seed or stone, throw it away, as far as you can (in a direction, of course, where it won't break something)! Then, walk away and don't look back.