Today, the Sun left its natural home in hot and sticky Leo more the harvest fields of Virgo. Here are a few of the big-ticket items to keep an eye on as Sol makes his way through this earthy patch of zodiac.

The solar month begins with a feeling that we’re grinding our teeth toward solutions. This comes from a square – a combative aspect – between the Sun and Mars, which perhaps will make some feel their hard work is being overshadowed while others may feel a marked challenge toward their sense of identity. Luckily, cognition is our friend here, as cool-headed assessment is likely the way to reach satisfaction here. It may not feel nice, but a lot can be accomplished in the friction between these Mercury-ruled planets. This aspect is active through 9/12 or thereabouts. Mars remains in Gemini throughout Virgo season, and in fact, will remain here until March of 2023 due to his retrograde that will begin in late October. More on that as it develops.

Mercury, meanwhile, begins the month in a very powerful place – in Virgo, where his mental acuity is at its most crisp. His trine to Pluto means that he’ll be able to spelunk to the greater depths in search of treasured answers. By the 26th, however, he will enter Libra – still sharp, though perhaps a bit more easily distractable. This Mercury will highlight the gap between where our heads are at and where we’d like to be more capable, more spiritual, more charitable – the places we’d like to grow and why we aren’t getting there. This comes from an opposition with Jupiter in Aries, which will only grow more tense as Mercury begins to slow in preparation of his semi-annual retrograde, but which will be mitigated by Mercury’s positive relationship to Mars.

Yes, we get a Mercury retrograde this Virgo season, all the more under the spotlight since Mercury rules Virgo. As ever, it’s important to remember that Mercury Retrograde is not just code for “everything sucks.” It’s an opportunity to reflect on and revise our thinking around a certain sector of life – in this case, wherever Libra lies in your chart, and in how your head connects to your values and what you’re drawn to. During this time, yes, it is important to be aware of and stay ahead of potential brain farts. Are you about to get on the highway during rush hour? About to hit “send” on an email you shouldn’t? Some things will be out of your control, but you’d be surprised at just how many problems you can “think ahead of” during Merc Retro; at least, that is what I have found. Mercury will begin its retrograde on the full moon in Pisces on 9/10/22. It will dip back into Virgo and station direct at 24 degrees Virgo on 10/1/22.

Venus remains in Leo for the moment, slinging glam and drama. But she begins the solar month in a trine to Chiron, which may feel a little uncomfortable, as Venus is drawn toward some insecurities around personal capability and even *gasp* confidence. Those drawn to confront these reflections may find healing and peace around these issues. The moon will be with Venus on 8/25, lending a special night-time spotlight on this area of the chart. On 9/5, Venus will be with the moon again (by trine this time) as she dips into Virgo. Venus in Virgo is a sticky wicket. On the one hand, it’s said to be where Venus performs her worst, as detail-obsessed Virgo cannot help but find fault in appearance and presentation. On the other hand, Venus has dignity by triplicity here, meaning that she is at home in the earth element. I have known many a thrifty bargain maven to have this placement and Judo that into an affordable-but-unique style. So all is far from lost here, but it is useful to know when it’s okay to splurge and on what; also useful to know when to stop picking at a defect, as overworking a blemish to make it worse is kind of textbook Venus in Virgo.

It is also worth noting – with gravity – that the contentious aspect between the conjunction of Uranus and the North Node square to Saturn Retrograde is still very active. For those new to this concept, it’s basically created a background atmosphere of oily rags left around gasoline, that things could be set alight at any given moment. Uranus is unpredictable revelation, accident, surprise, a blot from the blue. His conjunction to the North Node means that these lightning bolts will have material effect, and the square to Saturn seems to indicate that they will smash against the wall of structure and authority. That system may be internal, the routines and hierarchies which shape a life, or it may be more obvious than that. Anyway, this array is going to be triggered several times over the course of the month. In fact, the Sun’s movement through Virgo will add an oil-lamp to this oily rag-gasoline pairing, and that aspect will perfect on 9/10, which may also be a trigger.

I’ll be continuing my weekly Wednesday write-ups, so I’ll stick with these broad strokes for the time being. Here is a chronology that may prove useful:

8/23 Sun enters Virgo, square to Mars in Gemini.

8/25 The moon in Leo may potentially trigger the Uranus-Saturn configuration.

8/26 Mercury enters Libra.

8/27 New Moon in Virgo. May potentially trigger the Uranus-Saturn configuration.

9/1 The moon in Scorpio may potentially trigger the Uranus-Saturn configuration.

9/4 Venus is particularly weak, anaretic at 29 degrees.

9/5 Venus makes ingress into Virgo.

9/6 Mercury really begins to slow down in preparation for his retrograde. Big highlight on his relationship to Mars and Jupiter, discussed above. Today, we also have a Grand Earth Trine, meaning that three planets in earth signs are very tightly configured in a positive, grounding way. However, one corner of that triangle is Uranus, so this may be another trigger date. Incidentally, the trines are between the Sun in Virgo, the Moon in Capricorn, and Uranus and the North Node in Taurus.

9/7 Another Grand Trine! This time in Air, meaning that ideas and freedom of thought, conversations and games and abstract thinking are all at a premium. This trine is completed by the moon in Aquarius, Mercury stationing in Libra, and Mars in Gemini.

9/8 The moon in Aquarius on top of Saturn retrograde may potentially trigger the Uranus-Saturn configuration.

9/10 Mercury retrograde begins! Full Moon in Pisces on top of Neptune! This day may take on a dreamy and disorienting quality. A great day for escapism, less so for administrative, left-brained duties.

9/14 The moon in Taurus may potentially trigger the Uranus-Saturn configuration. So may Venus in Virgo, who is configured by trine through 9/25ish and who will make an exact trine to the North Node on 9/16 and to Uranus on 9/19.

9/18 A potentially tense day. Three planets configure again (Mercury in Libra retrograde, the moon in Cancer, and Jupiter in Aries retrograde,) but this time, by disharmonious aspect…what’s more, of all these cardinal signs, there is a piece missing in Capricorn. We call this aspect a t-square, and proceedings in the day may take on a Capricorn shape in order to account for the missing piece of this puzzle.

9/21 The moon in Leo may potentially trigger the Uranus-Saturn configuration.

9/22 The Sun enters Libra. A special day because Mercury’s close conjunction with the Sun creates a condition known as cazimi, as rare day in Mercury’s retrograde where communication is said to be clear and sharp, like a structure suddenly visible in the eye of a storm.