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The New Moon in Virgo occurs at 14:12 (UT) on the 25th August 2014 at 02°Vi18′ D

It’s like all the planets have arrived back to work after a holiday. A raft of aspects become exact on this date so it’s a busy day in the cosmos. It feels a little fraught at times, edgy, confusing and yet at the same time, there’s something whispering a quiet truth beneath all the noise.

The New Moon in Virgo generally puts the focus on work and health. It’s your routine, the mundane stuff of life. Virgo is also the sign of skill and service. It’s time to make improvements, shape up and get down to the nitty gritty.

Virgo sorts the wheat from the chaff but the New Moon is opposite Neptune. It makes me think about ergotism, a disease caused by a fungus that grows on wheat. If ingested, it can cause hallucinations amongst other nasty symptoms. The Moon is also square asteroid Bacchus who is associated with altered states of consciousness of the hangover variety. For some, this Moon may trigger a marathon ‘drown your sorrows’ session. There’s a caution here about holding on to something that looks like it could be useful but is in fact diseased, rotten, dead or even simply taking up space and gathering dust. Chuck it out. You don’t need it. Grieving over what was, what could be, what might be perfect, loses sight of what is in the here and now.

New Moon in Virgo – August 2014

The opposition to Neptune may manifest in a variety of ways – confusion, disorientation, feeling lost, an inability too cope. Maybe you feel helpless, weak, ineffectual. Perhaps your imagination is running wild, sweating the small stuff. Venus is quincunx Chiron, maybe you feel like your wounds are on show.

With the ruler of Virgo (Mercury) forming part of the base of a yod and the New Moon itself sesquiquadrate Uranus which is at the apex of the yod, this Finger of God pattern is a significant player.  Uranus at the apex of the yod is a live wire. With Neptune opposite the New Moon, maybe your imagination is running riot. The Uranus sesquiquadrate is in danger of making sweeping changes, just to get rid of the stress.

As the higher vibration of Mercury, Uranus here is inclined to rebel, fight, take off, say ‘no’ just for the hell of it. For Virgo which is very much a ‘yes’ sign, this might actually be helpful. With the New Moon opposite Neptune, there’s too much of a temptation to say yes for a peaceful life but the anxiety of trying to do too much may weigh heavier than expected. Black Moon Lilith is square Mars-Saturn but trine to the North Node. Lilith was in paradise, the ultimate Virgo perfection but from where she was standing (or rather laying), it was anything but perfect. No one wants to march to the beat of someone else’s drum. Give yourself a break but don’t try to change it all at once. Mars-Saturn sextile Mercury talks of taking tiny steps at first. Small, well considered changes produce big results and are much easier to handle than wild stabs in the dark.

Mars and Saturn can also represent the concept of rhythm. In Scorpio, it’s a heavy sensual pulse. Neptune is music. With Uranus in the picture, it’s almost like a sharp sudden burst of a choir piercing the veil. This Virgo Moon seems to ask, are you in tune with the song of the universe? Are you too sharp (bitter, critical) or too flat (feeling like a martyr)? What will it take to tune up?

Mars conjunct Saturn is like a teacher yelling.

“Stop what you are doing immediately! Fingers on lips!”

And then the whispering starts…

Listen…

The New Moon is on the Sabian Symbol :-

Two Guardian Angels

You don’t have to be a saint. You don’t have to be perfect or dance on the head of a pin. Leave that to the angels. Accept your flaws. Surrender to the knowledge that you don’t have to do it all today. Give Neptune a voice through prayer.

Just because you can’t see improvement, doesn’t mean to say it isn’t happening. Just because you can’t see a solution doesn’t mean that there isn’t one. If you can allow yourself a moment of stillness, what you are seeking materialises.

Neptune is sleep, dreams, the unconscious.  Uranus represents ‘awakening’. These two transpersonal planets are saying just that: this isn’t personal, even if it feels like it! What may look like disarray may be in perfect cosmic order.

 

[Barra]

Longest lunar month of 2014 starts on August 25

Why the difference in the lengths of lunar months? In a nutshell, the longest lunar month of the year occurs when the successive new moons coincide closely with lunar apogee – the moon’s farthest point to Earth in its orbit.

In contrast, the year’s shortest lunar month takes place when the successive new moons fall appreciably close to lunar perigee – the moon’s closest point to Earth in its orbit.

In 2014, the year’s longest and shortest lunar months do not actually showcase great extremes. In fact, the longest and shortest lunar months in the years ahead will vary more greatly from the mean.

The longest lunar months happen when successive new moons occur near lunar apogee –and in addition, the Earth is near perihelion (Earth’s closest point to the sun in its orbit). Because Earth is always closest to the sun in early January, the very longest lunar months take place in between December and January new moons.

On the other hand, extremely short lunar months happen when successive new moons fall near lunar perigee – and in addition, the Earth is near aphelion (Earth’s farthest point from the sun in its orbit). Because Earth is always at aphelion in early July, the very shortest lunar months take place in between June and July new moons.

When are the longest and shortest lunar months of 21st century? The longest lunar month of the 21st century (2001 to 2100) occurs in between the December 2017 and January 2018 new moons. With a length of 29 days 19 hours and 47 minutes, this particular lunar month exceeds the mean by a whopping 7 hours and 3 minutes.

The century’s shortest lunar month takes place in between the new moons of June and July 2053, a period of 29 days 6 hours and 35 minutes. That’s 6 hours and 9 minutes shorter than the mean.

Incidentally, exceptionally long or short lunar months repeat in cycles of 9 years.

Each year, the shortest and longest lunar months come a few months later in the year. For instance, in 2015, the shortest lunar month happens in between the April and May new moons; and the longest one in between October and November new moons. Click here for a complete listing for the length of each lunar month in the 21st century.

Bottom line: A lunar month is the duration between successive new moons. It’s also sometimes called a lunation or synodic month. Although the lunar month has a mean period of 29.53059 days (29 days 12 hours and 44 minutes), the actual length varies throughout the year. The longest lunar month of the year begins with the new moon of August 25, 2014 and ends with the new moon of September 24, 2014.

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