On July 28th, Mercury left expressive Queen Bee Leo to enter the industrious sign of Worker Bee Virgo. If Mercury in Leo envisions the extravagant gala, it’s the bespectacled Mercury in Virgo with pad and pencil who comes in to structure the grand event, impose order with a schedule and begin finding vendors to execute each piece of the celebration. Mercury has big ideas in Leo, but manifests them through analysis and preparation in Virgo.
Virgo, questing towards perfection
The sign of Virgo rules the intestines whose job is to take the veggie burger we had for lunch and discriminate between what to keep and what to let go. Virgo is the yoga pose adjustment offered by a skilled instructor. It’s the hours that went into the flawless delivery of a Ted Talk. It’s the discriminating finger testing the sauce on the stove to evaluate spice levels. Virgo is the sign that strives towards perfection, always on the quest to improve one’s life, one’s performance, one’s skills, one’s relationships, one’s you-name-it! No wonder those with a heavy emphasis in Virgo tend to go far in life: they are always setting the bar a little out of reach and then striving for it, somehow never quite satisfied with what they’ve attained as their focus aims on the part that still isn’t perfect.
The Sun will enter Virgo on August 23rd. But for now, Mars and Mercury lead the way, activating the Virgo parts of our charts. Whereas Mars will exit Virgo on the 27th, Mercury extends his stay in Virgo this year as he stations retrograde on August 23rd.
Mercury in Virgo
When we take the Virgo qualities above and apply them to Mercury we get “methodical inquiry” and “in-depth analysis”. Mercury refers to communication and the way we process and disseminate information.
Besides methodical, Mercury in Virgo lends a practical and tangible approach. Mercury does some of his best work in Virgo where he is said to be in rulership and exaltation. During Mercury’s transit through Virgo, we can put him to good use in any area that requires a systematic and orderly approach.
Key Dates
August 1st—Mercury oppose Saturn
Mercury will have to deal with both Saturn and Mars during his time through Virgo. Mercury entered the sign of the virgin on July 28th and began his opposition to Saturn which perfect on August 1st. Saturn can represent obstacles, limitations and delays. This might be a time we’re faced with a formative challenge that invites us to be methodical. “Baby steps” is a good mantra at this time. We don’t have to figure it all out in one grokking gulp. We just have to solve the piece we’re working with now at the highest level we’re capable of.
August 9th—Mercury trine Jupiter
A boost comes now as Mercury—halfway through Virgo—trines Jupiter in Taurus, expanding our thoughts with enthusiasm, purpose and vision. On the same day, a retrograde Venus squares Uranus, indicating a breakthrough and/or disruption around Venusian themes such as relationships, finances and social mores.
August 23rd—Mercury stations retrograde
Mercury stations retrograde for the third time this year in an Earth sign. If we just consider Mercury’s retrogrades, 2023 has been a year at rethinking, reassessing and re-evaluating practical concerns such as stability, security and sustainability.
Mercury stations at 21°51′, just 1° away from a square with Uranus and 5° from a conjunction with Mars. It’s as if Mercury is about to pull the trigger on a decision… and then doesn’t. Mercury goes back to the drawing board and reassess the situation. Mercury meets up with Jupiter again on September 4th to reconsider the vision, has a moment of renewed Cazimi insight with the Sun on September 6th, and then stations direct on September 15th at 8° Virgo.
August as a Rubik’s cube
The challenge that began Mercury’s methodical analytical process is the opposition to Saturn on August 1st. The entire month feels as if Mercury is turning the sides on a complicated Rubik’s cube, seeing what lines up and what next move might offer more coherence. Lucky for us, Mercury in Virgo is in a dignified position to bring out it’s significations when we are strategic and orderly in our planning.
Images: Worker Bee modern dance choreography stills made by me in Midjourney.