1st Qtr Moon, 1 June 2017, Virgo

Exact time & zodiac degree of this moon | Understanding Quarter Moons |

When the going gets tough, the tough get going! This 1st Quarter Moon in Virgo squares Ceres and Mars in Gemini. What’s happening with your life’s Hero’s Journey? Now’s an important time to reach out for the right allies, and this Virgo moon helps you discern who’s who. The goddess Ceres went through a huge ordeal with this. As Earth Mother, she’s remembered for deciding whether it’s winter or summer depending on whether her daughter is freed from the god who abducted her, Pluto. This myth tells the story of a beautiful girl, Persephone, who reaches her prime, but is then stolen away from her own life and away from her mother by the god Pluto who had a secret pact with some of the gods to claim her as his wife at the very moment her skills and talents and life potential came together. When this happened, Ceres was inconsolable with grief and threw the planet into winter. She refused to allow anything to grow until she got her daughter back. Through her stubborn insistence that all the gods would suffer because humans would die and no longer be around to worship them if the earth remained in winter, she eventually found some god allies, who helped her get her daughter returned to her.

Mars is also in Gemini next to Ceres in Gemini, both squaring the Virgo moon. Is there something in your life you might need to dig your heels in over and fight for? If so, Gemini helps you find assistance and allies, yet you might need to reach beyond your usual circles if you sense they are part of the problem. In the myth, it was Ceres’ own brothers and sisters who made the betrayal pact behind her back. Pluto wanted the prize of Ceres’ beautiful daughter after she had had done all the years of work in raising her, and just like someone sneaking in at night to pick all the fruit off the crop in an orchard after years of effort to get the trees to fruit, he snatched her away. This 1st quarter moon in particular suggests looking at communication (Gemini) details (Virgo). What are the little hints, innuendos, tones of voice, energy attitudes, body language, slips etc coming across in communication?

This is a quarter moon to put effort into protecting what is important to you, and to push past adversaries to make your life happen. Every ‘hero’s journey’, includes the challenge phase of needing to discern who true friends are and then fight those who sabotage and hinder. This quarter moon brings all those themes up but also the strength, energy, intelligence and allies to bring your success. Jupiter trines this Virgo moon bringing reason for optimism as long as you reach out for the right kind of help, practical help, not ‘she’ll be right’ platitudes or visualisation or wishes. Neptune opposes the Virgo moon, so at times you might feel defeated or lack-lustre, but this is the time to push, not give up. Even so, some rejuvenating cat naps could help connect you to your soul and refuel your get-go, but then be sure to get up and get going!