September 2 – Full Moon of Virgo. The Moon will be located on the opposite side of the Earth as the Sun and its face will be fully illuminated. This phase occurs at 05:23 a.m. GMT. This full moon was known by early Native American tribes as the Corn Moon because the corn is harvested around this time of year.
September 11 – Neptune at Opposition. The blue giant planet will be at its closest approach to Earth and its face will be fully illuminated by the Sun. It will be brighter than any other time of the year and will be visible all night long. This is the best time to view and photograph Neptune. Due to its extreme distance from Earth, it will only appear as a tiny blue dot in all but the most powerful telescopes.
September 17 – New Moon of Virgo. The Moon will be located on the same side of the Earth as the Sun and will not be visible in the night sky. This phase occurs at 11:00 a.m. GMT. This is the best time of the month to observe faint objects such as galaxies and star clusters because there is no moonlight to interfere.
September 22 – September Equinox. The September equinox occurs at 1:30 p.m. GMT. The Sun will shine directly on the equator and there will be nearly equal amounts of day and night throughout the world. This is also the first day of fall (autumnal equinox) in the Northern Hemisphere and the first day of spring (vernal equinox) in the Southern Hemisphere.
October 1 – Full Moon of Libra. The Moon will be located on the opposite side of the Earth as the Sun and its face will be fully illuminated. This phase occurs at 9:06 p.m, GMT. This full moon was known by early Native American tribes as the Hunters Moon because at this time of year the leaves are falling and the game is fat and ready to hunt. It has also been known as the Travel Moon and the Blood Moon. This full moon is also known as the Harvest Moon. The Harvest Moon is the full moon that occurs closest to the September equinox each year.
October 1 – Mercury at Greatest Eastern Elongation. The planet Mercury reaches greatest eastern elongation of 25.8 degrees from the Sun. This is the best time to view Mercury since it will be at its highest point above the horizon in the evening sky. Look for the planet low in the western sky just after sunset.
October 7 – Draconids Meteor Shower. The Draconids is a minor meteor shower producing only about 10 meteors per hour. It is produced by dust grains left behind by comet 21P Giacobini-Zinner, which was first discovered in 1900. The Draconids is an unusual shower in that the best viewing is in the early evening instead of early morning like most other showers. The shower runs annually from October 6-10 and peaks this year on the night of the 7th. The second quarter moon will ensure dark skies in the early evening for what should be a good show. Best viewing will be in the early evening from a dark location far away from city lights. Meteors will radiate from the constellation Draco, but can appear anywhere in the sky.
The Solar Festival of Virgo takes place at the full moon Tuesday, September 1st 2020. 10:23 PM PDT; 11:23 PM MDT; 12:23 AM CDT (Sept 02) 1:23 a.m. EDT (Sept 02).
The Sun is in the sign of Virgo from August 24th to September 23rd. The energetic effects of Virgo has upon us depends on our consciousness. If the consciousness of the person is considered “average,” then the effects will come from the ordinary wheel. If the person is awakened and on the path of initiation, then the effects of the energy will come from the reversed wheel.
ORDINARY WHEEL: Ordinary, unawakened humanity, focused almost entirely in the personality, evolve in their consciousness by progressing backward through the twelve zodiacal signs. On the Ordinary Wheel, the etheric body is only a transmitter of psychic energy, galvanizing and coordinating the dense physical body, resulting in eventual mental control of the personality.
REVERSED WHEEL Spiritual students focused on the universal and group values of the soul, progress in consciousness by moving forward through the cycle of zodiacal signs. Only during the Reversed Wheel cycle does the Soul energy begin to superimpose and dominate the etheric body, producing the shift of force and of intensity to the centers above the diaphragm. So the etheric body itself becomes the major transmitter of Soul energy and not personality force.
So, if we consider Virgo and compare the unawakened Virgo consciousness to the awakened Virgo consciousness, this is what we would understand:
ORDINARY WHEEL – And the Word said: Let matter reign. Virgo/Pisces – Virgin matter attracts the soul, and the divine Mother becomes more important than the son. The life of the soul is hidden.
REVERSED WHEEL – “I am the Mother and the Child. I, God, I matter am.” Pisces/Virgo – The form reveals and releases the indwelling soul. The Savior of the world appears and nurtures the hidden souls in Virgo.
Soul: I am the Mother and the Child. I, God, I, matter am. Light:The blended dual Light. Two lights are seen—bright and strong, the light of form; one faint and dim, the light of God. This light is distinguished by a waxing of one and the waning of the other. It differs from the light in Gemini. Form: Let matter reign.
Virgo rules the following countries:
Soul – Australia, Greece, Ireland
Personality – New Zealand, Brazil
So, just to strengthen our memory of the soul keynote for Virgo:
Keynote of the soul: I am the Mother and the Child. I, God, I, matter am.
Virgo is the second-largest constellation in the sky and the sixth constellation of the zodiac. Virgo contains a few interesting foreground stars along with a group of galaxies nestled in her celestial arms. Unlike Orion, Virgo is not a bright constellation. But it is significant, the second largest in the sky by area. Only Hydra is larger.
The Constellation Virgo lies in the direction of the north galactic pole, far from the starry band of the Milky Way, so there are only a few bright stars here. Spica, a blue-white beauty of a star, is the brightest in the constellation. From the Northern Hemisphere, you can easily find Spica by following the arc of the handle of the Big Dipper, first to Arcturus,[i]then on to Spica.
Spica is to be found in the “ear of corn” (a sign of fertility) that the Virgin holds. This constellation is also composed of three stars in the shape of a cup. “This is the true Holy Grail, that which contains the lifeblood, the repository of the sacred and the holy, and that which conceals divinity.”[ii]
Virgo represents nature itself, the mother of all forms, “The concentration of the feminine force in nature in some individual, in female form, who is then called the ‘World Mother.’”[iii] One of the most beautiful paintings created by master artist Nicholas Roerich comes to mind of the symbol of the World Mother:
Mother of the World by Nicholas Roerich Roerich Museum, New York City
There is no doubt in my mind that a handful of women throughout history have been and even now are representative petals in the Lotus of the Mother of the World, descending on Earth to lift each lonely pilgrim back Home. It is up to each of us to recognize Her Petals.
As the human soul travels along the path to Shambhala, it has a Guide. This Guide is called the Transpersonal Self, which is represented in Virgo’s keynote as the Mother that gave birth to the child. The Mother nourishes and guides her child, the human soul until it reaches independence. The stage of the perfected soul occurs when it reaches the highest stage of development, the stage of Selfhood. What is it that strikes the notes in the chord? The Light, Love, and Power of the Spirit. The Virgin Mary is the symbol of any human being who is able to give birth to him or herself.[iv]
The Ageless Wisdom Teachings reveals that the Virgin Mary in the first solar system was associated with the Third Ray of Active Intelligence or the will-to-evolve. In the second solar system, She is associated with Love-Wisdom, the Second Ray—the will-to-unify. In the third solar system, She will be associated with Willpower, the First Ray—the will-to-initiate. Through these three solar systems, the Divine Mother will be the “Mother, Son, and Father—One.” This is the consummation of the three Logoi into One. This may sound pretty abstract, but we must strive to lift our consciousness into the light of the Higher Mind, where these ideas will be fully revealed and understood.
Virtues, when absorbed into our thoughts, emotions, and daily activities, act like vitamins to the human soul. The virtues of Virgo manifest through the Rays, beginning with the Cosmic Second Ray, which comes from one of the stars in the Great Bear and is then transmitted to the constellation of Virgo. There are many names given to the Cosmic Second Ray. Let let me share three of them: the Cosmic Christ, the Lord of Eternal Love, and the Cosmic Magnet. This Cosmic Ray corresponds to the Monadic Plane of Cosmos and Man. Its color is indigo purple and light blue. This Ray contacts the human being through the Intuition and through the Heart Center.
To practice expressing the virtues related to Virgo, we must first learn the astrochemical combinations, or Rays, associated with this constellation and its planets, beginning with the exoteric ruler Mercury, which is a Fourth Ray planet. Mercury is related to intuition. The esoteric ruler of Virgo is the moon, which veils Vulcan—in this case, a First Ray planet, which is related to initiating creativity. The Soul Ray of Virgo is the Second Ray of Love-Wisdom, and the personality ray is the Sixth Ray of Devotion.
Here are the virtues of Ray One, Ray Two, Ray Four, and Ray Six:[v]
Ray One: Strength, courage, steadfastness, truthfulness arising from absolute fearlessness, power of ruling, capacity to grasp great questions in a large-minded way, and of handling men and measures
Ray Two: Calm, strength, patience and endurance, love of truth, faithfulness, intuition, clear intelligence, and serene temper
Ray Four: Strong affections, sympathy, physical courage, generosity, devotion, quickness of intellect and perception
Ray Six: Devotion, single-mindedness, love, tenderness, intuition, loyalty and reverence
Each of these virtues has higher octaves, just as in music, where each note has a higher octave note. A higher octave is of a higher, more refined frequency, expressed once your consciousness moves into greater light.
Let your inner guidance inspire you with the virtues in this list that you can further develop and express, especially during the full moon each month.
Remember, the Soul keynote for Virgo is: I am the Mother and the child. I, God, I matter am.
The Mother represents the form aspect—the form that the human soul, the Divine Spark, has been born into and will be nurtured by the Mother of the World throughout its earthly sojourn.
The Child symbolizes the new Self emerging from matter, the Divine Light within your being that is emerging from matter. Each life, each incarnation allows striving toward increasing perfection until it reaches it’s full, realized Purpose, which is symbolized by the word ‘God.’
As the Sun travels through the sign of Virgo, transmitting its many rays of spiritual impact, disciples and initiates will initially be inspired with this creative energy, followed by aspirants, and then humanity as a whole.
The outpouring rays of Virgo will evoke an urge from within, challenging you to take a look at yourself, to observe certain things in your nature that seem to prevent you from moving ahead. It will inspire you with an urge to really work hard on yourself, your family, your group, your nation to reach a new level of perfection, releasing greater and greater potential from within your human soul.
One night a man by the name of Nicodemus came to Christ and asked, “Master, how can I enter into the kingdom of God?” Christ answered, “Unless you are born again, you cannot enter into the kingdom of God.”[vi] The full moon of Virgo gives us this opportunity to be “born again,” to become a spiritually awakened soul.
A person becomes a spiritually awakened soul when each year at this time, and other certain times through his life, he does his utmost to respond to a higher call, a call that is coming from the Source of Glory within Christ in you, the hope of Glory.
The key energy that flows from the constellation of Virgo is the energy of aspiration (Ray Six), which helps us to create a steady, one-pointed dedication toward sublimation and selflessness, and also sacrifice—a sacrifice of the lesser for, the higher.
Let us think a moment about the term “Christ in you, the hope of Glory.” According to the Gospel of Thomas,[vii] the Christ redirects disciples away from their earthly, more self-centered nature toward the light hidden within each person: There is light within a person of light, and it lights up the whole universe. If it does not shine, there is darkness. In other words, one either discovers the light within that illuminates “the whole universe,” or he lives in darkness, within and without.
The flow of energies coming from the Sun through the constellation of Virgo reminds us of the light within and urges us to give birth to new levels of ourselves, our “Hope of Glory.”
The Christ in you is not a religion but an experience, but to experience the Christ within does require some preparatory work. It is more than just being told that it is there, within us; we must find ways that the fire within can be ignited. As we are finding the ways, we are, in actuality, preparing ourselves for an illuminating experience. When the light within is illuminated, it can be a horrific experience, and, as such, readiness is required. You might ask, “What kind of a horrific experience could occur?”
When you experience illumination, at first, you will see your potential, the hope of what you are going to become, the purpose of your life, the potential greatness that is within you. When you see these things, then you know that you must be born again; it is like the phoenix rising from the ashes. When you experience illumination and see what you can be in the future, what then follows are the many images that have come into being before your illumination, your many incarnations of accumulated karma that you must bear and then find ways to pay these karmic debts so you may move ahead into living your soul purpose. The first illuminating experience is the event in which you meet your Solar Angel.
The Last Angel – Nicholas RoerichMaria Rilke
There is a most wonderful poet, Maria Rilke[viii] who gives a warning about encountering the divine within; he says “every angel is terrifying,” that giving oneself over to such an encounter, he says, involves terror, as if such an angel:
Would come more fiercely to interrogate you,
And rush to seize you blazing like a star,
And bend you as if trying to create you,
And break you open, out of who you are.
What does he mean by “break you open, out of who you are?” He means that the illuminating and piercing light of your Solar Angel is trying to show you who you really are, not how you ordinarily see yourself—your positions, your social status, all the things that constitute your false self, the false you. Even your gender is shattered, and you are left to see your Hope of Glory, for just a few moments. This is what it means to be born again; you see your future ahead of you.
So, Thomas adds, “Christ said, ‘Let the one who seeks not stop seeking until he finds. When he finds, he will become troubled.’” And finally, Christ reveals to Thomas, “whoever drinks from my mouth will become as I am, and I myself will become that person, and the mysteries shall be revealed to him.”
If you celebrate the solar festival each month, for a new experience year after year, you will find new mysteries being revealed to you: new stages of illumination will be experienced, gradually, until you experience an initiation of consciousness.
Thomas, who was coined by John as “the doubting Thomas,” as some scholars believe, did so because he was worried that Thomas’s teaching would spread to Christian groups elsewhere. Still, Thomas insisted that the “image of God” is within humankind, whereas John insisted that humanity has no innate capacity to know God.
The Gospel of Thomas teaches that the key to the kingdom of God is to recognize your affinity with God, to identify with God.”
It is during these days as the Sun goes through the constellational energies of Virgo that we will have the urge within to find “Christ, the Hope of Glory” within.
With love,
Joleen
“Virgo energy not only stands for the revelation and manifestation of that Inner Divinity but also stands for everything beautiful, good and truthful.” [ix]
[i] Arcturus: its name is a variant of the Greek for “Guardian of the Bear”—the Great Bear of the Northern Hemisphere known as Constellation Ursa Major.
[vii] In 1945 there were thirteen codices (containing fifty manuscripts) found in upper Egypt, in the town of Nag Hammadi. The previously lost texts are considered the primary Gnostic scriptures of early/ancient Christianity.
[viii] Rainer Maria Rilke died at the age of fifty-one in 1929 (Dec 29) from leukemia (born Dec 4, 1875 in Prague). Here is another beautiful poem that reflects his sensitivity to light. (In talking about poetry, he says: “For verses are not as people imagine, simply feelings … they are experiences. For the sake of a single verse, one must see many cities, men and things, one must know the animals, one must feel how the birds fly and know the gesture with which little flowers open in the morning.”)
