March 14: Virgo Full Moon
By my intimacy with nature I find myself withdrawn from man. My interest in the sun and the moon, in the morning and the evening, compels me to solitude.
—Henry David Thoreau Journal, 26 July 1851
The Full Moon at 23°57 Virgo on 2:54AM ET on March 14, is an eclipse that initiates us into the wisdom of the Hermit. Virgo encourages us to arrange our lives in an orderly manner, but we need time, space, and calm to think intelligently. The tarot Major IX Hermit correlates with Virgo as our best plans require solitude, dedication, and focus. Anyone who has gone on a spiritual or creative retreat can attest to the benefits of the Hermit and the goodness that comes from it.
The Hermit teaches Saturnian virtues of contemplation and inward focus that are especially activated this lunation due to the Sun-Saturn conjunction at 22°06 Pisces on March 12. Saturn is the oath keeper who empowers promises with the resolution of endurance through the hard times. The Hermit is an outsider that invites us to consider who's being excluded or persecuted, especially for religious or philosophical differences. We may wish to dedicate ourselves to a spiritual practice or commit to a sacred vow for the betterment of humanity.
Mercury is the planet of meticulous details and transporting commerce, but life gets turned upside down for three weeks when Mercury turns retrograde at 09°36 Aries at 2:46AM ET on March 15; indicating we are reconsidering something very deeply connected between the Virgo and Aries area of life.
It's easy to get overwhelmed during Pisces season when the barrier between us and other beings is more diffuse. The sensitivity of Pisces bridges us into the heart of compassion and universal Oneness, but you may also feel more anxious or discouraged due to the enormity of the world's suffering. The Hermit encourages us to withdraw when necessary to understand how to navigate one of the most intense and chaotic months of the year when eclipse season falls during a Venus retrograde and a Mercury retrograde in Aries (!!!).
Life is throwing so much unpredictable energy at us, and some of it is good, but its still destabilizing. Eclipses in Pisces season can feel like never ending swells on the ocean going up and down. It's important to call for help if you fall off your surfboard and start to feel like you're going under. Let friends know you might need them to throw you a life preserver to stay afloat from now until mid-April.
Acts of service are Virgo's love language; the simple gifts of organization and functionality. A child who walks into the teacher's perfectly arranged classroom in the morning doesn't comprehend the hours it took to create the effect, but they benefit from the effort. There is a sense of pleasure at the symmetry and care it took to perfectly arrange each packet of paper at the individual students desks. Each will create something different and the teacher facilitates their learning through her systems and processes. This attention to detail creates a sense of safety that no one will be overlooked and everyone has something to contribute.
The Mercury retrograde cycle from March 15-April 7, mirrors the Venus retrograde in Aries-Pisces. Pay special attention to what transpires around the Venus and Mercury cazimi on March 22 and 24, when these planets meet with the Sun and receive a divine download of truth about love, relationships, communication, and getting what we deserve. For more about the Venus retrograde, see this previous post.
Mercury in Aries can cause angry responses. People may have a hard time holding their tongue or dispense with decorum and be straight up rude. Notice if rage sparks at the usual retrograde challenges of having your computer completely wiped out (it happened to me!), packages getting lost, travel delayed, or plans falling apart. Aries inspires our ability to take on life's challenges, but we may still be dealing with internal barriers due to Mars being in Cancer until April 18.
The Hermit is the collective card for 2025. Tarot is a guide through life's journey and each year numerologically corresponds to a different Major Arcana card: 2025 is IX The Hermit (2+2+5=9). The old man with a lantern on The Hermit card was inspired by the ancient Greek philosopher, Diogenes the Cynic. He was the founder of cynicism, which was more about telling the unpopular truth and going against the grain, than the endless critique as it is now associated.
Diogenes was so disgusted with corruption and greed that he renounced the wealth he was born into, and adopted an ascetic lifestyle, living amongst the dogs in the street. He carried a lit lantern during the day, and when people asked why, he would say, "I am looking for an honest man." The implication was that most people were not willing to be honest and risk being outcasts for standing on principle. The final eclipse in Aries on March 29, will highlight the need to be brave and speak our truth in the face of unpopular opinion.
This Full Moon is the first eclipse along the Virgo axis and initiates us into an unfolding that will not conclude until February 2027. Pay attention to what you are shown about this part of your life and know that this illumination is but the beginning. We need to get our house in order, but first we are being shown the enormous mess hiding beneath the bed. Don't try to tackle it all at once, but take it bit by bit, and if you start to despair, take solace in nature. The trees, stars, Moon, and Sun are always there if you allow yourself a moment to pause and notice.