New Moon in Virgo – Aug. 27, 2022, 08:17 UT
“If ‘manners maketh man’ as someone said
He’s the hero of the day
It takes a man to suffer ignorance and smile
Be yourself no matter what they say.”
– Sting, Englishman in New York
The New Moon in Virgo squares Mars in Gemini and opposes the trans-Neptunian Gonggong in Pisces. This aspect pattern is the t-square (two planets are opposite each other and form a square to a third). Mars is the apex of this pattern. Mars enables focused action. The opposition and square aspects create tension and friction. However, squares are dynamic aspects that create will. In mutable signs approaching the goal may not be as straightforward as in the other sign modes.
In Horoscope Symbols in the beginning of the Mars chapter Robert Hand writes: ”One does not merely exist; one must exist as something or someone in particular. And one must also be able to maintain one’s individuality in the face of pressures from the world and other members of society – pressures that threaten to violate one’s true nature or even survival itself.”
Sting (born Oct. 2, 1951) wrote his famous song Englishman in New York about Quentin Crisp. In some occasions he has said that the song is partly about himself and partly about Crisp. Both Sting and Crisp have a prominent Gonggong in their chart. Sting’s Gonggong in Aquarius is trine his Sun-Saturn conjunction in Libra, sextile his Jupiter-Eris conjunction in Aries, and semisextile his North node in Pisces.
Quentin Crisp (Dec. 25, 1908 – Nov. 21, 1999) was an English eccentric and gay icon who moved to New York in 1981. He was known for his fashion sense and wit. Crisp has said: ”Style is being yourself, but on purpose.” Crisp’s Gonggong is conjunct the Sun and Mercury in Capricorn, square Saturn in Aries, and semisextile Venus in Sagittarius.
Sting wrote in his memoir Broken Music: ”I want to do this on my own terms, I want to be singular, and if that means being marginalized, then so be it. I will become stronger, and even if no one else knows who I am, I shall know myself.”
225088 Gonggong is the fifth-largest known trans-Neptunian object in the solar system and a dwarf planet. It is a scattered disc object with an orbital period of 554 years. The orbit resembles that of Eris, but Gonggong is currently moving farther from the Sun (whereas Eris is approaching the Sun). Gonggong was discovered in 2007 and finally officially named in 2020 after a Chinese water god, known for creating chaos and destruction. Gonggong ends up being killed or sent into exile.
In 2019, the discoverers of the object hosted an online poll for the general public to choose between three possible names: Gonggong from Chinese mythology, Vili from Norse mythology, and Holle from German mythology. Gonggong was the winning name. It has been suspected that the majority of the votes for “Gonggong” came from a vote spamming bot. I woted for Vili, and in the light of these examples I am even more convinced that the astrological meaning of this object can be found rather from Norse mythology. The name Vili means “will”.
In Norse mythology Vili and Vé are the chief god Odin’s brothers, but according to the rune experts, the three actually represent the same entity. Freya Aswynn writes: ”Odin appears in a three-fold form, as Odin, Vili, and Ve. This threefold division represents the three aspects of Odin as warrior, shaman, and wanderer.”
Also Edred Thorsson describes the threefold structure of Odin in Runelore. According to him, Odin (master of inspiration) is the transformative force at the root of consciousness and enthusiasm. Vili (the will) is ”the conscious application of a desired plan consciously arrived at.” Ve (the sacred) is the spirit of separation in an independent sacred space. ”This separation between consciousness and ‘nature’ (that outside consciousness) must be effected before any transformations or ‘work’ can take place. All three are necessary; all three should work together as a whole,” writes Thorsson.
The New Moon is a time for fresh starts. Let’s strive for being ourselves, on purpose.