lunations in virgo-pisces & the architecture of an illusion (with horoscopes for the rising signs)

LUNAR ECLIPSE RECAP

I didn’t quite get this article out in time for the second eclipse of the season, but since eclipses are often felt over the course of six months, we’re not late to the conversation. There's plenty of time to integrate whatever was unearthed in the month of August. 

While the Solar eclipse in Leo (Aug 12) was the first eclipse in its sign, Pisces has been eclipsed once a year since September 2024. This was the third and final eclipse in this sign for quite some time and it likely clarified what this whole cycle has been about. 

The Lunar eclipse in Pisces always occurs during Virgo season, and with the South Node in Virgo transit that we’ve just emerged from too, we’ve dealt with these signs within the context of their shared axis: Virgo maintains the illusion of Pisces. 

The Mercury cazimi in Virgo opposing this eclipse made it very clear that illusions are something that are manufactured. Someone has to keep the lie alive and the Virgo part of our chart is fully equipped to do that. Not always on purpose, but by unintentionally making it easier for others who are careless, unconscious, or without capacity. 

Walk with me:

There’s this trope of type A-controlling-wife married to dreamy-easy-breezy-husband that I think articulates this well. The wife does all of the unseen emotional and physical labor to support her family. She takes care of her husband as if he were another one of her children, reminding him, creating the infrastructure of the illusion that he is an involved family man. This is Virgoan functionality sustaining a Piscean fantasy.

As if he were not capable of taking action, she ultimately manufactures his relationship to his own children, mother, friends, and responsibilities, all through the power of suggestion. He often lets her, either consciously or not, because well, how convenient it is to offload duty to someone who is already conditioned to over-function. 

I think it’s interesting, throughout the year we’ve been exploring Saturn-Neptune in Aries on the newsletter, framing this transit as a call to uncover where we have been over active or under active in our lives. Saturn-Neptune has been dissolving the illusions that uphold a life that is too fast or, alternatively, stuck without any movement at all. Since early 2025, it’s been forcing us to confront our relationship to self, movement, and initiative. 

You’ll find through the study of astrology that multiple planets align to emphasize a similar lesson. The nuance is that the eclipses on the Virgo-Pisces axis represent all of the mundane ways that we over function, fix, control, or alternatively, avoid, lie, and abandon. These are the circumstances in which the Saturn in Aries lesson is created in the first place. Planets in Virgo-Pisces have shown us the behaviors and systems that sustain the problem, while Saturn in Aries asks what happens when we finally have to take responsibility for changing it.

So while we may not personally be in this underactive-husband/overactive-wife dynamic, it is likely that this eclipse exposed, unexpectedly, some other hidden area that holds this motif. With Uranus in Gemini squaring this eclipse, we may have been surprised by a rupture in continuity, character, or with some sort of switch-up, interrupting the flow just long enough to show us where we’re still repeating these same patterns that we’ve been exploring since 2024. 

Where are you still over or under functioning? Is it possible to allow others (or life itself) to meet you halfway? Is there a truth about yourself or others that you may be avoiding? 

Ultimately, we cannot put all of the blame on the avoidant husband when he hasn’t had the  chance to show us what he’s really capable of. The overactive wife has to find a way to allow him to show up, probably imperfectly, but that’s better than living in the lie that he is perfectly involved.

We are usually gripping and controlling the most when we are trying to avoid some truth, and this is where the husband and wife are more alike than they initially appear: avoidance is actually a trait that they share. One avoids responsibility by under-functioning; the other avoids uncertainty by over-functioning. They are not opposites. They are participating in the same avoidance from opposite ends of the axis. The martyr is never as innocent as they perform to be.

This is where the analogy gets more uncomfortable. The wife isn't merely enabling the husband– she is also maintaining a story about herself as the one who has to do everything. If she stopped anticipating his needs, stopped reminding him, stopped building the infrastructure around him, she would have to find out what happens when she is no longer indispensable. Maybe he steps up. Maybe he doesn't. But either way, she has to relinquish control over the outcome. The illusion might also be that she is trapped doing everything because nobody else is capable.

Over the last two years, we’ve been shedding illusions in this sector of the chart. The nodal transit through Pisces was entangled with Saturn and Neptune’s approach to their Aries conjunction; although they didn’t meet exactly until 0º Aries, they had been within range and building toward that conjunction since 2023, doing much of the preparatory work of the conjunction while still in Pisces. 

The Nodes conjoined both Saturn and Neptune in Pisces February-April of 2025, making it difficult to separate the overall Pisces eclipse story from what Saturn and Neptune were already dissolving, restructuring, and exposing there.

The current Lunar eclipse in Pisces followed the Solar eclipse in Leo and was also ruled by Jupiter in Leo. This changes the subtext of the most recent lunation considerably, because now the Pisces eclipse isn't just exposing the illusions we manufacture for functionality; it’s exposing the stories we perform about who we are.

Leo performs for all kinds of reasons, but especially to feel accepted, appreciated, or to receive some kind of recognition. Performance conveys a story, but not every story is authentic. 

Leo doesn’t always come with the innate understanding that rejection or failure is part of its own creative process and part of success itself. This is one of the discoveries Leo has to make throughout its Solar trials, so if you bravely faced rejection or broke the fourth wall of your own performance at the time of the eclipse, know that this is exactly the path to success. 

It’s interesting because Pisces and Leo form an inconjunction to each other (they are 150º apart) this kind of aspect can make signs feel out of sync with each other; they share an awkwardness that requires significant adjustment. Yet, somehow, they both deal with this idea of performance. 

No one loves film or theatre more than a Pisces or Leo. Pisces might want to escape, merge, or transcend itself through performance, while Leo wants to express, define, or be witnessed as itself. In that sense, they are performing in opposite directions: Pisces uses performance to dissolve the self, while Leo uses it to make the self more visible.

This eclipse cycle is now setting us on a path to consider the illusions we perform, why, and what happens when we exit the spotlight and step into the light of day. Then we’d have to be who we actually are outside of our various tropes.

NEW MOON IN VIRGO

For nearly three years, we’ve experienced Virgo season through opposition to Saturn and Neptune in Pisces. Now, for the first time, we’re beginning to experience Virgo season from the other side of their journey, as Saturn and Neptune hold their ground in Aries and the planets in Libra begin to oppose them– namely, Mercury in Libra, the ruler of this New Moon.

The difference is subtle, but important. The Pisces version of this story was largely about what we were doing to maintain an illusion: what we were fixing, carrying, avoiding, or quietly keeping alive. Aries asks a different question. What happens when we stop maintaining and start initiating? What are we responsible for creating ourselves, and what actually needs to be co-created with others? What does it take to start something new?

Mercury opposing Neptune brings uncertainty to this New Moon, especially as we try to determine what is real, what is projection, and what still needs clarification. But Mercury will go on to oppose Saturn on September 18, bringing us face to face with another kind of pressure: uncertainty that does not necessarily excuse us from responsibility.

This is the uncomfortable balance we’re learning now. We cannot always wait for perfect clarity before we act, but we also don’t need to manufacture certainty just to feel like we’re doing something. Sometimes we have to move forward without knowing exactly where we’re going, while still taking responsibility for where we choose to go.

As the planets begin moving into Libra, the question becomes less about who is holding up the infrastructure of the illusion and more about where our responsibility ends and another’s begins. Independence has to be negotiated with relationship. We may have to do what is right for ourselves while still contending with questions of fairness, reciprocity, values, and what we owe to one another. There is a difference between doing what is right for you and doing whatever you want.

Mercury’s eventual opposition to Saturn brings us back to a sequence we saw last month, when Venus in Libra opposed Neptune on August 10 and Saturn on August 21. 

Mercury will now make the same journey opposing Neptune on September 12 and Saturn on September 18.

Followed by the Sun in Libra opposing Neptune on September 25 (right before the Full Moon in Aries) and Saturn on October 4. 

The story is shifting from maintaining what already exists to deciding what we are willing to build, negotiate, and what we are no longer willing to carry alone.

We aren’t done with Virgo yet, but the nature of the question is beginning to change. The core tension is no longer simply illusion versus reality. It’s independence versus interdependence: what do I need to do for myself, what do we need to work on together, and where do I need to stop taking responsibility for something that was never mine to begin with? It’s also generally the understanding that we do need and desire connection in our lives but we have to make the room for it.

Look back to what came up for you in August to understand what is being repeated here. Instead of what we value being challenged by the planets in Aries, now it’s our perspective, and this will directly affect how we communicate and articulate ourselves to others. This is something that Virgo relies on in order to function as a Mercurial sign. 

HOROSCOPES FOR THE RISING SIGNS

Aries rising:

The Pisces eclipse in your 12H is the final eclipse in a three-year sequence that has been exposing illusions around what you could keep carrying privately. This may be the culmination of a long realization about the emotional, psychological, or invisible labor that has quietly consumed your energy. Uranus in your 3H may have delivered the final disruption through a conversation, realization, piece of information, or sudden change in your daily environment. Now the Virgo New Moon in your 6H asks what actually needs to change in the systems that govern your everyday life. With Mercury in your 7H opposing Neptune in your 1H, you’re learning that being independent doesn’t mean doing everything yourself, or assuming you already know what someone else needs. Let people show you who they are.

Taurus rising:

The Pisces eclipse in your 11H is the final eclipse in a three-year sequence that has been exposing illusions around friendship, community, and the future you thought you were building with other people. Something may have finally clarified about who actually belongs in your future and what you were maintaining simply because you had already invested in it. Uranus in your 2H can make the disruption especially personal, changing your values, finances, or sense of self-sufficiency faster than the people around you could keep up with. The Virgo New Moon in your 5H brings you back to creation, pleasure, and what you actually want to make for yourself. With Mercury in your 6H opposing Neptune in your 12H, be careful not to turn being useful into an identity. You don't have to earn your place in someone's life by constantly making yourself indispensable.

Gemini rising:

The Pisces eclipse in your 10H is the final eclipse in a three-year sequence that has been cracking illusions around your career, reputation, or the role you've been performing publicly. Something may have finally become impossible to keep pretending about, especially as Uranus in your 1H continues to disrupt your sense of identity. You are changing, and some of the structures built around an older version of you may no longer make sense. The Virgo New Moon in your 4H asks you to rebuild from the inside out. With Mercury in your 5H opposing Neptune in your 11H, the question isn't simply what you want to create, it’s who you are creating it for. Your vision has to belong to you before it can belong to the audience.

Cancer rising:

The Pisces eclipse in your 9H is the final eclipse in a three-year sequence that has been shattering illusions around what you believe, where you're going, or the worldview you've been using to make sense of your life. Uranus in your 12H can make these revelations feel strangely internal, as if something you've been unconsciously carrying suddenly became impossible to ignore. The Virgo New Moon in your 3H asks you to put language around what you've learned. But Mercury in your 4H opposing Neptune in your 10H complicates the story. Private truth and public identity may not agree yet. You don't need to manufacture certainty. You just need to become more honest about what is actually yours to say.

Leo rising:

The Pisces eclipse in your 8H is the final eclipse in a three-year sequence that has been exposing illusions around trust, obligation, shared resources, and the invisible contracts holding a relationship together. Uranus in your 11H could have delivered the revelation through a friend, community, or unexpected shift in your future plans. The Virgo New Moon in your 2H brings the question back to your own values, money, and self-worth: what is actually yours? With Mercury in your 3H opposing Neptune in your 9H, you may discover that your perspective needs to change before your circumstances can. Don't confuse someone else's beliefs about you with the truth of who you are as long as your actions reflect who you really are.

Virgo rising:

The Pisces eclipse in your 7H is the final eclipse in a three-year sequence that has been exposing illusions around relationships, partnerships, and the role you've been playing in someone else's life. You may finally be seeing what has been sustained through your own over-functioning, especially where maintaining harmony has required you to compensate for someone else's lack of participation. Uranus in your 10H can make this impossible to keep private, especially if your public identity or career is also changing. The Virgo New Moon in your 1H is your reset: not “how do I fix this?” but “who am I when I stop managing everyone else's experience?” With Mercury in your 2H opposing Neptune in your 8H, get very clear about what you value, what you owe, and what was never yours to carry.

Libra rising:

The Pisces eclipse in your 6H is the final eclipse in a three-year sequence that has been exposing illusions around your routines, responsibilities, workload, and the systems you've built to keep everything functioning. Something may have finally made it obvious where you have been over-functioning, or where avoidance has created more work later. Uranus in your 9H may have interrupted the philosophy you've been using to justify it all. The Virgo New Moon in your 12H asks you to make space for what cannot be solved through productivity. Mercury in your 1H opposing Neptune in your 7H brings the relationship question directly to you: where does your responsibility end and someone else's begin? You can care without taking over.

Scorpio rising:

The Pisces eclipse in your 5H is the final eclipse in a three-year sequence that has been shattering illusions around creativity, pleasure, romance, and the role you've been performing in order to feel appreciated. Uranus in your 8H may have exposed the deeper exchange underneath it: who is giving, who is receiving, and what are you actually getting back? The Virgo New Moon in your 11H asks you to reconsider the communities and future you're building toward. With Mercury in your 12H opposing Neptune in your 6H, not everything needs to be immediately explained or fixed. Some patterns become obvious only when you stop participating in them.

Sagittarius rising:

The Pisces eclipse in your 4H is the final eclipse in a three-year sequence that has been shattering illusions around home, family, belonging, and the private foundation that holds your life. Uranus in your 7H could have brought the disruption through another person, a partner, collaborator, or relationship that suddenly refused to follow the script. The Virgo New Moon in your 10H asks what you're actually building publicly now. But Mercury in your 11H opposing Neptune in your 5H reminds you that not every dream needs an audience, and not every audience deserves access to the dream. Your future is allowed to become more specific.

Capricorn rising:

The Pisces eclipse in your 3H is the final eclipse in a three-year sequence that has been exposing illusions around communication, information, your immediate environment, or the story you've been telling yourself about what is possible. Uranus in your 6H may have delivered the disruption through work, routines, or the practical details of everyday life. The Virgo New Moon in your 9H asks you to build a more coherent worldview from what you've learned. Mercury in your 10H opposing Neptune in your 4H brings a tension between public responsibility and private reality. You don't have to maintain an image that your actual life can no longer support.

Aquarius rising:

The Pisces eclipse in your 2H is the final eclipse in a three-year sequence that has been shattering illusions around money, self-worth, possessions, and what you believed you needed in order to feel secure. Uranus in your 5H could have delivered the revelation through creativity, pleasure, or something you unexpectedly wanted for yourself. The Virgo New Moon in your 8H asks you to get more honest about what is shared: resources, obligations, expectations, and emotional labor. Mercury in your 9H opposing Neptune in your 3H says your perspective is changing, but you don't need to immediately turn that realization into a doctrine. Let the truth get more precise before you build your life around it.

Pisces rising:

The Pisces eclipse in your 1H is the final eclipse in a three-year sequence that has been shattering illusions about who you are, or who you thought you had to be in order to maintain the relationships and structures around you. Uranus in your 4H can make this especially obvious through home, family, or your private life. Something has changed at the foundation, and you cannot keep presenting yourself as the same person. The Virgo New Moon in your 7H asks what kind of relationships can actually meet the person you're becoming. With Mercury in your 8H opposing Neptune in your 2H, get honest about the difference between mutuality and obligation. There is a difference between sharing responsibility and absorbing someone else's.