Mercury and Venus in Mutual Reception Bring the "Partnership Tune-up" Zone

Don't kiss any frogs during Venus in Virgo! (Unless it's a cute one like this.)

Photos: Willow

OK, busy beavers! Virgo season is in full swing, the time of year when we work to put everything in order, preparing - in the northern hemisphere at least - for the fall and winter ahead.

Virgo is associated with maintenance, work, projects, jobs, planning, and taking care of practical details that have fallen by the wayside. When the Sun moves into Virgo each year, we technically have another month of summer to enjoy, but with school starting, vacations ending, and the hot weather starting to cool, Virgo season brings a new seriousness and a practical, no-nonsense focus along with the chill in the air.

There's a lot to do, a lot to tune up, a lot to make orderly and functional - and we know it. If we let things slide now, we could be caught unprepared for the long, cold winter ahead - literal or figurative.

Virgo's ruling planet, messenger Mercury, has just entered Libra, the sign of relationship, beauty, and balance, for a transit that will last until September 27. Relationships and social themes are on people's minds, and thinking is geared more strongly to "we" than to "me." 

On September 5 (11:07 a.m. CST), Venus, the planet associated with love, beauty, money, and relationships, moves into crisp, clean Virgo for a transit that will last until September 29.

This means Mercury and Venus are in mutual reception from September 5 until September 27 with each planet transiting the sign ruled by the other.

So what does that mean?

It means that September 5 through 27 is a great time for relationship tune-ups of all kinds! We're applying the analytical and critiquing skills of Virgo to our relationships, determining areas that could use a little work, and we're also going over our own qualifications as "relationship partner" with a Virgoan fine-toothed comb.

September is a great month to hone in on the specific qualities we require in potential partners, friends, and business associates. It's also a good time to determine the qualities, habits, and lifestyles we simply cannot accept in the people around us.

With a strong Virgo influence, especially Venus in Virgo, we can be negatively affected by the habits and character weakness of the people we bring into our lives. Only the tightest of standards apply for potential candidates when Venus is transiting Virgo.

This month is a good time to "clean up" our relationships, setting things straight and setting things right, while actively addressing any problem areas.

But it's also a good time to determine how we stack up on the partnership front.

There is a lot of focus these days on "getting the type of partner and relationship you want," but there must be an equal amount of focus on being the type of partner we truly wish to be, and this is especially the case when Venus is transiting Virgo. 

Virgo is a sign associated with the quest for perfection, particularly the perfection of self through plain, old hard work and service. 

Relationship planet Venus transiting Virgo, as it will be September 5 to 29, has an associated theme of hard work and personal development in order to be the best possible partner we can be within the best possible relationships.

So already-existing relationships get a tune-up September 5 - 29, but we are also looking at areas that we could strengthen and improve personally in order to be better partners or to attract better partnerships.

Virgo is quite a no-nonsense sign, and it is generally very active and hard-working. It wants to identify a problem and then work to fix that problem as soon as possible.

So you could spend this transit of Venus in Virgo whinging and moaning about your faulty relationship or your chronic lonely-hearted single status. (This will be a particular temptation as Venus opposes wounded healer Chiron Rx in Pisces September 16 - 18.) But a far better use of this time is to actively work toward any improvements that are within your power, as well as fuller health and function, in general, whether in a relationship or out.

Are you moping around, letting your interests and life languish, as you wait for someone to notice you? Are you slacking off on hygiene, nutrition, or exercise because you think there's no one around to impress? Are you indulging in bad habits (including self-pity parties) because you figure, what's the point anymore?

That ain't the move.

There are some simple and specific things we can do to improve our partnership potential this September. These involve cleanliness, organization, and improved maintenance of body, home, and vehicle, trimming all fat. They involve improvements to mental health and overall perspective and outlook (again, Virgo is ruled by Mercury, the planet associated with the mind). This also involves getting away from a detrimental focus on our own personal problems (including relationship problems or being single), and one of the best ways to do that is by helping others.

What could be more attractive than someone who is helpful to others? Not much when Venus is transiting Virgo.

Now is the time to spruce things up and to make sure you are proud of yourself in every way as a potential partner. Pick up some new skills or hone existing skills that would make you even better.

The search for love and the search for improved relationships of all kinds is active this September. Limit your moping, and hold off on the self-pity parties, especially under the Chiron in Pisces influence.

Work hard and kick butt under this Mercury-Venus mutual reception, and all you practical, no-nonsense lovers out there will find yourselves in better position as the month comes to a close.