MONTHLY OVERVIEW:
It’s your time to shine. The Sun is in Virgo, renewing your energy and setting your dials to a new direction. While the September 18th Virgo new moon officially marks your personal new year, use the days leading up to sort out your priorities and focus on what really turns you on.

Your ruler Mercury goes retrograde (backward) from the 8th-28th, stealing a little of the ease from this cycle—especially after the 18th when it reverses into Virgo. Use the time to clear the decks. You’ve picked up bad habits and other baggage in the past year, and Mercury retrograde helps you consciously shed that. You’ll want a clean canvas next month especially. When tough Saturn leaves Virgo on October 29th, a challenging three-year cycle ends for good. Stalled or back-burnered projects will finally move forward then.

LOVE & ROMANCE:
One of the year’s most romantic times arrives with the holiday weekend. On September 4th, the Pisces full moon illuminates your seventh house of relationships. In the lunar light, you can see your partner in clear relief, with a refreshing perspective. Extend an olive branch and generous understanding. Single Virgos can clear blocks around love, or even meet someone special. With unpredictable Uranus in Pisces, sudden changes are possible. You or someone else may act impulsively—either rashly cutting things off or booking tickets to a Vegas chapel to get hitched by an Elvis impersonator. So much for careful planning!

With romantic Venus in Leo, your twelfth house of fantasy, you may not be thinking so clearly for the first three weeks of September. Your natural desire to help may go into overdrive, and you could attract a “user-friendly” type who sucks away your resources. Don’t fancy yourself a modern day Richard Gere in Pretty Woman, saving a troubled soul from him- or herself. While the allure of all that control is attractive, a Pygmalion project will go awry fast. Avoid the co-dependent escape from your own life.

You’ve got bigger lessons to learn, anyway. On the 10th, transformational Pluto ends a five-month retrograde in Capricorn, your romance sector. Pluto is cycling through here until 2024, slowly but surely shifting your entire attitude toward love. It’s time to connect with and follow your own soul’s desires, instead of making everyone else’s dreams come true. When Venus enters Virgo on the 21st, you get to be the star of your relationships for once. All that attention might be uncomfortable, but you’re ready for the change—whether you know it or not.

MONEY & CAREER:
Schedule your quarterly budget review, Virgo. When Mercury goes retrograde in Libra, your money sector, from the 8th-18th, take a close look at your financial habits. Are you happy with your job, fulfilled by your work and earning what you’re worth? It’s time to ask yourself the hard questions. You might even book a discussion about salary and performance with your company, just to make sure everything’s on track and job security really exists, especially in this age of cutbacks. When the Sun moves into Libra on the 22nd, you could field new opportunities, so keep an open mind. The picture isn’t nearly as bleak as you think.

With energetic Mars in Cancer, your eleventh house of groups and technology, you can accomplish a lot by prospecting within your existing circles. Make use of social networks, take friends to coffee, and spread the word about your ambitions. Referrals and word of mouth are some of the best channels between now and mid-October. A Labor Day barbecue could lead to a great connection, so prepare a party-friendly “elevator speech” about what you do and follow up right after the holiday.

HEALTH & FITNESS:
Jupiter and Neptune are still retrograde in your fitness sector for another 6-8 weeks, making it harder to muster the motivation for workouts. You started the year on such a health kick, but the summer stars made it harder to maintain Or, even as you worked out fiendishly, you may have hit a plateau in your results. C’est la vie, Virgo. Don’t get discouraged. With Venus in Leo until the 20th, you may need to let go of some emotional “weight” that’s making you feel sluggish or heavy. Try a cleanse, detox or a more spiritual path to release impurities from your energetic field and digestive system (a Virgo-ruled area). It’s more about how you feel than how you look.

Don’t get caught up in the vanity trap, especially when Venus moves into Virgo on the 21st. Your perfectionism could steer you into body obsession, an unhealthy mindset you should avoid. If you need more motivation, turn to friends and online support groups. With Mars in Cancer until October 16th, teaming up with others who share your goals will make a big difference. You may also want to train for a cause, so check out marathons or walks that raise money for an issue close to your heart.

Lucky Days: September 9, 17
Money Days: September 3, 20
Love Days: September 1, 27
Off Days: September 9, 16