Mars entered the sign of Virgo earlier this morning, 5th September 2017, at 2:35a PDT. After encouraging us to take action to express ourselves creatively and uniquely, Mars now encourages us to apply our creative self-expressions to practical acts of service.
Under Mars in Virgo, our actions are intended to serve in pragmatic and purposeful ways. Yet when we hear the word ‘serve’, we often interpret that as a call to be of service to others. We think we must bring solutions to their problems, or healing to their wounds, or apply effort to make things easier for them… and can be part of service.
But we rarely think of service as serving ourselves as well.
Service cannot be only about working for others. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have what we need in order to get through our day. Our service MUST serve us, too! If we are not well-resourced, if we aren’t physically healthy, and if our day-to-day lives are not functioning effectively or efficiently, we are not in a healthy position to serve or support others because we aren’t serving others as well as we could. Service isn’t serving if the quality of our own wellness, health, and integrity are compromised.
Therefore, under the 2017 Mars in Virgo, we get to take action in our own everyday lives to serve both others and ourselves. But first, we must also figure out what we need to do in order to make the activities of our everyday lives serve us as well as it serves others.
To start, let’s make a distinction between working and serving:
- Work is applying effort and energy to something in order to create progress or obtain resources.
- Service is applying effort and energy to contribute selflessly to another person or cause.
Under the influence of Mars in Virgo, you’ll need to do both. But which are you doing more of, and how can you make these next seven weeks more about serving than working?
That is a HUGE question for many right now as more people are realizing that they are doing a LOT of working and not so much serving. They may be giving a good deal of energy and effort to their jobs, but are their jobs truly contributing to something? Do they feel they are contributing to the functionality of others or to society as a whole in doing their work? Do they feel they are serving as well as working?
That is also why many people are leaving their jobs in order to find ways they can serve AND progress their own lifestyles through their service. They are seeking ways to serve others which also make them feel like they are contributing rather than just working.
Now that we’ve cleared that up, let’s shift focus to you. Do you have the health and resources you need in order for your life to function and give you a solid foundation for being of service?
- If you don’t have your health or the resources, what do you need? Which actions can you take in order to get what you need? Are you prepared to allow others to serve you and provide you with what you need so you can be of service?
- If you do have the health and/or resources, how can you put yourself and your resources to practical use in order to get your life functioning effectively, or to make it function better than it already does (more efficiently)? And are you in a position to truly serve others, or are you sacrificing your life’s functionality to be of service?
Keep in mind that none of this is about even exchange or “tit-for-tat”. It’s not saying that you should get back exactly what you put in… at least not directly. And that’s the thing – it may not be a direct reciprocation. In fact, serving others isn’t about what you get in return. It’s about what you get to experience by giving… and receiving.
In other words, service is an exercise in give-and-take. Serving others in ways which benefit them is great as long as you are allowing yourself to receive service from another or others in the ways you need. You need to figure out what would physically, materially, and/or financially serve you and your everyday life best, then make sure that when you are taking actions to serve others, you are positioning yourself in ways which give you access to the benefits which will assist you.
That said, there are two details to keep in mind when it comes to service:
- If it drains you financially, materially, and/or physically, it’s not a healthy expression of service.
- If it supports and benefits you financially, materially, and/or physically, it’s a healthy expression of service.
These details work both ways. It is YOUR responsibility to make sure you are serving in healthy ways. It is OTHERS’ responsibility to make sure they are serving in healthy ways. And it is the responsibility of both parties involved to serve and be served with respect, dignity, and compassion. Don’t take advantage of others just because they are willing to serve, yet don’t expect or feel entitled service from others just because they can. That’s when resentment creeps in and make service more of a chore than a contribution.
With all of that in mind, be healthy and productive in these next few weeks.
The 2017 Mars in Virgo makes two transits of note during the remainder of the 2017 Virgo Sun period:
- Virgo Mars trine Capricorn Juno, most exact on 10th September (3.38°) – How committed are you to your goals and ambitions? Are you ready to be in action to accomplish them? Taking steps in alignment with your goals makes progress.
- Virgo Mars conjunct Mercury, most exact on 16th September (7.27°) – Though within 3° conjunction orb today, these two bodies won’t officially conjunct for another 11 days. The fact the energy of this transit is present and building for the next 11 days reveals that there is time for trial-and-error here – what does aligning your actions with your thoughts and words really look like? How do you make that happen?
Mars will be in the sign of Virgo now through 22nd October.
Thank you for reading and sharing Signs and Numbers. Until next post…
~ Light, Love, & Blessings,
Grace
