Significant objects and points have been filing into Virgo this past week — all in preparation for the Virgo New Moon on Friday. This Virgo lineup would already carry a strong message of integration, on its own.

Photo by Amanda Painter.

But at the time of the New Moon, these objects will all be opposite Neptune (and Nessus) in Pisces, which brings in a related theme: dependency (such as on substances) and co-dependency (in relationships).

We have a significant — though largely unspoken — issue with alcohol in Western culture, and particularly in the U.S. Consider how much socializing centers on so-called happy hours at bars.

The whole “rosé all day” catchphrase that’s become a lifestyle trend; how dependent college hookup culture is on substance use (in place of actual dating and vulnerability) and the ways it complicates consent; previously somber major holidays becoming excuses for drinking beer all day.

And so on. I’m not even a teetotaler — I enjoy a drink here or there. But I’m acutely aware of how many craft breweries, artisanal distilleries and related businesses have turned my town — and especially my neighborhood — into more than just a foodie destination. We have booze tourism on a scale I did not see just several years ago. When I meet someone who questions these social patterns or opts out entirely, it’s noticeable for its unusualness.

Yet what really intrigues me right now is the way that smartphones and social media have seemingly emerged as ‘the new booze’ — though not in replacement of it. More as an adjunct, or as yet another layer of removal from real connection: to one’s inner reality, and to that of other people.

In a 2016 YouTube video, motivational speaker and organizational consultant Simon Sinek outlines the ways that our current digital media offers the same dopamine hits that alcohol and gambling do: we get a little hormonal rush of feel-good chemicals with each text, “like,” notification, follower, and so on, through social media and our little pocket computers. Dopamine is released when we achieve goals; it’s also released when we experience instant gratification.

Individuals in the fog; photo by Amanda Painter.

Cocaine, alcohol, nicotine — these things all send dopamine surging into our systems.

Turns out we experience the same instant gratification — and little bursts of dopamine — when we see a text reply, or get comments on a post. We all just want to know that others like us and value us, and these notifications appear to offer evidence of that.

Sinek, in his video, speaks about this specifically in terms of how the Millennial generation has grown up with technology in the U.S., and how the technology is part of a puzzle that has contributed to difficulties in forming meaningful relationships, in finding the patience and resiliency to grow into fulfilling careers, and in handling stress. Here’s the thing: it’s not just happening to Millennials. Everyone using this technology is experiencing some degree of dopamine addiction or dependency these days.

I’d say it’s virtually impossible not to. I still don’t have a smartphone, but I’m aware of how alluring — and maddening and numbing — Facebook is in my life, and how it’s changed my behavior. I hate how easy it is for me to get a little dependent on scrolling through my feed; checking “likes” on my posts; checking the notifications for comments on threads.

I hardly ever call people out of the blue anymore to make plans, and even email is almost passé for event invitations. So many of my interactions are mediated by social media — and I’m actively involved in such in-person, collaborative, physically social activities as theater and dance. What about people who aren’t?

Full chart for the Virgo New Moon. On the left, you can see the Virgo cluster; on the right, straddling the bold horizontal line, are Neptune, Black Moon Lilith and Nessus (top to bottom). Ceres in Sagittarius, at the bottom, is square the New Moon; Uranus in Taurus (upper right) is exactly trine the New Moon, offering some impetus for self-discovery. View glyph key here.

Arguably, the main difference between young people growing up with digital technology and older generations is that those who pre-date Millennials at least have some memory of how life functioned previously.

More importantly, we may retain some of the psychic and social muscles that we previously used more vigorously in navigating stress — whether that be stress created by crisis or fear, or the kind generated by pursuing a goal or desire. But they may be atrophying.

Are you still willing to exercise those muscles? Are you willing to endure the mental discomfort that can accompany facing yourself (much less facing others) without constant little dopamine bursts from social media — or from alcohol?

What does it mean to choose actively the processes of inner integration suggested by this week’s Virgo-heavy astrology in the face of Neptune (illusion, substance dependency), and in the context of our Eris-in-Aries era of identity fragmentation?

When the Sun and Moon finally make their conjunction at 6:37 am EDT (10:37:01 UTC) this Friday, these are the objects and points that will occupy the first 12 degrees of Virgo: Mercury, Transpluto (a hypothetical point), asteroid Juno, the Sun and Moon, Mars and Venus. That’s not even including some other minor objects that are helping to color in this picture. Yet we still get symbols of mind, consciousness, the unconscious, and three different signifiers of relationship dynamics in that cluster.

Over the course of this week, you might ask yourself what roles dependency (whether on technology, substances, or something else), or co-dependency (a relationship where one person enables another person’s addiction, poor mental health, immaturity, irresponsibility or under-achievement — maybe mutually) have in your life. How well do you see your own wholeness, or even just your various facets?