Last night was the Virgo New Moon. Did you feel it? I certainly did. But, then, it makes total sense that I would feel it with both my moon and my ascendant in Virgo.
Now, I suspect at least some of you are thinking that it must be tough having so much strong Virgo playing contrast to my Aries Sun. And, well, that can be true sometimes. But! I feel like Virgo gets an unfairly bad rap a lot of the time. This is especially true when compared against the fiery maverick spirit of Aries, or the show-stopping scene-stealing charisma of Leo, or even the mysterious intensity of Scorpio.
I, personally, love Virgo. (Yeah, okay, I'm biased by Her presence in my chart, but stay with me here ... I think I can make a pretty solid case for Her magick.) For starters, most of us know that Virgo is organized. It's been said that god is in the details, and, if that's true, then Virgo is D-I-V-I-N-E. No detail goes overlooked when Virgo is in the house. Loose ends are tied, T's are crossed, I's are dotted. She is very practical. Like Janet Jackson, She's in control. And, yes, Virgo is a whiz with lists. Pros, cons, to-do, honey-do, guest, wish, holiday, you name it! Virgo is queen of the lists! She is the ultimate planner, organizer, manager. Virgo speaks in systems. She is all efficiency. And, okay, efficiency isn't always sexy, but trying getting things done without it.
So, all of this is Virgo. But, there's more to Virgo than just lists and systems and details.
Virgo, at Her heart, is about SERVICE. She is your best wing-woman, as Her natural role is a supporting one (leaving the starring roles to Leos and other showier signs). Virgo is a collaborator, and, as such, she loves helping others to become the best they can be. She's not overly concerned with ego like some of the other signs. She is a total team player. (NOTE: This doesn't make Virgo better or worse than any of the other signs ... it's just that Her power is strongest when bolstering others rather than Herself.)
Virgo season is an ideal time to implement some service strategies. These can be about finding ways to be of service to family and friends, to the community (local or global), or to Self. Health and wellness are also Virgo's domain, so Self-Service is totally aligned with this season's magick.
The New Moon in Virgo can be a really powerful time to initiate some new opportunities to support your Self, your village, your country, your world. New Moons are all about new beginnings, and with the power of Virgo surging through this one, whatever seeds you plant will be aided by a thorough and practical guide that lays out how best to nurture them to maturation. Below is a ritual you can enact to harness some of this Virgo New Moon magick for your own benefit!
VIRGO NEW MOON RITUAL:
What To Have:
palo santo or smudge stick
3 candles (earth-colored candles are preferred ... I really like a deep golden ochre to represent the end of the summer season)
fire (to light the candles + palo santo)
3 sunflower seeds (preferably picked straight from a sunflower)
something to write on and with (optional)
What To Do:
Find a safe, comfortable place where you can be uninterrupted for the duration of your ritual. Cast a sacred circle by first smudging the area, then calling in your elementals, your guides, your totem animals, or whatever it is that you do to create a sacred space.
Take a moment to reflect on your life and your place in it. Then take a moment to reflect on the larger world and your place in it. Allow your thoughts to naturally sink from the big picture overview down to the finer details of the effect you have on your life and the lives of those around you. If at all possible, avoid placing any negative value judgments on yourself here, just observe.
Ask yourself, where in your own life can you be of service to your Self? Do you need to up your Self-Care routine with some massage, hydrotherapy, yoga, or the like? Would setting aside some time for the express purpose of having FUN - free of obligation or responsibility - be more beneficial for you? Could you benefit from a little creative expression such as a dance session or a painting tutorial or piano recital? Choose something that feels completely authentic and in alignment with your own individual needs and desires and commit to adding this Self Service into your life during this moon cycle. As you make your commitment, speak it aloud - as a promise to your Self - and light one of the candles.
Now, ask yourself what you might be able to do to be of service to your friends/family? Does your mom need help walking her dog? Is there a friend going through a difficult time who could benefit from a supportive listener? Does your elderly neighbor need help weeding her garden? Find a way - that feels both good and doable - to be of service to your friends/family, and commit to doing it during this moon cycle. As you make your commitment, speak it aloud - as a promise to your family/friends - and light another of the candles.
Next, consider how you can parley your unique gifts into an opportunity for serving the world community. Do you have a particular talent that you could offer for free during a charity event or even an open mic night? Would you feel good making a monetary donation to a trusted organization that does work that aligns with your values for making the world a better place? Maybe you could practice several small random acts of kindness every day, such as changing an empty toilet paper roll in the restaurant where your having dinner, or leaving some fresh flowers on the porch of a complete stranger, or tying a kind note with a gift card to your favorite online shop to a balloon and releasing it to find an unsuspecting recipient as it deflates. The possibilities are endless. Whatever you choose, make sure it's something that, again, feels good to you, and is something you can actually do. Then commit to doing it during this moon cycle. As you make your commitment, speak it aloud - as a promise to your world community - and light the last candle.
Now, you are sitting in your sacred circle, bathing in the warmth of these three candles that are washing you in the glow of their light as well as the glow of your commitments to Self, family/friends, and world community. It feels pretty good, I imagine. But there are still three sunflower seeds left on your altar. Here's what we're going to do with them ...
In honor of Virgo's practical and efficient nature, you are going to make some detailed plans. Pick up one of the seeds. As you are holding it, make a concrete plan as to how and when you are going to do the thing(s) you committed to doing for your Self. Make checklists, set dates, get specific about what it is exactly that you are going to do. [Feel free to write this down for even more Virgo magick.] Once you are clear on your strategy for successful implementation, repeat your commitment aloud with the details of how and when you'll execute it, run the seed through the flame of the first candle to imbue it with the fire of action and motivation. Repeat this step with the remaining seeds in correspondence with your commitment to friends/family and the world community, respectively.
Finally, thank your elementals/guides/totem animals/whomever for joining you in your ritual, and open your circle. Take the three sunflower seeds outside and throw them into the wind to be scattered out into the world where they can energetically root your commitments into the earth.
All that's left is for you to honor your commitments and get out there and be of service. May the magick of the Virgo New Moon be with you! xoxo