The cycle of the Moon, every 29.5 days, is a wonderfully regular pointer towards the changing rhythms of our lives and inner world of feelings and motivation. This month’s New Moon, at 02.40BST on Friday 15 September is at 21 Virgo, the earth sign of health, habits, work, and service. It brings focus to refining and improving our regular behind-the scenes habits and rituals that lead to wellbeing and a smooth daily flow. Particularly in the routine and working aspects of our lives. It’s about noticing the little things that have potentially big outcomes.
Earthy Virgo is traditionally seen as the archetype of the nurse, the one who’s focused on the improvement of her patient through caring rituals that support the body’s healing process. In our own lives Virgo upholds the daily habits of diet, exercise and cleanliness that provide a good foundation for wellbeing. It’s about recognising the smallest elements that contribute to a bigger picture. Virgo seeks to improve, hence the label of ‘perfectionist’ in popular astrology. That desire to improve comes from a natural sensitivity to discomfort and disorder i.e. things being out of a good working alignment, not in their purest expression or form. Think of bringing optimum performance to any system, for instance a working one like accounting, cleaning, electrical wiring, or mechanics, and you’re seeing Virgo energy at work. Yet this deep sensitivity of the Virgo energy knows perfection in a different light – as purity of connection.
The Priestess archetype is a less well-known Virgo archetype. Her focus is refinement through sacred ritual and devotion, foe she has a natural affinity for the interplay between energy and form. The priestess seeks to experience or already knows the divine within ordinary forms of life and nature. She is called to express and embody that ever deeper and to serve those who seek the same. It could be said that devotion expresses itself in similar ways through a healer, therapist, or yoga teacher, those who work to bring alignment, whether it’s to the skeletal structure, the mental world through mindfulness, or any practice that uplifts the body-being through connection to divinity.
As Virgo is an earth sign, its energies relate to other natural systems besides our bodies. The Virgo gift is inherently interconnected with Mother Gaia, the trees, animal, plant, bird, and sea creatures. There’s an innate knowing that we are nature. Ruled by Mercury (the planet of mind and communication) Virgo sensitivity is attuned to the finer sacred energy of all life and how we interact with it. This adds another layer of perception to the Priestess archetype, flowing into Earth Mother connection. Yet anyone with strong Virgo sensitivity may find embodiment a challenge. Its alignment to purity makes its own system delicate, needing care, attention, and fine-tuning.
Realigning is supported by a Grand Earth Trine at this New Moon, calling our attention to the physical aspects of life, work and good health. Think practical action, uplifting habits, clearing up any messy aspects of life. As the ruler of Virgo, planet of the mind Mercury, stations direct to move forward again at 8 Virgo at 21.21BST on 15th, delays, lack of motivation or simply feeling confused or distracted, will begin to clarify from then on. Small steps are both necessary and useful, as it’s not until 30th September that Mercury reaches fresh territory. Virgo likes small; it recognises that it leads to efficiency and improvement.
This New Moon calls us all to explore, what is out of alignment. What needs improving, refining, realigning in your life? What needs some devotion? Clearing up or cleaning up? Where do you habitually let yourself down, or can’t be bothered but get away with it? Planetary aspects to this New Moon suggest a good focus is fuller response-ability for your own wellbeing, with awareness towards your unsupportive habits of thinking. This New Moon is a good point to simply start, or to start again, in cultivating some good healthy habits of wellbeing, or uplifting working practices.
