September brings new revelations. Triumphant beginnings. Unmistakable, previously denied, glaring truths piercing our consciousness like a sharp needle, ready to sew a new pattern in the tapestry of our life. Game-changing influences. Letting go of all that no longer has vitality. Endings. The re-declaration of our life’s purpose. Transformation!
The word Virgo is Latin for the virgin. Therefore, the season of Virgo brings with it a focus on purity, organization, health, wholeness, and service. In stark contrast to the influence of Leo (which is really about play and fun), Virgo delivers an austere focus. With the back to school mentality in full swing and the cultural attention (at least here in the USA) now astutely placed on organizing the essential daily routines, health, work and school— the influence of Virgo wins. And while Virgo is truly about service and health, which often means putting our focus on others, the most important thing to remember this time of year is to take care of ourselves too.
Let me reiterate this. As we settle into the season of Virgo and all of the changes this month will bring, we have to stay on top of ourselves, especially, if we want to triumph. How do we remain self-sufficient? Self-care!
Self-care means the capacity to serve ourselves with attention, love, compassion and deep devotion to most profound needs. While self-care is currently all the rage in the personal development world, I first learned what it meant through Cheryl Richardson. Cheryl’s landmark book, The Art of Extreme Self-Care (I can not recommend this book enough) came out a few years ago. Cheryl, an incredibly influential coach, rocked this message powerfully. Though self-care might look like scheduling a massage, getting a mani-pedi, keeping up with your health routines, it goes way deeper than that. It means learning how to be there for yourself in your toughest moments. It’s about anticipating your needs, proactively planning for them in advance, having compassion for the most challenging parts of you and not betraying yourself when the going gets tough. It’s about doing the work (often the hard work) not to let yourself down to honor another. It’s not self-indulgence. Rather it’s the opposite. It’s about becoming braver than we may want to be; more discriminating and focused than what our general comfort zone allows.
The new moon eclipse happens at twenty degrees of Virgo on the 13th of September at 2:14 am Eastern Standard Time (please adjust accordingly for your time zone). As the moon makes her way between the sun and the earth, blocking out solar light, we will experience the first of two eclipses happening this month. At that time, the verve of the planet will shift. Whoo. The new moon eclipse in Virgo is the perfect time to plant the seeds of your self-care.
September, a major turning point in 2015, brings with it a series of massive astrological events. In addition to two eclipses, this month we already had a Venus station (Venus went direct on September 6th). Saturn changes signs on September 17th/18th. Mercury stations to go retrograde (September 17th). The autumnal equinox is happening on September 23rd. And, Pluto waking up from a four-month retrograde slumber (September 25th). All of this punctuated with two prevailing eclipses.
What does this mean, in English, please? A lot!
Let’s start with Venus. Venus went retrograde late July and the direct on the September 6th. Her retrograde offered us a chance to find the “crack” in our relationships, our misalignment with our values, and redefine how we want to be in relationship to our self and others. Now that she’s direct, she’s offering us all the chance to reevaluate decisions made since she went retrograde in late July.
Saturn, the planet of discipline and hard work is in his final moments of Scorpio—the sign of profound transformation, death, psychology, and sex. As Saturn leaves Scorpio, every single person on the planet is facing and ending or a transition. To all of you who have lost a loved one in the last weeks, my heart goes out to you. I am so sorry. I can only imagine the heartbreak of your loss. Whether or not you are currently facing a death right now, we are all being schooled in the concept of impermanence. It’s a big lesson. Take a look at your life and see what it is coming to completion and honor it. (More on this at the time of the full moon.)
Mercury stations to go retrograde in Libra, the sign of relationships, the same day Saturn makes his final move in Scorpio, September 17th. Since this Mercury Retrograde is in Libra, we will still be working out the kinks in our relationships. My suggestion, though, stay focused on your relationship with yourself. Remember, this is about radical self-care!
The equinox happens when the sun moves into Libra—the sign of balance—on the 23rd of the month. One day later Pluto the planet of transformation goes direct in Capricorn. And then the month ends with a Super Full Moon eclipse in Aries. While Libra is about balancing our needs in the relationship with others, Aries is about leading individually. Things could get tense here—which is why I am urging you to take care of you. It’s a total non-negotiable. And… the perfect thing to focus on this new moon eclipse in Virgo—the sign of purity. Be purely you!
So, let’s get back to you.
How will you take care of you this new moon, this month, for the rest of this year? Now is the time to decide.
If you need some suggestions, here are four things to focus on this new moon.
- Develop a self-care ritual. Yes, that thing you do daily to clear your mind. Maybe meditation, yoga, running, washing dishes while listening to Enya. (Personally, I prefer Snatam Kaur, but hey whatever gets you there!) What will you vibe out to, that will uplift, and become your anchor? Create your sacred time and space, and show up for you. No one else will or can. You have to do it for you. There’s no other option.
- Be compassionate. Remember, we are all in this together. Everyone is experiencing transitions too. Before you blast off at your friend for being selfish, yell at the telemarketer, make a snarling face at the person taking to long to check out at the store or the guy who just stole your parking spot, breathe. We are all in this together.
- I am about to tidy up with Marie Kondo’s book: The Magic of Tidying up. This book is extremely Virgo, and I am beyond excited to indulge it. Maybe you want to check it out too? If not, develop your system for straightening up. It’s incredibly important and the best possible way to use this Virgo influence wisely.
- Feel your emotions. Look, I get it. Emotions at time feel overwhelming and too much. However, with so many endings and so much change don’t be afraid to cry, howl, slobber and sob. Let it out. Get in your car, roll up the windows, blast the music and scream. Pound a pillow. Whatever it takes. Let it out!
In the comments below, let me know what self-care means to you and how you intend to embrace it this new moon.
As always, I send you big hugs…
Warmly,
Jenn
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