A practical, grounded time for healing - Virgo New Moon rising.
New Moons are the start of the Lunar cycle and usually they are a time to be quiet, reflect, think rather than act, to consider where we’ve been, how far we’ve come and where we want our next steps to be. New Moons are times to plant new seeds, set intentions, dare to wish and to dream about the life we want to live. Times for thinking about where we need to grow and what direction we should be moving in. And whilst we can’t see the moon at this time we can still work with her magic and use these dark hours before she begins to slowly cast her silvery light in the night sky again.
I love using the energies of the moon to help navigate my way through life, and work, with the energy peaks and troughs that come with moon and moon phases. And here we are again, at the start of a new cycle. Today is our September new moon, and because we're in Virgo season this New Moon is all about the traditional Virgo characteristics. So, we're talking about things like health, we're talking about staying grounded, being organised, tidying up or decluttering and we're talking about completion and wholeness. Because Virgos are the sign of the zodiac that is all about that practical, grounded approach to being whole. Holistically that’s not just your physical health, but also your mental, emotional, and spiritual health. Virgos like to combine all those elements to create a truly healthy whole person. But Virgos are also about bringing things to completion, about tidying up and dotting the I’s. So, looking, asking those deeper questions, thinking about what's working for you, what's not working for you, how you can heal, and how you can move forward with health, nutrition, exercise routines and completing what is finished.
Today’s New Moon rose at 1:51am. And as with all new moons it's a really good time to reflect. New moons are a time for setting new intentions, for looking at what you want to create, what you want to manifest, not necessarily for doing, but for thinking, for reflecting for giving consideration to things. It's a time for making plans and for preparing the ground, for thinking about where you want things to go. And getting really clear on what you want to achieve. But New Moons are also a time when your intuition can be stronger. When your self-awareness is heightened, when you can get those psychic hits or those nudges from your soul. It's a time when you can much more aware of the symbols or the signs from the universe.
And because this New Moon is a Virgo one, and we've got a couple of planetary bodies also in the mix which heighten that awareness, heighten that intuition, this means that you can probably find that you're more able to express your uniqueness, that side of your personality that's uniquely you, even to the point of letting out those sides of you that you don't normally allow others to see. But it's also a time for you to think about how others perceive you as well.
One of the key aspects about this new moon and the planetary line up around it is that it's a really great time to consider our ancestral lineage, and our soul family, and what we brought through from those lineages to do with belief systems, behavioural patterns, attitudes, what wounds have we brought through with us that now are asking to be healed? And it's a case of allowing this time to do that inner work, to reflect on what is it about those wounds that is no longer working for you? What is it about those wounds that is preventing you from moving forward? Or is causing you to manifest things that no longer work for you? What have you brought through that now you've outgrown? It's time to either heal those wounds, or let go of that behavioural pattern, or move through those beliefs and to own your own beliefs and to stand in your own truth. What do you now need to let go of, and how can you break or change those beliefs or behaviours to work better for you?
And remembering that we're in the new moon period for the next 24 hours or so, and new moons are great times to try new things, to work on new ideas, to look at new ways of doing things. It could be that this is a good time for you to look at new ways of healing things, new ways of letting go of things or breaking those behavioural patterns. Clearing ancestral patterns and beliefs can be a big ask, doing any deep inner work can be emotionally overwhelming. It can ask that you really dive deep and look at what's going on way down under the surface, that you face things you’ve put aside. That you pull out things that you've boxed away or hidden really well. Even to consider doing the work, never mind to actually start it can feel like a huge responsibility. But remember, we are under a Virgo New Moon. And that means that not only are you under a grounded, practical, New Moon, but you're also under a healing New Moon (Virgo’s are the healers of the zodiac). So, you are not just supported in this work, this is a really positive time to do this work, it can lead to a positive outcome for you. If it does feel overwhelming start with taking small steps, you don't have to dive in and do everything all at once, you don't need to throw yourself in at the deep end, you can take those little steps towards starting this healing journey, towards looking at what it is that's no longer working for you, or what behavioural patterns or belief systems you brought through that are no longer serving a purpose for you anymore. It might be a good time to journal on it, to use that Virgo skills or organisation, practicality, and analysis to check in and look at where you are and where you would like to be, and what needs to be done to get there.
Think about perhaps sitting down and asking yourself some questions, even have a look at some questions that you could ask to start the process for you if you're not sure where to begin.
But a new moon is the time to reflect, to do that inner work, to allow those changes to start, and to look at new ways of doing it. A Virgo New Moon, because it's a healing moon, a practical and a very grounded moon, it means that you can do this work from a place that is not as emotional as other moons may be.
Key words are healing, grounded, reflection, soul work, practicality, face your hidden truths.
Setting intentions is a wonderful way of getting clear on your path. Thinking about where you want to be helps to create a plan, helps you see the steps you need to take to bring your plan to fruition. Under a Virgo new moon you might want to think about your health and wellbeing, physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. What new routines do you need to create to optimise your wellbeing? What habits do you need to let go of? Meditate on your intentions, visualise them, draw or doodle, create a vision board, state your intentions out loud or use my intention planner to help you really get focused.
When you’re working with manifestation or intention setting it’s really important to work on what you want to achieve rather than what you want to avoid or don’t want to feel. Remember that this energy is one of working with getting what you want and if you focus on what you don’t want this is what you’re inviting in.
Crystals are a great way of connecting in with the energies, particularly if you’re meditating. I usually pick the crystals that work with amplifying or calming the energy and helping to manifest what I’ve chosen to work with. This time I’ve chosen Labradorite for manifesting goals but also for its calming and balancing energy (especially is fear or doubt is creeping in) and for expanding conscious awareness and trusting our intuition. I also love it as the shades of colour in labradorite always reminds me of the night sky. On my crystal grid there’ll also be Moss Agate which is a wonderful earthy stone to help start new and healthy habits, Amethyst to balance those Virgo energies and allow in ideas and creativity, a stone I love Apophyllite, green in this case, as it’s wonderful for clearing energies, dispersing confusion, and bringing clarity, especially for goals and intentions. And lastly some self-love Red Jasper to help stop that sometimes too analytical voice and allow in space for some self-love whilst staying grounded and connected to the earth.
If you do find it a little overwhelming try and keep yourself grounded and clear – go for a long walk or swim, connect back in with nature, meditate, exercise, do some yoga – anything that connects you back in with your humanness, your body, and your energy. Ideally any intentions you are working with should be to do with health, diet, exercise, and healing, but this itself covers a wide field. If you find your head is swimming with ideas write them down, brain dump them out. Chances are you won’t end up using them all but there will be some gems in there. Express yourself, open your heart and mind to new ways and new possibilities, and listen to your intuition.
There are numerous ways of working with the energy of a new moon. You can:
Begin with a cleansing salt bath and cleansing essential oils such as Juniper Berry, Pine, Cypress, or Spruce (remember to make sure these are in a dispersible base, using neat essential oils in a bath can cause skin irritation and burns, and check for any contra-indications medically too).
Create your own sacred altar with crystals, oracle cards, power words, images, flowers, moons, and symbols.
Write down your intentions (you’ll find my free downloadable pdf here).
Draw or doodle how you see your plan, using your right brain works on an intuitive level to really see what you want.
Create a vision board. Vision boards are great ways to start a new year, and under this new moon is an ideal time to create one if you haven’t already.
My favourite way of working with new moons is to map out my plan, set my intentions and then consider what steps I need to take and what I’m allowing to get in my way to achieving my desires. Starting with a cleansing bath or shower sets up the energies for some simple meditation connecting in with my higher self and looking at what will serve best for the next month. A crystal grid focusses my energy on what I’m working with and then creating a vision board or writing out my intentions brings them to the front of my mind and allows me to easily and quickly re-focus on them when I need to.
Make that manifesting magic work, enjoy your intention setting ritual and now and again check in to make sure you’re still on track with your plan. I believe in you, believe in yourself too.