Virgo: I am attentive
Nurture your creativity and refill your cup: A guide to Virgo Season ♍🌲
This letter is part of Creative Contemplation—rituals and practices to help you harmonize with the energy of the season and remember your connection to spirit, nature, and each other. ✨💗🌿
“Instructions for living a life.
Pay attention.
Be astonished.
Tell about it.”
-Mary Oliver
Hello.
This is my favorite time of year. The lingering light of late summer with the promise of cozy nights and fall flavors curled up next to loved ones on the couch is enough to make me swoon. I’ve always adored this transition— the more I learn about astrology, the more I understand why.
The playful, sun-soaked energy of Leo softens into the more studious, grounded Virgo vibe, inviting us to appreciate the gifts of both. This season is where celebration meets preparation.
Virgo season is from August 22- September 22 with the New Moon in Virgo arriving September 2nd. The last of the “personal” zodiac signs (before entering the “relational” zodiac signs, beginning with Libra) and symbolized by the Virgin, this season reminds us of our inherent wholeness. It also reminds us to stay in our integrity. How do we do that? By paying attention with the full presence of our bodies, right here and now.
“A relaxed body is the most powerful body.” -Prentis Hemphill
In fact, trusting the wisdom of our bodies is one of this sign’s superpowers. Witchy as f*ck, Virgo is deeply connected to the earth and the natural rhythms and cycles of life. As a mutable sign, it knows how to adapt without sacrificing itself or splintering its soul. It pays attention to the mundane because that’s where the magic is.
Virgo rules the 6th house which governs our day-to-day activities. Think: routines, schedules, habits, and tasks that serve to maintain our health and the structure of our lives. And while this might not seem very exciting, it’s vital to our well-being and capacity to be in relationship with others.
That energy and effort to maintain—ourselves, our loved ones, our community—has always felt substantial, true, visceral, and, yes, real to me. I don’t believe care work has to wreck us. This labor can be shared, social, collective—and transformative.”
-Angela Garbes, Essential Labor: Mothering as Social Change
This year, the Virgo New Moon comes just after Mercury goes direct and we’ve had time to realize what’s not working so we can begin again. On September 1st, Uranus and Pluto will both retrograde in fellow Earth planets, Taurus and Capricorn, putting more emphasis on our physical foundations. We also have a full moon lunar eclipse in Virgo’s counter-sign, Pisces on September 17th, a water sign known for its connection to spirit and our ability to surrender.
The Fall Equinox happens on the last day of Virgo season, ushering in an equal time of night and day. As we enter Libra season, we have another opportunity to find balance within and without. So… you might say this month is a perfect time to hone our observational skills! Lean into the nuances and trust your body.
Our affirmation this month is “I am attentive.”
Download your free copy of the Creative Contemplation journal and lunar calendar with all the monthly affirmations below!
This doesn’t mean we abandon our ability to see the bigger picture. It’s not an excuse to get caught up in perfectionism or self-criticism. It’s about noticing, and then making adjustments, based on how it feels in our system. Virgo reassures us that we are always whole and complete. Therefore, we have nothing to lose if we change our minds or plans.
Keep reading to learn how this season’s archetype, tarot cards, and creative inspiration can help you harmonize with Virgo energy.
Archetype
The masculine expression of The Virgin, The Hermit is the symbol of having everything we need already within us. It’s not dependent on others for affirmation, validation, or purpose. Its inner light shines brightly, cultivated from being comfortable in solitude.
Notice the light attributes fuel creativity and the shadow attributes foster isolation. Can you use the Fall Equinox as an opportunity to notice where you may be out of balance in your social engagements? Either withdrawing into a state of unnecessary isolation or, perhaps not giving yourself enough alone time to fill your well?
The Hermit is a temporary energetic state. It was never meant to be permanent. With the recent pandemic in mind, I know many of us are struggling to create a new normal when it comes to social interactions and how we engage in community. In its fullest expression, The Hermit undergoes a period of solitude in order to re-emerge in service to the world.
With a renewed sense of internal direction and clarity, The Hermit comes down from the mountain or returns from a sacred pilgrimage with a message or willingness to share its light. What message of hope are you ready to share? What inspiration or new way of being are you ready to receive?
This monthly guide takes hours of preparation, meditation, and writing. It is 100% human-generated (no AI here!) and made with love. Please share this newsletter or become a paying subscriber. Your support is appreciated! 💖
Creative Inspiration
I’m still playing around with the format of this section. Let me know if you prefer more of a list or a deep dive!
Read
This essay on discipline vs. (or with) devotion by
completely changed my perspective on discipline, which has always felt kind of sticky and ill-fitting in my toolbox.
“Knowing exactly what I am devoted to keeps me out of having to prove it to anyone, publicly or privately. It is a list created from the inside out…”
-Cody Cook-Parrot
This is the heart of Virgo season. Understanding that discipline without devotion is rote, manipulative, and lacking the spark of life that will sustain it. Be disciplined, yes. Create practices, routines, and habits that serve you and others. But shift the why behind it. Allow your devotion to shift and change its outward expression.
Worts and Cunning Apothecary might be my favorite non-Substack newsletter! Receiving Alexis’ Magick Mail is truly delightful. With a ton of resources on herbalism, lunar cycles, tarot, and more, they are helping me tiptoe into the world of herbal medicine and home witchery with awe instead of intimidation. Please check them out!
Menstrual Calendar Journal: Go with the flow is changing my relationship with my cycle and my body. With information on how to support each phase of the month, fertility tracking tools, and space for new moon intentions, this journal is increasing my recognition of the hormonal shifts and patterns I experience, empowering me to synchronize with, rather than fight them. Even if you’re not a menstruating person, I highly recommend playing with this journal to see what natural rhythms and cycles show up for you.
Listen
This podcast from Hidden Brain discusses how we might notice and shift our perception of time. It offers several practical ways we can adjust our mindset to have an attitude of time abundance, which I know is how I want to experience life!
Our Virgo-themed playlist from last year’s Creative Contemplation series is pretty great!
Make
I’m officially entering my home witch era where I just want to learn all about the power of herbs to heal our bodies and feed my family magic. Fire Cider might be a good place to start. I made a batch a week ago and it’s been a delight to check on it and give it a good shake every morning while it sits in the cupboard, doing its thing. If all goes well, this powerful immune booster will be ready in a few weeks, just in time for cold/flu/+ season.
Check out this recipe to make your own version!
Watch
I know, I know. The hype of Outlander may have come and gone, but honestly, it’s the perfect show to revisit during this time. Marrying practicality with just the right amount of magic, this romantic, time-traveling, future-predicting show has just the right ingredients to inspire us during Virgo season. Plus, the accents!
Gather
For folks local to Chattanooga, TN, I’m hosting two in-person tarot events in September.
The first is through The Chattery, a local non-profit that hosts creative, adult-centered community classes like mine. They recently suffered a fire, destroying their building but we’re still on for our Tarot + Tea class on September 18th from 6:00-7:30 pm. Please mind the location change!
The second is an in-person Tarot Tea Party in honor of the Fall Equinox, September 22nd from 10:00-11:30 am. We’ll be at an outdoor location in Chattanooga near the river and I’ll provide seasonal treats and drinks! Spots are limited to just 10 folks to keep it intimate, so reserve your spot soon.
Tarot Reading
The High Priestess
With a full moon in Pisces September 17th beginning a new eclipse season, the High Priestess reminds us that embodiment is actually a pathway to spirituality. It sits between worlds, capable of integrating both. The High Priestess trusts its inner knowing and doesn’t waste time with explanations.
It knows the bridge between here and there is built with practicality and vision. It becomes the physical go-between for the light and dark, intimately familiar with the gifts of both.
Nine of Pentacles
The Nine of Pentacles is one of my favorite cards. It speaks to a healthy self-regard and an inner capacity to manifest with an outward expression. It knows who it is and what it wants and doesn’t apologize for it. It’s a card of gathering, sifting, and preparation. It’s close to completion but knows while the harvest is ripe it must prepare for the future when the resources may lessen.
Being thoughtful about your current capacity, material resources, and vision for the future will help you plan for the winter and make sure you have some reserves for when the season changes again.
Temperance
This card is a good reminder of the beautiful, yet fleeting moments in our lives when we feel as if everything is in balance. The Fall Equinox symbolizes a time to honor our wholeness, giving equal time to night and day. Where can you recognize the importance of your inner and outer world, your masculine and feminine, higher self, and shadow self? Can you make any adjustments or notice what’s working well?
If you’d like additional clarity or guidance I have a limited number of personal tarot reading sessions available! ✨
Notes from Nature
This month’s Nature Journaling Class, Noticing the Seasons is free for paying members of Heartbeats and offered at a sliding scale for everyone else. A replay will be available!
Journal Prompts
Take an energy inventory. How well-balanced (or not?) are the different areas of your life?
Try purposefully not looking at the time or your watch (set an alarm in the other room if you need to get to an appointment or meeting). Can you get lost in the activity you’re currently engaged with? What shifts or changes when you’re fully present, not aware of the time?
Listen, actually listen to your body. Get still and breathe. Ask your body what it wants you to know and take notes.
Color code your calendar. I recently did this, choosing to align my calendar with the colors of the seven chakras. You can create whatever categories make sense—career, family, personal, health, social, etc. See where there might be an imbalance. If one color is dominating the others, can you intentionally make your calendar look more like a rainbow?
New Moon Blessing
May the wisdom of your body seep into your daily rhythms and routines. May you linger over sunrises and sunsets, and dinner with friends, infusing the mundane with a newfound sense of magic and appreciation. May you celebrate the past while diligently preparing for the future, with an embodied vision and knowledge that you are already whole, complete, and unique.
All my love,
Mariah
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Thanks for reading! I don’t have much of either in my chart but I’ve always loved this time of year. Fall is my favorite season! 🍂 💗
"In its fullest expression, The Hermit undergoes a period of solitude in order to re-emerge in service to the world." This completely sums up my feeling coming to the last few months of my Saturn returns. Also, I love Outlander so much! Thanks as always Mariah for these beautiful contemplations 😊