“I guess it comes down to a simple choice, really.
Get busy living, or get busy dying.”
~ The Shawshank Redemption
On August 27, 2022 (3:16 AM Central Standard Time; the time and day depends on where you live), the New Moon will be in hardworking, service-oriented, conscientious, analytical, and with- an-eye-for-detail Virgo.
After remembering who we are at our core and connecting to our true self with the help of the Leo energies, we have reached Virgo—the last of the 6 personal zodiac signs about personal development.
The first 3 signs were all about becoming self-aware. In Aries, we became conscious of our inner drive. Our values and needs became clearer in Taurus, and in Gemini, we looked at our thinking process and communication style. The other 3 personal signs are about expressing ourselves. First, by exploring our feelings in Cancer and then, by expressing them as our inner voice in Leo.
Now, with Virgo’s energies we can expand ourselves and build a bridge that connects our more conscious inner self and healthier ego to other people, our higher self, and ultimately the divine.
The key is to be helpful to others by making a conscious effort in putting our gifts and talents into service.
My father put me in Martial Arts from a very young age to learn self-discipline, another useful Virgo quality. I remember the boring first half hour practice falling and warming up before actually practicing something. Yet, thanks to properly learning to fall and warm up, I prevented serious injuries on the mat.
Later in life, I was able to understand that preparation is part of the process and is a practice in self care, patience, and learning important skills. I am very thankful to my father because he was right. Nobody is born successful and everyone who is, worked hard to get where they are today.
Same counts for my art and writing. I don’t consider myself the best artist or astrologer but I try to be my best daily and improve by using a critical eye at every finished project. I make notes of what I like and of what I can improve on the next one. I also always welcome and use constructive feedback to improve my skills.
Virgo is helpful to critically look at our skill gaps and to put conscious effort to fill those in so we can actually experience joy while working. Most of the time we don’t enjoy working when it has become too boring or something is too difficult.
During every new moon in Virgo, we can set a new intention to learn something new that requires a lot of discipline. Only hard work and dedication in the beginning will get us to a place where we can enjoy the process and make the results look easy and effortless.
Other celestial pointers for this period until the next new moon:
Mercury is playing an important part in the coming months. The planet will be from August 27 until September 09 in the pre-shadow period.
During the pre-shadow period, we will start noticing those pesky little interruptions again such as misunderstandings, computer glitches, and other communication problems. Things might not go as smoothly anymore because Mercury asks us to prepare for the next Mercury Retrograde on September 10 that lasts until October 2.
In this period, it would be beneficial to stand with both feet on the ground and reevaluate the past months. What are we happy about and what can we reorganize and improve in the Mercury Retrograde phase?
In the spirit of Virgo, what can we purify in our lives?
External Purification:
This is a good opportunity to reassess our possessions that are not functional. Purging clutter can help clear distractions, emotional attachments, and anxieties in our life. This is also a good time to recreate, reorganize, remake, renew, or redo things like websites, old projects, and the workplace.
To successfully get rid of clutter, we have to release the “what if” mentality and return to the present moment. We don’t know what the future brings. But, we do know that if we constantly can’t find anything we need, bump into stuff, or have to clean stuff we don’t use, we end up wasting a lot of time looking for stuff and that could create extra stress.
When we are unable to focus on what is important and are having difficulty achieving our goals, we can use practical time management tools that can help us to prioritize roles and categorize tasks to increase productivity. My favorite tool for this has been The Eisenhower Matrix.
Practicing triage is another one of my favorite practical Virgo tools that helps with sorting or prioritizing incoming stimuli. Instead of responding immediately to social media notifications, messages, emails, or calls we could instead carry out an initial assessment to determine if it is urgent and then consciously decide how to handle it.
A heavy workload and not efficiently managing our precious time and energy is a recipe for burn out, frustration, and lack of motivation. It is easy to become emotionally overwhelmed in the digital age where everyone expects us to be accessible 24/7 .
In former months, we defined our values and needs and now, it is the perfect time to track and measure what is eating up our time and draining our precious energy. It could be helpful every day to track and write down each little detail of what we will be doing in the first 2 weeks of September.
After becoming clear about what is consuming most of our time and energy, we can set objective rules about how to solve it. On my professional Facebook page, I have an automatic out of office message when I am not available. I also have special ringtones on my phone for my inner circle and have no social media apps installed.
We don’t have to disconnect with the world or others; just set healthy boundaries, starting with digital temptations that are masked as urgencies.
Be prepared for old co-workers, friends, family members who might contact us out of the blue during the end of August, in September, and October. We could reflect on these old, and our recent, relationships. Are they toxic or helping us grow?
Internal Cleansing:
Do we need to cleanse our consciousness from any blemishes?
Meditation is good for our internal mental hygiene because it provides us with inner peace and a clear mind, while praying is helpful to gain guidance and serenity.
But, without a healthy body, meditation could be very difficult since our attention will go to the aching places of the body or distracting thoughts while we are trying to sit and be still. There are many ways of purifying the body but we have to listen carefully to our body to know the best way.
It is also a perfect time to release and let go of anything that hinders our spiritual growth and happiness. Are there any feelings of judgment, grudges, resentment, and blame that need to be released to truly forgive others and move on? Now is the time to work through them.
On september 9, Mercury is stationary. We can use the stillness of Mercury to meditate or sit in silence for a couple of minutes during the day to avoid feeling extra irritated or nervous on this day.
September 10 – October 2, Mercury is Retrograde. This is the time to put everything we planned to “re” into practice. For example, this is a perfect time to rebalance any aspect in our life that was neglected or taken for granted and revisit old projects.
September 14, Saturn and Uranus are exactly squaring each other again through November 10. We could see a repetition of last year’s square conflicts and controversies regarding health policies and other political decisions. On top of this, Uranus also has been retrograde since August 24, which means we will have to be extra cautious with our communication intake and sharing. Connecting with our values and inner guidance while keeping an open heart will be extra important.
We can use the energies of Virgo of this New Moon during this time of new beginnings to write down our wishes, questions, and prayers for cosmic help.
For best results, it is best to write the wishes on the exact New Moon or within 6 hours. Here are some examples of questions we might ask and wishes in the spirit of Virgo. This is also a great opportunity to reflect on which of our wishes came true on last month’s New Moon in Leo and which ones need some more time to manifest.
- I accept guidance in clearing my mind and cleansing my body.
- What areas in my life can use some purification and tidying up (home, work, relationships, habits, communication…)?
- How can I be more self-disciplined and engage my will to do things that need to be done but I don’t really want to do, such as consistent practice, activities that keep things organized, and being efficient?
- What are the skill gaps that prevent me from realizing my goals?
- What negative emotions do I need to let go of that hinder feeling inner peace and are not serving the higher good?
- How can I invite the senses to be productive (examples could be listening to calming music, non-toxic scented candles/essential oil diffusers, etc)
- I embrace the guidance to simplify, focus on the essentials in my life that spark inspiration, and learn to live with less.
- How can I focus on the process, rather than the outcome, and not be stifled by perfectionism?
- I embrace guidance to express myself clearly without becoming overly (self) critical or interrogating when facing uncertainties or disappointments.
Once we set our intention and put in our own efforts, help and guidance will appear in surprising and synchronistic ways. We can ask whatever we want as long as our wishes are specific and aligned with the energies that are present.
On the next New Moon in Libra, we will build further on our sense of empowerment by creating more balance in our lives. We will then look back and reflect on which wishes came through, which questions were answered, and where we have to direct our focus.
Happy New Moon! May you enjoy being productively busy and harvesting future spiritual fruits.
About the Author
Drawn in by a fear of the unknown, combined with curiosity about the future and the metaphysical realm, Ursula Brozovich Kerger studied for three years with Dutch Astrologer, Liesbeth van Ravenhorst, in the early nineties. As she was embarking on her own spiritual journey, her astrology practice became more about diving deep into our soul, connecting with our authentic self, and our soul purpose. Her love for humanity and every sentient being on earth motivated her to further expand her astrological knowledge by studying collective consciousness. If she is not studying the celestial influences, she is either writing or you can find her in her art studio painting and illustrating. All her work is inspired by her love for astrological insights, nature and her pets.
