New Moon in Virgo — honouring the sacred self
This is a time to look within, assess your habits and relationships, and use your discernment to choose what serves and release what doesn’t.
Hey Witches,
Leo season is almost over! As a Leo rising, I LOVE Leo season. It feels like a month-long party, especially here in Barcelona, where August is a month when it’s too hot to get things done — so we just don’t bother.
The Mediterranean working year basically lasts from September to June. After that, holiday season kicks in, and although the city doesn’t shut down completely, it definitely takes on a lazier, more laid-back vibe.
It can be a little frustrating for those of us from cultures where the hustle never stops. But actually, we’re the ones who’ve got it wrong.
Slowing down, minimising activity, prioritising rest, and enjoying the Earth’s abundance during the warmer months is natural, and by honouring our natural cycles, we stay more in tune with ourselves and with the natural world.
In just three days, on the 22nd of August, the Sun will blaze into earthy Virgo, followed by the Virgo New Moon on the 27th, bringing with it “back to school” vibes. This time of year always reminds me of shopping for pencil cases and school uniforms.
And although my school days are long behind me (thank goddess!), this is still a time of year when my thoughts turn to preparations for the months ahead. The harvest is in full swing, so it’s time to give thanks for all we have received so far and sort the wheat from the chaff — deciding what to let go of and what to keep.
Let’s take a look at the energies the Virgo New Moon carries for this collective and how we can harness and work with them.
Virgo New Moon energy update
As I write this, the Last Quarter Moon hangs dreamily in the sky. The Last Quarter is a phase for releasing what no longer serves you, letting go of toxic habits, thought patterns, beliefs, people, and situations in preparation for setting your intentions again under the New Moon.
This weekend is a perfect time to cleanse, reflect, and purify as we ease into Virgo season. Virgo is the sign of health, habits, and organisation. Represented by the Virgin Goddess, she swoops in to clean up after the party of Leo season.
Virgo is sharp, analytical, and discerning. This New Moon will help you clearly see what’s working in your life and what’s not. You might want to consider physically and energetically clearing and cleansing — this could mean having an “autumn cleaning” session in your home, or maybe you’ll decide it’s time for a detox.
Virgo’s vibe is very much “my body is a temple”. Our bodies are full of wisdom and speak to us in subtle ways. When we tune in deeply to our bodies, it aligns us with our truth and our needs. Connecting with ourselves through self-care practices helps us keep our hearts open at a time when it can be tempting to shut down because of fear. Ritual and spiritual practice connect us to our natural rhythms and the rhythms of the Earth and Mother Nature.
Virgo reminds us of the importance of honouring the Earth and our connection to nature. This is a time of harvest, when the Earth is at its maximum abundance, providing all we need to sustain us through the winter months. Virgo is about harvesting, giving thanks, and returning nourishment to the Earth in gratitude and in preparation for sowing next year’s seeds.
The word Virgo means virgin or “whole unto oneself”. While this unfairly characterises Virgo as the prude of the zodiac, she actually represents our inner power. The Virgin Goddesses in Greek mythology, such as Hestia, Athena, and Artemis, were powerful, independent women not bound by the constraints and duties of being a wife and mother. The Virgo New Moon asks us to examine where we may have become codependent or overly independent.
In Tarot, Virgo is connected to the Hermit card. This is a time to look within, assess your habits and relationships, and use your discernment to choose what serves and release what doesn’t. This doesn’t mean you have to retreat from the world, but depending on where Virgo falls in your chart, you may feel called to spend some time in your own energy.
Virgo is a controlling sign, but control is an illusion. We are never fully in control of our lives. Under this New Moon, ask yourself what areas of your life you’re gripping onto or trying to control. What outcomes are you trying to force? What can you let go of? How can you find ease and flow?
Look for areas of your life where you feel resistance — perhaps in work/business or a relationship that’s just not flowing. When we stop trying to force outcomes, we open to opportunities and blessings that we might not have imagined before.
At this abundant time of year, the Virgo New Moon asks us to be generous — to let abundance flow through us. Many online manifestation communities focus heavily on attracting, getting, and keeping — or, as my favourite astrologer Chani Nicholas puts it — treating the Universe like our personal Santa Claus.
But true abundance is about giving, not keeping. Accepting what you have and knowing it’s enough — and keeping the energy of abundance flowing so you can invite more of it into your life. So under this Virgo New Moon, ask yourself what you can give. Can you give your time, money, or skills? Can you lend someone a helping hand?
Card of the week
Every other week, I pull a card to provide guidance for subscribers of The Coven.
This week, I’m using my ‘Tarot Cats’ deck by Ana Juan, and the card I’ve pulled for you is Seven of Cups Reversed.
The Seven of Cups is all about choices. If you look closely, you’ll see that the cups all have different things coming out of them — mice, fish bones, another cat, the Sun, a ball of wool — all things that cats love.
Since the Virgo New Moon is all about discernment, sorting the wheat from the chaff, and letting go of toxic behaviours or situations, this card reconfirms that message. And in the reversed position, it points to our inner world. Like the Hermit card, this is an invitation to withdraw, turn inward, drown out the noise, and connect with our inner wisdom.
This card also speaks to your hopes and dreams, goals and desires. The New Moon is always a powerful time to plant dream seeds and set intentions, but by working with the energy of discerning Virgo, we can set intentions from a place of alignment rather than ego.
For some of you, the message of this card is to slow down and rest. Being alive on this planet is pretty exhausting right now on so many levels. If you’ve been burning the candle at both ends (or even just one end) during Leo season, this is your friendly reminder that napping is a revolutionary act and a fundamental pillar of self-care.
Ritual suggestions for the Virgo New Moon
Ideas to help you harness the power of the Virgo New Moon.
Make an offering to the Earth spirits, giving thanks for all you have received this year
Connect with the energy of Hestia, goddess of home and hearth
Ask your guides or higher self for guidance around any health concerns you may have
Review your goals for the year, decide what you are staying focused on and which goals you need to revise or scrap altogether
Make a list of everything you want to achieve by the end of the year and plan out your tasks in your calendar
Go on a retreat, or create your own mini-retreat at home
Clean, sort, and organise your wardrobe, cupboards, and drawers
Ritually cleanse your home with smoke, salt, moon water, incense, or sound
Get grounded by spending time in nature and physically connecting to the Earth
Journaling prompts
These prompts are designed to get you thinking. Answer as many or as few as you like and allow your mind to meander on the page.
What am I grateful for this year, month, or week?
What do I want to keep, and what am I ready to let go of?
How can I be more generous?
Which areas of my life need attention? What do I need to cleanse, clear, or organise?
Write down your goals for the rest of the year, then set yourself deadlines for each task and add them to your diary or calendar.
Where am I being overly dependent or overly independent? How can I support myself, or who can I ask for help?
What situations or areas of my life am I trying to control? How can I release my grip?
What does “being whole unto myself” — or sovereignty — mean to me? What might it look like in my life?
Which things are flowing well in my life, and which are stuck? How can I release what’s stuck and lean into flow?
What can I control, and what is out of my control? How can I release my need for control?
Thank you for joining me for this week’s energy update, and welcome to all the new subscribers — I’m excited to see this little community starting to grow. And if you’ve been here a while, thank you for sticking around.
Remember, you can still book in for a card reading for €25 until the end of the month. This exclusive offer is only available to subscribers of The Coven — simply hit reply to book your spot.
And if you’re in Barcelona and feel called to join the Dark Moon Grief Circle, we’ll be meeting next Saturday, the 27th, at 19.30 at Parc de l’Estació del Nord.
Enjoy this sacred time as we prepare for the shift in seasons, and have a blessed and peaceful New Moon.
Love and blessings,
Victoria