horoscopes for the new moon in virgo
If you’ve ever taken a long, solo road trip, you know there are two particularly polarizing mindsets you can fall into while facing the vast expanse of the open road. (1) the road is salvation, or (2) the road is a trap.
When you’re in the salvation headspace, being on the road is exhilarating! You think, “I never want this to end! I have my snacks, my playlist, and every time I look up I’m in awe of nature. How beautiful is life?” The colors are saturated, and the contrast is turned way up. Your brain is stimulated, engaged with organic novelty (not the dopamine happy hour of Instagram). Time moves quickly but feels spacious, like you have so much to savor and chew.
But when you’re in the trap mentality, you think, “Am I there yet, and will this ever end?" “I need to stop for gas, and check the directions, and I’m overwhelmed so my dinner is going to be a stale, gluey pizza from a gas station in Iowa.” The road before you is dusty, sepia-toned. Your brain is overstimulated, dissatisfied with everything. Nothing stands out. Time is agonizingly slow, and there’s not a buoy in sight.
Even if you’ve never been on a long road trip (solo or otherwise), you probably recognize each of these mental processes. It’s that fine line between making something too big or too small, intimidating or underwhelming. It’s an abundance mindset vs. a scarcity mindset.
You could also say it’s the difference (and same-ness) of Virgo and Pisces. Some of the magic, in finding the right balance between these two extremes, can be found here in this Fiona Apple (Virgo) cover of a song by Sharon Van Etten (Pisces):
The amount of energy it actually takes to get into an “abundance mindset” has been on my mind lately. “Thriving not surviving” seems to pop up everywhere in self-care rhetoric and holistic business ethos, and really, it seems great! But it also seems like a hilarious thing to attach oneself to during such an unknowable time. A time lacking in context. The road is open but which route are we even taking? How do we trust the energy of the universe to carry us anywhere when we know it can and will grind to a sudden and complete halt? Why go anywhere if I’m so tired?
Today’s New Moon in Virgo (which goes exact at 8:51 PM ET) brings an intriguing proposal to the “to abundance mindset or not to abundance mindset” discussion. This lunation allows us to question prosperity while also embracing it, encouraging us to make gold of what we’ve got as we enter this new paradigm.
This new moon’s headline?
GOOD LUCK!
START OVER!
TAKE IT SLOW!
Starting over—at least in a way that’s on brand in 2021—is alchemy. There’s always a (digital) shadow, no matter how good we are at letting things go. I’ve been thinking about the Virgo/Pisces axis as approaches to alchemy, inspired by the words of my friend Whitney Will on a recent episode of the Kosmic Tonic podcast. Virgo wants us to follow their example. Pisces wants us to find our own way.
The alchemy of this New Moon is the Virgo kind. It wants us to set an example. The Sun and the moon are meeting up at 14º Virgo, right in the middle of the second decan/face of Virgo (Virgo II). This particular sky geography is where we really dig into Virgo’s reputation as “the fault finder.” Austin Coppock describes Virgo II as the “quality control inspector.” This New Moon only wants to work with the finest materials. Materials that will endure. Mars is also in Virgo which adds to the New Moon’s agenda of “making an action plan.”
But I don’t want us to confuse Virgo with urgency. This New Moon is not urgent. At all. This New Moon is playing the long game. Three other aspects go exact today:
Mars trines Pluto (or, the pursuit of major transformation)
Venus trines Jupiter (or, leaning into ease and optimism)
The Sun trines Uranus (or, a sudden change in our goals or POV)
This New Moon wants us to swiftly change direction, run with any surprises that come our way, and remain curious. Abundance = curiosity. If we had all the answers, if we knew the perfect route to get where we were going, well, then wouldn’t we already be there? We’re entering an experimental time. This New Moon brings inspiration but it doesn’t bring solutions. We need to figure those out along the way. This New Moon gives us permission to get it wrong once, twice, or three times because it wants us, eventually, to get it right.
Mercury—which rules Virgo and this lunation—enters their pre-retrograde shadow today. The actual retrograde is 9/27 - 10/18 but the preparatory period begins today. Mercury is a psychopomp, the keeper of the keys to the underworld, the friend who’s always willing to run down to the basement for supplies. Mercury understands that in order to really understand what’s going on, we have to break things down. Destabilize everything. We have a lot to learn from the winged messenger between now and November 2nd when Mercury leaves the post-retrograde shadow and finally enters new territory.
The things we’re starting now are energetically bright but the details are not clear. That’s OK. There’s going to be a bit of crawling in the dark and pulling ourselves out of the fog. Virgo has packed our snacks for the road trip. We know our final destination. But how we fill our time along the way, whether or not we’ll have to turn back, whether we’ll get pulled over for speeding or run out of gas in the middle of the desert, that we don’t know. But there’s time to figure it out, miles to go before we sleep, so take in the view, turn up the contrast, notice EVERYTHING along the way. It’s not all going to be good and honestly, we’re not always gonna be OK. But it’s curiosity that keeps us feeling alive. Choose quality & choose courage. It’s the best we can do.
Horoscopes follow for each sign. If you know your rising sign, reading that horoscope may provide additional insight. Tbh, reading any/all of them will give you something. As you may have noticed, this newsletter is now on Substack! Paid subscriptions support the creation of this newsletter for $7/month. Bonus content for subscribers arrives later this month!
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These horoscopes are meant to be found.
Virgo
your voice is gold; the words flow out of you like slow-churned butter; whether you’ve got a word count to meet or a love song to sing or a budget or a grocery list to write, everything is lyrical. remember that your sense of self is a gift. it must be shared. but shared in a different way! and with the people who really appreciate you. talk to the ones who are always buying what you’re selling, ok? raise your price.
Libra
“trusting” “the” “universe” is imperative. make it a top priority. figure out what you have to say; have a little faith in your networks; say “yes” to the next person who comes at you with an intriguing offer; yr whole purpose in life is to find and luxuriate in what’s beautiful so stop depriving yourself! (though a sensory deprivation tank is also a vibe for you for this new moon!); yes, go to the extremes of meditation if necessary but only if it’s stillness carries you back to the pleasure of earth.
Scorpio
shadow work doesn’t have to be so precious, bb. it doesn’t have to be a scary. you don’t have to make it “a thing.” a massive ritual is not required. no ceremony or black candles or prayers. today’s shadow work is actually just a gathering of friends. you’re going to break your curse through community, through celebration and through choosing not to be miserable. let the people who love you love you even harder. they’re here to help with the mess.
Sagittarius
this new moon reignites your visions of being a rock star. even if you’re just behind the wheel on a road trip back home, screaming that 00’s emo playlist at the top of your lungs. your friend is navigating and you’re immune to traffic. who you’re “meant to be” in the world is always up for debate. the answer is never simple and that’s actually your super power. you’re a sculpture, babe. refine that clay. precision doesn’t have to be toil. let it be a labor of love.
Capricorn
a sudden & overwhelming creative idea hits you over the head at this new moon. an overseas lover presses send on his latest installment to your penpal fiasco. the muse has returned / the muse has arrived / the muse never really left, now did it? confident resources and a deep sense of security are what make you feel sexy. why apologize? still, don’t ignore the omens. the cardinal (your ancestor) is singing, “the great work begins…”
Aquarius
the salty ocean foam reaching your feet under this new moon’s tides comes with a warning. “be careful about who you trust with your knowledge.” your heart is set on teaching but without proper alchemy, you might just be remixing someone else’s track. (distillation is easy once you collect the proper materials.) what you’re meant to share is your entire mythology. from start to finish. begin by telling the story to someone you’ll always love.
Pisces
communing with your dark side is joyous, isn’t it? fucking around and finding out with your coven. this new moon is all about you as “the other” which is to say you as “the performer” or you as “the person who you became along the way” your heart is taking submissions and who has time for compare and despair when the spells are on a deadline?! where you once felt defeated, you now feel mischievous. find yourself by putting on a disguise.
Aries
your friends and your lovers and your whole community NEEDS your help. it’s you whose gonna save the world. you can start by creating some order out of these messy, messy lives. you have the magic formula. for the next few months, your routines are what makes the world go round. your simplicity is someone else’s revelation. this isn’t the time to hide away in solitude. it’s time to get your hands dirty and remember why you’re alive.
Taurus
for you, taurus, this new moon can only be described as “tfw when you’re alone in your room, belting a smiths song at the top of your lungs.” it’s over the top, resplendent melancholy and…kinda hot? your lust might drive you back to an unsavory bedfellow or you might just eat too many snacks. but it’s easier to work when you allow yourself a little naughtiness, right? today’s playlist is the preface to your next creative chapter. you are the adrenaline of a draft and soon you’ll be ready for publication.
Gemini
what brings you great pleasure doesn’t have to make sense to anyone else. your experimental flings, your avant-garde hobbies and the joy you get every single time you hear that silly little song from 2009. this new moon brings you back to the foundation of it all. leave an offering for your ancestors and sing your happy heart out. they’re proud of who you’ve become. a muse is waiting for you, meditating under a tree, sharing your passion.
Cancer
you can’t nurture everyone. you can’t hold everyone’s bags or pick up everyone at the airport. so who makes the cut? who’s a part of your inner circle? who are you ready to grow with and change with? whose light gives you a soft tan rather than a blistering burn? old friends are essential right now. the ones who see you clearly. clearer than you even see yourself. if you want a divine outcome, you need to start with the most divine materials.
Leo
The architecture of safety isn’t a joke. It’s a privilege to feel held and under control. A body of work is just that: a body. It takes a lifetime to build. Consistency is key. Today’s new moon is a blank notebook. Are you ready to write? Are you prepared to practice every single day? You don’t have to show your work. In fact, it’s better if you leave up the scaffolding for now. Keep things mysterious for as long as you’d like. After all, it’s the process that counts.