Virgo New Moon

Its ladies night! Virgo is all about women who boss it - setting the standard, getting sh*t done and keeping communities together. We'll learn why the last god amongst mortal men, Astraea, ascended to the skies where she watches over us today; why Persephone is the Queen of the Dead (and queen of job-sharing), and spend some moments of quiet meditation and reflection being grateful for the gifts of the harvest and the importance of community spirit.

Transcript

 Hi everyone, and welcome back to The Moon and You, the podcast that's all about the changing signs of the moon and how we can vibe with them to bring out our own potential. My name's Jonah, I'm an Aussie living in South London, and I'm glad that you're joining me today for this episode, which is focused on Virgo, the Virgin.

Virgo is the sixth sign in the Zodiac. It's ruled by the planet Mercury and represented by the element of Earth. Virgo is the second earth sign. You'll remember that Taurus is the first one. And so it brings with it an energy and an element that's all about manifesting and manifestation and almost a vibe or a message that says it's time to put our bodies to good use.

You might also remember from our Gemini episode that Mercury is the planet that rules over the realms of communication and thought. So in a lot of ways, Virgo is the meeting of these two worlds, of body and mind. So this year, Virgo season's been unseasonably warm. I am sweltering here under these blankets that I used to record this in, and a few things have stood out to me in this past month or moon cycle that really epitomize the energy of this time of year.

So the first observation that I have is, uh, that the days are growing noticeably shorter, but with that there seems to be a prolonged, uh, golden hour, especially as we're spending more time outside in the warmth while we can. There's something quite special about Golden Hour during Virgo season because the insect life is so abundant.

So, um, against the golden light of dusk, you can see lots of midges and tiny little insects bouncing about and above the grass. And they catch the light almost like little pieces of glitter. On the topic of insects, there's been a series of weather events that have apparently led to an increase of wasp populations in the UK.

And alongside that, I've seen a noticeable increase in the number of spiders, particularly in my neighbourhood. I went for a walk yesterday evening and I couldn't tell you how many orb spiders I saw making homes in between people's garbage bins and in the boughs of trees. My good friend the apple tree in my back garden is still going strong, still fruiting, um, and I've noticed that as it drops more and more fruit, it attracts more and more insects and more and more birds.

And just a few weeks ago, I noticed a little family of robins bouncing about the branches, which was really cute at sort of 9 o'clock in the morning to wake up to. And despite the unseasonable warmth, there's still a lot of flowers that are blooming and going strong in people's gardens around here. So I've noticed a lot of brilliant blue cornflowers and a lot of black eyed Susans really taking the cake, um, when it comes to garden showcase flowers.

And I've also noticed that, uh, what we call in Australia potato vines, they almost look like jasmines, are still flowering quite strongly along people's trellises and walls. I think the air is starting to smell a little bit heavier at this time of year as well, and while most of our trees around here are still green and thriving, particularly the oaks around this area, I've noticed that some birch trees and some elm trees are starting to turn their leaves quite early.

Um, birch trees in particular with that beautiful, uh, bright yellow against that white bark always catches my eye. And I've seen the beginnings of a small blanket on the ground which does smell, give you that autumn smell when you walk across it and crunch the leaves at your feet. And outside of suburbia, it's the time of hares to make a return to the countryside.

So, um, they're making a leap back after sort of quietening down over the warmer months. And sadly or happily, I don't know how to feel about this, but it's also the time of migrating birds to start to make their descent down towards the equator, particularly swallows. Virgo season's all about the harvest and things coming into full fruit.

So, in the countryside you can see lots of rose hips on wild roses. You can see lots of wild plums with that sort of dark, bluish, purple fruit. And, a bit like last month, there's still lots of mushrooms that are prolifically growing throughout the woodlands, especially the puffball ones that you tread on that release all of their spores.

So the name September is not particularly inspired. It's named after the seventh month in the Roman calendar year, which starts in March, in case you're wondering why the ninth month is named after the seventh month. And, uh, it's also, this, this full moon is also called the harvest moon, as it's closest to the autumn equinox, which falls on the 23rd of September this year.

So, without even getting into the myths or the stories behind Virgo season, it's evident that this is a time of year that's all about harvest, and all about things coming into full fruit. So, it's no surprise that most of the myths we're going to explore today center around women and the agricultural cycle.

And starting with the classic Greek, Virgo represents a goddess called Astraea, and some say she's born of Themis, who is the goddess of justice, in the sense of absolute dictate and lawfulness, and Zeus, who is the king of the gods. There are, however, other tellings that say that Astraea is the daughter of Austreus, who is the god of dusk, and Eos, who is the goddess of the dawn, which I think is a much more poetic partnering.

So as the daughter of Themis, Astraea is the goddess of justice, but more in a community justice and a social justice sense, which we'll explore through her stories. Also, as daughter of the dusk and the dawn, she was known as the star maiden, and a attributed qualities of innocence and compassion and generosity.

So in Ovid's telling, Astraea was an immortal, of course. She was born of the gods and she lived among men during what was called the Golden Age, which was a time of peace on earth before there was any war, before there was any conflict. It was a time of harmony, of eternal spring. No one had to work and all was beautiful and good.

Long story short, this golden age came to an end when the Olympians overthrew the Titans, which brought about the Silver Age and subsequent ages like the Ages of Heroes, uh, beyond that. But throughout these ages, humanity began to separate themselves from one another. We started to create divides and we started to descend into selfishness, wickedness, and greed.

And these eventually became characteristics of what's known as the Iron Age, or the Age of Man, which is the age that we're in now. Estrella, who embodied all that was good, all that was just, and all that was right for humankind and for humanity, saw the horrors of what we had done to the planet and what we were doing to each other.

And so, giving up hope, she abandoned us and ascended to the heavens, where she watches over us in the constellation of Virgo. Astraea was the last immortal to live among us, and her placement in the sky as the constellation of Virgo serves as the center point of almost a messianic story, where some of her worshippers believed that one day she would return to Earth, and she would teach us how to bring about kindness, order, and justice for all that live on the planet.

This isn't the only story that's attributed to Virgo in classic myth. The Roman astronomer called Marcus Manilis, who wrote this text called the Astronomicon, attributes the constellation to Demeter, who is the goddess of harvest and abundance. And in the pictographs, she holds a sheaf of wheat. And Demeter, along with her daughter, Persephone, are central figures in the Eleusinian mysteries of life, death, and rebirth, which center around the equinox.

The equinox happens just at the end of Virgo season, and in this story, Demeter's daughter, Persephone, who was the goddess of Spring and, uh, new growth was abducted by Hades, who dragged her into the moor of the underworld against her will. You'll probably know this story, it's very famous, but while there, Persephone eats of the fruit of a pomegranate, which binds her to the realm of the dead.

And through this, Hades makes her his bride, where she takes on the form or the cloak as Dread Persephone, or Queen of the Underworld. Persephone's mother Demeter, of course, grows concerned when she can't find her, and starts to feel grief welling in her heart with no knowledge of what had actually happened to her.

So she abandons her post as goddess and searches near and far for answers. She enlists the help of Hecate, who you remember from Greek myth, or in Roman myth, her name is Trivia, who was old and wise as the mountains, and she advises her to Demand answers from the sun, because after all, he has an all seeing eye.

Demeter approaches the sun, or Helios, demanding answers, and he tells her that Persephone has been abducted by Hades, the lord of the underworld, where he's dragged her into her realm and made her queen of the dead. Through her rage and her sorrow combined, she abandons all of her duties as goddess. She neglects to renew the soil in the field.

She neglects to feed the wheat. She neglects to allow the fruit on the trees to grow. And the leaves turn brown, the earth turns barren, and everything goes cold. As the people of Earth get hungrier, their cries to the gods grow louder and louder, to a point where Zeus can't stand it anymore. But he's faced with a predicament.

Hades is his brother, but he knows if he doesn't broker a solution, they will eventually abandon his worship altogether. In the old patriarchal tellings of this story, as most of them are, Zeus intervenes and does eventually come to an agreement where Persephone will spend six months wandering the earth, up above the surface, bringing about spring and sunshine and all that's beautiful, and then six months down in the underworld, where the earth will go cold and be without her touch, her grace, and her beauty.

And this mirrors the turning of the seasons, with the equinox representing the different points of passage to and from the underworld. Looking elsewhere, though, in Babylonian lore, the constellation of Virgo represents the goddess Shala, who is the goddess of weather and grain. She's often also depicted with a sheaf of wheat or corn in her hand, um, and usually the pictures of her have her naked or opening her skirts to represent her sort of generosity and her willingness to give her body.

I think it would be reductive to sexualize this, though, because remember, in these cultures and in these contexts, this idea of virginity wasn't necessarily about, uh, sexual acts or sexual penetration. The term refers to someone who is unto themself and or someone who is, uh, noble of character and untouched and unpersuaded by the wills and wishes of men.

It's probably no surprise to fellow mythology nerds that, in Egyptian mythology, the constellation of Virgo is connected to the great goddess Isis, who is the mother of the universe, um, and she's holding her system, or her rattle, in her hand. Uh, the most prominent star in the constellation of Virgo, called Spica, was really important in Egyptian religion, um, and lots of altars facing its direction.

It's referred to as the Star of Prosperity because when the sun passed through the constellation of Virgo, what we now call the equinox, that was the time of harvest and the beginning of hard labor to reap the rewards of the agricultural year. I love how all of these stories of Virgo center around powerful women.

Um, and there are themes of fertility, there are themes of justice, there are themes of harvest as well. Astraea's story reminds us of our potential and I guess a vision that we should all collectively be working towards where we return to that golden age where we do care for one another, where we do share the riches that we have with a smile on our face.

And when we do eliminate these bollocks, invisible walls that we build between nations and communities and live as one in harmony with each other's needs. There's an element to Virgo's stories that are also about service, and I think that rings true particularly strongly in the story of Persephone's descent.

Persephone really captures that Virgo spirit where her presence on the earth during the warmer half of the year brings about, uh, the ripening of fruits. It brings about joy. It brings about playfulness and all of those wonderful qualities that we attribute with this time of year. But then it's important to remember that her role as queen of the dead and queen of the underworld isn't, uh, isn't one that is with evil intent.

She's ultimately the caretaker and the mother of souls of the dead, so there's still an element of service and duty that she fulfills while she's on that throne over the winter months. All of these figures, Astraea, Demeter, Shala, and Isis all give, give, give, give. So, it's a time to check ourselves and ask what we give back.

How can we channel Astraea's goodness into our daily lives? What can we give of ourselves, like Demeter, like Persephone, to create a better world for those around us? So in keeping with this theme, we're going to do another meditation that's focused on gratitude that's a little bit different from ones we've done before.

So, as usual, make yourself comfortable, find yourself a quiet corner, lie down or sit up, and get ready to go inwards.

We'll start by closing our eyes and drawing gentle attention to our breath,

breathing in through our nose

and out through our mouth,

in through our nose

and out through our mouth.

And with your next inward breath, whisper a small prayer of thanks for the air in your lungs. Be grateful for breath. Say to yourself, I am grateful for breath.

Breathing in, and breathing out, in perfect and mutual balance and harmony with the world around you. Giving, and receiving. With gratefulness in your heart.

Now turn your consciousness towards your heartbeat. Feeling its steady pulse in the center of your chest. Giving and receiving nutrients and oxygen from all around your body. Giving and receiving in perfect balance and in perfect harmony. Say to yourself, I am grateful for the steady beat of my heart. I am grateful for the ebb and flow of tides within my body.

Now drop that consciousness down further into your belly, and bring to your mind the food that you last ate.

Say to yourself, I am grateful for the food that is in my belly. And I am grateful for the bountiful gifts of the earth, for giving that food. I am grateful to the many hands that were involved in producing the food that is now within my belly.

Letting that gratitude seep from your belly through your body, letting it fill you up,

allowing you to feel whole and open and full of appreciation. For the world around you, and the people around you. Imagine that generosity flowing out of your breath, into the atmosphere around you, and filling the room. Pouring it up from your belly, through your heart, into your lungs, and into the atmosphere about you.

The atmosphere that connects you to your neighbours. That connects you to the plants about you and to the animals about you.

Hold these moments of unreserved gratitude for a while.

Letting it flow in and out of you, in perfect harmony and perfect balance.

Breathing in, and breathing out.

And when you're ready, slowly return your consciousness to your waking mind. To the feel of your belly, to the feel of your heart, and to the feel of the rising and falling of your chest. Let yourself be present in your body, and bring your awareness back to your mind, and when you're comfortable and ready...

Open your eyes to return to the waking world.

Hope you're all feeling nice and chilled out after that, um, and feeling full of gratefulness and appreciation for everything that you've got in your life. So to really reap the rewards, pun intended, of Virgo season, there are a few small things that we can do. The first is to honor the women in your life.

Virgo is a sign that is all about powerful women and the many roles and facets that women play in society and have since the dawn of time. So do something special for your mom, for your friends, uh, for yourself, and really honor that, um, powerful Virgo goddess energy and the way that it manifests in your day to day life.

It's also the perfect time for acts of charity, right? So, these don't have to be big, of course they can be, but a smile is free and can really make a difference to someone's day. Equally, if you see a bit of rubbish floating by on the street, it's Virgo season, pick it up, do your bit, it'll bring us closer to Astraea's vision of a perfect world where we all connect and care for each other.

This one might be a bit of a recurring theme for the next couple of months, but it's also harvest season, so cook. Cook for family, cook for friends, cook for loved ones. It's definitely my favorite love language, and there are so many plentiful fruits and veg that are currently in season, so it's a perfect opportunity to vibe with that and to really embrace that earthy, Virgo energy that's all about nurturing and caring and generosity of spirit.

And that brings us to the end of the Virgo episode, right up to the autumnal equinox, so enjoy it everyone, and join me next month as we dive into the sign of Libra. Until then.