HOLY F*CK: 5 WAYS TO JUMPSTART YOUR LOVE AND SEX LIFE IN 2017

In her final Holy F*ck column of 2016, Alexandra Roxo has 5 ways to jumpstart your love and sex life in 2017…Portrait: Alexandra Herstik

Alexandra Roxo Holy Fuck The Numinous sex life in 2017

2016 has been a wild year for the planet and for America. For me it’s been a year of change and growth and reshuffling and purging and mourning and planting seeds and learning. I also hadn’t been single in 10 years, and have spent this one being VERY single. I’ve used this time to have a giant rethink of ALL my ideas, values, and beliefs about love and sex.

I’ve done some dating, sure, but I put the brakes on things in the name of some deep diving and learning and observing of myself and my clients, which is hard for a Piscean princess who loves to dive into romance. My birthday is just days from Anais Nin (if that means anything to you you’re prob my tribe!).

Last week, in search of my culminating thoughts about love and sex and spirit for the end of this year, I called my friend Gala Darling, whose latest love story is one of my faves! After a divorce, Gala met her adorable boyfriend online a little over a year ago and I’d been swooning over them via Insta for a while. I wanted to hear the dirt…Did she believe in soul mates? Manifesting the man of your dreams with spells and rituals? Making a list of important things in love and meditating on them? I had a lot of questions for her.

Gala said many things but what stuck out the most was: “Relationships are not meant to be easy. Marriage is not easy. They are not meant to be comfortable. They are meant to push you to see things about yourself that are not actualized. Having a soul mate is not a party!” This sentiment is way too overlooked in the twin flame/soul mate discourse. Where’s the footer that says “Hey BTW this shit hurts”?

Gala Darling and her boyfriend Garnett Holy Fuck The Numinous sex life in 2017
Gala Darling and her boyfriend Garnett shot by Juliane Berry

She also reminded me that there is no certainty. Like ever. In marriage. In relationships. In any of it. People who are single think “Oh when will I meet that special someone?” And then people who are in partnership may be asking “Is this right? Is it supposed to hurt this much? Be this hard? Do I still love them?” There is no certainty but our devotion to ourselves, and our practice of keeping aligned with our heart’s needs.

So in order to do just that I’ve prepared some writing exercises for this column, to help you too rethink/ rewrite / jumpstart your love and sex life in 2017…

So get out your journal. Put on a kimono. Or silk PJ’s. Select some quiet tunes. Burn some incense.  Make yourself a cozy nest. I rec bed surrounded by blankets and pillows and some rose tea and a few candles.

  1. RETHINK YOUR “LIST”

We all make these grand lists of what we want in a partnership and we often forget that the human we imagine coming into our life will also be flawed. Just like us! Do you have some list you’ve been working on for years? Fantasies in your mind about how your partner should or shouldn’t be? This can change as you grow so def revisit every six months. So use this time to make a list of HARD YES’s and HARD NO’s, and to really meditate on them.

Ask yourself big questions like: “Could you be with someone who doesn’t believe in God? Or do you absolutely need to be with someone who wants kids?”

 

  1. BROADEN YOUR IDEA OF A SOUL MATE

Do you have people in your life you have let see the whole spectrum of your madness and beauty? Your most ugly side and your most beautiful? I believe all the people who can hold all of us and push us to our edges are our soul mates. If you’ve never let your darkness come out with anyone I say deepen a friendship with someone who you can do that with. Not in an abusive way, but in a way where the connection can go deep under the surface. That will get you ready for partnership, and if you’re partnered it will keep you deep diving into yourself.

My friend Rebecca and I really did NOT like each other when we met. I thought she was a dirty hippie and she thought I was a stuck up goodie two shoes. 15 years later we are best friends. During that time we’ve hated each other. Not spoken for a year. Had the most heinous of fights.  But had the most enlightening and fun and hilarious moments together too. She knows me in a way no one else can. Our love is as deep as the ocean.

Ask yourself: “Who are my soul mates now? Who has pushed me to the edges and helped me grow? What can I learn from these relationships about myself?”

 

  1. COMMIT TO A PRACTICE AND STICK WITH IT

If you haven’t dated in a while, will you commit to a dating practice? Perhaps you and a friend can buddy up, open an online account, make a ritual of creating your profile (which Gala says is “like casting a spell!”) Practice connecting with strangers in a non-attached way. Go on coffee dates with no agenda except chatting with a stranger. Maybe 1 out of 10 will be someone you’re actually attracted to, so keep it chill. No expectations. Treat it like a morning yoga practice!

If you’re in a relationship commit to a growth practice. Is it seeing a relationship coach once a month to make sure you are growing? Does your sex life need a reboot? Can you commit to an afternoon every other week of sexual exploration time to keep expanding there? If your relationship has become too dependent can you commit to developing and nurturing solo space?

Decide what practice you want to commit to in 2017 and break it down over the months and weeks.

 

  1. GET TO KNOW YOUR LOVE STYLES

How do you like to be loved? (If you need some inspo you can do the 5 Languages of Love quiz.) I know I mostly need to be loved with touch and kind words, and if I feel I can communicate that to my next partner they don’t waste their time buying me gifts or giving me rides or cooking for me. I told Loulou (one of my besties) about this, and now we know that we both highly value a solid compliment we pay each other loving compliments regularly! It just takes knowing and asking.

Make a list of ways you like to be loved, either within a partnership or solo. Do you need more touch? Schedule a weekly massage or trade with a friend. 

 

  1. LOOK IN THE MIRROR

Don’t make me quote Michael but um…he had a point! If you were a potential partner meeting yourself for the first time what would you think? What would you want more of? Less of? This is good to look at whether you’re single or attached. Would you prefer someone who is more available? Someone who is more financially stable? Someone in better shape? Someone who meditates daily? Well, this is a great way to see where you need to make changes on yourself.

For example, I was thinking I would just love a partner who can chop wood—so fuck it, I guess I’ll learn to chop wood in 2017 too! You can also be the partner you want to your friends. I mean, don’t make out with them passionately or anything (unless that’s how you roll!) but love your friends like you wanna be loved. Cook for them. Write cute notes. Romance your friends and yourself!

Set some goals for how you can become the best partner and self and friend.

***

If you want to go deeper with this work sign up for my Holy F*ck course where we will be using creative writing and storytelling to dive deep into our habits, tendencies, hopes and dreams in love and sex in a conscious way.  I also see clients one on one for six month periods of mentorship and on off coaching sessions. More info here.

Alexandra Roxo is a critically acclaimed filmmaker, writer, entrepreneur and mentor currently residing in LA. She recently co-founded Moon Club with Ruby Warrington (founder of the Numinous) and has been featured in Well + GoodNylon,  Out Magazine and more.

TRUTH BOMB: READING FOR THE GEMINI FULL MOON 2016

The Gemini Full Moon brings an opportunity to upgrade your belief system to mirror your truths, says Sandra SitronPLUS in-depth Full Moon study questions for each sign.

Witches of Eastwick Moon Club The Numinous Gemini Full Moon
Join Moon Club for access to our virtual GEMINI FULL MOON RITUAL! More info + sign-up here.

Gemini Full Moon :: Tuesday December 13 2016 :: 7:06pm ET :: 22 degrees Gemini

Tend to your words. Make them your garden. Your words will nourish you and help you connect to your truth. If you don’t fail them, they won’t fail you. They will be the sacred fertilizer of your wisest moves.

The Gemini Full Moon will raise questions of integrity. Who do you say that you are? How do you use your words? Do you speak carefully, judiciously selecting which thoughts you will bring to life with language? Or are you unfiltered? This Moon will help us orient ourselves to the truth within, and give a microphone to the voice of wisdom. Because of the nature of any Full Moon, this time can also show us how our use of words can go disastrously wrong.

So mean what you say, and say what you mean.

Have you ever had a conversation take you down a wrong track, so that you end up saying things that left you worse off than if you had never said anything? These moments create opportunities to notice patterns. Pay close attention to you emotions as you speak or write. See how your words can change how you feel? Notice the patterns in your own thinking or patterns that come up in conversations.

Gemini rules thinking and communicating on an elementary school level. Gemini gave us our first friends and our first sentences. It rules primary connections, mental and social. And the stuff you learn when you’re a kid gets so ingrained. If your mom said “I’m sorry” instead of “Excuse me” when navigating through a crowded grocery store, you’ll probably speak that way too. The language we learn as children literally forms how our brain works. It’s foundational.

Sagittarius, where the sun sits opposite this Gemini Full Moon, illuminating its lessons, rules thinking and communicating on an elevated level. You’ve made it to college. Words become philosophical and wisdom-seeking. Sag is your study abroad trip to see how other cultures think.

With the Gemini Full Moon opposite the Sun in Sagittarius, we are being called to monitor the basic thinking behind our emotions (Moon), and step it up a notch so that we can live more fully in our essence (Sun). We are being called to think, speak, and live in the full integrity of who we are. We are getting a chance to re-write old thought patterns and operate from a philosophical foundation instead of a habitual one.

***

The Moon And It’s Message
Tying the boat up to the dock.
Bring your ship ashore. Find solace in what you know to be true. Your spirit. Your heart. Your essence. The waves keep coming, but they are part of the sea, they are part of life. You are ready for more structure. More of an understanding of who you are. It is time to plan a new trip. You can come back to the map and delineate a new destination. Let the light of understanding flood your mind so that the waves of the emotional sea feel like an adventure rather than an obstacle.

Moon Opposite Saturn
Wood stacked in preparation of a fire.
It’s time to build a structure. Structure must begin with a solid foundation. If you want to build a good fire, you always have to stack the wood in the right way. If you don’t, the fire won’t catch. Push yourself closer to a plan. It will help with your thinking and your progress.

Moon Trine Jupiter
Unwrapping the gifts.
Support beams down from on high. This is the stamp of approval. Trust that your intuition will lead you in the direction of expansion. All you’ve got to do is trust, and the assistance will flow in. The gifts are already there.

***

Go deeper with your Gemini Full Moon self-inquiry, with these study questions by sign. For a more accurate reading, see where 22 degrees Gemini falls in your chart and also read for that house.

Aries :: 3rd house
In what area of my life would a dose of curiosity and lightness be helpful? Do I feel safe to be filled with wonder in my career? In my relationships? Why or why not?

Taurus :: 2nd house
Finish the sentence “Money is…” fifteen times. Write it down in list form.
Money is _______________
Money is _______________
Money is _______________ (etc.)
Notice what different words and ideas come to mind when you contemplate what money means to you.

Gemini :: 1st house
What beliefs need to be released for me to re-gain the confidence to express myself with joy and conviction? How is this manifesting in my self-talk?

Cancer :: 12th house
Write a letter addressed to your Higher Self. Write down your questions about your life. Using your non-dominant hand write the answers.

Leo :: 11th house
How can I make more space for my hopes, dreams and aspirations? What is my brightest future vision for the collective? How can I spread this idea?

Virgo :: 10th house
What conversations need to be had to make adjustments in my career? How could I be thinking differently about my career?

Libra :: 9th house
What new philosophical or spiritual horizon am I feeling called to explore? Is change hard or easy for me? What has been my past experience of big change?

Scorpio :: 8th house
What am I ready to move on from in my life? What kind of journalling ritual would support that “letting-go” process?

Sagittarius :: 7th house
What relationship in my life feels a little “sticky.” What past experience does this feeling remind me of? What conversation needs to be had?

Capricorn :: 6th house
Wh are two simple adjustments I can make in my daily schedule or workflow that will create more efficiency in my life? How can I hold myself accountable for sticking to this?

Aquarius :: 5th house
What are easy ways that I can add more creativity and self-expression to my life? Why is self-expression important to me?

Pisces :: 4th house
What are my true feelings about: work, money, relationships, sexuality, health and spirituality? In which areas am I inspired and empowered to shift my feelings?

AIM TRUE: READING FOR THE SAGITTARIUS NEW MOON

The Sagittarius New Moon is here to help us to refine our unique mission—and aim true for humanity, says Sandra Sitron

Moon Club Sagittarius New Moon 2016 The Numinous
Get a special MOON MISSION pdf every new moon when you sign up for Moon Club!

New Moon :: 7 degrees Sagittarius :: November 29th 2016 :: 7:18am EST

Think of this moon as your arrow. And hear it whisper, “What are you shooting for?” As long as you are true to yourself, it will help guide your hand. It will assist with you aim. So spend a little time getting clear. Take a moment to form and nurture an sense of direction within yourself.

The New Moon is a time for inward contemplation. It’s time to get quiet and write down your intentions for the month ahead. Let this Sagittarius New Moon help you plant the seed of your own desires. In Sagittarius, this moon is here to help you understand your “Why.” Why are you doing what you are doing? What do you BELIEVE in?

The symbol for Sagittarius is the centaur wielding a bow and arrow. The centaur is half man (intelligence) and half horse (wild). He is a philosopher and also a hunter. The philosopher side helps you understand, the hunter side helps you go after what you want.

***

The Sagittarius New Moon and it’s message
Infant bees eating royal jelly.

This Moon is so quiet and so nurturing. She is helping you grow so that you can become a contributing member of the hive and of the world. The Sagittarius New Moon wants you to understand your own humanity, your place within the world as whole, and the creative spark within you that is for you to share.

This time may also be fraught with many conflicting messages. Many energies and desires are coming to the surface. Use the energy of the Sagittarius New Moon as your quiet respite for reflection and intention. Let this moon help you define and nurture your voice within the larger chorus of humanity. Define your approach. Reach for a higher philosophy. Reach for spiritual teachings that soothe and heal your sprit.

This Moon doesn’t want you to keep going through the motions. She wants you to know WHY and for what. She wants you to mark your destination. She is the archer and she says—hone your target! She is the philosopher and she says—study your motives! She brings you a quiet moment of contemplation. Use it to nurture your future and conceptualize your approach.

***

Sagittarius New Moon Conjunct Saturn
A single blade of grass growing very tall.

You must keep growing even if the path feels lonely at times. Keep feeling all of your feelings. Notice the storm clouds, notice the challenges you are working with, but push through anyway.

Take yourself more seriously. Don’t shy away from your responsibilities. Commit. Think about who the work you do is serving. Think about the philosophies that give you structure. Be determined.

***

Sagittarius New Moon Square Neptune
Swimming into an underwater cave.

With Neptune now Direct and in a motivating aspect with the Moon, look for a new truth. There has been some murky, muddy fogginess. Something may now become clear. Of course, there may still be denial and confusion. Nothing is yet resolved. Peer into the darkness of the underwater cave of emotions and reactions. Stay in the water. Move bravely through the unknowns to reach new levels of understanding. The only danger comes when using this energy as a way to sink deeper into denial and compulsion. Stay clear in your mind and in your heart so that you can use your intuition to perceive deeper mysteries.

***

For some additional guidance in your New Moon self-inquiry, the following journaling suggestions are by sign. To further help refine your insights, see where 7 degrees Sagittarius falls in your birth chart, and read for that house as well.

Aries or 9th house
In what area do you feel constricted in your thinking? Write down five different ways you could be doing things.

Taurus or 8th house
What are you ready to let go of? How will this allow for a transformation to occur?

Gemini or 7th house
How can you make more space for another person in your life? Can you do it while being clear about what you need at the same time?

Cancer or 6th house
What healthy habit is your body crying out for? What unhealthy habit are you ready to shift to make room for this in your life?

Leo or 5th house
How can you expand your opportunities for creative self-expression? What was your favorite way to play as a child? How can you reenact this in your adult life?

Virgo or 4th house
Where in your life could you use more support? Can you make a plan to ask for it? Write down what would make you feel most nurtured right now.

Libra or 3rd house
What kind of extra-curricular reading would be most helpful for you now? Who in your circle can lead you to this?

Scorpio or 2nd house
What assumptions about money are ready to let go of? Where did these ideas originate? Can you see how they are no longer serving you?

Sagittarius or 1st house
How do you want to leave your mark on the world? What is your mission statement?

Capricorn or 12th house
Think about how you feel. How you would like to feel instead? Can you lean into the feeling you would like to have right now?

Aquarius or 11th house
What are your hopes, dreams and aspirations? Write them all down. Visualize them.

Pisces or 10th house
What are your highest intentions for your career? Write down all the things that qualify you for the job.

To book a personal reading with Sandra visit Strongeyeastrology.com

If you’re interested in working with the cosmic energies of each moon phase with a group of likeminded seekers, and with weekly LIVE mentoring, check out Moon Club—our new monthly membership program!

DEEP INSIDE: READING FOR THE SCORPIO NEW MOON 2016

The Scorpio New Moon is an invitation to journey deep inside—so that we may emerge reborn, says Sandra Sitron…Artwork: i MANIPULATE

Scorpio new moon 2016 The Numinous

 

On Sunday October 30th at 1:38 pm ET (17:38 UTC) we have a New Moon at 7 degrees Scorpio.

The Moon and it’s message: “Cradle your heart in your hands.”

This Scorpio New Moon asks you to get quiet, so that you can hear her persistent whisper…Slow down. Study yourself. Prepare to let go of that which is no longer serving you. Be brave. Trust yourself. Cup your hands around your heart in honor and protection. Be your best witness. Hold space for yourself. Listen to the quiet, still, emotions that have been buried beneath “busy-ness” and action.

Your job right now is to Be. Your job is not to Do.

Every New Moon marks a new beginning; a time to plant seeds of intention for the upcoming Moon cycle. To visualize the manifestations of the coming 28 days. And the Scorpio New Moon especially is here to show us what needs to be eliminated in order to make room for the new.

In the Northern Hemisphere, the Scorpio New Moon arrives with the season of Autumn in its fullness. It invites us to witness the trees as their leaves fall away. The leaves are ready to die, to decay, to go back to the earth. The leaves have served their purpose. The tree trusts this. There is no effort in letting the leaves fall away. The only action is to let go—trusting that the next cycle will bring new leaves.

Scorpio tells us about cycles. As such, it rules Sex. Birth. Death. Rebirth. You may not fully understand the cycle that you are moving through. But trust that you are moving. You may not understand why letting go is so important. Yet let go you must. This watery, intuitive moon is not about logic. So let go of logic and open your heart to trust.

But also, don’t expect to be shown the easy way out.

Scorpio’s ancient ruler is Warrior Mars, while her modern ruler is Transformational Pluto. She will challenge you. She will prod you. This Scorpio New Moon may poke at your underbelly. May knowingly turn your eyes to what is decaying in your life. She wants you to see what is ready to be burned and transformed. She wants to help you eliminate the old to make room for the new.

The challenge of this Scorpio New Moon is to explore our deepest, most habitually fixed emotional reactions. The emotional grooves that are scored deep into the nooks and crannies of our psyche. Want catharsis? Recognizing these buried emotions could bring a lot to the surface. Releasing them could set a fresh new cycle in motion. So show up courageously. Look closely at your wounds. Don’t shy away from intensity.

Look at the part of your life that you are trying to control. Scorpio rules letting go AND control. Can you loosen your grip?

Ask: what are your thoughts and feeling about this area of your life? Is there some fear there? If so, is the fear triggered by a thought? What is the thought? Why do you believe the thought? What proof is there? When was the first time you thought this? What was going on in your life at that time? Is there another thought that could replace it? How would you like to feel instead?

Free up some time this weekend to just sit quietly and see what comes up. Scorpio archetypes are the Detective, the Researcher, and the Psychologist. It is the job of all these archetypes to search and uncover. To reveal a hidden truth. Do this with your emotional self. Take a steady, close look beneath the surface.

Then slow down. Trust. Witness. Let go. Cradle your heart in your hands.

Read on for the cosmic aspects at play PLUS New Moon self-inquiry by sign…

Scorpio new moon 2016 The Numinous

***

NEW MOON CONJUNCT MERCURY
The pitter patter of rain.

Chatty Mercury joins the Scorpio New Moon to help communicate to you what you are ready to let go of. These communications may be quick and persistent, like the pitter patter of rain. All you have to do is allow the message to come through. Mercury is bringing lots of ideas and new information. Areas of your life that you think you have all figured out may be ready for new interpretations. Get ready to start up a conversation with your highest self.

NEW MOON TRINE NEPTUNE
Finding your way through the maze.

Dreamy Neptune is in a harmonious Trine aspect with the Scorpio New Moon. This energy will help you open up to your intuition to receive a message from across the veil. The symbol promises that if you use all of your senses and follow your best hunch, you will arrive at your destination. Let your third eye help you navigate.

SUMMARY
You are ready to go inward. Explore your deep feelings. Let the unnecessary fall away. The leaves have fulfilled their purpose. Let them go, reflect, and prepare for the next cycle.

***

NEW MOON SELF-INQUIRY BY SIGN :: For a more accurate reading, see which house in your birth chart contains 7 degrees Scorpio.

Aries or 8th House
What desires are you avoiding? What is blocking you feeling into what you truly want? What do you see when you lean into the feeling you would like to have right now?

Taurus or 7th House
Are you holding on to any assumptions about relationships that you are ready to let go of? Where did these ideas originate? Can you see how they are no longer serving you?

Gemini or 6th House
Is anything preventing you from making healthy choices for your body? What is one habit you can let go of this week that feels aligned with your goals for your health?

Cancer or 5th House
What is blocking your creative self-expression? Why are you allowing this to persist? How might you bring more creativity and fun into your life?

Leo or 4th House
Take a moment to tune into yourself and have your notebook ready: If your inner child could talk to you, what would she tell you right now? Is there a pattern she is holding onto that she is ready to let go?

Virgo or 3rd House
What is coming up for you mentally right now? What are the ideas that won’t go away? How can you pay attention Do you see any assumptions that are influencing you in relation to this topic?

Libra or 2nd House
What is blocking you from realizing your self worth? What limiting beliefs are behind any instances of poverty consciousness (“I am not enough / There is never enough”?)

Scorpio or 1st House
Let yourself breathe more fully, and see if you can get more deeply in touch with yourself. What is blocking you from expressing your unique energy in the world? How can you step past this?

Sagittarius or 12th House
What is the dominant feeling surfacing for you right now? What’s it like to feel this way? Journal on this feeling and then ask yourself: What can I let go of in order to heal?

Capricorn or 11th House
Jot down some hopes and dreams for your future. Who in you might interfere with your goal? (Can you give a name to the part of you that may interfere? Can you have a conversation with that part?)

Aquarius or 10th House
Where would you like to be ten years from now in regard to your career? Can you imagine how you might get there? What must you let go of to realize your greatest ambitions for yourself?

Pisces or 9th House
What deeply held beliefs have you found yourself questioning? How could you chose to see things instead? How could this help you progress on your spiritual path?

SO REFINED: READING FOR THE VIRGO NEW MOON ECLIPSE

The Virgo New Moon Eclipse is an invitation to refine and redesign your world from the inside out, says Sandra Sitron. Artwork: Anastasia Borowska

Virgo New Moon Eclipse 2016 illustration girl The Numinous

We have a New Moon Solar Eclipse at 9 degrees Virgo on Thursday, September 1st at 5:03 am ET

The New Moon is a chance to start fresh. And THIS New Moon coincides with a Solar Eclipse, which also speaks to new beginnings. At the time of a Solar Eclipse, we collectively experience a massive reset. If we want to follow the flow of this energy, it is a time to be quiet and feel into where we are ready to make a fresh start.

Occurring in Virgo, the cosmos suggests that this fresh start may be in the area of Self-Improvement. Virgo refines, refines, and refines some more. And Virgo practices. With each new approach Virgo makes practical adaptations and adjustments. Because Virgo is an Earth sign, the focus here is on improving anything that is of the material world. Our health. The environment. The work that we do to sustain ourselves.

I have the sense that this Virgo New Moon Eclipse as being like the moment just before conception. No plans have been made. The DNA has not yet been arranged. We are in the space between breaths; a moment that is at once empty and full of promise. Virgo is so practical, so earthly, and so full of thoughts. This New Moon offers a chance for the thoughts to stop and a door to open. So where does the doorway lead?

As you ponder this question, allow yourself as much space as you need. Know that you can change everything or nothing. Give yourself the gift of agency and of vision. Start asking yourself questions and writing intentions. Know that anything is possible. When you write an intention, imagine how it would feel if that intention were actualized. Muster up this feeling with high-emotion and sit with it momentarily.

These questions may help prompt Virgo New Moon intentions…

– What adjustments do you want to make in your habits?
– What adjustments do you want to make in your schedule?
– What adjustments do you want to make in your work?

If your body could talk, what would IT say to you? What does your body need? Write a letter addressed from your body to yourself. And now ask…

– What is the smallest change you can make to improve your health?
– What would support you most in creating positive changes in your life?
– What is one thing you can easily shift to make your life more efficient?
– What is one thing taking up your time and energy that is not a priority? Can you change it?

***

The Stellium in Virgo
The concentric circles of a ripple in water.
The Moon joins the Sun, North Node, Jupiter and Mercury, all clustered in the sign of Virgo. A grouping of planets and points like this is called a Stellium. A Stellium creates a powerful focus of energy. This energy says: In this fresh start we reflect (Mercury Retrograde,) we expand (Jupiter) and we align with our purpose (North Node). Underlying all of this, we are making practical adjustments that bring us closer to our Earthly ideals (Virgo).

The symbol of the ripple in water shows us how powerful and focused this energy is. What intention caused the ripple in the water? How far will it reach? For there to be a ripple in water, the water must be still. Virgo energy is hardly ever still. Mutable Virgo energy is represented by the spiral—continuous adjustments to thoughts and actions. Part of Virgo medicine is the practice of mindfulness. Stilling the waves of the mind through meditation is a critical piece in the Virgo story. This stellium helps us create mindfulness and set focused new intentions for reflection, expansion and alignment with purpose. Then we can watch the ripples change our lives.

***

The New Moon is in a T-Square with Mars, Saturn and Neptune. A T-Square is an aspect pattern (two squares and an opposition), that looks like an arrow in the sky. It is tension that provokes action. By design, it helps us motivate. The stimulus to motivation is the challenge.

The New Moon Square Saturn and Mars
An arrow flies into the wind.
The arrow in flight is us being brought to emotional action. We can no longer deny our needs. We can no longer deny who we are. We must come to some sort of confrontation with the wind. We are moving through the wind and yet it pushes against us, restricting and blocking. Through the restriction we grow stronger. We need the restriction. We need the confrontation. We need to move through it so that we can finally see the truth.

The New Moon Opposite Neptune
A jigsaw puzzle falls to the floor.
We see the truth but then it vanishes. Or we create a picture of the truth and then realize that it was not real. We need to look and look again. We need to pick up the pieces and decide how they fit together. Maybe they create a different picture than the one we thought we saw. We need to do the work of fitting the pieces together one by one so that we can move toward the big picture that we desire.

This aspect tantalizes us with fantasy. Fantasy is how we manifest what we desire. Yet fantasy is also a construction of our subconscious. If we fantasize without practicing mindfulness, we will falter. If we create stories that are based on unexamined and outdated subconscious beliefs we will be continuously starting the puzzle from scratch.

***

So in the dark of this Virgo New Moon eclipse, sit and quiet your mind. Create a fantasy that reflects your truth. This will be your vision. Put it together piece by piece. Watch as the arrow gains strength and speed. Watch as the ripples of your intentions cause positive change. Pause in this moment before conception, practice stillness, and then use the below mantra for your sign to practice the art of refinement.

Aries :: Aries Rising
“My habits feel healthy and mindful. I enjoy efficiency in my daily life.”

Taurus :: Taurus Rising
“I am a conscious creator. I live a joyous and abundant existence.”

Gemini :: Gemini Rising
“I create a warm and loving nest. I nurture myself and I feel supported.”

Cancer :: Cancer Rising
“I am curious and playful.”

Leo :: Leo Rising
“I feel abundant and easeful. I believe in my inherent worth.”

Virgo :: Virgo Rising
“I fan the fire of my individuality. I am just as I need to be. All is well.”

Libra :: Libra Rising
“I am always connected because all of life is connected.”

Scorpio :: Scorpio Rising
“I encourage my hopes, dreams and aspirations. I envision a bright future for the collective.”

Sagittarius :: Sagittarius Rising
“I align easily with my purpose. I am moving forward.”

Capricorn :: Capricorn Rising
“I seek new philosophies.”

Aquarius :: Aquarius Rising
“I trust that I am safe to feel my feelings.”

Pisces :: Pisces Rising
“I am supported in relationship.”