So towards the end of August the New Moon was in Virgo, which is usually very typically an organised sign. According to our natal charts, my closest friend has a Virgo sun while I have Virgo as my Ascendant. This means I can come across as a very organised person at the start of getting to know others, while my friend is just naturally organised anyway. This is very true as I can set good intentions to be organised but they don't seem to last long as my Aquarius sun takes over and rebels while my friend is always organised and only rarely asks for help to stay that way. I always say that if you want to organise something to a really good/high standard, find someone who is has a lot of Virgo in their chart.
Anyway, as part of the Diving Deeper Membership at Wise Woman Witchery, Emily leads lunar rituals as part of the lunar cycle and the last New Moon was in Virgo - the Moon is starting a new lunar cycle now so it was the New Moon towards the end of August. This wasn't a "typical" ritual - I say "typical" because there are no rules about what a ritual really should be made up of - however, Emily led a reading spread to move through over the next lunar cycle.
There were a total of 12 questions, the same three for New Moon, First Quarter, Full Moon, and Third Quarter. But before we started pulling cards, Emily did lead us in a meditation to figure out what our individual intention is for this lunar cycle. I have wanted to get back into the routine of writing more posts here since the heatwaves of the last couple of months derailed my plans. I also want to share my spiritual experiences more so that if you are experiencing something similar, you can learn from any mistakes I may make.
So the intention I set for this last new moon of summer was to write and post more regularly for my blog. During the same meditation, Emily also posed a question of: What is the work that I am ready to do? and my almost instant word was "share". We can only learn about others, their cultures, spirituality, and way of life if we share the knowledge we have, and this is what I want to do moving forwards.
I'll go through the questions for each phase and the cards I pulled - typical me, I couldn't get single cards for all the questions, so instead of 12 cards, I ended up with 16.
New Moon
Who am I?
The Moon – With this card, I feel like I was seeing signs, following my intuition, and seeing the way ahead more clearly. I also feel like this is going to be an emotional time for me as the Moon rules the emotions. (At the time of writing this, it was close to the Full Moon in Pisces.) But within tarot, the Moon is all about following my intuition so this was definitely a spiritual time for me.
The Hermit – With this card, I feel like it was a time to be looking within, seeking enlightenment for any issues I was facing. Whenever I pull this card, it always feels like an apt description of me because I feel like a hermit, living alone and spending time with myself (and my two cats). I like doing things on my own and independently of others but it also allows me time and space to review my past and present actions uninterrupted. This also means that I have the opportunity to face any shadows and seek inner illumination. This does seem to be a theme for me of this year based on my Shadow Work experiences but I'm not complaining as it allows me to know myself on a deeper level as well as heal any soul-wounds I have from my past.
What actions can I take in this time to support my intention?
Three of Cups – With this card, I feel like I could be celebrating what I know, being social to some degree with others, and sharing the joy that I am filled with. I feel like this should have been a time of celebration, celebrating what I'd already achieved and discovered. I'm not sure if I did this because I felt really ashamed that I'd let something as "trivial" as the weather affect me so much. But this wasn't trivial because the UK is not used to the temperatures that were seen in the last few months and I was badly affected by the excessive heat. Perhaps this card meant that I should have been celebrating that I had made it through the heatwave, that I managed to still do some spells during a lull in between two of the heatwaves.
What energy will most help me clearly communicate my intention and actions?
The Star Reversed – With this card, I get the feeling that I shouldn't lose hope, that I can keep the candle burning despite the supposed bleakness of my situation. When reversed, this card is all about losing hope or faith and experiencing a disconnect but it's also offering an opportunity to reconnect with what is important to me. While it may have appeared reversed, to me this card still holds a message of hope. It's also saying that I have been needing to up my self-care routine (which is more than likely true).
First Quarter
Who am I?
Five of Swords – During this particular phase, I was feeling ashamed, like I hadn't done enough already for this space. I felt bad because I thought I hadn't been able to do the things I had wanted and planned to do. I felt like I hadn't lived up to the expectations of others but in reality, those expectations were non-existant. I had been projecting them onto others when there was no need to. I had been open and honest with my closest friends about what I was able to do but it didn't stop me from being horrendously self-critical.
What actions can I take in this time to support my intention?
Knight of Spears Reversed – With this card, I felt like it was encouragement for me to not rush in too quickly, and saying that I needed to think things through first. I was able to put a different perspective on the situation I found myself in so that everything didn't quite look as bad as I thought it was. I needed to think through whether I was really expected to do things when I physically was unable to due to the extreme heat.
What energy will most help me clearly communicate my intention and actions?
Wheel of Fortune – With this card, I felt like it was telling me that I needed to allow and follow the ebb and flow of my own personal energy. I felt like it was also telling me not to force myself to do too much. That while I may have experienced a time of little to no energy, I would rediscover that energy in a new way that I could better understand and use.
Full Moon
Who am I?
Five of Coins Reversed – While this feeling like I'm not doing enough continued, I also felt like I'm not successful enough, not powerful enough and not knowledgeable to have others listen to me but that's okay. I've had to do a lot of self-care over the summer, doing only as much as I physically could, which has taught me that I really do need to look after myself before I can consider any of my projects. (I hope that someone somewhere will stumble across this one day and be able to learn from the experiences that I share here.)
Eight of Swords – Again, with this card, I felt like there was a theme of powerlessness, of not being strong enough, not clever enough, not smart enough and just not enough generally. That I wasn't able to stop this situation from happening, which is true - as much as I may be a Witch, I cannot control the weather. But I can control how I react to things, people and situations. I may need to consider being more proactive rather than reactive as it doesn't always serve me to be the latter.
What actions can I take in this time to support my intention?
Four of Cups Reversed – With this card, I felt like I was being told to not focus on the bad and what I could not control, and that I needed to seek a new perspective or even advice. I also feel like this card is directing me to look further around me because while I can find some assistance and support within my own self, I might be able to find it elsewhere as well. I do feel like this was a time where I could spend time retreating into my own inner world so that I could discover what is most important and grounding to me. It was also telling me to stop pushing myself so hard, reminding me that I'm allowed to just "be" in my own space.
(As part of the Full Moon in Pisces ritual, I was invited to write down things I can release that no longer serve my higher purpose. The main things that popped up for me during this ritual were: criticism of self, an pushing my self too hard. I am really critical of myself, and this came forward over the summer with the heatwaves when there was only so much that I could do during a very small window of time when temperatures dropped a little. I can also push myself too hard, expecting myself to do too much, which only leaves me in a worse place than whenever I start anything. So I really do need to release and break these self-sabotaging habits.)
What energy will most help me clearly communicate my intention and actions?
Two of Cups – With this card, I feel as if I'm being directed towards partnership with others. Like I need the support and encouragement of others to continue with what I am doing here. I also feel like it's telling me that I need to make a real commitment towards this goal. In the week leading up to this Full Moon in Pisces, I do feel as if I have done this as I have started writing some other posts as well as plan for other posts (like one on the upcoming Season of the Witch conference!).
Third Quarter
Who am I?
Ten of Cups – With this card, I felt like it was telling me that I would feel emotionally fulfilled. The Third Quarter occurs near the end of the lunar cycle so it is also be symbolic of the fact that I was at the end of a personal cycle as well. This has been a time of emotional security, of being able to have my projects be successful. It was also a time of being closer with others, of achieving things together.
Three of Coins – With this card, I felt like it was saying that I am starting to rebuild within my life, my social circle but also generally. I also felt like it was giving me hope of being successful at what I do, whether that is writing, doing readings, or even with my YouTube channel. This may also have been an indicator for my own faith, who and what I believe in, or where I feel most at home.
What actions can I take in this time to support my intention?
Ace of Spears Reversed – With this card, I felt like I was being told to not try to do too much at once or on my own. That I need to understand my own limits, This card may also have indicated that Mercury is in retrograde during this particular lunar phase so it was important that I acknowledge the possibility of communication issues, both with my friends and family but also with myself. Finding clarity with how I talk to my own self and with others is important. While this seems rather obvious, it's not always easy to make it a part of reality.
What energy will most help me clearly communicate my intention and actions?
The Tower – With this card, I feel like I will experience a shake-up within my life, a necessary clearing of old ways of thinking, patterns of behaviour and way of living, to make space for newer and better methods instead. This shake-up is likely to feel a little (or a lot) chaotic, and this will lead me to the final card of this spread. But with this shake-up, I can learn from my recent experiences and grow in knowledge and confidence. Tower experiences are rarely enjoyable but they can bring a whole new perspective into the mix of life. This could be when I experience an awakening of some form or see some new truth within my life. Either way, this is when I break free of anything that was previously holding me back so that I can continue moving forward with stronger foundations than before.
Page of Coins Reversed - With this card, I had to ask for some help from some friends because my brain apparently could not compute what this card was about, but once I read what my friends thought everything became a lot clearer. My friends mentioned that during this time I might experience a feeling of disconnect in my magick. That I would also likely be feeling smothered or trapped in the mundane world (which is usually true for me anyway). Boredom typically leads me to a lack of or inability to focus. However, this card did jump out with the Tower while I was shuffling, so it could be that the chaos is what brings me back from a disconnect. This may also be the perfect time for me to spice my witchery up, to try to avoid feeling too bored or disconnected from my own magick, which could lead to a greater focus on spells/rituals I can share on my YouTube channel (which I would love to do more for anyway).
Wow!! I was not expecting this to get so long but it has given me a lot to think about. I hope you found this helpful in your own rituals and self-learning. Remember that the New Moon in Virgo happens during Virgo season (between 23rd August and 22nd September) every year so you are welcome to try this out at the next New Moon in Virgo.
I hope this emboldens you to do whatever you need to do within your life. I also hope this helps you to learn more about your own selves and how you can go about achieving your goals and desires.
Peace and love to all!!!
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