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Writer's pictureLori Barnes

Virgo New Moon and Mercury Retrograde

Virgo New Moon Date and Time

Saturday 27 August 2022 1:17 AM, West Coast, USA 4:17 AM, East Coast, USA 10:17 AM, Rome, Italy 4 degrees Virgo

Virgo New Moon and the next Mercury Retrograde Cycle

Whether you are living in the northern or southern hemisphere, we are collectively moving into a new season. Even if the weather isn’t changing like it used to, we know the season is shifting because when we walk into a store we see the shelves full of products telling us a new holiday season is coming.

This year Mercury retrograde is coming along for the seasonal shift. It used to be that me and everyone around me would cringe together just thinking about a Mercury retrograde. But a few years ago I decided I wanted to make a serious effort of working with that energy.

It’s been a pleasant shift and reframe. Just like the sign of Virgo, it’s been a productive shift. There was a great quote that I think applies to what we are walking into and it goes something like this: How you perceive an event speaks more to how you experience it than the actual event itself.

I hope you give this idea of embracing Mercury retrograde energy a try because there are some helpful concepts that it can bring us. We usually have three Mercury retrograde cycles a year. These three time periods are good times to pause and reflect back on the work we have done since the last retrograde.

Think back to May and June of this year. That was the last retrograde cycle. If you took a pause then to reflect, realign, and revise, then you were ready to go back to pushing forward in June. Now it’s time again to take a pause to reflect back.

This Mercury retrograde will be in the signs of Libra and Virgo. This means that two parts of your life are activated during this retrograde. The topics, events, and people of those two parts of your life are based on where those signs fall in your chart.

If you already have your chart, look for which houses Libra and Virgo fall. If you don’t have your chart or aren’t sure what astrology houses are, check out my Astrology Houses blog and find out how you can get a free copy of your chart online. Or book an astrology consultation with me.

In general Libra is about relationships and relating while Virgo is about organizing and details. The first part of the retrograde may have you reviewing, re-evaluating, and re-aligning relationships with others or yourself.

When Mercury retrogrades back into Virgo, one of Mercury’s own signs, it is time to sift through details and sort out what is broken, where there are errors, or toss out things that are no longer needed. Virgo is great at detailed work. This can be a very productive retrograde.

That doesn’t mean that you will completely avoid some delays and annoyances that typically come with Mercury retrograde. But you can walk away with an achievement that you are thankful for. Imagine if you caught a wrong formula or clerical error that would have been embarrassing if someone else found it.

This is a useful type of energy when you go with the flow and rhythm of a Mercury retrograde cycle and the Virgo new moon cycle. We all have a chance to get grounded and work with the facts as we declutter, reflect, review, and realign our to-do lists.

Here are the Mercury Retrograde Dates and Information:

  1. Pre-shadow Begins: 20 August 2022

  2. Retrograde Begins: 9 September 2022

  3. Retrograde Ends: 2 October 2022

  4. Post-shadow Ends: 17 October 2022

  5. Signs of Retrograde: Libra and Virgo

  6. Degrees of Retrograde: 8 Libra back to 24 Virgo

If the concept of Mercury retrograde is new to you or you want to brush up on how to work with the energy of this cycle, please read my Mercury Retrograde Survival Guide. Here is a link to the 2022 Mercury Retrograde dates.


Virgo New Moon

The new moon is in the sign of Virgo, an earth sign that reflects an energetic vibe of focusing on the details and getting practical. The vibe of a Virgo new moon tends to lean toward being realistic and the caution is to be careful not to get so caught up in the details that you lose track of the big picture.

Remember the saying ‘can’t see the forest for the trees.’ I totally believe that it was written based on Virgo archetypal energy. Virgo is opposite of the sign Pisces, its polar opposite. Pisces dissolves into the whole and has great vision. Pisces isn’t concerned with details, it is about unity, the whole, and the grand vision.

Virgo sees even the smallest little detail and gets caught up in them. There are so many of those little details that a person can get lost in tangents and unnecessary perfectionism. The end vision is out of sight.

A Virgoan energy that is stuck in the details can be very productive, but moving at a snail’s pace toward the bigger goal. The end result being off target, behind schedule, or derailed into perfecting something that has little to do with the end goal.

The concept under the Virgo new moon is to start a new pattern or routine around the detail work. With a caveat. Because this year’s Virgo new moon phase coincides with a Mercury retrograde cycle. The retrograde starts on September 9, but the pre-shadow is well underway by the time of the Virgo new moon. They are interconnected.

The Mercury retrograde pace started slowing down on August 20, a week before the new moon. Retrograde cycles ramp up and down rather than a hard start or stop. Learn more about pre and post Mercury retrograde shadows in my Mercury Retrograde Survival Guide.

When you combine the Virgo new moon with the Mercury retrograde, it’s like the universe is saying that rather than starting something completely new, work on taking something already in the works to a new level or phase. Or spend time decluttering the project so it’s ready to move forward after Mercury goes direct.

There is a saying in marketing that says ‘better done than perfect.’ We all want our stuff to be perfect, especially Virgo energy. But what if making something perfect means missing the deadline, or being late on something time sensitive. Perfectionism can sometimes turn into a liability that hurts more than helps.

Like this blog. If I don’t get it out to you in time, the Virgo new moon can pass and whatever perfect thing I have to say becomes irrelevant. There is a time window. This Virgo new moon is about finding that sweet spot of doing the details, but not letting the detail work derail you from meeting your timeframe.

Virgo and decluttering go hand in hand. I highly recommend you take some time during this new moon phase to pluck some things out of your most important goals and desires that are slowing you down. Simplify is a great word for this new moon.

Free up some space, take some of the metaphorical weight off your shoulders, and give space to the important things. Prioritize and pluck. Now taking some physical weight off can also be a Virgo thing. If that is high up on your importance list, engage in some healthy routines.

If you have past health routines that worked really well for you, your best bet is to restart them rather than start something completely new that you have never done before. Unless there is something that you have researched and have wanted to start but procrastinated. Get started on your routine right after the Virgo new moon phase starts this Saturday.

Virgo is an earth sign, a sensual sign, and one that is concerned with body care. Go see your masseuse, acupuncturist, or herbalist. Get a check up and restart a regular routine of self-care. You will feel so good! Remember to give yourself extra time so those pesky Mercury retrograde delays don’t bother you a bit.

Last month the energy vibe was reflecting action around breaking old patterns and new ways of expressing yourself. Any new ways of expressing yourself that have come up can now start to take shape under the Virgo new moon organizing energy that is supported by a boost of energy from the planet Mars.

The universe is mixing up a nice cocktail of mental energy and physical energy to help us declutter, make a plan, and take action.


Virgo new moon organization with a daily planner, vase of flowers, on an organized desktop.

Push a Project Forward, Reorganize, and Take Action

The theme of the Virgo new moon video is about pushing a project forward, reorganizing, and taking action on an existing project. Since it’s a new moon, you may be taking something to the next phase, or combing through something to declutter and simplify it before moving forward. Lighten the load and clear obstacles from your path.

It’s a good time to break down your big mission and vision into the action steps that will take you where you want to go. Not only will you have a boost in mental energy to break down your action items into a step by step plan, but you will have a physical boost to kickstart your plans.

There is a lot of mental energy beaming down on us during the Virgo new moon and it’s likely going to have you reflecting back on the past. It is boosted by a significant amount of energy from Mars, the planet of energy, drive, and taking action. This is a great mix for solution finding and creative problem solving that will guide you toward what actions to take.

When you work with the energetic vibrations that astrology gives us, you open up to the potential for great productivity. The universe is sending a message that this a time of reflection, realignment, and reviewing and that there is extra energy to do just that.

This is a process that the universe encourages you to do three times a year during Mercury retrograde cycles. It is a time to uncover what you missed and review for improvements so you can go forward on solid ground. Initially there may be some stress or tension, but this is needed to spark your passion.

You are most likely going to want to focus on whatever has become noticeably outdated in your life over the past month. Think back to what happened since early June. 

Or, maybe you are experiencing a longer and slower recognition of needing to break a pattern that goes back to 2021 when we had a long year of pattern breaking energy.

However the Virgo new moon energy shows up for you, remember to slow down, take a pause, and reflect before progressing an important project or life event forward. You will be glad that you took the time to look backwards to move forwards.


Essential Oil Recommendations for the Virgo New Moon

I always use essential oils as part of my daily routine. I choose the oils based on what I am doing to help amplify and attract the energetic vibe. Here are the oils I have chosen for the Virgo new moon. Hopefully you have one or more of these in your collection.

  1. Basil essential oil to stimulate, clarify, energize, and uplift the mind and promote mental clarity. It blends well with Peppermint.

  2. Peppermint essential oil to invigorate, stimulate, and improve mental function, and reduces stress.

  3. Spearmint essential oil to stimulate a sense of focus. It has a cleansing and energizing aroma and is known to uplift your mood.


Virgo

Virgo New Moon Intentions

  1. Do your new moon intentions after the new moon phase begins.

  2. There is a vibe of mental stimulation that can go deep into the details. It’s the perfect time for to-do lists and action plans. 

  3. Set intentions to do some productive list making and to take action on your to do lists. This new moon is about planning AND action.

  4. Go to the spa or do any type of body work that you enjoy.

  5. Review a business or marketing plan and set intentions for making progress.

  6. Plan out your calendar for the next three to six months.

  7. Journal about where you fall on the Virgo and Pisces spectrum around being too far into the details, or not engaging enough in the details. Focus on aligning your balance between the two extremes and write up a plan for how you will do that.

Virgo New Moon ideas for the 2 week New Moon Phase

  1. Restart a health routine that has worked for you in the past or get back into your health routine if you have paused it for any reason.

  2. Virgo is a great sign to do any type of body work, cleanse, or health routine. With Mercury retrograde coming, you may find more success by returning to something that worked for you before, but you haven’t kept up with it.

  3. Get a massage, acupuncture, clay body wrap, or any type of body work.

  4. Organize and/or declutter a part of your life that will make it easier for you to move forward. This can be emotionally, mentally, or physical. Mindfulness approaches can really help with this. Especially if you are decluttering negative self-talk or toxic ways of thinking and communicating.

  5. Declutter parts of your life that need to be cleared so you can finish projects that are lingering or push through on a project that has already started and needs attention.

  6. Organize and/or declutter something around your home. You may find that decluttering your office space, garage, or a room in your home opens up space that leaves you feeling refreshed and energized.

  7. This can be an especially productive time if you have made some changes over the last few months and you are setting off on a new routine as part of a greater cycle. 

  8. Check out numbers and spreadsheets for any projects you are working on. You may find errors you didn’t see before and now is a good time to correct them.

  9. Make healthy meals and map out your dietary needs for the seasonal changes coming up.

  10. Plan and prep for the upcoming Mercury retrograde. We are already feeling the slow down of Mercury as it prepares during this pre-shadow time for retrograde on September 9. Use this time to your advantage by planning on reviewing and revising. 

  11. Mercury retrogrades are the perfect time to reflect, review, and realign. Plan your calendar to wrap up unfinished projects in September and the first part of October. Try to push new projects until mid-October if possible.

  12. Mercury retrograde is always a good time to review your current goals and make adjustments that are needed. Be especially alert for areas where you have fallen out of balance. Look for signs that you are too far into the details, or not focused enough on the details and try to increase the balance between the two extreme ends.

  13. Use discernment to your benefit but watch out for being overly critical toward yourself and others. Direct your critical eye towards those things that you can improve and forget about those things that you cannot.

  14. Watch out for any type of judgment or criticism coming from yourself or others and utilize ‘The Four Agreements‘ to help you make a conscious shift.

  15. Any type of natural, holistic, or homeopathic care could be helpful for an old and persistent issue. Remember to check with your physician first.

  16. Sign up for a healing or self-care course you have been wanting to take.

  17. Virgo is a sign that enjoys being of service. If an opportunity to be of service in some part of your life comes up, it could be a very positive experience for you.

Virgo New Moon Inspirational Quotes

It takes as much energy to wish as it does to plan. -Eleanor Roosevelt
You’ll never get organized if you don’t have a vision for your life. -Linda Eubanks
Clutter is not only physical stuff. It’s old ideas, toxic relationships, and bad habits. Clutter is anything that does not support your better self. – Eleanor Brown

Virgo New Moon Journaling Prompts

  1. Where is there physical clutter in your life? 

  2. Where is there mental and emotional clutter in your life?

  3. What projects have you started or are on hold that need your attention?

  4. What patterns have you noticed that are fading away and being replaced by new ones? Think back to last month, or to last year? What’s different and what is the same?

Wrap Up

The Virgo new moon energy is best used to declutter, simplify, review, and revise a big mission, vision, or goal that you already have started rather than starting something brand new. Be aware if you get lost in the details and go off on a tangent that isn’t leading you toward your goal anymore or if you haven’t paid enough attention to detail.

Mercury is already in the shadow of the upcoming retrograde indicating that you will have best results when you review, realign, and revise things rather than focusing on completely new things.

Astrology Aspects

  1. New Moon 4 Virgo conjunct Sun 4 Virgo

  2. Mars 4 (3.58 rounded) Gemini partile square Moon conjunct Sun 4 Virgo

  3. Applying Mars 4 Gemini sextile Jupiter 7 Aries

  4. Applying Mercury 1 Libra trine Mars 4 Gemini

  5. Applying Mercury 1 Libra opposite Jupiter 7 Aries

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