paradigm shift: new astrological season & incoming new moon (virgo)
It’s the last hurrah of Leo season, and today we have the Sun, Moon, and Mercury in Leo. Speak your truth now, with pride! The stars are urging you to be bold.
Last week’s steady footing shifts as Mercury and Mars move on, but the deeper scaffolding of the sky holds. A supportive web between Saturn, Neptune, Uranus, and Pluto continues to hum for a few more weeks, keeping the long-range rebuild alive. We still have a clear, cooperative current between Mercury and Mars, encouraging thoughtful, peace-promoting action. And love doesn’t retreat: the Cancer Moon on Tuesday and Wednesday re-awakens the generous, heart-opening spirit Venus and Jupiter amplified last week, reminding us that tenderness is a power move. The Leo Moon spotlights sincere affection and praise, while Mars in Libra softens edges in conflict and helps us choose grace.
On Friday (Aug 22) the Sun enters Virgo, and by early Saturday we arrive at the Virgo New Moon. This lunation doesn’t just ask us to “get organized”; it invites us to devote ourselves. Virgo’s ideal isn’t perfection—it’s care expressed through consistent, humble acts. Many of us will feel a real tug toward showing up for one another. If service is your love language, this may feel effortless; if it’s not, this week is a gentle course-correction in attitude and habit.
In the Jewish study of mysticism, Virgo is known as “Elul”. You may be aware that in Judaism, the spiritual new year starts in Libra, with Rosh Hoshannah. But what I learned, from my many years studying Kabbalah, is that during the season preceding Rosh Hoshannah, we have a chance to reflect on our spiritual growth of the past year, to investigate what we’d like to improve upon…and move forward with a conscious awareness of what we’d like to change…and how.
Virgo gives us a chance to be observant and critical (but not *overly* critical), and to rationally assess how we’d like to transform for the “spiritual new year” ahead.
Energetically, the week carries a “Chariot-like” tone: willpower, self-control, and disciplined forward motion. This is not a time to wait passively for the universe to deliver; it’s a time to fasten your emotional armor, set your focus, and move—slowly, kindly, precisely.
The Virgo New Moon (Sat, Aug 23 | 0°23’ Virgo)
This is the first of two consecutive Virgo New Moons (the next on Sep 21 is a solar eclipse). Think of this one as the clean slate and the eclipse as the turbo-charge. Together, they initiate a six-month arc that culminates around the Virgo total lunar eclipse on Mar 3, 2026. What you seed now—systems, health practices, workflows, shared routines—can mature beautifully by spring.
Archetype: devotion, discernment, intelligent care, incremental mastery
Opportunities: organize daily life; refine habits; simplify commitments; design routines that respect body, mind, and spirit
Cautions: with distractibility in the mix and a provocative square to Uranus, we can spin our wheels, overcorrect, or chase novelty. Change only what truly drains you; leave the rest intact.
There’s also a yod-like tension (quincunx) from the New Moon toward the Saturn/Neptune stream and Pluto, while the outer-planet circuit (Saturn–Neptune sextile Uranus) keeps invention practical. Translation: the cosmos nudges us to adjust our habits (quincunx) so that our ideals have a container and our breakthroughs have a blueprint.
Acts of Service = love. Under Virgo’s Moon, love proves itself through action: washing the mug someone left in the sink, prepping a nourishing meal, sending a detailed note that clears confusion, taking a task off a partner’s plate. Devotion is the romance this week.
Practical Focus Points
Stock your kitchen like it loves you. Fill your pantry with nutrient-dense staples; consider a meal-prep window or a delivery service to reduce decision fatigue.
Clean & green. Refresh filters, open windows, choose gentler cleaners. Let “purity” be sensual—fresh sheets, polished counters, clear air.
Tackle visual noise. Small piles are not neutral; they drain cognitive bandwidth. Clear one hotspot daily.
Make it ritual. Light a candle, cue a soft playlist, breathe; allow chores to become grounding practices rather than grim obligations.
Sign-by-Sign Guidance (with a Yoga Pose of the Week)
Use your rising sign for precision; your Sun sign adds flavor. Each entry includes one simple practice and a pose to anchor the week. As always, modify generously and listen to your body.
Aries ♈︎
Focus: Work & wellness rhythms, sustainable motivation
The New Moon lands in your 6th house—your daily engine room. Replace bursts of urgency with repeatable micro-routines that conserve energy. Notice the triggers that push you into overdrive and design friction-reducers (timers, checklists, phone on DND blocks). Uranus tempts you to overhaul everything; instead, adjust one keystone habit.
Practice: Track when you naturally focus best; schedule deep work there.
Pose: Forearm Plank (Makara Adho Mukha Svanasana) for steady core endurance; 3x 30-second holds with calm breath.
Taurus ♉︎
Focus: Creative joy, self-confidence, realistic play
This lunation activates your 5th house of passion and pleasure. Curate your fun: choose activities that truly replenish rather than numb. If self-doubt dims your light, make a “wins” list and revisit it daily. Uranus can provoke impulsive detours; ask, “Is this stabilizing joy or an escape?”
Practice: Commit to one nourishing creative block (60–90 minutes) this week.
Pose: Supported Bridge (Setu Bandha Sarvangasana) on a block—open the front body, steady the nerves.
Gemini ♊︎
Focus: Home base, emotional declutter, belonging
In your 4th house, the New Moon invites a gentle reset at home—drawers, corners, old boxes—and within. Clear visual noise to calm inner noise. Treat self-talk like décor: if it’s shabby or harsh, it’s time to replace it. Unexpected news may arise; respond, don’t react.
Practice: Choose one room and remove ten items that no longer serve.
Pose: Cat–Cow (Marjaryasana–Bitilasana) with slow breath to unwind the spine and mood.
Cancer ♋︎
Focus: Communication hygiene, local connections, mental loops
Your 3rd house gets the glow-up. Audit your inputs: feeds, chats, podcasts. Are they clarifying or cluttering? Re-open lines frayed by retrogrades; say the thing that mends the thread. Under Uranus, a surprising conversation could catalyze healing.
Practice: Implement a “screens off” hour daily for reading, walking, or letter-writing.
Pose: Anahatasana (Puppy Pose) to soften the heart and invite kinder inner dialogue.
Leo ♌︎
Focus: Values, money, resource stewardship
In your 2nd house, Virgo asks you to price your peace. Draft a six-month budget, streamline subscriptions, and honor the possessions that serve your life. Notice any spending driven by external validation; redirect toward true needs and lasting joy.
Practice: Create a “values ledger”—top five values on the left, weekly spend on the right; align one line item.
Pose: Sphinx Pose (Salamba Bhujangasana) to cultivate dignified steadiness without strain.
Virgo ♍︎
Focus: Identity refresh, self-devotion, compassionate standards
It’s your New Moon—and the first of a rare back-to-back pair. Choose one identity upgrade that is doable and loving: a bedtime you’ll actually keep, a morning page, a weekly friend date. Let excellence be a byproduct of kindness to yourself. Uranus may push radical visibility; reveal yourself in layers you can sustainably support.
Practice: Write a “Devotion List”—3 small daily actions that say “I’ve got me.”
Pose: Pyramid Pose (Parsvottanasana) for grounded precision and hamstring release; use blocks.
Libra ♎︎
Focus: Rest, inner housekeeping, honest compassion
Your 12th house is activated: this is the soft darkness where seeds sprout. Tie up loose emotional threads. Journaling, therapy, meditation—choose one consistent doorway. Social reconnection is welcome, but protect your downtime like a sacred appointment.
Practice: A 10-minute nightly brain dump; circle one item to release or re-frame.
Pose: Legs Up the Wall (Viparita Karani) for nervous system reset; 6–10 minutes.
Scorpio ♏︎
Focus: Vision, friendships, networks with integrity
The 11th house spotlight asks: who’s in the room with your dreams? Seek collaborators who share values and respect pacing. Under Uranus, group dynamics may wobble—let drama pass and invest in quality connections.
Practice: Draft a six-month “dream map” with three aligned allies to contact.
Pose: Eagle (Garudasana) to integrate opposites and cultivate focused balance.
Sagittarius ♐︎
Focus: Career architecture, sustainable leadership
The New Moon at the top of your chart (10th house) invites a pragmatic plan: responsibilities you’ll accept, ones you’ll delegate, and the rest you’ll decline. Your job is not your worth—and rest is strategy. Uranus may toss a curveball at home or in support systems; lead calmly from your values.
Practice: Block two weekly “deep work” windows and protect them fiercely.
Pose: High Lunge with Cactus Arms to open the heart while staying purposeful.
Capricorn ♑︎
Focus: Beliefs, learning, a bigger horizon
Your 9th house is curious and alive. Refresh your worldview—enroll in a course, plan mindful travel, or read widely. Replace grind-mythologies with humane efficiency. If a belief is fueling stress, rewrite it to fuel stewardship instead.
Practice: Choose one learning path and schedule the first three sessions now.
Pose: Chair Pose (Utkatasana) for disciplined heat with breath-led steadiness.
Aquarius ♒︎
Focus: Intimacy, shared resources, emotional honesty
This 8th-house New Moon invites tender depth. Audit the agreements—financial, romantic, creative—and name what needs updating. Micro-dose vulnerability: one truth, one boundary, one request. Uranus may shake comfort zones; respond by choosing presence over perfection.
Practice: A 15-minute money or emotions check-in with a trusted person; one actionable takeaway.
Pose: Supported Fish (Matsyasana) on blocks to open the chest and soften guardedness.
Pisces ♓︎
Focus: Partnerships, reciprocity, clear commitments
Your 7th house lights up: co-author healthier contracts in love and work. Ritualize shared routines (breakfast walks, weekly planning, co-working sessions). Saying “no” is sometimes the most loving “yes” to the relationship’s long-term health. Surprises may arrive—keep what truly nourishes.
Practice: Co-create a “partnership Statement Of Purpose”: 3 simple agreements for the next month.
Pose: Seated Forward Fold (Paschimottanasana) for inward listening; bend knees as needed.
Love & Relationship Notes
Acts of service lead. Romantic grand gestures are lovely, but this week the universe rewards the small, consistent kindness that reduces your partner’s (or friend’s, or colleague’s) friction. Try a beginner’s mindset: ask fresh questions, notice what’s needed now, and merge “parallel lanes” with simple shared rituals—breakfast together, an evening walk, a weekly co-work window. Compliments land with Leo-Moon warmth; Mars in Libra smooths conflict when you lead with “I feel / I need” instead of blame.