Virgo New Moon: A Time of Reflection and Shakeups
The New Moon in Virgo on August 23rd carries a dynamic energy that could shake up your plans, routines, and projects. This lunation occurs at 0 degrees of Virgo, a sign focused on refinement, improvement, and practical mastery. Adding intensity to this New Moon is a difficult square from Uranus, the planet of sudden change and awakening. Together, these influences suggest a time of possible surprises and breakthroughs, particularly in areas of your life ruled by Virgo in your chart.
A major theme of this New Moon is the interplay between Uranus’s disruptive energy and Virgo’s focus on careful, deliberate work. If you’ve been refining a project or working toward a goal, Uranus may shake things up, offering unexpected insights or forcing you to adapt. This lunation also features a Yod aspect, sometimes called a “Finger of God,” involving Pluto and Neptune. This configuration can feel like unconscious pressure pushing you toward a fated shift or a deeper alignment with your purpose.
This is a lunation that calls for flexibility and introspection. Rather than trying to control outcomes or force progress, it’s a good time to reflect, center yourself, and embrace the changes that may come. Watch the video for a detailed breakdown of the chart, as well as insights into how this New Moon might affect you personally. A modified and expanded transcript is also included below as a reference.
The New Moon may be especially impactful if you have planets or points in the early degrees of the mutable signs: Virgo, Sagittarius, Pisces, and Gemini. For example, if this lunation activates your first house (Virgo rising at early degrees), it might bring changes to your sense of self or identity. If it falls in your tenth house and hits your midheaven, it could shake up your career or long-term goals. To explore how this New Moon might affect your chart in more depth, feel free to book a reading.
Transcript (Modified and Expanded)
On August 23rd, we have a New Moon at 0 degrees Virgo, which invites us to open our minds and perhaps shake things up a little. The planet Uranus, which I sometimes call the "great awakener," brings its intense energy to this New Moon. This suggests that people with planets or points at the early degrees of the mutable signs—Virgo, Sagittarius, Pisces, and Gemini—might experience surprising events or receive unexpected information, whether in their outer world or inner life. These moments could prompt a shift in perspective, particularly in relation to a project or goal you've been working on.
This energy might be especially relevant to the Virgo-ruled area of your chart, which often involves refining something tangible. Virgo, as an earth sign, is focused on improvement, attention to detail, and mastery of a craft or system. This New Moon reflects that energy: getting absorbed in the process of refining a task or project with care and intention. Uranus’s influence may bring disruptions or unexpected breakthroughs in this area, pushing you to see things differently or adjust your approach.
Adding to the complexity, this New Moon forms a Yod aspect, also known as the “Finger of God,” with the outer planets Pluto and Neptune. I’ll explain this configuration and its significance shortly, but first, I’ll bring up an image of the New Moon chart along with a couple of tarot cards to help illustrate its themes. Visuals can often clarify and deepen our understanding of energies like these.
Let’s start by looking at the New Moon in Virgo, which falls within the first 10 degrees of the sign. In tarot, this part of Virgo is associated with the Eight of Pentacles, a card that represents focus, diligence, and craftsmanship. The card’s imagery shows an artisan immersed in their work—refining, improving, and creating with care and dedication. This reflects Virgo’s grounded practicality and its attention to detail. Virgo’s energy isn’t about perfection for its own sake but about honoring the process of improvement, whether it applies to a task, a system, or even personal growth. This New Moon’s energy encourages us to get absorbed in our work, find purpose in the process, and refine what matters most to us.
8 of Pentacles, Rider-Waite Tarot
For those with planets or points in the early degrees of the mutable signs—Virgo, Sagittarius, Pisces, and Gemini—this New Moon will likely feel especially significant as the New Moon will either fall on these planets or points or be in a tense aspect to them.
Now let’s talk about Uranus, which plays a major role in this New Moon. Uranus is in a tense square to the Sun and Moon, adding an unpredictable and disruptive energy to the lunation. Discovered during the time of the French and American Revolutions, Uranus symbolizes liberation, breaking free from limitations, and authenticity. It’s also associated with sudden, unexpected events that shake things up.
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A square from Uranus often feels challenging, bringing a “wake-up call” that can disrupt our sense of stability. With this New Moon in Virgo, Uranus’s square suggests there may be shake-ups or breakthroughs related to a project you’ve been refining in the Virgo-ruled part of your chart. While these disruptions may not feel comfortable at first, they often serve a larger purpose by pushing us toward personal growth or a more authentic way of approaching our goals. On the other side of the tension, we may find we’ve gained valuable insights or grown in unexpected ways.
Given this energy, I wouldn’t recommend using this New Moon for manifestation rituals or setting intentions for growth. Instead, it’s a good time for reflection. Focus on finding your center, connecting with your inner self, and allowing space for the changes Uranus might bring. If you feel unsettled or like the ground beneath you is shifting, this approach can help you release control, let go of outdated structures, and embrace transformation.
This theme of change resonates with the larger energy of the moment, as the outer planets are currently moving through fire and air signs. These elements bring fast-paced shifts and a sense of momentum. For example, Uranus is in Gemini (an air sign), Neptune is in Aries (a fire sign), and Pluto is in Aquarius (another air sign). Together, these planetary placements amplify the transformative energy of this New Moon.
It’s worth noting that the last few lunations—the previous full moon, new moon, and now this one—have all been significantly influenced by the outer planets. This sets the stage as we approach eclipse season, a time often associated with letting go and karmic realignment. These lunations are reflecting the rapid, transformative energy present in the world right now.
To help illustrate these themes further, I’ve included the Tower card from the tarot. The Tower is strongly associated with Uranus because both represent sudden disruption—like lightning striking and shaking things to their foundations. The Tower card depicts the Tower of Babel being struck by lightning, its crown knocked off, and people falling from the structure. While this imagery looks dramatic, it holds a deeper meaning. The Tower represents awakening, transformation, and the clearing away of illusions. Growth often requires breaking down what no longer serves us, and this card reminds us that these moments of collapse are necessary for building something more authentic.
The story of the Tower of Babel adds another layer of meaning. In the biblical tale, the tower was built as an expression of human pride and ambition to reach the heavens. The lightning strike symbolizes a divine intervention, dismantling what was built on unstable or misguided foundations. Similarly, the Tower card suggests that collapse is not random or meaningless but a necessary step toward clarity and truth.
Personally, I have Uranus conjunct my Midheaven, so I’m familiar with the energy of sudden shifts. I’ve seen how Uranus can bring upheaval that forces you to let go of rigid ideas or structures, helping you grow into a more expansive version of yourself. Like the Tower card, Uranus shakes us free from limitations and pushes us to embrace change, even when it’s uncomfortable.
In this New Moon chart, Uranus’s square to the lunation is paired with a Yod aspect, which involves Pluto and Neptune. A Yod forms when two planets are in sextile—here, Pluto and Neptune—and a third planet (like the New Moon) is in an inconjunct, or 150-degree, aspect to both. The inconjunct aspect creates tension because the planets involved don’t share common ground. For example, Virgo is an earth sign and mutable, while Pluto in Aquarius is an air sign and fixed, and Neptune in Aries is a fire sign and cardinal. This lack of shared qualities creates a push-pull energy that can feel like unconscious pressure or a sense of being guided toward something greater.
The combination of Uranus’s square and the Yod aspect reinforces the theme of unexpected shifts. You might feel like events are coming out of nowhere, disrupting your plans or routines. For example, if the New Moon falls in your first house (Virgo rising), Uranus in Gemini squaring it could shake up your sense of identity or self-image. If it falls in your 10th house (Gemini rising), the disruption might relate to your career or a work project you’re trying to perfect.
I hope this explanation helps you navigate the energy of this New Moon. If you found this video helpful, please like and subscribe—it helps others find this content. I’ll be back soon to talk about the next lunation, a Total Lunar Eclipse in Pisces on September 7, which will kick off eclipse season. See you then!