Virgo Alchemy & Reclaiming the Temple
Letting go of Leo Season is always a bit bittersweet for me.
I love late summer food and harvests. Lake days with water warmed all summer long. Earlier sunsets — but not too early — that invite sitting around the fire while the Perseid meteor shower peaks overhead.
But Virgo Season is here. And with it, new gifts.
Virgo is home to that late summer season of magic.
We still have the harvest — my prayers are up for delayed frosts and the ripening of all our green tomatoes. And we still have warm days…even with cooler nights.
The colors of the season transition from the golden of rabbitbrush and sunflowers to the rich oranges of our final marigolds, peppers, and the sweetest cherry tomatoes ever.
late summer orange love, from the garden; marigolds harvested for fragrant pigment-making
And the aromas of this time of year are my favorite. Here in the high deserts of Central Oregon, late summer heat seems to cook the flowering artemisias and junipers into a fragrant etheric tea.
Our apple tree, heavy with fruit, has been dropping apples consistently for weeks now. When a rare rain activates the Earth’s petrichor, the scent of sun-cooked apples and wet earth dances with sagebrush and evergreens for an aromatic explosion.
I have a secret project that has me completely immersed in the colors and fragrances of season and place. It’s a multi-sensory art creation that I’m hoping to share in the fall.
Think pigment + place + plants. It’s so much alchemy.
On Virgo — Bring back the priestess
Of all the signs of the zodiac, Virgo probably has the most warped reputation thanks to patriarchal suppression of the feminine.
Virgo’s greatest gifts — being of service, attention to detail, impeccable execution, skillful organization, pattern recognition and tracking, devotion to the sacred, enhanced perception and insight — were turned into annoyances and grievances.
Rather than being the priestess devoted to her sacred work in the temple, Virgos became deprived virgins, nitpicky, perfectionist, and judgemental. A convenient way to diminish the feminine.
These shadows are true of course. If you’ve ever dated a heavily Virgoan being you’ve probably suffered at least a bit from their unrealistic expectations. But my goodness is your budget well-organized ;)
Virgo is an earth sign ruled by Mercury. This is a really special combo. Because it’s magical. Literally. Magic.
Mercury is the messenger and magician of the Zodiac, associated with Thoth of ancient Egypt. (Reminder: You can grab the ancient Egyptian ritual guide here).
Even though the energy of Mercury is incredibly mental, Virgo is grounded thanks to the earthiness of this sign (and Virgo’s season is ruled by the often confusing element of Earth in Taoist alchemy).
Virgo actually loves pleasure, delights in the physicality of the Earth we live upon, and sinks into a feminine softness that receives the bounty of the harvest with gratitude...before carefully organizing the harvest so we are cared for throughout the winter.
When mental focus meets the physical world, magic is born.
So I think of Virgo not only as the Virgin — whole unto herself — but as the priestess and magician. The bridge between the sacred and mundane.
And definitely the one sign we all want with us on a desert island. Because there’s some truth to the perfectionism. Virgos do things right. The first time. You’re welcome.
I have somewhat complicated relationship with Virgo thanks to its placement in my own chart.
My two benefics — the two planets that bring us the most blessings, Venus and Jupiter — are both in Virgo.
But Virgo is in my 12th house — the house of retreat and darkness. Not an easy place to have all your good energy.
Still, this placement means I thrive when I’m organized — and I thrive at organization. Especially when it comes to recognizing patterns and then making sense of what lies below the surface…what is hidden in that 12th house.
And it means I receive the most blessings when I devote myself to the sacred and make time for retreats devoted to my art. When I take time and space to embody the archetypal priestess tending the temple, everything comes into alignment.
Feeling the priestess vibes at temple ruins back in the day…but I can’t do spiritual poses and photo shoots. I just smile and freeze when a camera is pointed at me.
Everyone has Virgo somewhere in their chart, and many people have a planet or more in Virgo. What influences does this sign have upon your own cosmic blueprint? I’d love to hear in the comments.
On Venus — and what happens when Venus meets the Virgin
Speaking of Venus in Virgo…
Right before Libra Season begins, Venus will move into the sign of Virgo.
(Venus rules Libra, which is the next stop on our Zodiacal cycle and I’ll be sharing much more about Libra vibes in my next newsletter.)
Again, this mirrors my own natal placement, so I have some thoughts about what we might experience during this window.
First, Venus is often associated with love, romance, beauty, etc…and this is all good and true.
But what’s often missing in our conversations around Venus is that she points us to our values.
What do you value most in life? Look to your Venus placement for clues.
Venus in Pisces values the dream — the ability to transcend noramtive consciousness and bring back wisdom from the ethers. Venus in Taurus is a lover of the earth, a guardian of the woods and a reveler in life’s sensual pleasures.
Venus in Virgo values service. Not sacrificial service — sacred service. And service to the sacred.
Venus in Virgo is the archetypal priestess devoted to the temple arts.
From August 25 - September 18, Venus will be in Leo. Enjoy the tempering of Virgo Season’s work ethic with the Venusean Leo’s play ethic. ;)
On September 19th, Venus moves into Virgo, overlapping with just a few days of Virgo on Virgo energy.
This means that the days leading up to the equinox are perfect for sacred work.
Every crossquarter celestial event has inherent spiritual potency, and these priestess/priest (in the best sense of the word) energetics can support all of our rituals during this window.
(If you want support with your rituals, I wrote a lovely little 45-page elemental ritual guide that you can get — totally FREE — here.)
This equinox, I’m sharing something that has been in the works for many, many moons. It really is the merging of temple arts, ritual, and magic for personal transformation.
It’s the priestess path arriving on the equinox to help all of us serve what we find most sacred and most valued at the soul level.
Next week, I’ll share more (but if you can’t wait, just take a peek here).
In the meantime, I’d love to hear from you. What do you value according to your Venus placement? How are you riding the energetic waves arriving with late summer?
And – because I value the beauty of connecting to place: What aromas and colors of place are capturing you at the moment?
Venus and Virgo converge in apples
For me, so much of cycling with the seasons happens through food.
I’m a foodie, what can I say?
The filling for the Wild Berry Crisp I shared in my last newsletter is now safely stocked in our freezer.
Alongside apples.
the morning haul
So. Many. Apples.
And since apples are a very Venusian delight — Eve knew what’s up…as did the priestesses of Avalon — I feel totally justified taking a detour into apple land for a moment.
After all, apples ripen during Virgo season.
Every day I go to the single old and twisted and wonderful apple tree in our backyard and collect another half grocery bag full of apples.
I cut off the mushy bruises and remove the worms — so fun…But organic! And then get to work.
Thankfully, I’m immersed in a lovely audiobook as my apple prepping companion (The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow, a good one and one of the main character’s names is also Juniper. She’s wild and witchy, which seems appropriate ;) ).
The book helps, because processing all our apples by hand is quite an effort. And though it doesn’t always seem like the best use of my time…I keep going with gratitude.
Last year, we had no apples. A late spring frost took out all the blossoms. And food is expensive these days. So I’m grateful. I have sweet, delicious nourishment from the Earth just a few steps out my door. I will do my part to preserve and honor these gifts.
(and I still share plenty with the local deer, squirrels, raccoons, and birds)
So far, this looks like: apple butter, apple pie, apple sauce, apple muffins, apple cookies, apple tart, apple salad, apple cider, dried apple chips, and bags upon bags of chopped and frozen apples.
Oh, and apple hydrosol. It smells like fall. I’ll be sharing that in the botanica this fall.
With that, please do share your favorite apple recipes in the comments :)
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Juniper Stokes is a certified coach, mythoanimist guide, alchemist & artist.