What the Full Moon in Virgo Means for You
This article originally appeared on Yoga Journal
On the full Moon in Virgo, we have the opportunity to uncover shadows around perfectionism, feeling good enough, and accepting ourselves as we are in each moment.
When Virgo meets the full Moon on March 7, 2023, it's time to release our fear of making a mistake and instead take a leap of faith. The full Moon in Virgo provides us with an opportunity to detoxify ourselves of any thoughts or beliefs that we are not worthy or not good enough. Let this full Moon in Virgo help you feel good enough. Good enough for your dreams. Good enough to share your talent. And good enough to stand in your brilliance.
What the Full Moon Reveals
As we confront our inner world on the full Moon, we find our shadows. Our shadow side is full of emotions and energy we were unable to process when they originally occurred. We either did not have the resources or support to understand these emotions, so they became part of our unconscious. We often form our shadow side in childhood from our inability to authentically express our true nature.
The full Moon is the time to work with and shift our inner blocks. It's a time to uncover unconscious patterns or emotions that prevent us from realizing our dreams. It's also a time of revelation, when we can step into the shadows of our minds and feel the parts of ourselves we normally don't address.
Our shadow is full of feelings that we don't want to experience or deal with because these emotions are painful or cause us to feel shame. We push feelings aside to fit in at school or home, and our unaddressed emotions become our shadow. Our shadow then becomes buried in our subconscious, separated from our conscious mind. As much as we'd like to pretend our shadow doesn't exist, it is always with us, quietly working behind the scenes to sabotage or block us from our highest potential until we do the work to evolve it.
Our shadow side is part of the human experience. We do not need to feel ashamed or embarrassed by it, although we often do. Through acceptance, we can give our shadows the attention they needed years ago. The full Moon is a time to make the unconscious conscious and understand the many layers that form our identity. One of these layers is the shadow side.
Our shadows can be feelings of lack, unworthiness, or pain. They are the part of us that is easily triggered, even when we don't know why. They cause us to feel insecure, lash out, or judge others even when the conscious mind tries to direct us differently. Our shadows also form places of resistance. It is the part of us that attaches to limitations because they feel comforting. If you feel yourself resisting your intentions or reacting to something in a negative way, it may be your shadow coming out to teach you something about yourself.
Shadow work is about healing. When we can fully see and accept our shadows, we can heal the wounds that caused them. We can give ourselves what we need emotionally and energetically to integrate all aspects of ourselves. Through working with each full Moon and the energies it carries, we can unravel our shadows over time, Moon by Moon. As we make our way through all twelve zodiac signs and their Moons, we open the door to new patterns, eventually confronting them all. It becomes less overwhelming when we work this way, with a few energies at once, giving ourselves space to process and integrate our findings.
Every full Moon brings us the opportunity to do shadow work, where we can peer behind the walls of our conscious mind into our shadows. We can shed light on this part of ourselves, revealing unconscious patterns. With the Moon's help, we can shift into a higher vibration through release and often self-forgiveness.
What the Full Moon in Virgo Means for You
Virgo is the powerful sign of the Goddess, perfect unto herself. This energy is a reminder that we each carry a gift waiting to be discovered. The world is waiting to embrace our talent once we are ready to give it. The key, though, is feeling good enough to share our gifts with the world without fear or hesitation.
We often do not feel worthy or ready to share our magic with others and end up hiding it away. Virgo's energy in its highest state teaches us that we are always ready, always worthy, and perfect as is. Virgo is the sign of service. This energy helps us contribute to healing and raising the vibration of the collective.
Service comes in many shapes and forms. It begins by understanding that we are all connected. Start with this feeling of interconnectedness to define what service means for you. Throughout this full Moon, ask yourself what you are here to give. Then ask yourself if you are giving it without hesitation or if something is holding you back.
As we make our way through this full Moon in Virgo, become aware of any parts of yourself that do not feel worthy. Feel your soul and ask it what it wants to give to the world. We often do not feel worthy of our talent and hold it back. We deprive others of receiving what we have to give because we are too hung up on it not being perfect. We may even suffer from imposter syndrome, thinking we do not know enough or don't have the right training or credentials to give to others.
This full Moon is a time to step into your full power and realize your potential. It's a time to shift from the energy of lack, which tells us we are not enough, to the energy of abundance, which tells us we are full. When we come from a mindset of lack, we don't think we have anything to give to others. Once we recognize the various ways we tell ourselves we are not enough, we can replace this thinking with thoughts that enforce our worth and abundance.
The key to working with this full Moon is to embrace your mistakes and release the fear of making new ones. Mistakes are lessons that teach us about the future. They take us on new paths of discovery about ourselves, and they show us sides of situations we may not have encountered. Mistakes are simply part of life that all humans experience.
Often when we open up and talk about our mistakes, we find that others immediately understand what we have been through. Our mistakes, like many things, connect us. Our mistakes can also become a gift to others. Our journey may be a roadmap for someone else.
The full Moon in Virgo is a chance to free ourselves from the weight of perfectionism and transform every mistake into a powerful lesson poised to help us evolve.
The Full Moon in Virgo and the Sun in Pisces
Under the light of the full Moon, we have two astrological signs to work with: the sign of the Moon and the sign of the Sun. While the Moon sits in Virgo, the Sun sits in opposition in Pisces. Virgo and Pisces form a spectrum, or axis, of energy. At either end exists their extremes, or shadows. In the middle, where their energies meet, lives a beautiful integration of their highest vibrations. We can align with either side at any time, and we can shift from a lower vibration to a higher one with the right focus and intention.
Whereas Pisces is formless, chaotic, and all-encompassing, Virgo is form, order, and refinement. Where Virgo is worldly and connected to the Earth, Pisces is otherworldly and connected to infinite space.
Pisces sees no distinction between us and another. Pisces teaches us that we are all connected through the universal consciousness, with the Universe itself living through each one of us. Virgo's energy, however, demands that we stay within the boundaries of space, time, and our bodies. It asks us to define our energy and our world. Virgo also believes we are the Universe but inspires us to create containers through organized practices to help us use direction and intent to connect with our most intuitive self.
Pisces encourages us not to react to emotions but rather observe the fluctuations of energy and sensations within the body and mind. From this nonreactive state, Pisces follows the flow of the Universe, trusting its every twist and turn. Pisces surrenders to the unknown and teaches us to be patient as we watch our lives unfold.
Virgo, on the other hand, acts. Virgo understands the flow of the Universe but chooses to provide some direction. It recognizes when boundaries are needed between us and other people. Virgo reminds us that while trust and surrender are important, so are direction and guidance. The Universe will respond to deadlines and time limits if we state them. We do not have to sit around patiently forever, waiting for our dreams to manifest. Virgo teaches us that we can make some reasonable demands. We can ask, for example, to see a sign in the next six months or to have a dream come to fruition within a year. Our job then becomes to trust that what doesn't unfold on our timeline may be an opportunity for redirection.
As Pisces's and Virgo's energies dance with each other this full Moon, their lower vibrations are also revealed. The low, or shadow, side of Pisces includes escapism, addiction, and codependency. These conditions stem from the lack of boundaries between Pisces and the outside world, causing too many emotions. When we align with this side of Pisces, we take on a myriad of external energies. We become unaware of which emotions are our own and which ones belong to someone else.
We then seek behaviors that help us drown out all the feelings, so we do not have to sort through them but can escape them. This escapism shows up as unconscious eating, binging television shows, and drug and alcohol use, along with the activities that help us numb out or disconnect from the experience of life.
The other side of this escapism is getting lost in empathy and feeling everything to the point of losing touch with ourselves through full enmeshment with the energies of others. This is the shadow side of empathy. We can no longer separate our feelings from someone else's. Both of these extreme sides of Pisces can illuminate shadows within ourselves that cause escapism or lack of emotional boundaries.
If you notice either of these behaviors in yourself, go deeper and ask what they tell you about your unconscious. What needs to shift so you can have healthy emotional reactions to your life while understating which feelings are yours and which are other people's? Where do you need boundaries, and how can those boundaries help you manifest your visions?
Virgo's extreme, or shadow, side places too many boundaries and definitions on us. The low frequencies of this sign are perfectionism, not feeling good enough, and feeling like an imposter. When we align with this energy, we place pressure on ourselves to know everything at all times and not ask for help. We may procrastinate from fear of failure, always have to do everything ourselves, or miss out on opportunities because we don't feel we know enough. We expect ourselves to be experts in every field and have control of everything all the time.
In this frequency, we suffer from anxiety over inconsequential mistakes, and we go over details needlessly. We also focus too much on time. We never feel we have enough of it, and we waste time merely worrying about it.
We also may feel that when the world praises us or tells us we are worthy, it's unwarranted. We may feel that we do not deserve praise or recognition for our work. This may cause us to brush off or not fully receive compliments. We may also forget to celebrate our successes, feeling we don't deserve them or that they are not big enough. Even when others want to celebrate our wins, we don't allow it. In this low side of Virgo, we feel like an imposter in our own life and don't feel we can allow our work or talent to be recognized by ourselves or others.
In working with our shadows that align with Virgo's low side, we need to accept ourselves and acknowledge our talents. Whatever the reason for these lower vibrations in your energy, now is the time to shift them. The Virgo Full Moon is the perfect time to see yourself in a new light--one that recognizes your innate talents and knows they are enough. It's also a time to receive praise for your work and know you deserve it. You do not need to compare your life to anyone else's. Your life is unfolding perfectly for you, and even if you don't know everything, you know just enough to help you evolve this lifetime.
As you bring your awareness to Pisces's and Virgo's lower vibrations in your own self, you open the door to shift them into a higher state. This leads to a nonreactive self, a person who loves and accepts themselves fully, knowing they are part of the vast Universe. This connection brings forth endless inner knowledge and imagination. It also reminds us that we are all good enough.
When aligned with both Pisces and Virgo, it becomes easy to recognize what you have to offer this world. You can see your unique brilliance. You can also recognize that your inner light is needed and that it is good enough for the world. If you choose to dim your light because you feel it isn't worthy of recognition or that it's fraudulent in some way, you take away from the collective.
On this Virgo full Moon, we can merge the higher vibrations of Pisces and Virgo to form a fully integrated energy, which is stronger than their individual energies alone. The higher vibrations of Pisces and Virgo teach that you don't have to be perfect to be part of the Universe. You are part of the rhythm of life, and you were born with a unique set of talents for a reason. You are part of a bigger picture that you may never see. You only can trust that it exists and contribute your small part to making it beautiful. You are magic, and the world is waiting for your magic, even if it is presented imperfectly.
Your Invitation
Throughout this full Moon in Virgo, ask yourself what you have learned from your mistakes and how they have shaped you into who you are today. Can you be grateful for them? Furthermore, what gifts may be hiding in your mistakes? As you work with your mistakes this full Moon, ask yourself if they are holding you back out of fear of making another one. Have you aligned with the earth element so much that you've become stuck or stagnant in your energy? Have you forgotten to flow with life and embrace her rhythm?
As you shift your mindset to focus on feeling worthy and enough, your fear dissolves. You start sharing your thoughts, insights, and unique perspective with others. You give your gift of wisdom to the world without hesitation. As you do this, you inspire others to give their wisdom and insight. They then give their gift to the world, and a beautiful loop of reciprocity begins with everyone giving to each other. This loop raises the frequency of the collective and reminds us that we are all connected.
It all starts, though, by honoring what you have to give and feeling good enough right now to share it.
The full Moon in Virgo can rattle the nervous system and make you feel on edge or inundated with anxious thoughts. This nervousness is one of Virgo's low sides and can stir up anxiety about our choices this day. It can also make you want to cling to the familiar and not go with the flow of Pisces, blocking our ability to surrender to the life we were born to live. Practicing meditation or breathwork is proven to help downregulate your nervous system. Practice it on the day before and the day of the full Moon to help you stay calm and able to confront all of the energies this full Moon brings to light.
This Full Moon is also a time to release control and recognize your limitations. You cannot control everything that happens, and you wouldn't want to. You are always co-creating your reality. When you surrender control a bit, you leave room for the unimaginable. Part of this full Moon is learning where you need to flow in life and let go of control. Instead of micromanaging your life, let the Universe take over in some areas. Breathe and let things happen naturally without forcing them. Allow this full Moon to help you recognize what you can change and inspire you to dance with what you cannot.
Learn more about the full Moon, including additional astrological insights and journaling prompts, in the Virgo Full Moon Workbook, from which the above is excerpted.
About Our Contributor
Jill Wintersteen is the founder of Spirit Daughter, a lifestyle brand devoted to helping you live your best life through understanding the energy of the Universe. She also writes workbooks on each full Moon as well as other astrological events. Follow her on Instagram @spiritdaughter.
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