New Moon in Virgo: Awakening to the Divine Feminine

There is a force and a power in the Universe that is aligned with the heart and speaks through intuition. This is available to all of us, regardless of gender.

Today, we welcome the New Moon in the mutable earth sign of Virgo, the Virgin. The word virgin does not necessarily mean a person who is celibate, nor a person who is alone. Virginal is the pure essence of something, unencumbered, unsullied. Virginal energy is protected from forces that attempt to dominate, bully, coerce, overpower, to claim another’s living soul – to co-opt one’s vitality.

The Virgin archetype appears everywhere – in nature (virgin forest), food (virgin olive oil), even cocktails (virgin mojito) – and of course in spirituality and religion as the holy mother of Christ – the Virgin Mary, Mother of God. The virgin unencumbered is Jagatambe, mother of the Universe, the gnostic Sophia. She is creative and self-generating, the eternally unfolding, manifest aspect of the Divine Feminine.

The Divine Feminine lives within each of us, regardless of gender. C.G. Jung pointed to Her as the anima in males; Taoism discusses the yin to the masculine yang; tantric teachings worship Shakti as consort to Shiva. Remember, these are archetypal, universal forces that are alive in us, before and beyond our gender identity. One’s degree of access to the Divine Feminine, the Goddess, is not dependent on biological sex or self-identified gender.  Here, we are discussing the importance of reclaiming trust in the healthy archetypal feminine as human beings, as a species.

How Does She Heal Our Great Divide?

We are in an age of the cosmos known as Kali Yuga – the darkness is prevalent, ignorance is wreaking havoc through seen and unseen wars on nations, each other, our bodies, our psyches, our souls. Shadow, fear, ego separation, division, greed – all surfacing wildly. Yes, this is a Divine play, and even though it may last for generations, it is impermanent. Paradoxically and simultaneously, more and more individuals are awakening to their own light of consciousness and perennial wisdom – the Age of Aquarius.

It is crucial right now to take the long view – think not only of earthling, human time. Consider Consciousness unfolding beyond our lifetime, our children’s and grandchildren’s lifetimes, beyond our geological epoch even. Consciousness will outlast this form, that regime, this love affair, these power plays, that virus, those dinosaurs (or species), that technology, this body, that life. We must go beyond ephemeral appearances, for this gives us the holistic, vast, vital return to “other ways of knowing” that are associated with the Divine Feminine.

With the obvious and total uncertainty on the planet right now, and the greater collective focus on chaos, strife, fires and wars of all kinds, people are having a difficult time making decisions and finding peace. There is no way anyone is going to figure out their next move using only their intellect or their left brain. We as an evolving species must return to the enlivened aspect of our intuition – symbolized here by the Divine Feminine.

This can be especially challenging for head-oriented people. How will you know if you are one of those folks? You might find yourself in analysis paralysis often. You might find yourself scurrying compulsively about to find “the answers,” collecting data, talking to everyone, reading everything, and making a case for this and then that. Ultimately, you find this leads to a feeling of defeat, depletion. Unfulfilled, because the wisdom part of you knows that the answer is not going to be found solely outside of you.

Sure, facts and figures and due diligence and polling and researching may be part of the puzzle. But such striving and fine-tuning needs to be seated in the Soul, the Eternal. Answers and next steps cannot be tackled, they cannot be acquired, they cannot be conquered. Those approaches to decision-making signify the cut-off left brain, the disconnected parts of self. And the word for that, ultimately, is suffering.

Reclaim the power of your natural, Goddess-given “other ways of knowing.” Data and information may inform. But it must be in response to the Divine Feminine. Trust Her. She comes in whispers, dreams, intuition. A heart bursting forth with intensity and tears of affirmation, relief. A hunch, a knowing, a gut feeling.

I recently listened to an interview between Russell Brand and the psychiatrist and Oxford scholar Dr. Iain McGilchrist, author of the book, The Master and His Emissary: The Divided Brain and the Making of the Western World (Yale, 2009). I was inspired by Iain’s discussion of the left brain (rational, “masculine,” linear, pointed, executional, facts-oriented side) and how it is designed to take direction from the right brain (“feminine,” intuitive, holistic, big picture, symbolic).

In other words, the part of ourselves that is left-brained, or “He,” executes on “Her” right-brained instructions. That’s the way it works, naturally! Yet, for millennia we have been cut off from that flow in ourselves and in the world at large. This leads to frustration, misery, infighting. A no-win attempt to figure things out, to co-opt reality, to handle and fix and nail things down. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with the left brain – it is equal and vital for getting things done, for taking action, making things happen! It simply needs to be grounded in and alongside the intuitive, whole mind to bring lasting peace within and without.

Return to Her by Listening

A healed mind, the reunited masculine and feminine, gives us proper guidance and direction we can wholly trust. We tune in, and follow our receptive, big picture, symbolic impulses – then, when the intuition says “Jump!” we do it with complete and total trust in Her. In turn, we receive the world that is truly meant for us. We return to wholeness.

At this New Moon time, remember the Virgin – the Divine Feminine who breathes the Universe. She doesn’t need the invading, pillaging, cut-off mind to crush her, to control her. She is all-creative and self-generative. Her consort, the awakened Divine Masculine, is healthy, virile, fulfilled when He honors Her insights and acts on them. The result is right action imbued with presence and love. We need both, always, yet now, the vast majority of us need to remember just how to listen to Her. At this time of the New Moon in Virgo, take a moment to regard this pure, precious resource of intuition. When we heal the split mind, the division within, the external world may follow.

Erin Reese, M.S. is a contemporary non-dual spiritual teacher, author and guide. A modern mystic with over thirty years of experience, Erin Reese offers incisive, practical intuitive readings to her clients worldwide. She is a counselor, guide and mentor to those seeking an alternative to traditional psychotherapy or business coaching. Erin also offers non-dual meetings and retreats on embodied liberation and freedom from suffering. Visit erinreese.com for more information.