Being of Service: Tarot and Tea for Virgo Season
Welcome to Virgo Season!
This is my latest post on tarot practices and herbal allies for the twelve seasons of the zodiac (you can learn more here).
Virgo straddles the seasons, marking the end of summer and the start of fall in the northern hemisphere and the end of winter and the start of spring in the southern hemisphere. There are a few symbols for the sign of Virgo, including a sheaf of wheat, representing the health and abundance of the harvest and deep connection to the land, as well as the Virgin, representing someone who is unto themselves and imbued with the powers of self-determination. One of the symbols proposed for Virgo was the donkey which gives you an idea of the stubbornness and steadiness associated with the sign. The energy of Virgo season is very much one of getting on with it - the weather is changing and so must we. While Leo season can have the feeling of endless summer, Virgo season brings in a very practical air of preparing for the needs of community and the structures (including homes, workplaces, third spaces and so on) that need tending to.
Virgo is a mutable Earth sign and carries the energy of meeting the needs of self and community as they arise (Gemini, Sagittarius, and Pisces are also mutable signs). In other words, they know what healing herbs and spices need to be added to the soup pot to best serve whoever is coming to tonight's potluck. Whenever I think of Virgo, I think of living, breathing, community-centered healing spaces and temples, where folks can be welcomed in, cared for, fed, and nourished on a soul level. In comparison to other earth signs, where Taurus might be deep in the garden tending to the flowers and the fruits needed for the community meal and Capricorn is calculating what it's going to take to keep the community healing space operating, it is Virgo at the front door, welcoming folks in and adapting their greeting depending on who arrives.
With Virgo we learn what it is we are called to be of service to, where it is we can facilitate most healing in the world, and, from a shadow perspective, what it is we fear is "unfixable" about us or we are afraid to reach out for help about. Sometimes Virgo energy can make us feel anxious - there is so much need for healing in the world, where do we even start - and some of us cope by overworking and burning ourselves out. Other times, there can be an overdeveloped sense of paticularlness (it needs to be done just so!) and avoidance of acknowledging that all of us need and deserve to be cared for and loved upon. Exploring the energy of Virgo is an opportunity to hear more clearly our calling in life as well as more consciously connect to our own tender and vulnerable needs to be helped and supported.
Being of Service
Virgo Season Tarot Spread
Learning what it is we feel called to do and be in the world, and where it is we will contribute to healing our communities, is a lifelong practice of self-reflection shaped by the mirrors of the relationships we are in (including with people, creatures, land, sea, and sky). Will a single tarot spread tell you what your calling is? No, but the following tarot spread is not trying to tell you anything, but rather affirm what it is you already know deep down within. The great gift of Virgo is that the energy of the sign helps us to put into practice our calling. We might know what our calling is, but how that is going to manifest will shift and change as we grow into understanding the sacredness of our service.
Virgo asks us "Where are you called to serve?"
I am called to be an herbalist, for example, and early on in my career I was called to make herbal remedies and run a small private practice, whereas now my focus is more on teaching other people how to make their own remedies and focus on community spaces of learning, reflection, and connection. In another decade the shape of my service will have changed again which it's why it's so important to have self-inquiry practices (like the tarot spread below) to help us reconnect with what it is we are called to do and be, the support we need in order to be of service, and the current shape that our practice is taking.
Card 1. That Which Calls to Us
This card helps us to better understand what our calling is. Often this card highlights the theme of our calling (i.e. pulling the Three of Swords symbolizing being of service to those in the process of grief or heartbreak), but sometimes it can be more literal (i.e. pulling the High Priestess which speaks to your calling to take up spiritual vows and commit to esoteric studies). Dissonance or confusion with this card often points to one of two things: first, maybe it's not the right time to be doing this reading or second, there is internal resistance to your calling which is being reflected back to you in the card.
Card 2. The Shape Of Our Service
This card helps us to understand the path that our calling is currently taking us on. If you pulled the Three of Swords for your first card and pull the Queen of Swords or Cups for this card, perhaps you're being called into the role of a therapist. Generally, this card reads as a "next steps" card to the first - you understand your calling better, so now what?
Card 3. That Which Needs Nourishing
It can be easy (often exciting!) to focus on what we are called to do and be in the world. It's often much harder to consider all of what it's going to take to keep us well as we answer our call. This card highlights areas of your life that need more nourishment.
Card 4. That Which Needs Asking Of
This card helps us to understand the parts of our calling that we need to be reflecting on and understanding better. Answering a calling is not just about being of external service to the world, but the inner transformation that happens as we understand ourselves better through our service.
Card 5. A Message for Virgo Season
A general message, signs to pay attention to, and perhaps next steps to take as we move into Virgo season. This card can highlight energy which you might bring more into your life during Virgo season so that you are better able to connect with the energetic flow of the next month.
Bonus Card: That Which Guards the Powers of Digestion
If you feel connected with the philosophy of astroherbology you can pull an additional card to help you understand the current energies of your digestive system and the nervous system as related to digestion, including physical experiences and energetic ones, what tension or wisdom you might be keeping there. I encourage you to take a somatic approach with this card - when you pull it and see the energy, follow the feelings and sensations that it evokes from your body to understand its meaning.
image via @ireneivantsova
A Tea for Virgo Season
How do we nourish the energy of Virgo? Traditionally, Virgo guards the digestive system of the body including the intestines, digestive enzymes, and the connection between the gut and the brain (click here for a full list of traditional correspondences for Virgo). The energy of Virgo is a nutrient rich meal that satisfies not only the hunger of the body, but the hunger of the spirit. In order to enjoy nutrient rich meals, we need to be able to properly digest and process whatever nutrients come our way. Virgo energy benefits from supporting the process of rest and digest that so often gets disrupted in our modern culture. So the foundation of our blend is beautiful Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis) which helps us to process our internal and external experiences (i.e. digesting our environmental, emotional, and physical experiences). Chamomile (Matricaria recutita) brings in digestive support as well as calming the nervous system while Skullcap (Scutellaria recutita) continues to nourish the nervous system and bring in clear-headedness. Alternatively, if your nervous system is struggling to rest and sleep, you might replace Skullcap with Passionflower (Passiflora incarnata) to help create a deeper state of restfulness.
2 parts Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis)
1 part Chamomile (Matricaria recutita)
½ part Skullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora) or Passionflower (Passiflora incarnata)
These proportions are only suggested guidelines, so feel free to play around with them to your liking. As you make your tea, slow down, breathe deep, and infuse the blend with your intentions for the season (or whenever you’re drinking this tea to connect with the energy of Virgo). If you’re looking for more breathwork practices to help you connect with the energy of the season, come this way.
image via @floppypaste
Seasonal Reflections
What does the land feel like, look like, smell like this season?
What is coming to the surface from within me?
What is receding within me?
What am I feeling grateful for?
What am I grieving for or feeling challenged by?
What am I feeling inspired and where is it calling me to this season?
What am I calling to me?
What am I called to give?
♍️
Want to learn more about the magick and astroherbalism of Virgo? I’ve written a full profile on the sign for you to enjoy. You can also check out the rest of my seasons of astrology series.
Another Virgo plant that I didn't feature in my tea but really love, is Peppermint (Mentha piperita) - you can find a full profile of the herb here. If you struggle with some of the more anxiuos energy of Virgo my favorite calming nervine remedy is Milky Oat (Avena sativa) and it might be some time for some lunar-inspired rest.
May Virgo season be a time of healing and restoration, of uplifting healing spaces, and community joy.
This post was made possible through patron support.
❤︎ Thanks, friends. ❤︎
