Virginity needs a rebrand — and here’s why it’s the perfect time for that

There’s a new moon rising in the sign of clean lines, side eye and self-improvement.

The new moon in Virgo arrives Monday, Sept. 2, 2024, at 9:55 p.m. EDT, bringing with it the summons to discern, direct, set course and cut loose anything that crowds, defeats or compromises growth.

Virgo is synonymous with ritual purification, and the energy of this new moon is preparatory; it’s sweeping the temple floor, anointing the body, ironing the robes and dipping the candles.

And while Virgo is, of course, symbolized in sign and sky by the virgin, perhaps it’s time to rethink that concept. Virginity isn’t what you think, folks — but more on that later.

What is a new moon?

A new moon occurs when the moon is in conjunction with the sun and is no longer visible from our vantage point on Earth.

Energy peaks at a full moon and drops low and slow on a new moon, a celestial slate-cleaning that calls in a fresh lunar cycle.

The new moon always aligns with the zodiac sign the sun is moving through. In this case, that would be the mutable Earth, don’t-be-sorry, be-better sign of Virgo.

Virgo is ruled by Mercury and lords over the sixth house of daily rituals, bodily health and service. Thus, this lunation is about redefining/refining our relationship to body and purpose.

Meaning of the new moon in Virgo

While the fresh-to-death and fastidious AF influence of this lunation offers a prime time for intention-setting and plan-making, this new moon is forming an almost exact opposition to daddy planet Saturn, so you may feel like your efforts are not paying off.

Keep in mind and take heart the classic image of Virgo with a chaff of wheat in hand: you have to start with the seed before you see the harvest, folks.

Being an earth sign, Virgo is great at grounding and grinding; however, on the heels or beams of this new moon, Mars, our planet of will and war, will be forming a rough — and not in a sexy way — square with Neptune, planet of psychic visions and crippling delusions.

This square can express itself as confused exhaustion and/or exhaustive confusion. However, if you can prioritize rest, protect yourself from energetic vampires, and ensure your proactive planning is based on the bedrock of self-worth and the unshakeable belief that you deserve more, you’re made in the shade.

Virginity needs a rebrand

As stated earlier, Virgo has been forever linked with the virgin, but as archetypal astrologer Rebecca M. Farrar, M.A. — aka Wild Witch of the West — reminds us, the OG meaning of virginity has little to do with chastity and everything to do with sovereignty.

“Virgo comes from Latin meaning ‘unwedded girl, maiden.’ It wasn’t until around 1300 that it was used to denote a lack of sexual experience or simply chastity. In Greek translations, the word virgin meant ‘one unto herself.’”

As Farrar explains, the energy of Virgo, like virginity, is not something that can be given or taken but instead is “an expression of wholeness and divinity.”

She maintains that virgin goddesses of yore — like Athena, Artemis, Hestia and Vesta … and maybe even the Virgin Mary — took lovers but never husbands. Belonging to themselves, they got it on without ever getting locked down, living not in lack but in liberation.

Really complicates the virgin/whore paradox upon which the patriarchy wearily wobbles. But I digress.

If we lean into this idea of independence, this new moon encourages us to step fully into self-possession and consciously separate ourselves from the people and practices that subvert it.

This is the last lunation before the portal opens and eclipse season begins, and it beckons us to operate in service of the self, who we are, and who we can become.

Take heed the methods of Virgo new moon baby and singer-songwriter Fiona Apple: “I have a very steadfast tendency to parent myself, to monitor my development into the person I want to be. I’ve tried to keep the corruption minimal.”

Virgos are stereotyped as perfectionists, which is reductive as, in truth, these folks cannot help but see the potential in all things and all people. In the contemplative darkness of this new moon, we can similarly, if we are willing, be shown our own potential.

The Latin root of potential is power, and indeed, there is nothing mightier than what may yet be. Virgo gets an undue reputation for being rigid but, in fact, as a mutable earth sign, there is no energy more supportive of meaningful change.

And just as virginity ain’t about hymens, change isn’t about quickness — and Virgo energy ain’t about being flawless.

The great lesson of this new moon is that perfection is a stagnant pinnacle, while growth is a constant state of evolution and improvement. In this way, we can accept ourselves as we aspire to more.

To better understand what area of your life is ripe for this restructuring, look to the house in your birth chart ruled by Virgo.

Astrology 101: Your guide to the star

Astrologer Reda Wigle researches and irreverently reports back on planetary configurations and their effect on each zodiac sign. Her horoscopes integrate history, poetry, pop culture, and personal experience.