This season’s tarotscopes feature The Herbcrafter’s Tarot and The Astrology Deck.
After months of historic heat waves all across the northern hemisphere, we’re eager to feel the promise of autumn and (hopefully) cooler weather with the transition from fiery Leo season to our last sign of summer: cool, earthy Virgo. The zodiacal sign of mutable earth, Virgo is productive, supportive energy, eager to understand and distill, to improve and clarify. As astrologer Mecca Woods writes to Virgos in her book Astrology for Happiness and Success, “You don’t just set the bar — you raise it over and over again.” Mercury-ruled Virgo moves quickly and efficiently, sees problems before they even emerge, and understands how powerful the skill of thoughtful, intentional refinement can be.
Virgo season lives in the eighth and ninth months of the year, and our birth card of the Hermit is archetype number nine, which in Pythagorean numerology gives us a lot of fascinating angles to explore. The number nine is the last in the sequence, a digit that represents that tension between consciously approaching an ending and also recognizing a new horizon, a new beginning just around the corner. And as a mutable sign, Virgo also sits at the end of the season, wrapping up loose ends and setting us up for the start of autumn with Libra next month. With nine, we examine themes of spirituality, philanthropy, regeneration, guidance, wisdom, and reemergence — all concepts that live within the deliberate examination and thoughtful detachment of the Hermit.
The Hermit doesn’t retreat because they don’t care — if anything, it’s the opposite. This archetype knows how easy it is to get lost in the weeds, how tempting it can be to throw our entire self into a project and claim ownership over it, living and dying with every shift and slip. But one of the lessons of the Hermit and Virgo is that we don’t have to take everything on alone, don’t have to view ourselves purely through the lens of what we can do for others. We are not solely creatures of service, are more than what we provide or perform. This time of retreat, this stepping away from regular routines, is a way to find perspective, to see things more authentically, to detach. How can we take the space that we need to see circumstances and cycles for all that they are? In acknowledging what is wrapping up, what is moving beyond us, don’t we also make space for ourselves to heal and reflect, to better understand what we want to pursue next?
Every one of our cards this season is a pip — no court cards, no major arcana archetypes, and no aces or tens. We are all in periods of growth and development, learning and stretching and discovering, on the cusp of new change and new awareness. In this season of Virgo, remember the power of the Hermit, and take joy in where you are, where you’ve been, and where you’re going. Experienced tarot readers or astrologers can plug the cards I’ve drawn for their sun, moon, and rising signs into the spread below to create a custom reading for this season. Virgo is ruled by Mercury, planet of communication and information, so if you know your Mercury placement you can also check out your card for that sign to get a more complete picture of your season ahead.
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As always with these tarot readings, take what you need and leave what you don’t. Happy Virgo season!
Aries
Eight of air
Sometimes we get so attached to a particular perspective, a specific mindset, that we can’t see any other way. We believe our version of truth so fully that it begins to trap us in that headspace, limiting our ability to be flexible, to adapt, to see beyond circumstance. As you move into Virgo season, give yourself permission to explore and question, rather than feeling that you have to double down on whatever path you’re on. It may be that in opening your mind, you make important, even joyful discoveries, and that problems that once felt impossible suddenly have ways forward you can see clearly. Where have you been digging in your heels?
Taurus
Seven of fire
As you move into this season of mutable earth, you may find yourself defending a course of action, belief, or opinion all on your own. There can be power in knowing yourself, in letting your passions be witnessed — but as you stand up for your truths, don’t ignore the support that may be building around you, even if you aren’t always completely aware of it. Who is by your side, nodding along, offering resources or aid or insights? Who is helping you find solid ground, affirming your pursuits and cheering you on? You may not be as alone as you think, so this season, make an effort to find people whose values are aligned with your own. How can you expand your community? What lives at the heart of your ideals?
Gemini
Six of fire
This season brings opportunities for you to take pride in your work — to celebrate all that you’ve accomplished, to recognize the ways that you’ve grown and learned. Whether you work for yourself or are part of a larger team, whether you’ve been collaborating with friends on something new or have been chipping away at a private project for a long time, give yourself permission to take joy in what you’ve created. Where do you see yourself reflected in this effort? What does it mean to watch pieces come together? And when you think about your future, which direction do you feel yourself being pulled towards?
Cancer
Six of air
There are moments when we can recognize the ways that we are moving forward — deliberately leaving behind a toxic situation or a damaging mindset or a negative thought spiral. Sometimes this comes with a cost, but it’s usually worth the effort. And as you move into this new season, pay attention to the ways that your mind is expanding, the new possibilities for care and discovery that emerge when you look up from something you’ve fixated on and take in the broader world. What is sparking your curiosity, your desire for connection? How can new information, new communities, new places, offer new ways of thinking?
Leo
Five of earth
In moving out of your season and into the next, you may find yourself feeling a bit disrupted, a bit destabilized. Whether your resources feel off, you’re disconnected with your body, or you feel uncertain about your future, this season may bring some questions. These kinds of shifts aren’t necessarily cataclysmic, but they can encourage us to consider what we are grounding ourselves within, and where we may be relying on shaky assumptions or uncertain resources. There may be more help, more access, more support that you realize available to you, and it may also be that in interrogating what you trust, you also discover things that you are no longer interested in investing time, energy, or intentionality into. What are you learning about your own personal definition of safety?
Virgo
Five of water
Happy birthday, Virgo! You may experience some unexpected emotional shifts this season, as relationships adjust, new feelings are revealed, or something that felt solid becomes more fluid that you’d realized. These kinds of transitions aren’t always comfortable, but they are usually necessary, revealing truths and opportunities for growth that you can really sink into. Give yourself the space and grace to process any difficulties, but don’t be afraid to also acknowledge places where your needs are not being met, where you are not being loved or appreciated in the ways that you deserve. What do your relationships with others teach you about your relationship with yourself? Where is being vulnerable paying off, and where might you need to protect yourself?
Libra
Seven of air
As we move into Virgo’s adaptive, service-oriented energy, you may find yourself hesitant to act without all of the information, eager to keep questioning and interrogating longer than usual. You’re already someone that wants to hear multiple perspectives and balance the needs of the many, but sometimes this instinct can lead to an inability to discern fact from fiction. Do you trust yourself to see something for all that it is? Do you trust those around you to help you identify and understand truth? There is wisdom in patience, so don’t get caught up in a false sense of urgency before you’re confident that you have all of the information. What helps you feel secure in your choices?
Scorpio
Nine of fire
It may feel like you’ve been burning for a long time, putting all of your creativity and focus into something you know to be intensely, powerfully important. But with a finish line on the horizon, it can be essential to slow down, assessing what you have and what you need, rather than pressing on at any cost. This may require stepping back and looking at your progress, and your goal, clearly, rather than getting so swept up in emotion and obsession that you gamble it all just to see something through. What is this worth to you? How might you be able to achieve all that you want without losing an essential piece of yourself? And how can you balance self-care with success?
Sagittarius
Nine of air
Being able to maneuver and explore is important to you, but this season you may find yourself feeling stuck in a particular emotion, assumption, or path forward, unable to pull yourself out without some hard work. Rather than self-isolating or getting completely lost in your own internal fears, give yourself an opportunity to explore your relationship with truth, to consider where your particular perspectives originated and how they have been fed. What might you be overlooking? Where might you be allowing an assumption to become the only version of reality? And how can you give yourself the gift of letting someone else help you see something more clearly?
Capricorn
Two of fire
It may feel that this season brings a lot of opportunities for wrapping up old projects or long-term goals — but as we move into mutable Virgo, you may find yourself facing an important creative choice that will help shape your next big move. There are many options ahead, but this is a moment to consider where you want to go, and how you want to grow. What are you ready to pursue with all of your considerable skill, and what may need to sit on the back burner for a bit longer? Be honest with yourself about what you can reasonably accomplish and devote yourself to, rather than trying to do everything all at once. Where are your passions leading you? What feels like the right thing to invest in, to innovate and explore?
Aquarius
Eight of earth
You may experience a desire to hunker down on a particular project or direction this month, devoting yourself entirely to an ongoing ambition that requires steady, consistent effort. This can be a joyful and satisfying experience, particularly if you let yourself enjoy each step of this growth process rather than getting caught up in impatience for what is not yet finished. And while the eight of earth isn’t always the sexiest card in the deck, there is something intensely gratifying about watching your skills grow, watching your talents improve. This indicates a season of craftsmanship, of practice, of regular application, so sink into the rhythm of your work, and take pride in slow, tangible progress. How are you learning, expanding, improving? What is worth your time?
Pisces
Eight of water
The mutable earth of this season may show up for you in more ways than one, but as we move into Virgo’s thoughtful and observant energy, pay particular attention to matters of the heart. How are you showing up for others, and how are they showing up for you? Being generous with vulnerability, with love, with care is a joyful and valuable thing — but if you’ve been feeling taken advantage of, if boundaries continue being crossed without acknowledgement or efforts to change, you may need to gather your strength and make a decision that prioritizes your own emotional wellbeing. What new spiritual or relational journey might be opening up? How can you put your needs first?
