“To forget how to dig the earth and to tend the soil is to forget ourselves.”
Mahatma Gandhi
Here we are in Virgo season, where both my Sun and Rising signs fall, and so it always feels like coming home.
Leo season was as powerful and fiery as it promised to be and it is now time to ground, regroup and find our foundations in Virgo season, the next chapter in the Astro Interiors series – an exploration of the zodiac expressed through the eyes of architecture, interiors and most importantly, ideas to harness the sign’s energy at home.
Back to Earth.
Where Leo season encouraged us to courageously step out into our own light, Virgo represents a degree of self-containment, an inward retreat and a solitary unfolding. Represented by the virgin, Virgo has pristine values, intricate integrity and very high personal standards, coupled with a certain loving softness.
The shift from the freeing, unstructured nature of Leo season into the grounding earthiness and purification of Virgo season (which happens to fall in September, and the beginning of the new academic year in the Northern Hemisphere) can be reassuring for some, but jarring for others. Ruled by Mercury, the planet of communication, Virgo is a mutable earth sign that governs our digestive system, representing how we digest all aspects of our lives.
This is the astrological season to ground down and nurture yourself and take some time to sift, assess and refine, in order to cleanse, purify and streamline your life.
Mercury & the earth element.
Mercury and the earth element rule Virgo season. Mercury represents communication, how we commune with ourselves, the space around us and with others. Contrastingly to radiant Leo season, we turn inwards to connect to our inner wisdom and the values that govern the way we move through life. For Virgo, the notions of integrity, organisation, routine and a hardworking sense of dedication are both nourishing and fulfilling.
Home is a highly personal sanctuary of grounding yet wild, earthy colours softened with a flourish of romance and sacred sensuality. A place where both pleasure and practicality are celebrated and elevated to the same level.
Organisation, cleansing & purification.
Following the path of earthy practicality, a strong structure and resourceful organisation is key to a Virgo interior. Far from being characterless or dull, the orderliness inspires a sense of ease and calm.
As mentioned, the beginning of Virgo season fell at the same time as my first home move for over seven years which led to a deep dive into the world of Feng Shui, via modern Feng Shui maven Meghan Wallace James. Meghan believes that our homes are a vision board for our lives and that by cleansing and purifying our space, adding joyful touches and a juicy sense of self, we can create flow in our surroundings, and our lives.
Meghan works with a Western Bagua map that organises the home around nine main guas or zones, each representing a different aspect of life with associated symbols, colours and elements in order to ‘turn on’ and enhance the flow of that area and the home as a whole. See my interview with Meghan for more details.
Selfhood and the inner guru.
Virgo finds comfort in going inward to connect to its internal code, sense of self and inner guru. A remote, earthy retreat in the wilderness like artist Georgia O’Keefe’s Santa Fe adobe atelier springs to mind as the ideal Virgo bolthole. An inspiring yet homely space to create and unfold, to absorb deep self-knowing and engage in everyday soulful alchemy for a refined sense of wellbeing.
Georgia O’Keefe was intensely private, choosing the ranch in the remote New Mexico desert as much for its solitude as its captivating surroundings and views. O’Keefe put much into the home to make it “a house of her own”, painstakingly restoring it from a ruin over four years.
The result is a minimal retreat with feeling where romantic, soft, layered textures and linens create a comforting base for soulful lounging. A simple palette of subtle neutrals are wedded to the earthy wildness of the surroundings.
Alchemical powers.
The unwavering connection to an inner guru allows Virgo to bring alchemical magic to the mundane by romancing everyday details. Whether in reality or in perception, Virgo has the power to transform what appears to be a dull metal, into gold. Activities such as ritual baths and herb gardening are powerful means of conveying Virgo’s ability to create wonders from the Earth’s elemental ingredients.
In the wilderness.
Never without attention to detail, the Virgoan quest for perfection is softened by a sense of wildness, a connection to nature and its surroundings. A warm, organic palette of ochre, terracotta, khaki, pale stone and bronze under expanses of dusky blue sky provide a sense of natural beauty.
Scents of essential oils, subtle spices, harvested grains and a gentle aroma of lavender, rosemary, wildflowers and rustic herbs complete the sensory experience of Virgo season.
Virgo season moodboard:
