August: Shining Your Light
The Sun continues to illuminate the sky, representing vitality, the vibrance of life, and the abundance that follows as we slowly step into the Fall season.
You've grown tremendously in the last few months. Your roots are strong and firm, your petals are outstretched and basking in the Sun's rays, and you are well watered & nurtured in the abundance you've procured for yourself. You are radiant, and it's time to shine your light with confidence. August is a month of gratitude, radical self-acceptance, and creativity. You've nurtured yourself with so much care; it's time to share that love with your community. As you step out of the shining rays of Leo season and into the intentional care of Virgo season, ask yourself how you can share your light with your community.
Leo Season encourages you to exit from your safe cocoon and step out into the world, to let your energy take up space without apology. This Sun-ruled sign emboldens you to be brave, to trust that your unique qualities are worth while & should be shared, and to be yourself no matter how you may be received. Leo is known to be correlated with life, ruling over the 5th House of creation, so following your passions and listening to your heart may take priority during this season. A light shining that bright on you can bring forth a desire to hide or shrink. This is an incredibly potent time for transformation. Ask yourself where you dim your light and what you need to release so you may shine bright with pride. The spotlight can feel overwhelming, harsh, and uncomfortably vulnerable. This season can certainly bring forth a feeling of rejuvenation, but without some time in the shade you may find yourself feeling burned. As you let your light shine bright, remember to make space for rest and self-tending.
As Virgo Season takes hold on August 23rd, Virgo season invites you to take respite from the Sun's shine and to turn inwards. Virgo Season calls on you to reassess the little details that make up this incredible existence of yours. Virgo rules over the 6th House of routine, health, and work, making this a time to question what your routines and rituals look like and if they need any updates. Ask yourself if you are living in harmony with your most authentic self and desires or getting caught up in distractions, how you are taking care of your health, and if your habits allow you to be the version of yourself you'd like to embody. As you re-evaluate and refine your routines and habits, be mindful not to fall so far into the desire to grow that you become critical of yourself. Virgo can bring forth a desire to be perfect, but this is an impossible goal. Remember that you are human and that your needs, desires, priorities, and abilities will ebb and flow with time. There is no perfect routine or way to exist; this season is to be of service so you are inspired to check in with yourself and make adjustments in accordance. Be wary of comparison, strive to be the best version of yourself you can be in the present.
Advice For Shining Your Light:
Shining your light is an incredibly vulnerable and courageous act; it means to show up in this world fully embodied and with pride. It is a promise to yourself not to minimize your existence, your needs, your wants, or your desires. This is a transformative act that will ripple throughout your life like a massive wave. Nothing is more potent than self-love. With that, transformation means change, and not all change feels good. Shining your light means some people will feel blinded by your radiance and make themselves scarce, it means some spaces will suddenly feel too small to fully show up in, and it means you must admit you deserve more. To shine your light means to trust in the changes that will inevitably come from being your most authentic self, and to continue to see the value in this beaming version of yourself while grieving some losses that might attempt to dim your shine.
Create A Self-Gratitude List:
List the small, big, or in-between ways you exist that make you feel grateful to be you. The longest and closest relationship you'll ever have will be the relationship you have with yourself, so make it a relationship filled with love and appreciation! You are deserving of a "thank you" for nourishing your body, tending to yourself with care, striving to be kinder, and simply staying alive. You don't need to be perfect to celebrate yourself; you just need to be you.
Bask In The Sunlight:
The Summer Season is inching its way towards Fall. Embrace the Sun's shine and make space to be outdoors. This could be as simple as going on a walk around your neighborhood, or as intentional as planning a river day to Sun with friends. The Sun's light provides us with so much joy, and this energy can be especially grounding in moments of overwhelm. Whatever you choose, make space to feel the warmth on your skin, observe the way the leaves dance and whisper in the trees, and bask in the present moment.
Create 3 Goals To Expand Your Life:
Think of three ways you can transform your life, big or small; Virgo loves having a goal to reach. There is no need to create overwhelming goals; think of three simple changes that could invite in more ease, joy, and presence. It could be helpful to make a list of three issues you are facing. For example, if you find yourself feeling stiff in your body when you wake up, you could try waking up 5 minutes earlier to dedicate to stretching.
This August is a time to commit to yourself. You are the partner, the lover, the friend that you have always needed; are you going to show up for yourself the way that you deserve? Leo reminds you to always be true to yourself, while Virgo reminds you that being true to yourself is more than emulating the self you desire; it's showing up as that self even when nobody is looking.
True confidence comes from those little moments we choose to do the harder thing that may be best for us, it is listening to your intuition and the messages your body has to share, it is speaking up when it feels scary.
As you commit to yourself this month, remember that you deserve the life that you desire and that you have the power to transform your life one small step at a time.
