Congrats, y’all: We’ve finally come out on the other side of Leo season's Mercury retrograde, after what felt like the world's longest roller coaster ride between Jul. 26 to Aug. 19 (I honestly don’t know how we survived). But, just because Mercury retrograde is over, don't get too comfortable — more change is on the horizon, and as of Aug. 23, the zodiac will be shifting out of Leo season and diving deep into Virgo season. We’ve had quite a ride through Leo’s territory, so I think most of us are at least a little shaken up by this astrologically-wild past month. The lion’s den of Leo served us multiple retrograding planets as well as a couple heavy eclipses, all of which can play a part in emotions running high and things not running as smoothly as we wanted them to. So in true think-ahead, detail-oriented Virgo fashion, you’re probably now asking yourself: Exactly how long is 2018’s Virgo season anyway, and how can I be prepared?
Here’s the deal: On Aug. 23, the sun leaves the fiery and attention-loving sign of Leo that we all know and love and enters the goal-oriented, nurturing, and hardworking sign of Virgo, where it'll stay until Sep. 22. Gotta love the Virgo vibe: Focused, organized, and sharp, Virgo has an impeccable eye for detail and is great at staying organized. Channel this energy and let it guide your behavior throughout the season, and your hard work should pay off. Virgo is also an Earth sign, meaning it’s grounded, practical, and generally solid on materialistic matters (think money, careers, and anything detail-oriented or organization-focused). It's a highly detail-oriented sign, so perfectionists beware — while this energy can certainly work to your advantage when it comes to getting things done, don't get too caught up in over-analyzing or you could end up being nit-picky.
Virgo is ruled by the planet Mercury. And yeah, I know, Mercury doesn’t have the best reputation (honestly, it’s hard to not associate this innocent planet with its havoc-wreaking, all-too-common retrogrades), but it rules over communication and expression and can actually have a lot of positive effects on those areas when it's in the right place. That's why it's notable that on Sep. 5, Mercury (which is fully retrograde-free at this point, by the way) will join the sun in the sign of Virgo, which happens to be one of the planet’s home-base signs. This means that energetically, Mercury is right at home, and all of its good qualities — such as clear and concise communication and quick thinking — have a chance to really shine. This is a sharp (and welcome!) contrast to the backward, sticky miscommunications and errors that are frequent during the planet’s retrograde period.
According to Tarot.com, Mercury in Virgo will be serving all zodiac signs a major opportunity to be productive. Embrace Virgo-esque traits such as strong organizational skills, good judgement, and attention to detail in all your endeavors this season. If you put in the work, you can absolutely use the energy of this season to your advantage! It's not all fun and games, but hey, at the very least, you can think of this transition as being officially out the woods as far as this last Mercury retrograde goes, and that's a good thing.
The sun will stay in Virgo through Sep. 22, which marks both the end of Virgo season, as well as the first day of fall (fall lovers unite, our time has almost come!). This highlights another important aspect of Virgo season, which is that it brings us the final weeks of summer. So while you definitely want to work hard, Virgo-style, be sure to take some time to enjoy the sunshine during these long days leading up to the fall harvest. Whether your sign is expected to have an awesome, good-vibes-only Virgo season or a not-as-stellar one, know that you’ve got until Sep. 22 to squeeze all you can out of the season of the Virgo — and to make the most of the last days of this wild n’ crazy summer.
