Full Moon in Virgo

It may not feel like spring all around the northern hemisphere yet but the earth is getting ready for the birth of the Sun | the spring Equinox on March 20th and that means some deep cleaning and ritual work.

This full moon in Virgo I kept getting the message: "Clean your feet" during meditation. Immediately it made sense; Virgo's energy is all about purity through perfection, physical hygiene the nitty gritty details and servitude. Pair this with the Sun in Pisces, which is associated with holiness, spiritual connectedness and the not so glamorous feet in medical astrology and you've got a most simple ritual of deep detoxification on your hands. This got me to doing some research and led me to the ancient act of feet washing in the Middle East. In Christianity, the ritual is called Maundy and in Islam, it is named Wudu. In the Middle East the servants (Virgo) of the house would perform the act of washing the guests feet (Pisces). This was partly because they wore sandals 24/7 and walked in dirt everywhere but after the tradition ended it became a symbolic ritual. Before the last supper, Jesus was said to wash the feet of the 12 apostles (zodiac), which was a gesture to show his humility and servant hood to the people through the rejection of his priestly status. Ritual purification is common among many religions as a humbling act of respect to the deity one is praying to. You can read more about it here.

So what about the feet? Remembering my best friend of over 15 years is a podiatrist; I got on the phone to ask her a couple questions about the function of our feet in our every day lives.

She talked about how all of the nerves in our body end at our feet making them ultra sensitive to stimulation unless calloused and since feet are the farthest extension of our body from the spine and heart, in them she is able to see the first signs of degenerative diseases. Our feet do a ton of grunt work for us on a daily basis and often times we don't give much thought to them at all which is very reflective of the cultural perspective on service work. She also mentioned how because we don't pay attention to our feet on a regular basis we aren't always aware of growing health issues caused by circulatory problems. One way to help your feet be healthy and fully flowing of blood is rubbing them, foot scrubs and vitamin B-12. Another fun fact that some of you may already be aware of is the use of essential oils on the feet. They have a ton of sweat glands and rubbing alcohol-based essential oils on the feet is the fastest way to get absorbed.

When we honor our feet we are honoring the archetype of servitude to spirit. The connection between how we view feet in our culture and service is not a mistake or a coincidence. When Jesus made the gesture of washing his 12 disciples feet it was out of recognition of this archetype and to be humble is to be of service to your fellow tribe.

If you know Virgo, you know its love for work and the mundane tasks of everyday life. The full moon in Virgo happens every year before the Spring Equinox. We feel the pull of whatever we've been neglecting in our homes, chores and to finally vacuum that damn carpet. The proverbial spring-cleaning is upon us, which can cause some stress to those who are not ready to resurface some of the dust bunnies that have been hiding under the rug of our lives. Thit Nhat Han is a Vietnamese Buddhist monk who has written many books on the art form of mindful meditation. I read his book in college because I went to a liberal arts school. In his book The Miracle of Mindfulness he explains how we wash the dishes as a means to an end but when you wash the dishes mindfully, you notice how the water feels on your skin, how the soap evolves and disintegrates. He helps to explain how not washing the dishes mindfully and washing them in a hurried distracted way is not living in the moment which in turn is not honoring your actions. Because it is an Earth sign, Virgo is very tactile and practical while mulling over details of how things can function at optimal capacity. Its easy to get stuck in our heads about the details, which is why this is a perfect opportunity to practice mindfulness during daily tasks and rituals.

When I washed my feet today I thanked them, rubbed them with a vanilla brown-sugar and coffee scrub and later I plan on painting my toes.

During this Full Moon cycle in Virgo, I invite you to join me in mindfully cleaning your home, soul, and body starting with the feet.

The Moon will be full up to three days after it's exact opposition with the Sun, which was at 7:54:20am PST on March 12th. Breathe in the energy of the moment and exhale the past.

Full Moon mantras

I am holy

The Divine and I are of service to each other

Right now I am here

Without me there is no you

I am cradled in the womb of the Earth

I awaken

-Evelyn Von Zuel-

References and more info on Maudry, Wudu and Thit Nhat Han:

Diana Panek, PHD

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foot_washing

http://theislamiccenter.com/worship/five-pillars-of-islam/salah-prayer/how-to-do-wudhu/wudhu-and-other-methods-of-purification/