Why Virgo Season is the Best Time of Year to Start a New Habit

In August 2013, I started a new experiment in saying “Yes” to myself first.

It began as a game: how fast could I get up and out of bed and out the door, without hitting snooze, stopping to check email, social media, text messages, or any “2-minute tasks” that were calling to me.

Once out the door, in the bright morning light, there weren’t many places to go other than the gym.

And thus began a ritual I called “Fitness First.”

Since then, for the past 10 years, I haven’t missed a day of morning exercise or movement practice.

Getting my body moving first thing in the morning has proven crucial not just for my physical health, but also for my cognitive health and mental focus, and my ability to produce work consistently.

The Best Time of Year to Start a New Habit

In the decade since I started Fitness First, I’ve experimented with creating many new rituals and practice. One thing I’ve learned is that when you start matters.

It’s no coincidence that this practice started in Virgo season.

Virgo’s domain includes the myriad actions we must take in the various realms of life to keep the systems running — what we might call the “work of work,” the “work of health,” or the “work of life.”

Virgo season always pulls our focus to these daily chores, and the routines and rituals we create to support them.

Virgo is a mutable sign, meaning that it transitions between seasons. All mutable signs come at a natural time of change, but Virgo falls at the time of year when the change is most substantial and when we tend to notice it the most.

The heat of summer is slowly fading. Mornings and evenings are cooler. The light changes more dramatically. There’s a noticeable chill in the air, even in the bright sunshine.

Even if you’re long-removed from your school days, we are conditioned to think of this time of year as “back to school” season: a season of fresh starts, new notebooks, fresh pencils, and new schedules and routines.

Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year, will arrive with the new moon in Virgo.

This is the quality of time that is most supportive of creating new habits and rituals.

Virgo is the sign of sacred service. As an Earth sign, it bends to practicality. it loves a schedule, a routine, a ritual, and a process.

During Virgo season, one of the primary question is

What daily habits, rituals, and routines do you need to create fill your cup and fuel your service to the world?

Whatever the answer, the energy of Virgo season support us in creating these new rituals and routines that fuel our work and fill our cups.