I’ve been working out at Fulcrum Fitness for years and am a professional astrologer. After talking to Fulcrum’s founder David Levy, we decided that it would be cool for me to share some astrological information about how to use the New Moon can be a really powerful way to boost your fitness goals. I wrote this post for my “FitFam” at Fulcrum, but really it’s for everyone!

I have been fortunate enough to work for the world famous astrologer, Jan Spiller for the past three and a half years and am continuing her legacy by writing forecasts, horoscopes and reports on her site, janspiller.com. Though Jan has now left her Earthly body, she leaves behind an incredible legacy in her books and teachings. I highly recommend Jan’s book, “New Moon Astrology,” as a guide for setting intentions at the New Moon.

In her book, Jan reminds us that for centuries, agricultural cultures have used the Moon cycles to time the planting their crops. The New Moon is always a time to plant seeds. The Farmer’s Almanac supplies dates and phases of the Moon to determine the best time to plant in order to ensure the greatest yield. It’s the same principal in our personal lives. The New Moon is a time that promotes all forms of growth.

In September, we’ll experience two new moons, and one of them will be a Solar Eclipse! The Virgo New Moon / Solar Eclipse will be on September 1^st at 2:03am Pacific Daylight Saving Time. When a New Moon combines with a Solar Eclipse (this occurs about twice a year), the power is intensified. Because Virgo is a sign representing health and wellness, the September 1^st New Moon will be the most powerful time of 2016 to set fitness goals! That makes it especially cool that the Vancouver Fulcrum Fitness will be opening on that same date.

Here’s what Jan says about setting New Moon intentions: it’s advisable to write down your goals by hand and limit them to no more than 10. The timing is very important. We get a lot of power at the New Moon, but there are times when the energy is stagnant that we want to avoid.

For the September 1st New Moon / Solar Eclipse, here are the best times to write down your intentions:

• Thursday, September 1 from 2:03am to midnight
• Friday, September 2^nd from 12:01am to 3:13pm.

These are Pacific times.

For this Virgo New Moon, think about routines, details and refining. Virgo energy is all about scheduling! Some great things to focus on for your goals could be setting your workout schedule weeks in advance, getting to bed at a regular time each night, eating meals at the same time each day and taking a move from class to try and refine like your clean, Kettlebell swing, Turkish Get Up, etc. These are just examples. Get creative and think about what you could work on improving or making more consistent related to your fitness and health.

The second New Moon of September will be in Libra on September 30. I’ll be writing again closer to that time to tell you all about the best types of fitness goals to focus on for that New Moon. If you have questions about using the New Moon to set intentions or have other types of astrology questions, feel free to contact me at cardinalfireastrology@gmail.com.

Hello, everyone. Have you been getting your rest? Are you feeling grounded? If the answer is no, I encourage taking some time asap to fortify yourself. September could get a little wacky. We’re in for two powerful Eclipses, and on top of that, Mercury is retrograde. Eclipses equal change and Mercury retrograde signifies working with the past. I think when these energies are combined the change manifested is not your typical variety. It’s been a long time coming. This could be the time to finally pull off the bandaid if you’ve been procrastinating with a long goodbye. Or the inevitable finally arrives and it’s the end of an era.

The Solar Eclipse on September 1st will be conjunct the North Node in Virgo. This will direct us to increase our faith in the Universe and release the need to control external circumstances. We’ll be learning to accept that it isn’t possible to control all aspects of our lives as we embrace our ability to adapt and grow. Not always an easy task.

Our visions are likely to come into focus this month. However, because Mercury will be retrograde (8/30 – 9/22), we’ll be most successful when we research our options without committing to a final plan. Because Mercury is retrograde in Virgo, we’ll need to review the details of our plans to be sure we haven’t forgotten any important steps. After October 5th, we’ll have cleared the “shadow” phase of Mercury retrograde and it will be easier to see the optimal course of action.

On September 16th, we’ll experience a Lunar Eclipse in Pisces, which could be a tearjerker. We’ll become aware of the need to be more sensitive to those around us and cultivate a more gentle approach to life. We could become extra aware of the fragility of human existence and the preciousness of our connections with other living beings. If we’ve been overly-critical towards ourselves or others it can become apparent now that we need to shift our attitude.

There is definitely something about Eclipses that forces me to do an emotional check in. I’ve been so busy lately that I am actually looking forward to that. The changes in my life have been brewing for years and things are starting to happen fast. One positive change involves my astrology work. I’m getting very solid confirmation from the Universe that I’m on the right track as an astrology writer and birth chart reader. I have gotten so many new requests for chart readings lately. Thank you!

I’ve been pouring my heart into this work and you’ll see some of the results in the coming months. I’m just putting a wrap on the 2017 forecasts for janspiller.com including Sun Sign Predictions, Theme of 2017, Astrological Phenomenon and more. I’ll remind you around the new year again so you can check it out!

I’ll also be quoted in a stylecaster.com article coming out in the next week or so. The topic is dating tips for all 12 signs. I had a blast writing this! In working on this piece, I ended up with a nice guide that I can also share with you on this blog. Stay tuned – I’ll be posting it after the article comes out.

Finally, I am also the astrologer for my gym, Fulcrum Fitness. If it wasn’t for Fulcrum, I don’t think I could be doing everything I do. Their classes help keep my body strong and my mind calm. Starting this month, I’ll be contributing a guest blog post about the New Moon and how you can use it’s energy to set goals, especially related to fitness. Look for it coming out in time for the September 1 New Moon / Solar Eclipse here: http://fulcrumfitness.com/blog.

Take it easy out there, everyone. Change isn’t easy, even when you’ve expected it. Especially if you’ve expected it. Remember to stay grateful and focus on all you have now and are capable of having in the future.