A notification from my daughter lights up my phone.
One click, and I'm stunned. I watch, and rewatch, the video she's sent.
She’s just finished modeling at the Centennial Grand Fashion Gala for The China Institute of America, wearing a gorgeous gown by Guo Pei, one of China’s most celebrated designers.
I watch her in this extraordinary creation, and I feel something I can hardly put into words.
There is the obvious beauty of the gown, the craftsmanship, the elegance, the drama of it all. But what moves me most is the story I know behind the girl wearing it...
(Click HERE to see the video)
We lived in Shanghai, China until Aja was ten years old. Years later, she chose to minor in Mandarin in college in the US, continuing a connection to a language and culture that had been woven into the story of her childhood.
Along the way, she discovered her love of fashion and began building a career in an industry that asks for an extraordinary amount of discipline, resilience, and dedication.
And now, here she is.
Wearing haute couture by one of China’s most renowned designers, and speaking to her in Mandarin Chinese!
And now, here she is.
Wearing haute couture by one of China’s most renowned designers, and speaking to her in Mandarin Chinese!
This is a full circle moment....China. Mandarin. Fashion. And as her mother, it's deeply moving for me to witness.
A childhood experience became part of who she is.
A passion that grew into a dream.
The years of work, practice, rejection, uncertainty, and persistence that brought her to this moment.
A childhood experience became part of who she is.
A passion that grew into a dream.
The years of work, practice, rejection, uncertainty, and persistence that brought her to this moment.
As I watch her prepare for New York Fashion Week, I feel enormous pride. NYFW officially begins today on September 10, the same day as today's Virgo New Moon, and the timing feels almost poetic...
What I see when I look at my daughter isn’t simply a beautiful moment or a successful career taking shape...
I see devotion.
What I see when I look at my daughter isn’t simply a beautiful moment or a successful career taking shape...
I see devotion.
I see what happens when someone cares deeply about something and is willing to tend it over time.
I see the years that aren’t visible in the photograph or the video. The practice. The discipline. The learning. The setbacks. The courage to keep going. The willingness to refine her craft and continue becoming.
How often do we see the finished form of something without seeing everything that went into creating it?
How often do we see the finished form of something without seeing everything that went into creating it?
We see the gown, but we don’t see all the hands and hours that brought it into being. We see the model on the runway, but we don’t see all the joyful and challenging moments that brought her there. We see the dream becoming visible, but we don’t always see the devotion that made it possible.
That's what I’m feeling as I enter this Virgo New Moon...my heart filled with love and pride as I celebrate my daughter's devotion.
The Medicine Of The Moon
Virgo reminds us that what we bring into form is shaped by what we repeatedly tend.
There is devotion in paying attention, making adjustments, learning, refining, and continuing to show up for something that matters, even when we cannot yet see where it will lead.
There is devotion in paying attention, making adjustments, learning, refining, and continuing to show up for something that matters, even when we cannot yet see where it will lead.
We rarely know, in the moment, how the threads of our lives will eventually come together.
Looking at my daughter’s journey, I can see it now....
Growing up in China. Learning Mandarin. Discovering fashion.
Years of practice, dedication, and perseverance.
Threads of her life that once seemed separate have woven themselves into a moment I could never have imagined.
Growing up in China. Learning Mandarin. Discovering fashion.
Years of practice, dedication, and perseverance.
Threads of her life that once seemed separate have woven themselves into a moment I could never have imagined.
She couldn't have known how those threads would eventually meet. She simply followed what called her and kept tending what mattered.
Maybe that's what devotion is...following the threads of inspiration before you know where they lead.
Maybe that's what devotion is...following the threads of inspiration before you know where they lead.
The sky around this New Moon supports this kind of deeper reflection.
Mercury moves into Libra, inviting us to step back and consider another perspective, to look for greater balance and alignment in the choices we are making.
Venus enters Scorpio, drawing us beneath the surface toward what we truly value and desire, while her opposition to Chiron can bring tenderness around questions of worth, vulnerability, and whether we trust ourselves enough to want what we want.
Uranus stations retrograde in Gemini, offering another invitation to shake up and reconsider the ideas, assumptions, and stories that have been shaping our choices.
Together, this feels like an invitation to pause before we pour more energy into something simply because we have already begun.
As you weave together the threads of your life, you can begin by contemplating and perhaps journaling about...
What is calling you now?
What sparks your curiosity, desire, or sense of possibility?
What deserves your devotion?
What is asking to be refined, and what are you ready to release?
What is calling you now?
What sparks your curiosity, desire, or sense of possibility?
What deserves your devotion?
What is asking to be refined, and what are you ready to release?
Where This May Land In Your Life
There may be a thread of inspiration running through your life right now that's easy to dismiss because you don't know where it might lead.
Maybe it is an idea that keeps returning, or a desire you haven't been able to shake. Maybe it's something you feel curious about, or a longing that doesn't fit neatly into your plans.
This Virgo new moon reminds you that you don't have to know what it will become. You can simply follow the thread.
This Virgo new moon reminds you that you don't have to know what it will become. You can simply follow the thread.
This is where devotion becomes an act of trust. You pay attention to what is calling you, take the next step, learn from what you discover, and allow the path to reveal itself.
And this is where discernment matters, too. Following a thread doesn't mean following every impulse. It means becoming quiet enough to recognize the difference between what is asking for your attention and what is simply asking for distraction.
Sometimes the thread leads somewhere unexpected. Sometimes it leads us back to something we had forgotten. Sometimes it reveals that the dream itself needs to change.
Sometimes the thread leads somewhere unexpected. Sometimes it leads us back to something we had forgotten. Sometimes it reveals that the dream itself needs to change.
The art is learning to listen, respond, and tend what feels truly alive.
A Place To Dive Deeper
As you move through this New Moon, notice the threads that are tugging at your attention.
What is inspiring you right now?
What does your heart desire, even if you don't yet know why?
What keeps returning to you?
Where might you be dismissing something because you cannot see the practical path forward?
And what would happen if, instead of demanding certainty, you simply followed the next thread?
What is inspiring you right now?
What does your heart desire, even if you don't yet know why?
What keeps returning to you?
Where might you be dismissing something because you cannot see the practical path forward?
And what would happen if, instead of demanding certainty, you simply followed the next thread?
You don't need to map the entire journey. Just notice what's calling, choose what matters, and take the next step.
To continue deepening with the wisdom of this moon, you can also check out the Wayfinder Clarity Compass new moon update.
Inside you'll find guided journaling prompts, lunar insights, and a fun tarot-oracle practice to help you explore what may be calling for your attention.
Take a moment to look at the photo above and choose the card you're most drawn to. Then open your Clarity Compass to discover your message and explore what it may be inviting you to remember!
Already inside the Clarity Compass? Log in HERE to access your private portal.
Not signed up yet? Click HERE to join and stay attuned to the wisdom of each New Moon with this free online resource.
A Blessing For The Virgo New Moon
May you trust the threads that guide you to lead a more intentional life.
May you follow inspiration before you know where it leads.
May you have the discernment to know which threads are yours to tend, and the grace to release those that are not.
And may you discover, along the way, that some of the most meaningful parts of your life were woven together in ways you never could have planned.
With grounded devotion,
Aurora
Over to you...
What's your great dream, and what thread can you pick up to begin to weave it into form?