We just entered the week of Ki Tavo. Even though we have already reached the halfway point of the kabbalistic month of Virgo (Elul), this is the week when the sun actually moves from Leo to Virgo. That means we will feel a huge increase of Virgo energy this week.
And it’s no wonder! The chapter of Ki Tavo shares a great deal about blessings and curses. While blessings were bestowed on the mountain of Gerizim, curses were given on Mount Ebal. Kabbalists explain that in life, we only experience blessings. There are the revealed blessings that are easy to perceive, and then there are blessings in disguise.
With such heavy Virgo energy, we may find ourselves stuck in the external shell of judgment. That is why Virgos tend to criticize themselves, their surroundings, or the people around them too harshly. When they do this, they miss the blessing. This is our work for this week: to find the hidden blessing in every single situation we’ve experienced this year.
The portion of Ki Tavo also speaks of an ancient concept called bikkurim, donating the best of fruits to the Temple. In this practice, one could not just grab any fruit from the farm; the fruit had to be exceptional. No wonder many Virgos are perfectionists! They know there is always a better version of everything. With excessive Virgo energy in the cosmos, we can be driven to perceive the distance between how things are and perfection, creating a feeling of shame, anger, frustration, or disappointment. However, this is not what the cosmos or the month of Virgo wants to give us. In fact, we are meant to desire more. The Universe knows we can be more, receive more, and share more.
If we allow ourselves to use this feeling to grow our dreams prior to the kabbalistic New Year of Rosh Hashanah and know with certainty that an endlessly better life is waiting for us, we can connect to the energy in a balanced way, instead of falling into a trap of self-criticism and perfectionism.
