Virgo
Virgo is the sixth sign of the Western zodiac (23 August – 22 September), Earth element and Mutable modality, ruled by Mercury. Archetype of the artisan who perfects, the analyst, the discreet healer and the perfectionist who serves. Coincides with late summer and the start of harvests.
Origin and etymology
The name Virgo is Latin and means "virgin". The symbol is a maiden holding a sheaf of wheat, associated in Greek mythology with Demeter (Roman Ceres), goddess of harvest and the Eleusinian mysteries. Another classical association is with Astraea, the goddess of justice, the last of the immortals to leave the earth when the Golden Age ended. That is why Virgo combines symbolism of harvest, sacred virginity and justice.
Virgo coincides with the end of summer in the Northern Hemisphere: the time of harvest, when the fruits of work are gathered and the good grains are separated from the bad. That is why it is the Mutable Earth sign: earth that distinguishes, orders, perfects details. Its element gives it practicality; its ruler Mercury gives it mental agility and analytical precision.
Virgoan archetype
Virgo is the archetype of the artisan who perfects and of the discreet healer. It contributes attention to detail, analytical capacity, efficiency, vocation of service without need for limelight, preventive health, organisation, humility. It is the sign that gives itself to well-done work for its own sake. Its opposite sign is Pisces: if Virgo distinguishes and orders details, Pisces dissolves and embraces the whole.
In shadow: Virgo can fall into paralysing perfectionism, excessive criticism (of others and oneself), hypochondria, obsession with control, pettiness, inability to enjoy the imperfect. The Virgoan trap is to live correcting the world rather than inhabiting it. Its karmic lesson is to release control: learn that perfection does not exist and that life passes while we wait for things to be perfect.
Virgo in your chart
If your Sun is in Virgo, your conscious identity seeks to serve, perfect and heal through attention to detail. If your Moon is in Virgo, you order your emotions through work and service. If your ascendant is Virgo, you give a first impression of a discreet, observant, reliable person. Mercury, ruler of Virgo, marks your mental style — precise and analytical in this case.
Also known as
- Parthenos (Greek)
- The Virgin