Virgo
Virgo is ruled by Mercury. Common associations are the colour pale green, and the number 5. It rules the small intestines in the physical body; its zodiac symbol is the virgin. The sign is connected to health, service, and efficiency. Its keywords are I analyse.
Labelled a boring sign, it can be hard to write anything exciting or catchy, but Virgo is still an earth sign, and there is a hidden passion within it. Virgo has the symbol of the virgin, which is often misunderstood; it represents a kind of purity which is often different to the one that gets imagined. Virgo can swing from one extreme to the other regarding sexuality, and yes, the virgin is at one end but certainly not the other. The ancient temple priestesses would engage in practices similar to Tantra yet would not be owned by any mortal man. Virgo and its need for perfection are symbolically linked to the purity of spiritual, and sexual practice and therein lies the deception of what purity is. It does not deny the senses but demands that only the highest forms are used for enjoyment.
Virgo can be obsessed with getting things right; it is supposed to be neat and tidy, but the true expression of Virgo is about efficiency and creating order out of chaos. They can make excellent secretaries and nurses because of their ability to get things done. Attention to detail is another Virgo quality; Gemini gathers basic facts, but it is Virgo who will use painstaking effort to get every last piece of necessary information. It is not the strongest of signs, but it has connections to internal health, and many alternative therapies come under this sign. Because this sign connects to the small intestine, nutrition, in particular, can be an area of interest. I know many organic vegetarians that have Virgo strong in their birth charts.
There is a constant striving for improvement within Virgo that places excessive demands on time and energy. Still, these same energies are used for meditation, another tool under Virgo’s belt. The personal discipline of the sign is its greatest gift, and without Virgo, there would be no studying at college, no health care system and no libraries. It may never set the world on fire, but the value we gain from it is a more ordered and calm society. Virgo will always notice those little things that make a big difference and will make life easier for everyone, although it is not a sign that tolerates loose ends very well. The sign also represents the harvest and the loving care that goes into it, from separating the wheat from the chaff to providing nourishment.
Virgo in a birth chart will show us where we have to pay attention to details, it will tell us where we need to pull our socks up, and it will show us where it’s vitally important to keep things chaos free. The Moon here will need privacy and only share emotions in an orderly fashion; Venus in Virgo is the classic nun versus whore scenario and can easily switch off from passion. Hard aspects to any planet in Virgo will frequently manifest as not being able to get things running smoothly without massive amounts of concentrated effort.
