Virgo, that down to earth, practical and functional energy is all about integration, healing, synthesis & application. Used appropriately, it is one of the most productive and efficient energies that we can access. At the highest of levels, this is the energy of the HEALER, she who makes things whole. A strongly ‘Virgo’ person is an absolute must if there is a project underway. They will organize, manage, run interference, and generally carry all the anxiety if given the opportunity. Creativity is brought to fruition through the process of Virgo application. Creativity is good. It’s a necessary element in any project but without the practical, down to earth common sense that Virgo can offer, creativity can vanish. Virgo says, “OK, DUDE, LET’S GET DOWN TO WORK!”
Everyone has Virgo somewhere in their psyche. If you know the structure of your own personal mandala (horoscope), then you can give some thought as to how Virgo might operate within you. Wherever you find Virgo–& we’ll get to that in a moment—your part of the process is to create a plan of action that will result in success. If you do not give solid support to them, good intentions go nowhere. I want to lose weight, you say, after I eat this black forest cake. Well, how’s that working for you? Intention must be immediately and emphatically reinforced with forward movement based on a thoughtful assessment of the situation. Virgo provides the impetus for this in spades. To continue with the cake analogy, Virgo will ensure that no cake is purchased or baked. Worst case scenario, that it goes promptly into the recycle trough if it is lurking around in your refrigerator. That’s the beauty in VIRGO; a dispassionate, common-sense approach to every situation that it encounters. Virgo assesses, organizes, and makes a plan that has several contingencies built into it. Thorough, systematic, and careful to cover all bases, Virgo does not like to leave anything to chance. That is why the Virgo individual is an excellent asset when undertaking projects.
Let’s take a peek at how Virgo might show up in the personals. You might not be born when the Sun was transiting Virgo but what about the Moon? Mercury? Venus? Mars? Each planet mentioned has a unique flavor when found in Virgo.
If you have the Sun in Virgo:
Your organizing energy will be focused on INTEGRATION. There is a desire to make everything work smoothly. Order is important to you. By the way, that does not mean that being orderly will come easily to you. Not at all! For some, it might but the point is that you will want to develop order out of the chaos of life, and if you are not naturally orderly, you will feel frustrated when in disorder. Obviously, a useful strategy would be to work hard to develop your own management system, one that makes sense to you. And honestly, it does not have to make sense to anyone else. After all, YOU are the king or queen of your castle.
Archetypically, the Sun in Virgo is THE HEALER. At the highest of levels,
this is the energy of practical compassion; hands-on service to others.
If you have the MOON in Virgo:
Your emotional energy is precise, meticulous & practical. You may often find yourself questioning whether something is worth your emotional investment; its usefulness, both in terms of output—what you can give & input—what you can get. You will want to organize your emotional life so that it makes sense to y
ou. You are probably happiest when sharing an activity with others that upbuilds, heals & enhances process. Anything extraneous or non-productive emotionally will most probably be discarded over time. It’s all about getting down to business emotionally for you.
Archetypically, this energy is THE RITUAL WORKER, she who innately understands HOW to do what is necessary in order to accomplish the goal of healing, integration & manifestation. Moon in Virgo naturally KNOWS what to do in crisis situations with efficiency & skill.
If you have MERCURY in Virgo:
You can think your way through just about anything. This is the mental energy of proficient analysis. It’s easy for you to ‘see’ the patterns in the project you are tackling. This ability allows you to easily structure your thoughts so that they make sense, not only to you but to others. You know how to break things down so that order naturally forms. Categorizing comes easily to you. That’s why tasks like cleaning drawers & closets is a cinch for you. This applies to a cluttered mind as well. If you have Mercury in Virgo but feel scattered & disorganized, some of your planetary alignments may be the fly in the ointment. The good news is that, with a little bit of effort, you have the capacity to create an organized mental energy for yourself. Chat with a professional astrologer about strategies that might be useful in this regard.
If you have VENUS in Virgo:
You aspire to create a calm & soothing atmosphere wherever you go. You naturally know what your partner needs & you diligently apply yourself to the business of providing it. You are most fulfilled when you feel needed & useful. Your need for neatness & cleanliness creates a pleasing environment on a physical level. The Venus in Virgo person will always look very well put together & smells good too!
Archetypically, Venus in Virgo is THE PERFECTIONIST LOVER. It’s all about excellence in service for you. You not only want to ‘do it’, you want to do it perfectly. It’s a noble aspiration, Venus in Virgo, but often not entirely met in reality. Be content to provide the best that YOU can within the limitations of human existence.
If you have MARS in Virgo:
Diligence is your attribute. There’s a crazy kind of single-mindedness here. Once a project is begun, Mars in Virgo just can’t leave it alone until he has affected some kind of conclusion. Project management comes easily and as a result, completing projects is often the outcome. Process & systems are naturally created for initial projects & then easily applied to subsequent tasks. Efficiency is paramount. Let’s find the quickest, the shortest way to get this done, says Mars in Virgo. On the other hand, if it takes longer than I thought, that is okay, too, he says with a shrug! Detail work is a snap for this little worker. Mars in Virgo loves to get into the nitty-gritty of any enterprise. Ensuring that all the cogs fit into the wheels is actually satisfying for this energy. A relentless ‘doer’, Mars in Virgo is a terrific addition to any team when it comes to the implementation of the ‘big idea’.
Archetypically, Mars in Virgo is THE DILIGENT DOER. Able, ready, and always willing to step up to the task at hand, this little engine can go, go, go long after the others have faded into the dust! He takes a certain joy from creating order & finishing up whatever needs to be finished.
And now, what about THE SHADOW?
CRITICISM
Virgo types can sink into a critical attitude about almost anything; the way another looks, the way another speaks, the way another operates. It is endless. This, of course, then leads to an underlying sense of dissatisfaction with one’s lot in life. Things are just not ‘good enough’. But what exactly does that mean? This sense that nothing is good enough can also do damage to one’s sense of self-worth. The criticism is turned inward and Virgo begins to nitpick itself leading to an overall sense of gloominess, even depression. Having a critical mind and eye, if used appropriately is a great asset. Spotting weaknesses in order to improve the situation is useful. An inquiring and critical mind can be used to ferret out the real facts of any situation. Balanced Virgo energy is able to apply the TOOL of critical analysis but unrefined Virgo energy can get lost in the ‘less than’ universe of inadequacy. Rather than seeking ways to improve, the ‘less than’ Virgo, can’t let go of all the shortcomings. The aspiration to perfectionism traps the aspiring Virgo type so that nothing ever quite satisfies.
The key to dealing with this debilitating cycle of dissatisfaction is for Virgo to reach across the wheel and immerse itself in Pisces where beauty is discovered in all things, perfect or imperfect. Pisces understands that on this plane of existence reality is constantly unfolding & more importantly, transforming. Perfectionism implies that there can be no more shift or change. The wisdom of Pisces says, the only thing that is constant is change. Once Virgo integrates this concept into itself, then the realization that there is no point in criticizing becomes self-evident.
ANXIETY
Virgo’s need for order can lead to an obsessive preoccupation with creating that order. When this mythical order is not attained, Virgo can spiral into anxiety. Disorder is perceived to exist everywhere, thus accentuating the stress that Virgo experiences as it scans its reality. Virgo’s anxiety can lead to obsessive-compulsive behaviour that centers around cleaning, organizing, sorting, and so forth. In and of themselves, these types of activities are positive but when they take precedence over all others, they lose their healing characteristics and turn into toxic habits. How many times a day must one wash their hands so as to prevent becoming infected with germs? What results if one cannot meet that criterion? Virgo is connected to the space between the navel and the anus. What happens to one’s body when one is constantly anxious? The intestines seize up. Digestive issues develop. Going to the bathroom becomes an ordeal. Not fun.
Again, the solution is found in relinquishment, a Pisces attribute. To counter the anxiety that is experienced when one HAS to control all aspects of one’s reality, letting go of that control is a good place to begin.
SELF-SABOTAGE
Because of the relentless pursuit of perfection, Virgo can end up feeling like a failure. Note the word—FEELING. It’s all in Virgo’s head and NOT based on any kind of objective measure. In fact, others may be impressed with Virgo’s skills and abilities while Virgo secretly sinks into self-negation. It’s the ‘not good enough’ syndrome. Of course, the yardstick that Virgo is using as a measuring tool is ridiculously unrealistic. It’s that mythological ‘PERFECT’ yet again. The self will always fail if the criteria are based on unrealistic perfectionism. I remember when I was first learning to knit, I often made ‘mistakes’ in the stitches. I would spend hours unraveling back over multiple rows just to eradicate ONE wrong stitch. More often than not, this mind-numbing process ended up in even more ‘wrong’ stitches. Finally, (and not soon enough), I came to the conclusion that the so-called wrong stitches added personality to the completed project. Once I fully understood that, then my knitting became much more pleasurable and satisfying. (By the way, I have Saturn in Virgo & in my 12th house aligned to my nodal axis. Lots of past lives trying to be perfect !!) Virgo needs to KEEP ON STITCHING past the errors and keep its eyes on the prize of the completed project. That’s the gift that Virgo’s complementary partner sign, PISCES, provides; a broad perspective. Within the greater whole are many bits and pieces that may, on their own, be viewed as incomplete but when seen as part of the bigger picture, occupy an important place within it. To get rid of sabotaging oneself takes effort and finesse. Love of self plays a big part in it so Virgo can take a lesson here from the previous sign in the zodiacal order, LEO, and cultivate self-love to fight against the pull of self-sabotage.
Here are a few ways of dealing with Virgo energy through the 12 houses. We all have it somewhere!
If you have Virgo on your ascendant:
Keep telling yourself that THERE IS NO PERFECT METHOD for any exercise. Be open to making the occasional error. Stumble, fall & get your ‘a$%#’ up off that floor & get moving.
House 2:
Be aware that life is cyclical so you will inevitably go through highs & lows on the resource level. Hanging on to that should help to reduce anxiety when the bank balance shrinks.
House 3:
There is no single correct way of thinking. Hold on to your own viewpoint but allow others to hold onto theirs.
House 4:
It’s okay if your house does not resemble a showroom every single moment of every single day. Loosen up.
House 5:
Let your children get dirty once in a while.
House 6:
Create habits for yourself that make you feel like you have succeeded. Don’t set the bar so high that you will never ever be able to jump over it. Please, please, please, do not sweat the small stuff!
House 7:
Love the imperfections in your partners. If you can’t do that, you will end up with NO partners.
House 8:
Cleanliness is NEXT to godliness. It is NOT godliness.
House 9:
Be willing to explore alternative approaches with an open mind. Just because you live according to one set of standards does not make others’ standards less acceptable.
House 10:
Its okay if you step out in a suit & tie. Its okay if someone else chooses to go barefoot and kaftan clad.
House 11:
Follow your dreams enthusiastically but don’t get overly attached to any particular outcome. Dreams have a way of changing magically over time.
House 12:
You absolutely do not need to understand every single thing that you feel impelled to do. Learn to release things without obsessively worrying about them. What’s done is done. Get on with the next exciting imperfect adventure.