Virgo sees how things could or should be done. It is a sign of doing, of rendering back, of harvesting the wealth of learning, and storing things away “for a rainy day.” Virgo realizes that today is the result of what was sown yesterday, and that what we do today will reap a harvest or result tomorrow. Therefore, Virgo moves in a methodical, predictable, and exacting way.

In Leo the sense of ego was developed and given full sway. In Virgo a quiet, humble responsibility is cultivated and expressed. Virgo is not out for the spotlight, and in fact usually avoids being the center of attention. Virgo is unassuming, often meek and behind the scenes, yet vital to the functioning of the whole. Therefore Virgo often does its work quietly, unobtrusively, and just because it needs to be done

Virgo has expertise in the manipulation matter, how to understand the workings of matter, how things come apart or are put together, and what is found inside. The mechanics of anything—a machine, the body, a mind, or a mathematical equation are the domain of Virgo. The how and why of something is what intrigues, delights, and relaxes the Virgoan type.

Virgo has a sense of perfection—of perfect form.  Virgo knows that when the “right” way is followed the “right” result is possible. Virgoan perfection, purity and correctness related to form often demonstrate as a nit-picky-ness or as a compulsion to correct and be correct. This can also mask that a Virgoan type has low self-worth or self-esteem and feel unable to measure up to his or her own self-imposed standards.

Virgoan types are decidedly matter-of-fact. Virgo believes that empirical evidence is the best kind and is often skeptical of what is not tangible or within the parameters of their own personal experience. They are grounded and practical by nature, a follow-through kind of person. Conservative and resourceful, Virgo uses the matter that is available, re-inventing, re-configuring, and using what is at hand to the fullest extent.

The Virgoan is the worker, not the leader or executive. Virgo is the secretary, the research assistant, the car mechanic, the locksmith, or technician. Virgo is the accountant, electrician, or camera man. All of these are on the inside, behind the curtain, and out of the public eye. Virgo is the laborer, the servant, the door person. Each of these roles is vital to the functioning of the whole of society and life in general. Leo would die in these roles; Virgo thrives.

The sign of harvest, Virgo is about the hard work of the harvest, and the practical process of harvesting, and the ways in which the fruits of the harvest can be utilized. Virgo is the virgin maid carrying the sheath of wheat, yet she is not done with her task until the wheat has been gathered, the wheat winnowed from the chaff, ground at the mill into flour, and baked into bread. Also, her task is not completed until the seeds for next year’s planting are stored safe and dry, the oxen have been fed from the chaff, and the rest used for thatching the roof. With this, we can see the meticulous use of all that is available. Nothing is wasted. Everything is seen as a resource and has a purpose.

The purity of the virgin is a metaphor used in many cultures and religions. Symbolically, Virgo and the virgin are the pure matter out of which the soul is born. This, too, is handled in a matter-of-fact, quiet way. Consciousness can grow only when the body, mind, and habits have been purified.

Virgo is an earth sign and – like all earth sign– is practical, resourceful and at ease with the matter aspect. Virgo is a hard worker who generally works humbly to fill a need. A Virgo person has the facility to adapt any form to the immediate requirement. Virgo is diligent and thorough, often to a fault. The Virgoan type might not start something unless they are assured that it can be completed and done well. This earth sign, like Taurus, takes the time necessary to accomplish a task. Timing is measured not by the clock but according to how long it takes to accomplish the desired result.

Virgo is a mutable sign and, like all mutable signs, brings flexibility, adaptability and multiplicity to its process. Although these qualities are expressed primarily on mental levels, they work out through practical applications, creative methods, and in systems that are efficient and productive. The combination of mutable earth leads to analysis, dissection, and the digestion of information. Ways of doing things are devised, used, and relied upon.

This short essay on Virgo is mostly non-esoteric. However, if one has planets or either luminary in Virgo, one can contemplate the qualities and habits given above from the point of view of the spiritual Path and consciousness. To read an astrological book, article, or essay and simply say to oneself, “yes, I do that, or no, I don’t do that,” is insufficient. The esoteric and metaphysical sciences are for contemplation and self-revelation. Therefore, read again, and stop several times in reflection. Take a sentence and observe it in yourself through a day. Explore truth of being.

Rulers:

• traditional: Mercury
• esoteric: Moon veiling Vulcan
• hierarchical: Jupiter