Virgo - "the Virgin" in Latin, whose Greek name was Parthenos. Confusion and chaos run wild in the naming of and mythology behind the constellation of Virgo (I bet that drives Virgos crazy!). Ancient sources do agree on associating Virgo with the maiden aspect of what's called the "tripartite Mother Goddess" (maiden, mother, crone). After that, it's anybody's best guess as to who Virgo was. According to Theony Condos (Star Myths), Virgo was associated with Dike, Demeter, Tyche (Fortuna), Thespia, Kore (aka Persephone), Eileithyaia (goddess of childbirth), Athena, and Hecate.

Granted, the most popular association is with the goddess, Dike (meaning justice). During the Golden Age of humanity, the gods lived among mortals. Slowly the morals of humanity deteriorated and the gods began leaving one by one. Dike (daughter of Zeus and Themis) was the final goddess to give up on humanity and leave earth.

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Virgo? Here are a few key words and phrases: earthy, practical, and discriminating. Save the day... preserve things... build bridges... fix things... being of service... solving practical problems... Any of this sound even vaguely familiar, Virgo? I thought so... But hang in there with me until the end. If you stay with me until the very end, you might even hear a few new and surprising thoughts about the sign of Virgo.

Perfectionism
One of the main keys to understanding Virgo (that I failed to mention just above)? "Perfectionism." Virgo is constantly aiming toward the eternally elusive goal of being "perfect." At the same time, Virgo is painfully aware they're lacking in the area of perfection and constantly coming up short of their goal. Because of this unconscious need for perfection, Virgo has gained the reputation of being the Zodiacal "neat freak." And unfortunately because Virgo often extends their unconscious need for perfection to the people around them, Virgo has also earned the reputation of being overly critical in their interactions with loved ones.

C'mon... you've heard the tired old traditional line of thought? It's been said that Virgos have never found a house that they couldn't clean just a little bit better. However, as shocking as it might seem - many Virgos are total, absolute slobs when it comes to picking up around the house. True enough... some Virgos are typically into organization, discrimination, and neatness in their surrounding physical environment (thus the reputation). However, on the other hand, many other Virgos are into "mental" neatness and have the tidiest, most organized minds you'll ever hope to come across in this (or any other) lifetime. So some Virgos are primarily into "physical" manifestations of neatness, many other Virgos are primarily into "mental" organization, and some Virgos fall into the middle and are into a little of both.

Practical Intelligence
With the Sun in Virgo, you are hardwired to be especially attuned to the element of in Earth... The element of Earth is a world of concrete reality, sensory perception, and roots built on earthy, physical sensations. The Sun in earth feels most comfortable when surrounded with the world of the five senses... Whatever cannot be touched, heard, smelled, seen or tasted is either denied or made as concrete and tangible as possible. The Sun in Earth is a consciousness sold on physical security - sold on the here and the now. And the search for security can often tend to make one a wee bit conservative and practical.

Ruled by Mercury, Virgo energy often "shimmers" with intelligence. As with it’s flightier cousin, Gemini, (also ruled by Mercury) Virgo is a "mental" sign. However, Virgo’s Mercurian intelligence is directed toward practical matters and practical solutions. And Virgo desperately wants to be of practical service by fixing things, situations, or people. And, whether it's in their physical surroundings or in their neatly organized minds, Virgo energy enjoys focusing in on the very smallest of details.

Hestia's Hearth
As the Celestial Virgin of the Zodiac, Virgo is traditionally associated with several different virgin goddesses. However, I prefer a somewhat "off the beaten track," non-traditional association for the Zodiac Sign of Virgo. I associate Virgo with a virgin goddess by the name of Hestia. It's quite possible you may have never even heard of the virgin goddess, Hestia?... Although she was one of the twelve Olympian deities, Hestia has no grand stories or myths depicting her deeds among mortals - and there were almost no ancient images of Hestia. Further, there were no Greek temples devoted specifically to her...

However, Hestia's consecrated and sacred hearth could be found in the centre of each and every temple honouring the other Greek gods and goddesses... Hestia's hearth could also be found in every home.

Hestia's hearth was an ancient ancestor of today's modern utility of convenience and comfort, called the "central heating unit." Still more aptly, I remember the "ancient" gas furnace of my childhood home. Our "hearth" was located in the centre of our home - with vents for each of the rooms directly adjoining the central furnace. I remember - on especially cold winter nights - my older sister and I jockeying back and forth for the honoured spot directly in front of the living room vent. It's a good bet that Hestia's hearth was equally honoured on cold nights in ancient Greece...

Hestia's Wholeness
Hestia's deep abiding presence was in the center of each and every fire - and Hestia's fire served to make sacred whatever place it dwelled. As mentioned previously, Hestia's hearth could be found in every Greek temple and in every Greek home. As such, Virginian energies archetypically tend to centre around issues of spirituality and the home.

As such, the life giving imago and symbol of Hestia's quiet, warm, centring energies can potentially provide Virgo with a deep sense of "centered wholeness." When Virgo finally "gives up the ghost" and allows Hestia to fill them with her qualities and attributes, Virgo is then initiated into the eternal mysteries of the virgin goddesses. And what are the eternal mysteries of the virgin goddesses? Simply put... that true perfection (telios) lies within the deep inner affirmation and inner "knowing" that simply being who you are, and being centred in who you are, is "good enough." Thus, the quiet and unimposing example of the virgin goddess Hestia can serve as Virgo's redemption by setting Virgo free from the curse of "Perfectionism." When (and if) this happens (often occurring later in life), then Virgo can finally let go of the compulsive need to capture the elusive, unobtainable butterfly of "Perfectionism." (I told you to hang in there with me...)

Virginal?
One final note... regarding the concept of "virginity" as associated with Virgo (and with the other virgin goddesses of ancient Greece)? It's not that the virgin goddesses disliked men - and it's not that they were "virgins" in the manner the term "virgin" is typically used today. In ancient Greece, being a virgin (unmarried) goddess simply meant they lived their lives for themselves... Although Hestia's life was focused on the home (and the many practical tasks regarding running the home) - as with the other virgin goddesses of ancient Greece - her life did not revolve (or centre) around the pleasing of a mate (whether god or mortal).

Virginal, cold, frigid? Think again! As I said in the beginning, whenever the Sun is placed in the astrological element of earth - it's a world of concrete reality, sensory perception, and roots built on earthy, physical sensations. The Sun in earth feels most comfortable when surrounded with the world of the five senses... sense of touch, sound, smell, sight, and taste. Sounds downright hot, sexy, and sensual, doesn't it? In the privacy of their own home (and behind closed doors), Virginian energy may be anything other than what one might typically associate with being "virginal." Whew! (Wiping the cold sweat from my brow...)

Your birth Sun is the hero of your mythic journey through this lifetime. So Let Your Light Shine!


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Regardless of whether you're a male or female, the very first love of your life was your mother (or if mom was absent, then another mother figure in your environment). The Moon symbolizes the unconscious, instincts, and what you need to feel nurtured in your life.

With the Moon in Virgo, you will experience a strong link between the emotions and the body. You have a need for perfection (that you can never quite achieve). You may become ill when under stress. As a very young child, you may have experienced your mother as being a down-to-earth, individual who was rather critical and/or fussy. She was a perfectionist. The Moon is the "place" where we go for comfort when scared.... and we tend to unconsciously nurture ourselves in much the same way our mothers nurtured and cared for us when we were very young children. You feel the safest when being useful and productive. If you can "figure out" and analyse your environment, then you'll generally feel a lot safer. As an emotional defence against stress, the more uncomfortable you feel with your environment - the more critical, fussy, and petty you tend to become.

With the Moon with the earthy sign of Virgo? The nicest things your partner can do to reassure you of their continuing love are those little everyday practical expressions of affection which include sharing equally in the household chores or by bringing you a cup of chicken soup when you're sick. Also physical closeness, touch, and affection are often the best ways your "significant other" can express (and reassure) you of their love. (i.e. A hug a day keeps the doctor away.) Likewise, your lover withholding physical expressions of love and affection is an ironclad, guaranteed way to make you feel all alone and unloved.

Dealing with day to day stress? There are "physically directed" Virginians, and there are "mentally directed" Virginians. If you happen to fall into the first category, then doing a thorough cleaning of your house is a sure-fire way to handle and relieve stress. The second category of "mentally directed" Virginians relieve stress best with activities consisting of mental organization and mental housecleaning. Hobbies? Volunteer at the local hospital or a nursing home. Dream vacation? Just make doubly sure the hotel room is clean, neat, and orderly.

I have a friend who calls his Virgo Moon: “Miss Prissy.” What’s that about?

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Yep! I admit it. For years and years and years, I've been reading Virgo all wrong. At least according to astrologer, Liz Greene, I'm all wet about the primary motivating archetypal force behind Virgo. (Unfortunately, there happens to be an incredibly valid reason as to why she would probably know a heck of a lot more about Virgo energy than I do.)

Anyway, according to Liz Greene, the motivating force behind Virgo is not "perfectionism." The primary motivating force behind Mercurial Virgo is that of "synthesizing." i.e. "How do I take all these different, unrelated bits and pieces and then synthesize them into something practical and useful?" I still give "perfectionism" a close second place, regardless of what Liz Greene thinks. Darn it, I know in my heart that all the Virgos reading this description are - at this very moment - mentally doing a spelling check and looking for looking for incorrect punctuation.

Before any of you "dyed-in-the-wool" Liz Greene fans decide to write in with hate mail for my being too critical of her, I should tell you that Liz Greene still happens to be my favorite living astrologer/writer. She just can't be right 100% of the time. Even I'm only right 95% of the time.

Anyway, it's important for Virgo's lover to know that Virgo feels the safest when being practical, useful, and productive. If Virgo can "figure out" and analyse his or her environment, then they generally feel a lot safer and happier. If Virgo is happy, everybody is happy. If Virgo is unhappy, then (trust me) ain't nobody happy. The nicest things Virgo's partner can do to emotionally reassure Virgo are those little everyday practical expressions of affection which include sharing equally in the household chores and bringing Virgo a cup of chicken soup when he or she is sick. Barring other factors in the chart - as an "Earth Sign" - physical closeness, touch, and affection are often the best ways Virgo's "significant other" can express (and reassure) Virgo of their continuing love and affection. (i.e. A hug a day keeps the doctor away.) Likewise, Virgo's lover withholding physical expressions of love and affection is an ironclad, guaranteed way to make Virgo feel all alone and unloved.

As for Virgo and "virginity?" In the privacy of their own home (and behind closed doors), Virginian energy may be anything other than what one might typically associate with being "virginal. "Virgo, with the Sun in the element of Earth, feels the safest and most comfortable when surrounded with the world of the five senses... sense of touch, sound, smell, sight, and taste. If you think about it for just a second, then that sounds downright hot, sexy, and lusty, doesn't it? In fact, since Virgos pride themselves in regard to their practical, technical abilities - Virgo's technical proficiency will likely come in very handy in the bedroom.

Shadow: As an emotional defence against stress, the more uncomfortable Virgo feels with their environment - the more critical, fussy, and petty Virgo tends to become.

Note: By the way, there are a couple of glaring typo mistakes on this page. Of course, if you're a Virgo, then you already know that (and it's driving you crazy).
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