VIRGO
VIRGO
The Virgin…August 23 to September 22
Virgo your element is Earth and your quality is mutable. You are the most mentally oriented Earth sign, ruled by messenger Mercury. The Earth element means you are a sensate type, motivated by practical goals.
As the mutable Earth sign, you are able to juggle many different facts and details at once and usually manage them all. Able to shift and change readily, ‘mutability’ is the basis of your management skills. Virgo can be most neat and organised or chaotic and messy, but there will always be some corner of your home, which shows your obsession with order. You are most happy when able to serve your ambitions and the people you love, but also able to keep time for yourself in your busy schedule. Sixth sign of the zodiac, your key phrase is “I analyse”.
MERCURY: Planet of the Mind
Your Planetary Ruler
Analysing details and making perfect sense of them, reaching goals through careful management of time and energy – these activities make you the sign of the earthy harvest. In ancient Arabic astrology Virgo is “of cold and dry nature (terrestrial)” and your angel “rules the bodies…and in particular the human body”. (Mystical Astrology According to Ibn ‘Arabi) Mercury is associated with short journeys, with intelligence, with the ability to reason and analyse. Mercury rules both Virgo and Gemini and Virgo is the ‘night sign’ of Mercury. In the body Virgo rules the intestines, digestive organs and bowels. Your key to good health is developing the ability to put worries and concerns aside at the end of the day and listening to your digestion as an aid to appropriate diet.
Mythic Mercury is the Roman version of the ancient Greek Hermes, the youthful god with wings on his feet, who carries the symbol of healing - a magic wand called Caduceous. Mercury was a trickster figure, ‘the god of thieves and pickpockets’, who stole a herd of Apollo’s cattle only hours after his birth. He charmed his way out of this exploit by gifting Apollo the musical instrument he had just created – the lyre. Apollo was delighted with the lyre’s sweet notes and gifted Mercury the Caduceous, with its two snakes intertwined. The Caduceous symbol has continued to be the symbol for healing and many Virgos are found in the healing profession, able to use those earthy skills in a truly service oriented way.
Son of the illicit union between Jupiter, king of the gods and Maia, goddess of the plains, he was born in a grotto on Mount Cyllene in Arcadia. Mercury was the only one free to move between the world of the living and the underworld ruled by Pluto – he was the Messenger. When he visited the underworld he was called ‘Psychopompus’ and when Mercury was the conductor of dreams, he was called ‘Oneicopompus’. This god of many names was also embraced by Alchemy – the ‘universal solvent’ the alchemists of the middle ages spent their life seeking, was called Mercurius. Mercury/Hermes is associated with magic, while Hermes Trismegistus or ‘Thrice Great Hermes’ is linked to the mystery traditions of European and Middle Eastern cultures.
One task that Mercury was given as messenger to the gods was to deliver the famous Pandora’s Box to the maiden of that name. He employed his trickster skills to pretend he was taking it elsewhere but unable to carry it further, then left it temptingly by Pandora’s side. She of course could not resist taking a look inside at which point all the ills of mankind flew out and the world of mortals was never the same again. The one saving grace was that the last thing to emerge was hope – the faculty that keeps us going even when times are grim. This is an important faculty for Virgo to cultivate, so that ‘taking care of business’ does not drive you into the ground. Rather than trying to fix everything and say “yes” to every request for help, Virgo can hope and trust that it’s not all on their shoulders.
Mercury represents the dexterity of the mind and the ability to read people. His special message for Virgo is to serenely do your work in the world, while trusting that others too can carry the load.
VIRGO
Metal: Quicksilver. Also, silver and tin jointly ruled by Mercury and Moon.
Herbs for Health: Fennel, cooked and in salads, savoury as a spice, valerian as a relaxing tea.
Foods for Health: Endive, cress, beetroot, figs, strawberries and almonds.
Flowers: Field flowers, cornflowers and lilies.
Scents: White rose and heliotrope.
You can find out more about the current planetary influences specific to your sign if you check the Current Planetary Transits Astrological Interpretations.
Sometimes miss spelled as Vergo.