Virgo, The Virgin
August 22nd - September 22nd
Mode: Mutable ~ Element: Earth
Ruler: Mercury ~ Mythic Archetypes: Kore (Persephone) ~ Demeter (Ceres) ~ Astraea ~ Isis ~ Mary ~ Chiron ~ Hestia (Vesta) ~ Artemis

To the Greeks and Romans, Virgo was associated with the goddess Astraea, symbol of justice. She reigned on earth during the Golden Age. However, the myth of Demeter and Persephone is strongly associated with Virgo, which rules the harvest season when Persephone is preparing to leave the world and seek the darkness once again. To the Egyptians, Virgo was the goddess Isis with the sun-child Horus on her lap. Medieval Christians saw this same constellation as the Virgin Mary holding the Christ child, the story being the most recent version of the myth of the Great Goddess and her dying child. We live in an astrological age which is permeated with this myth, for Pisces is, in many ways, the dying god, while its opposite sign, Virgo, is the mother. When Michelangelo sculpted the Pieta, he created this mythic image for an entire cycle of history.

A particular theme emerges if we examine the symbolic associations of Virgo. It concerns the transformation of personality from a childlike or virginal state into a wiser, more mature individuality, represented by the fruition of the harvest. This personal transformation must take place so that we can re-orient ourselves from personal to universal concerns - for Virgo represents the final or most evolved stage of individual development before we reach the first stage of collective development in Libra. It is the final sign in the personal signs of the zodiac where the Dayforce predominates. Perhaps such a transformation would lead a Virgo to perform some manner of devoted service to others; thus Virgo is often called the sign of service.

This transformation and service ought to take place on the physical level because Virgo is an earth sign and this may account for the fact that Virgo types are so often found among nurses, therapists, chiropractors and the healers of the world. Virgos will transform their bodies and minds through diet, yoga, or other techniques to attain the wholeness needed to truly help or serve others.