Up until now, the formative forces expressed by the zodiac under the previous signs have been orientated towards the inner realm of self-expression that doesn’t wish to be hindered by external influences. This all changes when the Sun enters Virgo on August 23rd.
Virgo is a mutable sign, counterbalancing the previous month’s Leo firestorm with a grounded, pragmatic perspective. Mercury is the traditional planetary ruler of Virgo. We’ve already met Mercury as the ruler of Gemini, which is about communication, information and the workings of the conscious mind. The Virgo side of Mercury is focused on organizing, analyzing and applying that information. Mercury being more naturally an Air planet, than an Earth planet, brings a cerebral, detached flavor to Virgo’s earthy, manifest nature.
Virgo is concerned with practical matters, like health, labor and service and isn’t interested in the creative expression of the spirit, but in the practical application of these things in the service of others. The personal purpose we encountered in Leo now gives rise to a quest for higher purpose in Virgo. Our Virgo nature sees greater expectations and potentials in our existence beyond mere creative gratification and self-assuring self-expression. We must help others attain the level of refinement and culmination that we aspire to. The danger here is that we immerse ourselves so totally in a vision of idealized perfection that the goal becomes more important than the person. Virgo’s realism becomes unrealistic in its extreme demands and the pragmatic goals become impossible to reach. If we project our own values and standards onto someone else, without seeing or accepting theirs, we set ourselves up for rejection and resentment. Remember we all must choose our own path.
Some famous Virgos: Agatha Christie, Lyndon B. Johnson, Beyonce, Colin Firth, Queen Elizabeth I, Roald Dahl, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jackson.
Not just the Sun transits into Virgo, so do the other planets. Since Virgo is the sign of details and the sign of work, any planet placed here will tend to express itself with details, work, and service of some sort.
The Moon in Virgo: gives an emotional need to keep busy. It can also increase the chance of guilt feelings and make a person self-critical. Dustin Hoffman is a perfect example of this. Although he has a Leo Sun, which tends towards extroversion, his Virgo Moon made him so self-critical that when Mike Nichols called to tell him he was chosen for the lead in “The Graduate”, Hoffman tried to talk him out of it, claiming that he wasn’t right for the role!
Mercury in Virgo: is almost too strong. People with this placement seem to think that if they have proved something logically to their own satisfaction, then everyone will have to agree.
Venus in Virgo: has what I call the “Love List”. There is a tendency to think that if items 1, 2, 3, etc. are all present, that it must add up to love. If you’re dating someone with this placement, your personal appearance and hygiene better be impeccable.
Mars in Virgo: your energy focuses on small details. This placement can manifest very picky and critical individuals.
Jupiter in Virgo: can make a lot out of a little. This can be a good placement for business. However, keep in mind that Jupiter enables us to see the “big picture” while Virgo all about the details. There will be a tendency to get bogged down in details when trying to put everything together.
Saturn in Virgo: Saturn is what we need in order to feel safe and secure. When in Virgo, this means always having something to do. If a Saturn in Virgo person wakes up and there is nothing scheduled, they will find something.
Uranus in Virgo: The planet of radical changes in the sign of details can cause one’s genius to come out in small ways rather than with major breakthroughs. People with this placement will constantly tend to look for new ways to improve their work. They will also be attracted to the very latest in technology.
Neptune in Virgo: Sometimes referred to as the “silent” generation the Neptune in Virgo folks found themselves trapped between a Neptune in Leo generation (called the “greatest” generation) that survived the great depression and fought a world war and an exceptionally large and exceptionally noisy generation of Neptune in Libra “baby boomers.” The ultimate vision of the Neptune in Virgo generation is one of service. For many this meant working hard in jobs that provided little personal satisfaction in order to provide a better life for the next generation.
Pluto in Virgo: This happened the last time from 1956 to 1971. By contrast with the Pluto in Leo generation, which made riots on college campuses, Pluto in Virgo people are more concerned with work and health, preferring to be active in the background rather than being in the spotlight.