VIRGO
Virgo, the sixth sign of the zodiac, is a mutable earth sign. It is a negative (in the
value-neutral sense of being negatively charged), feminine sign, ruled by the planet
Mercury—though some modern astrologers dispute this rulership, claiming that it is
ruled by several of the major asteroids or by the planetoid Chiron; an older generation
of astrologers associated Virgo with the hypothetical planet Vulcan. Its symbol is a
young woman, and its glyph is said to represent a serpent that was formerly linked to
the serpent-like glyph of Scorpio since it is said that Virgo and Scorpio were once one
sign. Virgo takes its name from the Latin word for virgin. Virgo is associated with the
nervous system and, especially, with the bowels, and people with a Virgo sun sign are
susceptible to bowel problems and ulcers. The key phrase for Virgo is “I analyze.”
This sign has either a very simple or a very complex mythology, depending
upon which mythological figure is taken to represent Virgo. The constellation Virgo is
pictured as a young woman holding an ear of corn, linking the sign to Demeter, the
Greek goddess of the harvest (in the Northern Hemisphere, the Sun is in Virgo during
harvest time). She taught humanity agriculture, and was the mother of Plutus
(wealth). Far from being a virgin, Demeter was a mature earth goddess and the
patroness of fertility. Virgo, however, is one of the traditional barren signs. Thus, a
better (or, perhaps, an alternative) representative of Virgo is Hygeia, goddess of health
and hygiene. Hygeia was the unmarried daughter of Asklepios, the eminent physician,
who, attended by his daughter, was often pictured with serpents (commonly associated
with doctors; e.g., the serpents twisted around the medical caduceus).
Rather than embodying Demeter’s fertility, Virgo represents Demeter’s harvest
aspect, and people born under this sign are good workers. This, perhaps, is the associa-
tion with wealth, which is more often built on the foundation of steady labor than on
sudden lucky windfalls. Virgos have fewer ego needs than many other signs of the zodiac,
and—similar to Demeter who served as a nursemaid, as well as Hygeia who served as her
father’s assistant—Virgos typically find happiness working under someone else. Like
Demeter who taught both agriculture and the Eleusinian Mysteries, Virgos excel at
teaching. Like Hygeia, they can also be good doctors and nurses. Virgos are especially
concerned with good hygiene, which is derived from the name of the goddess Hygeia.
The sign that the Sun was in at birth is usually the single most important influ-
ence on a native’s personality. Thus, when people say they are a certain sign, they are
almost always referring to their sun sign. There is a wealth of information available on
the characteristics of the zodiacal signs—so much that one book would not be able to
contain it all. Sun-sign astrology, which is the kind of astrology found in newspaper
columns and popular magazines, has the advantage of simplicity. But this simplicity is
purchased at the price of ignoring other astrological influences, such as one’s Moon
sign, rising sign, etc. These other influences can substantially modify a person’s basic
sun sign traits. As a consequence, it is the rare individual who is completely typical of
her or his sign. The reader should bear this caveat in mind when perusing the follow-
ing series of sun-sign interpretations.
One traditional way in which astrologers condense information is by summa-
rizing sign and planet traits in lists of words and short phrases called key words or keyVirgo
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