Virgo

What the sign is like

Virgo shares a ruler with Gemini, so it has the same sharp mind. Earth slows it down and makes it practical. It reasons in order to get something done.

It is patient and orderly, and it does things thoroughly. It sees small differences, measures carefully, and can tell what is real from what only looks real.

The older books also saw the shadow: a narrow view where small things outweigh big ones, too much criticism, and worry over little upsets. They urged Virgo to join its clear mind to its heart.

With other people

Virgo is a reliable friend and partner. It pays attention to the small comforts of the people it loves and rarely tries to take over.

Its friendships are close and lasting, often built on shared interests. A sharp difference of opinion can strain them, so a little softness goes a long way.

The older books paired Virgo with the other earth signs, Taurus and Capricorn. With Gemini, Sagittarius and Pisces they asked Virgo to be less critical and more sympathetic.

How it was read before

Virgo was pictured as a young woman holding ears of grain, the harvest gathered by careful hands.

It is the only sign where its own ruler, Mercury, is also at its strongest. The older books said Mercury turns inward here, more reserved than in Gemini.

Some writers of the time believed Virgo's true ruler was a hidden planet close to the Sun, which they called Vulcan, lost in its glare. It has never been found. The idea shows how open astrology was to new planets after Neptune was discovered in 1846.

Its tarot card

The card most decks pair with Virgo is The Hermit. The 1927 book I draw on names no card for this sign, so I follow the Golden Dawn's pairing, the one printed on most decks.

I read The Hermit as going within for answers. Virgo's careful mind finds its best wisdom in quiet, with the lantern turned toward itself as gently as it turns toward the world.

Sit with this

You notice so much. Notice what you do well, too.

Sit with this: is the voice correcting you today kind? Small disappointments can be let go, so you have room for what matters.