hey I just finished reading this thing about Virgo from some website called 12house...
I was laughing throughout a lot of the beginning because I can relate to almost everything this guy says...



VIRGO
August 23 through September 22

Virgo is arguably the most stereotyped of all the zodiac signs. There won't be many of you who haven't heard of Virgos being called picky, neat, prudish or perfectionistic. I confess, that being raised by a Virgo mother did not do much to dispel those stereotypes until I started looking at things a little closer (years later). Virgo is the sign that prepares us for a change of season, a mutable sign. If you are mutable you have 2 parts to you (dualistic), you're changeable, and you have many talents. Virgo is also an earth sign which takes all those mutable qualities and confines them to the focus of the physical world, that's where the stereotypes come in, Virgo focuses on things that are "of the earth, things like people, the house, the car, numbers, and a whole list of others. Speaking of lists, Virgos are good at keeping them; after all, someone has to keep track of the multitude of things to do that exist in the world.

Their earthly obsession seems to have an archetypal root in the story of the Goddess Astraea. Astraea ("the star-maiden") was a goddess of justice. She lived on earth in the golden age of mankind when there was great harmony and peace. As humanity grew ugly with it's drive for competition, stealing, and wars, the gods abandoned Earth but Astraea was the last to leave, giving as much as she could until even she could take it no more. Within this story is the picture of someone wanting to be of service, wanting to live in the midst of perfection and finally, feeling frustrated, gives up and leaves to be alone.

In the heart of every Virgo is the desire to be of service. Mother Theresa is the extreme Virgo showing this trait in her last years of work with the poor and sick. Virgos want to help because they are good at it. Their mercurial minds (Virgo is ruled by Mercury sharing it with their cousin Gemini) think of everything including what you need, what they think that you might think you need. They consider what may possibly go wrong and prepare accordingly. However, don't forget their dualistic nature. On the one hand you have the nurse, the caregiver and on the other hand we have the loner and the cynic.

It's not that hard to see how these two components work in compliment to each other. Perhaps Virgo motivates to serve in the hope that the people they care for will get everything they need and will then leave the Virgo alone for awhile. It is here, when they are alone, that they can stop, and potentially relax. They can sort through their active thoughts to a point of clarity, they can make a mess, worry, sort through old clothes, criticize themselves, criticize others, clean the crack in the bathtub or just about anything they choose, because it's their time and there is no one else's issues tugging at them for attention. Being alone is not usually lonely for the Virgo native. Being mutable makes them easily distracted away from their center so time alone is energizing. While alone, they don't have to deal with the projected criticism of others. They have the kind of mind that can do numbers, facts, and organizing with remarkable precision. That's what makes them such good care-givers, they see everything that's wrong or out of place.

Inside every Virgo is the hope for the perfect "thing", perfect home, perfect world, perfect body, perfect husband/wife, and perfect pet. Everything is a system to them that can be organized and formed into their picture of perfection. Their insatiable desire to establish 'perfection' can go on endlessly, like sifting through each individual grain of sand. They are simply aware of everything and when you live with them, they can make you painfully aware of everything that isn't 'right or in order.

They have an inner judge (remember Astraea was the Goddess of Justice) and a keen since of right and wrong. That inner judge can become projected onto the people around them to the point that Virgos often think they are under constant scrutiny. As a result, they develop such detailed awareness of their behavior that they can begin to act 'perfect'. They learn propriety (some might say they invented the word) and take their idea of what is 'Right' and what is 'Wrong' to black and white proportions. This moralistic component of Virgo will vary depending on their upbringing but can range from fanatical to frivolous. When you meet them you may feel a bit of that self-righteous aspect glaring at you with a condescending judgment, it's not real it only looks that way, it's one of the defenses they have built that keeps your critical self off of them.

When they live with others they tend to "do" whatever it takes for them to have some semblance of this perfection and when they are doing too much it's starts to show in their unique ability to start 'nit-picking'. If things don't change (meaning if the Virgo doesn't get the proper time alone or cooperation from others) the picking turns to nagging and ultimately the nagging turns into personal ailments and complaints. This isn't a pretty site, Virgo hates doing it and everyone around hates hearing it. Martyrdom is the extreme of this behavior, the "look what I have done for you" syndrome and to think if you would have just picked up your socks when you were asked!

Being earth signs, Virgos are often deeply concerned with their health. They usually have special diets that they have to maintain and their keen eye for detail notices everything that may be out of place with their own bodies. The extreme manifestation of this behavior is hypochondria. This eye for detail is also great for finding errors in your typing, holes in your shirts and blemishes on your body. They are worriers as well. Once they get a thought in their minds, it cannot be released until it has found the proper closure. The problem is that they think of everything that can possibly go wrong, so the mind has a tendency to work all the time. Sleep can only occur if the conditions are perfect. I met a Virgo once who wouldn't take a bath because the thought of sitting in the dirty water was appalling to them, the only solution was to shower first but then there was the problem of the water bill. And on it goes.

The dear heart of Virgo is often flanked with profound self-criticism. The curse of finding the flaw in everything takes its toll when that eye is turned on the self. The inner-critic is evidenced in what appears to be a cynicism for life. You can almost feel their caution as they navigate in a world that on a soul level, they had left a long time ago hurt and disgusted. They wonder about the very real aspects of life, germs, diseases, children, animals and cruelty. The injustices that exist in all walks of life as part of the perfect order are just part of the flaw that Virgo cannot remove their eyes from. It's one of their greatest gifts and one of their greatest curses. It seems ridiculous to eat in a place where you can't see the kitchen, or to enter a building where the air conditioning can transport a germ to every nook and cranny. Imagine spending hours preparing yourself to enter the world only to find that when you get to your destination your clothes are wrinkled and you hair is a mess. The inner torture that drives Virgo is the drive for perfection and it is fueled by a tireless mind seeking a way out of the worries that ensnare them daily.

The heart of the Virgo dilemma is that they are trying to find the rules for living in a world that is random and chaotic. They are trying to find the simplicity of the Golden Days by trying to fix everything that is wrong with the current time period. All they want is a simple way to live harmoniously and if we look at the deeper urge they want to remember the perfect order that their soul remembers.

Virgos must remember that in the world of the soul, things are perfect, nothing happens without reason or is random. However, for them to embrace that belief means that they have to trust something not provable (Virgos are the "prove it to me sign") and that's a tough one for an earth sign, leaps of faith are reserved for the Fire signs but the proof Virgo needs is easy to provide. Have them look around them, review their past, when they aren't playing the martyr they quickly see how perfect everything was and they would have changed nothing.

Some would say that the phrase "Virgo Relationship" is an oxymoron. It's true that Virgos love their time alone and could likely spend the extent of their time on earth cloistered in their home, that's not a painful thing for them.

Though there is a much lip service administered by Virgo regarding living alone you have to remember the duality that exists within them, that is, for everything they say is the truth for them there is another side of them saying the opposite. Yes, there is a side to Virgo that does love companionship and relating. The opposite of the "nun" in Virgo is the "whore", the person who can get down and literally get dirty and have fun doing it. These sides are so opposite in nature that Virgo is often riddled with the guilt of expressing either of them because eventually they must come back and face the judge. Remember, they carry a strong morality within them, they have a personal sense of right and wrong and if their own behavior breaks one of the moral codes then they will rage on themselves.

In relationship, the Virgo is generous with their time, initially putting most of their attention on you and showing you what a good support they are. As time goes on they start to withdraw into their world of solitude but they feel guilty about it so they often start by finding something wrong with you until they get upset enough to withdraw only now they're justified. They are extremely sensitive to criticism though they appear to be able to dish it out quite freely, and you can be sure that when they are in the cynical, critical mode regardless of where it is aimed, they are starting to spiral into their recluse cycle. If you are strong, you can encourage it knowing that they will reward you when they return. You can ask them to do almost anything but you have to appreciate them and show it. Appreciation is like the criticism antidote. They have a propensity to feel used and discarded but they will also be sickened by too much so of affection. You have to do most of what you would like to do in a toned down way, a way that is "proper" even if you don't think it's what they want, deep down, it is!

Virgos are amazing friends. Dry wit is their signature form of humor. They are intelligent, loyal, loving and productive. They know you inside and out and love you inspite of your imperfections. After all, they expect things not to be perfect, they just wish they were.