Summer vacation is over and the kids are going back to school. Although the days are warm, the early morning air hints at a change in the weather. Virgo, the sign of the harvest, extends this year from mid-day, August 22nd through September 21st.

Virgo is an earth sign, ruled by Mercury - the planet associated with mental activity. The typical Virgo is practical, analytical and attuned to details. They are naturals in any profession requiring organizational abilities. They are accountants, engineers, secretaries, and teachers as well as nutritionists, doctors, nurses and veterinarians.

Virgo is associated with the Sixth House, the house concerned with matters of health, work, duty and responsibility. These natives are conscientious, sometimes to an extreme. Virgo individuals tend to worry about doing the "right" thing and can be fearful of judgment. They can be very hard on themselves and prone to excessive worry and feelings of guilt. Such feelings take a toll on one's health and can lead to hypochondria and stress-related illnesses.

Virgo sometimes projects judgment onto other people and is extremely fussy and critical. This is the sign that raises nit picking to a high art. Anyone who has been on the receiving end of Virgo sarcasm will verify just how snide - and unpleasant - this sign can be.

Virgo is the last sign in the first half of the zodiac. The first half of the zodiacal wheel symbolizes the growth of the individual; the second half describes the development of the collective. Virgo follows Leo, the first time on the wheel that we find a whole and complete person. The Leo individual is subjectively self-involved and sometimes stumbles in relationship to others. It is the function of Virgo to smooth off the rough edges of Leo. A little straightening here, a little polishing there - Virgo is the sign of perfection of the self.

This explains the Virgo obsession with perfection. The sign that follows, Libra, represents relationship - the "I/thou" exchange of two whole and complete individuals. Virgo is about the adjustment of self that each individual must make in order to enter relationship.

It seems incongruous that this fussy, precise individual often loves animals. Pets are notoriously messy and yet many Virgos are devoted pet owners. Caretaking requires discipline. Through the rhythm of routine Virgo comes in contact with their deepest nature. Through love Virgo finds compassion. Expectations and judgment fade away and Virgo learns to see the perfection inherent in every being.

Sign of the Times Archive:

 Aries  |  Taurus  |  Gemini  |  Cancer  |  Leo  |  Virgo  |  Libra  |  Scorpio  |  Sagittarius  |  Capricorn  |  Aquarius  |  Pisces 

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