Everything You Need to Know About the Sign of Virgo

Our sixth sign of the zodiac, Virgo possesses a talent for seeing the highest potential in all things—including oneself. It is a sign of continual refining and fine-tuning. What results is an approach to life that is more evolution than revolution. Virgo also reminds us of the power inherent in clearing away noise, excess, busyness, and whatever does not belong to us so that, underneath it all, we can reach the truth of who we are.

Virgo Dates

Anyone whose birthdate takes place between August 23 and September 22 was born under the sign of Virgo, meaning the Sun was in the constellation of Virgo at the moment of their birth, making Virgo their Sun sign and one of its primary influences.

Yet each of us has some Virgo within us, as we are a microcosm of all of the archetypes of the zodiac, each governing a specific area of life. We are all influenced by the Virgo archetype, to varying degrees, throughout the year, especially during these dates.

What Planet Rules Virgo?

Mercury, the planet of communication, rules Virgo and is responsible for the sign’s discerning, precise, agile mind.

Mercury actually rules two signs, Gemini and Virgo. In Gemini, an air sign, Mercury is curious and broadly focused. It gathers and exchanges information out of intellectual interest. In Virgo, Mercury grounds itself. It analyzes, organizes, and refines information in ways that turn even complex ideas into simple truths and wisdom. Gemini loves information. Virgo loves to apply information in practical, everyday ways that are of use to others.

Element

An earth sign, Virgo is a quiet, grounding power. It anchors us in the tangible, the real, and the literal and moves in alignment with what is practical, measurable, and stable. Earth signs possess an innate connection to the rhythms of the natural world, including an awareness of and concern for the body.

Modality

Virgo is a mutable sign which, by definition, is highly adaptable and able to navigate changeability.

As a mutable sign that is ruled by the earth element, Virgo is designed to remain anchored through constant adjustments and refinements. Virgo responds with ease to life’s constant evolution when it is in balance.

Virgo Symbol

Throughout ancient astrology and mythology, Virgo tends to be depicted as the maiden or the virgin goddess. In this context, the word “virgin” refers to someone who is independent and self-sufficient. We see this in early mythology, where the strength and status of the virgin goddess was not reliant upon or owed to a partner or outside power. Rather, it came solely from within. No one else can possess Virgo.

The visual symbol for Virgo offers layered meanings, pulling from both ancient letter origins and symbolic interpretation. Whereas its constellation is said to resemble a maiden carrying sheaves of wheat tied together, the visual of the letter M as symbol has been hypothesized to reference Mary in Christian times or the maiden in earlier traditions, compelling us to explore its feminine principle. Its tail looping inward speaks to Virgo’s self-containment, sovereignty, and perseverance.

Virgo Personality

Virgo welcomes self-refinement in all its forms, including the organizing of our homes and our habits as well as the upkeep of our minds and bodies. It brings us the ability to bring order and purpose to all that exists within us and to integrate all that we have been learning and experiencing into the most optimally functioning version of ourselves.

When our Virgo is in balance, we possess a clear sense of who we are and what is meant for us, often through saying no to anything that is not aligned for us. We trust ourselves to turn the dreams and desires of our imaginings into actionable and practical steps to make them tangible.

We are able to honor the beauty and perfection of each moment in life despite knowing that we are never a finished product. We understand that we are always complete as we are and that the self continually changes. As we continue to refine and integrate experiences, insights, and information, our definition of self evolves. We trust ourselves.

Virgo helps ensure that each step taken is intentional and in the direction of our highest potential. We take each step with purpose and on purpose. Through this approach, we are able to bring our dreams into our tangible reality.

Virgo’s Trickier Traits

However, Virgo’s gift of refinement can also be a curse. When left unchecked, it can fall into distorted perfectionism, blinding us to the beauty, wholeness, and goodness already present in any moment. When we have an imbalanced Virgo, we might experience a sense that our work, our life, and ourselves are incomplete. They seem lacking. They never seem to be enough due to the belief that we are worthy only when we have reached an idealized state. This can result in procrastination or paralyzation when it comes to taking action on the things that Virgo desires most.

A preoccupation with the highest ideal can slide into an obsession with the perceived flaws in ourselves, our work, our interests, even others in our life. Its focus on cleansing and organizing can turn into a need to control and perfect our home, body, work, or habits. In this dysfunctional state, our routines, ironically, begin to control us.

In its highest truth, the medicine that this sign shares is the beauty and sacredness present in each step of the process. It reminds us that completion is not the same as perfection and that sharing our work as it is can be the very act that refines it for its next evolved expression. True Virgo medicine remembers that purity is not static or fixed. It is aligning with life as it ebbs and flows.

Medicine for Virgo

Support for Virgo takes the shape of building organization and order in our day. That might be setting in place habits that bring consistency and structure to our days and weeks as well as creating detailed plans that help us move forward. Also, supporting the body through movement and self-care routines and even challenging the stories we have always told ourselves through self-awareness or talk therapy.

Witnessing the ever-evolving aspects of the self can help your perspective of self shift. Knowing that continual refinement is inherently part of you, how would you show up differently for yourself each day, support yourself, trust yourself?

Virgo’s Role in the Zodiac

The zodiac can be best understood as two halves of a circle. The first half, comprising Aries to Virgo, relates to the development of the individual self. These signs are self-directed. They focus on creating and learning who we are and bring moments of clarity and self-definition.

The second half, Libra to Pisces, symbolizes our journey into the world and our relationship to other people and society. These sign compel the already defined self to interact with all that exists beyond the self.

By the time we reach the sixth sign of Virgo, we have already established a sense of who we are. Here we encounter a culmination of the experiences and self-exploration of the first five signs—courageous initiating with Aries, building stability and endurance with Taurus, developing the realms of the intellect with Gemini, learning how to nurture oneself and feel a sense of belonging with Cancer, and expressing our authentic self with Leo.

In Virgo, we begin to integrate all that we have learned. Here we continually adjust who we are and how we choose to be in the world. Its role in everyday life is the refining and defining of self through highly intentional routines and habits and continued self-analysis, learning and integrating, transmuting, and becoming.

Each zodiac sign exists along an axis with another sign. These two signs fall opposite one another on the zodiac circle and can initially seem contrary. Yet they contain the medicine the other needs. Virgo’s medicine can be found in its opposite sign of Pisces. A water sign, Pisces brings surrender. Pisces coaxes Virgo to step back from the microscope and experience life through a broader lens, release any illusion of control, and trust in a grander design that is beyond our control.

Virgo, in its highest expression, holds the wisdom that the journey is the destination. It is throughout time and continual integration of experiences that we refine ourselves, reaching closer to the truth of who we are with each step.

Words That Describe Virgo

Refinement. Service. Practicality. Organization. Analysis. Precision. Discernment. Healing. Humility. Ritual. Simplicity. Self-sufficiency. Detail-oriented. Wisdom through action. Groundedness. Purification. Improvement. Consistency. Care. Devotion. Skillfulness. Efficiency. Alignment. Clarity. Adaptability. Integration. Editing. Order.