In Need of a Little Sobering? Welcome Virgo.

After the bold flamboyance, creativity, and well, maybe a touch of Leo hubris, the Sun enters Virgo on 23 August (UK).

Maybe we explored being in the spotlight more than usual, or else unleashed a new wave of creativity during Leo season, and now we are being called to discern- what from those experiences can we take forward as we ground the creative buzz into a practical reality. Self-interest alone will not cut it; Virgo wants to know if our creative and individual zest is of service to the collective.

Virgo asks- how can we synthesize the rampant energies of Leo into a workable form, sound enough to withstand the conditions of the material world, and legitimate enough to have credibility.

One task of Virgo is to cut the wheat from the chaff- what at this stage holds up to scrutiny and what still needs time to bake in the alchemical alembic.

Virgo finds her fullest expression in service to the whole, a duty She is able to sustain through the condition of self sovereignty- she is the Virgin, after all- whole unto herself; Virgo contains the energy within until She consciously chooses how to direct it. With scrupulous discernment She avoids energy wasting whether ideas, emotions, people, or any frivolity that does not serve Her goal or will not yield a tangible crop.

Ruler of the sixth house, Virgo is also involved with the health and wellbeing of the physical planes including the human body, and the body of Gaia. Routines, practices, rituals, and systems that facilitate the merging of spirit and matter in realistic and well-functioning ways is the work of Virgo.

Holding the chaff of wheat, She knows the secret of regeneration.

The shadow side of Virgo is control and an exacting nature that can sometimes inhibit the free flow of emotions; there can be a tendency to over-analyse and nit-pick. Virgo can be a little detached as at this stage we have not yet turned our attention and energy to union with others.

The glyph for Virgo and Scorpio is similar with the M of matter (Mother) turned inward for Virgo and outward for Scorpio; energy/libido is contained within (Virgo) as in the virgin archetype or shared (Scorpio), where unconscious forces loosen control. Libra, the sign in between balances these polarities as we learn the art of relationship.

So now that we are infused with creativity and a sense of what wants to be birthed through us into the world, it is time to reckon with Virgo who will ask us to be accountable, practical, and realistic in our endeavours. Ideas without foundation or motivated from hubris or a desire to be seen for the sake of being seen will not hold up in Virgo’s court. She wants to know, will there be a harvest next year… and will it benefit all.

Virgo’s medicine is particularly relevant now as we sit uneasily between the New Age and Tradition, between information diluted through endless disembodied repetitions on platforms like social media, and a perennial wisdom that stands the test of time through all ages. Virgo may be viewed then as a gnostic messenger, synthesizing and grounding spiritual energies through matter as direct and embodied experience.