I was waiting to check out in the grocery. There was a woman in front of me in her mid 50’s, attractive and in shape. She was buying dog food. Actually she was buying forty pounds of dog food and she had no cart.
“Are you carrying that?” I asked. “You don’t have a cart for that?”
“Yes,” she said, explaining that she was foster parent. “I have to stay in shape if I want to keep up and this helps.”
“It’s working. You look great.”
“Thank you. I try. I carry everything like this. When I go to the grocery store, I use a hand basket instead of cart. Even if I need a lot of groceries, I use two hand baskets and carry one in each hand.”
She demonstrated by holding her arms up with her muscles stiffened as I watched her, enthralled. “When I see something I want, I just set a basket down, grab the item, put it in the basket, pick it back up and go on my way.”
Being a gym rat, I imagined myself holding my stomach in Pilates style while setting down a weighted basket. I thought the woman genius.
“Well thanks for telling me this. I like your idea and I’m going to steal it,” I said.
She beamed.
On the way out of the store I thought about her Virgo-ness. Virgos are heath conscious, do-gooding efficient multi-taskers and this gal was a quintessential example. Talk about efficient.
So what about you? Are you a textbook Virgo? Do you know one? Have you seen one in the wild? Tell us!
My husband has 6 planets (moon, venus, mars, jupiter, mercury, and neptune) in the 6th house, which is Virgo’s traditional home, is it not? It’s split between Scorpio and Sag.
He is not only fastidious (that most beautiful of Virgoness, and not in a sterile way, just in a soap-and-water way).
He is ultra calm, ultra polite, and ultra vibey. The kind of guy that people claim he’s yelled at them when he’s told them in his very quiet, polite soft voice what he thinks.
Some people find his quiet steadiness unnerving. They think he’s going to snap.
Once, a guy put a cigarette out on his back to get him to fight at a party (he was 15, he’s now 46). My lover just stared at the guy unblinkingly until the guy got all freaked out and left the party. I have a feeling if I did that, the result would be very different.
He is a wonderful example for a person like me who lives in the *effen* clouds. You do not have to yell at people to get them to hear you. You don’t have to make a scene to get people to see you. You can be super kind and polite and people will PAY ATTENTION. And they will respect you! (He’s a Capricorn with Saturn in Capricorn, so the guy’s got his bases covered).
Needless to say, I find it all red hot.
Dear Elsa,
Although I am a Leo (with Scorp rising), I am a quiet Leo with a Stellium in Virgo in my 10th house (Moon, Mercury, Venus and South Node) and Saturn at 29 degrees in my 11th. Because of all this detail-mindedness, I work as a paralegal in a law office with, among others, 3 other Virgian paralegals. Needless to say, the office could not function without us! We are the most anal- retentive, persnickety bunch of service-minded fools on the planet. Give us any task, and we’ll “get it done!” (quietly and efficiently). We don’t much like authority, but we bend and aim to please. The know-it-all lawyers depend on us to keep track of their out-of-control lives, prima donna wives and court calendar calls.
Viva La Virgos!
Monica
My Virgo friend who is somewhat of an alcoholic and I stopped in Dunkin Donuts to buy tea once at 4:30 AM and the cashier gave me away free donuts. I offered them to my friend. He told me that he is trying to lose weight/is worried about his heart and the way he did it made me think “ha! what a Virgo.” I remember with a conversation with a Virgo all about how he thought chubby women shouldn’t wear tank tops. Sigh.
The many Virgos that I’ve met usually whine about “feeling gross” after eating college food and are the ones who tend to cook for themselves.
I have had two important Virgos in my life, my father and my best friend from high school. I don’t know their other influences, but they are both the most UNTIDY and DISORGANIZED people I’ve ever met. Chaos follows them. I sort of figured they hide in all the chaos they create. Yet their thinking is Virgo, carefully absorbing and organising their thoughts, researching and putting everything together.
I love Virgos, I love being around them, more than any other sign I can relax with a Virgo. Alas, I married an Aries with a Pisces moon….next husband will be a Virgo, I don ‘t care how many secrets he has!
talking to another astrologer yesterday and she mentioned how virgo is the shadow sign of the piscean age – and that reevaluation of its (virgo’s) power, worth – and even mystery – is on the threshold.
Ah virgos. Dad – who has a list for everything and whose house and yard is organized to a tee, and with a logical thought process behind it too. He’s one of those people who takes the map of the grocery store and has a matching list so he can just walk in the correct order of the store and check-off his list. Although the virgo in me relates to this as the grocery store is an hour away. The old boyfriend who was organized about information. I’ve met lots of virgos that do database work, for obvous reasons. The best friend who is in that other virgo category, a messy messy house but who is persnickity about what goes in her purse, and her work is the opposite of her home. It’s overly clean, organized, almost overdone in the perfectness of it all.
And then there is my virgo moon which plays out in strange ways. Clean and organized in parts of my life, normal in others. For example, I’m picky about using a knife, cleaning it and replacing it in the rack. Yet my desk can sit full of paper for weeks on end. And the shopping thing that woman does I’ve been known to do but more along the lines of one basket and then I practice my balancing/octopus skills.
🙂
I am a Virgo.
I once read something about ritual/religiousity as related to Virgo-ness. It wasn’t written all that clearly, but I remember agreeing with it. I feel good INSIDE-more peaceful when I…scrub all the floors, organize my papers, eat sugar-free yogurt and wear my dust mask. Good, clean, and almost holy, and also less worried about my future lungs given that I live in the 3rd or 10th most polluted city in the world. Why people continue to not wear masks when all the experts recommend it is really beyond me. I mean, you’d wear a mask in the US to dust, right? why not here when every day is like the barn roof fell in?
On the efficient multi-tasking question… well, to be honest, I function much better when overly busy. If I don’t have ten things to do, I can’t even do one. But maybe this is not unusual. I do have a fondness for ziplock containers and am a bit OC about pens. and I am generally very soft spoken.
I would say I shop efficiently too… but alas, I have as of late been straying far from my Virgoness, been stressed, mopey, tired, drawing bloody cartoons to vent… I’m just not happy without a daily routine, quiet space, exercise, and some sort of daily need/responsibility to fulfill. I have been, quite frankly, wasting away.
It’s the little things, that make the whole, you see.
I’m a Virgo and I know very little about my chart. What I do know is that yes, I’m very picky about what I eat, (I’m on the 2nd day of a 4 day juice fast), I run on the beach every morning religiously, and my profession is soooo Virgo. I’m own a sewing workroom which is always in utter chaos with fabric and little itty-bitty pieces of thread all over the place that just drives me insane. I personally feel that all of the Virgos I meet have a little O.C.D. in them and I’m right up there. I cant stand when there is a dirty coffee cup on the counter, or when one of my husbands socks doesn’t make it in the hamper. I could go on and on. I feel sorry for the people who work for me because I know they see all of my little quirks, but I’m not a bitch, I’m really a nice, polite, compassionate person. I also use a shopping basket versus the wagon. I’ll fill that baby up to the brim. Virgos rule! Every household should have one.
Don, I agree, Virgo is a very powerful and spiritual sign that is not given full expression in modern society.
This is fascinating to read because my North Node is in Virgo (and Saturn is in Virgo)and so this gives me some good Virgo things to meditate on. I’ve been enjoying being more ‘on top’ of things, especially around the household, but I find being more organized in all ways (emotionally, physically, etc) has helped me harness some talents that were going wasted.
Cheers to y’all.
XO
Hannah
p.s. I’m curious, Sylvia, to hear about your experience with your Aries sun, Pisces moon man. That’s my placement so I want to hear how he alienated you!
although..I realize that a lot more plays into compatibility than Sun and Moon sign…Ah the complexity of life!
Hi Hannah,
The Aries part actually clashes with all the Cancer I have in my chart. The way he has of communicating so ‘directly’ that my sensitive little Cancer Moon in 8th house curls up in pain. I literally feel his communication style as harsh energy hitting me in the gut. It took a long time to figure out just what was going on and astrology has helped. His Pisces side is pretty repressed– I can’t really speak to that unless it’s the mild Asperger Syndrome he’s got–another thing that doesn’t allow for easy communication. But email me if you want to, so I can hear your side of it! be_your_guru (at) yahoo.com
Ruth,
Have you ever tried essential oils? You sound like a Virgo that would love them!
Eucalyptus–a couple of drops on the mask and clears the sinus passages lickity split. It is a dream for itchy, watery eyes. Just put a couple of drops on a hankerchief and hold it up to your eyes.
Pine–a mental purifier. You can cup a couple of drops on your palms and wave it over any area you want to chill. Your body; your house.
I am not a Virgo and have no Virgoness in my chart, but have Sagittarius rising and am extremely fond of rituals that involve “purfication.” Not to do with food, though. I am careful never to attach rituals to food. I was on that road when I was a teen and it was very destructive for me. The home rituals are so much more fun!
I should know better than to check Elsa without my chart up! Every time I do, I have to go back and look at it anyway. 😀
3rd house Saturn in Virgo, not sure how that plays out in real life. I’m just a baby duck, after all.
This part of the interpretation from AstroDienst made me laugh, though: “You do not like spending your energies unless you know exactly how the effort will pay off in practical results. But you should try to avoid a totally practical outlook on life, because ideals are important, too.”
Oh, cheeze, am I ever practical! I often see that aspect of me and I do sometimes take it to a fault.
God, none of the Virgos I’ve known have been either health-conscious or particularly neat. In fact, quite the opposite. I wonder why that is. They are Virgoan in other ways, though.
With stelliums in Virgo and Pisces, I tend to straddle both extremes. I’m neat and orderly, but it’s my own definition of neat and orderly 🙂 I nest – create piles of stuff around me and heaven have mercy on anyone who messes with my piles (as my Virgo Mother was prone to doing). I refuse to have anything approaching a routine (Uranus in Virgo) but that in and of itself is a routine. I’m health conscious but refuse to obey the rules. I’m an accountant and programmer in the internet and publishing fields (3/9 house stelliums) – I can (and usually do) multi-task better than anyone I know. Except Gemini’s. Who make me jealous! 🙂 I work long hours, but again, it’s on my schedule, not the boss’s – who is a Virgo and we just grate on each others nerves 🙂
Virgo Rising (Pisces Sun). I care very much about finding the very best way to do anything. The problem is getting my lazy Pisces Sun to DO it at all! 🙂 I do go on the occasional ascetical health kick.
Is there anything in astrology for procrastinators? Is it a way of getting a thrill by trying to see if something could be accomplished at the very, very last minute? My nerves can’t take much more of it.
I am a sidereal or Eastern Virgo– 5 planets conjunct in my Vedic chart. I go to a gym 2 days a week and lift weights at home. I’ve done various “healthy” diets for about 15 years– macrobiotics, the Zone, blood type, etc. I’m also kind of conventional and love to shop– in stores, online, while on vacation. Shopping is good exercise and is good for the mind/spirit. I’m also probably obsessive compulsive– can’t stand a mess, chaos, dirt, germs, rude people, noise, etc. But I also have a high energy level and am flexible so whatever goes on I try to manage myself. Which means other people think I’m a control freak. But really I’m not. Hey I found a website where I can get my jeans custom made… a good thing too because I didn’t manage to buy any this season—- nothing was quite good enough.
I’m dating one, sort of. Neat freak, folds his boxers. Exquisite taste in food and liquor. Kicks me out of bed at the crack of dawn so he can go play tennis and keep in shape. I’m crazy about him but I don’t really know how to relate.
Married to one for many, many, many moons. Within months of a silvery moon.
I can NEVER buy him the right gift – period. There is always SOME slight imperfection. A tiny stitch out of place, not enough cotton content, the shade is slightly off from what he had in mind, a loose string, etc. It was very hard not to take it personally for the longest time. And I still wonder how on God’s green earth he puts up with my slap-dash-sloppy side! I don’t do his laundry either as I couldn’t ever get it done to his perfectionistic standards.
We have learned to each have our areas that HAVE TO BE so-so and let them be separate and other things can slide a bit – and that, while not perfect, is okay.
Virgoistic Examples: I’d been keeping house for many years, as my parents divorced when I was young and I lived with my Dad, when we married but Virgo HAD TO teach me that I’d been wiping the counters down incorrectly all along! I wasn’t wringing the rag out to the correct amount of dryness. GAAA! Where’s that written chapter & verse Martha?
I’m quite large busted and he wanted me to wear a padded bra so my nipples wouldn’t show. DO WHAT?? With buzoombas this size you want me to try to find a PADDED bra? You’re out of your ever loving gourd, there is no such animal!!
I grew up in the country where neighbors were few and far between and we were staying in the country w/no neighbors for miles for a weekend soon after the wedding and I was vilified and nearly drawn and quartered for dressing in a room w/curtains drawn yes, but didn’t have the mini-blinds pulled down for the ultimate amount of modesty. EGADS!! Oh the shame! 😀 I try not to rub the naked sunbathing in his face and get that done while he’s out.
Let’s see – he doesn’t go shopping to buy something, he goes shopping to compare features, prices, and store personnel’s service quality. Like to drove me insane before I figured that one out. I go shopping to buy something and bring it home. He goes shopping to look around at 15 different stores and then ends up back at the first one! And then may end up taking it back because of some flaw so miniscule as to be unable to be seen by the unaided human eye. The internet has saved a lot of wear and tear on this one.
You can’t send anything back to the restaraunt kitchen even though it isn’t cooked to perfection because THAT would be embarassing. HUH?
On our first date at a dance some bourbon-sotted-floozette came up and wripped his snapped shirt open at the snaps from top to bottom in an effort to seduce him I guess. The man was MORTIFIED! (HINT: No-No-No to the agressive girlies after a Virgo male. Oh, and save the cursing like a sailor until after those wedding bells chime or he’s likely to be out like a shot – never you mind that he lets one fly every now and again, he wants you to be pure.) And, if you’ll act the lady, he’ll treat you as one.
He’s a KEEPER in many other more marvelous ways, so here we be all these years later still together. He’s taught me to be more discerning and discreet in some areas and to slow down on some decisions and I’ve taught him a bit about loosening up the virginal side and the passion is STILL HOT HOT HOT!
But I will always bow to his greater skill in the housekeeping department :D!! Who me? Would I do such as thing as half-arsed dusting just to see him step up to finish it to perfection while mildly preaching at me how it’s supposed to be done? Nah, surely not! 😉
You want sex? Better shower, deodorize, shave the legs, brush, gargle and floss before hopping into bed. Oh, and don’t forget the douche! Oh well, you’ve got to clean up sometime so might as well get sensational sensual sex on the other side of well-kempt, eh?
And yes, girls, there is a toothbrush, squeegie and razorblade involved in cleaning some Virgoan’s bathrooms to sanitized perfection, but if you’ll just get out of the way, he’ll get that cleared up for you in a jif!
UNLESS, he’s one like my Virgo son who is a total slob! BUT, his mind data is ever-ready as if in a neat little brain rolodex! I have hopes he’ll mature into a bit more of a tidy teddy-bear beastie!
I’m an Aries, and I make it known wherever I go lol. I tend to be very aggressive and competitive in sports, academics, and extracurriculars. However, my moon is in the 6th house in Scorpio and I am a list maker and strategist lol. It kinda conflicts with my 11th house stellium in Aquarius and my 11 degree ascendant in Gemini, but oh well. It’s all good.
Even though I always find myself in the midst of an argument with Virgos, I have to say that they are very admirable people.
The teachers that I’ve had that are Virgo (my 4th grade teacher in particular– we still talk) were very inspiring and have forced me (literally) to think outside of the box and to slow down in hasty decisions and tactlessness.
In fact, my 4th grade teacher gave me an important piece of advice one day when I was mad about losing a kickball game: “Every game has a winner and a loser. It is important that you handle the loss with class. Don’t get caught up on how many times you lose. Think about what you did wrong in the game and try to perfect your performance by learning from your mistakes.”
She was no athlete, but she really was a perfectionist at heart. I took that advice with me in every sport I played in school, and even now with intramurals in my sorority. This is her last year of teaching, which is a shame because she was the best 4th grade teacher I ever had. Well, she was the only 4th grade teacher I ever had, but still.
I have Virgo Sun and Rising.
I love something healthy and tasty that I can be proud of & have been a cooking enthusiast for many years, esp when working with my Gem Sun/Sag Moon/Leo rising mom or cooking to impress my Scorp Sun/Cancer Moon/Gem Rising dad.
My brother has a Virgo Stellium (he is a Leo Sun/Aries Moon/Gem Rising) and we have a great time in the kitchen together. He learns by observation, but we’ve made some great creations. (baked banana with lemon and carmelized brown sugar & chocolate comes to mind.)
Unfortunately, my moon, venus, mars, jupiter, saturn, uranus are in fire and 1 air sign (Jupiter in Gem)…stellium in Sag in 4th house not withstanding.
So when I’m anxious, pissed off, overexcited, drunk, over or under anything…which is a lot of the time..forget it, I scarf down buttered popcorn jelly bellies, cookies, chocolates, deep fried anything…and of course the one wheat sandwich with sprouts so I feel just a little Virgoan 🙂
I have been carrying dog food on my shoulder (and using hand carry carts) since I met this woman. That’s a few years, I wish I could thank her. 🙂
very interesting, but I don’t agree with you
Idetrorce
Wow. I am a Virgo and I incorporate exercise all the time Elsa, just like your woman at the store! Every time I take the trash out I hoist the trash bag up and down in various arm positions. As I walk back I do lunges. When walking through the airport I lift my carry-on like a weight — just a little, no one notices. At mass, I pull in my tummy and squeeze my bum when on the kneeler.
More Virgo tips for Elsa: Thoroughly brush your hair with a flat boar-bristle brush before bed — it will be super shiny and healthy, plus you’ll save money on toxic shine products. Sleep with no pets in the room and the thermometer down to 55 — you’ll be less puffy, more toned and radiant. Sometimes wear mascara only on the upper lashes — for a feeling of innocence and renewal.
yay! more virgo love! 🙂
people that don’t dig virgo would not fare well at a dinner at my house. my husband, my daughter and myself all have stelliums in virgo. unless you like vigro with a side of scorpio flavoring, you’d best be moving along…..har.
Oh my GOD – you met my mother! Seriously, she told me recently that she keeps her arms in shape by carrying very heavy bags. She is virgo moon and I think virgo rising too.
Goddess, am virgo sun and venus with scorpio rising – I think I’d like your family 🙂
Not a Virgo though having Saturn in Virgo, I’m LEARNING! I run three times a week from about 3K to 8K per run. I think in about two weeks, I will start hill training.
Signed up for yoga class.
I eat PRIMARILY salads. I do not cook. I just make salads and I’m quite satisfied with it.
🙂
bella, i’ll bet you would. my husband is virgo w/scorp rising as well. 🙂
congrats on your health improvements, lunalie. that’s fabulous!!
Virgo Sun and Venus here! I can be very Virgo, but my Taurus Moon is strong too. So I am only a partial health nut, because I do love indulging in the good stuff too, and sometimes can be sedentary. So I don’t make a conscious effort to exercise, but I occasionally like to show off my strength (and it is that Taurus strength – imagine a 5’2″ thin woman carrying one of those huge black bags full of pine chips you can buy at a hardware store all through a mall to a pet store). And I LOVE hiking.
My Virgo comes out in other ways. I love spreadsheets and lists and make plenty. I totally enjoy keeping a calendar full of everything I need to do. I’ve even taken a list of movies I want to see, gone through the library catalogue, and made a separate list complete with call numbers of those DVDs there. I like creating systems – so while my living arrangements seem messy, I do know everything is.
And details! I love details. If someone tries to teach me something or tell me about something and only gives me the big picture, I won’t be interested. I also recently took up birding, and I learn every tiny detail of each bird, much to the annoyance of crappy birders with no patience. 😛 I think they suck and I rule. 😛 Details are important for correctly identifying a flappy thing from a far distance, they don’t get it!
“Details are important for correctly identifying a flappy thing from a far distance”
ha ha ha this is awsome-ly funny!
Saturn in Virgo is forming a perfect trine to my Sun in Taurus. For the last few months I’ve had a burning desire to get more organized, and I’ve done a pretty good job. This weekend is going to be the purgefest to end all purgefests. I’m actually looking forward to it! Instant gratification.
My sister is a Virgo and she has always excelled at being an office manager. Currently she is a waitress and from what her tips indicate, she is very, very, very good. Waitressing is multi-tasking to the extreme, no?
Although I am super Cancer (Yay! Now that we are in Cancer I can’t wait for your Famous Cancer Quotes post) my north node and Saturn are in Virgo. I was told that this meant I need to align my spirituality in a more earthy way- away from Pisces the Fish. I was told this after Saturn passed by my natal point. Guess what I did during my Saturn Return? Yup, g’bye Christianity, Hello Goddess.
I would like to echo the other Virgos about how organizing and cleaning can be spiritual. Cancer loes her home but HATES housecleaning. However, I love attending to my altar. I spruce it up, I clean it up, I rearrange it, you name it. It gives me lots of pleasure. My 5th house is in Virgo.
even though I have moon in virgo my mars in pisces would never allow me to be efficient at the grocery store. I just got back from the grocery store – the efficient Virgo rising libra I live with does the grocery shopping in an hour. Takes me two – I have to read all the labels to help my fastidious moon.
Kashmiri, enjoy your purgefest! Oh how I love them! So cleansing. 🙂 I have noticed that can be doubly important to those who have strong Taurus, to have a nice environment surrounding them.
You know, I’m a Virgo and agree overwhelmingly with all this Virgoness being described here, but honestly, I get so very tired of all the details, details, details. And the lack of appreciation and recognition coming our way can get very old indeed. I really struggle to stay organized, and multitasking too is getting to be a bore, though it is the only way that I like to operate as well. Last minute thrill seeker, yes, that’s me too.
As for my chart, I have this Sag rising thing, and this Aries moon. These factors really get in the way of loving being a Virgo. My north node in Aries too, my life seems to have been one long gigantic lesson in why being a Virgo is not really something to aspire to.
When I get in a room full of Virgos, such as when we were divided by birth month at a retreat to prepare and perform skits, I discovered how really destructive criticism can be, and in fact paralyzing. The number of fellow Virgos I like pales in comparison to the number that I don’t like. (BTW, the Pisces skit was wonderful and imaginative, the best! The Sag skit was so full of hunks, who cared about the content!) One or two of the other signs failed to put a skit up at all. The Virgo skit went on the boards, but it was just plain disjointed and unsuccessful. It wouldn’t have gone on at all if not for me pointing out several times how someone in the group was shooting down every single idea put forward.
The most quintessential Virgo I know is a caring mother of 3, who never stops thinking about others. She processes CONSTANTLY. Driving with her is a bit nerve-wracking, because she waves her hands as she processes, but you know beyond doubt that she cares. The center of her being is to serve.
I have a few Virgo chums and none are typical (by that I mean fitting the stereotype presented by astrology). They are good chums, however my ex, who I was with for quite a while (the why of that lost in the umpteen sessions of therapy afterwards – but I came to my senses eventually) rarely worked, found excuse after excuse not to work, when he did get a job, he left because he ‘didn’t like it’ (said in childish whiny voice) or was fired within days (for being lazy), he was duplicitous, took money from me, never exercised, ate the worst foods possible, and was as slippery/charming depending what day you met him on. According to the composite chart we were a perfect match. My ass we were!!
I’m Taurus / Leo rising / Pisces moon … but I’ve got some fantastically well-aspected Virgo in my chart – Pluto in Virgo (2nd h.) & Saturn in Capricorn (6th h.) I read somewhere that this translates into ‘power in health, daily regimen, & work ethic’. I have all kinds of health rituals – exercise 4/5x weekly, daily meditation, supplements, healthy/light diet, & I do a fasting retreat annually. As a self-identified angry bitch who believes that passion and anger are normal and even necessary to keep things ‘real’, these rituals help keep anger in its place.
I have moon conjunct Pluto in Virgo. I can relate well to the idea. I have always thought going to the gym to be a little silly. I believe exercise is best coupled with production. I walk to the corner market almost always, weather permitting, and carry the bags home. Great exercise! I’m outdoors and I got something done:) it’s real work that keeps us healthy. I don’t understand the “gym” thing. Seems a little artificial to me. Inside a building using machines working up a sweat then you get back into your car drive home and sit and watch people playing sports on TV! Haha!!
NO virgo to speak of, but lots of 6th house! I was really good friends with a Virgo sun/aquarius moon for a while. We bonded over many bowls of weed, carefully packing, smoking, and always clean up after.. LOL We even had a special way to wrap up the pipe in a special cloth(Her idea obvsly).. She was always making things out of scraps of clothes, sewn by hand.. I miss her!