Virgo Through the Lens of Evolutionary Astrology
Photo by Art Institute of Chicago on Unsplash
Note: All of my blog posts are written by myself, a real person, and have not been assisted or augmented by AI in any way, shape, or form.
VIRGO, The Virgin
August 23rd - September 22nd
Ruled by: Mercury
Element: Earth
Mode: Mutable
Corresponds with: 6th house
High Functioning Archetypes: The Craftsman, The Apprentice, The Mentor, The Analyst, The Perfectionist, The Critic
Low Functioning Archetypes: The Martyr, The Nitpicker, The Fault-Finder, The Self-Saboteur, The Hypochondriac, The Slave
Evolutionary Astrology: Prescription, Not Description
If you’re a Virgo, it’s likely that you have come across information about how you are meticulous, analytical, and practical. Or maybe that you are prone to worry and can be quite critical. Poor Virgo gets a bad rap! I have spoken with many Virgoan folks who feel like they got the short end of the stick when they read descriptions of their sign. Often descriptions of Virgo sound stuffy and boring, but in reality Virgo is just as complex and interesting as some of the flashier, more dramatic energies.
And besides that, these common descriptors of Virgo may or may not resonate with you. For instance, I know many a Virgo who keep a seemingly haphazard, cluttered home… so much for meticulousness!
Pop astrology hinges upon describing the traits associated with each sign, but ultimately, it’s dicey business to predict personalities with one piece of the astrological picture (in pop astrology this would be the Sun, but there are nine other planets to account for in the natal chart!) At the end of the day, human beings are simply too complex to fit into descriptive boxes. Not to mention that our personalities tend to shift as we change and grow.
According to the Steven Forrest Method, evolutionary astrology looks beyond the description to the prescription. In evolutionary astrology we look at what Virgo reveals about the specific prescription for your soul’s healing and growth in this lifetime. After all, your current personality—while useful to understand, in order to utilize your gifts most consciously—is ultimately temporary. It’s your soul that continues on.
So, what does the presence of Virgo in your birth chart say about your soul? What is your soul majoring in if you have planets in Virgo? What skills are you here to practice? What kinds of experiences are you here to pursue?
Virgo is Personal Development and Self-Worth
Whenever we incarnate into life with prominent Virgo energies in the natal chart we are here to engage in endless self-improvement. This is where the negative stereotypes about Virgos being overly critical come from, because as a Virgo you are meant to be noticing what isn’t quite right—about yourself, a situation, an environment, a relationship—and how it can potentially be improved. There is nothing wrong with this, as long as the relentless striving for self-betterment is rooted in a genuine sense of self-acceptance and self-worth.
It is a difficult balance that you are attempting to strike as a Virgoan person: being able to see yourself with exact clarity and precision—warts and all—while simultaneously having the maturity to be perfectly at peace with and accepting of where you are currently at in your journey. “I am a constant work in progress, and that is ok. I will keep striving for improvement for the rest of my life, AND I am ok and worthy of love, just as I am in this moment.” This is the highest form of Virgo, and you are here to cultivate this balance within yourself.
Virgo is Competency and Service to Others
One of the best ways to build a genuine sense of self-worth if you have Virgo placements in your natal chart is to find your unique gift, commit yourself to perfecting your craft, and then to offer it to the world. As a Virgoan person your soul healing lies in developing a true sense of competency, knowing that you have something useful to offer other people. This piece about being useful to others is key for Virgo. As a Virgo you benefit greatly from being able to offer something that is helpful to others in a practical, tangible way. Working hard at something and becoming proficient at it helps combat the dark side of Virgo—self-doubt and self-criticism.
High or Low Manifestation? The Choice is Yours
Evolutionary astrology does not label certain placements as positive and others as unfortunate, or negative. Through the lens of evolutionary astrology, every sign has a high manifestation, as well as a lower manifestation. How you respond to Virgo depends on your level of maturity and self-awareness.
The highest, most conscious, evolved version of Virgo involves an honest assessment of who you are and what you have to offer the world. Understanding your unique set of talents and gifts, and working to develop and hone them, is at the heart of a healthy response to Virgo. Virgo asks that we discover our “craft” and that we apply ourselves fully to becoming an expert at it. High Virgo requires that you develop a sense of competency at something specific, practical, and useful to other people. Healthy Virgo thrives on being of genuine service to others.
If you are not responding well to the Virgo in your chart you will be consumed with self-doubt and self-criticism as a result of out-of-control perfectionism. This criticism might also extend outward into the world and be directed toward the people in your life. While high Virgo is analytical, low Virgo descends into myopic nitpicking, and has difficulty seeing the forest for the trees. Low Virgo is the dark side of humility, and is easily taken advantage of due to low self-worth and feelings of inferiority.
Where does Virgo land in your chart? How well are you doing with it?
Meet the Author
Maggie is an evolutionary astrologer and modern mystic whose approach is therapeutic and psychological. She views the natal chart as a map of the soul, and loves helping others understand the intelligent evolutionary processes at work behind their life experiences.
If you would like to schedule a reading with Maggie, book a reading here.
