As I geared up to write this essay, my thoughts turned, oddly enough, to dating. Back when my now ex-husband was my boyfriend, his idea of the perfect date was the two of us spending the afternoon hand washing his brand new red sports car. There was pure joy in his face as he focused intently opposite me, soaping up his side, as I rinsed off my end. I thought the low cut T-shirt I had worn was doing its job. Silly me! His apparent state of ecstasy had nothing to do with my cleavage. No, he was admiring the sight of his shiny, clean car. Yes folks, I married a Virgo.
Well, ok so maybe the shirt worked a little. But, like with any Virgo, he did put me through a series of tests before ever proposing marriage. Virgo, a grounded, analytical earth sign, is the most discerning in the zodiac. They can love you forever, but only after they’ve decided you’re worth it. More than anything else, Virgo seeks perfection.
So, after 6 years of dating, we got married. The first year of marriage is a trip for any couple, but throw a Virgo spouse into the mix and things get really interesting! As a young, new wife, I was in my stage of “playing house”. I’d come home from work and spend hours cooking gourmet meals, tending to my beautiful garden and turning our new house into a home. On Saturdays, I cleaned the house.
Al worked on Saturday and I remember looking forward to my husband coming home after a hard day at the office to see his house sparkle. By now I knew he was most at peace when surrounded by order – a trait typical of all Virgos. Of course I wanted to make my husband happy.
I swear to you, the house would shine. And yet every week, without fail, Al would come home, initially remark how clean the house felt and then pass a finger across some remote line of dust that the human eye couldn’t possibly see. Early on I took it as criticism. Virgos do have that shadow side of having such impossible standards of perfection that they criticize anything less, but I soon learned that he didn’t intentionally search for dust to undermine my efforts. With Virgo, it is all about the details. Their mind is so keen and analytical that absolutely NOTHING gets passed them. Not even a speck of dust!
Thanks to their Mercury ruler, combined with their earthy nature, Virgo is gifted with grounded and practical thought process. Communication with a purpose is a good phrase to describe them, and indeed, many Virgos make wonderful writers, editors, or journalists.
Virgos have one common problem; they can’t relax! Work is play to a Virgo and nothing relieves stress for a Virgo than taking care of the daily mundane tasks that the rest of the world is trying to forget about. Health, service, and work are areas of life that define much of what a Virgo is about. In fact, Virgo is known as the humble caretaker of the zodiac. They have an incredible sense of duty and will fulfill obligations simply because there is a job to be done and someone has to do it. The phrase “if you want something done right, then do it yourself” must have been coined by a Virgo.
Mercury in Virgo is different from Mercury in Gemini. Mercury makes Gemini quick witted and somewhat flighty because it’s acting in an air sign. In Virgo, because he‚Äôs an earth sign, the expression becomes grounded, precise and detailed. Thoughts become rational and objective. Virgos are logical in their approach to everything. Mercury here also gives Virgo the most amazing fine motor skills.
One of Virgos life lessons is to search for practical ways to use information that has been discovered. Another Virgo lesson has to do with learning discriminating service. Virgo often helps anyone who needs it. He must learn to utilize his skills of fine discernment and decide when to help and when not to help.
Virgo is a mutable sign, bringing into the qualities of Virgo wonderful adaptability. They know when it’s time to change direction and go about tackling a problem in a different way.
Health is a big deal to Virgo as well. Their vitamin regimen would make your eyes pop out of their sockets. Oh, and you know the people you see walking out of the gym early in the morning when you’re just arriving? They’re the Virgos. It must be off their list because, hey, they need to get to work already.
For all their adorable quirks, Virgo is as steady as they come. They need to be needed and your Virgo friends can teach you to reach inside yourself and become a better person. So go ahead, lean on the Virgo rock in your life. Just make sure you dust first!