Mercury is very strong in this sign, hence the similarity to Gemini in temperament and mentality. Yet Virgo’s earthiness tempers its pure rationality, and its powers of reason are not held in such high regard as those of the more positive Mercurial sign.
Virgos are intensely practical, and their aims are usually shaped by considerations of so-called material advantage. Their manner can seem petty, while their reasoning is hampered by the constant intrusion of a pragmatic outlook. They are therefore almost incapable of creating anything through the fire of genius. Virgo’s practicality, love of order and tidiness, patience and foresight incline it towards a conventional way of life, which may be mistaken for a moral sense that the sign does not, in fact, possess. Virgos tend to talk about morality rather than feel within themselves what is right and wrong. Every fact in nature offers a starting point for investigation, but it is always viewed from the outside and so is never fully understood.
The chief source of error in Virgo is an inability to understand irrational human passion. The lack of humanity and compassion often characteristic of this sign is even more conspicuous than we have seen in Gemini. The latter, after all, can justify itself by the comprehensiveness of its intellect, whereas Virgo habitually applies its intelligence to the more material aspects of any problem.
These qualities are, of course, characteristic only of the more or less intellectual types. The average man born under this sign is the typical husband: a steady, patient worker, though his work is invariably routine.
On the other hand, Virgo is the critic par excellence. Virgos rarely create anything themselves, but they observe and distinguish details, often with unnecessary precision. The native is a purist, a statistician, someone who follows the rules and generally interprets them in the narrowest possible sense. They lack the imagination that makes for greatness, even in such matters as earning money. Success comes very slowly and is usually thoroughly deserved. In this respect, the sign resembles Taurus, but Virgo’s greater adaptability allows it to go round obstacles rather than through or over them, achieving the same results as Taurus with nothing like the same expenditure of energy.
Virgos are often very modest, though sometimes sensitive about whatever small measure of dignity they may possess. They get along well with others because they are not aggressive. Their plodding patience reinforces their ability and intelligence, and although they may never outdo a rival in any particular respect, they may sometimes secure a first-rate position without even seeking it: while the lion and the bear fight, the fox makes off with the prey.
Virgos are very thrifty and constructive in financial matters. Their calculations are exact, for they pay close attention to small details, firmly believing that if they look after the pennies, the pounds will look after themselves. They may often be accused of stinginess.
Since Mercury is the god of commerce as well as of thieves, Virgo is well suited to routine business and is an astute bargainer. Virgos will go to considerable lengths to save every penny, taking great satisfaction in securing the best discount or price. Their narrow outlook often allows others to surpass them. They persist in adding up columns of figures while others, having made a rough estimate, turn their attention to the dynamic possibilities of their plans. In other words, Virgo may make an excellent bank clerk or cashier, but rarely becomes a financier.
In domestic life, these people are often happy enough; they do not seek trouble and do not respond well to it. Their anger can be as superficial as all their other passions. They dislike change and have little interest in leaving home. They prefer life in the country or a small town to that of a great city, and even there will choose a commercial career over other professions. They may become good lawyers or jurists, though they are less adept than Gemini at the contentious branches of law. They are, however, excellent in those fields that are essentially specialised forms of business, such as conveyancing, mortgage agreements and the like. They are reliable advisers on investments, and their advice on any matter is shrewd, provided it requires no consideration of anything deeper than the obvious facts.
In love, Virgo is an intolerable partner for people of passionate temperament. Virgos are neither passionate nor particularly tender. Narcissus, who is associated with this sign, is an apt symbol. Their coldness arises from their absorption in themselves; they have no conception of what may be love’s deepest secret: the mutual surrender of self to the beloved, resulting in a true spiritual fusion into divine unity. Virgo, however, despises the very idea of self-surrender. Nor do Virgos care much for conquests, and so they fail to kindle enthusiasm either in themselves or in others. In a sense, therefore, we may say that they are incapable of love. Paradoxically, this quality makes them very popular with that large section of society which likes to make a pretence of love. Nevertheless, Virgos make excellent partners in marriage or business, diligently attending to small comforts and conveniences. Even when flirtations occur, they are mild affairs, never serious enough to threaten the peace of the home. Where children are concerned, it is hard to find a better parent: Virgos attend devotedly to every detail of their child’s welfare.
In public affairs, Virgo can make an excellent secretary. Virgos can suggest useful improvements to any organisation, and their caution and industry may prove invaluable to those who, when engaged in great projects, tend to overlook all the small but important details. The native is trustworthy and diligent in all business, whether public or private.
Although Mercury is cold-blooded and indifferent, one factor distinguishes Virgo from Gemini and makes it less dangerous: the earthiness of the sign, which renders it steadier and more practical than its airy brother. There is thus a certain conservatism in Virgo. Its mental activity is less obsessive—or, to put it simply, Virgo has an anchor. It is not carried away by ideas as Gemini is, though its great practicality can sometimes degenerate into greed.
There is no subconscious aversion to crime. Suicide is common among those born under this sign.
Virgos’ friendships are often intimate and enduring, though they frequently rest on a shared interest, usually an intellectual one. Such friendships are easily broken by differences of opinion, for the native is intensely jealous and sensitive to interference, suspecting it even where the danger is largely imaginary.