Since the Full Moon is in Virgo/Pisces today, I thought I’d write a bit about the sign of Virgo, which I know so well, having my Sun, Ascendant and Venus all in this sign of purity and perfection. Virgo energy is all about analysing, organising and attention to detail. Virgos spot the little things that others miss. This makes them great administrators and they will ensure that everything is efficiently tidied away and in its proper place. While most people hate sorting out their accounts and taxes, right now I am excitedly awaiting the end of the month, so I can update my spreadsheets, print all my paperwork out and get all my records orderly filed away. Ah, the joy of Virgo-dom! I can also stare at pages of sports stats for hours on end – even if I have no interest in the sports themselves. I find all the numbers strangely beautiful. It’s crazy I know, but somehow satisfying!

Virgo is an Earth sign, which means it is innately practical. There has to be a real-world, tangible result to their efforts. Virgo is all about being useful and helping others. “Serve or suffer” is a phrase you hear associated with this sign.

If you have any personal planets in Virgo (i.e. Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus or Mars) you will most likely recognise some of these Virgo traits, though how this appears depends on which planet it is. For example, Venus in Virgo would be somebody who related to others and expressed affection by doing practical little things for them. You may not receive a big romantic gesture (leave that for Venus in Leo people) but you will at least get cooked a healthy meal. Moon in Virgo people, meanwhile, have an insatiable need to clean and have everything in their home environment neat and tidy. Mercury in Virgo are the analysts and people with Mars in Virgo are usually good with their hands – it is a great placement for a surgeon, handyman or sculptor, depending on what else is going on in the chart.

As with all signs, there is a higher and lower side to Virgo. Because of their incredible attention to detail, Virgos are great at spotting what is wrong. This is excellent if you’re a computer programmer, but not so helpful when this energy is directed at somebody else. Virgos can be incredibly picky and critical of others because they are experts at identifying what somebody else is doing incorrectly (at least by their own standards). Over the years I have learned that what I think is constructive feedback to somebody is interpreted as nagging and fault-finding. Keeping my mouth shut is usually the best option for all concerned!

When a Virgo works at something he will give it his all, because Virgos are perfectionists. This is an admirable trait, as long as we remember that doing our best is the perfection, rather than the unobtainable idealistic notion in our head. There are few harder workers around than Virgos.

So if you have a Virgo in your life, go easy on them when they criticise – in their heads they are only trying to be helpful. And if it all gets too much, just find them something to organise, or give them a page of numbers to look at and they will soon shut up!