Virgo

Virgo (the virgin) is a constellation of the zodiac. Lying between Leo to the west and the Libra to the east, it is one of the largest constellations in the sky. The most prominent star in Virgo is Spica (a Vir), which represents an ear of wheat in the goddess’s hand. Spica makes it easy to locate Virgo, as it can be found by following the curve of the Big Dipper to Arcturus in Boötes and continuing from there in the same curve (“follow the arc to Arcturus and speed on to Spica”). The star 70 Virginis is an extrasolar planetary system with one confirmed planet 6.6 times the mass of Jupiter.

Who exactly Virgo is supposed to represent is uncertain; in history, it has been associated with nearly every prominent goddess, including Ishtar, Isis, Demeter, Cybele, and Athena.

According to one version, the constellation depicts Astraea, the virgin daughter of the god Zeus and the goddess Themis. Astraea was known as the goddess of justice, hence the scales of justice Libra nearby, and supposedly ruled the world at one point with her wise ways until mankind became so callous that she returned to skies in disgust. Persephone is often mentioned as well, Virgo being visible mainly in the spring months when she was believed to have risen from the underworld.

The astrological sign Virgo (August 23 – September 22) is associated with the constellation. In some cosmologies, Virgo is associated with the classical element Earth, and thus called an Earth Sign (with Taurus and Capricorn). Its polar opposite is Pisces.Virgo is a Mutable Earth sign. As a Mutable sign, Virgo is concerned with completion and adaptation; as an Earth sign, Virgo operates on the physical and material plane. Virgo represents the sixth stage in the evolutionary process of the zodiac. Where Leo seeks to have its needs met by others by being special, Virgo seeks to be accepted by working to improve things for everyone.

Keywords for Virgo are “I ANALYZE.”