Vierge

Virgo is most commonly associated with Demeter or her daughter Persephone, goddesses of the harvest. The constellation rises as summer ends and the grain is gathered -- a time of careful work and preparation for winter. Another association is with Dike (Justice), the goddess of moral order, who withdrew from the earth when humanity became corrupt. Both mythologies link Virgo to the careful tending of what sustains life.

Virgo is an earth sign ruled by Mercury, governed by the impulse to analyse, refine, and be of use. Planets here are precise, detail-oriented, and driven by a desire to improve. Virgo excels at the patient work of understanding how things function and correcting what is imperfect. The shadow is excessive criticism -- of self and others -- and anxiety that arises when the world refuses to meet exacting standards.