Virgo - Sun Sign - Dates: 16th September to 30th October
Definition: [Sun Signs - Solar Zodiac] Virgo, the sign of the Maiden, is the 7th, and largest, sign of the Real Solar Zodiac.
Virgo Astrology: Below can be found the fundamentals of the astrology of Virgo. The quotations are from the Magnum Opus of astrology, Tetrabiblos, composed by Claudius Ptolemy [c 130 - 170 AD] - the father of Classical astrology.
| The Power of the Fixed Stars: | "Of the stars in Virgo, those in the head and the one upon the tip of the southern wing have an effect like that of Mercury and, in less degree, of Mars; the other bright stars of the wing and those on the girdles like that of Mercury and, in a measure, of Venus; the bright star in the northern wing, called Vindemiator, like those of Saturn and Mercury; the so-called Spica, like that of Venus and, in a less degree, that of Mars; those in the tips of the feet and the train like that of Mercury and, in a less degree, Mars. " |
| Character of the Sign: | "Bicorporeal" [now Equinoctial (Cardinal) - see below] |
| Planet and House: | "Mercury; Feminine Aspect." [now Mars [Feminine Aspect] - see below] |
| Triangles: | Second Triangle - Taurus, Virgo, and Capricornus: Feminine. Ruled by the Venus in day and Moon at night. |
| Exaltations and Depressions: | "Mercury exalts in Virgo. Venus is depressed in Virgo." |
| The Egyptian Terms: | "Merkur = 7; Venus = 10; Jupiter = 4; Mars = 7; Saturn = 2" |
| The Chaldean Terms: | "Merkur = 7; Venus = 6; Jupiter = ; Saturn = 6; Mars = 6" |
| Countries: | "Mesopotamia, Babylonia, Assyria; in the centre, Hellas, Achaia, Crete." |
| Effect upon the Weather: | "The sign of Virgo as a whole is moist and marked by thunder-storms; but, taken part by part, its leading portion is rather warm and destructive, its middle temperate, and its following part watery. Its northern parts are windy and its southern parts temperate. " |
Movement of the Ages : Ptolemy's astrology described the heavens in the Age of Aries. However, nearly two thousand years later we are now in the Age of Pisces. Therefore, some of the astrological features noted above are no longer accurate. Virgo is no longer a Bicorporeal sign, but is now a Equinoctial sign. In modern terminology this makes it a cardinal sign. [See Tetrabiblos Book i Chapter 11]
Which planet makes its 'house' in Virgo [in modern terms the planetary ruler] is even more complex. In the Age of Taurus, 4000 years ago, Leo was the Summer Solstice sign in the northern hemisphere and hence the Sun made its 'house' in Leo and the rest of the signs followed from this starting point. But by the time of Ptolemy, in the Age of Aries, Cancer was the Solstice sign and should have been assigned the Sun. However Ptolemy assigns Leo the Sun. Even Ptolemy kept out-dated astrology, as we do today. [See Tetrabiblos Book i Chapter 17] In our time at the end of the Age of Pisces, Gemini is the Solstice sign and so should be assigned the Sun. Hence in the Age of Pisces Mars makes its 'house' in Virgo.
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The Powers of the Stars of Virgo: |
Virgo, the Maiden. From Johann Bode, Uranographia, Berlin, 1801 AD. |
| Sun Sign | Meaning | Dates | |
| 01: | Pisces | the Fishes | 12 Mar to 18 Apr |
| 02: | Aries | the Ram | 19 Apr to 13 May |
| 03: | Taurus | the Bull | 14 May to 19 Jun |
| 04: | Gemini | the Twins | 20 Jun to 20 Jul |
| 05: | Cancer | the Crab | 21 Jul to 9 Aug |
| 06: | Leo | the Lion | 10 Aug to 15 Sep |
| 07: | Virgo | the Maiden | 16 Sep to 30 Oct |
| 08: | Libra | the Scales | 31 Oct to 22 Nov |
| 09: | Scorpius | the Scorpion | 23 Nov to 29 Nov |
| 10: | Ophiuchus | the Serpent Bearer | 30 Nov to 17 Dec |
| 11 | Sagittarius | the Archer | 18 Dec to 18 Jan |
| 12: | Capricornus | the Sea Goat | 19 Jan to 15 Feb |
| 13: | Aquarius | the Water Carrier | 16 Feb to 11 Mar |
| * | The Non-Zodiac Constellations | ||
© Dr Shepherd Simpson, Astrological Historian
Historical Astrology
See the new Astrological Index for the meaning of other astrological words and phrases