Sun in Virgo August

Below Bootes thou seest the Virgin,

An ear of corn held sparkling in her hand.

Whether the daughter of Astraus, who

First grouped the stars, they say, in days of old,

Or whencesoever,—peaceful may she roll.

 August 22nd to Sept. 23rd 

This  sixth sign of the ancient zodiac is the only zodiacal sign represented by a female.  Virgo is the mutable earth sign. It is the most flexible, the most able to adapt to changing conditions.  Mercury is the astrological ruler of Virgo and signifies the mind.  Hence, Virgo is considered the intellectual of the Zodiac. Virgo is sometimes associated with Demeter, the Greek goddess of the harvest, who made the earth lie fallow for half of every year. However, astrologers say Virgo's original symbol was the Sphinx, the mythological poser.

People born under Virgo are said to be good at organizing things. They are also good at taking care of important tasks and responsibilities.   Virgo is all order and practicality.  He/She knows how to arrange and organize things. Virgoans are the great planners of the zodiac.  However, the Virgoan, as the perfectionist of the zodiac,  can sometimes be a bit critical of others. Virgo manifests practicality as intelligence and diligence in labor and detailed hard work and service. 

The word Virgo is Latin for virgin,  and the principal stars in the constellation are linked up so as to form the outline of the flowing robe of a virgin.  Her figure, the second human one,  is used as the glyph for this sign. Virgo is symbolized by a picture of a maiden with a bail of wheat on Her hip. On the ancient star maps, the Virgin is generally represented as a woman with wings, in a walking attitude. In her left hand she bears a sheath of wheat, or ear of corn, which is marked by the brilliant first magnitude star Spica.


Her lovely tresses glow with starry light,
Stars ornament the bracelet on her hand;
Her vest in ample fold glitters with stars;
Beneath her snowy feet they shine, her eyes
Lighten all glorious, with heavenly rays,
But first the star which crowns the golden sheaf. 

According to the agent myths, the Virgin of August became a goddess who descended to the earth and  presided over the harvest, teaching mankind agriculture.  She  and was worshipped under various names.  In Egypt, she was associated with Isis, and it was said that she formed the Milky Way by dropping a sheaf of corn as she fled to escape Typhon, which, as he continued to pursue her, became scattered over the heavens, thus producing the galaxy which has all the appearance of glittering grains of golden corn.

In India,  Virgo was known as the Maiden, and in  the valley of the Euphrates,  the Virgin represented the goddess Ishtar, the daughter of Heaven, the Queen of the Stars. Ishtar was subsequently identified with Venus.  Virgo has also been associated with the Ashtoreth of the book of Kings, the Astarte of Syria, the Hathor of Egypt, and the Aphrodite of Greece.

In China the Virgin was called the Frigid Maiden, and the Chinese made the star group led by Spica the group of Spring. The Chinese call the Milky Way the Yellow Road. The Arabs, who objected strongly to any drawing of the human figure, called Virgo the Ears, because of the wheat ear that she held in hand.  Later Arabian astronomers referred to this constellation as the Innocent Maiden.

Among the Peruvians,  Virgo was known as the Magic Mother,and the Earth Mother. The month festival was called the Queen's festival, and was dedicated to the maize as well as to women in general, who in this month only predominated in the ritual.

Virgo Correspondences

Color: Navy blue, gray
Metal: Mercury
Stone: Sardonyx
Creatures: Virgins, squirrels
Incense: Narcissus
Number: 5
Day of the week: Wednesday
The Human Body: Bowels, Belly, Lower Liver
Key Word: Wisdom
Key Phrase: I analyze