Virgo

Ah, another wonderful day here in the city.  I plan hop on the bus to do some shopping for some fall items. Haven't bought a fall jacket in a few years now. You know, I mentioned to hubby yesterday that I have NEVER been able to go take advantage of the Labor Day sales.  That's because I never had any money, but now that it's been over a year since I stopped smoking, I find that there are many fun things that I could never do because my addiction took all that I had.  So, for all you smokers out there....stop now and not only will you get your health back, but also be able to do some nice little things for yourself. Treat yourself once in awhile.
 

Well, it sure does feel like it's Virgo's time....Autumn, one of the loveliest times of the year a time of cool breezes, blue skies, leaves of many colors. Virgo is here, the sixth sign of the Zodiac that heralds the end of summer; it is Virgo who announces the harvest. We are all now under the influence of the Virgo energy field which began on  August 22nd. (I know.  I'm a little late.) The word Virgo means simply "unmarried woman" and actually has nothing at all to do with sexuality. In fact, it denotes a woman who does not belong to any man, a woman who is a person whole within herself. Virgo is a mutable Earth element.  Virgo does not need a man to identify herself through. It also means "intact", and in a psychological sense, this would include being self-sufficient and able to take responsibility for one's actions.  We find many such women in the world of myth.  It has always been the myth of Demeter and Persephone that is most associated with Virgo.

I was going to repeat the myth here, I am sure everyone has heard the tale of Demeter (the harvest) and Persephone (planted seed);  as Virgo is preparing for the harvest season, Persephone is preparing to leave the world and to seek out the darkness once again. In general, we find Demeter to be portrayed as the possessive, grieving, raging, withholding, and refusing to 'let go of' Mother archetype. But, there is another side to her as well....that of the unconditionally loving, perfect, and all-nourishing Earth Mother; she represents the natural order of things and symbolizes abundance and fertility. Hence, Demeter  goddess of the fertile Earth controls the sequence of crop cycles, insures the gathering of the harvest, and its wise use into the next spring.

A seed must be buried in order grow, but first it must die. Each year the Mother Earth, Demeter, sacrifices her daughter, Persephone, who is taken as a bride to the underworld by Hades who allows his wife to visit her mother for half of the year...during which time the earth become fertile and is covered with green. The other half of year Mother Earth remains barren, grieving for her daughter.  The death and resurrection of Proserpine maintains the natural order as she properly fulfills the universal law of seasonal change in her own being.

Whichever way you choose to look at it, Virgo/Demeter concerns the transformative personality from a childlike or virginal state into a wiser and more mature personality which is represented by the fruition of the harvest.  She is the mother who must sacrifice her young child to another world, the first stage of severing the bonds of mother and child so that the child can enter new realms...meaning, to establish that sense of independence from their parents as they enter into the world of adulthood.  Those of us who have gone through the empty-nest syndrome can empathize with Demeter's pain.

Virgo is often depicted sitting in a boat while holding a flame in one hand and a chaff of grain in the other.  She appears to be moving gently and effortlessly moving with the flow of the evolving and manifesting current.  The Virgo archetype represents the principle of Universal justice, which happens when natural laws are obeyed.  When they are not obeyed, adjustments are made to re-establish natural order. We may not like or agree with  the consequences of these adjustments, but in Virgo  we find appreciation for life's simple pleasures and an appreciation of every part that contributes to the fabric of life. 
Within this light, Virgo as an archetype, bears a very humble essence.  This humility has it’s obvious positive contributions. But the shadow side of humility can be lack of self-esteem.  We all face darkness and light in our lives.

And just as all the other archetypes, Virgo is also within all of us. She whispers to us: stay clean, innocent and immaculate!  She represents our consciousness! She is reliable in monitoring the world, always warning of impeding danger. Admonishing, accusing, it is Virgo who chides you into being a good person.