Virgo is an earth sign in the mutable mode. The Sun is in this sign from August 24th to September 21st, after the summer heat of Leo has passed, and just before Libra introduces the change of seasons to autumn. Virgo is ruled by Mercury, the planet of communication and exchange.
The symbol of Virgo is a women carrying a sheath of grain, representing the harvest. The Virgo season is at the end of summer (in the Northern hemisphere) which is traditionally the time of processing, sorting, and organizing the harvest to prepare for winter storage.
Virgo corresponds to routine, hygiene, cleanliness, duty, and work. These may be somewhat unglamorous associations but imagine life without these factors and we can easily grasp their value.
Virgo shares many traits with its polar opposite sign Pisces concerning humility and selfless service, although as an earth sign Virgo is more oriented toward material rather than spiritual work.
Virgo is joined in the earth triad by Taurus and Capricorn. All of these signs understand how to utilize and work with the material aspect of the world. Taurus values stability, is sensual and matter-of-fact, taking on the challenges of life without avoidance, and is drawn to appreciating the earth element in everyday life. Capricorn values hierarchy, authority, and tradition, and wants to create investments that grow into something to be valued by future generations.
The role of Virgo is determining what is useful for people and creating systems of exchange, organization and distribution so that others have what they need. In this way Virgo is related with service, and people born under this sign often thrive in healing professions that focus on improving lifestyle, diet and hygiene. With a Virgo influence there can also be an interest in commerce and exchange, systems analysis, or technical tasks.
In the body, Virgo governs the small intestine which filters all the food and liquid in our digestive tract to bring the useful nutrients into the bloodstream and pass the rest on as waste. Virgo is also associated with the womb and therefore with gestation and nourishment, in both men and women.
Esoterically, Virgo the Virgin is the liberated Divine Mother who with her purity and chastity, liberates us. She is the Divine Mother Mary who gives birth to the Christ the savior, the great martyr of the Age of Pisces. The Holy Virgin exists in all religions and shows us the power and beauty of purity, chastity, modesty. She separates and eliminates the turbidity of the ego, so that the Essence is free to express the natural impulses of the Being.