Virgo - Perfecting Humanness
by Guru Rattana, Ph.D. - Issue #25, August 29, 2000
The Sun travels through the Virgo sky between August 22 and September 21. On August 29th, when the New Moon is in Virgo, is an auspicious time to commit to a practice that will further perfect your humanness.
An important goal of the New Millennium Being Newsletter is to investigate and uncover the deeper meaning and the spiritual path of each astrological sign. Traditionally, Virgo's territory includes our job, our work environment, our health and service or karma yoga. This limited definition of Virgo is rooted in our superficial understanding, or even ignorance, of the nature of the physical body, and its interface with the mind and the emotions.
Our culture's external orientation and preoccupation with events and activities (the masculine aspect of reality), has led us to overlook the importance of our inner reality (the feminine aspect), as the creator of our outer reality. Virgo's job is not only to make this relationship clear; Virgo's job is to do something about it. Virgo's path is about the "process of inner synthesis, purification, ordering or gestation which precede(s) the external and objective expression of the person into the world of others".(1)
Virgo, which is associated with the Sixth House in an individual's birth chart, embodies the last phase of personal empowerment before the individual is ready to engage in relationships and group life. As the last stage of personal development prior to pulling open the curtains to the world, Virgo is concerned with "the inner process of attunement or ordering, which synthesizes the qualities developed through previous effort and forges of them one integrated personality which can then be the vehicle of expression for the self".(2)
The Virgin
Virgo is a human sign represented by the Virgin. She is the goddess of fertility, the mother who gives birth and the cornucopia of abundance. She is not a virgin in the sense of naïveté or sexual innocence. In mythology, the virgin goddesses were divine prostitutes. They were associated with the powers of sexual union and birth. "Virginal meant whole, single, possessed by no man, and the servant or slave of no husband or lover".(3) The mythological virgin is totally herself - integrated, self-contained and independent. She is dependent upon no one. She is the source of her own meaning and self-expression. Although she is the mother goddess who mates and gives birth, she would never consider being possessed by one man in the form of a wife or a servant. Autonomy is her touchstone and indeed her essence.
Three Aspects of the Mother
There are three names for the Virgin, each of which symbolizes one aspect of the Mother principle:
- EVE symbolizes the desire for knowledge and represents the MENTAL nature of humanity. Eve ate the fruit because her soul desired information about the physical world.
- ISIS gathers information from the astral plane or the realm of the EMOTIONS. In her veiled form, the emotions are illusions that hide the truth of the soul. In her unveiled form, the goddess reveals the truth that the emotions are the force field and communication mechanism of the soul.
- MARY represents the material matrix, the PHYSICAL body and the power of manifestation.
Gestation of the Soul
Through intensified self-awareness, Leo establishes a sensitivity to the Higher Self. Virgo's path is the externalization of the soul onto the physical plane. As one of the signs that embodies the Mother Principle, she is concerned with the process of gestation and pregnancy. "Virgo symbolizes the depth and the darkness in which the Light is protected". In her womb the Divine Plan of the individual Soul "gestates and is brought into manifestation". She nurtures and protects until the "Hidden Christ" or soul within us is ready to be birthed.(4)
As the Mother who gathers the nutrients to feed her unborn child, Virgo synthesizes the mental, emotional, physical and spiritual nutrients of her being, and gathers and assesses the appropriate information for the growth of her soul. (Which is fully birthed in the sign of Capricorn.) She blends and incorporates all of the above in her womb to form the embryo of her being. Virgo's path is about nurturing an integrated Self that can offer herself to the world.(5)
Love, Wisdom and Devotion
Virgo is an earth sign. From pure spirit, Virgo gives birth to form. With the love of the Mother, she manifests and holds her creations together. Virgo instructs us how to differentiate into the myriad of forms that express the love of the Mother in our daily lives.(6) Virgo teaches us that we each have a job to do, a part to play and a contribution to make. She expresses and expands Divine Love and Wisdom in very practical ways - through service, healing, and methods of self-improvement.(7).
Virgo transcends the toil, trials and pain of physical reality with her devotion and idealism. Mother Teresa is the perfect embodiment of the Virgo essence. She frequently stated that when she washed the wounds of the poor, she saw the face of Christ. She offered us the example and the touchstone, that if our work rewards us with a spiritual experience, we are on the right path.
Mercury is Virgo's Mentor
Mercury is Virgo's mentor. Mercury rules both Gemini and Virgo. Gemini (an air sign) is concerned with the process of analysis. Virgo is concerned with discrimination and synthesis. Virgo is an earth sign. Yet the Planet associated with it deals with the mind. Indeed Virgo must master the mind to master the body. Her task is to discover the relationship between the mind and the body, and to achieve integration between the two. To do so she must explore the link between her state of mind and her health. The existence of the subtle energy bodies that permeate her being, add layers of mystery and meaning to her physical vehicle. Her powerful mind helps her discover and weave these complex relationships into a soulful whole.
Virgo's Territory
Health
Virgo teaches us about health and the interconnection between our physical well-being, our mind and our emotions. The health of the body is an integral factor in the integration of mind and emotions, and the establishment of a consolidated sense of self that can function properly and gracefully in the world. Disease and ill health often motivate and indeed oblige Virgo to explore the interconnection between mind, body and spirit. It is only through their conscious synthesis that optimal health is achieved.
Wholeness
Virgo is autonomous and whole within herself. She achieves this state of consciousness through the integration or synthesis of the various aspects of her psyche, her emotions and body, and in turn with her physical environment as well. Virgo demonstrates that our own wholeness is a prerequisite to successful relationships (because she does not need them), and to meaningful interaction with the world (because she humbly offers who she is without fanfare, obligations or demands for recognition). Detachment though autonomy is Virgo's secret to success.
Ritual, Rhythm and Order
The need for security, as symbolized by Taurus, and the need for achievement, as symbolized by Capricorn, are generally recognized and appreciated in our culture. However, the need for ritual and rhythm, embodied by Virgo, are not given equal value. Virgo teaches us that the careful and methodical ordering of our external environment is necessary for a clear and unconfused inner environment. External chaos always impacts our internal state of being. The lack of order and rhythm in both our inner and outer lives feeds fear and feelings of inadequacy. Purposeful discipline and meaningful routine in our daily lives fosters inner alignment and a peaceful state of mind.
Virgo points out the importance of recognizing and cultivating inner and outer balance. The compulsive need for order and structure can be a fearful attempt to substitute outer for inner alignment. Yet the former can also promote the latter.
Feng Shui or the Chinese art of placement in our home, work and physical environment, is an external art that creates internal order, change and peace. Feng Shui teaches us how to create a sacred space in our physical environment. The intention is to optimize the energy in our home or office. In the process our environment acts as a vortex of energy, which promotes our inner peace, facilitate our interactions in the world and communicate with the Universe.(8)
Work
Virgo helps us understand and give a deeper meaning to work. Work is not just a job that allows her to pay the bills and justify her existence. It is through her job and work environment that Virgo purifies and prepares herself for the world. For Virgo, work is a ritual and a path. The frustrations, disappointments and limitations in her work environment force Virgo to search for deeper purpose in the ongoing challenges that she faces on a daily basis.
Service
One of Virgo's challenges and gifts is to embody the concept of service or seva. Virgo's path inevitably plunges her into jobs where she feels caught in mindless and meaningless routines. Of course, there is a lesson to learn. Within each situation there is a rhythm to routine that aligns her with the energy of the group of which she is a part. It is Virgo's path to discover the hidden order of group consciousness in the monotony (ceremony) of repetitious work. In the rhythm of alignment with the group energy she can experience an inner serenity and peace.
Without this alignment with the group energy, service is degraded to performing menial tasks for others. Even the idea of "good works" does not capture the true essence of service or seva, which Virgo embodies. Service in its highest form is an innate expression of one's inner being. It is a state of consciousness rather than a planned or performed act. It is done with at attitude of HUMILITY, not subservience.
What spiritual paths call seva is the result of inner integration. When one is no longer pre-occupied with trying to reconcile the battling components of human nature, the flower of the individual blooms. Once one's body, emotions and mind are in balance, one becomes intuitively aware of one's life purpose and how one's inner psyche can serve the common good. Virgo teaches us that inner attunement - achieved through a ritual ordering of the personality and environment - helps us find our mission and direction in life and offer it to the world.(9)
Virgo teaches that seva serves the individual as well as the group. It serves the individual because it is what he or she came here to do. It is his or her destiny path and life purpose. It is the unique contribution that only that person can make. It is our gift to humanity that will be lost forever if the unique person does not perform it. In the process of making our contribution, we fulfill ourselves and we fulfill critical needs of the collective.
The Organizer and Healer
Virgo's ability to tune into details makes her a great administrator and organizer. Her ability to synthesize the intricacies of the mind and body make her a great healer, physician or surgeon. Effort and training are required, but Virgo is comfortable with both. Virgo is innately fascinated with health. Virgo teaches us that health is so much more than physical fitness and low cholesterol. The science of acupuncture and the study of the chakras and the aura direct us to a different level of understanding about the origin of physical illness.
Yoga and Meditation
Virgo offers us various disciplines, including yoga and meditation, to achieve inner balance and integration. We find out what our unique contribution is when we align all parts of ourselves. When we are in balance and functioning optimally, we not only know what we are supposed to do, we have the energy, health and the motivation to do it. And we experience a deep satisfaction in performing all aspects of our assignment.
It is not surprising that yoga and meditation fall in the territory of Virgo who possesses the quality of commitment and appreciation for perfection that inspire one to give one's life to a spiritual discipline.
The development of a finely attuned sensory system that Yogi Bhajan talked about this summer - Issue 24 - is achieved through the practice of yoga and meditation.
Her Body is her Sacred Sanctuary
Virgo's journey is to discover her body as the interface between her inner and outer realities. Her body is her sacred vehicle for creating magic, experiencing power and emanating spirit. Her body is a vortex of energy that makes her a power point on the planet. Her body is a transmitter of light energy that radiates out into the world and the Universe.
Virgo knows the important role of our bodies in establishing our place in the world. When our bodies are aligned with cosmic order, our lives flow with creativity. Our body is our sacred sanctuary where we can remember who we are and why we are here on the planet.
The beginning of a new millennium is a very powerful time to be alive. Virgo holds some of the critical keys for actually experiencing our aliveness. It is our conscious AWARENESS of the life force within us that makes it possible for us to tap our full potential, manifest change and realize our dreams. It is the awareness of the flow of the Universe within us that gives us hope, that propels us forward, that gives us the power to transform ourselves, our relationships and our environments. Virgo teaches us that the key to transformation lies within ourselves. By purifying and harmonizing the energy in our own being, we open the channels of our physical, mental and emotional vehicle. In the process we become a focal point of energy that radiates light and love out into the world. Virgo offers us the technology to become a lighthouse that transmits healing to others and to the Earth.
Virgo is the priestess of energy - physical, emotional, mental and spiritual. She shows us how our energy interacts with the energy of our environment and the Universe. She offers us techniques to cleanse, balance and cultivate our life force. In the process we transform our body into a sacred sanctuary for the embodiment of our soul. We become a radiating vortex of healing light, protection and hope.
Virgo gives us the discipline to consolidate our own sense of self and the discrimination to know how to interact with the world. This is a huge task. Her powerful discriminating mind is needed for the job. She must not only know, she must incorporate two basic truths into her body and psyche:
- Everything and everybody is made up of constantly changing energy. Everything and everybody is energy. The Universe and everything in it is in a continual state of evolution. Everything is an expression of transient patterns of swirling energy.(10) We are immersed in an ocean of ever-changing energy that is in constant motion.
- Everything is interrelated. Separation is not possible. It is our internal separation from our Selves that creates the illusion that we are unconnected to others, our environment and the Universe.
Virgo's journey teaches her that the illusion of separation has grave consequences for personal and collective health and happiness.(11) As Virgo establishes an inner connection and relationship with her body, mind and emotions, her consolidated sense of Self automatically extends beyond her personal boundaries to her environment and community, and indeed to the living pulse of the Universe.
Duality - Separation and Autonomy
Virgo struggles with a sense of isolation which is, at its core, isolation within herself. As she establishes an intimate relationship with all aspects of her being, she simultaneously cultivates a sense of interrelatedness with others and her environment.
The duality that Virgo must deal with is separation and autonomy. She feels separate. The path to connection is through the territory of autonomy. She must first establish a sense of her own autonomous being - not with the goal of separating herself even further, but with the understanding that connection is an inner, not an outer experience. Her self-definition must be more inclusive than identification with her physical body. Her self-definition must penetrate to the very core of her being.
Virgo starts with the realization that her body is an expression of a complex energy system. Her body is more than a mere transportation system for her mind. It is comprised of infinite vibrating energy and realms of consciousness. Her mind and thoughts are one realm that impacts the health of her body. Her emotions have their own energetic structure, which impacts the well-being of her body long after the emotional impact has been felt. Her physical body is constantly impacted and a continual reflection of her inner state of being.(12)
Virgo shows us that our physical well-being is determined by how we hold our bodies in our hearts. Our bodies have consciousness. Their health is an indicator of how well we nourish them, how much we love them, how much reverence and gratitude we have for them. Caring vitalizes the living spirit in our bodies. Our bodies respond to both carelessness and to kindness. Our attitude determines whether our bodies are lifeless structures or vibrant vehicles of rejuvenation, renewal and rejoicing.
Virgo teaches us that our bodies not only reflect our thoughts and our feelings. In a very profound way our bodies are the interface between our Soul and the world. Our bodies allow and facilitate the interconnection between our essence and our worldly expression. Through the interface, we grow, we evolve, we heal, our spirit is awakened and we offer our love to others.
Sleeping Virgo
Asleep Virgo can be a hypochondriac and use her frequent illnesses to get attention. Asleep Virgo may go from one doctor to another looking for a physical cause to what is a reflection of an internal imbalance. The clamoring for attention is of course a diversionary tactic, to avoid taking responsibility for her own self-created situation, and an attempt to cover up the need for deep inner work.
Asleep Virgo may also be obsessed with being healthy. However, she expresses her obsessive behavior, denial is her forte. Her job is a reflection of her need for personal survival. Her intimate relationships are often chosen to create the illusion of emotional fulfillment, i.e. to avoid her own internal connection with self.
Asleep Virgo may surround herself with clutter or be compulsively orderly. If she has a compulsive need to acquire things, it is a reflection of a fear of the void, a fear of not having enough, and a horror of empty spaces.(13) The exaggerated need for order and routine is fed by a fear of the unknown and fear of change. In either case obsessive externalization of inner anxiety results in compulsive behaviors that reflect mental instability.
Virgo clings to the outer form because she is unable to access her feelings, control her mind and develop a healthy relationship with her body. Asleep Virgo attempts to substitute outer order for inner alignment. She is always trying to make adjustments in her external environment.
Asleep Virgo is constantly frustrated with her work situation and questions her usefulness to the group. She is often discontented and resentful because she feels like she is wasting away her life with monotonous and meaningless tasks. She feels like she is a prisoner of circumstances, from which she is powerless to escape. The boredom of senseless routines, however, serve as wake-up calls, and remind her that she is capable of better things.
Asleep Virgo often chooses to stay at the same boring job because she is afraid of confronting the unknown. At the same time, she resents the servitude, is bored by the sameness, and frustrated by the anonymity of her position. She will complain and complain about her work conditions, the ineptness of her superiors and how she is overworked. Yet she finds excuses to avoid confrontations and/or make efforts to try to improve her situation. In truth she chooses security and familiarity over initiative and change. In sum, she is afraid to leave. Her fear is rooted in her own self-doubt about who she is, her value and ostentatiously her skill or qualifications.(14) Where would she go? In her rationalizations she resorts to extremes - better to live with the irritating frustrations than jump into the worse case scenarios of unemployment and homelessness.
This confrontation is precisely her test. Virgo needs to develop a skill. But not just any skill. Virgo needs to identify the skill that allows her to cultivate and express her gifts. The right choice of skill and appropriate outer training requires an inner attunement with herself and her life purpose. The key out of her own prison is within herself.
Awakening Virgo
Unexplained illness, depression, employment frustrations are the wake-up calls for Virgo. Her moodiness and irritability eventually lead her to the realization that she must understand and develop a relationship with her own psyche, with her body and with her environment. She must investigate how her psyche impacts her body. In the process she must tune her mind, emotions and body as one integrated vehicle for expression of her soul. She must make herself an instrument of divine expression and service. SYNTHESIS is her touchstone. She must become one within herself in order to offer herself to her community.
Virgo's awakening begins when she realizes that her challenges are not external, but internal. Her spiritual journey begins when she accepts that her healing is an inner process. Her path includes the detailed exploration of her body and its intricate relationship to her total psyche. Her path must also include a detailed investigation into how to integrate herself into her community. Virgo's psyche must be trained to stand as the midpoint between her body and the world. She must train her body to facilitate her inner alignment. For it is the integration of her body, mind and emotions that will prepare her to serve the higher purpose of the collective.
Awakening Virgo discovers that she feels overburdened by the pains of the world because she is too responsive to the needs of others. She becomes sensitive to the fact that her nurturing nature absorbs negativity from others, which she unconsciously transforms into some form of personal life crisis. Virgo must learn to be responsive to, but not energetically responsible for, others pain and struggles. Misplaced compassion leads to depression, anxiety and a sense of helplessness and ineffectiveness.(15) Virgo must learn to direct her compassion to targeted action, and turn over the outcome to a higher power.
Awakening Virgo must learn to differentiate between what is needed and what is useless clutter. She must learn both mental and physical discrimination. She must recognize that she clutters her mind with needless thoughts, and her house with superfluous materiality, to avoid her fear introspection and confronting the subjective darkness within her. Her excessive attention to external details is a protective wall that she builds to hide her anxiety that others will perceive her lack of perfection. The subjective darkness which she fears is where she will connect with the cohesive power of Love that she craves. What she avoids is where she will find the perfection and the serenity that she yearns for. Virgo's awakening process requires her to slow down, to be quiet, to meditate and to relax.
Awakening Virgo is initially a critical perfectionist. She obsessively tries to purge herself of needless items and circumstances. She discriminately searches for the best synthesis and solution to her own and others problems.
Awakening Virgo learns not to sabotage herself. She moves from resignation to accepting the challenge of fitting the pieces of life's puzzle together in a way feels right for her. She learns from her mistakes, rather than being overwhelmed by them. She accepts that her job is demanding and turns her attention to delivering excellent service. Her shift in attitude, not only helps her survive, it helps her reclaim her power and unleashes her ability to handle whatever happens with serenity and inner strength.
Awakening Virgo's touchstone is Service. She wants to understand her role in society and desires to find her niche where she can make a difference and leave a legacy.
Awake Virgo
Awake Virgo has succeeded in using her body to achieve the inner blending of her mind, her emotions and her intuition. Awake Virgo is master of the five tattvas - earth (body), air (mind), water (emotions) fire (intuition) and ether (spirit). Matter, mother and form are at one in Virgo. Through the lessons of the material world, Virgo manifests form into Light. Awake Virgo demonstrates that matter and spirit are "but one continuous line of cosmic expression".(16) Virgo realizes this truth through consciousness and awareness, achieved through inner reflection, meditation, physical yoga and karma yoga.
Awake Virgo is comfortable flowing between fullness and emptiness. She has a strong sense of herself. She is willing and able to continually access at deeper levels mental, emotional and physical resources, and synthesize them with her active participation in the world. Awake Virgo has succeeded in blending the three worlds of the personality - mental, emotional and physical - and synthesized them into a coherent Self who can serve with true humility and grace. Her life is led as an act of devotion to humankind.
The nourishment and caring that she offers others is a reflection of the pure love that she has accessed at the very core of her being. She has discovered her inner purity as the embryo of her Soul. The healing that she shares with the world is a natural expression of her radiance and magnetic presence. Her soul infused personality now embodies the law of attraction.(17) She attracts to her the situations where she can best serve and she serves with unattached joy and devotion.
Meditation to Tune In to Your Inner Purity and Grace
In Issue 23 I shared the following Kundalini Yoga meditation as the LEO "I AM" MEDITATION TO BE THE SELF. Now that the Sun is in Virgo I am aware of how it tunes me in to the purity of my inner space. I offer it again to do while the Sun shines in Virgo. Tuning in to our inner reality and grace can be fully embodied (Earth) while the Sun is in Virgo. The mental acuity of Virgo (ruled by Mercury and the mind) helps us consolidate this consciousness into all aspects of our being.
Yogi Bhajan taught a meditation this summer in New Mexico at the Master's Touch II Course.
Sit with a straight spine hands on the lap with the fingers interlaced. Right thumb is over the left thumb and the other fingers alternating accordingly.
Repeat out loud in a monotone-
"Me within me is the purity. Me within me is the reality. Me within me is the grace. I AM the master of the space".
Keep repeating out loud in a monotone for 5-11 minutes or more if you desire. Do for 40 days or longer and record your feelings as you go along. You may catch yourself doing this meditation automatically during the day, or wish to use it as an on-going affirmation in your mind during your daily activities.
References and Footnotes
I initially covered The Perfection of Virgo in Issue 2 of New Millennium Being.
"Soul-Centered Astrology", Alan Oken, The Crossing Press, Freedom, CA, 1990, pp.192-199.
"Saturn: A New Look at an Old Devil", Liz Green, Samuel Weiser, Inc, York Beach, Maine, 1976, pp.41-46.
"Alive and Well with Pluto", Bil Tierney, Llewellyn Publications, St. Paul, MN, 1999, pp. 177-184.
"Sacred Space", Denise Linn, Ballantine Wellsping, pp. 1-10.
1. Green, p. 41.
2. Green, p. 41.
3. Green, p. 42.
4. Oken, pp. 194-5
5. Oken, pp. 193-5.
6. Oken, p. 196.
7. Oken, p. 108.
8. See Linn.
9. Green, p. 44.
10. Linn, p. 3.
11. Linn, p. 4.
12. Linn, pp. 8-9.
13. Oken, p. 196.
14. Green, p. 45.
15. Oken, p. 109.
16. Oken, p. 199.
17. Oken, p. 199.
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