Virgo - The guest for perfection

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Author: miki

Virgo isn't interested in the creative expression of the spirit, but in the practical application of these things in the service of others. During the coming New Moon cycle, each of us has the chance to examine and perfect the Virgo side of ourselves.

More Perfect Vision

Now we come to Earthy Virgo, counterbalancing the Leo Fire-storm with a grounded, pragmatic perspective. To revel in the spirit of our radiant Leo Self is all well and good, but eventually we must ask ourselves what we're going to do with that Self. Is ego-stroking all there is to existence, or is there something beyond it which is more wholesome or superior? The personal purpose we encountered in Leo now gives rise to a quest for higher purpose in Virgo. Our Virgo nature sees greater expectations and potentials in our existence beyond mere creative gratification and self-assuring self-expression.

In the natural chart, Virgo shares the Descendant point with Libra. The Descendant (or 7th House cusp) is associated with interaction, relationships, our style of relating, and encounters with "The Other". ("The other WHAT?") Libra is more commonly associated with these areas (since the 7th House is Libra's natural house), but Virgo is also involved with "The Other" through service.

Our Virgo nature says it isn't enough to simply exist—we must put that existence to use by helping others benefit from the fruits of our existence. We must help others attain the level of refinement and culmination that we aspire to, ourselves. ("Count me out! What do I want with trying to raise up a bunch of mortal trash!? I'll leave all that bleeding liver stuff to Prometheus!") If we alone realize our accomplishments while others are still suffering, stuck or struggling, then ours is a hollow victory. We're all in the Life-boat together and we must help each other or none will reach his/her goal with any integrity.

And what is Virgo's goal? Self-perfection. If Leo celebrates the Self, then Virgo asks: Why stop there? We mustn't stop until we're the absolute best we can be! But perfection is a tall order for fallible human beings ("You're tellin' ME!") and it's easy to feel lost in the process. So how do we approach such lofty aspirations? We start with the here-and-now. If we're going to perfect ourselves, we must pay attention to every detail, leaving no component unexamined. If the details are as they should be, the whole will reflect that careful vigilance. If the big picture looks okay, but the details are fuzzy or incorrect, then the whole will inevitably fall apart.

Imperfect Perfectionism

In Virgo, we must ensure that we are truly worthy of the highest vision of that Leo spirit. We must do everything we can to ensure that we live that vision in our every breath, our every action, our every word, thought and deed. Anything short of that indicates that we require further work and refinement, leading us back to the drawing board. ("Whew! A Virgo's work is never done!")

But wait! Isn't this getting a little extreme? We are, after all, human beings ("Don't remind me....") who, by nature, make mistakes and continually fluctuate between what is and what could be. Isn't our Virgo nature being too demanding and exacting, to the point where we can no longer be who we actually are, thereby defeating the whole purpose of the exercise?

This is the danger in Virgo—to immerse ourselves so totally in a vision of idealized perfection that the goal becomes more important than the person. It's possible for Virgo's perfectionism to stretch out so far beyond our fallible human nature that it reaches a polarized, contradictory position. ("Gulp! I think I just swallowed my tail...") Virgo's realism becomes unrealistic in its extreme demands; her pragmatic goals become impossible to reach. Her shining vision of self-improvement becomes an insurmountable wall of flawlessness against which we hurl ourselves, bruising and wounding our self-worth as we try to live up to impossible standards.

How do we know when our Virgo nature has crossed the line into extremism or obsessive perfectionism? ("When you criticize the way you criticize yourself?") That line is different for everyone, as is the vision of what constitutes perfection. However, if you find you're constantly doing battle with yourself, your habits, your will and/or your instincts, then it's a good bet you're being too hard on yourself and your Virgo nature has run amok.

Allowing ourselves to be human, rather than try to be demigods,—("Hey! Whadaya got against demigods!?")—means giving ourselves the time to learn to walk before being expecting to run. Whatever a healthy, attainable state of self-perfection might be, it must be attained through a process of gradual growth that is built up layer upon layer, with each new skill resting solidly on the abilities achieved in previous levels of learning.

The Ideal Application

Virgo's association with work, service and health is a logical outgrowth from its basic qualities. Becoming the best you can be requires hard work and dedication, and we will learn and receive that which we are willing to give away and share with others. If we exist only in service to ego gratification, we become self-centered, egotistical, myopic and one-dimensional. ("So what's wrong with that?! I'm all of those things and I'm TERRIFIC -- Just ask me!") However, by being there for others and providing practical, useful assistance and support, we get to practice and apply what we believe to be our highest Self. It is through the concrete application of these ideals outside of ourselves that we learn better how to adopt and fit these principles to our own lives. We learn by doing, and are shaped and modified by the act of doing.

However, this isn't about locking our focus onto others, gleefully passing out advice like candy. Unfortunately, there's plenty of room in Virgo's realm for hypocrisy and "do-as-I-say-not-as-I-do" double standards. What's more, the advice that our Virgo nature loves to dispense is often not appreciated by others who may experience it as critical, demanding and exacting. This can leave us bewildered and frustrated. After all, aren't we just trying to help that person attain the same level of perfection we all strive for?

There's the rub! Others don't necessarily want what we do or have the same vision of perfection. If we project our own values and standards onto someone else, without seeing or accepting theirs, we set ourselves up for rejection, resentment or reciprocal reproach. There can be a gaping difference between tentatively offering feedback/suggestions, or humbly sharing one's own experience (which lets the other person choose their own path), versus advice which presumes that you know what's best.