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Horoscopes · Systems of many cultures

Western (tropical) · Zodiac sign 6

♍︎ Virgo

Maiden · Maiden

Virgo ♍, the maiden: a mutable earth sign ruled by Mercury, 23 August – 22 September.

Virgo, the maiden holding an ear of wheat (the star Spica), is a mutable earth sign ruled by Mercury, associated with analysis, service and precision.

The dates are approximate because the sun's entry into each sign shifts by a day or so from year to year; the calculator on this site gives the exact sign for a birth date and time. In traditional astrology a sign is read together with its planetary ruler, the house it occupies and the aspects to it, not in isolation.

Personality

analytical · practical · diligent · modest · helpful · precise · critical

In Western astrology Virgo is described as the careful craftsman of the zodiac: observant, analytical and devoted to doing things well. A mutable earth sign ruled by Mercury, symbolised by the maiden holding an ear of wheat, it is given the temperament of the harvester who sorts the grain from the chaff, attentive to detail and eager to be useful.

Astrologers credit Virgo with intelligence, reliability, modesty and a practical kindness expressed through service rather than display. It is said to notice what others miss and to bring order out of confusion. The challenges traditionally named are perfectionism, worry, a critical eye that can turn on others or on itself, and difficulty relaxing when something remains unfinished.

In love Virgo is portrayed as loyal, thoughtful and shy at first, showing affection through care and practical help, and valuing honesty and steadiness over grand romance. At work it is linked with medicine and health, editing, research, accounting, craft and any field that rewards precision and method. Traditional astrology notes that Mercury is both ruler and exalted in Virgo, which is why the sign is so closely associated with analysis and skill.

Stone: Sapphire

Sources and further reading