VIRGO

You enjoy communicating, especially intellectual thoughts, though you have a tendency to put yourself down in relationships. This can be because of a lack of self-esteem. Though you are humble and charming, you can have deep self-confidence problems, which many times prevent you from accepting compliments. Nonetheless, you will do anything for the right partner. Practical and down to earth, you are sweet, making few enemies and having many friends because of your quiet, gentle manner. More than anything, you embody purity and perfection. Your goal is to reach the summit of something, for yourselves and those around you. This finds its fullest expression in serving others, in your own quiet way, and in circumventing your difficulty in communicating inner thoughts by getting caught up in the thousands and millions of little details that no one else wants to think about, let alone deal with.

On the negative side, your attention to detail can make you fussy, a worrier, overcritical and harsh. You may have a real inferiority complex, and a little bit of selfishness, which prevents you from true intimacy with anyone. You must constantly learn the lessons of humility and patience, and to calm your state of mind, which in turn can calm your jittery nerves. Your worrying can even lead to being a hypochondriac, or at its very least, it can make you a very demanding lover. At its best, Virgo is the seed of growth that needs to be harvested, though its roots are in darkness, it needs to break through to the light.

Your mental quickness and agility lead you to delve deeply into subjects which most people wouldn't tamper with. You are career-oriented, and duty is important to you, as is service to others. You are attracted to people who are intellectually stimulating or eccentric in some way, and have very high standards for romantic relationships--you must have some kind of mental connection, or the relationship won't last. You enjoy writing, reading, pets and education. You have a natural love of children and nature, enjoy the country, and typically like to eat a whole food and vegetarian diet.

Virgo women are physically distinctive, with intriguing eyes and bone structure. They exude an energy that needs some kind of spark to ignite romance. On the negative side, she is often insecure and frets over everything. However, this tendency will lessen as she matures. She enjoys spending money on books and tasteful pieces of art. She typically makes a comfortable home, and is a conscientious, tactful, and loving mother.

Virgo men are also good-looking and have a real presence--you know when they are in the room. Their quick intellect makes them excellent workers, with biting humor and wit. They can be very fussy about their work environment, however, and can be possessive of a kitchen or office space. They typically enjoy pleasant surroundings and usually have several nostalgic, special items they keep at home or the office.

Whether a man or a woman, Virgos need to learn not to take themselves too seriously. They need to lighten up, because even though they are critical of people, they are hardest on themselves. Rarely do they seek praise, and rarely do they give it. With money, they waver between spending too much, or not enough. Virgos are often very difficult to read in terms of romance. Remote and quiet, they can suddenly open up and talk at odd moments, being glad to see you one minute, and act as if they could care less the next. They harbor no romantic "illusions" or delusions--they see what is actually there, like an X-ray, and try to improve upon it.

In the spiritual realm, Virgos often are capable of great vision and intuition that border on the mystical. They typically try different beliefs until they find one they like. Because an earlier symbol for Virgos was the Sphinx, who asked great questions, they are considered to have great knowledge and a talent for discrimination. This includes cultivation of the self. For the Virgo, the search for the soul is the highest attainment of knowledge for which he or she can aspire. This enigmatic person, however, is also the practical seeker in search of some healing or serving principle in which to apply himself. With great knowledge, the Virgo can take a tiny scrap of information and get the necessary details to solve a case, diagnose an illness, or prove a scientific theory. Their challenge is to see, and remember, the big picture, instead of getting bogged down in the details.