Complete Astrologer

Ten Things We Love About Virgo

In late summer, the pace is quickening.  The harvest is coming in fast and furious, demanding our hard work and attention to detail for the good of the community.  In agrarian times, if a harvest included even one or two rotten pieces, it could potentially destroy the whole crop, leaving us without food for the long, hard winter.  Hence, the need for purity, precision, and careful, devoted work, in harmony with the earth and in service to a larger good.  This is the energy of Virgo.

Ten Things We Love About Virgo

I usually try to keep my "10 Things" lists short and pithy.  But with Virgo, I can't.  First of all, with your penetrating practicality, you'll see right through any glib character sketches.  Second, because you tend to be self-critical, you Virgos will focus only on the dark side. 

My Virgo clients constantly bemoan their astrological heritage - hating the "picky, critical" image that has been unfairly foisted upon them.  So here's some  extended Virgo Revisionism - it's time for us to understand the true beauty and value of this sign.  Stand proud, Virgo!  Here's what we love about you...

1.  You are, by far, the most productive sign of the zodiac.  You run circles around the rest of us.  While we're still rubbing the sleep from our eyes, you've already made breakfast, run a mile, done your yoga routine, put the finishing touches on a 5-year strategic plan for your company, and repaired the plumbing in the bathroom.

2.  You constantly seek to improve yourself, and to offer your gift to the world in a spirit of service.  Remember that joke about what the three wise men would have brought if they were women? 

"They would have asked directions,
arrived on time,
helped deliver the baby,
cleaned the stable,
made a casserole,
brought practical gifts, and
there would be Peace On Earth."  That's  Virgo.

3.  In spite of your accomplishments and utter capability for any task in front of you, you are unpretentious and humble, wanting only to be of service to things you care about, whether loved ones or a cause. Humility combined with constant striving for excellence = a dynamic, constantly growing human being.

4.  As a friend, you're generous, concerned and helpful, but you won't hold our hands constantly.  You're plenty willing to provide a good, honest, verbal kick in the butt, just when we need it most.

5.  We're not fooled by the "virgin" thing - Virgo quests for purity of spirit, not sexual prudishness.  As a lover, you are certainly reserved, refined, and need some wooing.  But once a lover has earned your trust, you are earthy and sensual.

6.  As a spouse, you are considerate, gentle, careful, and willing to work hard to for marriage and home.  You treat your partner with respect and dignity - no ugly scenes for you.  But your spouse had better be buttoned up and freshly pressed - fingernails trimmed, please - to keep you contented.

7.  As a parent, you'll help the children with homework, plant a vegetable garden so that they can have the satisfaction of tending it, and organize birthday parties and vacations.  For you, actions speak louder than words, and you teach by quiet example.

8.  You're the craftsman of the zodiac, excelling in all things done by hand.  Knitting and all forms of handwork, painting, woodworking, pottery... if it's both functional and beautiful, it was probably made by you.

9.  OK, we'll admit it - you're analytical, bordering on critical, but is this a bad thing?  Take a look at how much crap is foisted upon us from the Internet and other forms of media, and how much garbage we're constantly exerted to buy.  Our earth, our attention, our planet are drowning in excess.  Like never before, we need your ability to cut through all this noise and direct us to what is truly important.  Do you hear me, all you Virgos out there?  It's worth repeating:  Like never before, we need your quality of discernment.

10.  As one of the three earth signs, you are practical and down-to-earth.  Yet, as one of the four mutable signs, you are a visionary, leading us on to the next thing, assuring us that it's ok to let go of the past.  A practical visionary - exactly how Chogyam Trungpa, one of the west's greatest teachers of Tibetan Buddhism, described "balance".  What's not to love?  Thank you, Virgo, for being you.

Ten Things We Love About Leo

For high summer, the world is glorious, proud and lazy.  Gardens are in full growth mode, and we watch the harvest come in.  With the heat of the Sun, Leo's ruler, we're inclined to sit back and luxuriate, like royalty.  This is the energy of Leo...

Ten Things We Love About Leo

1.  Yours is, without a doubt, THE most dazzlingly confident sign of the zodiac - wanting only to show every bit of the uniqueness that is you - and it's terribly sexy.

2.  In spite of that winning self-assurance, you've got a soft spot for praise and adoration, which keeps you vulnerable and human.  But don't worry, we won't tell anyone.  Oops.

3.  You understand that presentation is everything, and you've got the market cornered on drama and flair.  If you can't leave a lasting impression, you'd rather not leave one at all.

4.  You love originality in all its forms.  Your tastes are cutting edge, urbane and sophisticated - you're like a human Style page.

5.  As a parent, you adore children and value stability.  You dote on kids, lavishing them with your time, attention, and love.

6.  As a lover, you zest for the thrill of the chase and the intrigue of romance, orchestrating romantic nights with the perfect setting.

7.  As a friend, you're gregarious and outgoing, making the social rounds and treating your friends like royalty.

8.  You're the artist of the zodiac, with a knack for color, design, music, fashion and drama.  You excel in all the creative arts.

9.  You like your couch time - but you're also gifted with enormous stamina and strength.  You love games and sports of all kinds.

10.  In marriage, you have the knack for keeping love alive.  You treat your spouse as your lover.  Even after children have arrived, you will make sure to nurture your bond with plenty of adult-only nights out - you thrive on it.  Great parenting, devotion and loyalty - what more could a marriage partner want?  (Let's all get in line for a Leo!)

Ten Things We Love About Gemini

1.   You're always into something new, and always cheerfully dragging us along with you.  (That's how we got into T'ai Chi, scuba diving, and macrobiotic gardening.)

2.  No one has a faster, more nimble or more flexible mind than you.  While you're off extrapolating in new directions, the rest of us are still scratching our heads, trying to figure out how you got there.

3.  You never hold rigidly to your opinions.  You're always open to new information, which leads you to new views.  It's that Twin thing - of two minds.

4.  As a parent, you show your children the world, through books, teaching, and travel.  And with that Peter Pan thing you've got going, we're never sure who's the child and who's the adult.

5.  As a child, you keep us on our toes with your insatiable thirst for knowledge and endless questions.  We may not have all the answers, but we're working on it.

6.  As a lover, you take us out on the most memorable of dates. Paint ball followed by dumpster diving followed by Korean food.  (You order in Korean, of course.  But could you slow down for a minute so we could, like, make out or something??)

7.  As a friend, you're our link to the world.  We may be stuck at home changing diapers, or buried in work, but you get us out of our rut, happily sharing your friends.

8.  You're our go-to guy for technology.  When our Blackberry emits a piercing shriek and a little puff of smoke, you've got the situation under control with a few deft finger strokes.   (Sometimes we hate you for that.)

9.  No one tells a story or joke like you, and with that bottomless pit of a memory, you've got an endless supply of both. 

10.  You're the consummate witness, desiring only to know without judging.  You take it all in, missing nothing, always leading us past our comfort zones.  You are the eyes and ears of the world, the namer of things.

Ten Things We Love About Cancer

1.   No one shares our joys and our sorrows like you, the most sensitive friend and partner.  You  wrote the book on empathy.

2.  Then, just when we're getting too weepy, you crack us up with your loony, lunar sense of humor.

3.  You're the family historian; the uncle who did the genealogy of the entire clan; the cousin who organized Aunt Gertrude's 80th birthday party.  You don't let us forget our roots.

4. When we've got a bad cold, a bruised ego or a case of the blues, you're the next best thing to MOM.  You're the friend with the tea, the home remedies, and the firm command: "You need some rest."

5.  As a mother or father, you bring that caring, nurturing instinct out in spades.  No one relishes the role of parent more than you - and your children reap the benefits of your love.

6.  As a lover, you've got that hypnotic, yin-yang aura about you. You've got your Sun (masculine) in Cancer, but you're ruled by the Moon (feminine).  You have the potential to balance this duality like no other sign, blending love, sexuality and spirituality in graceful and mysterious ways.

7.  As a friend, you're the one who invites us over for Italian Night, and everything is prepared from scratch - from the bread to the red sauce to the garlic-infused olive oil.  Yum.

8.  For such a sensitive, retiring type, you've got a surprising knack with finances and an enviable savvy with investments.  Grrr - if we didn't like you so much, we'd be jealous.

9.  Home is almost sacred to you - a place where you retreat, recharge, revitalize, and re-emerge.  Like the crab, your home is the shell that protects you from the outside world, whenever you need it.

10.  Like the crab, you comb the beach after the rest of us have trooped home, finding the pearls that the rest of us ignored, gathering the precious treasures that we barely notice, and holding them up for us so that we can stop, look, and appreciate rare beauty and sweetness.  What would we do without Cancer?

Ten Things We Love About Taurus

1.  Yours is one of the most magnetic signs of the zodiac.  You draw others in with your charm - it's that receptive, alluring Yin thing.  No wonder - your ruling planet is Venus, the Goddess of Love.

2.  You can take almost any good idea and make it happen, while the rest of us are sitting around dreaming up new pie-in-the-sky schemes.

3.  You are slow to anger.  Real sloooow.  You only blow your top about once every twenty years or so.  When you do, we're hopping a quick flight to Fiji.

4.  You are THE most earthy and grounded of the signs, truly living in the moment - a mark of enlightenment.

5.   Beneath that calm exterior, you Bulls are one of the most passionate of all the signs.  You share this trait along with the two other horned animals of the zodiac: Aries (the Ram) and Capricorn (the Goat).

6.  You plan well for the future.  Your loved ones are secure and well cared-for.

7.  You are straightforward, getting to the heart of matters, and can always be counted on to "get real".

8.  You are loyal, dependable, trustworthy, steadfast, and true.

9.  You have exquisite taste, but are never ostentatious or flashy.

10.  You pursue your goals with endurance and stamina.  Never a quitter, you WILL achieve your dreams . . . as long as you get off that comfortable couch and go after them.