Chapter IX. Thb Individual and Personal Character of the Sign Virgo

Thb Individual and Personal Character of the Sign Virgo ntjfi August 2ist to September 20th njt

The sign Virgo is the second of the earthy triplicity, the second of the mutable signs, and the turning-point from the northern to the southern signs. This sign is specially characterised for its self-containing qualities ; it is out of this sign that wisdom is to be born for the majority of individualities. Belonging to the earthy triplicity, we might suppose that too much of the earthy element would come into their make up, but this sign represents the virgin soil, the spiritmatter, as it were, which yields the most readily to the vibrations passing through it from the other signs. The individuals born in this sign are constructive and able to make the most of their conditions ; they are more generally found in the business world, particularly in pursuits which provide for the general welfare of the whole of the community. As characters they are philosophical, and nearly always seem to blend the ideal with the practical in a marvellous manner, this makes them very discriminative, giving them large reasoning powers and very ingenious methods of working. They are the most critical of all individuals, but they usually turn this criticism also upon themselves. They are self-analytical, and seem to be always taking themselves to pieces. They are careful and cautious, and usually act somewhat methodically, or with much apparent forethought. They are very industrious, persistent, and tend more toward the practical than the ideal. They are usually precise in details, and can readily put right any errors and defects in their own character, but they are also extremely sensitive, not from a sympathetic standpoint, but more from a mental attitude. They are very introspective, and may be said to know themselves much better than those bom under the other signs. They possess that keen intellect which comes from experience more than from education ; they have remarkable tact and ingenuity, but they are usually fully aware of all their attainments, and are inclined to be somewhat proud of them. When running along personal lines, these persons become more selfish than those of the other signs, since they are always alive to their own

interests ; they then become rather materialistic, and tend to carry the practical too far into scepticism and doubt, while they expect from others what they are not willing to give ; they then seek to absorb all the good things in lifie for themselves, and may attain great worldly success, as they possess all the ability to enable them to attain their desired altitude. They may be said to have many faults when running to the personal side of their nature ; and ihey become very domineering, using their good intellectual abilities to the detriment of others, and a certain hardness takes possession of them, which causes them to identify themselves almost exclusively with the external world ; but when living more in their individuality, or becoming what is termed more self-conscious, they are really very splendid characters, becoming discriminative and wise, and often possessing the power to psychometrise and sense the psychic conditions from a higher standpoint. They are capable of making wonderful progress in spiritual development and usually seek to Uve the most chaste lives, becoming like their symbol, a virgin in purity. This sign acts to the maternal trinity in exactly the same way as Gemini acts to the intellectual, seeking to express in itself the union of Cancer and Leo.

Those bom in this sign possess great recuperative powers. They are rarely sick or ill, and may attribute much, if not all, of their ill-health to their own habits of life; being natural students of the laws of hygiene, they know how to live properly. They should always avoid drugs of every kind, as, being very sensitive physically, they readily absorb the poisons of drugs into their system, which speedily affect their circulation. They are more sensitive to the vibrations around them than persons of other signs ; they feel the changes in atmospheric conditions almost directly they begin, and their bodies act like barometers, expressing to the sensitive soul within every change that takes place in their surroundings. Their best medicine for all disease is to be alone with Nature and to have around them harmonious conditions. They may do well to study diet and to be particular with regard to foods and the magnetisms surrounding them.

The Virgo type may be summed up as retiring, ingenious, discriminative, active and mercurial ; they always seem to have their wits about them, and are generally self-possessed ; they seem, however, to be capable of extremes of good and so-called evil, being much smarter than the majority of those around them ;

and when living only for themselves they are capable of outwitting others for the sake of personal gain, but they generally act with a full consciousness of what they are doing. This arises from their inventive genius, and being alive to all the advantages and disadvantages, they can so readily adapt themselves to the requirements of those around them that they make excellent entertainers and splendid social companions, and when they succeed in letting go the personal element they are really very beautiful characters.

Persons born in this sign can readily adapt themselves to almost any environment, but they have their best success in life in the business world. All commercial affairs succeed under their ingenious management. They are good providers, and do remarkably well in all matters connected with food stuffs. They are natural chemists, therefore sutceed in all matters connected with chemistry. They have also a fondness for general literature, and have success in literary pursuits from author to printer. They make excellent agents, and in fact are quite ready to follow any avocation in which activity and general mental ability help them to succeed in life ; but their greatest success is to be found more in the business than the professional world. They like to handle solid materials, and to deal in merchandise allows their mental discrimination full scope for all its activities.