The Virgo Character -- The Sixth Sign Of The Zodiac

I will try to keep this brief. I know how Virgos like efficiency. Work and service are their passions. They'll find it -- or at least what they define as it -- even if they have to make it up. A Virgo in his heart of hearts wants to be useful. Virgos can be the most selfless, dedicated, indefatigable workers in the world.

They run errands, they finish chores, they do favors, they tidy up, they fuss over things -- as a way of showing they care. Taking care of all the mundane little details of life, the routine things that otherwise clutter up the day, attending to the menial little tasks that nobody notices until the work doesn't get done -- is how Virgo shows love.

Ok. I know that's not moonlight, roses, poetry and the other stuff of romance ... but those sappy, sentimental things aren't really Virgo's style. Virgos believe far more in action than in talk ... and in practical results over flowery promises. To them, love means never having to say, "I wish I had someone to help me out here."

Virgo will be at your elbow while you are still drawing breath to speak, offering all the assistance you could expect from one human ... and more. They are priceless people to have around. Worth their weight in diamonds. Everyone should have half a dozen in his social network. Once you understand their unusual style of love and friendship, you can forgive them the "lack of romance" thing. The other sure has its advantages. It keeps the wheels greased on the axis of life, while the rest of us get on with the work we need to do.

Virgos are meticulous, efficient, perfectionistic, careful, organized, discriminating, and they pay attention to details. If one of them thinks you're worth something, that's a ringing endorsement of your value. Virgos don't waste themselves on people or situations with no promise. They are excellent judges of quality, and are willing to do what it takes to bring out the best in their friends, mates, children, shirt-tail relatives, colleagues, clients, next-door neighbors ... anybody they think can benefit from their ... advice. The fact that this often comes in the form of criticism ... or even a complaint ... is a piece of social grace often lost on them.

It might help to know that, hard as they are on others, they are even harder on themselves. They can be analytical, critical, fussy, nit-picking, hair-splitting, incessantly unsatisfied expressions of spirit. But they often hold themselves to higher inner standards than anything they impose on the people around them. That they are so willing to toe their own line may buy them a measure of the tolerance they often fail to offer sufficiently to their "targets for improvement."

There's not much hypocrisy in a well-developed Virgo. If he or she sees a flaw in something or someone, that quality, trait, oversight, error or whatever gets labeled as such -- because that's how they believe things get corrected. It's hard for them to believe some folks are content being less than the very best they can be. And with a Virgo around, you certainly won't be able to do that in peace if you ARE one of those slovenly souls.

Virgos are determined to make the world a cleaner, better, more nearly perfect, more efficient, ever-improving place in which to live -- even if it means putting prematurely gray hairs in all our heads. And remember what I said ... about them being tireless? That being the case, in their own little corners of the world, this personal mission that seems virtually inborn in them, coupled with this unending persistence, usually means they succeed.

The kindest compliment you can pay a Virgo soul is to tell him how invaluable he is, and how he can always be counted on to turn in a job well done. Expect then to hear several examples of how he wasn't happy with his last performance and how he's planning and prepared to do better next time. Thus does he show he has your best interests at heart -- even as he drives everyone around the bend with his pickiness.

And expect to hear from him as well if he's not happy with the way you're holding up your end of any mutual arrangement. This is an example of his critical nature when it isn't so pleasant in its results. A Leo will pompously inform you how much better he can do your job than you can; a Virgo will gripe bitterly about all the things you do wrong --complete with red-penciled examples, dates and times, chapter and verse. There's just no arguing with him when it comes to facts.

Under stress, Virgo energy becomes more than critical -- it becomes carping, nagging, nit-picking, hair-splitting, and smug, as if "point-out-the-blemish" has turned into an obsession. It also becomes high-strung, inconsistent, impatient, narrow-minded, sarcastic, impractical, and has difficulty concentrating. These are all symptoms of a finely-tuned intellect that has been overwhelmed with too much input, too much to do, too much to consider. Pushed farther still, it will finally break down in complete paralysis.

Virgo quite often considers itself extremely accommodating and even subservient to the requirements of others -- which it is from its own point of view. The thing is, as an Earth sign, it is concerned first and always with practicalities and results. Thus, doing a piece of work the right way, the best way, the first time is a matter of efficiency in its system of values. And, of course, to be efficient is itself the right way, the best way to work ... always. Just ask any Virgo.

(c) 2007 Rebecca Brents, All rights reserved.