Past Articles

AR 41 Geometry of the Spheres

AR 40 Saturn in Cancer, June, 2003 to July, 2005

AR 39 The Poles of the Zodiac

AR 38
Uranus In
Pisces
2003-2011

AR 37
Twelfth Planet, Plutinos or
Planet X

AR 36
Eclipses – Promise or Peril?

AR35
Solar Fire

AR34
The Lunar Mansions of Vedic Astrology

AR 33
Children of the Gods

AR 32
Wheels Within Wheels

AR 31
Horoscopes of Destiny

AR 30
Zodicac of Dendera

AR 29
A Star Is Born

AR 28
Age of Aquarius

AR 27
Persia's Royal Stars of Ancients

AR 23
The Lore of a Shaman

Virgo is the only female among the zodiacal constellations, and other than the twins, Castor and Pollux (Gemini), she is the only human figure. Virgo is depicted as a maiden, holding a palm branch in her right and a single ear of wheat in her left. The alpha star is named Spica, “ear of wheat.” Virgo is one of the oldest constellations and over time has been equated with every important feminine deity, including Ishtar, Isis, Demeter, Persephone, Medusa, Artemis, and Urania. Allen says, “Those who claim very high antiquity for the zodiacal signs (15,000 years ago), assert that the idea of these titles originated when the Sun was in Virgo at the spring equinox, the time of the Egyptian harvest.”

Bernadette Brady says, “Whatever image is chosen across time and cultures, what is contained in Virgo is the archetype of the harvest-bringing goddess, pure and good, independent of the masculine. She gives the four seasons and is the source of the fertile Earth.” The more ancient concept of “virgin” described a woman who was independent and free to love whom she chose. Virgo is also the Greek Sophia, goddess of wisdom, and in the Gnostic tradition, she is the Black Madonna, mysterious guardian of feminine wisdom.

The power of these goddesses, ranging from agriculture and astronomy to justice, wisdom and war, seems to be missing from typical astrological renderings of the sixth sign of the zodiac. Virgo is often described as analytical, critical, narrow, timid and tentative. Virgo is introspective and analytical, always seeking perfection. In modern parlance we might understand Virgo’s path as one of coming into the fullness of power, claiming and expressing what exists in potential.

The mutable earth sign Virgo relates to the stage of unfoldment which focuses on specialization of forms. She represents the stage in the cycle when the soul’s experience is focused on assimilation of knowledge. In this phase matter is organized, purified and refined into specific and recognizable objects. Here we might say the Grand Plan of the Cosmos is carried out in detail. The Zodiac has also been said to represent the body of the Macrocosm, the Grand Human. In this vein the first sign Aries corresponds with the head, Taurus the neck and shoulders, and so on. Metaphysically Virgo is the matrix and represents the womb of the inner Christos, or spiritual self, containing the seed and eventual fruits of the Spirit. Seeds germinate in darkness, breaking their way out of their shell casings, and sending roots into the Earth. Like the abdomen and intestines which Virgo has dominion over, this phase distills the qualitative pearls from life.

Jupiter

The Roman Jupiter was the Greek Zeus and the Egyptian Min-Amon. King of the gods, Zeus was the quintessential “sky father.” Jupiter was derived from the earlier Indo-European Sanskrit Dyaus, from div, “to shine,” and the Latin Dies-piter (Jupiter). Zeus/Jupiter was considered to be the god of Light, and therefore wisdom (although his mythical escapades don’t always reveal that quality). According to myth, the infant Jupiter was raised on the milk of a goat whose horns continually overflowed with food and drink. This is the origin of the cornucopia, the horn of plenty, and mythically encodes the symbolism that Jupiter embodies abundance.

Zeus/Jupiter ruled supreme over the other Olympian gods, wielding three thunderbolts. The first bolt was a warning shot across the bow, the second, which required the approval of twelve gods known as “comsentes,” was hurled as a stronger warning. The third thunderbolt was thrown in punishment, but only after permission was granted from superior and hidden gods. Astrologically, Jupiter acts to expand the area he visits. His personality is like the “Ghost of Christmas Present” in the famous Dickens tale, A CHRISTMAS CAROL. Larger than life, Jupiter’s presence will not be denied or swept under the carpet. He wants more and bigger of everything.

Thunderbolts and staves of wheat

Jupiter, ruler of wide-ranging Sagittarius, wants to look through a telescope, exploring far and wide, expanding his vast knowledge, eventually (and hopefully), gaining wisdom through diverse experiences. The natural expansiveness of Jupiter is reigned in by the cautious and practical nature of the Virgin. Because of Virgo’s common sense approach, there is a risk that too much attention is paid to small details and the larger vision is lost. On the surface this doesn’t lend itself to original thinking. Virgo is more comfortable with a microscope, analyzing tiny details. Preoccupation with detail can preclude expansive action. But details are not to be ignored in any endeavor. Careful analysis of philosophical positions is possible because of an introspective bent, prompting an examination of the inner workings of our beliefs. One potential upside of this combination is making the wisdom of experience practical.

Jupiter’s largess is stifled as he moves through Virgo, so this does not bode well for a robust economic recovery during the next year. Instead what’s called for is a further tightening of the belt and implementing practical financial measures. This won’t be welcome as it’s a bit like asking Santa Claus to close up the toy shop and go on a diet.

However, Jupiter in Virgo is a good influence for commerce in general as attention is drawn to the market place and the practical considerations of improving the quality of life. This is not a philosophical orientation but a focused effort to improve resources through increased knowledge and technical applications. This is also a good energetic combination for technical skills which require precision. Jupiter in Virgo can yield a shrewd ability to live by one’s wits.

The Stock Market will favor technical approaches and practical applications. The inclination during Jupiter in Virgo will be prudent, always seeking an advantage. Investments will be conservative, analytical, bordering on squeamish, with Jupiter in Virgo and Saturn in Cancer. Investors will tend toward a short-term view as they struggle to recoup losses, and won’t look too far down the road or take speculative risks.

Jupiter occupying Virgo strengthens the critical faculties, so this combination is good for research and investigation and can provide excellent qualities of discernment. Astrologer Isabel Hickey believed computers were ruled by Virgo. Computer technology could take an unexpected leap in a practical way this year as Jupiter in Virgo asks, “How can I make more money by making something more practical for ordinary folks?” It’s also likely that diet and nutrition will be topics of interest during this transit. Perhaps more revelations of the relationship between diet, and so-called lifestyle diseases will be revealed. The FDA may go increasingly on the offense to control supplements and a spiraling alternative health industry.

Pearls of great price

These two influences do not yield spontaneity or enthusiasm. The focus might be on improving the conditions of life: better health, longer life, increased comforts, ignoring the factor of expansion of consciousness which is the domain of Jupiter-ruled Sagittarius, later in the zodiac. However, this energetic union holds the potential for knowledge and information to be accumulated, digested and assimilated in a systematic manner. Jupiter in Virgo can engender a quiet, unassuming desire for more depth than is normally available.

As Sky Father Jupiter was seen as the god of weather, including sun shine as well as thunderstorms where he hurled his bolts of lightening. Jupiter in Virgo combines the “worldly”god of the sky with the innocent earth maiden who holds the symbol of the harvest. In this combined influence we experience the vagaries of weather and the danger of a lost harvest. Wheat is a cultivated crop which must be removed from the chaff to be consumed. A deeper meaning is hinted at here, pointing us toward the adaptive process involved in metamorphosis from ordinary human to spiritual adept. For this process to occur, the resplendent peacock, strutting his iridescent plumage morphs into a humble Indian maiden, wearing a single eagle feather and dancing to bring the rain.

Jupiter wants to expand his knowledge through “big experiences,” but it is through the powers of assimilation and synthesis that wisdom is gained. Jupiter is the co-ruler, with Neptune, of the twelfth sign, Pisces. Jupiter is therefore said to be in a place of weakness in the opposite and earthy sign Virgo. I believe there are priceless pearls to be found in the so-called planetary detriments (opposite of rulerships). When the energies don’t blend well the gods are uncomfortable. It is just such discomfort which causes the mollusk to coat an irritating grain of sand, thereby creating a beautiful pearl of great price. Jupiter in Virgo is unlikely to consider that greater ease and material comfort do not necessarily result in great and visionary human beings. Growth is stimulated by friction. It’s strife, suffering and resulting compassion that seem to yield humanity’s transcendent souls who work for the betterment of the race.

Speaking metaphorically, Jupiter comes to the stable in Bethlehem like one of the three resplendent Magi, or wise men. Bethlehem means “house of bread” in Hebrew and carries deep significance about the Virgo area of the body. The humble stable and attending animals also have a deeper meaning, showing the birth of Light within the Zodiac, Greek for circle of animals. Jupiter in Virgo is like the humble Drummer Boy, who has no gift to give the infant king but his music. And as we are told in the popular holiday song, as he gave freely of his gift, “Mary (the Virgin Mother), smiled at him.”

We can best take advantage of this transit in our own lives by creating time for stillness, and open the mind in meditation. Jupiter in Virgo can be like the Higher Mind, reduced to counting pennies, or used to greatest potential, through stillness and meditation, light dawns in the darkness, giving birth to spiritual illumination. If Jupiter is the god of light and Virgo is the dark vessel of transformation, promising the harvest of the divine within, then from the loftiest perspective, Jupiter in Virgo has potential to shine light in dark places and plant seeds of wisdom which will bear fruit in their season.