VelaraEarth · Mutable · Ruled by Mercury
Virgo
Virgo notices what everyone else missed — and then quietly fixes it. It is the sign of craft, care and getting the details right.
- Dates
- August 23 – September 22
- Symbol
- The Maiden
- Element
- Earth
- Modality
- Mutable
- Ruling planet
- Mercury
- Exaltation
- Mercury
- Opposite sign
- Pisces
- Body (classical)
- Belly
Personality
The Virgo nature
Virgo is mutable earth: practical intelligence that adapts. Mercury both rules and is exalted here, which is why astrologers link Virgo with analysis, skill and useful service. It shows love by helping. Its high standards are a gift to everyone except Virgo itself — the inner critic can be relentless.
Growth edge: Accepting “good enough” as a finished state.
Born on the cusp?
The dates move. Your chart doesn't.
The Sun is in exactly one sign at any moment, but the switch-over shifts by up to a day from year to year. If you were born near August 23 or September 22, only your exact birth time can say which side of the line you're on.
Virgo shares its element with Taurus and Capricorn. Its opposite sign is Pisces.
Sun-sign traits describe a twelfth of the world. Your Moon, Rising and planets make them yours.
The Big Three
There's more to you than Virgo.
Your Sun sign comes from your birthday. Your Moon and Rising signs need the full date, time and place — and they change far faster.
Sun — your core self and identity. Changes sign about once a month.
Moon — your emotions and inner needs. Changes sign about every 2.3 days.
Rising — how you meet the world. Changes about every two hours on average.
The myth
The story of the maiden
The best-known Greek reading is Astraea, the goddess of justice, who lived among humans in the Golden Age and left the earth as people grew corrupt. Other versions see Demeter or Persephone, holding an ear of grain.
The Babylonians called this region the Furrow, tied to the goddess Shala and her ear of barley — the star we now call Spica.
The origin of the ♍︎ glyph is debated. One theory reads it as a monogram of the Greek letters ΠΑΡ, short for parthenos — “maiden.”
In the night sky
Virgo among the stars
Its brightest star, Spica (Latin for “ear of grain”), is actually two hot blue stars orbiting each other every four days.
Virgo is the largest zodiac constellation. It also holds M87, the galaxy whose black hole became the first ever imaged.
FAQ
Virgo, quickly
What are the Virgo dates?
Virgo season runs from about August 23 to September 22. The exact moment the Sun changes sign shifts by up to a day from year to year, so if you were born near either date, your birth chart settles it.
What element is Virgo?
Virgo is a mutable earth sign. It shares its element with Taurus and Capricorn.
What planet rules Virgo?
Virgo is ruled by Mercury.
Sources
- Theoi Project — the myth of Virgo
- Constellation Guide — Virgo
- Wikipedia — Virgo (constellation)
- Ptolemy, Tetrabiblos I (rulerships, exaltations) — LacusCurtius
- Wikipedia — Astrological sign
- Wikipedia — Astrological symbols
- Wikipedia — Zodiac Man (classical body associations)
Dates are given in UTC unless noted; local dates can differ by a day. Last checked 4 October 2026.
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