THE SPIRITUAL GROWTH OF VIRGO
"The wisest and best of men is he who has gathered and learned to manifest within himself the lessons found in all signs."
Swami Kriyananda
Governed by Mercury, the sign of Virgo is characterized by a strong inclination towards mental analysis. It represents the moment in the Sun's cycle where the summer euphoria subsides, and in preparing for the arrival of winter, it gives rise to deep questions about the true meaning of life, examining the fundamental values of life. The karmic need to understand matter is inherent in the sign; the critical questions it poses drive it to analyze things thoroughly.
Individuals born under the sign of Virgo assert their authority over the world through the power of discrimination.
For Virgos, it is of fundamental importance to distinguish between right and wrong, true and false, pure and impure. They exercise this power with the strength of the mind and logical thought. The vocation of Virgo is indeed to discriminate matter to thoroughly understand its structure and discover its cavities - to discriminate between emptiness and fullness. In fact, individuals born under this sign can achieve their spiritual elevation by concentrating their energies to find empty spaces to pass through the obstacles of life.
If the spiritual evolution of the sign is not in progress, it is possible that this logical analysis may result in being dry and detached from any consideration of the value of what it analyzes, thus becoming unnecessarily meticulous, hypercritical, and extremely ego-centered. Virgo is not among the most open and generous signs, and these characteristics may lead them to see only the details, even the most insignificant ones, losing sight of the bigger picture and the value of their thoughts and actions. And so, they might find themselves stuck in such a small empty space that they can no longer move or breathe. They become hypercritical of others, overly demanding, and grumbling, insisting that everything be clean, orderly, and consistently perfect in their small niche of existence from which they cannot escape.
However, if they know how to use the power of discrimination to elevate themselves and realize their spiritual growth, then they can break the chains of illusions in which humanity is entangled. It will be necessary for their gaze to rise to observe the whole, for them to quiet their daily busyness to breathe deeply and expand their awareness so that they can discriminate not the minutiae, but the truly important matters. By turning their gaze inward instead of outward, they can use their discriminatory power to understand and discriminate the Ego from the Self, recognizing and separating their thoughts from the thinking subject, and thus operate for their own personal growth.
The symbol of Virgo represents a pure mind confined in a physical body: detachment from the Ego and the concerns of daily life are fundamental for their spiritual evolution; by directing their critical gaze inward, they will be able to discriminate between reality and illusion and remove the latter from their consciousness. By giving space to their intuitive abilities, they will be able to show others the fundamental karmic principle that freedom arises from simply performing one's duty without identifying with one's actions or becoming attached to the expectation of the result. They will thus be able to discern and operate in the world and for the world, but without becoming confused with the world: their spirit will be completely free.
MEDITATION FOR VIRGO
The stones of Virgo are generally stones linked to logical and rational thought and support the sign in their mission of discriminating between illusions and truths. To these, I would add Morganite, a stone that opens the wearer to unconditional love by dissolving the ego.
A mala made of sardonyx or moss agate, peridot, or morganite can support the meditation of the sign very well.
As with other signs, but even more so for Virgo, it is very important for them to find at least ten minutes a day to interrupt their daily activities, turn their gaze inward, and find calm.
At any time of the day, sit down in a comfortable position and preferably away from noise and distractions. If possible, bring your mala with you and place it in front of you; take a few minutes to listen to your breath and calm your heart. If you need to, you can close your eyes. When you are ready, open your eyes and look at your stones and ask yourself: who is observing this mala?
Now close your eyes and repeat to yourself: "I am the one who thinks my thoughts, I am the one who asks questions, I am the one who observes what is around me. I am pure infinite energy."
When you have finished, bring your attention back to the room, but take another minute to observe the environment around you with detachment.
Wear your mala or place it somewhere in your home where you will see it often.
"True discrimination is not achieved through a process of logical reasoning, but through an inner revelation born of calm meditation and divine contact."
Paramhansa Yogananda
BIRTHDAY RITUAL FOR VIRGO
On your birthday, sit in silence holding in your right hand your mala made of sardonyx, moss agate, or amazonite and fluorite; take a moment to bring your attention deep within yourself.
Now place your mala in your lap at the level of your tanden (three centimeters below the navel) and imagine a cord connecting it deep into the earth. Feel the energy of the earth rising up this cord to form a protective aura around your entire body. Within this protective shield, there is no fear or judgment, only peace and silence. The light soul can now fully manifest.
When you feel it is the right time for you, imagine everything you desire for yourself flowing into the next year of your life. When you are ready, bring your attention back to the room and wear your sardonyx or place it in a location in your home where you will see it often.
SANKALPAS FOR VIRGO
The greatest risk for individuals born under the sign of Virgo is to get lost in insignificant details, thus using their discriminatory ability for entirely trivial and even useless matters. Furthermore, if they do not turn a constructive critical eye inward, they risk judging others and getting lost in the pursuit of an unattainable perfection that will make them difficult life companions.
Since a sankalpa must always be present and positive - if you don't know why, I invite you to read here -, it may be useful for individuals born under the sign to adopt these intentions:
"I see the higher value of my actions."
"I am detached from my actions."
"I am capable of pausing my daily routine to raise my gaze to things."
"I breathe."
"I can proceed in an imperfect life."
"I accept and celebrate what in others does not resemble me."
For the more evolved:
"I observe the observing subject."
Sardonyx, moss agate, and fluorite are the stones indicated for logical thought and grounding for Virgo, favoring self-esteem and the fulfillment of their sankalpas.