The Gift and Test of Virgo
The gift of tolerance
The Virgo-type experiences himself above all in the community with others. They are like a new territory for him to explore. When he is teased and rebuked, he remembers this. He wants to get along well with others. Rules for an orderly coexistence are important to him. They form reliable points of orientation for generally accepted behavior to which he can adapt. He functions in the social hustle and bustle, has good manners and fine features, is orderly and hard working with a tendency towards perfection. This meets his need for security very well. The reliable performance of his duties also enables him to fulfil his material needs.
However, he sees himself exposed to external changes that mess up his life. Virgo is the sign of crisis. This type has already experienced some of them. His strongest weapon against it is his sharp mind. He analyzes every detail, explains every situation, ponders upon all consequences and usually fits into given situations. This is where he sees the best chance of survival.
Although he hopes that others will follow “the rules” as much as he does, but they seem to be more independent than he is. He instinctively accepts their actions as determining and tends to fit in. Adaptation may bring him material advantages, but it also makes him dependent on others and on that what he may get. He feels that he cannot adapt at will and ignore others. Constricted under his functioning surface, his true nature is invisible to others. He cannot deny it, cannot deny himself, only to please others. This realization scares him.
Exaggerated adaptation is his attempt to maintain something that he is not, but which calms him down. He is stunned by the magic of the beautiful surface. Once the Virgin Kore was also enchanted by the sight and smell of the narcissus. But as soon as she had torn off the flower and its numbing effect faded, the process of self-awareness followed. Before Kore’s eyes, the earth opened up and the Underworld God tore her into the depths. There she transformed into the Underworld Goddess Persephone. The crises of this type are there to break open one’s surface and make one’s true nature visible. A metamorphosis of oneself is inevitable.
The Divine Spirit gives him the gift of tolerance. The Latin word “tolerare” means to bear. For the Virgo-type it is necessary to endure his transformation. He becomes Persephone, “who beats the sheaves”. Persephone separates the chaff from the wheat. He can keep what corresponds to his nature, but he must separate himself from everything unessential. Here it is a matter of getting rid of old habits and showing oneself as one is – whether others like it or not. The result of this process is a pure conscience, the inner knowledge of having acted correctly and of being as one is.
The adaptability of the Virgo-type refers mainly to his inner being. Like Persephone, he must go to his underworld. There he finds everything he does not live by himself, even everything that is defective. If he manages to put up with his own shortcomings, the shortcomings of others no longer bother him either. That too is tolerance. It brings him closer to the others and enables him to understand their thoughts unreservedly and to recognize their true nature. He senses how the others, too, cannot live their inner being. Out of virgin compassion he then wants to help them. This is the moment of the flash of inspiration. In this he intuitively knows how he can help others to live their true nature. In this way he becomes a knowledgeable soul companion who can also lead others to a fruitful “yield”: the harvest of their true being.
The test of suffering
Virgo is the link between me and you. Starting from himself, a Virgo-born gets aware of the difference of his fellow men. In order not to offend others, he orients himself to social agreements and rules. This results in his typical behavior of adaptation. According to his need, the Virgo-born wants to be accepted and used. Instinctively, he classifies himself as a working wheel within the society. This allows him to be quickly integrated into a world of duties. Following a kind of exploitation instinct, he is always looking for opportunities to earn money, to meet the needs and build up security. He is diligent and precise, contributes useful things and avoids own mistakes.
Probably the life of a Virgo-type would end in purely functional routine, if something wouldn’t stop this synchronism of duties. For a Virgo-type it is important to recognize and live his true nature. If he fails to do so because of his need for security or sense of duty, he inevitably slides into a crisis. Then his life becomes barren and dull. What was easy before becomes suddenly tedious and difficult. At the latest then its change of nature is necessary. The crusts of his desolate life must be broken open, the already invested potential revived and brought to light. This means to break with the past and to end everything that is barren and desolate.
In this critical phase of life, the Virgo-born recognizes who he could be, but is not yet. His partly wasted potential becomes as obvious as his past mistakes. All this causes suffering in him. Nature checks whether he is able to actively bear this suffering by carrying out the necessary metamorphosis and reaping the fullness of his potential. He would have the ability to do this.
A negative approach to this test is dissolving into self-pity. Questions like “Why is this happening to me?” do not help in any way – on the contrary. A critical state of mind is thus cemented all the more. Every crisis requires a different way of thinking than the one that led to it. The most urgent question is then: “What in my life should I finish?” The inner nature provides clear answers to this question. Effortlessly subjects will come up that he is suffering from. It is up to him to end them.
It makes no sense to avoid a necessary end. This only makes it worse. A Virgo-born man should feel when his life becomes too much reduced and desolate. It is a matter of recognizing what no longer corresponds to one’s own nature in this phase. It is important to separate from this and to look for what really suits you. In this way you can do justice to your inner being better and be more yourself again.
All earthly creatures are subject to pain. Pain is a protective measure of life, which serves the survival. Man himself, because he consciously understands, is also subject to suffering. Suffering is the guardian of the hidden treasures. It shows that we deal badly with our wealth and that we are moving away from our potential of fullness. Suffering means not knowing or timidly expressing our riches. To be too small and modest does not do justice to the inner being of a Virgo.
A Virgo-born has the task of exploring his inner nature and adapting his life to it. This requires the willingness to admit his previous failures and to clearly deal with the causes of his crisis. It is pointless to hide one’s own mistakes by polishing the surface. The decisive factor is the act of making amends. Basically everything can be made good again: every failure, every mistake. Grace is the gift that is always possible, to start afresh without old burdens. Grace gives you the courage to rise up and complete your metamorphosis.
The conscience of a Virgo-born stands for the inner knowledge of his potential. It is a kind of early indicator. To act against one’s conscience is to act against better knowledge and in the long run leads to suffering. A pure conscience also reacts to the suffering of others. Helping them of one’s own free will accelerates the transformation of a Virgo enormously. Nothing connects a Virgo-born more strongly with his fellow men and his own inner nature. This is how the miracles of life happen, even grace, which takes away all mistakes and failures from him, so that he can be completely at peace with himself.
The synthesis of gift and test
There is more in you than you think. When your life paralyzes you or leads you into dull routine, it is time for a change. Crises help you to break lifeless habits. Suffering is a sign for you that you are not living your inner wealth. If you endure suffering, end what has become lifeless and complete your metamorphosis, a fertile and happy phase begins again.
…will be continued
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