Virgo Animal Totems and Archetypes

The Sun went into Virgo at 10.37 this morning.  Did you feel the shift?  This is the fourth in the series where I look at some of the animal totems and Archetypes for the various signs. Maybe you are Virgo Sunsign, Ascendant or Moonsign, or know someone who is.

Mouse

Virgo generally rules small, and often humble creatures, and none more aptly than mouse.  Mouse conveys many Virgoan characteristics.

Jamie Sams and David Carson’s description of mouse in his medicine cards reads like a textbook for Virgo.  Here is a sample:

“It is good medicine to pay attention to detail, but it is bad medicine to chew every little thing to pieces”  [Virgo rules the intestines].

“Mouse people anger many other medicine types because they appear to be nit-pickers…They sort and categorize and file away for later use”

Nicky Scully says about Mouse: “It is important for humans to realize the sacredness of simplicity.  We tend to be demanding, always wanting the most and highest for ourselves, even on a spiritual level, and forcing our will on our environment.  Field mice have a richness in their lives that comes from living in harmony with the elements.”

The harvest mouse is especially associated with the Autumn season.

Rat

Small rats can come under Virgo, but larger ones more with Scorpio;  see Kim Sheridan’s book “Animals and the Afterlife” to understand the complexity of communication that can occur with rats.

The Squirrel or Tree Rat, squirreling nuts in the Autumn, is also a creature associated with Virgo.

Insects

Insects are a large category of creatures who come under Virgo, especially colonies of worker ants and bees (excluding the Queen Bee).

Here is an interesting piece from Diana Cooper (newsletter, 2012) about ants:

“Ants are fifth dimensional and originate from Sirius.  They build according to sacred geometry and so attract the sonics of the angels.  They teach oneness. They bite in order to protect themselves but there is no emotion as they do so.  They did not bite when they were in golden Atlantis for there was no need to.”

And another intriguing piece from Laeh Maggie Garfield on Crickets:

“Crickets and other chirrupers make a very different kind of sound (in unison they produce a sleighbell effect, a jingling pulsation), but from this background some people are able to discern phrases in plain English: mainly advice and answers to questions.  Though cricket messages may not bring inner peace, they tend to be prosperity-orientated.”

Beaver

Beaver is associated with Virgo through its industriousness and eagerness to help.

Nicky Scully writes “…the journey with Beaver is for assistance in bearing the responsibilities of daily life creatively.  He can help us to be more productive and industrious in our activities.  Beaver does what needs to be done without wasting energy through procrastination.”

Big Cat

If you are Virgoan and identify with some larger animals, this could be a characteristic from another element of your birthhcart, such as Leo planetary placements which are often found in Virgo charts as they are neighbouring.

But the good news is that Virgo has its very own Big Cat!  Virgo rules small patterns such as spots, and the Leopard is a favourite with Virgos according to a recent survey I conducted.  It is the perfect totem for a Virgoan thinking on a larger scale, or wanting to achieve greater ambitions.

Bird Totems

Birds of Virgo are the ordinary, humble birds, not the showy variety of some other signs.

Sparrow

The everyday bird next door, the Sparrow, epitomizes Virgo.

Famous Example: Chanteuse Edith Piaf, known as “the little sparrow”, who had Virgo at the Midheaven (which represents the persona in the world).

Ted Andrews writes about the history of the Sparrow in his book “Animal Speak”.  He tells: “…during the Middle Ages, it was a symbol for the peasants and lower classes throughout Europe.  Peasants, at this time, were often helpless under the power of the overlords.  Because of this, they loved to hear tales of how the insignificant sparrow triumphed over such powerful enemies as wolves, bears and eagles – the traditional symbols of nobility and those who mistreated the peasants…its ability to multiply and assert itself in spite of predation reflects the idea that nobility of the common person is inherently strong.”

Wren

Little Jennie Wren is a much loved bird (by all signs) and carries some of the essence of Virgo.

According to  Andrea Wansbury in  “Birds Divine Messengers” she can help with self-worth.

“A wren is asking you how you value yourself….Where in your life are you holding yourself back by deliberately not starting projects because you think you are not good enough?” 

Archetypes

There are a number of Archetypes associated with Virgo, and I have picked out just a few.  If you feel strongly that I have omitted a favourite of yours, please add a comment!

The Bluestocking

I have known several Virgo bluestockings in my time!  The Bluestocking is a studious, intellectual woman, so named after a society founded in the 18th Century by Elizabeth Montagu, who had her North Node (karmic mission) in Virgo exactly conjunct Pluto with Mars and Venus close by.  She gave birth to a sexual stereotype, depicted graphically by the planets clustered around her North Node in Virgo.

The Servant

The Virgoan is just as talented and accomplished as anyone else, but often chooses to work behind the scenes.  Thus the Servant is a common Archetype for this sign.  Caroline Myss describes this Archetype as engaging “aspects of the psyche that call us to make ourselves available to others for the benefit and enhancement of their lives.”

Virgoans are often found as health workers and therapists, and Chiron “The Wounded Healer” is often ascribed to this sign.

The Martyr

This Archetype is shared with Pisces, and Virgo forms a polarity with that sign.  It is a polarity which is much associated with the story of Jesus and the Crucifixion (through Pisces) and his mother Mary, particularly associated with Virgo.

A very ordinary way in which Virgoans can typify the Martyr Archetype is their insistence that they will do something themselves in order to make a better job of it, rather than entrust it to someone else.  This can start as an expression of their perfectionism, but in a relationship interaction can turn into a martyr complex, especially if anger and resentment are involved.

Religious Figure

Mother Mary, the Virgin Mary, is the archetypal religious figure for Virgo, representing purity and associated with the immaculate conception.  Some may regard her as a Deity, Goddess, or Master in the New Age sense (female Masters seem not to be called Mistresses).

Famous Example:  Queen Elizabeth 1,  The Virgin Queen, born 7 September 1533.

Caroline Myss says of the Virgin Archetype generally: “Needs to be explored symbolically as a pattern that represents not only purity, but also the beginning point of creation, as in bringing forth virgin ideas.”

Bibliography:

“Medicine Cards” by Jamie Sams and David Carson

 “Archetype Cards” by Caroline Myss

 “Companions in Spirit” by Laeh Maggie Garfield

“The Golden Cauldron” by Nicky Scully

“Animal Speak” by Ted Andrews

Aspects

The Sun entered Virgo at 10.37 a.m. this morning, and you may have felt the shift from holiday mode to preparing for the new term.  It was a glorious 30 degree sunny day yesterday here in Norfolk, a fine day to see Leo out!  My hubby and I spent it in a light and airy indoor meeting for new Labour members in Cambridge, but maybe you headed to the coast and had a dip in the ocean instead?  Today you may have deadlines related to documentation or Autumn schedules, working round the Sunday nut roast perhaps.

Wednesday (26th) is the most promising day of the week, with two constructive aspects.  If you are planning ahead, a couple of dynamic appointments will do your diary proud.  In the afternoon, Mercury sextiles Saturn, which is very constructive for mental work.  Hopefully, you will have put in some preparatory graft from Sunday, inspired by the Sun’s entry into Virgo.  Take out and brush down your Inner Bluestocking, and get the first chapter of your new political thriller onto paper or screen (I intend to).  Wednesday will reward you by solidifying literary efforts, and learnings, and start to turn them into something more solid.  Practical plans of this nature can be founded.

In the evening, the Sun conjuncts Jupiter, one of the best aspects all the year round.  Success can be yours, dreams can come true, in the nature of the House it falls in, e.g. a creative venture if it falls in your 5th House.  Encouraged by more sober progress in the afternoon, you are allowed to be more flighty and fanciful for the evening’s ventures.  It is a lottery evening in the U.K., so worth a flutter as an impulse buy, though of course we can’t all win…  A tip: The conjunction occurs at 22.02 Hrs so it is all the twos for numerology enthusiasts, and if you are picking your numbers it might be worth a try.

Mercury enters Libra on Thursday (27th), and although the Sun is telling us to prepare for the Autumn academic and working schedules, Mercury’s mental vibrations are moving on to a more artistic and musical theme.  Musical and artistic composition is encouraged by this placement, and relationships benefit from dialogue, communication, sharing and analysis.  The emphasis in diplomacy and international relations is on communication, rather than gunboat diplomacy.

On Friday, the True North Node conjuncts Mercury.  You may feel a karmic compulsion to talk about serious issues, justice and fairness.  The international community may be forced to knuckle down and talk to each other about finance, and fleeing migrants from foreign regimes.  Climate change could also be on that agenda.  The True North Node has a spiritual emphasis.

The following day, Saturday (29th) the Mean North Node makes the aspect with Mercury.  It is just a slight difference in calculation, but the emphasis is slightly more practical.  So Friday’s discussions may be prompted by idealism, and Saturday can bring more practical discussion, after a night mulling over the implications of the ideas which were brought to your attention the day before.  You may be aware of guidance overnight from the Lords of Karma, urging patterns of thought aligned with the interests of the planet.

By Saturday afternoon/evening, The Pisces Full Moon (at 6 degrees) will have you either worked up to a lather with anxiety about all that needs to be achieved, or a fullness of heart knowing that you are on the right path to making a difference.

The week in bullet points:

 

  • Today – approaching new work patterns
  • Wednesday – achievement and celebration
  • Thursday – mental focus on the Arts
  • Friday – karmic discussion on a spiritual level
  • Saturday – karmic discussion on a practical level; emotional full flood
Date: Aug 23rd, 2015 · Comments RSS · Tags: Animal Totems · Archetypes