Moon in Virgo

If we have a Virgo Moon, we may be adept at using our minds to defend against unwanted feelings. We need organization and predictability in at least some facets of our lives; we need to experience ourselves as useful, as providers of valued services in our work and our personal activities; we need mentally to assess and structure our experience as well as care for our physical wellbeing. We have high standards for ourselves and others, and must maintain personal integrity at all costs.

If we lose touch with our deeper emotional and instinctual nature, our constructive Virgoan traits may become destructively compulsive. We insist on a degree of order and efficiency which destroys the spontaneity and vitality in and around us; we become workaholics, unable to relax and at the mercy of our compulsion to keep busy at all costs. We fuss, worry, nag and intellectualize incessantly. We subordinate ourselves to others, compelling them to utilize our services. We rip ourselves apart with self-criticism, and likewise are unable to allow imperfection in other people.

Having a Virgo Moon suggests that we experienced a significant degree of Virgoan energy in one or both of our parent figures. A nourishing Virgoan parent may have encouraged our mental development, taught us constructive personal habits, and enabled us to experience a safe and orderly early environment without crushing the spirit of our inner child. Such a parent may have taught us how to use reason and common sense to master rather than repress our feelings and desires, and was probably helpful to us through providing many of the little but significant services of daily living.

On the other hand, a Virgoan parent who was not a positive influence upon us may have exposed us to a degree of super-efficiency, criticism, analysis, perfectionism and / or pettiness which frustrated and inhibited our emotional growth and fragile self-esteem. The 'should system' of our childhood years may have become an internal structure which continues to enslave us as adults. Our sense of not being good enough impairs our ability to function personally and professionally. A subservient slavish parent may have catered to us too frequently; a hypochondriac parent may have focused so obsessively upon ill-health that we ourselves became sickly or hypochondriac in order to receive attention and care.

We may need to revise the internal messages we give ourselves, which continue to keep detrimental Virgoan patterns in operation. Our task may be to learn how to experience and value all our feelings and needs while also utilizing our analytical capabilities and creating order and discipline in our experience. We may need to develop new standards for ourselves and others, standards which fully accept our imperfectly human behaviors while also valuing our occasional moments of superhuman goodness or accomplishment. Choosing to love ourselves, choosing to discover the wondrous perfection of our imperfection, may nourish our souls so profoundly that we do indeed become more giving and capable human beings.

Moon in Virgo: If you want to be perfect in the eyes of others, you may use the Virgo analytical powers to defend your behavior when others question you. When others do not behave according to your expectations, you may feel affronted and react with sarcasm or cold silence. You might withhold helpful opinions and valuable perceptions because you fear criticism from others.

Often, you may refuse to share your internal reactions with a loved one, and unwittingly create a secret barrier. As a result, you sacrifice integrity in order to be accepted, at least momentarily. You may then feel guilty and not know why. Relating superficially deprives others of the value of the Virgo perception and deprives you of the opportunity to feel useful. In violating your code, you undergo severe self-criticism which, in turn, takes away the security needed.

You can communicate the Virgo standards in a way that confirms your goodness and perfection. When you let go of your standards and notions of what perfect behavior ought to look like (yours or the other person's), you rid yourself of ideas that prevent closeness.

As you empty your mind of the judgments that cause separations, you experience joy and closeness in the communication you want. You can do this by casting aside the need to have others think of you as perfect. This frees you to have faith in your intuition. Then you can tell what, for you, is the truth in the situation expressed as your own point of view.

In releasing scattered pictures of what you think service to others ought to look like, you are able to speak with integrity and transcend superficiality. You first need to sacrifice judgments of your 'rightness' and others' 'wrongness'; then you can discover that what you formerly judged as imperfect behavior in others was only their lack of information needed to put their lives in order. You can satisfy your own need to feel useful in relationships by looking beyond fears of personal rejection and sharing what you see.

When you use the Virgo practical ability for analysis to share your reactions and assist others in dealing with their emotional systems, you experience a sense of your true ability to serve. This gives you the self-acceptance you need to feel close.

You have a gentle humility and the desire to serve. You are concerned with the details of perfection in your work. Thus, you have a tendency to feel that all aspects of your behavior and performance must be perfect before they can be allowed expression. This attitude can interfere with the flow of your charitable deeds in the world.

You are learning to express whatever piece of the puzzle you have at the moment, without having to see the 'whole, complete picture'. When your piece of the puzzle has been added, the larger vision becomes clearer for all concerned, and others can co-operate more easily with you in attaining mutually beneficial results.

You feel that your behavior has to be exemplary - and example of perfection above the behavioral standards of the rest of mankind. You may feel separate from others due to this inflated sense of 'rightness'.

You are learning to relax, to dissolve your rigidities, to trust the perfection of the universal enfoldment of events, and to be responsible for simply doing your part. By freely adding your piece of the puzzle - whether it be a feeling, thought, perception, or momentary desire - without it needing to be perfect before expression, you are co¬operating with the people and events that flow through your life. And you become an example of perfection to others by operating from the integrity of expressing yourself fully and innocently, piece by piece, along the way.

Moon in Virgo: In Virgo, the Moon position stresses the intellectual approach. Where the Moon in Leo would be content to feel, the Moon here finds it necessary to understand. This native wants his family (and the world could be his family) to adjust to what he can understand!

The astrologer can readily see that this creates some difficulties. He must learn whether the native's range of understanding is narrow or wide. The stress is on sincerity, a job well done, powers of discrimination. The native can be fussy, stubborn and demanding, but he never asks others to do what he himself would not do. He tends to be a censor. If he doesn't feel something is good to read or see, he feels it is logical to assume it is not good for others. The astrologer must work to help the native broaden his vision, open his mind, and welcome new experiences.

The native is excellent when it comes to analyzing. Difficulties arise when he analyzes to such an extent that he is frozen into periods of absolute inaction. He wants to know: but this drive toward knowledge can shut out the intuitive intellect; it can make the native ultraconservative. Indications here are good for teaching, reporting, analyzing reports, statistics.

He feels tremendously gratified when others ask questions, ask his opinion, or show appreciation for his efforts. He is easily taken advantage of by those shrewd enough to play on his need for affection, appreciation, understanding.

The native is loyal, persistent; he possesses the desire to overcome obstacles and arrive at a goal. Here the astrologer has an important key: the native must have a goal. Nothing discourages him more than aimlessness. He often is intolerant of those who are 'abstract', who do not appear definite enough, or who are 'waiting for the right time'. The Moon in Virgo needs to be busy. He consults, he reports, he makes trips, he writes letters, he arranges meetings. He is a wonderful agent, diagnostician, technician, host - if the party is for a reason.

He wants to be of use. He admires others who are dedicated and tends to ridicule those who can relax. What is the astrologer to stress? Taken alone, he views the Moon in Virgo as an indication of one with tremendous potential. The native can make himself reliable and needed, but can find himself buried in a maze of details, overlooked for the promotions, the 'bigger' things, including the kind of fulfillment which brings greatest personal happiness. The native, reacting negatively, is finicky about food, sex, and new experiences.

He needs to learn to loosen up. Then he becomes discriminating in the best sense: he recognizes quality and enjoys what he has, instead of constantly reaching out for something else.

Moon in Virgo: You prefer a life-style that is externally and internally ordered, disciplined, and controlled. You tend to follow repetitive behavior patterns which produce feelings of stability, if only through predictability. While you may rationalize such behavior, or justify it by reference to religious, philosophical, or moral tenets, the hidden impulse behind this self-protection is fear of chaos, or the fear of releasing uncontrollable emotional forces. You may inhibit self-expression, restricting physical, emotional, and mental behavior to whatever you consider socially acceptable.

As part of this self-structuring, intellectual theories and philosophical or religious beliefs attract you, those which seek to impose meaning and order on the mysteries of life. Science may be one approach, or the self-creation of a logical, rational, and objective perspective. The main danger from this is the formation of a rigid mind-set that refuses to accept or allow any different or contradictory worldviews.

A perfectionist streak is likely, often associated with preferring the detail, appearance, and minutiae of things. In focusing on the parts, you may fail to see the whole picture; analysis can be fascinating, but revelation and meaning lies in the act of synthesis.

You can be self-critical and unforgiving, chastising yourself for failing to meet exacting standards; if you impose these standards on others, this may cause interpersonal friction, as not everyone will consider that your priorities and evaluations are valid for them. Your perfectionism may not always be appropriate, and some may find your attention to detail irritating and unnecessary. As you will be a conscientious and practical hard worker, you may be an exacting taskmaster, but your workaholic tendency and devotion to duty may also stifle comfortable relationships with work colleagues. Trying to contain life energies within categories and efficient order can often strip them of all vitality, turning them into lifeless energies; predictable and controlled, yes, but of reduced future value.

It is important for you to feel you are of use; and you can be one of life's unsung servers due to a quiet, reserved, and retiring nature. With your work ethic, you may find relaxation difficult, and may become obsessively active, attempting to feel useful and to avoid facing other less satisfactory areas of yourself and life. Work can become a time-consuming substitute. Other areas of life that may also reflect obsessive traits are those related to health, diet, and hygiene.

One weak spot is that you often lack feelings and emotions behind a tight intellectualized mental barrier, using your mind as a defense against feelings, denying their validity and trying to ignore their promptings. At worst, you could become a dry and sterile personality as a consequence of prolonged repression; by your losing contact with your feelings, instincts, and emotions, those Virgoan characteristics would present their negative qualities throughout your life, affecting all relationships and your state of mind.

To avoid this, you need to accept your whole nature, not persist in emphasizing mental control and denying physical and instinctual needs. Through self-acceptance, you will expand tolerance and understanding of others, becoming more flexible and able to experience your human nature to the full. Rigidity of thought and worldview can be dropped, and a new universe of potential will emerge, untainted by your attempts at limitation. Acknowledging feelings, emotions and instincts as real and as part of you, and respecting their needs and messages, will offer immense personal dividends.

Rebalancing your nature will lead to wholeness; and blocked inner energies will freely flow again. Initial stages in this may be painful; you may feel threatened by slowly dissolving self-erected barriers and want to reassemble them again, but if you persist, you can be reborn, capable of consciously using the beneficial qualities of Virgo in harmony with the self-nurturing needs of your Moon. Self-esteem will naturally grow through personal development, rather than being a vulnerable and fragile construct protected by various inner defenses against the encroachment of world and emotions. Learning to trust yourself and the world is the first step to take toward progress.

Moon in Virgo: You are not unemotional, but it is difficult for you to express what you feel. Consequently, others might consider you cold, detached, perhaps a little prudish and stuffy. Actually, you are quite sensitive and your feelings are easily hurt. To hide your vulnerability, however, you try to give the impression of being aloof and coolly professional - even in situations that call for warmth and openness.

Overly critical of yourself (and others), you assume that people will judge you harshly and find you lacking. Whether or not it's true, you probably feel that people don't like you, and may even believe there's not much about you to like. So to avoid the pain and disappointment of rejection, you keep your emotions under wraps and can be quite stingy about sharing them.

Even when your feelings are engaged, your shyness makes it hard for you to be demonstrative with your affections. Instead you express caring by doing things for the people you love: cleaning, mending, repairing a leaky faucet or running errands, for example. You want to make yourself indispensable to your loved ones so they won't be able to get along without you.

You have trouble accepting praise for what you do, and perform your tasks so efficiently and modestly that others - especially your family members - don't always notice how much you do for them. This can cause you to become resentful, and you may feel you are unappreciated. When this happens, you are inclined to become irritable and complaining. You need to realize that because you tend to take on more than your share and don't stand up for yourself, you make it easy for people to take advantage of you. Be careful of falling into the role of martyr, especially with your family members. Because you feel guilty when you refuse to do something for someone else, you may allow your children, parents and / or partner to turn you into their servant.

In truth, you enjoy serving others and derive a sense of satisfaction from being able to help someone else. You are concerned about the welfare of all, particularly those who are most vulnerable or helpless. You are at your best when you are taking care of the sick or needy, and are willing to do even menial chores that most people find distasteful. Hard-working and conscientious, you never shy away from responsibility. Your kindness is not limited to humans, and you are probably an animal lover. Many people with this Moon position put their compassion, practicality and efficiency to work in the healing fields or social services.

As a child, you were probably the one who tried to 'fix' whatever was wrong in your family. If you grew up in a dysfunctional family, you tried to make things right. If your family was poor, you may have begun working at a young age to contribute your share. If you were the oldest, you may have taken on adult responsibilities or extra chores to help out. As an adult, you're still the one family members call on for assistance, whether it's picking the kids up after school or caring for an elderly parent.

This Moon position usually indicates deep-seated feelings of inadequacy and lack of self-esteem. Perhaps when you were a child, your parents were overly-critical of you or expected you to be perfect. If you feel you haven't lived up to their expectations, you might not be satisfied with yourself or your accomplishments. You may view your mother (or your nurturing parent) as being particularly fault-finding and fussy. You also are critical of her yourself.

With your own children, you can be rather picky. Extremely neat and orderly yourself, you may find their messiness irritating. Though you probably don't care if your home is lavish or beautifully decorated, you want it to be clean and organized; and others (including your family members) might think you're a bit neurotic about it.

It is most likely that you are interested in health and nutrition, and are very particular about your diet and your family's. Some people with this Moon placement are susceptible to allergies and digestive problems, and must be careful about what they eat. Others are fussy eaters.

Your cautious, meticulous and methodical nature enables you to excel at tasks that require neatness, precision and attention to detail. You have a natural aptitude for order and organization that can be utilized in such areas as accounting / bookkeeping, tailoring, woodworking, drafting, needlepoint, model building, dentistry, or working with precision instruments.

Because the Moon is the embodiment of one of the archetypal female energies, women tend to express its characteristics more easily than men do. Thus, women may readily display their Virgoan qualities, while men sometimes project these characteristics onto the women in their lives. Or, they might attract women who are modest, efficient, helpful, meticulous and / or perfectionists. Men with this Moon position also can be quite critical of the women in their lives, and of women in general.

Moon in Virgo: You respond to encouragement and appreciation, and you have a deep hunger for sharing experiences and self-realization with others. However, this makes you emotionally overeager; you may be prone to dictating the course of all your relationships. You are insistent and you can even be petulant. You are generous with your time and service; you want to serve people, but you have trouble understanding their feelings. You want what you want, and just the way you want it.

This placement of the Moon emphasizes your mental qualities, but here the restless mental qualities of Gemini are replaced by steadiness and practicality. You don't value knowledge for its own sake, but you seek it in order to use and apply it. Your memory is excellent. You analyze and criticize all sense impressions with care. This is not the most sexual position for the Moon.

You have a fondness for science and / or the occult. You can be clairvoyant or psychometric, and you have great intuitive abilities if you choose to develop them.

You can be temperamental at times. You prefer to earn everything by your mental ability and your fertile imagination. Despite the Virgo tendency to be picky and argumentative, you appear quiet, shy and unpretentious. Although you are basically proper and conservative, your religious inclinations surface in a broad-minded way. With this mutable Moon, you have many acquaintances, frequent changes in your life and numerous short trips.

You are an excellent teacher. You do not ask personal questions unless necessary, and your curiosity only surfaces in relation to work and practical affairs. Interested in diet, health and hygiene, you have a tendency to worry and to develop a nervous disposition; your digestion may suffer as a result. This is often known as the 'medicine chest Moon'.

You are shrewd, with good business sense and meticulous attention to detail. You could do very well in psychoanalysis or diagnosis of any kind. You should try to counteract fussiness or a lack of self-confidence.

This position of the Moon in a woman's chart often indicates emotional insecurity which expresses itself as a lack of warmth and at times inhibition. In a man's chart it attracts a detached, non-clinging mate, because he does not want emotional demands made upon him.

Your mother may seem critical and cool to you.

Moon in Virgo: There is an uneasy alliance between the sign of Virgo and the energy of the Moon. You may find it very difficult to shape your world the way that you would like. It seems that the cardinality of the Moon (cardinality implies action) is halted in mutable, negative Virgo. If you cannot make your job work for you, create the right kind of environment or find the right partner, you could retreat into fiddling about and fidgeting. You may never quite finish decorating your home, you may try out one partner after another, or you could become your own worst enemy at work. If thwarted, you will develop a tendency to meddle, criticize, ruin, lose or destroy the very things which you most need. You could over-analyze yourself and everything around you and then hide your fears and phobias under a layer of fussiness. Be careful not to fall prey to a psychological need to organize every detail and prepare for every eventuality so that you program out not only life's unexpected problems but also its pleasant surprises.

Virgo is a difficult sign to understand, and the Moon in this placement adds to the complications. Virgo being an earth sign suggests an inner need to serve people in a practical way; therefore, you will prefer to work in a field where you can be useful to others. You feel more comfortable in the workplace than in a social setting, especially if your talents are being used to the limit. Being dutiful and caring towards your family, you show your love for them by helping them in a practical way or by giving them material things, rather than by open displays of affection or of verbal love. You are especially helpful and understanding if they are ill. You are reliable, businesslike, tidy and efficient in all that you do.

Being loyal and trustworthy, you would never betray a confidence. Most lunar Virgoans are early risers and seem to be more alert in the morning than in the evening. Your mind is very clear and logical. Your thinking is usually along realistic lines, and you prefer to think before acting. you could be quite imaginative if there were something like Pisces or Leo on your birth chart, but the imagination would be harnessed to some kind of structure - writing poetry, making a garden, or computer programming, for example. You enjoy debating when you are among people with whom you can relax. You never swallow what you are told without verification. Be careful not to spend too much energy on details and miss the main point. Also try not to let problems revolve round in your head growing out of all proportion. Some lunar Virgoans are vigorous social reformers, especially if there is any Aquarius on the birth chart or if the Sun or the Ascendant are in fairly confident, outgoing signs. You can take practical decisions almost instantly, and will go anywhere at the drop of a hat; when decisions have an emotional content, this is not so easy. Oddly enough, although the mind is quick, your bodily movements may be slow. Female lunar Virgoans are good homemakers, often loving their homes, but they need an intellectual outlet and the chance to work and earn money of their own. Although your thought processes are particularly logical, you can be very psychic. There is an acceptable logic to psychic matters which you seem to grasp more easily than many other people. Religion may not interest you overmuch, and blind faith is never acceptable to you.

Virgo being a mutable sign suggests that you can fit yourself in to almost any type of company. You are unlikely to be prejudiced about race, religion, etc., because all people interest you. Lunar Virgoans rarely manipulate others for their own ends. You are shy at first but very sociable when you feel that you can relax. Although hardly likely to be the life and soul of the party, and even less likely to get drink and make a fool of yourself, you do enjoy socializing, especially in the company of witty and interesting people. Despite being shy, you like to welcome new people, but will sit back and analyze them later on.

I very much doubt whether you see money in terms of the power it may give you; and you have little desire to waste your hard-earned pennies on flashy things - you prefer to pay your bills on time and then have a bit left over for treats. A favorite treat for you would be a trip out into the country and a nice meal out. You like the fresh air and the seaside; and you enjoy physical exercise of a fairly gentle nature, such as walking, dancing or badminton. Being an Earth sign, you find gardening appeals to you, especially growing your own fruit and vegetables plus filling the house and garden with sweet-smelling flowers. Your senses of taste and smell (and your stomach) are easily upset; therefore good home-grown produce is a favorite with you. Reading and listening to music provide you with a passive form of escapism. One active form of escapism which is very popular among both solar and lunar Virgoans is acting. Here you can forget yourself for a while and take on a completely different personality. This gives you the opportunity of behaving foolishly or even outrageously without having to risk being taken seriously.

Relationships can be a minefield for you; you tend to make yourself useful to your partner and then wonder why you are being used. In a way the most successful relationship for you would be with a partner who has an important and interesting career of his or her own where you could help to smooth their path for them. There must be a mental rapport between you and your partner. Shared interests or work in common will help. You are prepared to make an effort in a relationship. Some of you attach yourselves to a glamorous, glittering personality and enjoy being a part of his / her life. Any relationship based solely on sex wouldn't hold you for long. Many astrology books suggest that solar and lunar Virgoans are sexless; this is just not true; however, there can be some really vicious problems associated with sex and sexual relationships. I think the trouble stems from two sources; the first being that you are easily embarrassed by the apparent ludicrousness of the sex act - you find it hard to relinquish your dignity and make the necessary adjustment which would enable you to surrender to your feelings. The second problem is that you may be ashamed of your own capacity for passion, possibly due to early childhood influences and incidents. Anyone who has any of the personal planets (Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus and Mars) placed in Virgo will immediately freeze up if criticized for his or her performance.

You may fill up your time with work in order to avoid dealing with the whole relating and sexual scene. Shyness doesn't help here, but most of this can be overcome if you find yourself a kind, encouraging partner. One thing which does help is your ability to adapt. All mutable signs will try to fit in with other people's requirements; therefore, given a chance and much tender, loving care, you could realize your sexual potential, especially with the 'right' lover. Coarseness puts you off immediately. Criticism will squash you, not only sexually but in every other way. You have intensely critical feelings towards others; but being the lunar, inner side of your nature, they probably are kept to yourself - unless you become very angry, when it all bursts out.

If a relationship goes wrong, you can become desperate, even suicidally depressed. You have to beware of self-fulfilling prophecies where you tell yourself that you are going to be let down and then allow yourself to become so; lack of confidence and too little faith in the future can actually bring this about. You may go too far the other way, keeping your emotions on such a tight rein that you never allow yourself the luxury of love and romance; this is a shame because you do need a partner and also a family.

You may find it hard to relate to your own children, and may pay too much attention to their practical and educational needs and not enough to their need for love and affection. On the other hand, children may be the ideal outlet for your bottled up love, giving you the opportunity to give and receive affection unreservedly. You may be able to romp, roll around and act out parts for their amusement in a way which you could never do with adults. Teaching comes naturally to you; therefore, you enjoy opening your children's minds to the world of books, museums and nature. Given a secure and loving partnership, you will gain confidence and really begin to blossom.

You have an acute sense of humor, which so often is able to save you from much of the unhappiness associated with this sign. If you can find an intelligent partner to laugh with, then you are really made. Being loyal yourself, and having very high standards of behavior, you may expect others to be the same with regard to you. If your partner makes a habit of wandering off and leaving you alone whenever you go to a party, you would be most put out. You need to be hugged and comforted, especially if things are not going well for you; and, most of all, you require a feeling of solidarity in your relationships, a feeling that your family circle will stick together and stick up for each other against the world.

The sign of Virgo will dominate the personality in such a way that you identify yourself far more by what you do than what you are. There are enough wasters and losers in this world already; perhaps we could do with a few more lunar Virgoans to prevent us from losing and wasting what is left on our planet. You learn quickly and like to keep your mind and body occupied. Even your leisure pursuits are healthy or useful ones such as working for a charity or a political organization. You have a creative side which can be expressed in sewing, carpentry, cooking or writing because you like problem-solving and the bringing together of separate parts in order to make a whole.

Skills such as typing, driving and accounting come easily to you. You make an exemplary office worker, being neat, efficient, quiet, clean, practical and helpful.

Given that your Sun and Ascendant are placed in an outgoing sign, you may enjoy a life in a skilled branch of the armed forces. Learning and coming to grips with highly technical matters would hold no terrors for you.

The whole field of health comes naturally to you. Lunar Virgoans make good nurses, doctors and dieticians. Although unlikely to make much display of your own feelings, you are able to understand the pain of others. Your interest in health is not just in the field of caring and healing, but in that of preventing disease from taking root in the first place; therefore, you advocate diet, exercise and moderate living. You yourself could be a hypochondriac or could genuinely suffer from a series of minor but irritating ailments and nervous disorders. Having a clear, logical and analytical mind, you would be a natural for computing, accounting, systems analysis, and electronic weighing and measuring. Research, especially in the medical field, would please you. Teaching might appeal - teaching either infants or older students who are highly intelligent, quiet and ready to learn. Math and science subjects would suit you, but languages may be a problem. You could learn the grammar all right; it is the speaking that would get you down unless you had something fairly uninhibited like Sagittarius on your Ascendant.

It may be difficult for you to manage others because delegating requires confidence in one's own leadership plus in the ability of others to do a good job on your behalf. You tend to become angry when faced with an attitude of uncaring inefficiency. You may not be overly ambitious, but you like to do things well and to be appreciated for it. The success of others doesn't upset you. At best your childhood would have been a fairly cool affair; at worst, it may have had nightmarish qualities. 'Nightmarish is just about right', said Anne, an elegant, divorced systems analyst. 'I used to study my father to judge which rules I should be playing by; and just when I got the hang of the game, he changed the rules. I could never win; my place was always in the wrong.'

To start with, being born wasn't all that easy; therefore the relationship between you and your mother probably started badly. There was a great deal of discipline in your childhood; an emphasis on being on time for meals, washing behind your ears and doing your homework. You may have been compared to other children and told that you were not as good, clever, pretty, tall etc. as them. If you were a diligent child, naturally tidy, quiet, organized and clever at school, you would have pleased your parents and would therefore have had an easier time of it. You may have only been able to win their approval by success in exams or winning medals at sports, dancing, etc.. Some of your self-esteem and lack of confidence results from having been nervous or even afraid of your parents; you found them hard to please. It is even possible that you were a naturally timid child with rather boisterous parents, or one of your parents might have been particularly hard to get on with.

If your parents were born under the signs of Aries, Scorpio or Sagittarius, they would have been far too impatient, lacking in understanding and quick to criticize. This lack of praise and encouragement caused you to feel resentful, worthless, lonely and repressed. You may have been shoved aside for other reasons, such as family problems, a handicapped sibling or a lack of money. You may have learned how to hate early in life. Your hatred of being accused of laziness is a hangover from childhood. Your shyness and repression may have been the result of severe and prolonged illness in childhood rather than awful parents.

There is always the possibility that the Moon's position reflects the mother's experience of life, so the interpretation could be an indication that your mother had a hard time while young.

Both solar and lunar Virgoans are strong and healthy, but the nervous system is delicate. Ailments include migraine and asthma, allergies, skin conditions and stomach ulcers. Tension and overwork is your enemy, and you must take exercise in order to relax. Severe Virgoan health problems which sometimes arise are appendicitis, typhoid, peritonitis and anemia. Tall subjects may have back problems.

Moon in Virgo: Some similarities with the characteristics of the Moon in Gemini will be obvious with this placing, inasmuch as the individual will be extremely talkative when nervous or challenged. If anything, however, there will be even greater resources of nervous energy. If this is positively expressed, the individual will have a great deal of practical ability and, because of some extremely quick responses to situations, will be in a good position to keep abreast or ahead of competitors.

Worry and a lack of self-confidence may well be present; and because the worry springs from the deepest instinctive level, the subject can develop rather mysterious stomach upsets or digestive problems without realizing what has caused them. Unconscious concern over a problem will probably be the root cause, affecting the subject in a physical way before he or she is consciously aware of what is wrong. Children with this placing will all too often become ill and have very severe, and indeed real, 'schoolitis' when there are problems (perhaps an unsympathetic teacher may be the cause?).

The subject will be fundamentally rational, but this extremely practical approach and her instincts do not always marry. Her reactions are very quick indeed, which is a great asset, as are the characteristic reliability, a great measure of common sense, and considerable helpfulness.

Literary talent is often present with this placing, and should not be ignored - it is here that any creativity shown in other areas of the chart may be expressed. There is also a critical streak and, especially if the Moon receives a square aspect from Mercury, a tendency to gossip. More positively, because of the sharp reflexes (usually expressed verbally as well as in practical action), there is talent and an incisive quality in debate; in any kind of argument, the individual can stand very firmly on her own two feet.

Moon in Virgo: The Moon in the sign of Virgo indicates an exacting, hardworking, practical nature. There is great regard for neatness and cleanliness in personal hygiene and housekeeping. These people are particular about food and diet, and concerned about health. They are good cooks, but health is as important to them as taste.

Natives with the Moon in this sign are usually shy and retiring, preferring to work quietly behind the scenes. They pay attention to detail; they wish to serve. They do not ask personal questions unless necessary; they are curious, but in relation only to their work or practical affairs.

If the Moon is afflicted in this sign, there can be excessive preoccupation with inconsequential detail, and a carping and critical attitude. Perfectionism about detail can blind these people to larger issues.

Moon in Virgo: You have a helpful, though potentially critical, soul. You have the need to be clear with and about Other - but this could make the relationship rather sterile. You have the instinct for establishing emotional order - but this could amount to denied feelings. Your mother is seen or expressed as one who is clean and efficient, and or sour and restrictive.

You naturally respond towards Other with helpfulness and consideration, with a view to healing his / her ills and solving his / her problems. You respond in a conscientious and attentive fashion, being of great practical value to Other; and in a manner that is mindful of pure and correct behavior.

Your inner child reacts in a sniffy and carping manner when Other finds your 'help' is more about your own neurotic ends than his / her welfare. It reacts by threatening to withdraw the input with which you have made yourself indispensable; and with aversion or priggishness to anything Other does that is unfamiliar to you.

You gravitate towards Others who are in some sort of fix and who could obviously benefit from your ministrations; towards messy or unhygienic scenes, or, conversely, meticulously ordered ones; and towards relationships where you can operate in a modest fashion or background capacity.

You can get caught up in relationships which become increasingly chaotic, forcing you to be more tolerant or to know where and how to draw the line; in situations where you need to do all the tidying - or learn to be less tidy; and in relationships where Other takes you for granted, forcing you to express your deepest, darkest feelings.

When you are alone, it is because Other has ultimately been unable to meet your exacting requirements of him / her, or you have found yourself not good enough for Other, using the same exacting criteria. Either way, it could be time to change your criteria! But as is always the case with the Moon, there are deeply ingrained habits and maternal conditioning behind such requirements. So you are alone expressly in order to have a good look at yourself, sort your wheat from your chaff, but not be so discriminating as to put yourself permanently out of the running - or, for that matter, to give up on yourself and go downhill with self-neglect by way of over-compensation. However, it has to be said that, as Virgo is the sign of the Hermit, you are rather good at being all on your own - it sort of suits you. But be careful because, unlike the anchorites of old who would be avoiding the darkness of the Dark Ages they lived in, you would probably just be making a good job of avoiding your own inner darkness. Bring this into the light of consciousness, and stop judging.

Moon in Virgo: You look upon yourself as an intelligent and useful person, and pretty generally turn out to be that, if not also a great deal more. You have no desire to rule the world or other people, or even to make a great splash before them. In fact, you prefer not to be in the limelight; and if you find yourself in it, it is by accident, because you have earned it by the integrity of your private labors. Your wish is to serve; and in whatever sphere you may be, you will find the chance to do it. Your personality, while strong and stable, does not obtrude itself on others; you don't make loud noises or ask personal questions, yet people feel your presence, value your reserve, and are likely to make you their confidant. You have an acute sense of your own worth which you base in a sense of your own intelligence. Yet you can value other people who are far from intelligent. You are an intellectual snob only so far as you are concerned, and here you apply the theory of noblesse oblige to realms of the mind, demanding of yourself that you belong to the aristocracy of the intellect so that you may better understand all things, and serve those who can't. In fulfilling this quiet and modest picture, you are likely to run into some pleasant surprises. You don't really expect other people to take you very seriously, and are therefore delighted and amazed when they do, and when you see your dreams of yourself coming true in the sight of the whole world.

Moon in Virgo Woman: You are shy around the edges. You don't feel comfortable when attention is focused upon you. You need to be productive and practical, and what means something to you is the results you achieve, not the public acclaim for them. You prefer to be noticed, if at all, after you've done the work and the scores are in. Even then, you'd rather let your work speak for itself. Though you are as emotionally needy as anyone else, you don't like to impose on others and you've learned how to practice self-discipline. It's only when you get sick that anyone else has to take care of me. And even then you will do for yourself if you can.

You are a perfectionist in all that you do, whether it is sewing a hem, writing a report, or making a purchase, small or large. You get all the details just right, and you pay attention to the minute evidence. If it's wrong, you'll do it over until you get it right. You examine everything, for you believe that the unexamined life isn't worth living, and when you fall short of your own expectations for yourself, you really suffer. That's because you always try to be the best you can be. It's one of the responsibilities of having intelligence. You have a tendency to criticize your loved ones, but you don't mean to wound, only to help them improve.

Your home may not be the cleanest, but it will be in order. Order is vital to you. It helps keep you from getting over-anxious, which is a problem for you. You worry a lot, and making lists of things to be done or bought helps you control that nervousness. You also like to make others feel comfortable and you remember the little things they like, like two lumps of sugar in the tea or a favorite brand of cookies.

Your mother was devoted to duty, but she confused you when you were growing up. Said one thing and meant another. In your view, children were to be seen and not heard, and the only time this rule was relaxed was when you were sick.

You want a man who will be kind and attentive to you, and appreciate your orderly ways. He doesn't have to be the handsomest, but he has to be clean and reliable. You can have a sensible life, doing things the right way.

Moon in Virgo Man: You want a regular life. You enjoy being just a normal man, with no pretensions. You’re conscientious to a fault because at an early age you were taught that it’s vital to be useful in this world. “Actions speak louder than words” is your motto. Your intelligence is your only point of pride, but you’re modest even about that. Your mind is exacting, and you’ve got an eye for detail and a talent for simplicity. Nothing fancy, just fine work of all kinds - whatever is beautifully crafted, whether it’s an annual report or a piece of handmade furniture. Your efficiency causes you to end up doing the little things others ignore or overlook. Most of the time you don’t mind that your work goes unnoticed, but when you get peeved you become supercritical, picking at those close to you. Still, you never ask anything of anyone else that you don’t ask of yourself.

Taking care of other people comes naturally to you, but you tend to pay little attention to your own needs unless you get really sick. You really appreciate it when someone cares about your health, asks you how you are, or urges you to take vitamins. You also like to have your thoroughness and your skills recognized as valuable qualities.

You’re analytical, down to the last inch, always trying to make sense of what’s going on around you. Order is very important to you, and you’ll do what you can to attain it, even if it’s only making lists of what needs to be bought or done. Your search for perfection can make you get uptight and rigid at times, and you often punish yourself for not being a better person.

Your mother was dutiful and efficient and ran an organized home intelligently. She was helpful and kind to others and generally attentive and caring at home. But she could nitpick you to death or be manipulative, saying one thing while meaning another, a classic giver of double messages. Of course, she often wasn’t aware of what she was doing. But the message always was: if you were only perfect, things would be fine for everyone.

You like sensible, productive women and don’t mind if they are shy or plain. Capability counts and you appreciate a clean, simple style. It’s what’s underneath that counts.

See also: Moon in Virgo

Moon in Virgo: Deepak Chopra, Madonna Ciccone, Ty Cobb, Sean Connery, Georges Gurdjieff, William Randolph Hearst, Dustin Hoffman, L.Ron Hubbard, John F. Kennedy, Donovan Leitch, Terence McKenna, Shirley McLaine, Jack Nicholson, Dolly Parton, Robert Redford, Brian Wilson, BobG, Doug, Dunja, Jeff, Johanna, Jude, LucJr, MFor, Olof, Pankaj, ScottS, Sky, Tara, Victoria, VinCal, Yarrow