Virgo 1 - 5
Conviction
|
As we come to learn what is most significant in our lives (1) we awakening to sacredness (2), feeling the presence of non-physical beings of light (3). It is by developing freedom from prejudicial mental constructs and beliefs (4) that we open up to the more subtle dimensions of reality (5).
|
Virgo 6 - 10
Adaptation
|
Finding poise amidst emotional turbulence (6), we come to an unemotional acceptance of what cannot be changed (7). Receiving instruction towards mastery (8) and boldly breaking new ground according to our own vision (9), we can rise above the need for parenting (10).
|
Virgo 11 - 15
Re-orientation
|
Seeing the truth of parental projections upon us (11), we begin unveiling the mystery of all types of intimate relationships (12). Yet also, by seeing how our parents' power impacted upon us (13), we can gain an understanding of how ancestral qualities have left their mark (14); we thus reorient ourselves and approach a more balanced sense of both positive and negative influences from generation to generation, throughout the ages (15).
|
Virgo 16 - 20
Cultivation
|
The cultivation of personality requires the rebalancing of inner primal forces (16) and the release of emotional blocks (17); from this we gain a much deeper, even mysterious, intuitive self-awareness (18). Self-mastery by eliminating personal faults (19) optimises the ability of working cooperatively towards a common goal (20)
|
Virgo 21 - 25
Responsibility
|
Putting community goals above personal ambition (21) prepares us for high-level responsibility (22) and the overcoming of prideful self-love (23). The spiritual practice of innocence (24) supports exceptional community service (25).
|
Virgo 26 - 30
Perfecting
|
Studying humility as a spiritual practice (26) is an aspect of the perfecting of self and the pursuit of excellence (27). Also, by honing the will to exceptional levels (28), and applying ourselves ardently to grasp the ancient mysteries (29), we come to reject the false and thereby discover unusual powers of concentration (30).
|
Further Commentary on Virgo
|
CHARACTERISATION - ACTION
The maturing of consciousness that characterises our spiritual path requires us to move steadily away from self-identification and embrace higher and more subtle forms of energy. We realise that there are self-aware life-forms other than humans, and we are but a small fish in the ocean of life. This process of discovery can be radically challenging and hard to take, yet we are unable to access our own higher aspects without these struggles; without the need for faith we will not develop faith. And as we open up to faith in the unseen realms, we see more of what we could not see before. CONVICTION
Virgo 1 – 5 Who we are is partly defined, and certainly contextually shaped, by our circumstances and environment; it especially includes the collective, accepted myth that determines our local reality, and attempts to limit certain behaviours with its versions of right and wrong, good and bad. We can become overly oriented towards demonstration of acceptable results, unwisely trying to establish objective, measurable evidence to prove our worth to people around us; this carries the risk of persistent anxiety. The task is to transform our conviction that we are useful to a higher, existential level of self-assurance – that we are worth our place simply by being. We all have a unique contribution to make, and offer an important ingredient towards the whole cosmic soup – but really only when we are true. We need to find a way to reconcile who we are with where we are, and be assured that, even as we fit in with the immediate surroundings that influence us, our inner sense of self is authentically maintained – and to be convinced that that is enough to be worth our salt. |
|
|
CHARACTERISATION - CULTURAL IMPLICATIONS
Though dependent upon the community and thus required to conform, we are also compelled to express our true selves. This ability, to be self-expressive without shocking others, can be taught and learned, as long as we take the initiative to dance our own dance, and yet at other times to refrain from dancing and contemplate the inner dance. We find that true originality - our very life purpose - is accessed and realised when we find a state of mind which allows for us simultaneously to know both duality and transcendence. ADAPTATION
Virgo 6 – 10 Cyclical processes are universal, so we have to meet new dawns, new moons and new situations as a matter of course. If for no other reason than simply adapting to these changes, we need a significant degree of flexibility. Additionally, the mind-set that evolves from such an approach is fluid and non-judgemental, so it tends to see both points of view – thus facilitating individual intelligence, harmony, and efficiency, and is of real benefit to the common purpose. A superabundance of opportunities exists for our joy and self-expression, and typically we need to surrender our attachment to any particular one in order to enjoy another. We gain significant advantages from being receptive to guidance, so that we learn why, how, and when to be guarded, and also when to open up. Instead of always straining to compete within a world seen as mostly punctuated by danger and scarcity, we come to understand and trust that sometimes we can offer all we have, and all we are, within a world more correctly seen as abundant, easy and safe. |
|
|
CHARACTERISATION - INDIVIDUAL IMPLICATIONS
There is an important turning-point on the seeker's journey; it is the realisation of the technique by which we create outcomes. At first in concept, and then in practice, we then understand the Game and its rules, so therefore the best strategy for us. We come to stand out amongst the confused and bothered and at times are claimed as their guide or leader. The tokens of respect, recognition and appreciation nudge us to inhabit the role of a spiritual aristocrat. RE-ORIENTATION
Virgo 11 – 15 Coming to terms with physical existence is no small achievement as, from first to last breath, we are compelled to stabilise a great many influences that push and pull us around. Still, even though some of the procedures that shaped us as children may have been intrusive, nonetheless we have gained profound benefits. The projections upon us from our parents, teachers and peers actually helped to build a steady sense of who we are, and what to do. Whether we conform or rebel, the standards that were put in place can act as guidelines, and therefore promote the possibility of aspiring towards excellence. It is both by following, and rejecting, these indicators that we grow strong and pure of motive. Inevitably some part of our heritage rubs off and is accepted as a set of true principles by which to engage with life. We may well have a desire to improve certain aspects of our family’s message; this aim not only delivers a base-line reference point for every one of our choices and responses, it also fosters a more refined quality, an allegiance to subtle, enduring, spiritual realities. |
|
|
EDUCATION - ACTION
Knowledge is within us and is brought into consciousness through our process of experiencing ourselves as we come up against others. When we are guided, then this knowledge is led out, and that is the purpose of education. True knowing occurs only as we find balance, between thinking and feeling, between doing and being, and rise above any attachment to either. This involves embracing our darker side, blowing off occasionally, learning how to seek inner guidance and how to discriminate between the profound and the false. We need to work at it with real individual effort, and yet at times put immediate self-interest on hold in order to be part of a collective shared purpose. CULTIVATION
Virgo 16 – 20 Life gives us opportunity to develop, to enjoy and to express ourselves fully in accordance with the fullest reach of our imagination – yet it does not insist that we do much more than survive. At a certain level of being, we can just function as animals do, and in fact most people also do, and provide themselves with food, shelter and a mate. However, we are also capable of the discovery of greater talents – creative passion, clever insights and extreme self-pointedness for example – and we learn that these abilities generate abundant rewards. This significantly depends upon how well we deepen our comprehension of life’s mysterious operating principles. Those who actually manage to put in the effort to cultivate skills and understanding will find that life becomes richer and more colourful, and indeed inevitably happier in the long run. So the courageous and the innocent will place themselves in harm’s way trusting that all will be well in the end, and that such apparently reckless behaviour, though it may well occasionally lead to misfortune and disenchantment, is a condition of growth. |
|
|
EDUCATION - CULTURAL IMPLICATIONS
Learning how to become a better person is central to the seeker's path, in a sense it is the outer part of our training, the proof that our spiritual practices are being properly assimilated. We need to be part of a group at times in order to touch into states of consciousness that we cannot reach alone. By doing so and exercising great strength of will we can elevate ourselves individually to an aristocratic condition and then attract both the duties and the social recognition required to fulfil them. The danger of egotism needs to be offset by a deepening of innocence and, invariably, service. The fruits of our inner work are twofold - the outer attainments may well attract glory for a while, yet the inner benefits have eternal value. RESPONSIBILITY
Virgo 21 – 25 Modesty is a spiritual mystery, understood more in the East, where the veiling of one’s power and beauty are seen to enhance them, and an excessive expression of ego is an expenditure that the prudent person prefers to limit. As we serve, so we hone our awareness. Eventually it becomes clear that there is an underlying meaning to life that makes sense of all the trials and disappointments. The ultimate self-help is best expressed as concern for something higher – in fact the highest we can conceive – because oddly we capitalise most fully and quickly upon life’s opportunities as we offer ourselves in renunciation; indeed it is thus that we master ourselves. This knowledge is somewhat counter-intuitive, at least to the underdeveloped person, and yet its discovery is something of a eureka experience; it just makes so much sense to the spiritually-evolved person. Both resoluteness and artlessness – self-proclamation and renunciation – are useful as they weave together into an almost transcendental state of grace, which paradoxically celebrates and negates ego simultaneously. |
|
|
EDUCATION - INDIVIDUAL IMPLICATIONS
In order to escape this world of lies we cannot simply choose a path of undisciplined escapism, in fact we need to reach an extremely competent attitude of being that enables us to perform rituals 'exactly so' in both the spiritual and social context. Then we become powerful, strong-willed and indifferent to collective pressure, able to dance to the music that only we can hear and become deaf to the siren-call of pleasures and habits. Though humble enough to serve we must become confident enough to lead and also detached enough to walk the first lonely steps of a pioneer. The path of finding Truth is the path of finding oneself and is at times almost impossibly demanding. PERFECTING
Virgo 26 – 30 Precision and a thorough attention to detail are aspects of perfectionism, and found useful when a task simply must be properly performed, with no margin for error, and no room for imperfection. Since most of us are somewhat uncomfortable with the unpredictability of the future, we often attempt to control events through having precise established routines, and anticipating unseen possibilities assiduously. We can, in this way, develop impressive acumen and learn how to concentrate on the matter at hand with perseverance and care. Whatever can be destroyed or tarnished is not true – because Truth is essence, beyond corruption. This also can be applied to personality – where the certainty of authentic self-identification is the prize of integrity. It can only ever be truly developed, and tested for its authenticity, when we serve. We find that, by surrendering the lesser aspects of personality through offering to care for another, we are quite able to put aside our smaller personal agenda – and then we discover the path to spiritual grace, which is the perfection of self. |
|
|
Sabian Life JourneyOur life experiences may be expressed as a journey from Aries 1 to Pisces 30. It is easier to arrive at the understanding of those experiences by a process of reflection, looking backwards rather than forward though the zodiac cycle. We can use the previous degree to answer the question - how? - rather than the following one to answer - why?
|
|
VIRGO 30 "Rejecting the false through unusual power of concentration"
How can I do that? we ask - and the response comes from VIRGO 29 "Ardent application to grasp the ancient mysteries" How can I do that? we ask - and the response comes from VIRGO 28 "Honing the will to exceptional levels" How can I do that? we ask - and the response comes from VIRGO 27 "The pursuit of excellence" How can I do that? we ask - and the response comes from VIRGO 26 "Studying humility as a spiritual practice" How can I do that? we ask - and the response comes from VIRGO 25 "Exceptional community service" How can I do that? we ask - and the response comes from VIRGO 24 "The spiritual practice of innocence" How can I do that? we ask - and the response comes from VIRGO 23 "Overcoming prideful self-love" How can I do that? we ask - and the response comes from VIRGO 22 "High-level responsibility" How can I do that? we ask - and the response comes from VIRGO 21 "Putting community goals above personal ambition" How can I do that? we ask - and the response comes from VIRGO 20 "Working cooperatively towards a common goal" How can I do that? we ask - and the response comes from VIRGO 19 "Self-mastery by eliminating personal faults" How can I do that? we ask - and the response comes from VIRGO 18 "Deep and mysterious intuitive self-awareness" How can I do that? we ask - and the response comes from VIRGO 17 "Release of emotional blocks" How can I do that? we ask - and the response comes from VIRGO 16 "Rebalancing of inner primal forces" How can I do that? we ask - and the response comes from VIRGO 15 "Wise reflection of positive and negative parental influence" How can I do that? we ask - and the response comes from VIRGO 14 "Understanding how ancestral qualities have left their mark" How can I do that? we ask - and the response comes from VIRGO 13 "Seeing how our parents' power impacted upon us" How can I do that? we ask - and the response comes from VIRGO 12 "Unveiling the mystery of all types of intimate relationships" How can I do that? we ask - and the response comes from VIRGO 11 "Seeing the truth of parental projections upon us" How can I do that? we ask - and the response comes from VIRGO 10 "Rising above the need for parenting" How can I do that? we ask - and the response comes from VIRGO 9 "Boldly breaking new ground according to our own vision" How can I do that? we ask - and the response comes from VIRGO 8 "Receiving instruction towards mastery" How can I do that? we ask - and the response comes from VIRGO 7 "Unemotional acceptance of what cannot be changed" How can I do that? we ask - and the response comes from VIRGO 6 "Finding poise amidst emotional turbulence" How can I do that? we ask - and the response comes from VIRGO 5 "Opening up to more subtle dimensions of reality" How can I do that? we ask - and the response comes from VIRGO 4 "Freedom from prejudicial mental constructs and beliefs" How can I do that? we ask - and the response comes from VIRGO 3 "Feeling the presence of non-physical beings of light" How can I do that? we ask - and the response comes from VIRGO 2 "Awakening to sacredness" How can I do that? we ask - and the response comes from VIRGO 1 "Learning what is significant on our lives" |
