Sun Sign Secrets (15 page)

The Virgo Personality Expressed Negatively

Virgos who are unable to stop themselves from worrying about everyone and everything display the self-limiting tendency of their sign. They can get so bogged down attending to unimportant details that they miss the big picture. While they may express criticism with the best of intentions, this action can get them into trouble (and when their criticism is expressed with less-than-noble intentions, the ensuing trouble is that much greater).

Negative Traits

Virgos displaying the negative characteristics associated with their sign also tend to be:

• cranky and irritable
  
• dogmatic and harshly critical
  
• untidy
  
• hypochondriacal
  
• nervous and worried
  
• prudish
  
• overly demanding
  
• undemonstrative
  

Ask a Virgo If...

Ask a Virgo if you want to know the latest news and gossip, or if you want to know where to find the best of the best, from restaurants to theater. The importance that Virgos place on perfection leads them to seek out the crème de la crème in all sorts of areas in life. Their taste in all things is legendary, and if they are not artists or craftspeople themselves, they make good, though sometimes harsh, critics.

Virgos As Friends

Some of the best qualities possessed by Virgos are kindness, honesty, and a strong sense of responsibility. So it's not surprising that they tend to make great friends. And they can be extremely helpful friends to have, as Virgos need the opportunity to be useful to others and are at their best if they are allowed to take charge of as many apparently mundane matters as you can throw at them.

When it comes to making friends, Virgos are usually drawn to people who are tidy, clean, and intelligent. What's more, they tend to appreciate those who have a broad range of interests. Virgos tend to stay away from individuals given to big shows of emotion, preferring instead to spend time with those who offer a sense of peace and serenity.

Looking for Love

Virgos' quest for perfection extends to their love lives as well. The typical Virgo not only wants her partner to be perfect, but sets this benchmark for the way in which they get together, too. This can lead to wonderful, romantic interludes with fascinating people, but it can also lead to endless lonely nights if Virgos allow their impossibly high standards to prevent them from getting to know someone. Indeed, Virgos tend to be extremely picky about whom they get close to physically and emotionally. It is common to find a Virgo spending long periods without a love interest, but then suddenly moving in with someone who has passed all the tests she can throw at him.

Setting a high mark for others, however, is not the biggest obstacle Virgos face in finding a soul mate, nor is a fear of intimacy. Rather, the biggest stumbling block on Virgo's path to true love is the fear that once she has let a love interest get close, that person will discover that she is not perfect and will ultimately leave.

The way for a Virgo to keep a romantic relationship on track is not only to be aware of this tendency in herself, but to share it with a potential partner if it starts to become a problem. The good news is that this particular worry of Virgos is often found to be quite endearing by those who fall in love with them.

Finding That Special Someone

As Virgos tend to be discriminating, displaying a fine artistic taste and a wealth of knowledge on many subjects, museums, lectures, classes, food or wine tastings, galleries, concerts, and even libraries are the kinds of venues where Virgos can be at their best and ready to meet others.

First Dates

Virgos love pageantry. What's more, they delight in companions who share this love of fanfare. An ideal night out might involve tickets to the opera, with dinner at a restaurant known for its decor as well as its menu. Virgos like tasting-size portions and are usually delighted to order a number of small dishes so that a variety of intriguing delicacies may be sampled. After the evening is over, a Virgo remembers every costume and set change in the opera and is happy to recount them—as well as what she and her date wore, said, and did (and why)—in detail to friends.

Virgo in Love

Virgo is the most practical romantic in the zodiac. He is shy and slow to love because self-doubt and low self-esteem make him resistant to believing that someone could love him—even when that person genuinely thinks he's the best thing she's ever encountered. Though logical and analytical, a Virgo is not interested in anything less than the kind of true love found in fairy tales. When he falls in love, he will love intensely.

Undying Love

Forget one-night stands—they are all too often highly forgettable. Virgos are better off looking for a life of quality and meaning spent with a person to whom they are proud to be both a soul mate and a helpmate. Once they find love, their feelings will grow warmly and steadily, along with their devotion to their partner. What's more, having finally decided that a person is worthy of their affections, Virgos, characteristically shy and gentle, can demonstrate an almost volcanic passion that can become a central force in their formerly all-work-and-no-play lives.

Expectations in Love

Virgos expect the same 100 percent level of devotion from a committed partner that they themselves are always striving to give. But not everyone is capable of demonstrating such devotion, so Virgos can become disappointed in their partners for not reciprocating at an equal level and, as a result, can start to question the imbalance in the relationship. However, once Virgos accept that this is simply the way things are—that they are able to give much more than others can—they can return to giving 100 percent without reservation.

Virgos have a highly developed sense of decency and loyalty that they expect their partners to respect and emulate. Most are so committed to doing right by their partners that they are highly resistant to the charms of others and will never stray.

Virgos expect to be fussed over by their partners when they are feeling down. They also expect their personal matters, especially their faults and failings, to be kept private. Last but not least, they expect their feelings to be handled with tender loving care.

What Virgos Look For

Virgos are not looking for someone to cater to their every whim, nor are they likely to be dazzled by sexy makeup and clothes. Obvious good looks are not what attracts them to a potential partner; rather, it's what lies beneath the surface that matters to them. They appreciate a stellar person whose invaluable, wonderful qualities may be known only by them. This can sometimes lead friends and family to be confounded by their choice of partners.

If Virgos Only Knew...

If Virgos only knew the high regard others hold them in, they would realize that, as imperfect as they consider themselves to be, they're a lot closer to perfection than the rest of us! Those lucky enough to have a Virgo love interest are usually those seeking the best that life has to offer, which is why it is not unusual for two Virgos to get together; such a union is a unique experience for the rest of the world to observe, but it's not that unusual an occurrence.

Marriage

True to their analytical nature, Virgos approach a marriage proposal with great caution, weighing the pros and cons thoroughly before popping the question or giving an answer. While this behavior may sound cold and clinical, Virgos approach important life decisions in a methodical, thoughtful manner.

Those involved with a Virgo cannot expect a miraculous transformation after engagement or marriage. If anything, once Virgos are comfortable and secure in a relationship, they make an even greater effort to be perfect—as a tribute to their love.

A Virgo marriage ceremony will be either an affair worthy of magazine coverage or an elopement—nothing in between. Either every last detail will be made as perfect as possible or the pageantry will be dispensed with entirely, thereby saving the sanity of both parties.

Virgo's Opposite Sign

Pisces is the opposite sign of Virgo. A relationship between Virgo and Pisces can be difficult, but there are certain things that Virgo can learn from Pisces. Pisces can teach Virgo to accept help from another individual instead of giving all the time. Pisces can also show Virgo how to relax that inner critical voice a little and flow with the tide, giving her imagination a chance to develop. In this way, Virgo can begin to accept human imperfections, especially her own.

Pairing up

In general, if people display the characteristics typical of their sign, intimate relationships between a Virgo and another individual can be described as follows:

If Things Don't Work out

Virgos are typically loyal and will avoid ending a marriage or other permanent relationship whenever possible. However, in the long run, Virgos are sensible, practical people. If Virgo's sense of fair play has been outraged, he will make a quick and final break. Since a Virgo usually has good self-discipline, the past is soon put aside in favor of moving on to a new chapter.

Virgo at Work

A whole book could be written just about Virgos and work because they love it and are so good at it. Even the most career-oriented Virgo takes it one job at a time, a trait that gets her noticed by superiors as the go-to person in every situation. Unfortunately, this characteristic sometimes makes it hard for Virgos to advance to better jobs because they are seen as being essential to the job they already have. Their tendency to be humble often adds to this drag on their career and must be addressed, especially if the goal is to climb the corporate ladder.

Virgos' shrewd use of logic and incisive understanding, coupled with their ability to communicate their insights well, makes them essential to the success of enterprises large and small. They are the soul of efficiency and can analyze any system, laying bare its strengths and weaknesses and allowing a better system to be created. Their strength of character will not let them leave a project before it is finished, so if you ask them for help, let them help and don't expect them to stop until they think the job is finished.

To most Virgos, career plans and the expansion of existing projects are not as interesting as the details of everything they are already committed to. Virgos believe that every little job that they're involved with is equally important to their overall career. Although others might be able to get away with ignoring such matters, it is important for Virgos to pay special attention to pleasantries and minor rules and regulations. It is also important that they pay close attention to the precise meanings of words used in speech and writing, as well as the interpretation of policies.

Typical Occupations

A Virgo is well suited for any occupation that enables him to give service and handle complicated or difficult details. Health care, chemistry, pharmacology, engineering, accounting, programming, and architecture come to mind immediately, but there are many other careers where Virgo's precise manner and keen eye can come in handy. Quality control is a field where the sign's skill set can be put to especially good use. And arts that require masterful eye-hand coordination will provide much pleasure.

Really, Virgos can excel at virtually any pursuit they put their mind to, as long as it involves creative analysis rather than long-term business goals. The best type of job for Virgos involves breaking things down into their component parts and analyzing them.

Behavior and Abilities at Work

In the workplace, a typical Virgo:

• keeps everyone focused on details
  
• helps people in trouble or who ask for assistance
  
• displays meticulousness and self-discipline
  
• gives others a sense of stability
  
• enjoys complicated, routine tasks
  

Virgo As Employer

A typical Virgo boss:

• practices full disclosure
  
• demonstrates good manners
  
• remembers everything
  
• expects fairness from others
  
• expects good grooming and good habits
  
• handles complicated projects with aplomb
  
• rewards good work with pay, not perks
  
• leads by consensus