Progressions and Mercurial Mayhem

Following the Virgo-phile post of yesterday got me thinking more about progressed charts and while engaged in less interesting tasks I have, of late been reflecting on my new progressed Ascendant. I almost heard the gears change when this happened, although at the time I never considered the changing of my progressed Ascendant from Leo to Virgo to be the culprit.

As you get older you have what is known as a progressed chart. Your natal chart is a snapshot of the universe on the day of your birth and as your chart changes and the planets and points shift positions which makes perfect sense if you think about it. So, I started off with Leo rising and now I have Virgo rising instead and this would make the ruler of my progressed chart Mercury. However, Mercury has now progressed in to Taurus which I hope will dispel some of the Piscean branching logic that seems to land me in trouble with more linear thinking types. Unfortunately this will probably not be the case and I also have some hard aspects to my progressed Mercury including an interesting Mercury Uranus opposition. But enough of hard aspects to Uranus this is all about Hermes!

I became sensitive to Mercury changing sign in such a way that I had never experienced in the past and I couldn't help think how odd this was, there was also a sudden sharp increase in my desire for Mercurial pastimes and activities, again this was odd.

Curiously I noticed that in addition to an increased sensitivity to Mercury transits and I seem to be feeling more reserved and very health conscious. So, the burning question that I now need to know from as many people as possible is have they noticed a change in themselves? Have they noticed a change in others? If we take these changes and look at the corresponding charts we may well find some interesting things. I was suddenly able to account for strange things that had been afoot and changes within myself including a sudden new found affinity with the movements of Mercury. It was all in the progressed chart and it all made perfect sense.

If you would like to find out your progressed Ascendant you can go to Astrodienst.com and simply select the progressed chart from the dropdown menu in their extended chart selection section.

In Praise of Virgo

Perhaps it's the focus on health that I have been through so far this year and tehy fact that recently my progressed ascendant moved in to the sign of Virgo that makes me want to sing the praises of this understatedly beautiful gem of a sign. Or perhaps it's the fact that a good Virgoan friend of mine is coming to visit next Monday. Maybe it is this comment left by an online friend of mine on my blog during my period of illness.

"Hi Bex,

I have Venus in Virgo, I always used to have bad comments about that, such as being uptight etc

Your words described me perfectly!! Yes, I am a nutter with a crazy sense of humour, which most people don't get!"

This just about sums Virgo up, this lady knows that I have been rather poorly recently (thankfully I am now fixed) and took the time to show she cared by leaving a comment on my blog. Despite a reputation for being highly critical and nit-picking Virgo is a deeply caring sign, to get a better handle on this it is worth considering the fact that it's opposite polarity is Pisces.

Whereas Pisces hates to hurt your feelings and could be accused of being a woolley-minded people-pleasing liberal at times (I am willing to testify to that with my Pisces Sun!), Virgo is guilty of no such crime and will be happy to tell you when you are heading off in to dodgy territory as this is a wonderfully practical earth sign. Virgo along side Pisces is a sign of service and they are great at doing little things to cheer you up and to let you know that they care when you're down in the dumps.

There is nothing superficial about Virgo, this sign is also a sign of abundance, lest we forget the time of year at which this sign falls; the harvest, the virgin is fertile and full of the fruits of the Earth. The sign is resplendent with sincerity, compassion and a perfectionism that in its highest expression is an overwhelming desire for the highest good. They won't just tell you what they think you want to hear, they have far too much integrity for that sort of malarky and anyhow, my mate Niki (one of my favourite Virgo's) would consider such triteness to be a complete nonsense and a waste of time as she is always busy working hard and doing far more important and real things than that.

It is also worth remembering when thinking about Virgo that there is a light hearted and Mercurial aspect (Mercury being the ruling planet of course) that adds a sharp and keen intellect. My Grandfather was a Virgo Sun and a very successful electrical/mechanical draughtsman, he devoured all sorts of puzzles and had a brilliant, ever so quirky sense of humour and most of all, I remember him as being a man who had a genuinely lovely, kind and placid nature despite coming from a very poor area in the Black-Country and having a very hard start in life.

Before I go, I will mention another Virgo who is very special to me; Niki, once again, she blends a good humoured, kind nature and quick Mercurial Virgo wit. This lady has a Scorpio Ascendant and a powerful Pluto, so she can be quite formidable and will not suffer fools gladly. However, she has the customary good nature and easy going down to earth quality that is the hall mark of this sign. Yes I did say easy going, and yes I did say Virgo? Well, yes, I actually find that these folk are easy to get along with, but maybe that's because I have a Pisces Sun and I love my opposite sign.