Have you ever known someone who is never satisfied with what they’ve accomplished?  Perhaps you’ve heard them muttering self-deprecating comments or worse yet speak critically about anything anyone does.  Chances are this person has Virgo prominent in their chart (Sun, Moon, Ascendant or Midheaven).

What is this urge for perfection that seems to be indicative of Virgoan energy?

First, let me say that we all have the sign Virgo somewhere in our chart, even if not prominent.  That means in some area of your life you may resonate with an urge for perfection and a feeling that things are never quite right.

Now, I don’t want to make it sound like there’s anything wrong with seeking perfection.  Quite the contrary!  It is a noble cause and at essence a divine urge, but if you think that perfection is a destination you must reach, you are in for daily, perhaps hourly disappointment.  

Virgo, “the Virgin,” holds the search for perfection as their highest calling and it informs the way they see the world.  Ruled by the planet Mercury, they have very analytical minds and a practical ability to organize efficiently the area of life is represented by the place where Virgo falls in their chart.  In fact, the 6^th house of work, health, and daily routines is the natural house ruled by Virgo.

The tension of the urge for perfection and the actual results of only incremental improvements is the space where true service is born.  For Virgos are wonderful at rolling up their sleeves and doing whatever is needed in any situation.  They can be found in the 10 percent of any organization that are doing all the work.  But don’t expect to find them blowing their own horns…that would be a Leo.

The truth is the Virgoan urge for perfection is one aspect of the search for union with the Divine.  The polar opposite sign of Pisces, ruled by Neptune, is the other end.  Together they move humanity forward through service to one another. Virgo’s service is practical and grounded.  Pisces’ service is more conceptual – to elevate those too grounded and mired in the material world, offering a taste of the wholeness and eternity of the Divine.

So dear Virgos, forge on in your search for perfection, but don’t despair, for just noticing an improvement today over yesterday is a sign you’ve managed you imperfect life perfectly.  Those who love Virgos would do well to remind them this is so.

The astrological community is all a buzz and a bit upended!  On July 29, NASA announced that “a planet larger than Pluto has been discovered in the outlying regions of the solar system.”  The possibility of a 10^th planet has been rumored for years by astrologers and now astronomers have found it!

How and when was it discovered?  Given the temporary name of 2003 UB313, the new planet was actually photographed in October 2004 by the Samuel Oschin telescope at Palomar Observatory near San Diego, CA.  But since it is 9 million miles from the Sun (3 times Pluto’s and 97 times the Earth’s distance from the Sun), its movement was not apparent at first.  Three astronomers (Brown, Truijillo & Rabinowitz), going over the film on January 8, 2005, made the discovery.  According to the AP story, the briefing announcement “was hastily arranged after a secure website containing the discovery was hacked and the hacker threatened to release the information.” (Hum? I wonder what significance that might hold for the planet’s meaning?)

Planet 2003 UB313, a rocky, icy body currently in the Cetus constellation at about 21 Aries, is located in a high angle off the ecliptic.  Most of the planets circulate within a narrow band of 23 degrees latitude above or below the ecliptic, but this one, like Pluto, has an eccentric orbit, which is estimated to take about 557 years.

It will take astronomers at least six months to determine its exact size, but it definitely appears to be bigger than Pluto.

Some of you may be wondering about recently discovered bodies that have been named Varuna, Quaoar and Sedna.  None of these exceed Pluto’s size and are, therefore, not accepted as planets.

What does this discovery mean to astrologers and astrology?  Well, it will take some time for a consensus to be reached as to its meaning and significance.  Pluto, discovered in 1930, was rarely used by most astrologers until the 1950s or even 1960s.

The three outer planets were all discovered at significant times in human history.  Each heralded an evolutionary shift in consciousness and was representative of the same.  Planet 2003 UB313 is surely a sign of new awareness dawning on the Earth.

As for the name, convention allows the discoverer(s) to submit a name to the International Astronomical Union for approval.  We will have to await their decision.  Rumor has it will carry a feminine name – Xena the TV-based female warrior or Lila of Hindu fame have been mentioned.

For now, I am heartened that the synchronicity of this discovery indicates new possibilities for human awareness.