The word for Zodiac comes from the ancient Greek, zōidion, meaning – loosely – ‘sign’. *
For the Ancients, when a planetary angels (like the Sun or Jupiter, or any of the other planets) travelled through different areas of the Zodiac, it was a sign in the most divinatory sense: a sign of the mood of the gods, which dictated how events were likely to transpire.
But planets moving through the images of the Zodiac (image of the Ram, image of the Crab, image of the Twins and so on) was also a sign in the literal sense, because the movement of the planets through different points in the sky was tightly bound to the movements of the Sun through the equinoxes and solstices.
For instance, in the Tropical Zodiac Aries season always begins on the Spring Equinox, while Capricorn always begins on the Winter Solstice.
The word Virgo (and indeed all the names of the Zodiac we use in English) derive from Latin translations of Greek terms. Virgo is the Latin word for ‘virgin’, from the Greek parthenos, meaning ‘maiden’.
Today the Sun, life giver, and holy spirit, enters the Sign of the Maiden, and brings all of us with Him. We are all in the sign of the Maiden together, she becomes the air we breathe and the color of the light. We dwell in her perfume.
Incidentally, those of you who have been to Athens may have visited the Parthenōn, the temple of Athena, goddess of wisdom and craft.
Parthenōn means: “literally ‘temple of the virgin goddess’ (Athene), but also can be used in a general sense to mean ‘the young women’s apartments in a house.’” (Etymology Dictionary Online)
Virgo’s connection with the virgin (originally meaning ‘unmarried’) goddess Athena is obvious, but another myth with astrological importance is the story of Persephone’s descent and rebirth from the underworld.
Since Tropical (Western) astrology weaves tightly together with the changing of the seasons, Persephone’s descent and her mother Demeter’s grief provide one mythological explanation for the barren winter months.
Virgo season, coming at the beginning of the harvest, represents Persephone as maiden. Libra season is her passage into the underworld. Scorpio season marks the moment when Persephone, maiden no longer, becomes wife of Hades and Queen of the dead.
a ‘sign’ of the coming autumn equinox
a ‘sign’ the harvest (for the ancients) was beginning to take place
a ‘sign’ we collectively are in the maiden’s apartments
a ‘sign’ that the maiden is soon to go on her voyage into the underworld, though she doesn’t know it yet
In his brilliant book, Wisdom Sits in Places, author Keith Basso describes how place names in the Athabaskan language help contemporary Apache communities understand how the land has changed over thousands of years.
The Apache’s ancestors named places to help future descendants understand their significance. So, if a place named Deep Pools of Water is now rocky and barren, it lets the community know a cataclysm has taken place but also reminds them of the need for and possibility of healing.
By attending to the astrological seasons, we are doing more than amusing ourselves with predictions about possible job interviews or hot dates.
My intention is that the Virgo Season Witch Guide below help you put these aspirations into practice through ritual, divination, creativity, and somatic embodiment.
*If you’d like to read more about the history of Hellenistic Astrology, check out Chris Brennan’s comprehensive and scholarly text, “Hellenistic Astrology: The Study of Fate and Fortune.”
… rituals and inspiration to help you cultivate craftsmanship and empowering our inner teenager (because it is often in our teenage years that we unconsciously decide what kind of life is possible for us to achieve).
A guide for working with your Book of Shadows
Journal Prompts for the season
A tarot guide for finding your path
Altar suggestions
Herb and Stone guide
A creativity practice for developing strong technique
and more!
The Virgo Season Witch Guide is available to all members of Mystery Cult – a gathering space where we practice ritual, seasonal magic, spiritual ecology, and collective care together.
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