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Take more pride in what you do.
By Lexie Marshall — Written on Aug 23, 2019
On August 23rd, the Sun moves into Virgo. What does this mean? Well, it means a few things for our zodiac signs and love horoscopes.
The Sun in Virgo means that a good portion of you might try, and likely fail, to get your Virgo friends and family to take a well deserved break for themselves on their birthdays. It also means that our center stage star, which governs the ego, character, will and personality, will be spending the next few weeks in the analytical, practical, cerebral Mercury-ruled sign of Virgo.
The tarot card that relates to this placement is the Eight of Pentacles. In traditional tarot, this card shows a guy hard at work crafting a pentacle. He's on a bench, focused on his work, and there are seven other completed pentacles near him.
It's clear they're all part of a bigger project. He's been at this for a while, and he's not looking up anytime soon. He has to get each detail perfect.
This card is known as the Lord of Prudence. Prudence means caution and diligence, which this position of Sun in Virgo has in spades. It knows what needs to be done, and decides between what is useful and useless.
Other things this position is known for? Being nit-picky, nagging, over-analyzing, nervous and criticizing. And since the Sun governs the will, all that criticizing and freaking out will not only be turned outward, but also inward.
You know how we're our own worst critics? It's going to get a bit worse during these next few weeks.
The fun time of summer is coming to an end, bringing more work for us to do. The party that was the Sun in Leo is over, and now it's time to pick up the plastic cups and put the furniture back in place. This is the time we get our crap together.
The Eight of Pentacles, when it comes up, asks that we pay attention to detail and focus on the matter at hand. And it's actually quite a comfortable place to be.
During this time, we're going to feel our best when we're actually doing something. Lazing around when there's things that need to be done isn't an option now. Okay, well, it still is an option, it's just that it's not a good one, even less than it usually is.
Since this is the time of prudence, this is when work comes to the forefront. And this isn't just manual work, but mental. Our minds aren't going to be lax. The back to school bug is going to hit hard. And for those of us not in school, we're still going to put our brains to work.
Whether it's for school, or career, or just for fun, the result is the same. But it's not just focusing on work and learning for it's own sake. Yes, the money, if that's where it leads, is nice. However, since the Sun is involved, it's more about work for our own sense of gratification. We're going to take more pride in what we do.
What does this have to do with relationships? Well, that's coming right up.
The ego here is highlighted by what we can do and how well we can do it. Remember, Virgo is a Mercury-ruled sign, so a lot of thought and learning will go into this. Bu, as this Mercurial energy is roped in by the practicality of Earth, it brings a purposeful focus to learn everything it can about a subject of interest, not just enough to fake it till it makes it. That includes new and interesting people who may come into our lives.
The downside? This focus can become tunnel vision, and we may end up getting so bogged down that we either neglect the people around us, or just get downright crabby (that's the nice way to put it) if they are not on our level. That's not the way to go, even if it is natural.
What we can do is use this focus and attention to detail to offer help when needed, and know when to back out of a situation that's either beyond our abilities or that's just not good for us.
When it comes to relationships, a great deal on how another person sees us impacts the ego. As far as new romance goes, this is time where we find ourselves diving in hardcore to learn more about the person of interest.
And one of the best things? As this is a time for prudence, this is when we are actually able to better discern if a person is good for us or not.
In more long-term relationships, that gets a bit more tricky. Why? Because we feel invested. And things involving earthy energy are harder to let go of once there's an actual feeling of investment. Even if letting go of it is the best thing for us.
This is when the message of the Eight of Pentacles comes in handy: apply prudence. If something feels off, don't ignore it. Methodically handle the situation. Sun in Virgo, while having the gift (or curse, depending on who you talk to) of telling it like it is, tends to hold back in certain areas. That cautiousness is often necessary, but sometimes it ends up being a blockage against doing what is needed.
On a lighter note, this time makes for a quiet devotion in romantic areas. No, not loud declarations of undying love, but a more thoughtful type of devotion. It'll come in the form of breakfast in bed, or offering to cook (or order in) when you're too bogged with work, or vice versa.
True, the loving words take a mild break, but consider it's being replaced with genuine care, so it's not all bad. Just try not to go overboard.
Lexie Marshall is a writer, tarot reader and environmentalist. When she's not writing, turning cards or trying to save the world, she's normally found buried in a book.