Virgo and the Astrology of Virginity
Virgin goddess asteroids and the meaning of virginity
On September 9, the new moon arrived in Virgo—the symbol of the woman and derived from the word virgin. While modern thinking classifies “virginity” as about sexual experience and, specifically, valuing chastity in women, this common definition has strayed far from the word’s original meaning.
Virgo comes from Latin meaning “unwedded girl, maiden.” It wasn’t until around 1300 that it was used to denote a lack of sexual experience or imply chastity. In Greek translations, the word virgin meant “one unto herself.” Similar to many words in English, the original meaning became lost as Western culture became more patriarchal in nature.
With this evolution of language in mind, virginity actually means freedom, self-sufficiency, and wholeness. One of my favorite authors, Nancy Qualls-Corbett goes on to say a virgin is “untouched by man, or … the laws of man.” In this way, virginity is not something that a person could “take” or “give away.” Virginity instead belongs to each of us as an expression of wholeness and divinity and the stories of the virgin goddesses remind us of the power of our own sovereignty.
In Greek and Roman traditions there were often three main virgin goddesses: Vesta/Hestia, Minerva/Athena, and…
