Starry Maiden

It is very fitting that I started this series about combining Astrology and the Tarot for use in character development with Libra and am now ending it with Virgo. 

Long ago when astrology was in its infant stages, the portion of the zodiac now ascribed to Libra was Virgo/Scorpio territory. Libra was a late comer whose scales of justice were carved out of the claws of the Scorpion which became the top of Libra's scale.

But let’s begin with the gods and goddesses of ancient Greece. There were two goddesses of justice, Themis and her daughter Dike (Astraea at left). 

Themis was one of the Titans, a nature deity born of sky god Uranus and Ge. She was the goddess of divine justice. And was advisor to Zeus (Jupiter) after he purged the old pantheon.

Themis mated with Zeus to produce their daughter, Dike (Astrea) who became the goddess of mundane justice. Both Themis and Dike were portrayed with a sword, but only Themis was blindfolded and carried the scales of divine justice. (See Justice card which is tied to Libra)

"Dike was one of the Horae, the plural of the Greek word for “hour” and origin of the word horoscope, which means “the marker of the hour.” The Greeks worshipped the Horae goddesses as the hours of the seasons of the year. The Horae were wardens of the skies and guardians of the gates of heaven. They also cared for, yoked and unyoked the horses that drew the chariots of the gods. It was the Horae who welcomed, tended to and adorned Venus/Aphrodite at her birth." Star IQ

Dike (or Astraea, meaning starry maiden) was depicted as a virgin crowned with ears of grain and carrying a scale to weigh her grain. (See Empress card and note the stars in her crown) She is the innocent goddess of mortal justice who advised her father Zeus of the wickedness in the hearts of men and destroyed the wrongdoers (Note the lightening bolts in her hands in the Greek picture above). The Empress's sign, Virgo, came just before Scorpio in the heavens—until Libra was inserted between them and now The Empress represents Libra.

Virgo has a strong sense of responsibility to others and is represented by the Hermit card of the Tarot. The Hermit carries a lantern to light his way and all who follow. He represents an introspective, solitary journey to explore unknown and neglected parts of the self and to help others with their search for meaning.

A rational thinker, Virgo has a strong aptitude towards detail, is dependable and feels a responsibility to those who rely on him. He/she is your detail man/woman; hard-working, attentive, often meticulous and can be quite industrious with an active imagination.

Virgos often have an uncanny ability to tap into their intuition—the light that the Hermit carries in his lantern; an inner guiding light.

Virgo weakness can occur if she is overly cautious and distrusting of others (picture Dike sitting next to Zeus, telling him of the dark heart of man). Virgo needs to guard against obsessive thinking, of choosing ignorance over enlightenment and by being ruled by fear. This will isolate her and she will truly become the Hermit but without the lantern to guide her.

When using Virgo as a template for character, she can be challenged by her fears and the machinations of her own mind—creating isolation and a distrusting nature. She can be the fussy worrier or the overly critical and harsh perfectionist.

Or 

She can learn patience and acceptance of others, using her light to uplift others. Will her imagination pick out the fearful details that will derail her life or will she overcome obstacles using her intuition to guide her through her dark times? She might be modest and shy, meticulous and reliable, practical and diligent or intelligent and analytical. 

These are the seeds for your Virgo character and possible story challenges.

There are many other attributes for Virgo and a good source to find out more is Astrology-online 

Other sources I used for this post:

Tarot Reading Psychic  

Astrology by Beverly  

Star IQ  

Aeclectic Tarot