Sister Signs: the Scorpion and the Virgin

Have you ever wondered why Scorpios and Virgos are so inclined towards one another? In fact, it is nearly impossible to find a Scorpio who does not have one important Virgo in their life and vice versa. It is no surprise that many astute astrologers are mystified by the similarities found between both Virgo and Scorpio. Indeed, many have argued that this combination may be one of the best pairings in the zodiac, where both signs bear a sympathetic view of how the other sees the world to be.

Separated by the allegedly ‘balanced’ sign of the zodiac, Libra, the sister signs were once one prior to the conception of the 12-sign zodiac. Traditionally viewed as the symbol of ‘balance’, Libra separates the Virgin and the Scorpion by balancing the poles of ‘modern’ morality. Scorpio, the sign that bears the symbolic weight of immorality in Western society, that of sexuality, darkness, and defilement goes ‘underground’ to get to the bottom of all things. If you are a bull-shitter stay far, far away from a Scorpio because they can spot one from a mile away. The Virgin spots bull-shit through a different process but, nonetheless, are kin of the Scorpio in that they get the same ‘gut’ feelings that Scorpio is accustomed to.

As an Earth sign, the Virgin is most in tune with reality and matters that pertain to earthly endeavors. Where the Scorpion lives on the elemental realm of Water, where emotions and intuitions rule, the Virgin’s energy is harnessed towards that of truth and self-sacrifice, self-improvement and the improvement of others. Like their sign exhibits, the tail is turned inwards, and is illuminating of how the Virgin’s energy is revealed (located in the 2^nd quadrant).

Virgo's symbol

The scorpion’s symbol is an almost identical letter ‘M’ with the tail pointing outwards, revealing that their energy is to be emitted outside of the ‘self’ and onto others (located in the 3^rd quadrant of the zodiac).

Scorpio's Symbol

As ‘M’ is the 13^th letter of the alphabet, numerology and tarot convey that Scorpio is the ruler of ‘Death’, while the silent counterpart of death is that of re-birth. Death depends upon birth, demonstrating that Scorpio accounts for both sides of the coin.

Scorpios main abilities stem from being transformers. Death and rebirth are not foreign processes to the Scorpion. While the Scorpion openly transforms in front of others in a more aggressive manner, the Virgin does so internally. The Virgin is silently at battle with oneself as she/he attempts to continually ‘become’ better than their old self through processes of introspection. Scorpio’s transformations leave those closest to them affected and changed forever, while the Virgin’s transformations are internal and can be unnoticed by those who are not particularly attuned to the feelings and body language of others, but are nonetheless important for the universe’s energy fields as a whole.

The Virgin keeps its sexual energy pointed inwards and therefore supports the cliché that they are the asexual sign of the zodiac. Scorpios extended tail highlights the extent to which its sexual energy is exuded outwards and is an important factor illustrating that Scorpio’s power stems from sexual energy.

In line with Indian philosophy, both Virgos and Scorpios are most in tune with tamasic energy, which is considered the most ‘dense’ or ‘heavy’ energy. Quickly, there are two other energy forces that radiate through the zodiac. First, those that are most in tune with rajasic energy, are those who gain pleasure from outside objects and experiences and are considered to be most egocentric and assertive (aries and cancer come to mind ;), and second, those who can be identified as expressing sattvic energy those who are motivated to do things that uplift people and avoid a polarized energy force. Tamasic energy, associated with the Virgin and the Scorpion, avoids pain for themselves and others, while foregoing pleasure.

So, while Libra spends a great amount of energy trying to balance and merge the polar energies between the Scorpion and the Virgin, they often find that this can be problematic for the psyche.

Traditional depiction of 'Balanced' Libra

Attempting to portray the image of a balanced and unemotional being takes its toll and one may often find Libra ‘acting’ like either a Scorpion or a Virgin, much to the Libra’s dismay. As a Libra is over taken by emotion, attributed to the Scorpion, they are most often found in corners, closets, and other enclosed, dark areas where Scorpions are found, to release this energy.

As we've seen, all three autumnal signs have unacknowledged traces of the other. While Scorpio responds to Libras rose-colored glasses with disdain and Virgo’s discriminating nature is a symptom suffered by both Libra and Scorpio, the astrological linkages are less well-known in modern astrology.

In other words, it ain’t easy to be any one of them!