stardust in our veins

Astraea, the immortal maiden who gives Virgo its symbol, was the last immortal who left the Earth at the end of the Silver Age. As such, Virgos are Earth signs. Perhaps coincidentally, I was born into the Chinese Zodiac's Earth cycle, truly cementing my connection to the Earth.

In both practices, Earth signs are ambitious and stubborn with a strong sense of duty as well as being rooted to the Earth. And perhaps it's coincidence that I too am ambitious and stubborn with a strong sense of duty and being rooted to the Earth. Or perhaps it's written in the stars.

Ruled by Mercury, the planet that encourages communication and learning, I can best be described as an eternal student. I am permanently looking for answers and crave the stimulation of education. As my boyfriend would say, I'm "one of those weird people who would go to university for life."

It may seem a bit counterintuitive for someone who craves answers to turn towards astrology for them, but I disagree. For generations, our ancestors have looked to the stars to give us answers and for generations they have found answers in the stars. In turn, stardust runs in our veins—iron is formed as a result of a supernova and much of the Earth's surface level iron is the result of asteroids bombarding our Earth. Who's to say that the stars don't have memories? Isn't it the slightest bit possible that the stardust in our veins governs our thoughts and personalities?

Understanding myself includes understanding the stars that rule me. Virgos are reliable, disciplined, and love order. They're critical but point the most criticism towards themselves. For years, I was overly critical towards myself—why couldn't I go out and have fun, just like any other young adult? I criticised my inability to simply 'let go'. Understanding that Virgos frequently struggle with these kinds of problems was as eye opening as realising that I have OCD and self-criticising my obsessive thoughts will simply lead to more obsessive thinking. Being in touch with an interpretation of the cosmos allows me a better connection to my own internal dialogue.

Just like any other identity, your zodiac sign is not a catch-all understanding of who you are. I am Chinese, and by that nature there are certain characteristics that run through most, though not all, people of Chinese descent. But where ethnicity may govern the physical characteristics in people, the stars govern the metaphysical. Being a Virgo provides an understanding of what I may tend towards—being disciplined, ordered, and reliable. Not all Virgos will share these same characteristics, but many do. That's where a lot of people are mistaken about astrology—they believe that their one disagreement with it means that none of could possibly be true.

The greatest gift the stars have given me is my connection to the Earth. By virtue of being an Earth sign, Virgos are grounded and have a spiritual connection to the Earth. Being close with nature gives me peace. I've been called a tree nymph for my love of the Earth and there is nothing more I would love than to buy a few hectares and rewild it to restore the land to the pre-industrial beauty it held. I would love to have fields of sunflower and marigold, Virgo's flower of choice. This is perhaps my most Virgo trait of all—the ambition of wanting a forest to nurture and return its sovereignty back to the land. Doing so will require all the Virgo traits: being driven to learn and inspired by beauty, having an equal balance of ambition and discipline, and following a keen sense of duty to do what's right. And perhaps this goal of mine will bring balance as well—there is a limited amount of control and order that can be found in nature. Over the course of this journey to return the land to its original state, perhaps I may even learn to relinquish my need for control and order.

The stars have guided us for generations and stardust runs in our veins. Who am I to tell them that they're wrong?