The Plight of the Virgo

I'm a What?

When I was two years old my aunt gave me a stuffed lion. He quickly became my favourite toy and I took him everywhere (I named him Daniel, that's a whole other story). That lion led to more lions and was the start of a collector's obsession. I was ten years old when Disney released the Lion King in 1994 - my fate was sealed. It was lion everything after that.

I first heard about astrology in my early teens. My friends had gotten their hands on a Cosmo and we were reading our horoscopes. "Your birthday's in August, so that makes you a Leo!" one friend said to me. A Leo, I thought to myself, that's just perfect! That explains so much! "Oh wait... your birthday is August 27th, that means that you're actually a Virgo," she adds. "What's a Virgo?" I ask, I am already unhappy to have Leo taken away so abruptly, can it get worse? "Oh. My. God. Virgo's a virgin! You're a virgin!!" hysterical teenage girl laughter rings out as I turn bright red and try to implode from embarrassment.

Great. So not only am I not a Leo, the triumphant, magnificent, amazing lion sign, but I am instead a Virgo, the beautiful, nubile virgin. That's not going to make a good tattoo.

Could I be a Leo?

If we go straight to the source, horoscope.com, a Leo is dramatic, outgoing, fiery and self-assured. I, quite frankly, am none of those things. I would like to be, who wouldn't want to live life with more confidence and be outgoing? I have certainly tried it. I've traveled all over the world, made friends with strangers, done adrenaline-filled activities that terrified me and volunteered to coach a volleyball team. Guys. Being outgoing is simply exhausting, I don't have time to be dramatic on top of it!

If I tried to describe myself as 'fiery' anyone who has ever met me would probably pee their pants from laughing so hard. I am easy-going and even-tempered. Not that I don't get angry, just that if I do it's because it's taken a lot for me to get to that point. The same goes for any extreme emotion. As a child, I would politely tell people 'thank you' when I received a gift. I have so many memories of my mother telling me to act more excited - I was excited, and happy, and I said thank you, but I didn't jump up and down and bounce off the walls. So no, fiery is just not me.

Am I a Typical Virgo?

Back to horoscope.com, Virgo's traits are practical, loyal, gentle and analytical. As much as I might hate to admit it, these traits are a lot more in line with my own personality. I am the kind of person who uses spreadsheets for everything, from meal planning and budgets, to summer holidays and pregnancies (yes, I had a spreadsheet for that. My husband and I do not talk about that one). If there is a more efficient way to do something, I will find it. One of the highlights of my 2020 was creating a garbage/recycling/compost area in the house that significantly reduced our household waste. Oh and did I mention that I'm an engineer? I think I have the practical and analytical traits covered.

What about loyal and gentle? These ones are trickier, I certainly want them to be a part of who I am, but I don't know if it's fair to say that they are core personality traits. I am not at all cruel and I make it a personal mission not to gossip about anyone. When it comes to loyalty, if you are part of my inner-circle, you can bet that you will be fiercely protected! I am certainly gentle when it comes to animals. My early years were spent on a farm, I tamed many a wild barn kitten in my day and cared for livestock and pets. The loyal and gentle traits are certainly aspects of a personality that I can strive towards.

What Now?

Did an accident of birth really change me from being a fiery, outgoing Leo into an analytical Virgo? If I had been born five days earlier, I would be a Leo. Would that really have been enough for me to be a wholly different person? Maybe! All I know for certain is that I read both the Leo and Virgo horoscopes because I'm still envious of the Leos out there. Oh, and I went ahead and got a lioness tattoo, regardless of my Zodiac plight!