The Art of Perfect Imperfection

Most people have been exposed to magic in some form at some point in their childhood or adolescent times. You can ask just about anyone and they'll have some kind of movie, book, television show, or even singer who made them believe in something more than the world around us. Exploring what makes our hearts fill with the joy and wonder of mystical fantasy can bring wild theories, unspeakably beautiful daydreams, and most importantly, questions.

Magic and mysticism are wonderful subjects, but they do make us wonder a lot of things. Do the stars have any impact on who we are when we're born? Does the universe have bigger plans that we can somehow unravel through our own studies of behavioral patterns in relation to planetary movements? Are the answers to these questions fact or fantasy?

Let's take a deeper look into this concept.

The Sign

At a young age, I found myself enchanted by mystical concepts I found online. Futhark runes, scrying, crystal magick, candle burning, incense, Numerology, and Astrology were amongst my favorite subjects to dive into. Each thing I researched was excitable for my wondrous young self, who was on a constant internet mission to discover everything she could about her identity. Magic very much felt like part of my identity, and I needed to know anything and everything, which led me to explore more about Astrology. I read about all of the signs, and once I discovered what my star sign was, I wanted to know more. I wanted to know what I’d learn about myself and if the star sign knowledge was somehow an accurate way to predict myself based on the alignments of stars and planets in our galaxy.

The Virgo symbol itself in the stars, called the Virgin, was connected with fertility and bountiful harvest when she was recognized as a constellation. Her Earthly representation spoke to me, as I’ve always had a fondness for the Earth and the incredible power she holds over us who are privileged enough to use her for life and the pursuit of health and happiness. I’ve always respected the Earth for the unspeakably beautiful creations she has made for millions of years.

Mantra and Traits

The mantra of a Virgo is “I analyze.” The main traits associated with being a Virgo are listed as industrious, efficient, methodical, critical/picky, with a personality to serve. I’d like to examine each one of these claims for Virgos separately, so as to create a better understanding of the sign’s understanding of me. The traits are, of course, much more complex than these simple words and phrases, but I will stick with the basics for this discussion of my star sign.

I Analyze

What’s ironic is in the above paragraph, I wanted to continue to discuss the concept that I intend to analyze the commonly known traits of Virgos, so it appears already that the mantra is applicable. For the sake of examining this trait further in myself, I’d like to discuss prior experiences in my life that can attest to my self-assessment that I absolutely analyze frequently.

When I’m in public gatherings for the first time, be it with people I know or people I am unfamiliar with, I have noticed that I have a very specific habit and this habit occurs every single time I am placed in said situation. I remain quiet for the first 2-3 experiences with the new or mix of new and old people I know or am, at the very least, acquainted with. I remember my partner’s mother mentioning once that I remain very quiet at family gatherings, and she noted that I appeared to be observing. She was absolutely correct. I have to spend a couple or more times analyzing the dynamic of the social situation so, once I’m more comfortable, I know what type of slang, vocabulary, and tone to use so I feel more part of the group. For the longest time, I labeled myself as a shy person because of this reaction that I truly have no control over, but over the years I’ve noticed that it is simply my way to slowly blend into my surroundings. I must analyze everyone before I open up too much.

Industrious

This has been a wonderful adjective to use for me ever since I was a child. When I think of myself and early examples of my being industrious, I reflect back to elementary school. Whenever there was a contest, I wanted to enter it; when I was offered an additional class to take during library time for an entirely extra grade, I wanted it; when I wasn’t able to work on something, I found myself insufferably bored. My third grade teacher, because of my diligence in learning my multiplication tables quickly, had to type and print my x12 table to take home for a weekend to study because I advanced past the rest of the class too quickly. There were even times that I would slow down on my work purposely, so I could take it home and be able to enjoy the work in a different environment. I loved extra credit, writing papers, researching, and completing assignments of all types. Even if I didn’t love the subject matter, I just enjoyed the work involved.

When I entered the workforce, I remained quite shy for some years, until I was given opportunities for advancement in a retail store in my early 20s. Once the opportunities were given to me, my abilities exploded, and I grasped onto every advancement I could find and learn more about. I began as a short hour associate on minimum wage and moved up to the cash office, which opened the door for me to become a co-captain of a biannual fundraiser for non-profit organizations. Eventually, I became the captain of the event, along with obtaining a supervisor position. I was a manager who could run a cash office if someone called out, in charge of a fundraiser, processed payroll for H.R. just to help out a little extra, made schedules for departments in the store, and processed all supply orders for the entirety of the building. I suppose my work ethic was very Virgo, as I’ve also heard that Virgos tend to be overachievers.

Efficient

If there’s one thing I despise, it’s wasting time. I am punctual to a point that I arrive everywhere at least twenty minutes early and I ensure that every minute I spend on something is worth my time. If a process takes too long, I spend time sorting out shortcuts and experiment with different methods and procedures to find out what helps shorten my time spent while being more productive. Advancement is something I consistently aim for in the workforce, as well as in my own creations (poetry, articles, stories, etc.)

Efficiency is entirely applicable as a Virgo trait. Thus far in my analysis, I think we can safely say I exhibit the traits noticeably.

Methodical

My favorite thing to think about in regards to the accused trait of “methodical” is my inability to go anywhere for any type of meal unless I can review the menu online beforehand. I need my decision to be made before I ever arrive at the restaurant, so I am very careful to ensure I understand the selection and what would be most enjoyable. My partner likes to make his decisions right at the restaurant, which feels so wildly reckless to me. With work, writing, and parenting, I have plenty of examples I can list that describe me as a methodical Virgo.

However, I do have a strong character flaw of spontaneity. I like to make snap decisions with little thought, working on a whim and hoping for the best, enjoying the breakaway from always trying to be logical and thoughtful. This spontaneity has not served me well in nearly every situation, but it is a fault that continues to follow me around through adulthood. It’s possible that my methodical natures are what lead to the spontaneous outbursts for a mental break, but it is not often that a Virgo would be so out of line. I think I can confidently summarize that I have the trait of being methodical, but I come with a personality trait that defies this one.

Critical/Picky

Being critical or picky are two traits I cannot lay any claim to relating to off the top of my head. When someone asks me to look over their work, be it an essay or a letter or a text they want to send, I’m willing to provide an intellectual oversight and correct any grammatical issues or edit sentences to sound a bit better. I suppose I am good at criticizing works, but the word “critical” tends to leave a bad taste in my mouth. I like to refer back to the mantra of “I analyze” for things like this, because I do analyze everything, and I can analyze with gentle education rather than harshly criticize flaws. I don’t quite have the heart to be cruelly critical of anything, unless it’s a special circumstance, but we don’t have to get into that.

When it comes to being picky, I’m picky about what I’m picky about. Perhaps that makes me extra Virgo, or less so, but it’s an amusing thing to consider regardless. There are a lot of subjects I can’t find the energy to worry about and will be flexible regarding any outcome or process involved. When I decide to be picky about something, it’s because I’ve taken the time to decide it is worth the emotion I would put into being picky about it. Is this Virgo, or anti-Virgo? I think perhaps a little of both (my partner likes to remind me that I am often a bit of a contradiction, and let’s face it: he’s not wrong.)

A Serving Nature

My main concern in my household is that my family is well fed and well clothed. When one of the kids has any kind of emotional distress, I want to fix the problem in any way I can. Most mothers, regardless of their star signs, have these sorts of traits regardless, so it’s hard to say that this nature comes from being a Virgo.

To get a bit more personal on this subject, my partner and I have a relationship in which I am submissive and he is dominant. It is a mutually agreed upon situation that we both enjoy incredibly, and that is my best example of a Virgo trait coming through in my personality. When my partner and I spend time privately, I like to release all control and please him. Nothing makes me feel better than doing something for someone else, especially when I do it correctly. We both enjoy the dynamic this gives us, since the submissive and dominant traits lie within us so strongly and naturally, so the serving nature us Virgos have been accused of feels incredibly accurate for myself.

The Obnoxious Perfectionism

I have not mentioned this yet in my analysis of my star sign, but it is by far the most popular trait that is mentioned to me when people find out that I am a Virgo: perfectionist.

I do not need to provide further examples, as I’m sure hints of my need for perfection have been woven into the words I’ve already written, but perfectionism is incredibly important to me. If I cannot do something right, I don’t want to do it at all. I am very much “all or nothing” when it comes to doing something correctly. My grades in every single year of school were honor roll worthy, I’ve won an incredible amount of awards for my successes in schoolwork, I have a college degree (graduated Cum Laude), and I am extremely proud of every bit of what I’ve achieved. I was put into a difficult situation as a teenager and forced to obtain a GED rather than finish high school; even in that, I scored so high that I was awarded an Honors GED. Perfecting my intellect, writing, researching, and reading skills have been things I’ve obsessed with since I was very young, so you could say that I probably embody this trait far more than a lot of Virgos. It’s a bold claim, but I’m quite confident in how strong my obsession with perfection is.

On the flip side, I’ve also learned to pick and choose my perfection battles. Most people have self-esteem issues with their bodies and appearances, and I’ve suffered plenty of that for my entire life. However, I realized recently that my distaste for wasting time ties into all of this, and I grew frustrated that I’ve wasted so much of my emotions on worrying about looking perfect when it was certainly an unattainable goal. Perfecting your writing is one thing entirely, but no human body can or should be “perfect.” Besides, all of our definitions of perfect are different anyway.

How Does a Star Sign Impact Your Identity?

In my opinion entirely, being a Virgo and having a penchant for multiple Virgo traits does not impact my identity in my current life experiences. When I was sixteen years old, I got the Virgo sign tattooed on my back, knowing I would love being connected to my sign forever. I still love that I have it even though I do not put much stock into star signs or horoscopes anymore, but I think the fact that I happen to share a lot of traits with commonly noted Virgo traits could easily be a coincidence. Our cultures, surroundings, communities, opportunities, and upbringings can alter so many factors for the person you grow into. Who's to say the person I've become has a heavy basis in the coincidental alignment of the stars at the moment of my birth?

However, that is not to say I don’t entirely enjoy the idea of being a Virgo. When people ask for my star sign, I enjoy the chuckles and the comments I hear. “Oh, so you’re a perfectionist!”

Yep, I sure am!