The zodiac can tell us a lot about ourselves. And it’s not just day-to-day predictions either, dear reader. Any Astrology aficionado will tell you that zodiac signs also hold key insights into our personality, deepest dreams and darkest fears, everything that makes us who we are. Today, we’re examining just such a thing – the darker side of a zodiac sign that usually isn’t brought to light. We’re looking at the maiden, at Virgo toxic traits, behaviors and more!
But how is the zodiac so sure about Virgo? Actually, how does the zodiac accurately paint a picture of anybody so well? Can Virgo mitigate or compensate for their toxic traits? Or do they just have to live with them and hope their positive traits more than make up for their bad side? We’re answering all this and more as we go on, so stay tuned!
Are you a zodiac aficionado, looking to brush up on your knowledge? Maybe you’re a Virgo yourself, and are curious to see the dark side of yourself (or want to validate your own suspicions)? Perhaps you’re just plain old harmlessly curious? Whatever the case, this is definitely the article for you! So grab a cup of coffee, sit back, relax and most importantly, have fun!
Below:
- Virgo dark side: Going over all the toxic virgo traits and why
- Compensating or mitigating for the negative traits of Virgo
- How to deal with the bad traits of a Virgo
- And many more…
Toxic Traits of Virgo: Virgo Negative Traits Examined
Before we go over all the Virgo toxic traits, there’s something we need to answer first. How does the zodiac tell us so much about ourselves? Well, dear reader, Astrology actually knows the predispositions of each sign. The elemental nature, symbol and planetary ruler of each sign – along with its celestial alignment tells us how they’re meant to behave. For example, we know that fire signs are aggressive, loud and proud due to their nature (just look at Leo).
That being said, the sign we’re going over today isn’t usually described as ‘toxic’. When we think of dangerous, toxic or negative signs, certain names like Scorpio and Gemini come to mind. Certainly not Virgo, who is the gentle, loving and nurturing maiden of the zodiac. But everyone has their dark sides, and it’s important for us to look over even Virgos. Not to make fun or put Virgo down, but to help them.
We’re here to make sure Virgo is aware of their darker side. Awareness helps Virgo combat their less desirable aspects. Because yes, Virgo can mitigate these darker aspects if they make an effort to. The zodiac may give us predispositions, but the stars also tell us we can grow past our limits. That being said, let’s go over Virgo and their darker traits below.
Virgo, the Maiden (Aug 23 – Sept 22)
Before we can understand the darker side of Virgo, first we must understand Virgos by themselves. By taking a holistic view of the zodiac sign, it becomes much easier to understand all there is to know about them – both good and bad. Virgo is an Earth sign, having the symbol of a maiden. The maiden depicted is actually a goddess – the goddess of the harvest, Demeter. This sign’s planetary ruler is Mercury, the planet named after the messenger god.
With this, we can already surmise many things about the sign from the zodiac. An Earth sign, Virgo is sturdy, hardworking and largely independent. They keep their emotions to themselves and face most problems by simply weathering through the storm. However, Virgo is also an outlier among the Earth signs. They have a surprisingly tender side to themselves that most Earth signs don’t show others.
Virgo’s symbol hints at this heavily, the maiden betraying their nature. As such, you will find many instances of Virgos nurturing, caring and effeminate side documented well across many Astrology circles. There are also many implications for having Mercury as a planetary ruler. Virgos are communicative, expressive and fiery souls. Which is probably what allows them to show their caring side so well through their gruff exteriors.
The Dark Side
Now that we’ve gone on a refresher course, let’s look over Virgo’s darker personality traits. Remember, we’re not here to bring Virgo down – like we said, everyone has negative traits. We want to help Virgo master the negative aspects of their personality. Additionally, do you have a Virgo in your life you care very much for? If so, consider using this as a ‘cheat sheet’ for how to deal with them at their worst.
Uncompromising
For Virgo, perfection and absolutism dominate their lives. While it’s true that their effeminate side lends itself to tenderness and care, it also leads to a strange perfectionism. A strange, almost maternal capacity takes hold of Virgo. Like a mother, they want everything ship-shape, and the best for their loved ones. Unfortunately, this manifests into Virgo trying to make everything perfect.
This need for perfection extends both to other people, and to themselves. It’s easy to see how perfectionism can damage the people around you. Friends and family around Virgo feel the pressure to constantly do well. But Virgo also places a lot of unnecessary stress on themselves by doing so. Just like the Earth in their nature, Virgo is uncompromising in their view and standards.
In order to move past this, Virgo needs to accept that not everything will fit into a fine structure. Virgo must accept that people make mistakes – and that includes them. Caring and providing for others doesn’t mean you’re not allowed to fail. And it certainly doesn’t mean you can’t ask for help or compromise. Perfection is unattainable, it’s the effort and beauty we put into our work that defines us.
Judgemental
Of course, the constant quest for perfection hurts Virgo and those around them in more ways than one. When you hold yourself up to such a high standard, you inevitably become judgemental of others. The ‘lack of effort’ you see in those around you translates to contempt and condescension. Just like with their perfectionism, this also hurts Virgo themselves. Because they hold themselves up to an impossibly high standard, anytime they can’t meet it they go on a cycle of self-loathing.
So, not only does Virgo seem arrogant to those around them. They also become withdrawn and carry a sour mood whenever they become upset with themselves. It’s unhealthy enough to try and meet such an unreasonable standard. But it becomes much worse when you let such a thing dictate your relationships with others. It puts strain on Virgo’s mental and emotional stability, as well as their loved ones.
Just as with perfection, Virgo needs to learn to relax. They need to learn how to become vulnerable around people they love and trust. Moreso, they need healthier, more achievable standards. Instead of achieving a great thing, simply trying to accomplish daily goals, improve or do better than yesterday is enough. Their perfectionism and high standards is also much worse, because they are:
Excessively Autonomous
It’s bad enough that Virgo puts so much pressure on themselves. What makes it so much worse is that they try going through it all on their own. We know we said that Virgo has Mercury as a planetary ruler, and that makes them adept at communication and expression. However, this is most frequently in the form of expressions of love and care. Virgo does not and will not ask anyone for help or comfort – even if they themselves really need it.
Of course, not being able to call out for help means that Virgo will bury their problems deep down. You don’t need us to tell you how unhealthy that is emotionally, dear reader. The emotional strain Virgo puts on themselves is so great, and yet they don’t allow themselves the relief of reaching out to others. They would rather provide, not become a burden, after all. This is a bit of a tricky issue to solve, if we’re being honest.
Here, Virgo isn’t really necessarily toxic, but are toxic as a result of this behavior. So we can’t really put the blame or responsibility entirely on Virgo. It’s true that Virgo should try to express their burdens more. But Virgo also needs great friends who can pick up on and check on Virgo when they need it. If you’re a friend of a Virgo, make sure to give them an emotional check.
Prone to Burnout
Because of the impossibly high standards and difficulty they have healthily sharing their burden, Virgos are the Kings and Queens of burnout. This is especially detrimental for a Virgo. Because the depressive and exhausted state they put themselves in exacerbates their failure to meet their standards even more. Virgos pride themselves on their work and their ability to care for others. When burnt out, they are harsher on themselves as a result.
Of course, Virgo working so hard to care for everyone also contributes to the burnout. When you try to bury yourself in work instead of confront your issues the way Virgo does, it only serves to exhaust you faster. This, of course, means that when you do burn out you can neither take care of yourself nor others. In fact, Virgo becomes aggressive and abrasive towards their friends. Which ends up having the exact opposite effect.
Virgo needs to realize that self-care is as essential as caring for others. Only when we have taken care of ourselves can we care for others. If Virgo takes the time to look after their own needs, they can then attend to the needs of those around them. However, this isn’t something they need to learn entirely on their own. Once again, it can’t hurt for them to have a great support system of friends and family that helps them cope with stress.
Negative Nancies
Having earth for an element can mean a lot of things in the zodiac. It’s most famous for its association to having a strong, stubborn and inflexible personality. But it also has roots in realism – earth quite literally referring to being well-grounded. Unfortunately, because Virgo has such high standards, combining the two results in a pessimistic outlook on things. Virgo is negative and a classic overthinker.
The constant negativity takes a toll on Virgo’s mind and body. It contributes to their frequent burnouts, and to their sour moods. They bring themselves down. But they also bring down the people around them as a result. No one wants to stay around a negative nancy all the time.
Virgo needs to let go of their negativity the same way they do their perfectionism. By accepting that life is full of joys, also. Good things can happen, and oftentimes we miss them when we focus on the bad. If Virgo can learn not to let negativity get them down, they may like the result. They might find that they can accomplish so much more with just a little optimism.
The Takeaway…
That’s all you need to know about Virgo toxic traits and behaviors. We hope you can use this information to help a Virgo in your life (or yourself, if you’re a Virgo). There’s something we’d like to leave you with – don’t feel trapped by your sign or any faults the zodiac finds in you. Astrology teaches us that the stars were never meant to control us – only guide us. You are still the captain of your own ship, the sole master of your fate.
