Men who work for a Virgo boss face a slightly different problem. She’ll expect you to come up with creative ideas and to be aggressive in the area of promotion and salesmanship. In fact, she’ll depend on you to fill in these gaps in her own make-up. Just be sure you handle yourself with modesty. She knows you have more direct drive than she does, but she’s also aware that she has more organizational ability, not to mention practicality and caution, and she won’t be thrilled if you let it become obvious that you could run things without her close supervision. She’s undoubtedly correct. She usually is, which may be a little frustrating until you get used to it and learn to respect her for it.
Your Virgo boss may have a drawer full of indigestion remedies and a mind full of details, but she also has a heart full of compassion and the ability to straighten out inter-office disagreements. She won’t give out Jaguars, or smart phones as Christmas bonuses, but she will pay you what you’re worth and won’t cheat you. Remember that she’s entirely capable of sizing up exactly what you are worth, too. It’s difficult, if not impossible, to fool her.
Don’t expect her to get excited about glamorous bubble promotions. She may not be overly imaginative, but she has enough imagination to visualize such bubbles bursting with a loud bang and a spray of water, which may leave you all wet. Be sure your suggestions and methods of working have a sound foundation in fact, or she’ll dismiss your schemes as daydreams and she may dismiss you, too. You may get impatient frequently with her constant splitting of hairs and faultfinding criticism, but after all, you can’t just say to a superior that “It’s a drag to nag.” So you might as well accept her critical habits gracefully. It won’t hurt you to let her shape you up a bit, anyway.
Always tell her the truth. It’s useless to lie to her. Frankly, your Virgo boss may strain at gnats—but she’ll seldom swallow a camel.
If you give her the understanding support and respect she needs, she’ll never hurt you. Inside, she’s really a gentle soul and often terribly lonely, married or single. She doesn’t make friends easily, and she’ll be touchingly grateful for your encouragement. Like all Virgos, she lives with a secret dream and isn’t nearly as isolated from emotion as she seems to be. Let her know you’ve discovered that her bark is worse than her bite (even though her bark is gentle and quiet), and she’ll step down from her ivory tower. Never mind if the other employees call her stingy. Go to her when you’re really in trouble and see how wrong they are.
The VIRGO Employee
“When you say ‘hill,’” the Queen interrupted,
“I could show you hills,
in comparison with which
you’d call that a valley.”
“A hill can’t be a valley, you know.
That would be nonsense—”
The Red Queen shook her head.
“You may call it ‘nonsense’ if you like,” she said,
“But I’ve heard nonsense, compared with which
that would be as sensible as a dictionary!”
If you have a Virgo employee who’s a typical Virginian, treasure him (or her) and plan, slowly and carefully, to move him to the position of your assistant. Don’t do it too quickly or he’ll feel unprepared and reluctant. Fast advances don’t tickle the Virgo ego, they just alarm him and make him suspect that you’re too impulsive for him to trust.
You needn’t shower this employee with bonuses. On the other hand, don’t underpay him either. He’s well aware of his comparable and current market value, and he won’t hesitate to move on, regardless of his basic loyalty and stability, if he feels you’re being unfair or unreasonable. It’s been said that Virgos give service without thought of reward, which has created a bit of a problem in semantics. It’s more accurate to say that they give service without thought of personal ego gratification (though they secretly desire this more than they let on). The Virgo employee fully expects to be paid for his efforts, because money is important to him. It’s not the cash itself as a status symbol, nor the Cancerian desire to accumulate that motivates him. It’s his inbred fear of going on relief someday when he’s old and sick and feeble and forced to depend on others. The very thought of such a situation gives the typical Virgo goose bumps. He’ll probably be far healthier in his old age than most of the other zodiac signs. Though often weak in childhood, Virgo gathers physical strength as the years advance. Still he’ll secretly worry about his health and his financial future. The twin mental images of the hospital and the poorhouse are never far from his thoughts, so you can see why Virgos are quietly ambitious to advance in their work until they reach a position where they can achieve financial security for tomorrow. At this point, and at this point only, the nervous Virgo intensity begins to unwrinkle and he can relax. Of course, Virgos never completely relax, but let’s say he is not quite as jumpy as he was before; he bites his nails less, and his allergies let up a little.
You’ll discover that he has a perfect eye for detail, sometimes a little too perfect to be comfortable. Just because you’re the boss won’t keep him from catching your mistakes and pointing them out in typical, blunt Virgo fashion. Positions and titles aren’t sacred to him: perfection is—though, with typical Virgo charm, he’ll probably give you more outward courtesy and respect than his associates do.
Whatever his faults, you can always count on these employees, male or female, to exhibit strong analytical ability and excellent taste. His (or her) sharp sense of discrimination makes the typical Virgo worker an excellent critic, with the knack of spotting the weak log in the fence, not to mention the weakest link in the chain, with quicksilver accuracy and speed. Virgo workers are adaptable and versatile, clear-thinking, precise, intelligent and reliable. They’ll never turn in sloppy work and they have no patience with a job half done or laziness. That includes your own occasional laziness. The boss who takes a day off to play golf may return to the office to find the Virgo employee eyeing him with a thinly disguised look of disapproval, though the obedient, mannerly Virginian will probably keep silent about it.
Virgos usually shine more in businesses which give service to the public in general. Publishing, the literary field, medicine, pharmacy, anything to do with food, scientific laboratories, service agencies of all kinds, bookkeeping and accounting—all these areas are competently and efficiently handled by the adept, systematic Virgo. No tiny detail is unworthy of his consideration, and he’ll stay overtime without a thought if something is not quite right and needs his attention.
You can feel completely safe in letting your Virgo employee work without supervision. His sense of ethics and responsibility are total. Besides, he’d probably prefer to work either quietly alone or confidently beside you than be exposed to any possible criticism from fellow workers. Virgo works quickly, but it may not be obvious at first. That’s because he feels insecure with short cuts and is never satisfied until all the facts have been checked. He may appear to be slow simply because he’s doing a thorough job. Actually, his mind works as fast as Mercury, though mere speed will never be allowed to replace cautious, methodical procedures.
Although advertising isn’t a natural atmosphere for his realistic, practical approach, he might be valuable in some position where he can patiently pick up the pieces of those creative brainstorms that occasionally blow sky high, and make sure that the fabulous ideas which have been so joyously tossed into the promotional hat don’t have large holes in them.
It would not be advisable to send your Virgo employee out to promote your company or sell your product. He’s a bit too honest and plain spoken to paint any glowing pictures for your potential customers, and his basic nature is too shy and retiring to push either himself or your firm with any great gobs of enthusiasm. Very few Virgos make good salesmen, only the rare exceptions to the rule.
He’ll dress neatly, speak with gentle diction, be as clean as a bar of Ivory soap, and probably have a desk that’s so tidy it looks positively naked. You may come across a Virgo with a slightly cluttered office, but nev
er fear. His mind isn’t cluttered. He knows the exact order of the apparent disorder, and just where to put his finger on whatever he wants. His desk may look like a heap of trash to you, but he knows the whereabouts of every postage stamp and paper clip.
When Virgos become really noticeably untidy, either at home or at work, it’s almost always a symptom of emotional unhappiness—just as the same thing is true of a Sagittarian who suddenly becomes neat and meticulous.
Bite your tongue when you get an urge to criticize a Virgo’s work. He’ll probably catch his own mistakes before you do. Any necessary criticism should be given briefly and quietly, and any unnecessary criticism should be forgotten. It takes very little to warm his heart to loyalty and gratitude, but it also takes very little to cause Virgo to bristle and fret and sulk. Still, as quick as he is to pout over imagined slights, he’s just as quick to help without being asked when you’re in trouble. During a real crisis, you’ll swear he’s grown two feet taller.
Never force Virgos to work around wild, bright colors. It disturbs their quiet, inner nature. Give them the most up to date, most efficient equipment you can afford, and they’ll make good use of it. They don’t like noise and confusion when they work. They also don’t like irregular schedules. Let them have a regular day off and stick to it. They’ll work overtime if you need them, but they hate the insecurity and confusion of changing shifts. Their emotional requirements are hidden, but they are there just the same, and a certain amount of open appreciation may be desperately needed.
Although the typical Virgo seldom indulges in esoteric or imaginary work, you will occasionally find a few who do. But remember that they are still Virgos. The Virgo astrologer will split hairs over his occult investigation, the Virgo poet will use precise meter, the Virgo painter will concentrate on detail and the Virgo actor or actress will master the perfect dialect or accent for the role with painstaking study. Never let it throw you when someone born under a certain Sun sign doesn’t seem to be doing what comes naturally, as far as his choice of career is concerned. Keep observing and you’ll see he’s still being true to his basic nature.
Once you’ve gradually moved your Virgo employee from the bottom (where he won’t mind starting, by the way) to the position of your right-hand man or your special assistant, you can relax and really play some golf for a change, content in the knowledge that someone totally reliable is covering you back at the office. Of course, you may feel a little guilty when you return, under the reproachful expression in those lovely, clear Virgo eyes. You mean you never noticed how attractive your Virgo employee is? Look again.
LIBRA the Scales
September 24th through October 23rd
Will you, won’t you, will you, won’t you,
will you join the dance?
The further off from England, the nearer is to France.
“Contrariwise,” continued Tweedledum,
“if it was so, it might be;
and, if it were so, it would be;
but as it isn’t, it ain’t.
That’s logic.”
How to Recognize LIBRA
“Your face is the same as everybody has—
the two eyes, so … nose in the middle,
mouth under. It’s always the same.
Now, if you had the two eyes
on the same side of the nose, for instance—
or the mouth at the top—
that would be some help.”
Librans hate to be rude, yet they’ll straighten the crooked picture on your wall and snap off your blaring TV set. Librans love people, but they hate large crowds. Like gentle doves of peace, they go around mediating and patching up quarrels between others; still they enjoy a good argument themselves. They’re good-natured and pleasant, but they can also be sulky, and they balk at taking orders. Librans are extremely intelligent. At the same time, they’re incredibly naive and gullible. They’ll talk your ear off, yet they’re wonderfully good listeners. Librans are restless people. But they seldom rush or hurry. Are you completely confused? You’re not alone. There’s a frustrating inconsistency to this Sun sign that puzzles the Librans themselves as much as it does others.
Lots of people will tell you that Libra is all love and beauty and sweetness and light. That’s fine, as far as it goes, but it stops a little short of accuracy. It also stops short of Eugene O’Neill. Just because the sign is symbolized by the golden scales of justice, don’t ever think that Librans are always perfectly balanced. It seems to be a logical deduction. After all, the purpose of scales is to balance. However, did you ever watch the balancing process on a pair of old-fashioned pharmaceutical scales? The ultimate goal is to get both sides even, but what happens? First one side is low, then the other. Up and down, and they dip until there’s perfect balance. Drop into a friendly neighborhood pharmacy and watch them in action. (Just tell the druggist you’re trying to find out what makes Aunt Martha tick.)
Never again will you have a mental picture of a Libran as a calm, perfectly balanced, sweet, gracious and charming individual. You’ll have a mental picture of a person who has that kind of disposition half the time. The other half of the time, Libra can be annoying, quarrelsome, stubborn, restless, depressed and confused. Libra is first up, then down. He swings one way, then another. Suddenly, like the scales—perfect balance! It’s heavenly. But there is always that period of weighing and dipping before the moment of heavenly balance is achieved.
The physical appearance of these people may require almost as much concentration as the personality. There’s no such thing as a typical Libra feature, unless it’s the Venus dimple. Libran features are almost always even and well-balanced. They’re pleasing, but not very noticeable, so it’s easier to start with the dimples. There will usually be a couple in the cheeks or one in the chin. If they’re not in the face, you might check to see if the knees are dimpled. Many Libran knees are. But be careful. Very few women will believe you when you tell them you were staring at their knees “because I want to see if you were born in October.” Be discreet, but check. With the men, of course, the trousers rule out that clue, unless you’re on the beach or playing tennis. Don’t get discouraged if you find dimples, and then discover the person was not born in October. Those fetching dimples have a right to be there, because he or she will have a Libra ascendant, so your guess is still correct.
After you’ve ruled the Venus dimples in or out, notice the entire effect of the face. It will always wear a markedly pleasant expression. Even when the Libran is angry, somehow he or she will manage to look mild, or at the very least, neutral. Venus voices are typically sweet and clear as a bell, and these people seldom raise them to a shrill or bellowing pitch. A Libran is the only person on earth who can say, “I hate you and I’m going to punch you in the nose,” and sound as if he’s reciting Browning’s “How Do I Love Thee?” The mouth is usually bow-shaped, and the lips would have been described in Gibson girl days as “lips like cherry wine.” In fact, the typical Libra face reminds you of nothing so much as a box of bonbons. Or a sugar cookie. Some of them look like human lollipops, or a caramel sundae topped with rich, whipped cream. They like to eat those things, too, and if any Librans are reading this, they’re probably weak with hunger by now.
The women are almost invariably pretty, and the men are usually handsome. Still, not all of the beautiful people in the world are Librans; Venus beauty is in a class by itself, and it’s not always easy to separate it from the good looks of other Sun signs. My own secret way to recognize them is to begin by thinking about the sweet expressions of Jimmy Carter and Catherine Zeta-Jones, and then go on from there. The trouble is that sometimes the women will look like Carter and the men like Zeta-Jones. You have to make allowances.
I’m not implying that the Libra woman is masculine. Most of them are about as female as the average man can stand (unless there’s an aggressive ascendant). And I certainly do not imply that Libra men are feminine. They’re usually quite virile male animals. But there�
�s no denying that they have a purity of feature that keeps you from getting them mixed up with prize fighters or wrestlers. Even the rare Libran who might be called ugly, and it will be most unusual to find one, has such a charming expression, you’re persuaded to comment that there’s real beauty of character in his (or her) face.
You’ll never meet a Libran who doesn’t have a smile like a soft, white cloud. That Venus smile could melt a chocolate bar at twenty paces. When it hits you full force, it has enough candle power to transfigure even plain or downright homely features—literally, not figuratively.
Most Librans are full of curves, rather than angles. Their hair is often curly. They’re not necessarily fat (though a Taurus ascendant can produce some pretty plump pigeons). Still, they can fool you, go on a diet and cut quite a trim figure. But even so, the curves will be there in spots, rather like a slim hourglass shape. Using Catherine Zeta-Jones once more as an example, one certainly could not call her fat—but could one call her skinny? Best to call her curvy. There’s one more trick in mastering the Venus appearance and physical characteristics. You’ll notice a bright, lilting laugh, that rings with merriment. Once you’ve heard it, you won’t soon forget it.
Now you might think that to be born attractive and dimpled, to seek fairness and loveliness, to be pleasing and easily pleased, is a blessing. You might imagine that gentleness and intelligence, grace and understanding are the gifts of a fairy godmother. You might be right. When the Libra scales are balanced, it’s utterly delightful, like meeting an angel from paradise. The problem is that fairy godmother. She keeps rapping one side of the scales with her wand and then the other, making Libra dip back and forth. She can’t seem to make up her fickle mind whether she made a mistake or not, and she passed her indecision on to Librans. First they’ll talk up a storm and monopolize the conversation. Then they’ll listen intently, with flattering interest. When others are fighting, they’ll play the role of peacemaker, and smooth everyone’s ruffled feathers. Then they’ll turn right around, deliberately take the other side in discussion, and start an argument for the pure relish of it.
Linda Goodman's Sun Signs Page 27
