Virgo III - Winter always comes
By Denise Hancock, PhD, RN
In September 2018, I visited Peru with my friend Tanya. As we toured the Cusco region, we were fascinated by the history of the Inca Empire, which flourished from 1438 to 1533. Our guides pointed out terraced mountainsides where regionally specialized crops were grown in microclimates. They showed us irrigation and drainage canals and food storage facilities called colcas. We learned how the Inca rulers created sophisticated inventory systems using colored, knotted cords and set aside food and other resources for redistribution in times of need.
It was all so Virgo!
Ruled by Mercury, Virgo is an Earth sign focused on material matters—the physical body and things that can be used for practical human purposes and are considered valuable. Planets in Virgo are often described as pragmatic, resourceful, and efficient. It’s common to see prominent Virgo placements in the birth charts of people who work in healthcare and the helping professions.
The third decan of Virgo begins at 20° Virgo and ends at 0° Libra. In this territory, planets depend even more heavily on Mercury as the domicile, exaltation, and decan ruler. To understand this decan, remember that Mercury is transactional rather than accumulative. Mercury collects and distributes, trades, and travels.
Jupiter (to 21°), Mars (21-28°), and Saturn (28-30°) all serve as bound lords in this decan, offering a progressive influence from abundance to loss and scarcity. A planet in Jupiter’s bounds may behave more optimistically and generously than one in Saturn’s bounds.
Virgo III is associated with the 10 of Pentacles card in the Rider-Waite tarot deck. Pamela Colman Smith’s illustration shows a multigenerational group, perhaps a family, accompanied by two white dogs. In the foreground, an elderly white-haired man sits, wrapped in lavishly decorated fabric, petting a dog. A mature couple converses just beyond. Partially hidden in the woman’s cape, a young child reaches toward the second dog. The group is protected under a large stone archway decorated with tapestries and banners. A big barn and a grain-storage silo are just behind a wall.
This image is often associated with meanings of success, abundance, security, and material legacy. The trappings of wealth are visible, and Pentacles look like gold coins scattered over the card.
Yet, nothing lasts forever. Aging, physical decline, and death are inevitable processes in this material world. Perhaps the white-haired man is considering his mortality and the assets he will one day leave behind.
“The things you do for yourself are gone when you are gone, but the things you do for others remain and become your legacy.” - Kalu Ndukwe Kalu
In the 16th Century, Henry Cornelius Agrippa wrote about the decans (also called faces) in Book II of his Three Books of Occult Philosophy. The first decan has an image of a maiden and a man sowing seeds. The second decan features a well-dressed black man with a satchel, representing profit and accumulation. In the third decan, we encounter symbols of decay and death, a stark contrast to the earlier decans.
Agrippa writes, “In the third face arise a white woman and a dead or old man leaning on a stick; these have significations of weakness, illness, the loss of members, the destruction of trees, and the plundering of the earth.”1
The Picatrix includes a similar scene, describing “a face of debility, age, infirmity, sloth, injury to limbs, and the destruction of people.” (Author unknown, 2010-2015)2
It is easy to see a progression in the decans described by the ancient astrologers. Virgo I is associated with growth, Virgo II with accumulation, and Virgo III with hardship and destruction. But the story isn’t over. Look ahead into the justice-oriented decan of Libra I.
“Sometimes it takes a natural disaster to reveal a social disaster.” – Jim Wallis
The Mercurial science of economics is resonant with Virgo III. Economics focuses on how people produce, distribute, and consume goods and services. Planets in Virgo III sense that the abundance of summer must be stored because winter always comes.
How will resources be collected and stored? How will they be distributed?
This is the stuff of Virgo III.
A Lived Example
Tanya Gulliver-Garcia, who traveled with me to Peru, was born on September 13, 1968, at 12:30 a.m. in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, nine days before a Solar Eclipse at 29°30’ Virgo (September 22, 1968).3
The foundation of Tanya’s birth chart, the IC, is in Virgo with a stellium of planets, including Jupiter at 17°17’. My friend provides an excellent case study of this decan’s influence with the Sun, Pluto, and Uranus in Virgo III. It shines through her core values, vocation, and personal actions.
In a nativity, the Sun describes the individual's heart and vital principles, representing the expression of leadership. Tanya is a respected leader in global disaster philanthropy and nonprofit management. For decades, she has worked within systems that collect and distribute material resources to help others in times of hardship.
Tanya’s Sun in Virgo is boosted by conjunction with Jupiter, Pluto, and Uranus, “Tanya is a self-described ‘disaster junkie’ who is passionate about ensuring the most marginalized and oppressed in our communities can recover and build resilience.” The Virgo stellium is ruled by Mercury in Libra, working toward social justice.
We met in 2011 when Tanya was working on a resilience research project for a rural Louisiana community impacted by several disasters. I’ve observed her committed practical service through research, teaching, writing, organizing, and volunteering. For example, in 2020 and 2021, she directly responded to families in our community experiencing financial hardship by creating a Christmas exchange. She ensured almost 300 families received holiday gifts through this exchange, turning her home into an inventory and distribution center.
Time and again, Tanya uses her Mercurial gifts and personal resources to ensure that the needs of others are met in the short term and through longer-term planning. It is a brilliant illustration of the legacy that planets in Virgo III can produce.
Virgo III offers an essential message: Wealth is of no value if not used for purposes beyond accumulation. Systems for gathering and distributing resources are necessary for the survival of future generations. Winter always comes.
About the Author
Denise Hancock, PhD, RN (She / her) brings the benefits of a full life experience to her astrology work, with a successful career spanning finance, healthcare, education, and management. She holds a Ph.D. in Nursing and B.S. degrees in Nursing and Economics. Clients love her compassionate pragmatism. She is the Senior Editor for The Evolving Astrologer magazine and organizes the New Orleans Astrology Meetup. Learn more about Denise and her work at http://www.astrologywithdenise.com.
Twitter/X, IG & Threads: @legendarydenise
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References
Agrippa, Henry Cornelius (2021). The Three Books of Occult Philosophy. (E. Purdue, Trans.) Inner Traditions. (original work published 1531)
Author unknown (2010-2015). The Illustrated Picatrix. (J.M. Greer & C. Warnocj, Trans.) Renaissance Astrology (original work published in the 9th century)
Gulliver-Garcia, Tanya – birth data and biographical information shared with permission—chart produced by LUNA Astrology. https://disasterphilanthropy.org/people/tanya-gulliver-garcia/