Virgos are the inveterate worriers of the Zodiac. You worry about your work, your finances, your families, your future, your health. You worry if you have nothing to worry about, fearing the lull before a storm. You mistrust feelings of satisfaction, happiness or contentment, suspecting them to be no more than fleeting respites from your anxieties. Your worries tend to affect your digestive system causing problems such as nervous stomachs or duodenal ulcers.

Diligent and sensitive, you live in a state of perpetual motion, either physical or mental, interspersed with periods of great lassitude. You have abundant nervous energy which can cause tension leading to headaches and migraine. Your greatest need is to learn how to relax - your mind as well as your body.

Frequently self-deprecating and self-denigrating, Virgos never fully appreciate their own talents and attributes. It is a failing aggravated by your tendency to be deeply self-critical. At its most extreme, this makes it hard for you to believe that anyone could actually like or love you for yourself. You need a powerful injection of self-confidence to enable you to accept - and believe - compliments and praise.

Being ruled by Mercury, the planet of the mind, Virgos have fine intellects. You are articulate and eloquent, possessing the ability to be objectively analytical about concepts as well as situations.

Virgo's natural home in the Great Wheel of the Zodiac is that area of the solar chart related to health and hygiene, and typical Virgos tend to be meticulous about such matters, sometimes to the point of hypochondria. You care about your appearance and can be over-critical of your body. Seldom ill, you are attracted to healthy diets and vegetarianism. Because Virgo rules the intestines, including the bowels, Virgos need lots of fresh fruit, vegetables and fibre in their diets and should drink plenty of water. Fresh air and exercise are also vital for your general health and well-being.

Natural remedies often suit your delicate digestive system better than pharmaceutical drugs. Alcohol, nicotine and coffee are all liable to be more detrimental to the Virgo system than to those of some of your more stalwart Zodiac counterparts.

Conscientious, committed and reliable, your natural reserve means that you are, at times, unfairly accused of being selfish or self-centred. In fact, the reverse is the case and you are more likely to go out of your way to help those who need your advice or assistance.

Virgo is also the sign of duty and Virgos have a natural desire to serve others, often choosing to follow a vocation rather than a more worldly career. You make wonderful doctors, nurses, healers and ministers of religion. You are not renowned for your ambition, frequently believing your limitations to be greater than they actually are, gaining pleasure from a job well done and through accomplishing your ideals. You badly need to learn how to blow your own trumpet since you tend to be too busy pursuing your personal brand of excellence to spare the time to tell others about your achievements. More than anything, Virgos need to learn how to love themselves.

With Neptune, the planet of deception and illusion, currently passing through the health angle of your solar chart, where it will remain until April 2011, you should be taking particular care of your health since you may be more prone than normal to passing infections and illnesses. Drugs and alcohol, in particular, will have an even more potent effect than is normally the case.