Virgo in Zi Wei Dou Shu: a careful Virgo can still have charge-ahead Qi Sha in the Life Palace

Virgo usually gets described as careful, particular and organized: the desk is tidy, plans are made in advance, and a report gets checked three times before it goes out. In Zi Wei Dou Shu (Purple Star Astrology), that picture may not hold. One Virgo can have Qi Sha in the Life Palace and act first, another easygoing Tian Tong, and a third no main star at all. The split comes down to your birth hour and your lunar birth day.

The short version:

• Virgo starts at the solar term End of Heat, so Virgo birthdays fall in the seventh or eighth lunar month, about half each.
• Across one chart for every day and every double-hour from 1950 to 2009, each of the fourteen main stars sits in a Virgo's Life Palace 8.3–8.4% of the time, and the palace is empty about 16.4% of the time. It is the same picture for the other signs.
• The month and the double-hour place the Life Palace. The lunar day and the Five Elements Bureau decide which star sits there.
• To find your own star, cast your chart with the form above or use the Life Palace star lookup.

What Virgo is in Zi Wei Dou Shu

Virgo starts at End of Heat. The Chinese name of that solar term says the heat stops here. It is the "middle" term of the seventh lunar month, and the next one, the Autumn Equinox, falls in the eighth, where Libra begins. So Virgo birthdays run from End of Heat in the seventh month to just before the equinox in the eighth. Born in the Zi hour, a Virgo has the Life Palace in Shen (seventh month) about 51.5% of the time and in You (eighth month) about 48.5%.

A Virgo born in the seventh lunar month has a Shen Life Palace at the Zi hour and Yin at the Wu hour; one born in the eighth month moves one palace on at the same hour, to You and Mao. Two birthdays a few days apart, at the same hour, land in different palaces once the first of the eighth month falls between them. Why the sign can only narrow the Life Palace to two palaces is explained in the overview.

One day, twelve double-hours

Take one Virgo birthday: September 5, 1979, the fourteenth day of the seventh lunar month. Here is the Life Palace for each of the twelve hours that day:

Ten main stars take a turn in the Life Palace that day. Qi Sha and Tian Liang each show up three times, while Wu Qu, Tai Yang, Tai Yin and Po Jun don't appear at all. Three hours side by side:

• Wu hour: Qi Sha. Qi Sha is the general star: decisive, independent, used to moving first and fixing things along the way. This Virgo rarely waits for a perfect plan before setting off and is often the first one out the door.
• Si hour: Tian Tong. Tian Tong people are easygoing and cheerful. They value a comfortable life and don't keep score with others. A slightly messy desk or a loose schedule doesn't bother them much.
• You hour: Ju Men. Ju Men people speak well and like to ask questions. When something doesn't add up, they want it explained. Their attention to detail goes into words and reasoning, and they tend to talk a point through to the end.

Three Virgos born on the same day: one who charges ahead, one who is happy to take it slow, one who won't let a question go. Of the three, the one closest to the check-it-three-times Virgo is the You-hour person, whose care goes mostly into getting the answer straight.

Common Zi Wei types among Virgos

Every main star has about the same chance of sitting in a Virgo's Life Palace. Here are three that are interesting to set beside the usual Virgo picture.

Zi Wei in the Life Palace: a Virgo who starts from the big picture. Virgos are expected to dive straight into the details. Zi Wei, the emperor star, prefers to stand back, look at the whole, set the direction and hand the details to people it trusts. This Virgo is just as particular, only about whether the whole thing has the right scale.

Tai Yang in the Life Palace: an outgoing Virgo. Tai Yang is warm and outward-facing, likes looking after people and easily ends up at the center of a group. Virgos get called reserved and slow to warm up, yet this type is the one at a gathering who greets everyone first.

Tan Lang in the Life Palace: a Virgo with a full social calendar. Tan Lang is versatile and curious, likes making friends and trying new things. Virgos get called reserved, yet this type wants to sign up for every class going and has the weekend booked. They are just as picky about what they love, only across a much wider range.

All three are particular. What they are particular about has moved from details to direction, people and new things.

How to find your Life Palace

Confirm your birth hour and check it against the table above to see which two palaces your Life Palace is likely in. To know which one, and which star sits there, cast your birth chart with the form. If you aren't sure of your hour, ask your family or check your birth certificate or hospital records.