MARS IN VIRGO
“The Back-to-Basics Lover”
Sex comes with no frills when Mars is in Virgo. Here the approach to pleasure is simple, direct, and uncomplicated by considerations of decorum or idealism. Needless to say there’s nothing virginal about this placement. Mars in Virgo Lovers enjoy sex a lot and they usually have it whenever and however it is expedient for them to do so. When other people complain that this attitude is immoral or animalistic, these practical Lovers are seldom impressed. It’s not that they object to morality or idealism. It’s just that they can’t see what any of those fine qualities have to do with sex.
Despite their straightforward approach, Mars in Virgo Lovers tend to be rather reserved and circumspect when it comes to sex. They don’t like drawing attention to their love lives and prefer to keep these matters quiet. In fact, one reason they are so direct and plain-spoken about sex is that they just don’t see it as being all that important. It’s a simple bodily function and nothing more. Why all the hoopla? However, if someone attempts to deny them sex or tries to make them feel ashamed of it, these Lovers will definitely make themselves heard.
Since Mars in Virgo Lovers are so clearheaded and rational about sex, one might guess that they always make wise decisions in this area. Unfortunately, this is not true. These pragmatic Lovers trust little beyond their own senses and they have a tendency to discount any rules, traditions or even good advice that appears tainted with romantic or unrealistic notions. Thus, they are often left with only the school of experience to teach them all the perils of love and sex. Mars in Virgo Lovers often develop slowly and they are inclined to make egregious errors in judgment early in life.
But one thing their analytical approach does guarantee is that these Lovers learn from their mistakes. Perhaps the best quality of Mars in Virgo people is their resourcefulness and ability to adapt their sexuality to all sorts of situations. Guided by experience, common sense, and a very healthy sex drive, these folks always find a way to have the best sex they can possibly have under any set of circumstances. They are sexual opportunists, always ready to adapt or change direction for the sake of a good time.
Of course, this opportunistic approach to sexual happiness has its drawbacks. Mars in Virgo Lovers are often too quick to settle for easy sex—sex that doesn’t require struggle or emotional strain. At times this tendency induces them to stay in bad relationships simply because those relationships satisfy their physical needs. In other instances it can cause them to choose sex that is mechanical and anonymous over the complexities and inconveniences of sex with someone they love. There is always a potential for cynicism with this Mars placement. Since these lovers don’t need romance, idealism, or emotional bonds in order to enjoy sex they sometimes allow themselves to be convinced that they don’t need these things at all.
But anyone who thinks that Mars in Virgo Lovers are too cool and clinical for love needs to think again. For these Lovers, bonds of affection are built with the most mundane acts of kindness. They seek to be useful to the people they care about and they go out of their way to simply be of service. Of course, there is usually a degree of reciprocity in this arrangement. It’s rare for a Mars in Virgo Lover to fall in love with anyone who is not in some way useful to him or her. This may sound calculating but, in fact, it is an excellent basis for a relationship. Love that is defined in terms of common interests, common goals and material interdependence cannot be threatened by flagging interest or aging bodies. Such relationships can transcend these typical obstacles and remain warm and mutually supportive long after more romantic arrangements have failed.
CELEBRITY EXAMPLES OF MARS IN VIRGO
Among our examples of The Back-to-Basics Lover we find several people who displayed a notably practical, down-to-earth and occasionally cynical attitude toward sex. These include Carole Lombard, Raquel Welch, Guy de Maupassant, Dorothy Parker, Gustave Flaubert and, of course, Mae West. We also have examples of people who for whom this practicality was tinged with opportunism. Jayne Mansfield very consciously used her remarkable bosom to gain attention, just as Bridgitte Nielsen used her statuesque beauty, Clark Gable his rugged good-looks and Britney Spears her flat, teenage tummy. Henry VIII used his position as King of England to annul his marriage to Catherine of Aragon when she failed to produce a male heir and take another wife, and another and another. Napoleon Bonaparte did the same when his first wife, Pauline, failed to provide him with a son. Many felt that Jacqueline Kennedy was being opportunistic when she married billionaire Aristotle Onassis. Likewise, Yoko Ono was criticized for taking advantage of her marriage to John Lennon.
This kind of practical opportunism is by no mean always a negative quality. Among our examples we have two of the most iconic women of the 20th century, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and Princess Diana. Both of these women found themselves locked into romanticized roles, Jackie as the president’s widow and Diana as the Princess of Wales, that could have easily consumed they lives. It was largely the strength of Mars in Virgo that allowed these remarkable women to break out of these roles and their exaggerated expectations and go looking for a life that truly satisfied their needs.
On the other end of the scale we also have a few examples of this type for whom opportunism became something darker and even criminal. These extreme and by no means typical examples include Charles Manson, an ex-con who took advantage to the many disaffected young people who were flocking to California in the 1960s to create his own sexually permissive and murderous cult. And then we have writer Norman Douglas and industrialist Friedrich Alfred Krupp who took advantage of the multitude of boys and young men living in poverty in Italy and particularly on the island of Capri during the turn of the Twentieth Century to make that isolated place a homosexual playground.
For more information on these and other examples, see the various Mars/Venus combinations