I Am Mud
_______-______ years ago, my mum was rushed with swollen belly to Beth Israel Medical Center four days before her expected delivery date. True to what would become my Virgo form, I fortuitously arrived four days early on a Saturday afternoon. And, ready to party, it would seem. This would only prove fortuitous, ________-________ years later when on September 11, the exact day of my expected birth, the world came crashing down less than a mile from the very hospital in which I personally, and forever, redefined Labor Day for my mum.
The fact that on a cold January day after my parents returned from seeing a friend's baby shagged, thus, setting in motion my late summer birth put me in very interesting company:
Sean Connery, Doug E. Fresh, Nas, Ludacris, Beyonce, Jada Pinkett Smith, River Phoenix, Richard Gere, Shania Twain, Roger Maris (long-time Yankee homerun record hitter), Raquel Welch, Salma Hayek, Ryan Phillippe, Paul Walker, Idris Elba, Oliver Stone, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Mother Theresa, Mike Piazza, Mickey Rourke, Michael Keaton, Michael Jackson, Macy Gray, Luke Wilson, Macaulay Culkin, Lily Tomlin, Leo Tolstoy, LeAnn Rimes, Lauren Bacall, Sophia Loren, Lance Armstrong, Keanu Reeves, Julio Iglesias, Jesse Owens, Jimmy Connors, Jimmy Fallon, Jeremy Irons, Jennifer Tilly, Ingrid Bergman, Hugh Grant, Henry Ford II, H.G. Wells, Harry Conick, Jr., Guy Ritchie (I love his films!), Greta Garbo, Gloria Gaynor, Gloria Estefan, Fiona Apple, Faith Hill, Eli Kazan, Dan Rather, David Copperfield, Colin Firth, Claudia Schiffer, Charlie Sheen, Cameron Diaz, Bruce Springsteen, Bill Murray, Arnold Palmer, Angie Everheart, Andy Roddick, Stephen King, Tim Burton, Tommy Lee Jones, Tommy Lasorda, Upton Sinclair, Van Morrison, Warren Buffet and US President William Howard Taft.
Seeing that Bey, Jada, Raquel and Sophia are on that list, as well as Adonis Elba (see link), Richard Gere and Mickey Rourke, the false stereotype that Virgos are prude should be flying out your window right about now. We're fiercely loyal and monogamous, not prude. Now, my touting of this list doesn't mean I don't think there aren't other signs equally impressive. (Note: Notably missing are Maya Angelou (Aries) and Albert Einstein (Pisces).) But there are enough famously successful Virgos to equate our collective drive for excellence and success — and achieving it — with the time of year we were born.
What surprised me is that I share an actual birth date (Sept. 07) with both, Pink! and Queen Elizabeth I (aka, the Virgin Queen, depicted twice by Cate Blanchett (Taurus), which garnered her an Oscar nomination. She lost to Gwyneth Paltrow (Libra), who missed being a Virgo by five days.)
In spite of the birthday commonalities, I pondered my differences. Yes, Virgos have a drive for excellence (many equate this with perfectionism but it's really a discriminating and exacting quality, rather than perfectionism, which carries a negative connotation) and crave knowledge but there are other factors in our birth charts that make us very different from each other.
For instance, the fact that I came on that Saturday afternoon, instead of four days later changed my natal chart and, therefore, how certain things affect me. This little fact means: I have not just a Virgo Sun but a Capricorn Rising AND a Taurean Moon. What do these three signs have in common besides their mutual compatibility with one another?
They are all Earth signs. Literally, I am mud. It's not as bad as it appears. This muddy foundation explains my grounded nature, the joy I get in simple things like cooking and feeding people and my proclivity towards comfort, be it in food or material things but without being materialistic.
Hogwash, you say? Consider this: My fellow Virgo sister, the Queen, had a Saturn in Cancer, as do I. (The similarities with this woman never cease to amaze me!) People with Saturn in Cancer typically have a serious estrangement with one, or both parents, that affects their adult relationships. As we know, this Queen was born to a woman who had her head lopped off by her husband. He, who, in turn, had several other wives many of which didn't survive his acquaintance. As a result, Queen Elizabeth didn't have good relations with her father. After that, can one blame her for never copulating, marrying or reproducing? Instead, she became mother to her people. Very Virgo-like, indeed!
My parental relationships aren't as dramatic but a parallel exists. Even some of my contemporary Virgo friends share parallel existences or experiences to mine. So, the connection is there and definitely worth a look-see to get to know yourself a little better if you haven't been thusfar inclined.
Happy Birthday to my special Virgo pals:
Terrance Dean (noted author and real-life gaydar and all 'round mentor), Michelle McClymont (fabulously terrific and beautiful person), Tarana Burke (balls-out activist and salt-of-the-Earth -Bah, earth!- type), Eric Raddatz (filmmaker and clever jokster), Chris Jones (equally courageous young brother), Robbie Morganfield (the Webster's definition of excellence!) and, I know, there are others...
Write back and tell me about your celebrity-zodiac likenesses and how you exihibit the best of your sign. Oh yeah, Virgos also have a penchant toward the mystical and the spiritual. Shoulda known, eh?
Posted by LoisLane at Tuesday, September 08, 2009 11:09 AM 
Categories: Times in Life,Culture Clash,Potted Luck
Tags: Ailenka Virgos success conversation celebrity famous idris elba Ailene
Categories: Times in Life,Culture Clash,Potted Luck
Tags: Ailenka Virgos success conversation celebrity famous idris elba Ailene
How did you find all those people with the same sign as you? By the way i like Gwyneth, but Cate should have won that oscar.(Taurus)She was outstanding. I see you cant get away from your thing for feeding people, i would love to someday taste your food, i know it must be good. You have challenged me to look further into my personal zodiac sign and see who i am connected with by Birth Date. Should be pretty interesting. Thanks Dear, and Peace!
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Hey Wesley!
Thanks for being the first to comment. I googled 'celebrity Virgos' and 'black celebrity Virgos' when the first search seemed to only give me certain results. I picked and chose out of two huge lists, those I thought were notable by a myriad of demographics. There were lots more who didn't make the list.
I know you are in great company, as there are lots of famous Taureans around. A quick search turned up: Queen Elizabeth II (go figure!), Charlotte Bronte, Leonardo DaVinci, Shirley Temple, Lee Majors, Barbara Striesand (whom my mum loves!), Edward R. Murrow (who I admire), Pres. Ulysses S. Grant, Uma Thurman, Bing Crosby, Karl Marx, Bob Woodward, Sigmund Freud, Orson Wells, another Pres. Harry Truman and two of my personal favs: Harvey Keitel and Jack Nicholson.
The list goes on. I wouldn't be surprised, however, if you find lots of celebrity chefs or people having something to do with food.
Taureans are notorious foodies. My mum still doesn't share hers. Ever!
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HEY! Ailene, this was sooo good! I spend so much time trying to explain Virgoness to people...this really sums it up well. Like my cousin and I are a day apart and so different, but when I did her chart it was obvious why.
I LOVE being a VIRGO...wouldn't choose any other sign. BTW I am Virgo, Libra, Libra - raised by a Libra mother...go figure.
Thanks for the shout out!
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Wow, T!
You are lucky you have all that Libra in your chart since you have a Libran mother! I bet you two really get along and understand each other, despite being Sun sign opposites.
That one day can make a difference in a chart believe it or not. Some planets don't move fast through constellations but some do! That's where the difference comes in. For instance, I'm older than Angelina Jolie by less than a year but still older. She is a Sun Cancer but she also has her Saturn in Cancer because it takes Saturn 2-1/2 year to make that transition. It's well known about her poor relationship with her father, which like I mentioned is typical of Saturn in Cancer people.
I haven't had the luck to have someone close to me born in the same year just a day or two apart but I'm curious to read that person's chart. LOL.
The one thing I do think is constant about Virgos, we are a paradox. A living paradox. Once you understand that, you understand the essence of the Virgo.
You know I'm gwon shout you out! Thanks for stopping by.
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Awh... Happy BDay to us. You captured much of our virgoan character very well. Kudos. I hope you had a great one. Love ya much!!!
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Hey Chris,
I wonder what are your rising and moon signs? Have you ever had your chart read?
Just curious.
Thanks for the bday wishes. Your turn soon come.
Thanks for taking the time.
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Awesum blog!!! No interest in my zodiac at all!!! Till I read this, tell me what do u kno about cancer's?? (I'm a cancer 3 days and almost a Leo).
And if u have any advice for a rookie writer like myself. I want 2 write about sports for the most part, but it's still writing!! Thank you and keep up the good work!!
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Hey Edgardo!
Welcome to Metropolis!
You really should read Got Crabs? It will explain a little bit more about the cancerous crabs. Listen, I'm no expert, I've just done some research for my personal edification, so take what I say with a grain of salt.
What I know about the Crabcake: They are fiercely loyal, nurturing and family centric. They like to be home and enjoy the comforts therein. They are protective and good-providers. They like to talk and are generally social when the mood strikes. They are affectionate AFTER they feel secure in the belief that said affection will be returned. They love children. They are sensitive, so they can be easily hurt. When they are hurt they withdraw (into their shell) and stay there. They can also be moody and, again, withdraw. In short, they are pretty loving and giving people but they do make you prove yourself first.
Does that sound like you?
As to the writing: Of course, sports writing is writing too! Some of my best pals are sports writers. If you follow me on Twitter, I can link you to their pages. The best advice I can give to a novice scribe: Get started. I wrote a blog last week about how much practice it takes to be great at something, you'd be surprised. So start writing ASAP!
Good luck and I hope to be reading your blog soon. So glad you found my little world. Come back soon!
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You left Ludacris off your list of famous virgos. Along with O. Henry and D.H. Lawrence, he shares a birthday with me. (Sept. 11)
Mud indeed. Reminds me of the Arrested Development song - Children play with earth. Dig your hands in the dirt.
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I did not leave Luda off. He's after Nas and before Beyonce. Although long, the list wasn't meant to be all inclusive. I left off many others, as you noted.
But I do understand. Tis like Virgo to point out imperfections. I know twas meant with love, not malice.
Thanks for stopping by. I'm happy to add another Virgo to my pen-o-pals!
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Never malice, always love. Can't believe I missed that. Astrology is a bit of a guilty pleasure for me... Didn't know that it mattered if I was born later, early or on time. To be honest, I don't know.
Although I like to think that I'm always on time.
And I was born in 1975. I've never actually had my chart done and I don't know what time of day I was born, but if there's anything you can tell me about myself I'd be interested to hear it.
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Brian,
Astrology tis, indeed, guilty pleasure. Makes for self-indulgent reading when bored with everything else!
It only matters when you think about what your chart could have been. Unfortunately, you do need your birth time if you are to get information that certainly applies to you. Without it, you will never know how far off or accurate the chart. If your mum is available, I bet she'll remember the precise moment when you were born.
Try this link. It will give you a chart reading with explanations. There is another site but you have to look up the explanations on your own.
Come back and tell us what it states and if accurate!
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Hey A-Tor,
Well you seem to have summed up the Cancerian in your earlier post! We are indeed loyal, protective, sensitive and family-orientated. With regards to how they relate to Virgos, I think anything in the extreme is going to create problems. If Cancer is overly sensitive and Virgo is too harsh, then clashes are inevitable.
I'm like other celeb Cancerians (Tom Cruise, Henry VIII, Princess Diana) in that my heart always rules my head and drives almost every decision I make.
It's nice to have practical people around me to help me make a more informed decision; look at what old Henry got up to when he was surrounded by 'Yes' Men!!!
It's all about balance. Personally, I appreciate your practical advice because it's constructive and to the point, so I can still feel the love from it :o)
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K-Ryd,
Tis so sweet. I didn't guess that you were a little Crabcake but, now, it explains a lot about what's going on on K-World.
I find a lot of Cancers to be obviously so. For instance, I was watching Liv Tyler and they way she was even in character told me she was a Crab. And, I was right. You guys really do wear your souls on your sleeves!
Way funny that QE1's daddy was a crab! That's the frightening part about you guys: The Crab can be vindictive. Another Crabcake: Derek 'Lekker' Jeter.
Glad to be of help it makes me feel useful. I do try to temper my criticisms with witticisms but it doesn't always translate. What can I say? I'm a work in progress!
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I AM MUD, references was instrumental in ways that construct parallels in how well you(loislane) understand yourself and others. Love that! Drawing from these connections makes for much needed discussion of these viewpoints and for input shared from others.
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