Aries and Virgo get along quite well. Aries and Virgo see each other through antiscia. Antiscia tends to be a rather undervalued aspect in astrology, known less than the traditional squares and sextiles that many of us are familiar with. This is the first article in my sign by sign relationship series where we will explore antiscia (BTW, I am writing this series in a certain order and will get to each sign by sign pairing eventually but have to do it in this order or else I will forget certain pairings. This is why requests for me to write about Aquarius and Pisces will not make me move faster. It’s in the works and will come when it comes.).

You might be thinking—Aries is a fire sign and Virgo is an earth sign. Fire and earth are adjacent in the scheme of the elements. How can they get along with each other? On top of that, Aries is a cardinal sign and Virgo is mutable. Wouldn’t Virgo look at Aries and see a foolhardy fool and Aries look at Virgo and see a really tedious person?

You’ll be surprised. There are differences between Aries and Virgo for sure. There are also a lot of similarities. This is what antiscia shows us. Certain signs that send and receive antiscia with other signs may appear dissimilar (Aries is cardinal fire, Virgo is mutable earth) but actually have intrinsic similarities. Antiscia can actually show us a layer of each sign that is otherwise understated. There are qualities of Aries that are otherwise associated with Virgo and the vice versa is true as well.

What might Aries and Virgo have in common with each other?

Both Aries and Virgo like to see how things work. You won’t be able to convince Aries or Virgo about something with simple persuasion. Both of these signs want to see something in front of them with their own eyes. They aren’t people who will take other people at their word. This isn’t because they’re trying to be annoying. They just want to see it. They want to try it themselves and they want to do their own research.

This brings me to my second point. Aries and Virgo are both given to over abstraction. Aries has a reputation for not thinking things through. This actually isn’t true though I can see why people say this about Aries. Aries, when we communicate our thoughts, tend to express them simply. We don’t need very many words to get our point across. But we think a lot. We often get in our heads about theory. You see, Aries rules the head.

Virgo is exactly the same way. Virgo is the sign that gives Mercury dignity and Mercury sure does love to think. Both Virgo and Aries love to read intensely long and dense books and then talk about them at length with people. These are book club people, Virgo and Aries are.

A lot more people confuse Virgos for Aries and Aries for Virgo than we realize. Let’s say you meet someone on the train who goes out of their way to play a practical joke on a stranger. Annoying! Would you say that this person is an Aries or a Virgo?

A case could be made for either. Virgo, being Mercurial, is more of a trickster than its clean cut reputation gives it credit for. We tend to think of Aries as a Dennis the Menace type personality but Virgos can be just as mischievous. Neither Mercury or Mars likes to follow the rules. Virgo is Mercurial and Aries is Martial. Both signs don’t have an issue with pissing other people off.

Both signs like to be in control. Both signs like to use their heads. Both signs like to do their own research. Both signs also operate at huge capacities. Aries and Virgo are like batteries.

A Virgo is someone who can schedule ten different meetings in one day. Aries does the same. Both balance a heavy but precisely calibrated schedule with a huge number of tasks. They do this because neither likes to get bored. Remember—Aries and Virgo both like to use their heads. They don’t like that listless head empty type of existence. They like to do things and they like to think. Busy, busy, busy. Virgo and Aries are busy.

So, those are the similarities. There are a lot. Let’s get into the differences now.

Virgo is mutable earth. You know that feeling you got as a kid making mud pies near the river? You could make all kinds of shapes with the mud by just tinkering with it. That’s Virgo energy. It likes to do and tinker. It’s an inventor. Even though an inventor appears to be in their heads all of the time, they’re actually quite externally focused. They’re trying to figure out how to make something better and what happens if you change its shape ever so slightly. Virgo likes thought experiments and they like to play with something that they can hold.

Aries is cardinal fire. Aries is like a ray of light. Rather than playing with an object or in relation to someone, Aries likes to think by just sitting there and thinking inside. Aries is not externally focused. When I say that Aries is in their own head, I mean it. Aries thinks that its own thoughts are true. It’s hard to persuade a Virgo of anything because they want all the receipts but at least a Virgo will look at evidence. Aries doesn’t do this. Aries doesn’t look at evidence. We are much more abstract. We rely on our own thoughts.

What does this mean in a relationship? This means that Virgo is interested in what is out there when it is in a relationship. They’re socially aware and socially informed. Virgos, being mutable, will have different dynamics with different people or different groups of people. It won’t express itself the same way around everyone.

Aries is strikingly insular. I actually think that Aries is the sign least likely to develop interest in other people when it is in a relationship because of its insularity. Aries thinks that what it already has is the best. Why look around at all? “Mine is the best there is because I have chosen it and it is mine.” Aries can display a staggering lack of regard for anything that isn’t already in front of its own two eyes. Aries doesn’t really have different personalities for different people. It is pretty much the same no matter who it interacts with.

We tend to associate Aries with chasing after the new but, in a relationship with an Aries, Virgo is more likely to be the one bringing new ideas or things to try or people into the existing dynamic. Virgo will probably be more curious externally. Virgo is more likely to be the one who makes plans to try new things or tries to shake up the dynamic to keep it fresh. Virgo is the one to propose trips to places or new challenges.

It’s not that Aries isn’t always up for a challenge. Aries is. It’s just that Aries, when pursuing a challenge, prefers to do it on their own. Aries thinks that other people slow them down. Virgo likes to invite partners or friends in. It likes new things collaboratively. Virgo is more willing to try things just to try them. Aries will not try something new unless it is willing to really commit to a personal change.

Mostly, these two signs get along quite well. They can keep up with the other one. They both tend to bring a lot of energy and get excited about using their heads. Virgo is much more of a tinkerer and this can challenge Aries socially. Luckily for Virgo, Aries will follow someone who isn’t them when the place they are going is exciting enough.