Carpe Diem #165, Virgo (The Maiden) (Zodiac 6)

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

What a joy to prepare another episode in our Carpe Diem journey along the Zodiac. I hadn't thought that this could be so inspiring to do and I have read wonderful haiku written by you all, my friends. As I 'travelled' along the last posts to comment I stumbled in to all your wonderful congrats for my wedding anniversary. There were even a few post especially written for me ... really your posts are all gifts to me and I hope that every episode of Carpe Diem is a gift to you all.

Today we share haiku on Virgo (The Maiden) our next stop on our Zodiac journey. As I started to prepare this episode the first thing I thought was that I would like to use another source of information than I did in the first five episodes of Carpe Diem's Zodiac journey. No astrology today but 'Maidens' out history. (Maybe a short astrology item at the end).

St. Joan of Arc

The first Maiden which came in mind was Joan of Arc (French: Jeanne d'Arc, IPA: [ʒan daʁk]; ca. 1412 – 30 May 1431), nicknamed "The Maid of Orléans" (French: La Pucelle d'Orléans), is a folk heroine of France and a Roman Catholic saint. She was born a peasant girl in what is now eastern France. Claiming divine guidance, she led the French army to several important victories during the Hundred Years' War, which paved the way for the coronation of Charles VII of France. She was captured by the Burgundians, transferred to the English in exchange for money, put on trial by the pro-English Bishop of Beauvais Pierre Cauchon for charges of "insubordination and heterodoxy", and was burned at the stake for heresy when she was 19 years old.

Twenty-five years after her execution, an inquisitorial court authorized by Pope Callixtus III examined the trial, pronounced her innocent, and declared her a martyr.[6] Joan of Arc was beatified in 1909 and canonized in 1920. She is – along with St. Denis, St. Martin of Tours, St. Louis IX, and St. Theresa of Lisieux – one of the patron saints of France. Joan said she had received visions from God instructing her to support Charles VII and recover France from English domination late in the Hundred Years' War. The uncrowned King Charles VII sent her to the siege of Orléans as part of a relief mission. She gained prominence when she overcame the dismissive attitude of veteran commanders and lifted the siege in only nine days. Several additional swift victories led to Charles VII's coronation at Reims.

To the present day, Joan of Arc has remained a significant figure in Western civilization. From Napoleon I onward, French politicians of all leanings have invoked her memory. Famous writers and composers who have created works about her.

guided by God's Hand
she leaded her French army -
burned a witch

burned a witch
guided by God's Hand
she became a Saint

Virgin Mary, Mother of Jesus Christ

Another Maiden was of course Mary, Mother of our Lord Jesus Christ. According to religious tradition, Mary (Aramaic: Maryām; 1st century BC—early 1st century AD) was an Israelite Jewish woman of Nazareth in Galilee and the mother of Jesus. Among her many other names and titles are the Virgin Mary or Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, and Saint Mary in Western churches, Theotokos in Orthodox Christianity, and Maryam, mother of Isa in Islam. She is identified in the New Testament[Mt 1:16,18-25][Lk 1:26-56][2:1-7] and in the Qur'an as the mother of Jesus through divine intervention. Christians hold her son Jesus to be Christ (i.e., the messiah) and God the Son Incarnate (see Trinitarian monotheism), whereas Muslims regard Jesus as the messiah and one of the most important prophets of God sent to mankind.

The canonical gospels of Matthew and Luke describe Mary as a virgin (Greek παρθένος, parthénos). Traditionally, Christians believe that she conceived her son miraculously by the agency of the Holy Spirit. Muslims believe that she conceived by the command of God. This took place when she was already betrothed to Saint Joseph and was awaiting the concluding rite of marriage, the formal home-taking ceremony.  She married Joseph and accompanied him to Bethlehem, where Jesus was born. In keeping with Jewish custom, the betrothal would have taken place when she was around 12, and the birth of Jesus about a year later.

The New Testament begins its account of Mary's life with the Annunciation, when the angel Gabriel appeared to her and announced her divine selection to be the mother of Jesus. Church tradition and the Gospel of James AD 145 state that her parents were an elderly couple, Saint Joachim and Saint Anne. The Bible records Mary's role in key events of the life of Jesus from his conception to his Ascension. Apocryphal writings tell of her subsequent death and bodily assumption into heaven.

Christians of the Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, Oriental Orthodox Church, Anglican Communion, and Lutheran churches believe that Mary, as mother of Jesus, is the Mother of God (Μήτηρ Θεοῦ) and the Theotokos, literally "Bearer of God". Mary has been venerated since Early Christianity. Throughout the ages she has been a favorite subject in Christian art, music, and literature.

There is significant diversity in the Marian beliefs and devotional practices of major Christian traditions. The Catholic Church has a number of Marian dogmas, such as the Immaculate Conception of Mary, the Perpetual Virginity of Mary, and the Assumption of Mary into Heaven. Catholics refer to her as Our Lady and venerate her as the Queen of Heaven and Mother of the Church; most Protestants do not share these beliefs. Many Protestants see a minimal role for Mary within Christianity, based on the brevity of biblical references.


giving birth
becoming Mother of God's Son -
divine intervention

divine intervention
a maiden conceives the Seed of God -
Mary, Mother of God


I am on a role with this one. Another (self proclaimed) Virgin you all know as Madonna (the singer). I don't know if she was a maiden when she became famous, but she has a wonderful song 'Like a Virgin' which I love to share here.

As I sought for this video I remembered that OMD (Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark) once made a song about Joan of Arc. I couldn't help it, but I had to share that video also here.

Well ... should I drop in a little astrology here? Hm ... I think I have to, because we are busy with our Zodiac days. So here we go.

Virgo (The Maiden)  August 24th - September 22th

The emblem of Virgo, a virgin holding sheaves of wheat in her hands symbolizes wisdom, garnered in the fields of experience. Like the true virgin, most Virgos are shy and, like a virgin tend to wait to give herself to the perfect lover, Virgo is also idealistic.
With a Mercury as the ruling planet, people born under this sign are quick thinking and observant. They define pure modesty; they can't bear to be taken care of, they prefer to take care of others.
People who were born in this period are as a rule generally successful in life. They have keen, good intellects, are very discriminating about those with whom they associate, and in all business matters they have good judgment, and are not easily imposed upon or deceived.
Virgos are usually fastidious about their personal appearance, have a great respect for rank and position, and are great supporters of the law and the law's decisions. They usually develop this skill to improve themselves and their surroundings as they place great pride in tangible achievements. These people may spend part of their lives heading off on detours and then suddenly emerge as someone with a remarkable sense of direction. They can adjust easily to change once they find a way of fitting the new situation into their routine.
They are inclined to become wrapped up in themselves and their own ideas, and often become selfish in the close pursuit of their aims.
In love they are the most difficult to understand, the very best and the very worst of men and women being born in this part of the year. To people born under this sign love is not dramatic, emotional, or sentimental. Love for them is devotion and will include love of family, friends, and those less fortunate than he or she. There is no pretense involved in how they act or what they say. Marriage is a major commitment; they value their union as both a love relationship and a working partnership. A warm relationship brings out the best in anyone born under this sign because basically they are kind, devoted and very loyal.
Disappointment, however, can harden them into a cynic and a skeptic. Virgos consequently become quite critical with themselves as well as with circumstances, due to the effect of such disappointments on a sensitive and discriminating nature.

I hope you enjoyed this post and that it will inspire you all to write and compose wonderful haiku. This prompt will stay on 'til April 9th 11.59 AM (CET) and I will post our new episode in our Carpe Diem Journey through the Zodiac, Libra (The Scales), later on today around 10.00 PM (CET).