The Zodiac acts as a faraway, celestial judge. Always impartial, the stars reveal the best and worst of ourselves with pure objectivity. And while they’re busy taking stock of us, they can tell who on Earth is doing the same to everyone else.
Indeed, the stars can spot those condescending looks and strained “bless your hearts” from billions of miles away. Our humble Earthling opinions—however plentiful—are closely tied to our natal charts.
Our modalities, elements, planets, and ruling houses determine how well we live and let live. Does your star sign constantly carp or keep it chill?
The Most Nitpicky Modality
Modalities determine a Zodiac sign’s place within the four seasons. Cardinal signs usher in a new season—Aries with spring, Cancer with Summer, etc. Fixed signs, like Taurus and Leo, occur in the middle of a season.
On the other hand, Mutable signs usher in a season’s end. From this vantage point, they can more objectively observe the insights and lessons learned from the previous season. These signs have the advantage of learning from the mistakes (or wins) of others.
Of course, this modality is not without downsides. A flexible mind is great for adopting new perspectives. But if the mind becomes too malleable, it grows prone to trickery.
Armchair Critic Of The Elements
Ruling elements also play a part in someone’s judgmental tendencies. While some elements prefer passion over pickiness, others thrive in critique. Earth is a grounded, stubborn element—it’s also the most likely to judge.
Generally speaking, Earth signs prefer to keep their head down and work hard. They are diligent and level-headed, choosing pragmatism over all else. While this usually manifests positively, it can easily come across as contrarian.
Earth signs struggle to understand why other people don’t do things their way. They truly believe they know best and are confused when people don’t get with the program.
Communication Is Healthy! (Until It Isn’t)
The most judgmental Zodiac sign is, for the most part, well-intentioned with their opinions. And when you dive deeper into this sign’s celestial assignments, their capricious nature makes perfect sense.
Mercury is the planet of communication, expression, reason, and intellect. It’s the most social planet, and it’s also the most analytical. Those ruled by Mercury are quick to analyze and ideate. They communicate their feelings and opinions freely—sometimes, with little regard for whose feelings they hurt.
Each of the twelve natal houses factors into a personality, too. The Sixth House of Health governs daily routines, work-life, and general health. When paired with Mercury’s influence, expressing one’s opinion can start to feel like a part of their daily routine.
Those with strong connections to Mercury and the Sixth House of Health can assume undue responsibility for others. If they know best, then they have a duty to help whether or not they were asked to do so. Not even their own pragmatism can save them from the fallacies of that logic.
This Zodiac Sign Is The Toughest Judge
When you consider their entire natal chart, it’s not surprising that Virgo is the most judgmental sign of all. These nitpicky signs have a mutable modality, and their ruling planet is Mercury. Moreover, they sit in the Sixth House of Health.
Helping others is second nature to Virgo. Unfortunately, knowing when to stop isn’t. Virgo can become so consumed with their desire to feel useful that they don’t stop to consider whether their analysis is even welcome.
It might help to know that Virgo is equally critical of themselves. These analytical signs are deeply insecure, and most of their outward critiques are doubled back on themselves tenfold. While it’s not easy to remember this when a Virgo is crossing your boundaries, it can help paint them in a more empathetic light.
Because at the end of the day, all a Virgo really wants is for everyone to be as successful as possible. They long for a world in which everyone works hard and gets to reap the rewards.
Every once in a while, they just need a little reminder that everyone has their own unique approach to the same ideal.