Libra
October 3, 2008
The harvest is past and nights are lenghthening. Our work is done for now and it’s time to be sociable, time to recognize and acknowledge the others around us. It is especially that time of year to focus on the special other in our world. This is Libra, September 22 – October 23, the time of relationship.
As Aries–the first sign–is about me, so Libra, the seventh sign, the sign opposite Aries on the zodiac wheel, is about the other. Libra is the sign of marriage and all equal partnerships. We all have to balance ourselves with another, even if we don’t marry.
The essential lesson for Libra is this: how can I be me and still honor you. The undeveloped Libran most often bends to the wishes of others, unable to maintain integrity. If this compromise is done with resentment–and believe me, it often is–unresolved anger builds in the Libra. Yes, that peace-loving, peace-keeping Libra in your life could be raging underneath that sweet smile.
Libran virtues include fairness, beauty, sociability, kindness, and willingness to compromise. Libran shadows are indecisiveness, unwillingness to be honest if it might hurt someone, procrastination, and saying what people want to hear. Without other deepening energies, The Libran can be shallow.
Decorators, publicrelations people, organizers of social functions, party givers, and hostesses: all Libran. Societiy’s most powerful Libran expressions are the diplomat, the judge, and the general.
Libra is ruled by Venus, goddess of beauty. May and October–both under Venusian vibrations–are Earth’s most beautiful months. The beauty in May is most evidenti n the blooming flowers. The beauty in October is in autumn color and the sunset sky. Sunset is the Libra time. The glyph for Liba is the setting sun.
Libra is beauty in proportion: that hour-glass figure ins Libra. Libra is beauty in movement: the dance is Libra. Libra is beauty in contrast: chiaraschuro is Libra. So is the hillside lit up with autumn color.
Libra is the second air sign, the second sign of man. Only three signs–the air signs–are not animals. The air signs focus on thought and the interelatedness of all things. Here we learn that only minds can join and the concept of “my thought” is quite impossible.
Libra is represented by the scales, not even a human image. There is, in Libra, an emotional detachment that allows the native to see both sides. If a person is depicted holding the scales, he is blindfolded, symbolizing the impartiality needed for justice. You can count on the Libra in your life for a balanced and fair appraisal. Libra is also the obvious mediator in any conflict. Astrologer Nancy Cohen says the little Libra is born to save his parents’ marriage, born to forever go between.
Many judges are born under the sign of the scales and also surprisingly many generals, Dwight David Eisenhower being the most famous. If there isn’t peace, well guess what. .. that’s right, we have war. Libra is the sign of conflict as well as peace. It is the sign of the enemy as well as the partner. Sometimes the partner turns into the enemy after the falling-in-love blindness fades. The clearer vision often shows us our own shadows projected onto the other. Karl Jung suggested that being conscious of our shadows will improve our relationships. What he didn’t tell us is that it takes a lifetime.
In the body, Libra rules the kidneys (organs on either side, in the center of the body) and the bladder. Be careful of being “pissed off” at your partner or you could get an infection here. The ears (balanced organs by the middle of the face) and the inner ear, ruling balance, and under Libran rulership. Mars rules the sight and Venus rules the hearing and it is said and I believe it that men are visual creatures and women love sweet talk.
Since October opens with Mrecury retrograde, this isn’t the time for major purchases or new beginnings. Especially don’t buy cars or electronics. The Full Moon is October 14th so remember, no surgeries the 13th, 14th or 15th. And since the waning room is the time to let go, the latter days of this month are not good for beginnings or purchases either. Wait for more favorable days in November.
At the time of the Full Aries Moon on October 14th we may find ourselves asking where I need to be more assertive (Aries) and where I need to compromise (Libra). As Stephanie Austin suggests, we often make war before making love. “We battle each other because we are not at peace with ourselves.” It’s all a matter of development. The more I know myself and am at peace with who I am the more I can love another and learn from someone different.
Eris, goddess of discord and strife, closely joins this Full Moon. Be careful of pushing your agenda too hard. Everything could blow up on you. Neptune harmoniously aspects both the Sun and Moon, offering a strong dose of compassion that could soften the hard edges of idealogical differences.
By the time of the New Moon on October 28th, the Sun will be in the deeper and more intense sign of Scorpio, the sign of sex, death, and all mysteries. We are entering a time of great change where something is dying and something is struggling to be born. Saturn, planet of form and convention, will opppose Uranus, planet of reform and innovation in November. The polarization of this elections is demonstration of this tense and powerful opposition. John McCain is the oldest man (and a white one) ever to be nominated and Barack Obama is the first black candidate and one of the youngest.
The last time these planets opposed was from 1965 to 1967, a time of cultural upheaval. This was the ’60′s when every tradition was challenged and new spiritual thought came into our society from Eastern religions. Everything brightened up from the new freedom including the clothes people wore. Who knows what excitement this current opposition could bring.
The Sabian symbol for this lunation speaks of this time of change: “The gold rush tears men away from their native soil; the passionate search for new values which promise a more abundant life.” Get ready for the adventure of a lifetime.
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