Isn’t it odd that the sign that is most concerned with relationship is one of only two signs in all the zodiac that are symbolized by non-living things? Both Libra and Aquarius are air signs–the most sociable group in the zodiac. Yet there is something about each of them that is decidedly impersonal.
The scales that symbolize Libra immediately tie her to a long-ago past and a lineage beyond the West—the ancient goddess culture of Egypt. Ma’at was not just a goddess. She was also a concept. As a goddess, she set the Universe in motion and ruled the stars, seasons, and all action in the Universe, whether by mortals or the gods. As a concept, she was truth and justice. She was morality and order. She was the law. The weight of the ostrich feather that adorned her head was compared with the hearts of humans after death, and to determine whether or not they would proceed to paradise.
Libra is a dynamic realm. The element of air provides constant evidence that all life truly is one. The Earth is made of star stuff, and so are the molecules of our bodies. The water that was sourced in comets and asteroids, and flowed through the veins of dinosaurs, now flows through ours. Yet with every breath, we exchange air with all that lives. As we do, we experience the fundamental reality of Libra: the give and take of relatedness.
This cardinal air sign is one of two portions of the sky that are ruled by the planet Venus. In Libra and in Taurus, the Cosmic Feminine reveals a distinct side of her power. The power embodied by Venus is Love–in all its vibrations, from the body to the emotions. As the ruler of Taurus, her domain runs deep into the sensual world of matter—the beauty, fertility, and abundance of nature. In Libra, Venus brings the blessings of relatedness. Tact, harmony, grace, and beauty are her strategies. Personal relationships, diplomacy, justice, and art are her arenas. For Libra, all of them are about relationship.
An out-of-balance culture can regard these as decorative frills that dress up the real purpose of life. What Venus knows is that relationships, justice, beauty, and harmony are far from frills. They are cosmic forces, like Venus herself. Even her cyclic movements in the heavens follow the Golden Mean and the Fibonacci ratio—describing the spirals of fern fronds and seashells on Earth and of galaxies throughout the Universe.
When we tap the power of Libra, we can create a whole that is far more than the sum of its parts. The laws of exchange and reciprocity take us beyond the reality of simple arithmetic. Here is where one plus one yields 11.
In Libra comes a different level of awareness. It’s not just ourselves, but others we must take into account. With that comes a different level of power—that of collaboration.
Behind them is the cardinal power of Libra. It’s pushing us towards the future, with just as much urgency as Aries or Capricorn. The new reality it’s pointing towards is founded on reciprocity and interdependence.
Directly across the wheel of heaven from the Aries Point, Libra propels us into an entirely different realm of life. Our concerns are no longer those of our own self, as they were in Aries and Taurus all the way through Leo and Virgo.
In Libra comes a different level of awareness. It’s not just ourselves, but others we must take into account. With that comes a different level of power—that of collaboration.
Libra’s scales are always measure the balance, seeking an elusive middle point–between indecisiveness and appeasement, on the one hand, and self-centered steam-rolling, on the other. What Libra’s really looking for is mutual empowerment—something that includes both self and other.
To release Libra’s tact and grace into your life,
- Wear opals.
- Flirt.
- Engage in the art of the tete-a-tete. One-to-one interaction is where Libra shines with greatest luminosity.
- Surround yourself with beauty. Paint the walls a more pleasing color. Rearrange the furniture.
- Put on blue and lavender.
- Surround yourself with roses, cosmos, and hydrangeas.
You can tap the power of relatedness and collaboration by going to these four places in your birth chart:
- The 7th House of Partnerships. The cusp of the 7th House, like those of the 1st, 4th, and 10th Houses, is the threshold of an expanded arena of life beyond the purely personal. This is where we join with the “other” in personal, professional, and therapeutic partnerships. It is the house where we surrender our own personal desires in favor of something that is greater than ourselves–a marriage, a business, our growth and evolution. By entrusting our desires and goals to another, we step across a threshold. Stepping into the realm of others., we are forever changed.
- Any house with Libra on the cusp. With Libra on the cusp, the affairs of a house will be infused with the sign’s attunement to harmony between all things. The signature of Libra’s beauty, grace, intelligence can be clearly seen in famous Libra Rising people like Catherine Deneuve, Grace Kelley, Halle Berry, Cary Grant, Denzel Washington, and Robert Redford.
- The house where the planet Venus is located. This house will show us where we will find love and friendship.
- Planets in Libra. Any planets in Libra will take on Libra’s sensitivities. The dynamic energy of the Sun in Libra carried Margaret Thatcher to the highest levels of statesmanship. The Moon in Libra is nurtured by social interaction and pleasant environments. The Moon here bestows good people skills and a keen dislike of discord.