Spending a few weeks enjoying the glorious colors of a New England Fall reminded me that Libra's concern with beauty is based just as much on the natural cycle of the seasons as it is on our cultural ideas of beauty. While fashion is ruled by Libra, the transformative beauty of birch, oak and maple leaves turning golden, orange and red amidst the deep pine greens touches on the deeper beauty of the soul. We see that beauty is fragile and precious, and comes in different forms in different seasons of our lives. Venus, Libra's ruler, calls us to connect to our unique beauty so that we can mingle with other souls and recognize their beauty.
As I mentioned in my Aries Full Moon 2009 newsletter, Libra's Scales symbolize our self-worth and what we bring to the collective table. Scales measure how one side comes into balance with the other side, and Libra calls us to step forward and engage with others on a level playing field. We might think we're not as smart, rich or beautiful as the person we're dealing with or the situation we find ourselves in, but Libra says, "Go on, try to balance the scales. At the end of our lives, when our hearts are weighed on Maat's scales of truth, we are all equal. If we can learn that lesson while we live, we truly are the equal of anyone we meet. If we respect ourselves and our experience of life, we can respect anyone. Out of that respect, we learn to come to agreements about what is fair, just, necessary and true.
Peace. Justice. Balance. Harmony. Partnership. These are words that we use to describe the sign of Libra. But what do these words mean? Peace is not only the absence of war; it also means ˜to agree' or ˜to receive with favor' or to be ˜capable of pleasing'. Harmony means ˜an agreement of feeling', as in music. Balance means ˜a general harmony between parts'. Partner comes from a word meaning ˜portion' or ˜part holder', as in someone we share something with. Justice comes from a word that means ˜righteousness or equity' as in being equal. All these words that we use to describe the meaning of Libra tell us that we have to learn to share with others, to connect with others. And so Libra also rules the social norms we all live by.
Each sign of the zodiac offers us a different means of expressing who we are. Libra says, "Express your ability to agree and be pleasing with someone else. For some of us, Libra is an easy task. For others, not as much! But each year, we all get a chance to practice the Libra tasks of life while the Sun is in Libra.
To practice peace, balance, and harmony, we have to find it within ourselves before we can find it with another person. We can't ignore the Aries lesson of self-discovery and self-interest. And the Virgo lesson to ˜know thyself'. It's best if we learn to understand how we use our masculine and feminine energies. Without self-knowledge, we throw the balance of Libra off. When we forget to put ourselves into the equation, we create imbalance. It does take two to tango! Or to balance each other.
Too many Libra Suns think that they have to give over their own sense of self to achieve peace and harmony. But it doesn't work like that. Hopefully, this month's full Moon in Aries made you stand up for yourself. Now you understand that taking a stand is just as important for peace as it is for war. If you don't know what you stand for, how can you negotiate with another person? If you give ˜in' to another person's needs, you are not creating balance. You are just creating a situation where your needs are not met.
Libra asks, "How can we both get our needs met? To do this, you have to learn the fine art of diplomacy, which is another Libra trait. When a Libra answers a question about what they want with "whatever you know there will be repercussions down the road. So do your homework: understand who you are and what you believe; know your values and your desires; love yourself and others enough to be truthful; open yourself to Spirit and to Nature " our archetypal parents, the Sky Father and Earth Mother.
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