I am Libra

If you are not a Libra, you might not be interested in this. On the other hand, if you are an astrologer or an astrology student, you might find this helpful, or only slightly annoying. The thing is, astrology has for a long time produced books which talk about Sun signs doing certain things or acting certain ways, and they will go on and on describing someone that you cannot recognize. Of all the signs, I think Libra and Aries are the most misrepresented in this way.

Firstly, people are not just their Sun signs, so we cannot simply say things about them based on their Sun signs. A child, for instance, born in late September 2009 will have a Libra Sun squared by a Capricorn Pluto, and there will be the added suggestion of explosive restraints put on the normally achievable balance sought by the Libra nature. With Pluto in such strong “interference”, this child will need to press ever deeper into his or her identity over time to achieve some balance. It won’t be easy, but it can be extremely rewarding to both the child and the world if the call is heeded to do the work.

Always, the whole chart of a person is required in order to make sense of a person’s needs in life. There are of course some generalities which we could say about Libra and the other signs, but we neither need to be humorous about it, nor dogmatic, or go into much detail. The generalities we hear so often with Libra say that they are social butterflies, they are sentimental and often lazy, and wishy-washy fence sitters because they are trying too hard to be friends with everyone. I beg to differ. I am Libra, I have a big stellium of it. The only characteristic I hear so much about that I would probably agree belongs with Libra is the artistry, and the love of pretty things. But that one might not be true either.

Libra is the flip side of Aries, and it has more in common with Aries than any other sign. Aries is not about war, just like Libra is not about peace. Aries is the first sign in the zodiac as the earth moves into the Spring equinox. Aries wants to be the first at anything and everything. Like the planet Mars, Aries is about taking the initiative. Libra is not the opposite of that, it is the communal side of that expression. Libra takes the initiative to include others. It is not a sacrifice, like might be required of a Pisces. Libra does not in itself lack any confidence, either, and, sorry, generality lovers, Libra might just go it alone as easily as any other sign. They do not have a greater need for partnership than do other Sun signs.

Libra will fight for cooperation and balance, and sometimes insist on being “even-Steven” about all things, so that the scales are not tipped one way or the other. After all, fair is fair. They generally work very hard to try and understand what is fair, which may turn out not to be exactly cut-and-dried, especially when it comes to government and politics. Oops, there’s a generality; so, yes, there are some, I think, but horoscopes are tricky, just like people. As an air sign, Libra is at least full of communication. Just as Aries is the leader, Libra insists that there is a leader in the picture somewhere, a direction or goal to walk towards, or in some cases, run. Libra is an idea in the making and probably an ideal, whereas Aries is the inspiration and a burst of energy.

There is a good amount of logic in Libra, just as in the other air signs, and I might even say that Libra loves logic more than the other two air signs, who have respectively narrower and broader agendas than Libra, but of course it would depend also on where Mercury is placed in the horoscope. Mercury could instead be in Virgo or Scorpio, the first also being quite logical, and the second being quite deep and emotionally driven. As stated, a person is their whole horoscope.

The generality that Libras are sentimental can extend only so far. A Pisces can be sentimental, certainly a Cancer can be sentimental in our opinion, and a Taurus might definitely love sentiment with some chocolate cake and flowers, etc., so I suppose it is the whole Venus and Moon connection that tends to gravitate to that trait; but, really, sentiment goes beyond Libra or any other sign. Joyce Hall, the founder of Hallmark Cards and the promoter of sending thoughtful greetings by post, had a Sun in Virgo, squared by Neptune and Pluto in Gemini. Go figure, but it’s not his whole horoscope. His birth time is unknown, although I think his chart looked something like this below, with a 3rd house Sun, and Mercury very close to the IC. Virgo, like Libra, loves to think, but it is a very hands-on, textile, sensual sort of thinking, the kind which goes with down-home practical applications. The added dimension of Pluto and Neptune in Gemini is downright magical, in an era when humanity as a whole was beginning to recognize all those metaphysical events that happen to us in life, like messages from beyond, and even just secret messages from secret admirers, like we might get on Valentine’s day. Excuse me for naming this horoscope Hallmark, but I think the birthdate of Mr. J. Hall can adequately represent that company. Note the Jupiter in Pisces in the long-distance mail box.

Jupiter in Pisces – more hearts and flowers than any Libra can spare.