Libra

Libra
Regulator of Eternal Law and Order

Symbol(s): Scales
Element and Modality: Air, Cardinal
Planetary Ruler(s): Venus
House: VII, Partnership
Bodily Function(s): Kidneys, Adrenals, Loins, Back

Tarot Card: Justice/Adjustment
Hebrew Letter: Lamed

The circulatory, rhythmic, pendulum is always in motion within the mindbody. The heart pumps, keeping the blood circulating. The lungs inhale and exhale. We experience a cycle of wakefulness followed by (or preceded by) a cycle of sleep. The wheels are always in motion, even during rest. The exchange of giving and taking is a constant. The partnership between the inner and the outer is always present. This interface takes place even without conscious cognition of it. Let's think about that for a second.

You have your person, your body and your mind. Your body is the part that is visible to the external world. This is the emergent part of that Ego. This body breathes in oxygen from the atmosphere, which is transformed in the body and cells (which we don't typically see unless we have the proper equipment). Your body then expels its own essence back into the surrounding atmosphere to be absorbed and recycled by the sea of influences. We are giving and we are taking. We are receiving and we are transmitting. When we exhale, we're not just putting out bodily elements, we're sending out our psychic germs. Whatever our quality of thoughts and emotions are, they're deposited directly into the collective grid of the planet. These thoughts and emotions are not only registered by the planetary sphere herself, but also impress their influence upon all of the bodies contained therein. Every being.

That influence isn't just confined to this planetary sphere either. It influences every other sentient sphere as well (and there is no-thing but sentient-sea). The degree of influence, however, depends on the strength and degree of the consciousness that that individual being has.

So every thought, desire, and emotion, then, can be seen as action. These internal influences mold and remold the body. This also applies to unconscious thoughts, emotions, and desires (those that we've delegated or condemned to the subconscious). They also influence the construction of surrounding bodies. And by "bodies", I am not just referring to the physical body but the subtle bodies as well (astral, vital, mental, emotional, and so on). So we can see the walls of separation softening here, as they've never really existed. You have your skin, yes, but don't be mistaken into believing that that is the boundary of you. The only boundaries are the ones you've falsely constructed. They're real only because you believe them to be. Your belief empowers them and gives them life.

Instead, try to think of your physical vessel as a portal of interaction with other aspects of yourself. Truly, you're everywhere. You're everyone. You're everything. But you're really no "thing" at all, because no "thing" actually is. Those "other" manifestations are different versions of yourself. These are the other expressions playing out. All of the endless potentials in the process of fulfilling self-realization. All of these different Egos are impulses that arose within the unified mind of God. Even those personalities that come forth and commit evil acts. But, due to the swinging of the pendulum, every act must be reconciled. For every evil, a virtue. For every man, a woman. There is force and there is always counter-force. These are the two faces of the ONE coin.

Libra has domicile over the House of Partnerships. Libra serves as a regulator for these complementary forces (interface between mind and environment, us and them, action and reaction). Libra weighs our karma (thoughts, emotions, actions) and then decides what circumstances to attract to perfect a balance. Always, Libra is working toward homeostasis. Homeostasis, or equi-LIBR-ium, puts us in central alignment. To be centrally aligned is to be united with Source consciousness. The will, then, is strongly guided through intuition. Establishing that intuitive guidance leads to LIBER-ation from suffering. "Liber" means book. One might think of this book as a record. "Libra" is Latin for "pound" or "balance". Libra is the recorder of the Law, which seeks to balance and guide.

Everything that the soul experiences through its many incarnations are recorded. These records are never forgotten, but much is designated to the subconscious or unconscious. This includes present, parallel/ancestral (those of karmic significance to present incarnation), previous, and future life experiences. Whatever is implanted into the subconscious will eventually grow and ripen as an external circumstance or relationship. This can manifest positively or negatively, depending on the seeds of experience. How we respond, react, or judge these experiences plants new seeds.

How will we judge them? Will our judgement be too harsh or will we show mercy? Will we be too soft and allow abuse? Will we condemn our thoughts and emotions surrounding the bounty we've acquired? Will we be fair? Will we be honest?

You can successfully lie to others. You can take a lot of lovely snapshots of your life and share those bits on your social media. This may be a very convincing mask, a false persona created to fool the public. But you cannot mask the stench of rot for long. The truth always WILL out. Familiar, painful, circumstances will repeat until you've decided you've had enough. Only changed behavior (thoughts, emotions, actions) changes circumstances. Stop pretending. You're not being asked to "come clean" to the whole world. If you start being honest with yourself, you won't need to. It'll just be obvious.

This is when the purification process stirs into activity. It's like scorching fields in order to plant a season of new crops, different from the last. Before equilibrium can be established, or in order to maintain that equilibrium, we have to repeatedly enter into the fires of purification. Libra can aid and expedite this process.

Libra has dominion over the kidneys. Overlay the anatomical structure of the kidneys over Libra's scales. The vertical beam might be seen as the spine and the twin scales on the horizontal beam could represent each kidney. In that formation is a cross, which is always a symbol of balance. The vertical line is heaven (masculine) and the horizontal is earth (feminine). The kidneys and the adrenals resting on them are closely connected with the sexual organs (Scorpio). The influences of Libra predominate the lower half of the body, which suggests its connection to the realm of sexuality and the subconscious.

Whenever we see a set of two, like we do with the scales and the kidneys, we know we are dealing with either opposition or conjunction. Opposition works toward conjunction. Conjunction leads to liberation. We can polarize into one or the other or we can blend to unite. When we polarize, choosing one energy over the other, we catalyze the manifestation of its opposite. This continues until we examine our cravings and aversions. Both imply an attachment of some kind. If we're craving or desiring something, then we've formed an attachment to it. If we're repulsed by something, it's because we overly identify with the wound it inflicts upon us.

We each have our personal preferences. There is nothing wrong with this. There is nothing wrong with craving something either. But if we hold onto something for too long, it creates an obstruction. Too much of anything disrupts the balance. We can hold on for a while, but we must learn to let go when something has run its course. Back to the whole idea of "catching and releasing".

It is through this self-discipline that we can free ourselves. Pain may be unavoidable in life, but suffering is a choice that we make in every moment. Avoiding pain creates suffering. Libra asks us to face our pain, face our fears. Libra asks us to get uncomfortable so that we can avoid magnifying the pain. That's what avoidance does. It magnifies the issues and gives birth to suffering.

A simplified way to look at this: Physical exercise makes us uncomfortable. We get hot and sweaty. We work our heart, our lungs, and our muscles. It can be a little painful at first. Our muscles may ache afterwards. It can take a while to catch our breath. But it positively transforms our body and our mind. It creates new pathways in the brain. It eases depression and anxiety. It makes us stronger and more confident.

There may be days where we're overflowing with motivation and other days where that inspiration just isn't there. Sometimes we skip the workout because we're just not feeling motivated. That's okay if the body needs a rest (balance), but if we keep skipping that workout, we get slower. It gets harder to pick up where we left off. It makes it easy to quit. Where motivation ends, the self-discipline we've cultivated along the way is what picks us up and keeps us moving. Even when we don't feel like doing it. We keep doing it because it gives us direction and keeps us aligned. This is how opposition (Venus (love, conception) and Mars (action, desire)) leads to conjunction.

Keywords for Libra: Choice, judgement, charm, weighing values, balance, equilibrium, measurement, polarity, neutrality, detachment, release, adjustment, relations, harmony, justice, discrimination, push-pull, rhythm, and see-saw.

Complementary/Opposing Sign

Mars impels us to act, guided by creative imagination, which rests on the foundation of memory. Mars eliminates hesitancy. Inaction is a choice too, but Mars gets us moving. Aries is all about leading and taking the initiative. So if we're on the fence about anything, the energies of Aries will spark the fires of inspiration within us to get us moving.

Aries is about the development of the individual prowess. Libra, on the other hand, deals with partnership. Libra is patient, carefully weighing out options based on past experiences. Aries is demanding and assertive. But they are both working toward the same goal of self-directed purpose.

The driving initiative of Aries must be counter-balanced by the regulating functions of Libra. Mars governs muscular force and Venus infuses it with the forces of love (desire as lust or it's higher form of love-attraction). This infusion instigates that initiative. Venus as the pinnacle of feminine mystique and attraction. Mars as the height of masculine brute force and eagerness to please.

Libra can negatively express as co-dependency. This co-dependency has the potential to spark tension between the two, as Aries is unflinchingly independent. Being a matronly figure, Venus can become clingy and attached. Being a warrior, Mars can become violent, angry, and self-centered. But in Libra's nobler expressions are the desire for liberation and equality. Equality frees one of co-dependent tendencies through detachment.

Venus and Saturn

Libra is ruled by Venus. Venus acts as a secondary sun in our solar system. Solar energy is stored in Venus and then transmitted to Earth. Being the microcosms that we are, the exchange of energy between these spheres of influence take place within us. So whatever is true of the interplay of these energies "up there" (above, without) is also true "down here" (below, within).

Venus is famously known as the Goddess of Love. Venus is sensual, fertile, romantic, and attractive. Venus is the bright and vibrant Mother. When we think of Venus, we think of lush vegetation and smooth legs.

Because we know Libra as a regulator (and instigator) of action (Karma), we must mention the importance of Saturn's relationship here. Saturn is exalted in Libra, so it sits really well in this sign. With Libra being an air sign, there is also a hidden connection to Uranus.

Exaltation: Saturn
Detriment: Mars
Other Air Signs: Gemini, Aquarius
Other Cardinal Signs: Aries, Cancer, Capricorn