Meditations on Libra

Some common stereotypes I’ve seen in online spaces about the sign of Libra is that it is all about art, socializing, and not knowing what it wants. While some of these things can sometimes be true, I’d like to talk about a few other things that are discussed a bit less often by the pop-astrological caricature of the sign of the Scales.

About Libra

What image is conjured in the mind when we think of Libra? It is the sign of friendly discourse, social gatherings, song and music, as well as art, fashion, and design. Often people really emphasize Libra’s capacity to hear all sides of any particular story, which is where we get keywords such as fairness, balance, and justice.

Libra is the sign of the Scales. The annual transit of the Sun through this sign marks the beginning of the autumn equinox and the start of fall itself in the northern hemisphere. It is the place where the hours of daylight truly begin to diminish more and more as we make our descent into the colder months of the year. In the tradition of astrology, it is considered a human, moveable or cardinal air sign. It belongs to the diurnal sect. 

The domicile ruler of Libra is of course Venus, the planet of the nocturnal sect we associate with dynamics of relationality, socializing, and harmonizing. She represents the things in the world that allure and attract; all things pleasurable and pleasing!

The Mirror of Venus

Libra often represents the mirroring quality found in Venus. It is the spectacle you look at to do your makeup: a tool to help you see how others see you. Libra is all about code-switching and the ability to reflect, mimic or mirror the other. Artists and designers are trained to detect when a composition is off balance. Musicians, to listen and create the rhyme and rhythm within the bars of music. Poets, to conduct words into flowing, balanced meters.

One primary way that people socialize is to find common ground, especially through shared hobbies and interests: Venus.

It’s the:

“Oh cool you’re wearing a [insert music artist here] tee? I love their music! Let’s chat about it later over some coffee?”

Unsurprisingly, in my own practice, I’ve observed many Libras as individuals who have a particular knack for learning languages. It’s all about adopting an entirely new way of thinking, talking, interfacing, and relating with the world. Being able to mimic entirely new phonemes and accents precisely can be a very Libran trait. Libras make good impressionists. It’s very Libran to go out of your way to learn someone else’s language in order to connect with them better.

Mercury is about grammar and definition. Venus is about connection and relationships.

The Dark Side Starts with the Scales

The story of the zodiac is a solar story, as the Sun completes its path—called the ecliptic—every year. When it arrives at Libra, it is the first time the Sun is forced to truly prioritize the things that aren’t itself. Libra is one of two signs on the equinoctial axis, and is the sign where the balance shifts to longer and longer nights instead of day. This is why the Sun finds its depression or fall in Libra in the traditional dignity system. One quality that depresses the Sun’s agenda—one of personal visibility and honors— in the sign of Libra is that it is often… not* about you. (ouch) 

When we are socialized, we often learn about what rules there are to Living in a Society™, and boy are there many! This means other people’s opinions and value judgements matter.

We hear anything from

“Boys don’t play that game!”
“We don’t talk that way in this house.”
“Good girls don’t dress like that.”

to

“You’re not wearing pink.
It’s a Wednesday.
You can’t sit with us.”

One thing that is often forgotten is that Libra, from the perspective of traditional astrology, is where Saturn is exalted. 
Why is that? Or rather, why would Saturn’s goals be well-resourced in this domain?
Saturn is the force in the natural world that binds and restricts. It creates rules, regulations, hindrances, obstacles, and delays. However, it is also the force that binds and creates permanence and longevity of systems enacted in the world around us. 

If you know someone with a significant amount of Libra in their natal chart, you will know very well that Libra is not just about friendly brunch banter and champagne.

So much of Libra is keenly understanding the social dance we choose to play or not play within the larger social network we live in. It goes as far as the societal expectations and judgements placed on our interests, our presentation of our own gender, the music we listen to, as well as the things we like and whom we love. 

Those who play the social dance or live up to the societal expectation really well get invited into the in-group. Those who fail to do so can suffer real-world consequences. The truth often is, if you don’t dress or act the part, you get booted from the island. Libra dynamics will ‘clock’ you to see if you’re a good ‘fit.’ 

Women and femme people can struggle greatly when they don’t live up to some of these standards, in a world which is highly patriarchal. Femme men or men who engage in less stereotypically masculine things get ridiculed because they’re too effeminate or soft. 

You face the risk of ostracization. This is Saturn showing its face.

More so than most signs, the dark side of Libra can be quite political. It is a sign often enmeshed in respectability politics, which can get into complicated systemic issues surrounding class disparity and who can afford to look, behave, and live a life that is conventionally ‘beautiful.’

I come from a conservative Vietnamese family, and it’s a culture where decorum… is very important. Chinese and Vietnamese people do well to not mất mặt or 丟臉 (diu1 lian3), which means to lose face. The people from these cultures will go to great, almost obscene lengths to not lose face, as this can harm their social standing and therefore place in the world. This is reflected in their daily vernacular or fighting to pay the bill. *Saturn’s bell gongs in the distance…*

It was a childhood full of confusing rules about how I ought to speak, and the way I ought to dress. What would x,y,z person think!? I didn’t get, nor did I like these rules. This didn’t change that they existed within the culture. That is Saturn.

On the Issue of Pretty

“Pretty Privilege” is a real thing. However, what ‘pretty’ is changes depending on the social context. Aesthetics and optics, after all, are relative.

“[x y z] is not a good look.”

Libra is decorum. It is the need to abide by the “dress-code” in order to attend a fancy dinner-party venue. Being presentable and following the rules of decorum helps you gain entrance at the door. It helps you integrate in the social group, so you actually benefit from the social systems that are often set up in that society, instead of having them weigh an iron fight over your role in the world.

After the harvest of crops in Virgo, the fruits are brought to the market in Libra. The vendor must make sure to display the juiciest-looking first, as those are the ones that are going to sell. The customer is going to scrutinize and pick out the fruits before purchasing, to make sure they’re getting a fair deal. Is it free of worms? Is it pretty? Does it smell and taste delicious? This is the dynamic in Libra. It’s about give and take; weighing pros and cons. Hence the notorious devil’s advocate tendency and “indecisiveness” in Libra. Libras aren’t confused. They often can see positives and negatives in any singular choice, and hence the extra care and attentiveness to ensure they’re making the most fair, justified, or beneficial choice.

The Glitter of Effort

Some of these things can make Libra seem like pretty unsavory sign to some people at this point, but that’s not my intention. As with all things in astrology, it is simply describing a dynamic within the world, and when we are aware of it, we can choose to interface with it with intentionality, and play our part in mitigating its most deleterious expressions. There are constructive and destructive tendencies to every sign.

As we can see… there’s a lot of effort in the sign of Libra. To make things aesthetically refined takes a ton of work. This means there is some good yet in Libra.

I used to be a dancer when I was in high school. I would marvel at how some of my fellow girl company members would be able to come to dance practice in the morning with a FULL beat of makeup on at 6 a.m. That means they would have had to wake up about an hour earlier. That is classic Libran behavior. 

People who seem to have impeccable aesthetics probably have spent a lot of time working on it. Looking ‘on’ or ‘presentable’ can be a very Libran thing, which requires a lot of foresight, planning, and patience. All Saturn qualities.

Saturnine people care a lot about time and structures. Being ‘nice’ and having proper social boundaries and conventions can often* help us ensure stability, flow, and security in spaces where we must coexist. It’s about appropriateness of time and setting. If it wasn’t socially frowned upon to be rude to everyone you come across, or to litter or pee on the sidewalk, things would be a lot more chaotic and structures would rapidly disintegrate. The values of Libra exalts Saturn, because decorum can make sure that everyone plays nice and follows the rules. Rules are also more willingly-followed if they’re requested* nicely. 

It’s the friendly rejection letter a potential employer sends you. It’s the gentle nods and good manners we use when moving about in the world, because it costs very little to be polite. This helps the Libran get from point A to B with a lot less conflict, saving you time. It’s the well-designed and aesthetically appealing user-interface on a screen.

As a person with three significant Libra placements, I am no stranger to the themes of this sign. Things that are nice often take effort. That really beautifully-wrapped gift your friend gave you? That took effort. That gorgeous outfit that girl is rocking out on the street? She probably spent some time planning it. Do not forget how much effort there is hidden in Libra. Sometimes it takes a lot more maturity and patience to be kind rather than lash out, because the Libran wishes to preserve the peace.

Being an artist and designer myself, I really appreciate when I see this type of Libran intentionality in the world. It makes me feel joy. It makes me feel awe. Artistic and beautiful things bring vibrance and beauty to the world around us. Librans love taking the most mundane things and making them beautiful. This just requires a bit of patience.

Diamonds, a highly-precious stone of Venus, after all, are just highly pressurized carbon/coal.

Not all that glitters is gold. Sometimes the shiniest things comes from something that has undergone a lot of pressure, force, and focus over a very long time.