Reflections on Libra, The Scales
Day 10 of 12 Holy Nights
I am writing this on Venus’ day, Friday, Jan 3, 2025, as the Moon approaches the goddess of love and beauty in her sign of exaltation, Pisces. The scent of rose incense fills my home, and I just returned from a beautiful walk with my pup around the neighborhood. The sky is blue, the birds are singing, and all the colors seem just a little bit brighter than yesterday. What a perfect setting to reflect on Libra, Venus's daytime home.
Libra is a Cardinal Air, symbolized by The Scales. Signs of the Cardinal mode (Aries, Libra, Capricorn, and Cancer) initiate action but are also known for sudden shifts. They start quickly and sometimes reverse or end just as quickly. With Libra, rapid changes are due to shifting thoughts and ideas. With Cancer, moods and feelings change. Although the context is slightly different, Libra and Cancer are highly attuned to relationships and influenced by others. Capricorn is more likely to change because of material concerns.
Demetra George wrote about Libra’s contradictory traits in her text, Ancient Astrology: Volume One. To paraphrase, Libras are good and just, but also malicious and lusting after other people’s belongings. They may lose what they acquire and tend to live irregularly with many ups and downs. It reminds me of contemporary zodiac meme culture and the stereotype of Libra as unreliable and indecisive.
As an Air sign, Libra is intellectual, more rational than emotional, and able to hold multiple possibilities and perspectives. While Aquarius tends to hold stable ideas and positions, and Gemini likes to explore all the pathways, Libra’s urge is to weigh, measure, and balance, seeking perfect harmony through a process of choosing and discarding.
Libra is associated with law, order, justice, and the rules of civil society. The Scales have been linked to Libra for centuries, but before Scorpio and Libra were separated into two individual constellations (approx 2000 BC), Libra was included as the scorpion’s claws.
Over the centuries, astrologers have separated zodiac signs from the original constellations due to position changes in space. While they share the same names, zodiac signs are not measured by constellation positions. In Western Tropical astrology, zodiac signs are now measured based on calculated points based on the positions of the Sun and Earth, which are reliable and consistent. Twice a year, the Sun crosses the Earth’s equator (equinoxes) and reaches maximum or minimum elevation due to the Earth’s tilt (the solstices).
The Sun enters the tropical sign of Libra at the September Equinox, around Sept 22-23 every year. Keep the historical symbolism in mind, though. Libra can sometimes tip the scales and use claws when there is real or perceived injustice. Malicious? Maybe.
In the Thoth deck, the Egyptian goddess Ma’at is represented as The Scales of Libra. It is the 8th card in the Major Arcana, labeled Adjustment. Ma’at personified the concepts of truth, balance, order, harmony, law, and justice. She was responsible for overseeing and correcting the gods and humans who violated social and spiritual norms and maintaining order. Ma’at also judged the dead and determined their fate beyond the grave. Her feather was the truth that would be measured against a deceased person’s heart.
In the Rider-Waite deck, the corresponding card is # 11, Justice.
In the minor arcana, the the Libra decans are represented by the 2, 3, and 4 of Swords. Swords represent the element of Air, and while they’re some of the most sinister-looking cards in the deck, they primarily reference mental activity and communications more than physical violence.
All two cards represent a beginning, and the 2 of Swords (Peace) is a crossroads moment. In the Thoth deck, it is depicted simply as two crossed swords, and the pale drawings behind the swords are competing ideas and thoughts. The Rider-Waite deck features a blindfolded woman who sits on a bench balancing two swords in an awkward position. It evokes the feeling that the slightest breeze might tilt the swords and throw the figure off balance. The wandering Moon rules Libra Decan I, and it stands still only for a moment before moving on.
When a direction is chosen, all other directions are rejected. The 3 of Swords represents Libra Decan II, ruled by Saturn. This card is called Sorrow and represents the cost of opportunity. Every yes requires a no.
The third decan of Libra is ruled by Jupiter, represented by the 4 of Swords, Truce. The final degrees bring acceptance and Jupiterian faith that the right action was determined. The final decan is temporary stability, where one comes to peace with past choices and looks toward the future with optimism.
While I was writing today, I had two social interruptions. I met one friend for fancy coffee and visited in the sunshine. Another friend summoned me outside for a belated holiday gift - a variety of thoughtful objects to brighten my workspace. When it’s Venus’ day, shifting your plans to maintain the social order seems like exactly the right thing to do.
I hope you enjoyed some Venusian blessings today, too. Tomorrow, Scorpio!
XOXO,
Denise