Are you a Libra? Here’s everything you need to know about your zodiac sign
This year, ruling the skies from September 22 to October 22nd and riding the line between fastidious Virgo and brood-heavy Scorpio is armed with charm Libra.
A Cardinal Air sign, Libra is symbolized by the scales and balances, the only sign under the big top of the zodiac wheel represented by an inanimate object. As such, Libra is associated with equanimity and justice, unicycles, the rule of order, tree poses, the golden ratio, and divine law.
The symbolism of the scales is present in the personality of a Libra as this ilk often requires the intercession, or counterweight, if you will, of another person in order to act, decide, define, rebel, or respond.
Because morality is murky and right and wrong are perpetual shades of gray, it is often acutely painful for Libras to make a decision. Natural diplomats, they often forsake or repress their own desires in pursuit of meeting the expectations of those around them.
Highly adaptable, with an innate understanding of others’ needs and drives, they are easy to like and hard to truly know. Socially fluent, they can feel both part of and utterly outside of the world the live in.
Libra poet and novelist Ocean Vuonng writes, “What I mean is that sometimes I don’t know what or who we are. Days I feel like a human being while other days I feel more like a sound. I touch the world not as myself but as an echo of who I was. Can you hear me yet? Can you read me?”
I see you, I hear you, and I will attempt to translate, Libra. Read on to learn more.
Planetary ruler: Venus
Libra is ruled by Venus, the planet of beauty, aesthetics, assets, music, art, and attachments. The influence of Venus lends Libra a wrinkle-smoothing, conflict-avoiding, pleasure-seeking energy. Libra knows how to please and how to perform. Venus supports and indulges the archetype of Libra as the bon vivant, a socially dexterous, velvet-clad vampire roaming the manicured gardens and heavily tapestried hotels of the world in search of finery, witty rapport, soft lighting, and minimal exertion.
Not for nothing, the late great Oscar Wilde was a Libra whose Venusian nature is written all over his last words, uttered at a flop hotel in Paris in 1900, “My wallpaper and I are fighting a duel to the death. One or the other of us has to go.”
Mythology
The sign of Libra is linked to the goddess Themis. Greek for “order,” Themis is the personification of justice and the interpreter of the will of the gods. A prophetic deity, she reigned over the Oracle at Delphi before passing the privilege to fire god and flagrant rapist Apollo. This resonates in the personality of Libras as they can often predict or intuit the needs of others and sense when social dynamics are shifting.
Themis represented a moral code of conduct and was venerated as a source of reparations and a bringer of balance. Themis is often depicted holding a sword, which is used to cut the truth free from lies. Very heavy metal. She oversaw ceremonies of all kinds, which tracks given the Libra penchant for hosting or at least never refusing a feast, orgy, wedding, or birthday.
Themis was the second wife of Zeus and the mother of the Morai, three sisters or fates that spun, measured, and divided the threads of life for all of humankind. She was also the mother of the Horai, another set of sisters that governed time and the seasons of the year.
Graceful, socially dexterous, peace brokering, and concerned with balancing the needs of the individual with an eye and a scale on what is best for the collective, Themis represents the higher expressions of Libra. When Themis’s wishes or decrees were not followed, she invoked her fellow goddess Nemesis, Greek for “to give what is due,” to punish those who defied her. In essence, Themis created the law, and Nemesis enforced it.
A dream team and a balance struck.
Charms/strengths
When it comes to charms, Libras trade easily in them. In general, they excel at integrating disparate groups, lightening the mood, sweetening negotiations, and making things comfortable for everyone. If Libra were a piece of furniture, it would be a richly upholstered chaise lounge.
Equal parts tactful and witty, Libras are excellent conversationalists, peacekeepers, social negotiators, cultural critics, and writers.
Notable Libra wordsmiths include Arthur Rimbaud, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Truman Capote, bell hooks, and William Faulkner. Ruled as they are by Venus, Libras are natural romantics. With the air sign advantage of detachment, Libras can easily switch between inhabiting and observing the mechanizations of the human heart.
Rumi, the uber-popular poet who knew and spoke to the terrain of the human heart, was, of course, a Libra.
Concerned with likability and levity, Libras really shine when they unshackle themselves from the need to be palatable and lean into their subversive senses of humor. We see this in Libra comedian Lenny Bruce, who came into his own after spending part of the 1950s performing at seedy strip clubs throughout the San Fernando Valley.
According to Bruce’s biographer, the low billing inspired a creative renaissance, “He broke free of all the restraints and inhibitions and disabilities that formerly had kept him just mediocre and began to blow with a spontaneous freedom and resourcefulness.”
As Bruce demonstrated, Libras can transcend themselves by living beyond, and sometimes even boldly below, what’s expected of them. Besotted by beauty, Libras can fall prey to the precarious belief that what is good must be beautiful and what is beautiful must be good.
At its highest expression, this manifests as an ability to create harmonious spaces and an aspirational aesthetic/personal brand. We see this modality in Libra lifestyle gurus like Gwyneth “GOOP” Paltrow and the high priestess of folded shirts and joy sparks, banisher of clutter, and follower of glow, ladies and gentlemen Marie Kondo.
Libras are often lauded for their personal style. Because perception and popularity are important to them, they know how to dress for the life they want and the impression they hope to make. We see the sartorial prowess of this sun sign expressed in Libra Cardi B, coronated by “Vogue Magazine” as “The Queen of Next-Level Coordination” and fashion chameleon Kim Kardashian.
At their best and brightest, Libras believe in equanimity and are interested in bringing issues into focus and justice into being. We see this in the likes of Libras like Kardashian, who has fought for prison reform and the democratization of shapewear and skin care; Judge Judy, who has made a career in small claims court; and writer Ta-Nehisi Coates, who eloquently and powerfully brought “The Case for Reparations,” into the national discourse.
Challenges/weaknesses
The sun is said to be in fall in Libra, meaning it is not comfortable in the sign, and its natural expression is thwarted. This is understandable as the sun is about individuation, ego, and personal purpose, and Libras are defined by their relationship to others. Natives are overly concerned with the reaction that their self-expression will elicit, leaving them anxious and sometimes inert.
People pleasing
The great struggle for Libra is to divorce who they are from how they fear they will be perceived. They must learn that they can only control what they create, not what others make of it or take from it. This relationship to others serves to explain the sometimes scattered, people-pleasing energy of Libra. Natives must vigilantly question whether their actions are motivated by genuine desire and real benevolence or insecurity and opportunity, love or fear.
On a telling note, Shel Silverstein, who penned “The Giving Tree,” a divisive classic that can be read as unconditional love or emotional abuse, was a Libra.
Indecisive
Because Libra naturally sees both sides of any situation, they have trouble making decisions or picking sides, which makes them insufferable at a tapas restaurant and lily-livered when it comes to loyalty. They are so good at shifting and acquiescing that they lose sight of their true north.
Conflict averse
Public perception is important to Libras; they risk giving the best of themselves to the masses rather than their immediate families or intimate partners. In their attempts to please everyone, they often fail to satisfy anyone, least of all themselves. Conflict-averse, they struggle to take a stand and can be accused of playing both sides and pandering to the present company. A fortune cookie I found in a stranger’s pocket deftly predicts, “A man who trims himself to suit everybody will soon whittle himself away.”
Scorekeeping
Given their inherent sense of justice, Libras, especially Libra moons, are primed to keep score. In a healthy scenario, this points system is about self-regulation; they want to make sure they’re delivering, pulling their weight, and evening their scales.
At worst, this manifests as manipulation and user-esque behavior, weighing the cost/benefit of relationships in a ruthless bid to ensure they come out on top, with full pockets and positive PR that paints them as either the hero or victim of any story.
Because they understand and can predict the needs of others, they can be generous or withhold to an acute effect.
Prone to f–k boi antics
Libras can be superficial and vain, preferring to keep discussions topical and requiring the validation and attention of others to prove they exist at all.
Self-pitying, they are oxygenated by the sympathy of others and fail to see their faults. Usually in a relationship and usually complaining about it, Libra is the sign of the plighted f**k boi, as illustrated by natives John Mayer and Nick Cannon.
Because they respond more than they initiate, Libras dislike being alone and can fall prey to codependency. As Libra bell hooks maintains, “Knowing how to be solitary is central to the art of loving. When we can be alone, we can be with others without using them as a means of escape.” Indeed, Libras actualize when they learn to love themselves enough to be alone and to view others as companions rather than cures.
Tarot
Each zodiac sign correlates to a card in the Major Arcana of the Tarot. For Libra, that card is Justice. Depicted as an impartial judge holding a blade in his right hand and the karmic balances in his left, the Justice card suggests the robed magistrate weighs logic and intuition, balancing both before reaching a conclusion or reaching for the blade of decisiveness.
Seventh House
Libra rules the seventh house of partnerships. Referred to as the marriage box by some astrologers, this house concerns itself with one-on-one dynamics: marital, business, and otherwise. Ordered, obligatory, and legally binding relationships find their home here, while the messy, the extramarital, and the hot-blooded are the domain of the fifth house.
It is apt that Libra is the ruler of this house, as natives are most comfortable in relationships and joint partnerships where they have something and someone to respond to.
Yet, learning to be independent within a relationship and complete without one are essential lessons in the life of a Libra. As Libra poet Rupi Kaur writes, “You are not alone /alone would be if/ your heart no longer beat/and your lungs no longer pulled/and your breath no longer pushed/ how are you alone if an entire community lives in you.” Indeed, Libras do well to remember that they are never alone so long as they make the most of the home of the self.
Body
In relationship to the physical body, Libra rules the kidneys, lower back and buttocks. Relative to the sign of balance, kidneys remove toxins from the body, regulate fluids and control the production of red blood cells. Similarly, those born under this sign tend to be coordinated and many have notable posteriors. Looking at you Bruce “backside on the front of my album” Springsteen and Kim “a** as icon” Kardashian.
Compatibility
True astrological compatibility is divined through synastry, a kind of birth chart cross-examination that considers the entire astrological scape of two individuals. For our general, expedited purposes, it’s safe to say the following signs stand a good chance of tipping the heart of a Libra:
A Libra-on-Libra relationship doubles down on the finer things in life while also multiplying the indecision. When a sign vested in partnership joins forces with someone of the same ilk, they are likely to be in it to win it. Twin Libra flames Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas share a birthday, and the latter pronounced upon their first meeting that he would father her children. Bold but prophetic.
In Aquarius, Libra finds their cerebral match and a genius to fawn over. Because both signs are a touch aloof, it may take time for them to recognize or reveal their true feelings, but once they do, they stake a joyful claim on cloud nine.
Terminally weird and socially polarizing, Aquarius will appreciate the ease with which Libra moves through the world and meets their needs. In Aquarius, Libras finds the framework to fly their own freak flag. We see this dynamic at work in the long-haired, white-clad, band-dissolving union of Libra John Lennon and experimental wild child Yoko Ono.
Libras are romantic gluttons, and love is Pisces’s drug of choice. Both signs are creative, and Pisces provides dopamine, inspiration, and enthusiasm to the sometimes somber Libra. Meanwhile, Libra’s ever-shifting moods and mysterious needs keep Pisces hooked like dope. As a mutable water sign, Pisces is adept at getting fickle Libra to wade into the deeper waters of the feelings they pretend not to have. We see the fish balance the scale in the power coupling of Rihanna and A$AP Rocky.
Recommended Listening
“She Will” – Lil Wayne
“Brilliant Disguise” – Bruce Springsteen
“When I Was Your Man” – Bruno Mars
“I Like It” – Cardi B
Astrology 101: Your guide to the star
Astrologer Reda Wigle researches and irreverently reports on planetary configurations and their effect on each zodiac sign. Her horoscopes integrate history, poetry, pop culture, and personal experience. To book a reading, visit her website.
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