What draws us to Libra?
Libra is about aesthetics and beauty, to the extent that it can appear a little superficial sometimes. While that can be true, we would be doing Libra an injustice by looking at just the fluffy aspects. Libra season is a time to strive for equity and justice.
If I were to give Libra a motto, I'd borrow the artists' manifesto from the movie Moulin Rouge: Truth! Beauty! Freedom! and above all, Love.
This sentiment feels pretty AND powerful - just like Libra when she's operating in her strengths. Let's dive into the nuance of this energy in all her challenges and strengths.
What are challenges and hang-ups we can find in Libra energy?
A challenge for Libra is that since it is ruled by Venus (hello love and beauty), it wants justice but it doesn’t want to make a mess to get it. It can play too nice, too polite. In our discussion about Libra themes, I asked if Libra energy was useful for engaging in social justice work. Our resident astrologer Lexie argues that it's actually a struggle for Libra since social justice work is inherently riddled with conflict, and that Libra does better with equity work on a one-to-one interpersonal basis rather than on a large societal level. For more on this, read my post on the real cost of social justice work.
A lot of pushback against social justice measures comes from the fear that more rights and opportunities for the marginalized means diminished rights and less opportunities and resources for those traditionally holding the power, aka the zero-sum fallacy. What Libra has the ability to see is that true justice and equity IS actually a win for all involved. A more equitable world for some is, in truth, a better world for all.
On an interpersonal level, Libra will be the first to diminish itself for peace to occur. Libra will self-sacrifice with so much ease and grace that you don’t even realize that Libra is the reason why things are working so well.
As an air sign, Libra can get in a mindset where it confuses words with doing, With this tendency to disconnect between the saying and the doing, Libra has to make a concerted effort to put it’s values into practice.
What does Libra teach us? What lessons can we learn?
There's a stereotype that Libra is indecisive, which is somewhat unfair because it’s misunderstood. Libra can be indecisive because it can make a logical case for all options, which is actually a super-power in its ability to see all sides. That ability is such a gift - think about how that quality is needed in a judge who is making legal decisions for an individual or an entire nation!
Libra is always looking for win-win situations. Libra will go to great lengths to find a new solution for us ALL to win -it’s much more than compromise. Compromise means we both give up something. Synergy sees 2 options that aren’t good and asks “what is the third option?” "What is something new or different that can benefit us both?" Someone with Libra placements must find the TRUE win-win-win, meaning that they themselves are not actually the ones compromising or sacrificing.
What feelings does Libra invoke?
Harmony! What do you feel when you are surrounded by beauty? What kind of places, people, objects spark that feeling of beauty and wonder and awe?
Libra is both harmony in visual representation AND in relationships with others. Nothing is clashing, whether its colors or people. In shadow, it’s a really beautiful wedding and a terrible marriage. The divorce was 6 months later, but by golly that was the best wedding I’ve ever been to.
What does it look like to be in harmony inside yourself? What does it look like to live with the reality of conflicting energies inside of ourselves? The wisdom of Libra is knowing when to employ any of these characteristics inside of ourselves. For example, just because I’m working creatively right now doesn’t mean I can’t be strategic later. Just because I’m using one aspect of myself now, doesn’t mean that I can’t simultaneously use the opposite.
The Temperance card is a great card for Libra energy. Sometimes Temperance feels like its telling me not to be my full self, and that can be a trap for Libra. Libra can feel like its not ok to be itself. If you don’t go too far in any one direction or personality trait or commitment, then nobody can criticize any aspect that seems to be "too much". The reality of Temperance is that it can hold duality and see it as wholeness.
What does Libra need more of?
Independence. For any given sign in the zodiac you can always look to the opposite sign to find out what the medicine is, and for Libra the opposite sign is bold and independent Aries. What the fuck do YOU want? Libra needs to learn that it’s ok to have preferences, and just because you have preferences doesn’t mean someone else is being screwed over. Libra can get into binary thinking of a zero sum game (if someone wins then undoubtedly someone else is losing). Libra in its highest form finds the third way.
What does Libra need less of, or to shed?
Self-consciousness. Libra can become overly concerned with how it is perceived, so much so that it becomes less of itself, becomes a shell of itself, in an effort to be palatable to everyone. Please remember that everyone is so busy being wrapped up in themselves that they're likely not spending a lot of energy thinking about what you wore/said/did today. Assume that nobody is thinking about you and find Freedom!
All right my bbs, if you're stoked to own your power, advocate for yourself and others - and yes, look cute while doing it - here's our Libra Season Recs!
Books:
For standing in your own power:
Not Nice by Dr. Aziz Gazipura - People-pleasing and always saying yes does everyone a disservice. "If you find it hard to be assertive, directly ask for what you want, or say no to others, then you just might be suffering from too much niceness."
Set Boundaries, Find Peace by Nedra Glover Tawwab and the Set Boundaries, Find Peace Card Deck by Nedra Glover Tawwab - "What do 'healthy boundaries' really mean--and how can we successfully express our needs, say no, and be assertive without offending others?"
For navigating romantic partnerships:
Fight Right by Drs. Julie & John Gottman - "Most of us blunder into conflict without knowing what we are really fighting about and then quickly become overwhelmed by physiological responses we can't control and emotions we don't anticipate. The truth is the happiest and most successful couples fight--all the time. Conflict is human, and necessary."
Fair Play by Eve Rodsky and the Fair Play Card Deck by Eve Rodksy - For cis-het couples, women often default into carrying the vast majority of the mental and physical domestic work that make ours lives function. Eve Rodsky's system can break down the tasks, but the real work is a willingness to uproot the systems we inherited and personally change our behaviors.
Watch: The Fair Play Documentary
Follow:
on Instagram or TikTok:
Laura Danger aka thatdarnchat is a Fair Play facilitator who does an amazing job of connecting domestic inequity with broader social justice issues - she also has a podcast called Time to Lean
Jimmy on Relationships for very realistic play-by-plays of partnered relationship tropes and traps that we all inevitably experience, and new ways to move through these issues to get our needs heard and met.