princessN_08

Libra 

Libra, the sign of the autumn equinox, represents the foundation of our social development. This romantic and pleasant air sign is motivated by a concern for the other, a need to cooperate, to harmonize, to respect social ritual, to create a peaceful, gracious, and civilized environment. Libran types typically resonate to the beautiful, the harmonious, the balanced, the fair and just. Above all, they would avoid conflict, competition, confrontation, the vulgar, the selfish, the not so ‘nice’ shadowy features of life which keep cropping up and spoiling the beautiful picture. The beautiful picture is the point of it all! They will sometimes deny the shadows, vacillate and wobble astride the fence, or accommodate and compromise themselves out of existence for the sake of preserving the picture. In order to keep the peace, Libra often avoids expressions of anger or direct, even though sometimes called-for, confrontation. To be human is to be Janus-faced -- at once to be called on to be strong, independent, autonomous, ‘to thine own self be true’ and, at the same time, to consider others, to cooperate, to connect, to compromise, to be part of a team. This ever present juggling act of life is symbolized by the equinoctial signs, Aries and Libra. Yet there is a typically strong sense of purpose in both these signs so that even the gracious and considerate Libra displays an indomitable determination directed into the social sphere. With its idealism Libra can be powerfully strong willed and controlling. Through the force of Libra’s gracious personality we feel compelled to conform to the prevailing milieu, mind our manners and be considerate and cooperative. (Not a good sign for letting it all hang out!) Where Aries is the dynamic thrust of individual survival and proliferation, Libra is the force behind civilized and cultured society forged from the raw materials of nature. When we approach the nearly always imperfect situation from the ideal of how things ‘should be’, we are at once expressing what is most noble in human nature -- the capacity to transcend primitive instinct to create more exalted forms of life -- and what is most dangerous, the imposition of pre-formed and emotionally disconnected ideas upon a complex and multidimensional reality. But life is far from the ideal; Libras needs to check their ideals against reality to avoid painting preconceived principles upon an unwilling canvas. Above all, they must stay attuned to their own deeper nature so they can artfully compose their dynamic human montage with true Libran elegance and grace. We all know Libras who can be surprisingly argumentative and even confrontational, but we need to be alert to the motive here. There is a strong will behind the grace and diplomacy, and that is the insistence on order, fairness, harmony and balance. When perceiving an imbalance, a person arguing too forcefully for one side of the picture, or a group tilted to left or right, Libra will take the others side in order to bring things back to the centre, to re-establish balance. Situational balance being a primary motivation, this sign of the scales can just as easily switch sides since it is rarely attached to any particular viewpoint. At best we need to attune to the essential harmony and beauty latent within a situation, bringing it to fruition. We can recognize that what is unique about human reality is that we are called on to create it -- it isn’t simply given to us as it is with the animals. The capacity to ‘create reality’ in accordance with genuinely higher principles and possibilities within society and relationship marks the creative self actualization of the sign Libra. It is not what ‘I’ want or what ‘I’ think that counts, it is what we can think together, what we want to do together, what is fair for both of us, what is the true median or balance between my wants and thoughts and yours. In short, there is no truth that does not have to take account of its opposite -- the highest truth is synthesis, elegance, balance and beauty. Hence, Libra, the natural mediator!