Airy Thoughts from a Libra

Welcoming October

I love October and I am biased because today, the first of this month, is my birthday. I’m not good at celebrating or acknowledging, so this is out of my comfort zone to even admit.

The astrological sign of libra has been so representatitive of qualities and characteristics within me that I eventually began to take it seriously and started looking into the symbolism Libra beyond just the superficial fluff thrown out to the masses that shroud its deeper meanings...which is far too vast for this post.

Yesterday as I was walking around outside, the birds were en masse like I’ve never seen them.

A strange, large, sound drew me outside. I heard something so loud it perked my ears right up and I thought it was some kind of machinery barreling down the street, but it was a tree so filled with birds communicating that it was both earth shakingly unnerving and peculiarly wonderful. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to capture it.

I watched as the birds swooped from the tree into my yard and made waves in the air.  At least 50 bluebirds flittered around playfully landing on a powerline. It was a day “for the birds” …. a quote I will never understand because birdy days are magical, not negative as this has come to mean.

As Libra is a Cardinal Air sign, the symbolism of the birds felt comforting as this last year was a challenging one to say the least.

The symbolism of the birds relates to the Egyptian Goddess Ma’at to which I am fond, especially of the 42 Laws. Symbolic of Libra, she’s connected to the underworld, representative of justice, truth and balance. The feather she carries is used in the weighing of souls. A neutral judge tasked with keeping the cosmic scales in balance, her judgement is always accurate.

As a Libra, a sense of justice resides in my bones, in my core. Fairness and right action have been part of me from birth. Integrity is important to me in all things.

I certainly am not always accurate in my judgement like Ma’at, as I’m a human being with vast flaws and follies. These flaws and follies have, however, taught me how to have more accurate judgement, for wisdom does not come without first lacking it.

I can only speak for myself but if there is a Libra in your life that drives you mad as you try to make sense of their behaviors and constant obsessions with balance, while often not in balance, maybe this will help. 😊

JUDGEMENT

Libras can seem indecisive, then at other times quick and firm in their decisions. What gives? The thing is, Libras innately want to make fair and accurate judgements. While the world tries to pretend that you should not “judge” someone and in some regards that is true, the fact is we are making micro judgments all day, every day, that determine the choices we make and the trajectory our life will go, how it will look, who will be affected. Making good judgement calls is important because reading someone, something, or a situation incorrectly may result in an unfavorable outcome. Libras know this, thus, it’s not that they are indecisive, it’s that they want to look at all sides of a situation, explore every angle and ensure they have crossed all t’s and dotted all i’s before reaching a conclusion.

People may think sometimes that I’m unwilling to see their side of something, but more often than not, I’ve already examined the other possibilities ad nauseum and made a decision.

Once a libra makes a decision rooted in vast contemplation, weighing of pros and cons, examining what is true and just, they will not budge…thus becoming sacredly stubborn, trusting their decision and moving forward without looking back.

Just as a scale must be calibrated in order to be accurate, so too, does a “balanced” libra mind take flight to look at the big picture, as well as zoom in, nested in the micro, the inner cave, before making judgment. Like all things in their perfect form, the antithesis to this is its shadow where impulsive desires pull the scales off-balance and into a tower-moment until an equilibrium can, once again, be sustained.

(If you’re interested in symbolic studies of the zodiac, this channel is worth checking out - I have no affiliation):

ANIMISM

Libra is the only sign in the zodiac that is an inanimate object. While this can be debated whether a libra person is represented as the scale itself or the individual that holds it upright, one thing remains true, the scales are unbiased. Lady Justice cannot be swayed emotionally one way or another when consulting the scales, for the scales don’t lie.

Animism is the belief that objects, places, and animals have a spirit. I believe the scales of libra are denoting this in a subtle way.  If the heart is weighed against the feather, the feather once belonged to a bird, an animal, an angel, something and imbued in that feather is the energy of that animal, that being.

I believe the subtle nudge of the libra scales is asking us to be mindful of what objects we hold dear, what possessions we imbue our energy upon, what we allow to influence us, what we give attention to.

Just as you receive a gift from someone that put care and intention in sending you something from a place of care and love, so too, must we recognize that in our inter-connectedness with our humanness and the cosmos, so, too are things, places, and animals.

As a feng shui consultant, I can tell you, without a doubt, the land we walk upon has a voice and the things we hold dear in our lives tell a story to which we become part of…sometimes energy moves, sometimes it sits still, waiting on us to notice.

BEAUTY

Ruled by Venus, beauty is important to libra. The shadow side of this can drive libras into superficiality, materialism and a striving for beauty according to what is deemed so by the world-at-large.  An integrated shadow and more illuminated Libra understands the importance of beauty is much deeper and starts within.

Connected with the aspect of animism, the sign of libra invites us to connect with the Divine through beauty. When we create beauty and or arrange our aesthetics to reflect a pleasing picture, we craft an altar unto our lives and invite in the sacredness of all that is to show up in all that we do.

When you begin to understand that everything “matters” you will realize why Libras may agonize over seemingly silly things like which set of silverware to buy because they know it’s not just utilitarian but an integral part of showing gratitude to the temple, to our senses, to our body for which we reside. It’s an opportunity to bring embodiment of our spiritual nature into our material existence, not in an overly consumeristic way, but in a carefully crafted appreciation for the beauty available to us and a conscious choice to what we allow our eyes to gaze upon in our everyday lives.

Aesthetics show us Divinity and the more one strays from that the more beauty fades, grotesque displays come forth and life becomes sterile and cold…it becomes obvious, a cry for help, a longing. Thus, the quote “cleanliness is next to Godliness” is a reference to beauty. When we make our lives, our surroundings, our world more beautiful, we change it for the better because we bring God back into the details, into every morsel of our existence.

WORDS

Being an air sign, libras love words-books-intellectual stimulation. The negative side of this is libras can get stuck in mental loops or sometimes be flighty as they are always in the head. I, myself, have to put forth effort daily to get back into my heart and connect the two.

All the air signs are connected with intellect and thought. Libras may come across as cold or overly diplomatic yet can also be too people-pleasing. Their fast mind means words come out sometimes before giving time to percolate under an unbiased pot, thus a libra may stir things up unintentionally in their quest for truth and diplomacy.

Libras make great story tellers as they understand the power of words and the importance of letting fairness guide you in your decision making. They know that truth can hurt, that words can pierce and to wield this from a balanced place requires a delicate weaving of both head and heart.

To take no thought is to allow the imposition of outer influence to float on by without always needing to think it through…and this is a hell of a challenge for a libra.

BALANCE

Libra season is a great time to look at what is off-balance in your life, within yourself and your relationships.

The sign of libra reminds us that every action has a consequence, that duality is always at play.

Embracing the opposites of the yin-yang reality, is not always about being unbias, indifferent or apathetic, but recognizing the paradoxes within and without and integrating each into the whole of being.

Weighing the heart with a feather is a practice in finding our own hearth, centeredness inside the reality at play around us AND the one we create.

The scales don’t lie and can deliver some cold hard truths, yet libra, in her judgement, strives to bring with this fairness, justice, and balance.

May your life be an altar for beauty in gratitude for being alive and may your heart and head always be in communication, for this too, is a relationship that can easily be thrown off balance.

Have a beautifully balanced day and enjoy the incoming autumn Libra season,

~ Angela