Libra As The Hinge

One of my favorite images: Flammarion Engraving

After completing the case study on Manly P. Hall, which you can read here, I fell down a bit of a rabbit hole re-reading parts of The Secret Teaching of All Ages, especially the parts about Astrology. One of the theories he mentions is that the Zodiac used to consist of 10 signs and that Libra was inserted to break apart one sign that was a Virgo-Scorpio combination. He then goes on to mention legends from Freemasonry, Greek and Roman mythology and Egyptian religious rites to explain why this break occurred. All fascinating, but not my research so I’ll just direct you to go get the book.

Just the thought of there being some esoteric meaning to this makes me all tingly so let me share something that has stuck in the back of my mind for a while: The idea of a hinge.

Two things to know first though that I learned from my teacher:

 1. Even though Virgo is a mutable sign, Libra is a cardinal sign and Scorpio is a fixed sign, Virgo can act like a fixed sign, Libra like a mutable sign and Scorpio like a cardinal sign.

In what way? Virgo often resists change and prefers the security of familiar routines and patterns. Libra is so busy weighing every option that they can have difficulty making a decision. And Scorpio’s intensity and ambition can have it obsessively pursuing its latest goal.

2. If you think of moving through the signs Aries to Pisces, you can think of it as the evolution of man on earth: From the birth of the ego (Aries) to the dissolution of the ego (Pisces). BUT! If you start at Pisces and go clockwise to Aries, you have the spiritual journey of the soul, which I think of as starting from confusion to knowing and aligning your purpose with the creator. Hint: There’s a reason the Sun is exalted in Aries.

So, my theory is if you’re a normal human trying to advance from the archetype of Aries to Pisces, at some point you come to a crossroads and need to decide if and how you’re going to move forward. Libra is the symbolic hinge where you weigh your options, and you can either move forward (Scorpio) or stay where you are (Virgo). Virgo’s fixity acts like a backstop, preventing you from sliding too far backward and encouraging the development of the skills you need (6th house). Whereas Scorpio combines the goal-directed mindset of a cardinal sign with the emotional strength for transformation (8th house), allowing you to continue forward on in your journey when you’re ready.

If you think of it the other way, from Pisces to Aries, your crossroad marks a very definite choice to evolve spiritually or not. Libra again represents the hinge or doorway where you choose to accept or reject spiritual transformation. Scorpio’s passion and (Scorpio) necessary to move forward and commit to the discipline and purity (Virgo) needed to attain enlightenment.

This is the first time I’ve tried to put these thoughts into words so it may be a bit of a clumsy explanation, but hopefully you get the idea. I don’t even know if this is an original idea, but I haven’t seen it anywhere else. However, In the words of my favorite Peloton instructor, no ego, amigo if you want to correct me.

If you have additional thoughts to contribute or want to continue the discussion, let me know.