LIBRA: The Love of Others

Source: Unsplash/Elena Mozhvilo

This part 7 of a 12-part series. It’s a little meditation on understanding the signs based on the Archetype. 

Libra is the Masculine, Cardinal, Air sign in the zodiac, and is associated with beauty, balance, and harmony. If we return to our analogy of the seasons, Libra marks the Autumnal Equinox, when the Sun’s rays shine equally on the Northern and Southern Hemispheres before the Earth begins to tilt away from the Sun and the days begin to get shorter. It’s also the end of the harvest season where cooperation is paramount for survival through the winter.   

Libra is assigned to the 7th house in the Archetype, representing partnerships of all kinds, as well as open enemies. I really like Dane Rudhyar’s phrase in his book, The Astrological Houses, that it’s the house of “functional cooperation.” In the Archetype, it represents the ideal way to interact with others as seen through the qualities and planets associated with it. Or, as my teacher puts it, the ideal way to cross over into the realm of others. As a Masculine Cardinal Air sign, it is the active exchange of information to find common purpose and connection with others.   

Venus is in domicile showing that we find pleasure and harmony through the exchange of information, as opposed to Venus in Earth (Taurus), where she delights in the pleasures of the material world through the senses. Saturn is exalted here, promoting fairness (justice) through patience and impartial judgement. Consider that the 7th house governs binding contracts under the law, like marriage, as opposed to the philosophy of law, which is a 9th house matter. It also helps us understand the meaning behind the scales as Libra’s symbol. Mercury is in honor of triplicity, where the planet of commerce and communication collaborates with the planet of relationships. This can make for an excellent diplomat, writer, or orator. 

Mars and the Sun are both in dishonor in the sign of Libra, underscoring the need to keep our temper and ego in check when dealing with others. Mars in Libra can make us hesitate before we act, while the Sun in Libra tends to put others first. These traits may not seem so bad, and that partially has to do with being under the rule of a benefic, but they can become extremely destructive if exaggerated by other factors in the chart. Imagine letting opportunities pass you by because you can’t make a timely decision or losing your independence by constantly deferring to others.  

The sign of Libra also represents one of four key life goals embodied in the Cardinal cross of the Archetype: You (1st House) and a partner (7th House) coming together to build a shared home (4th House) and future (10th House). If taken literally, this can seem like an archaic view based on “traditional” values of man + woman = babies, so apply it more broadly instead and think about the different types of relationships in your life. A business partner, for example, helps build a solid foundation (4th House) for the company’s continued growth (10th House). Or think of how if your spouse or business associate turns on you, they can quickly disrupt your work and home life by attacking your reputation. On a more positive note, I like to think of it as an acknowledgement of our collective instinct to connect with others and find shared purpose.  

I consider Libra the Love of Others because for a relationship to succeed, you must care about the other side’s wellbeing as much as your own. You must share resources, communicate objectively, and be willing to compromise, all of which is easier when you trust that you have a shared purpose. Again, this is the ideal and we see relationships of all kinds fail when one side feels taken advantage of by the other.   

One last interesting theory is that the zodiac used to consist of 10 signs, with Virgo-Scorpio combined into one until Libra was inserted in between. If you’d like to learn more, you can read my post here: Libra As The Hinge.