The Scales

blindfold yourself

Today we had a total solar eclipse in Libra. Let’s dive into some of the archetypal significance of Libra in general and this moment in particular. 

In German, they call Libra Waage, which just means “Scales.” Scales is a fittingly matter-of-fact name for the symbolic image—less Latin mystique, more straightforwardness. The scales are an image of precision, of objective assessment. The scales are an image of no bullshit. We see the scales prominently in mythology with the Egyptian goddess Maat, who judges us from the afterlife, weighing our hearts against a feather—giving us a warning about listening to our conscience and not becoming a tormented ghost—as well as in the image of Lady Justice, blindfolded and holding the scales in one hand, a sword in the other. There’s something cold, objective, and almost mathematical at play in these two images, a counterbalance to the wishy-washiness of some magical/spiritual cultures. No matter how we wish things were, the scales reflect back to us the reality. 

All of this runs contrary to some of the qualities stereotypically granted to Libra. This piercing sharpness is often reduced to being nice, polite, and diplomatic. Being simply “pretty” downplays the distinguished, refined, and equilibrated sensibility Librans are capable of. To be fair, it’s a daunting task to hold the scales—and even more daunting to hold the sword. Likewise, it’s hard to have an objective sense of value in a world where so much is inflated and out of proportion. Our systems of ethics, morality, and beauty all seem relative, in the eye of the beholder. Oftentimes things are reduced to numbers in order to be assessed, but this flattens the wild, difficult-to-categorize qualities of life. It’s as if the solid surface upon which to rest the scales is missing in a postmodern context. 

Physiologically, Libra is associated with the hips, kidneys, our sense of balance, and, in a sense, the entire function of homeostasis. These are things that we take for granted until they get off-kilter, but life and vitality require an incredibly precise range for a number of variables: temperature, acid-alkaline balance, blood sugar, and atmospheric pressure. Yin and Yang symptoms reveal themselves when the body is out of balance. Harmony brings ease and health. Maintaining health is not a flat, passive activity but a continual process of adjustment—Libra is a Yang sign.

We can think of this Libra eclipse as a moment of recalibration, of adjustment, and finding the proper proportion of things. At moments, this might feel like a karmic reckoning or a moment to tally up what has come to pass. Perhaps we feel the need to use a sword. Perhaps this moment shows us our difficulty in properly judging or assessing something. How do we know things are proper, balanced, and appropriate? Is this an inner sense, like an instrument by which we feel into resonance? If so, how do we tune that instrument?

Of course, Libra is also about relationships—there is something on each scale. No other sign craves the Other so much or loves to put things in connection. Especially in light of the fact that this is a South Node eclipse, there’s a strong emphasis on parsing through the past, understanding conditioning, cutting through that which is stale, and perhaps returning to a refuge that we had taken for granted.

Although this Libran terrain can be navigated in a way that feels elegant and elevating, it can also be terribly undignifying. Libra is the location of the Sun’s fall, where it doesn’t shine so bright—or perhaps only through a filter, or through a reflection. Libra is the exaltation of Saturn—and we can find a lot of security and stability in relationships, but also feel trapped or enslaved to them. The Sun also prefers things more direct and immediate, and in the air signs, things can feel abstract or distant.

Eclipses sometimes manifest somewhat immediately, but they’re also descriptors of the following six months to come—and sometimes big events take a long time to play out. It’s worth checking to see where ~10 Libra is in your chart to see if this is activating something. This eclipse is also very woven in with water signs, as the ruler of Libra, Venus, is currently in Scorpio, where she’s about to make a grand water trine with Mars in Cancer and Saturn in Pisces. Thus, things may feel more swirly or mysterious than Libra might prefer—judgment here isn’t a straightforward cost/benefit analysis. Taking a hint from Lady Justice’s blindfold, we might need to use our more subtle senses.

Of course, I’m always around to help navigate mysterious waters with astrology.

The forecast for the month ahead is below for paid subscribers!