Balance
Libra is the seventh sign of the zodiac. The sun enters Libra at slightly different times each year, usually around Sept 21, sometimes the day before or the day after.
- Symbol: Scales
- Element: Air
- Gemstone: Opal
- Keyword: I Balance
Librans are harmonious, noncompetitive, well balanced people. They tend to be indecisive. Consequently, although they enjoy talking, they dislike arguments and disagreements. Librans enjoy beauty and frequently become involved in creative pursuits. Librans are naturally intuitive.
From 365 Goddess, we have this for today:
- Themes: Balance; Justice; Peace
- Symbols: Scales; Balanced Items
- Presiding Goddess: Tula
About Tula:
This Hindu goddess is represented by the constellation Libra, her name even meaning “balance.” In all things, Tula teaches us how to harmonize the diverse nature of our hectic lives and reintegrate goddess-centered ideology within that framework.
To Do Today:
People born under the sign of Libra seem to integrate Tula’s characteristics of harmony and balance, especially in aesthetic sense. They cultivate relationships carefully and enjoy fighting for just causes. When those of us not born under this sign would like to do similarly, we can call on Tula for aid. Stand on the bathroom scale first thing in the morning and invoke her, saying:
Tula, instill in me a growing sense of harmony.
Between sound and silence let serenity dance;
between the shadow and the light, let peace prance.
where’er injustice dwells, let equity swell;
in my heart, in my life, bring an end to all strife.
Afterward, try to dress in balanced tones of clothing (like a white shirt and black pants) and spend the rest of the day monitoring your personal balance – your sense of equilibrium – maintaining your temper, pacing your steps, being aware of your center of gravity. In all these things, Tula’s equitable energy abides.
More About the Sun in Libra
The Sun is in Libra from approximately September 21 to October 20, depending on the year.
- Ruler: Venus
- Season: Fall
- Modality: Cardinal
- Metal: Copper
- Stone: Diamond, Quartz, Marble
- Color: Pastel Green
- Flowers: Marigold; Acanthus
- Anatomy: Kidneys
- Attributes: just, sociable, refined, accommodating, kind, fair, diplomatic, likable, indecisive, respectful, artistic
Libra natives are generally thought to be sociable, somewhat intellectual souls. They have an almost innocent way about them that makes them very approachable. Generally quite eager to cooperate, Librans spend a lot of their time trying not to rock the boat.
In theory, Libras are peace-loving. In practice, they can quietly stir up all sorts of trouble with their ways. Because Libra enjoys balance in their lives, they seek the middle ground. In the process, they may end up trying to be everything to everyone. This is where their reputation for untruthfulness comes from. Generally, their untruths spring from a true desire for peace and fairness–although they may not be comfortable with direct and malicious trickery, they feel totally justified when they lie in order to avoid making waves. Peace at any price! In this sense, they seem harmless. But, what can result is quite a ruckus! People involved with Libras may crib about their lack of directness and their apparent inability to take a stand. Librans are experts at avoiding being the one to blame. When confronted, they’ll (calmly and reasonably) say, “What, me? No, I just want peace.”
“On the fence”, “middle ground”, “middle road” — these are all expressions that we can safely associate with Libra.
Some more powerful signs may consider Libra a little on the weak side. This is all a matter of opinion, however! Without Libra, life simply wouldn’t be as fair.
Librans are known for comparing and thinking in relative terms, instead of in absolutes. This weekend is not just a good weekend, it’s better than last weekend. These people are always looking for the “best” way or the “right” way to live. Harmony is the ultimate goal, but their idealism and high expectations can mean plenty of discontent. Since life presents all of us with an extraordinary amount of choices, if Libra doesn’t learn to live in the moment at least some of the time, they’ll be in a constant state of unrest.
Society needs rules, and these rules attempt to bring justice, equality, and fairness. On an individual level, Libra represents these laws of civilization. Libra comes across as very civilized and rather refined.
Source: Cafe Astrology
Also known as: Oestre, Easter, the Spring Equinox, Vernal (Spring) Equinox, Alban Eiler (Caledonii), Méan Earraigh
- March 20 – 23 Northern Hemisphere
- September 20 – 23 Southern Hemisphere
This is the official return of the young Goddess after her Winter hibernation. As with the other Equinox and the Solstices, the date of this festival may move slightly from year to year, but many will choose to celebrate it on 21 March.
The Spring Equinox is the point of equilibrium – when light and darkness are in balance but the light is growing stronger. The balance is suspended just before spring bursts forth from winter. Night and day are of equal length at the equinox, the forces of male and female are also in balance. Ostara is a festival of balance and fertility.
In keeping with the balance of the Equinox, Oestara is a time when we seek balance within ourselves. It is a time for throwing out the old and taking on the new. We rid ourselves of those things which are no longer necessary – old habits, thoughts and feelings – and take on new ideas and thoughts. This does not mean that you use this festival as a time for berating yourself about your ‘bad’ points, but rather that you should seek to find a balance through which you can accept yourself for what you are.
It is also a celebration of birth and new life. A day when death has no power over the living.
Spring has arrived, and with it comes hope and warmth. Deep within the cold earth, seeds are beginning to sprout. In the damp fields, the livestock are preparing to give birth. In the forest, under a canopy of newly sprouted leaves, the animals of the wild ready their dens for the arrival of their young. Spring is here.
It is no coincidence that the name for this sabbat sounds similar to the word ‘Easter’. Eostre, or Ostara, is an Anglo-Saxon Dawn Goddess whose symbols are the egg and the hare. She, in turn, is the European version of the Goddess Ishtar or Astarte, whose worship dates back thousands of years and is certainly pre-Christian. Eostre also lives on in our medical language in the words ‘oestrous’ (the sexual impulse in female animals) and ‘oestrogen’ (a female hormone).
Today, Oestara is celebrated as a spring festival. Although the Goddess put on the robes of Maiden at Imbolg, here she is seen as truly embodying the spirit of spring. By this time we can see all around us the awakened land, the leaves on the trees, the flowers and the first shoots of corn.
There is some debate as to whether Oestara or Imbolg was the traditional time of spring cleaning, but certainly the casting out of the old would seem to be in sympathy with the spirit of this festival and the increased daylight at this time encourages a good clean out around the home.
The Easter Bunny also is of Pagan origin, as are baskets of flowers. Brightly colored eggs represent the child within.
Traditionally, Ostara is a time for collecting wildflowers, walking in nature’s beauty and cultivating herb gardens. Half fill a bowl with water and place a selection of flowers into it for display in a prominent position in your home.
This is the time to free yourself from anything in the past that is holding you back.
Sources: varied