The Zodiac Sign of Libra represents the Archetype of The Advocate. Learn about the history, details, and symbolism behind Libra here.
The Cardinal Air Sign of Libra marks the initiation of Fall, beginning on the Autumnal Equinox.
All of the Cardinal Signs (Aries, Cancer, Libra, and Capricorn) bring in a new season. The word “Cardinal” refers to the signs “Mode of Communication”. You can learn more about how the signs are categorized and grouped together here. But, in summary, Cardinal Signs are active, injecting energy out into the world rather than waiting for something to happen. They start things. The alignment of these signs with our seasonal starting points is symbolic of the way they express their elemental qualities.
As an Air Sign, Libra is communicative, social, reasonable and altruistic. Air Signs (along with Fire Signs) are “masculine,” which should be interpreted as active, creative, and otuward, versus the inward, receptive and subtle nature of the “feminine” Water and Earth Signs. Those words can be decoupled from their gender associations when it comes to symbology and building a framework for understanding more esoteric or abstract concepts. Maybe better language today would be “Active/Conscious” (Fire/Air) and “Receptive/Subconcious” (Water/Earth). These elemental and feminine/masculine comments of Astrology can be read about here.
The word Libra in English was derived from the Latin word “libra” which referred to a set of scales known as a “balance.” The Latin word is thought to have derived from a Proto-Indo-European root leith, which included the idea of dividing things - you can see how the idea of scales, with their two sides comparing the relative weight between items, would have come from this root. This link has found its way into our society and culture through such examples as the abbreviation for unit of weight we call a “pound.” Maybe you have wondered why we would use “lb” to abbreviate this unit. Well, it was taken directly from Libra, as well as the symbol used by Britain to designate their monetary unit of a British Pound.
They symbol used by Great Britain for the Pound is fashioned from Libra with its “L” shape and crossbar signifying the scales.
In the Western Zodiac, the Sign of Libra is represented by a glyph symbolizing the scales, and is associated with/ruled by the Planet Venus. Venus represents our sense of style, glamour, our loving and romantic nature, aesthetics and beauty.
The Astrological Glyph for the Sign of Libra
Astrological Symbol for the Planet Venus
The Planet Venus Details
The Signs of the Zodiac represent traits and characteristics. When it comes to Libra, ideas of balance, peacemaking, standing up for the little guy or underdog, sociability, and aesthetics/beauty/fashion are in view.
The Sign of Libra Details
Libra is associated with the Seventh House of Marriage and Partnership. The Houses of the Zodiac define the arenas and areas of life. The Seventh House defines areas such as marriage, partnership (romantic and business), contracts, legal matters, relationships to other people, and open enemies - think of a court room where two sides are contending with each other in an open environment for others to see, not some hidden, covert operation that takes place in the shadows.
Seventh House Details
Think of reading your chart like this: The Planet defines the “What” that is being talked about, The Sign the Planet is in colors it with the “How and Why,” while the House defines “Where” in life this will likely show up and be most prevalent. It’s like the Planet is an Actor, the Sign is the character they are playing, and the House is the set or stage they are performing on.
The Constellation and associated Sign of Libra was first embraced as a distinct part of the Zodiac by the Greeks during the Hellenistic Period sometime around the 1st Century BCE. The Greeks had integrated astrological understanding from Babylonian, Egyptian, and Indian sources which was syncretized to become the system of Astrology we have in the West. As a set of stars along the ecliptic (the perceived path of the sun across Earth’s sky), the constellation was often represented or incorporated in many astrological systems developed across a wide variety of cultures and regions.
The Constellation Libra
Prior to this inclusion of Libra as separate and distinct in the Zodiac, the concepts and characteristics it represents were still present in astrological systems, however assigned to different stars and constellations. For example, today, the constellation Libra contains stars we refer to as Alpha Librae, Beta Librae, and Gamma Librae - makes sense, right? However, in Arabic astronomical systems from about the 8th Century CE onward, the stars were known as Zubenelgenubi (the southern claw), Zubeneschamali (the north claw) and Zubenelakrab (the scorpion’s claw). As you can see, they associated this part of the sky as part of the constellation Scorpio (the following sign in our system.) Some Pre-hellenistic Greek Zodiacs also referred to this part of the sky as “the scorpion’s claws” which they saw as symbolic of balance and justice showing that the traits and characteristics that would be associated with Libra were still present, even if they were organized differently.
Libra’s influence on our society and culture is huge, especially when it comes to the various legal and justice systems we have created and sought out symbols to communicate.
We are all familiar with Lady Justice, a representation present in many court houses, government buildings and public spaces around the world. She was depicted as a woman holding the scales in one hand, and a sword in the other. Ideas of fairness, balance, and the power to mete out justice are communicated through her image.
She is derived from the Greek Goddess Themis who represented law and justice, fairness, and order. She was also the mother of the Fates, indicating her role in determining things like punishment, and the fate of the lives of mankind.
Greek Goddess Themis
Her Roman counterpart Justitia was similarly depicted and aligned with the same concepts.
Roman Goddess Justitia
Her use today almost always includes her being blindfolded, a development that primarily took hold during the Middle Ages. This added symbolism around justice needing to be meted out in an unbiased, objective way, unconcerned with appearance, status, or other factors that could lead to partiality. We have the saying “justice is blind,” perfectly symbolized by her blindfold.
When it comes to the Sign of Libra, we are looking at the archetype of The Advocate.
Fairness, balance, equal-opportunity, working on behalf of underdogs and the marginalized, and partnering with others to bring about peace and order are strongly indicated by our Astrological associations with the sign.
Also represented by Libra - being ruled by Venus - are ideas around aesthetics, style, and social graces.
Your Sun in the sign of Libra will mark your ego and self-image with a sense of fairness, justice and peacemaking. You probably have a strong sense of equality and a desire to fight on behalf of others. You also likely feel more creative and in the flow when you are working with a partner. Your sense of balance requires someone else to bounce off of and represent the other side of a project or discussion.
Your Moon in the sign of Libra will impact your inner, emotional, and sub-conscious world with these characteristics, leading to instincts that lean toward fairness, advocacy, and peace. Your sense of emotional security will likely depend on feeling a sense of partnership with someone that shares these ideals , whether they be a romantic partners or otherwise. Learn more bout the Moon in Astrology here.
Having Libra as your Ascendant (or Rising Sign) brings these qualities to the forefront. While your Sun and Moon can be internal factors that don’t project as obviously into the way you operate in the world, your Rising Sign represents the way people encounter you in the most physical, obvious sense. With Libra in the First House, you will bring a sense of glamour and style to events and life in general. Many with this influence find themselves taking part in legal careers, public advocacy, or activities that bring beauty, style and grace to your way of being. Learn more bout the Ascendant or Rising Sign here.
Yours, The Heretic Astrologer ??????