libra season 2023

hello, friends! the sun is in libra, mercury and venus are finally direct, and i hope that this season feels a bit lighter, a bit easier, a bit more joyful and beautiful and balanced for you.

before we dive into my libra-centric ramblings, a reminder that i have a few reading spots left for this month! i'll be opening more slots in october (including limited new live readings, which will only be available to subscribers on my paid tiers and which you can learn more about in this recent post), but if you're interested in working with me sooner than that, click here to check out my reading types and book with me:

now, onto libra season.

in the correspondences created by the hermetic order of the golden dawn, the cardinal air sign of libra is tied to justice: an archetype of balance, harmony, truth, perception, and choices. i've written before about how this can be a tough energy to work with and internalize, how especially in the united states (but in many other parts of the world too), justice is an ideal that is rarely carried through; a theoretical idea that only applies to some rather than all. fairness isn't something that many of us experience, or even believe is possible within our current institutions and systems.

yet justice, and libra's planetary ruler of venus, aren't just about things looking good from the outside. justice and venus both care deeply about values, about what truly matters, about pursuing and protecting the things and people and ideals that we care about the most.

libra season begins in september and continues into october, the ninth and tenth months of the year. but libra is also the seventh sign of the zodiac, associated with the seventh house of partnerships and relationships of all kind: natal, romantic, platonic, business, and every other kind of interpersonal connection we invest heavily in, believe strongly in.

and in wanting to stretch beyond the justice archetype, this observation gives us three different numbers to look at for libra: one, seven, and nine. while these numbers appear at different parts of the cycle, activating different energies and working towards different goals, they also have a lot in common. all are independent, but are still deeply aware of the collective: they can dream big but are conscious that they will not be working alone; that the things that they put into motion or continue creating will be collaborative, cooperative. they don't create or build or transform in a vacuum, nor do they want to. these three numbers are also deeply interested in authenticity, courage, being brave enough to acknowledge what they want and how those wants are impacting their choices.

think about the three major arcana archetypes that these cards are tied to: the magician (one), who dreams big and sees possibilities everywhere, the chariot (seven), who wants to understand what is driving us so that we can give it our all, and the hermit (nine), who is able to see the big picture and celebrate what is shifting, who helps us prepare for the next beginning.

libra is a cardinal air sign, a jet stream, ushering in the autumn here in the northern hemisphere and urging us to consider what the world looks like through multiple points of view. folks with a lot of libra placements are often described as people-pleasers, non-confrontational folks who can't make a decision and never want to hurt anyone's feelings. but there is such power and grace in being able to see a challenge from multiple angles, in making sure that every voice gets room to speak and sing, in respecting others enough to want to understand their experiences. and there is magic in being willing to look deeper, to take our time, to not rush the search for answers.

(note that being patient enough to see a conflict through another person's eyes is not the same as trying to "both sides" an argument in an effort to shut down marginalized voices. some things are objectively wrong, like transphobia and racism and limiting the bodily autonomy of other people. no one is required to validate hate.)

beauty and pleasure are valuable things, joyful things, wonderful things in and of themselves. we don't have to make excuses or feel embarrassed about wanting things to be lovely, aesthetically pleasing, beautiful — but libra also wants that beauty to go all the way through, for things to be truly good and fair, harmonious and balanced, reflective of who we are and honoring the real purpose of something. and if they aren't, if things need to change, libra wants us to acknowledge what we're willing to fight for, willing to own and protect.

what do questions, observations, discoveries around our values offer us? how does letting every voice be part of something make it more beautiful and more true? justice isn't just laws and punishment — it's also clear-eyed truth, holding space for complexity, recognizing what is worth studying and figuring out.

libra and justice can teach us what it looks like to stand our ground, knowing that we truly believe in what we're fighting for. and if we take our time, examine all the angles, work to figure something complicated out? it's not because we can't decide — it's because we care so much that we want to make sure it's right. it's because it matters.

as the sun moves into libra, as you consider this new season, as we move into autumn and consider what this next portion of the year may bring, remember not only justice but also the magician, the chariot, the hermit. how do these different numbers and archetypes introduce more nuance into your understanding of libra? what happens when we honor our cravings for beauty, for pleasure, for joy? what happens when we seek authenticity and realness, when we're brave enough to ask questions, when we want every voice to matter and every perspective to shape our eventual movements?

what happens when we are willing to grapple with truth, even when it's not beautiful? and how does putting in that energy, that devotion, slowly but truly transform our world for the better?

wishing you a beautiful, magical, and harmonious libra season.