Libra is the only sign in the zodiac represented by an inanimate object. The scales. Thus, Libra times ask us to pay attention to forces of balance, calibration, and equality in our inner and outer lives.
Is our giving balanced with receiving?
Our selflessness balanced with selfishness?
Our compromise balanced with assertion?
Our words balanced with action?
So, look to this Full Moon to reveal any areas of misalignment and needed rebalancing.
Going deeper, though, we see another shade of Libra learning. Because Libran scales are not just about simply finding homeostasis, they also represent the scales of justice. Libra is named after the Greek goddess Themis, whose name translates to “divine law.” Bridging the devotion of Virgo and the passion of Scorpio, Libra is the balance between the two. An air sign, she is not caught up in the turbulent depth of emotion (Scorpio) or the earthly concerns of the world (Virgo). Instead, she considers all sides before utilizing all facts and forms of intelligence to make an impartial decision based on Truth (capital T).
In classical depictions, Themis is blindfolded, wielding a sword (of Truth) to cut through personal perception (our filters can be faulty) and get to the heart of the matter. She represents the flavor of Truth that is forged in unseen, unwavering, unbiased, and undaunted rightness.
When highlighted (like now) themes of justice and consequently injustice rise to the surface as situations to be acknowledged and remedied. What is fair and right is often not convenient, though. We usually don’t WANT to see that kind of Divine Truth, and consequently, we blindfold ourselves (a shadow Libra quality) to it. Denial is no match for reality, however. Scales find balance with or without our permission.
No doubt this Full Moon will likely offer some needed albeit inconvenient Divine Truths. Somewhere in our lives, some preconceived bias or surety challenged.
Which brings up another perhaps more critical point.
Full Moons always highlight dynamic oppositions between forces. First off, this is a Super Full Moon ratcheting up the feeling forces to get our attention. So, if you are of the sensitive variety, make sure to apply soul screen as needed. Additionally, the Aries Sun conjuncts Venus, Chiron, and Ceres and opposes the Libra Moon, offering even more detailed insight. Forces of love, connection, cooperation, healing, and nourishment are reignited, requiring some relevant recalibration.
Astrology doesn’t need to tell us we have an issue with polarity.
The problem with significant division is an inability to see another side. We get stuck in our biases and refuse to be wrong for a myriad of reasons, some more conscious than others. And this doesn’t just happen in our outer world, of course. In fact, perhaps our current version of distinct divisiveness reflects our turbulent inner opposition. Either way, we are living in a time when kindness seems a secondary response and insults, even bullying behavior, is not only acceptable but encouraged.
I have found myself deeply saddened by not just what I am seeing and hearing but what I am feeling. Lacking kindness, the air feels thick and overcast, full of animosity, intolerance, and resentment. Maybe you feel it too.
Kindness, grace, altruism, courtesy, and decency are Libra words and the currently prescribed medicine of the time. But they can’t be forced. Unfortunately, no one can make anyone be more compassionate, selfless, or understanding. No one can force a heart or mind to expand. Life seems to be the only teacher in that regard. Even still, it is a choice we must make for ourselves.
To that end, I propose we start there. Let us make that choice. Let us all make an honest commitment to be more kind- starting with ourselves.
Let us make a promise to listen and ask more questions.
Let us listen to understand, not be right.
Let us even be wrong once in a while and open to learning.
Let us ask how we can serve more.
Let us remove the blindfolds to claim the “rightness” of Truth (even and especially if it is not what we want to see).
Let us step into another’s shoes for a day.
Maybe we would realize we didn’t know what we thought we knew. Maybe we would remember decorum, political correctness, and politeness is not a weakness at all, but a sign of respect, integrity, and honor to all involved.
This doesn’t mean we cannot disagree, just that we can grow from our conflicts rather than reflexively diminish one another.
Because another name for political correctness is compassion. With it, we honor the boundaries of another and ourselves, revealing the roots of reverence. There is some “divine law” Libran justice in that.
Additionally, let us seek areas of denial, righteousness, blame, projection, and other ways we attempt to disown our stuff. Libran correction often resides around sharp edges and windy precipices that trigger us into reaction and defense. Its wisdom is earned by accepting new information, accountability, amends, surrender, acceptance, and the deep waters of humility. (All facets we will be tasked to explore).
Because Libra kindness is not simply about compassion, it is also about being fair and just with your words uniting integrity with purpose by choosing to align words and action. If it isn’t kind, don’t say it or post it. If it isn’t just or fair, ask yourself why tracing multiple perspectives to unravel Truth in that Themis “divine law” kind of way. Then commit to righting those wrongs.
Of course, this work is called for on both outer and inner levels. Often, we are most unjust and incongruent with what we say to ourselves. We need some “divine law” Truth there too.
Because Truth is best determined not by what we believe, but who we become when we believe it.
At the end of the day, you may not change your mind about a particular subject or topic, but maybe you gathered some compassion along the way. Maybe you were able to take one step toward the middle. Maybe your vision expanded a fraction. Maybe you stepped one inch away from polarity, one small step forward to understand someone or something a bit better.
Maybe you took one step toward kindness.
And that is what Libra is reminding us.
“It is only with true love and compassion that we can begin to mend what is broken in the world. It is these two blessed things that can begin to heal all broken hearts.”
― Steve Maraboli, Life, the Truth, and Being Free
This Full Moon occurs at 8° Libra.
Photo credit @Kelli McClintock on upsplash