Libra

Libra is the seventh sign and is active in the sun from September 23 - October 22.  

Libra is the ruler of Venus and its natural house is the Seventh House.  

Libra's duality is considered positive.  Libra is of the air element with the cardinal quality.  

Aries is polar opposite to Libra.  

The Tarot Card symbolizing Libra is Justice.  

The Metal of Libra is Copper.

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The Balancer

The ancient Greeks called Libra The Claws of the Scorpion, and saw it as an expansion of Scorpio.  During the first century, the Romans renamed the constellation for the scales of justice held aloft by Astraeia (Virgo).  The notion of the scales made sense since, at the time, the northern hemisphere's autumnal equinox - the time when day and night are equal - coincided with the Sun passing into Libra.  That association with the balance of forces and the symmetry of day and night carries on to Libra's core characteristics as a zodiac sign. 

Libra is the only sign represented by an inanimate object.  The scales have a special significance in Egyptian mythology, where the goddess Ma'at uses them to access the souls of the recently departed.  Ma'at is often depicted as overseeing a ceremony where the heart, representing the soul of the deceased, is weighed on the scales of justice against a feather representing truth.  (See Anubis in our deities list for more on this ceremony.)

In the celestial calendar, Libra brings the coming of fall - the harvest is over and food is stored away.  Before the dead of winter, when darkness outweighs the light (this happens in Scorpio,) there is time for a quiet moment of equilibrium, of peace, and for nature to display the beauty that will soon be followed by decay.  Venus, the planet of love and beauty, rules Libra, giving the sign a strong association with the arts and aesthetics.  

A phrase that signals Libra energy is "I balance..."