Libra is ruled by the planet Venus, and its symbol is the Scales. It is one of three air signs. There are three signs in each of four categories: fire, water, earth, and air. The other two kindred air signs are Aquarius and Gemini.
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As Aries represents a new beginning, Libra represents the midpoint of the seasons where effort has usually become success. When the harvest is in, it is time to relax and revel in the fruits of the earth. Following from this, Librans are supposed to be lovers of pleasure and beauty, harmony and elegance. Typical Librans are said to dislike argument intensely, and consequently develop an innate ability to make comparisons and reach an impartial judgement on them.
Librans are supposed to possess a highly developed social sense and have a companionship and contact with people. It is said that in excess, their innate urge to compare and criticise can lead them into developing undesirable habits. A. E. Waite wrote this of them: "their curiosity seems insatiable, and they will be found in their element at every sale, bazaar, church service, wedding or funeral of note, observing and comparing every detail ... fashion, ceremony, convention, family histories and social scandal seem to be the breath of life to the ... Libran".
Because of this tendency, they can also have the negative tendency to be overly concerned with outward appearances and so can judge other people by their appearances. On the other hand, because they are said to love people and social contact and have a keen sense of the human psyche, they should be able to make excellent counsellors. They are said to be known for being hardworking, optimistic, and for making excellent partners in business and in team sports.
Because of a need for society and contact with people, Librans are said to be naturally drawn to the world of the arts, the performing arts, and business partnerships. They are said to show marked talent as fashion designers, interior decorators, and as the managers of all the different kinds of public entertainment. Other occupations said to be up their street are the law and as antiques dealers.
The constitution of a typical Libran is said to be fundamentally strong, but that good health can be impaired by excessive eating and drinking, with trouble being experienced by the kidneys and the bladder.
Famous Librans are: the actors Brigitte Bardot and Michael Douglas (September 25, 1944), the famous Indian leader Mahatma Gandhi, the singers and songwriters, John Winston Ono Lennon (October 9, 1940) and Paul Simon (October 13, 1941), and the great German philosopher and psychologist Friedrich Nietzsche (October 15, 1844).
The signs that share the same element are said to be most compatible. Hence Arians are generally compatible with people of the other two fire signs, Leo and Sagittarius. But people of the same sign, having broadly similar characteristics, which could be a source of friction or annoyance, might be less compatible together than people of signs that are more complementary. The air, earth, and fire signs are supposed to get on well together, because these elements can readily be mixed most of the time. Air fuels fire, fire is made on earth, fire can scorch earth, but earth can also smother fire. Water and earth make the very ground of life, but also make mud, swamp, or quicksand, so the water and earth signs can be far more problematic together, whereas earth and air are mostly neutral towards one another, but the earth can suffer badly from strong winds. Astrology was built up by determining the twelve signs of the zodiac and associating them with the four main elements, the interaction of which was used to determine broad affinities or incompatibilities that were then refined by the relationships of the planets (that are said to govern particular aspects and areas of life) and the twelve constellations of stars that make up the zodiac.
Astrology says that it is necessary to match the birth charts of people that have been drawn up using the time, date, year and place of birth to find out precisely how compatible they are. It is not supposed to be reliable to judge compatibilities by using just the sun signs that the people being matched have.
But even with that qualification hanging over it, compatibility between people is an aspect of astrology that can be explored meaningfully if enough people return the information in the main submission form on this site - as truthfully and as accurately as possible.
A brief explanation of the astral factors with which astrology worksThe Twelve ConstellationsThe astrologer works with what is known as an ephemeris that tells him where the various planets will be in the heavens at any particular time. Astronomers use tables of the same kind, and so do all sea and air navigators. To the astrologer there are ten astral bodies, loosely called planets, which include the moon and the sun, that appear to move around the earth against the broad background of the Milky Way - our own galaxy of stars, of which our own sun is one. These astral bodies can be thought of as the ten hands of a giant and very accurate clock that provide information about the epoch, the century, the year, the month, the week, the day, the hour, the minute, and the second. The Milky Way is divided into the twelve constellations of the Zodiac - Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, etc. The horoscope for any given time is the astrological chart of the positions of the ten astral bodies in the Zodiac at that time, which the astrologer compiles and then interprets by using astrological methods and interpretations. The fire and air sun signs (Fire: Aries, Leo, Sagittarius - Air: Aquarius, Gemini, Libra) make up what astrology deems the active or masculine signs, while the earth and water sun signs (Earth: Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn - Water: Pisces, Cancer, Scorpio) make up the passive or feminine signs. Here is an example of the signs involved in the birth chart of a typical Leo: Count of the planets in genders: Masculine Signs 7 - Feminine Signs 3 Masculine signs predominate, so this person is either a masculine man, or a women with a well-developed masculine side to her personality. The eight planets in the solar system plus the sun and the moon make up the 10 'planets' used in western astrology. Sun: Identity, Purpose (Individuality) - Moon: Feeling, responsiveness (Personality) - Mercury: Intellect, Communication (Mentality) - Venus: Attraction, Harmony (Affection) - Mars: Energy, Assertion (Initiative) - Jupiter: Enthusiasm, Adventurousness (Expansive) - Saturn: Caution, Restraint (Conservative) - Uranus: Independent, Intuitional (Originality) - Neptune: Inspirational, Mystical (Sensitivity) - Pluto: Regeneration, Obsession (Control) Very recently, there has also been the discovery of a new planet way beyond Pluto, which is really the size of a moon, that has been called Chiron. Astrologers have already incorporated it into the way they come to their various conclusions. Count of the planets in elements: Fire Signs 5 - Air Signs 2 - Earth Signs 1 - Water Signs 2 Five of the planets were located in the zodiac constellations of fire signs, two in air signs, etc. Therefore, although Leo is a fixed fire sign, each Leo has a mixture of the influence of other signs/elements in his or her birth chart, which can render a Leo untypical of the sign if the non-fire signs predominate. Another group of traits occurs among signs that are 90 degrees apart from one another. There are four signs in each group of Qualities, which are cardinal, fixed, or mutable. They are supposed to suggest the ways in which a person tends to behave in getting matters started, keeping them running, or steering them in different directions. Cardinal Signs: Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn. Initiating, enterprising, ambitious, domineering. Fixed Signs: Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius. Determined, conventional, organising, dogmatic. Mutable Signs: Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius. Adaptable, imaginative, tutorial, critical. Count of the signs in Qualities: Cardinal Signs 3 - Fixed Signs 7 - Mutable Signs 0 The above count in the chart of this typical Leo suggests that the individual has fixed and cardinal Qualities. The Twelve HousesThe Zodiac is also divided into what are known as houses. Different systems have developed that divide the Zodiac into twelve houses using different methods. For this interpretation, the position of the ten astral bodies in relation to the twelve houses of the Zodiac at any particular time and place is employed. It is far too complex a matter to go into detail here, but the main areas of life that each house covers are as follows: House 1: The individual whose horoscope it is - his or her outward personality and appearance House 2: Money, portable possessions, income and finances House 3: Intelligence, communications, and close relationships House 4: The home and the mother House 5: Creation and procreation, love affairs, children, sexual compatibility and pleasures House 6: Servants, conditions of employment, illness and recovery House 7: Marriage and other partnerships House 8: Death and inheritance House 9: Foreign travel, exploration (geographical and spiritual), the law, religion and philosophy House 10: Fame, notoriety, careers, the father, and mentors House 11: Long-term plans, hopes, dreams, wishes, social position, friends, and organisations House 12: Secrecy, the unconscious, the psychic faculties, intuition, hidden fears, phobias, and enemies |
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