Every sign of the zodiac is an archetypal energy that exists within us. As the Sun travels through the zodiacal wheel throughout the year, its transit through each sign offers us the opportunity to get to know the gifts and challenges of that archetype within us.
The Libra archetype has many gifts — and some challenges.
To get you started with this archetype, here are 3 of them.
3 Gifts and Challenges of Libra
(1) Gift: Initiation
As a cardinal sign, Libra brings energy of initiation. You can count on a cardinal archetype to get things started. Specifically, as an air sign, Libra initiates through thoughts, ideas, and conversations. The Libra within you is the part of you that can start a conversation with anyone, anywhere, at any time.
The Libra archetype is the guest you invite to dinner who you can seat next to anyone, knowing that they’ll always find common ground and something to talk about with whoever is around them.
Challenge: Follow Through
Like many cardinal signs, Libra can struggle with follow through. It likes to start things, but when those things get stale or old, it wants to move on to the next thing.
The work for Libra is to stay connected to an idea long enough to see it to completion.
(2) Gift: Building Consensus and Relationships
Libra is skilled at building consensus. It collects viewpoints and perspectives to ensure that all voices are heard. In fact, Libra will adopt a contrarian view just to ensure that no perspective is missing.
Libra knows that true consensus only comes when all views are represented, even if some of those views make others uncomfortable.
Similarly, Libra is deft at building relationships and community. It excels at creating environments for people to come together and thrive. Libra seeks to make others happy and give others what they want and need.
Challenge: Remembering Your Own Needs
Sometimes, in the effort to ensure that all viewpoints are heard, Libra forgets to listen to the most important perspective of all: it’s own. Libra can subvert its own hard-earned wisdom in favor of the opinions of others.
In relationships, Libra’s penchant for meeting others’ needs can devolve into people-pleasing behaviors that subvert its own needs. This can lead to resentments that sabotage the relationship.
The work for Libra is to remember that your needs are just as important as the needs of others in your orbit.
(3) Gift: Weighing the Options
Symbolized by the scales, Libra deliberately weighs all of its options. As an air sign, it brings an analytical framework when considering what direction to take. It makes pro and con lists. It carefully balances risks and rewards. This can lead to prudent decision-making.
Challenge: Indecision, Analysis Paralysis, Binary Thinking
Libra’s tendency to weight the options and analyze all angles is also the source of its biggest challenges. It can get stuck in indecision, analysis paralysis, and binary thinking.
Although the pursuit of balance is an ideal, it’s important to remember that balance only exists in a state of stagnation. Any action will inevitably tip the scales in favor of the chosen action.
In addition, Libra’s rational analysis of pros and cons can be an avoidance tactic that keeps it from considering the most important weight on the scale: what it’s heart desires.
Often, indecision is really an effect of an inner conflict between what we truly desire and what we think the socially acceptable choice is.
The work of Libra is to set a limit on analysis, choose a path forward, and commit to it for a period of time. You can always return to the options and choose another path next. Seeing a project through to the end will be a big confidence boost for Libra and help it avoid the paralysis of indecision.
Want to Learn More?
This list is far from exhaustive. Understanding the full depth of each sign and the archetype is unlocks within us is layered work.
If you’re interested in learning more, I’d love to have you join my Practical Astrology course, where I’ll teach more about how to work with astrology and its archetypes throughout the year.
Love it? Hate it? What do you think? Don't hold back...