autumn equinox
heralds a change in season
farewell to summer
equal day and night
as earth slows its rotation
take a sacred pause
Before humans had clocks and calendars to tell us where we stood in time, we had the cycle of the wheel of the year: the turning of the seasons and the turning points of solstices and equinoxes.
Autumn Equinox and Libra Season
The Autumn Equinox (September 22, 8:44 am ET) marks the official shift in season from summer to autumn. The equinox is the moment when the Earth stills in its rotation and we experience an equal amount of daylight and nighttime.
From now until the winter solstice, the Sun will appear continuously lower in the sky, giving us less of its light and warmth. The nights will start to become longer than the days.
This is the time to begin releasing what no longer serves you, whether it’s physical clutter, mindsets, habits, or identities.
The equinox is also the moment when — from our perspective on Earth — the Sun moves into the sign of Libra on the map of the sky. It marks the halfway point in the sun’s journey around the zodiac and the start of Libra season.
The start of Libra season is an important turning point in the wheel of the year. In addition to the moment where the balance shifts in the daylight, it is the point at which the zodiac signs shift from a focus on the individual — “me” — to relationships and social — “we.”
Everyone Has Some Libra in Them
Regardless of when you were born, you have qualities of Libra within you. Its qualities and archetypes are a part of your personality, and there’s an area of your life that falls within Libra — which you enact in a Libran style.
Libra season is an opportunity to work with the Libra archetype within us, and to bring focus to the area of our lives that falls in the sign of Libra.
Here is a primer on what to know about Libra’s archetypal energy:
5 Essential Elements of Libra
Libra is a cardinal air sign with a yang polarity that is ruled by Venus and symbolized by the scales.
What does that mean? Let’s break it down.
(1) Modality: Cardinal
In the wheel of the zodiac, every sign falls into one of three modalities, or ways of being: cardinal, fixed, and mutable. These modalities align with where a sign falls within the seasons of nature.
Cardinal signs initiate the seasons.
As the first sign of autumn, Libra is a cardinal sign. It likes to begin or initiate things.
What a cardinal sign initiates depends on its element.
(2) Element: Air
Each sign is associated with one of the four main elements: fire, earth, air, or water.
Libra is an air sign. Air is associated with thinking, ideas, and conversations.
Libra likes to initiate through thoughts, ideas, and conversations. As a social sign, Libra initiates conversations with everyone and anyone.
It leads with ideas and thoughts, collects viewpoints, and wants to make sure all ideas and viewpoints are represented.
(3) Polarity: Yang
Every sign is given a polarity of yin or yang. The Yin signs are earth and water signs, and the Yang signs are fire and air signs.
As an air sign, Libra is yang energy: active, expressive, masculine, and giving.
(4) Ruling Planet: Venus
Every sign has a planet that is “in charge” of it or “at home” in that sign. Libra is the home of Venus, which is the planet of love, relationships, beauty, and harmony.
This imbues Libra with a desire for aesthetic appeal in all endeavors, harmony, coherence, and harmonious relationships.
(5) Symbol: The Scales
Every sign has a symbol and Libra’s symbol is the scales — the only sign in the Zodiac not symbolized by a human or an animal.
The scales represent the particular focus on equality and balance that Libra brings as the sign associated with an even amount of day and night.
The scales also represent Libra’s desire for justice and balance. It seeks to collect all ideas and opinions, and to ensure that all viewpoints are represented.
Libra seeks beauty through balance. It’s constantly tinkering with the scales, repositioning things to ensure that fairness and equity is reached.
From Elements to Archetypes
Understanding these core elements of Libra and the autumn season help us better understand the archetypal Libra energy and identify its strengths and challenges.
Stay tuned for more in part 2 tomorrow.
[…] Libra season begins at the equinox — the moment when day and night are equal length. For a brief moment, the Earth stills in its rotation and everything comes into balance. […]