Libra: The Sylph

Libra is the sign of people born from September 22 to October 22. It is represented by the scales.
Whenever I think of Libra, I think of grace and beauty, intellectualism and abstract acrobatics, all in equal measure. Like the rose, Libra's flower, Libra can be soft, sweet, lovely, and romantic. Libra energy is also sylph-like; it is playful, expansive, even flirtatious, just like the fairies that rule the element of air.  However, this energy can also be jagged. This jaggedness is always there in the Shadow Libra, but it is hidden by the radiance of the petals.


Libra energy is one of opposites trying to reconcile. Libra is an air sign; therefore, it is intellectual, and comfortable in the mental realm. Yet, it is the sign of partnerships, romantic and otherwise. This carries with it certain emotional responsibilities, something air energy sometimes finds difficult to mesh with. In fact, it is hard for some Libras to understand that others can have a difficult time detaching from their emotions.

Libra is ruled by Venus. Being ruled by Venus, this energy thrives on harmony, beauty, and luxury. This sounds wonderful, but the problem is that people with this energy, being ruled by air, are acutely aware that facts, those treasures of the intellect, are anything but beautiful and harmonious. Arguing is a catch-22 for Libra. They hate it, because it's inharmonious and ugly, but at the same time they need to argue what they perceive to be injustice, unfairness, or stupidity. A balanced Libra knows to pick his or her battles.

Balance is the lesson that people with the energy of Libra (and this is not just people with the sun in Libra, but people with other planets in the sign) spend their lives learning. It is very appropriate that Libra is represented by the scales, as people with Libra in their charts thirst for equality. They need to balance their need for partnership with the freedom and individuality of air.  They need to balance cold intellectuality with passion. They need to learn to accept the fact that reality is messy, and life is not fair.

Another thing Libra energy teaches is the need to balance everything out, tally up the pros and cons, hear all the sides of the story, and then make a decision.  Since Libras want life to be fair and for everyone to win, they can spend their lives putting off decision making, preferring instead to weigh, tally, and weigh again. It's lather, rinse, repeat.   This can be very frustrating, not only for them, but for others around them, who can accuse them of being wishy-washy.

Being wishy-washy is certainly a symptom of Shadow Libra. Because Libra is all about harmony, and this includes aesthetic harmony, Shadow Libra can be quite shallow, only hanging out with A-listers. Wanting to climb the social ladder, because of a mistaken belief that everyone who is rich, famous, and beautiful will have an interior to match the exterior, Shadow Libra can use people, and be snobby. Libras can really hurt, or at least annoy, others with their talent for criticism. Libra betrayal, abandonment, and criticism are the thorns that prick those who are drawn to the beauty of the Libra. Because it is hard for Shadow Libra to understand the emotions of others, they may see another person's hurt as messy, and something else to criticize. The Libra cannot understand why the person they used, abandoned, or criticized can't see it from the Libra's point of view. After all, they were just trying to help! Or, they were just taking an opportunity to advance their status--why do people begrudge them for this?

When Libra energy is healthy, however, it's wonderful. Libra energy can make logic a thing of beauty. Astronomy and even physics, the very nature of the universe can become symphonic in the eyes of a Libra, and their skill at communicating this beauty passes the loveliness on to you! When they channel their critical eye in a positive manner, Libra can really help others increase the beauty and harmony in their lives, as make-up artists and interior designers.
Libran aesthetics are legendary.  Everything is in balance and in harmony. Contact with good Libra energy is a walk in a Zen garden. Because Libra sees all sides of things, and pays equal attention to hearing all points of view,  they can be very compassionate. This leads them to fruitful careers as lawyers and marriage counselors. Because partnership is so important to a Libra, they will do their best to keep their partner happy, which, for a Libra, should not be too difficult. As an air sign, they can have honey tongues.

I have personal experience with Libra energy, as I am a Mars in Libra. It is very difficult for me to have patience with what I perceive to be injustice and cruelty. I cannot understand why people act as they do, and this drives me crazy, because I NEED to understand. Sometimes there's no explanation for why people act, and this drives me INSANE. I hate conflict of all kinds, and just give in, even when I know that a person's actions are unfair, simply to avoid the conflict.  Other people with Libra energy might have the opposite problem--they seek out conflict like miners panning for gold. Others are like me, I think.

Libra archetypes and people:
Dike, the Greek goddess of Justice
Lawyers
Judges
Marriage counselors
Hera, Greek goddess of Marriage
Aphrodite, goddess of Love and Beauty
King Arthur--the legendary king who sought to create Utopia (a place of perfect justice and harmony) in Camelot, and then was crushed by romance.
Interior decorators
Make-up artists

Bringing Libra energy into your life:
1) Think about an area in your life that can use more beauty and/or harmony. This could be as simple as rearranging your living room so there's less clutter. If you live with people, is there a space you can have that's just for you, a place you can decorate and arrange for your tastes? It doesn't have to be huge. This can bring the harmony of Libra energy into your life.
2) Visit a museum or a botanical garden. When was the last time you saw something truly beautiful, and really noticed it?
3) How do you argue?  This is an interesting thing, because of the Libra catch 22. When you argue, do you take the time to see things from the other person's point of view?  From personal experience, I can tell you it is extremely enlightening spending a day really, actively listening to others.
4) Try this exercise--next time an urge to criticize comes up, compliment the person you were going to criticize. It must be sincere, however. This did my Libra Mars a world of good.

The Magician

Remember, look at the cards. What particular card stands out to you?  What detail about the card stands out to you? What does it mean for you?

The first card in the Tarot deck is the Magician, after the 0 of the Fool.

The Magician is a card of skills, intelligence, and mastery. When the Magician appears, it indicates the ability to manipulate resources to give a desired outcome. The Magician's strength is more externally focused, though there must be an internal steadiness to tap into the power he represents.
As you can see, in all of the cards (except for Isis) the Magician is surrounded by the symbols of the elements, or suits--the coin for Pentacles (Earth), the staff/baton for Wands (Fire), a sword or dagger for Swords (Air), and a cup for--you'll never guess--Cups (Water).  The meaning of this is that the Magician, and the person he has come to speak to, currently has a wonderful understanding of the elements and what they symbolize.

Barbara G. Walker Magician 

Earth is the element of physical health and strength, stability, comfort, and money (hence the Pentacle embossed coin). This is the element of luxury and security. The Magician can manifest these things. The Pentacle is important, as its points represent the four elements, with spirit at the top.  I think that the Pentacle is a good symbol for Earth, as Earth is a base and harvest ground. The Earth is the mother from which all things come. The Magician also recognizes this, and, if he is a man, he is respects his feminine qualities--intuition and nurturing. 

Celtic Magician 

The Suit of Wands, represented here with a torch, in Barbara Walker's deck with a baton, and in Robin Wood's deck with a crystal topped staff, is aligned with the element of Fire. Fire is the element of energy and creativity. It has the potential to create and cleanse, but the also the potential to lose control and destroy.  The Magician knows how to handle this strong, primal energy. Fire is a masculine element, and the phallic symbol of the wands is quite appropriate. It is the "spark" of inspiration. If you see the Magician, then your spark is going to ignite! As Earth is feminine, and the Magician appreciates feminine qualities, he or she also is comfortable with "masculinity"--the assertive motions and energy--and knows how to use them. 

Robin Wood Magician 

If you look closely at the Robin Wood Magician, you will see that on the table in front of him is a sword crossing a wand. Swords are associated with the element of Air, the realm of intellectualism, abstract thought, and ideas. The Sword is also a teacher of hard truths--lessons learned through tough times. It cuts to the heart of the matter. It penetrates below the surface (hee hee, phallic talk). Air is considered a "masculine" element as well, along with fire. Air can move anywhere, and "flights of fancy" can lead to great breakthroughs! The Magician is comfortable with abstract ideas. He or she is intellectual, and moves below the surface to sniff out truth.  Also, the Magician is strong enough to appreciate tough times, and be grateful for the lessons that they teach.  However, what should balance out intellectualism? Can anyone guess? 

 Isis, the Magician of the Kris Waldherr Goddess Deck 

If you answered emotion to the above question, then you would be right! The Magician's Cup represents the element of Water. Water is a feminine element. This association has been around since antiquity, Poseidon notwithstanding. When someone dreams about water, it symbolizes the unconscious. The unconscious is a realm typically associated with the feminine, probably because the womb was/is considered a mysterious place. The ocean is a place that is deep and mysterious, about as mysterious as outer space, and about as mysterious as what we have lurking and roiling around all willy-nilly in our subconscious! (subconsciouses? subconsci?) Water is the element of the subconscious, dreams, emotions, and compassion. It is kind, and its creativity is more like a flow than a spark. However, Water has its dark side, too. It hides nasty beasties that can bite your ass off. It can, and will, flood and drown and wash away, both good and bad. But it's also very useful for washing away impurities. The Magician works with water, using it to cleanse and purify. The good Magician is also compassionate and empathetic, with him/herself as well as others.  The Magician is also friends with the subconscious, and uses dreams as tools to further self-knowledge as well as knowledge about the world. 

In the Barbara Walker and Robin Wood decks, you may notice the infinity symbol. The infinity symbol represents the absolutely bottomless reservoir of knowledge that is available to us, and the limitless capacity of human creativity. 

You may be asking why Kris Waldherr chose Isis to represent the Magician in her deck. Well, that is because Isis was a Magician. Her skill as a Magician brought Osiris back from the dead. It enabled her to ensure that Egypt was peaceful and prosperous. 

Besides Isis, people and animals that I associate with the Magician are anything or anyone that can transform and/or master the world around them. Alchemists, those scientists reputed to be able to turn common metals into gold, are Magicians. Thoth, the Egyptian god who invented hieroglyphics, was also a Magician--and if writing isn't magical, I don't know what is.   

Jesus Christ, I think, is a wonderful example of a Magician. As 100% divine, as well as 100% human, he shows the perfect balance of these attributes, of masculine and feminine energies, and all the strengths of all the elements. 

Walt Disney was a Magician, and so was Jim Henson. 

Obviously, Merlin, Gandalf and Dumbledore are literal Magicians, but they also show mastery of aspects of the human condition--intellect and emotion, compassion and invention. 

As for animals, butterflies symbolize transformation, like the alchemists, of something simple into something divine.  

The Shadow side of the Magician, or the reversed, is someone having trouble mastering a skill, or someone who has mastered skills, but use these skills to cause pain and suffering.  If your Magician turns up reversed, it may mean that you aren't using your skills to your full potential, or, you're wasting your skills on something not worth your time.  

Questions: 

1) Which Magician card stands out to you? What detail, in particular, stands out? what does it mean to you? 

2) What element--Earth, Fire, Air, or Water--do you feel most aligned with? How can you maintain that alliance? 

3) What element do you feel misaligned with? How can you forge a better cooperation with the element? 

4) What skills do you have, and love to use? Do you get ample opportunities to use these? If not, how can you make these opportunities? 

5) What skills would you like to master? 

6) Who or what do you think represents the Magician? 

Please read and respond! 

Love, Kathy