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Libra
The Scales, initiating air, ruled by VenusAccording to Egyptian mythology, the first stop in the afterlife is
a meeting with Maat, the Goddess of Wisdom, who holds a set of scales. On
one side, she places the Feather of Truth; on the other side, the heart of
the deceased is laid and weighed against the feather. If the scales
balance, the soul is led into the inner chamber to meet the resurrected
Osiris and be reborn. If the scales tip, the soul is devoured by a waiting
beast. Perhaps she weighs our hearts from time to time in life as well.Libra is the sign of the scales. Those born in this sign are
seeking balance in their lives. They are sensitive to both sides of any
situation and learn to fairly judge in the truth. It is in the realm
of personal relationship that Librans feel the scales tip most easily. They
must weigh the give-and-take in relationships against that Feather of Truth
within their own hearts. The outgoing, cardinal quality of Libra reaches
out and listens to the other. From their love of harmony and desire to
please, they will easily accommodate, and sometimes over-accommodate,
themselves to the wishes of others. Then the scales begin to wobble and
tip. Those nice, Venusian qualities of Libra may go off-balance from a
built-up inner anger. With the complementary energy of their opposite sign,
Aries, they can learn to assert their own points of view and make more
satisfying decisions in their lives. Corona Borealis is a constellation in the Libra sector of the
sky. This lovely circle of stars has been imagined by the American Plains
tribes as a circle of dancing star maidens. The famous hunter, White
Falcon, comes across a mysterious phenomenon--a circle of grass is outlined
in a field with no way in or out (crop circles?). He waits till night, when
there appears a cluster of sparkling stars descending from the heavens.
Twelve beautiful maidens step out of a shimmering basket and dance around
the circle to the music of a silver star bell, their feet lightly touching
the ground. The hunter approaches them, but they flee. Entranced by their
beauty, he waits for them the next night and shape shifts into a rabbit.
Still he is not quick enough to catch them. The third night he takes the
form of a mouse and creeps us close to the youngest maiden during the
dance. When they stop, he resumes his human form and holds her. Treating
her with great respect, he convinces her to marry him. They live together
for a while and have a child. Her place in the circle of stars is left
empty, as we see it today. However, as a star maiden she cannot remain
forever on Earth. One night her people come for her and she returns to her
sky home. The star people see her sadness and reunite her with her husband
ad son as white falcons who belong to neither Earth nor sky but live
between two worlds.Librans often feels caught between worlds. The Middle Path, finding
a smooth way between extremes, is the Libran ideal, sometimes as wide as a
razor's edge. Once they find that delicate balance, they can walk that fine
line with grace and beauty.Back to Astro-Mythology Mainpage