The Sun in Libra...
The Sun in astrology symbolizes the core essence of who you are -- your individuality and sense of self. It describes what is likely to motivate you, and why. The Sun Sign describes the prime focal point within the personality structure, and is of major importance. Understanding and developing these aspects of the self will help you to develop and expand your sense of being the authentic self you truly wish to be. Understanding the house in which your Sun is found will give even greater detail.
Libra: Cardinal Air
Ruler: Venus
Keywords: Diplomacy Balance Justice Negotiation Partnership
Positive: Impartial, balanced, gracious, graceful, benevolent, refined, artistic, harmonious, relationship-oriented, charming, inspiring to others, idealistic, penetrating, influential
Negative: Indecisive, wavering, insecure, selfish, pleasure-seeking, people pleasing, passive-aggressive, domination through suggestion, lazy, ruthless, superficial, using others for personal gains.
Principles of fairness, justice and equality tend to feature strongly when The Sun is found in Libra. This sign is symbolized by the image of The Scales. Matters of law, peace and social interaction are governed by this sign. Librans then are often motivated by a drive to establish justice and harmony in their interactions with others. As a Cardinal Air sign, this sign is concerned with the need to act - this time on the social level. Librans tend to concentrate on the ways they interact with others, and whether what is being communicated is objective, balanced and fair. This is therefore a highly sociable sign, and the dynamics of one-to-one interaction are often carefully scrutinized by the Libran mind. Librans tend to be especially aware of how others are reacting to them. They will strive to maintain peace and harmony in their social interactions, at the same time as striving to get certain outcomes across.
Partnerships and relationships also fall under the domain of this sign. Many Librans are very motivated by the need to create partnerships, and so, see themselves more clearly through the mirror of "The Other". While this tends to give Librans the ability to becomeˇ§relationship specialists", it also means that the intricacies of relationship can consume Librans and their lives. The search for partnership must always begin and end with the relationship one has with oneself. Developing a cohesive sense of self through the reflections one gains from others can be problematic. The Sun represents the principle of individuality. Here, in the sign of Libra, the solar principle is said to be in itsˇ§fall. There is something inherently paradoxical about finding one's individual self through the agency of another. And yet, this is the archetypal journey that the Sun in Libra represents. In its most productive form, this journey creates masterful diplomats, tender lovers and the givers of wise counsel. At the more dysfunctional level, it can create individuals with no real ability to know who they are or get what they need for themselves. Sometimes, those born with the Sun in Libra struggle to see themselves clearly, or even believe that they exist, without someone else telling them that this is so! Co-dependent relationships and narcissistic tendencies to occur repeatedly when the sense of individuality is so compromised.
As an Air sign, the ability to take a cool and objective stance on a given situation will often predominate. Librans are the diplomats of the Zodiac par excellence. They can be relied upon to bring an impartial point-of-view to any decision-making process. Librans have the ability to see every side of a situation owing to their sense of objectivity. They strive to weigh things up and consider every potential outcome before a conclusion is made. Librans are able to see all the angles involved in a dispute or resolution process, and have an innate ability to identify the most appropriate course of action to meet the greatest quota of needs. Librans tend to have the ability to be guided by reason and logic to identify the outcome that is fairest for everyone involved. From this perspective, qualities of logical discrimination and the willingness to be fair to others become some of their best attributes.
But this tendency to see at least two sides in every story can also be their downfall. At the heart of their ability to look at things from different perspectives is also the famed Libran propensity for indecisiveness. In weighing up all possible outcomes, Librans can become perplexed and ultimately overwhelmed. In trying to be fair to everybody and everything, they can end up being ineffective. At an everyday level, this can manifest as an inability to choose between even two kinds of ice-cream. Too much time weighing the pros and cons of each flavour can mean that the desire for ice-cream diminishes to the point that it disappears and moves on. And yet deliberation is essential to the Libran process. After having coolly assessed each potential outcome in a decision-making process, Librans will then feel ready to state what they prefer with certainty and conviction. While this may be frustrating for those waiting in the wings, it is also a vital component of the Libran process and a necessary part of their ability to be fair. Librans need to incorporate the ability to consider the options with the strength to state what it is they want. Deliberating for too long often leads to missing out on the opportunities that the moment affords.
Yet moving onto more complex matters involving other people, this indecisiveness can become a serious liability. It is important for Librans to be aware of the inner motivation that lies at its source. Librans are driven by both social and conceptual considerations. They want to be fair and objective, but they also want to be liked. Sometimes this combination is difficult to handle. At times, Librans can be more concerned with avoiding conflict or upsetting others than they are with taking action on what they know to be fair. Sometimes the risk of encountering others disapproval is more than they can bear, and they will avoid being decisive in order to be liked. Instead of saying what they really want or need, they may insist they do not mind, are "happy to go either way", and so, will not speak up for themselves even though deep down they know that this is wrong.
Librans can tend to act as if they are unaware of what is going on around them, rather than admitting to having a preference about it that someone else might not like. This can lead to deep internal conflicts as they try to "people-please", at the same time as wrestling with an innate disposition which is urging them to move decisively toward a middle-ground. This indecisiveness goes against the grain of their inherently Cardinal nature. They are here to act in the social sphere and to learn how to do so decisively. Yet they tend to experience significant anxiety around whether others like or approve of them. This anxiety can dissipate their capacity to take action toward a particular outcome, and lead them to sit on the fence . They find themselves at a state of impasse which is precisely what they need to avoid.
By avoiding taking action, they inadvertently create stagnation in their lives. This complicates their interactions with others and makes the arena of personal relationships complex and challenging. Because Libra is a sign motivated to act, in some way or another, others will expect this of them. Yet whilst they wrestle with the implications of any possible course of action, others may have already made their minds up and consequently, moved on. Friends and lovers are left wondering why the Libran finds it so hard to say what they really mean. Or instead of stating openly what they actually think or feel, Librans will try and work toward a certain outcome without explicitly stating what they have in mind. This can lead to suspicions of duplicity or manipulation which is in fact the opposite of what the Libran individual is trying to achieve. By trying to make things happen whilst at the same time concealing what their true motives are, Librans run the risk others disapproval. They tend to be very good at managing people but will do so in ways that keep others on-side. Their birthright is to make a fair and reasoned assessment of the situation at hand, and then stand firm on what is just. They have the ability to do this with grace and eloquence. Yet when Librans deny this aspect of them selves by avoiding decisions or trying always to be ˇ§niceˇ¨, they undermine their self-confidence, as well as their ability to make much needed social inroads in their lives.
The tendency to be indecisive is often symptomatic of an unrecognized need to be equitable, just and fair. Once the Libran individual begins to value this aspect of themselves, they can see themselves more clearly and make choices knowing that most often have the best interests of all in mind. Librans are, in fact, decision-making specialists, and when their fine sense of justice and discrimination comes to the fore, they personally benefit from the feeling of finally knowing who they are. Astrologer Deborah Houlding has said it like this
"The Librans that live up to the nobler qualities of their sun-signs have learned to exercise true judgement and discretion. First they analyse, and then they integrate into a solution and resolve, holding firm to their principles unless new knowledge comes to light that calls for a re-evaluation. But this of course, requires a form of extremism in itself, and so the Libran must turn himself inside out, and in the process of maturing as a person come to understand that the only true state of non-conflict is inertia. Even in the quest for peace and harmony, one must be prepared to take a stand and hold to it regardless of the discomfort this causes to others, and thus, oneself." 1
Another important aspect of the Libran urge for balance is seen to operate on the creative and aesthetic level. Librans tend to strive toward harmony, proportion and balance. They often have an innate sense of the style, and will be very conscious of what goes with what. This sign is strongly connected to all forms of design, and Librans often have the ability to combine solid intellectual processes with a fine internal aesthetic for highly successful results. Thus, many talented designers, artists and decorators fall under the influence of this sign, especially where the focus is on creating beauty through the assessment and solution of complex practical problems. Even those Librans who do not express themselves in a creative sense can benefit from this sense of harmony and proportion in their lives. By embracing cultural and aesthetic experiences that speak to their sense of beauty, Librans can enjoy mental stimulation and internal calm. Librans tend to prefer cultured and civilized environments. They often find discordant or coarse situations hard to be around. Their innate sense of beauty, as well as their love of grace, means that they can be inclined to seek the refined in the everyday. This sign has a strong creative and aesthetic component. By surrounding themselves with beauty they create harmonious situations and peace in their day-to-day lives.
When the Sun is found in Libra, a special balancing of energy needs to occur. At a simple level, the solar energy symbolically relates to The Self. It represents the unique and self-oriented aspects of who we are. And yet, when found in the sign of Libra, this Self must be experienced through the mirror of "The Other". Thus partnerships, relationships and decision-making processes tend to be the circumstances in which many Libran life-lessons are learned. Librans are often gifted with a clear head for analysis, the ability to be fair, and a good deal of social charm that can make them both popular and well-respected. By using these gifts to make concrete decisions, Librans can experience the inner satisfaction of having held firm to whatever principle is at stake, at the same time as making a social contribution that is beneficial to all concerned. At its heart, the Libran journey involves the mastery of relationship. To accomplish this, they must first recognize for themselves who they are and what they stand for. Once this is achieved, they have the ability to enjoy win-win situations based on mutual harmony and gain.
