I am the Alchemy of Balance and Beauty
It takes two
Symbol – Scales, Ruler – Venus, Metal – Copper, House – 7th, Element – Air, Modality – Cardinal, Humor – Sanguine, Body – Kidneys, Polarity – Aries, Quality – Masculine,
The name Libra comes from the Latin word for scales. The Libra glyph ♎️ depicts the scales of justice.
Libra is the seventh sign of the zodiac; it presides over the seventh house, the house of partnerships, and is the third of the cardinal signs. Cardinal signs are the initiators of the zodiac. Libra starts at the time of the autumn equinox when the Sun is over the equator and days and nights are equal. Libra strives for equality in all things!
Libra is ruled by the planet Venus, and like the goddess, it is known for its love of beauty and harmony. The energy is yang and quintessentially masculine. Libra is an air sign which correlates to the sanguine humor, hot and wet.
Librans like being Librans, or so I am told. Who wouldn’t want to be beautiful, charming, just, sociable, diplomatic, intellectual, refined and gracious, not forgetting artistic and musical.
But it isn’t all a bed of Venusian roses; roses have thorns and Libra can be cantankerous and argumentative putting its opposite sign Aries to shame. However, Libran anger is cooler and more controlled than that of Aries. Libra is referred to as an iron hand in a velvet glove. Margaret Thatcher was a Libran; her sobriquet was the iron lady. In common astrological parlance it is said that a Libra is an Aries that went to charm school.
And astrologer Frank Clifford says about all signs and their polar opposite, and I have found to be true.
“To experience our Sun sign is to engage in activities that allow our heart to sing, yet if we don’t attempt to actively live out its meaning, we risk languishing in the negative traits of its opposite sign.”
Libra likes balance and harmony, but in pursuit of this, they can cause discord. They find it hard to make decisions.
They may be lazy and indulgent liking the finer things in life: eating cake, resting on their chaise longue and admiring their harmonious surroundings.
Libra governs the seventh house; this house is about the art of relationship – “I am because you are.” It governs partnerships both work and love and is the house of marriage.
Librans like to be in love; they are romantic and suffer greatly from matters of the heart.
Homeopath Luke Norland associates Venus with Sankaran’s malarial miasm, “….the excitement of love affairs with Mars but stuck in a boring marriage with lame Hephaestus. It goes between excitement and acceptance, and these can be seen as the more positive expressions of the acute and sycotic. Migraine headaches fall into this category.”
The pathology of Libra is often caused by discord, bad news, disappointment and grief. Their artistic and refined temperament makes them very sensitive and they can be quite fearful.
They may vacillate to such a degree that it makes them panic, aware that they cannot procrastinate and prevaricate forever.
The archetypal remedy picture of Libra is Ignatia. Ignatia is often indicated for individuals who experience intense emotional responses to grief or emotional shock. They may exhibit a tendency to suppress their emotions. Ignatia individuals often have a sensitive and delicate nature. They may display sudden outbursts of tears, mood swings, brooding and a desire for solitude.
Ignatia calms the more negative traits of Libra, the pain of their grief and their disappointment in the ugly side of life.
Homeopath Philip Bailey asserts that French woman typify the Ignatia picture and that Ignatia is the female counterpart of Nux Vomica (remedy picture of Aries which opposes Libra). Both remedies belong to the plant family, Loganiaceae.
Places are often associated with an astrological sign; France is commonly thought to be a Libran country.
I think that the remedy Magnesium Muriaticum also has an affinity with the Libran temperament because of its dislike of conflict, and it has ailments arising from discord.
Doves, known as a symbol of peace and love, are associated with Libra, as are swans who mate for life. Columba Palumbus and Cygnus Cygnus may be indicated for Libra; both have ailments from loss of love.
Libra governs the kidneys, the urinary system and the lower back. In Chinese medicine, the kidneys hold fear, so these organs are especially vulnerable to disturbances.
Natives may be prone to kidney disease such as nephritis, renal colic and kidney stones, as well as urinary disorders such as cystitis, lower back pain and sciatica.
Sarsaparilla, Berberis, Cantharis, Hydrangea and Uva Ursi are remedies to consider for supporting the kidneys, for renal colic and urination problems.
Homeopath Colin Griffiths cites Black Tourmaline as potentially indicated because of its ability to balance the bodily systems.
In his writings about astrology and the periodic table, homeopath Luke Norland maps stages 1 to 6 of the periodic table to the cardinal signs. He equates stage 5 to Libra, and in particular, the remedy Vanadium Metallicum (the vacillator).
Stage 5 connects with the sanguine temperament, where there are keynotes of hesitation and idealism.
The themes of Vanadium are: hesitation, self doubt, wondering if one is good enough, clever enough, beautiful enough, have I made the right choice of profession, partner and so forth.
Interestingly, the name Vanadium derives from Vanadis the Nordic goddess who equates to the Roman goddess Venus (ruler of Libra). The name was chosen by the person who discovered it because of its beauty.
Venus’ metal is copper so Cuprum may also be suited to the Libran picture.
To paraphrase homeopath Peter Morrell:
People with an excess of Copper, like Venus, are mild and artistic, go with the flow, creates harmony, will never upset others needlessly. It is prominent in artists of all kinds; they like sweet things, sloppy films.
Natrum Phosphate is the designated tissue salt for Libra. It maintains the acid/alkaline balance of the body, one of the functions of the kidneys. It is an excellent remedy for heartburn.
There are many other remedies that may match the Libran temperament and pathology; this is just a précis of possibilities to consider. An astrologer/homeopath would always consider the totality of someone’s chart/case. All things must be weighed in the balance, especially where Libra is concerned!