Hello friends,

Tonight at 11pm EST (Oct 8), we enter the NEW MOON in Libra. Yet this is NOT a 'cocktail party chique' or 'social repartee' kind of new moon.

For today the ruler of Libra's, Venus, is retrograde in the witchiest sign of the Zodiak - Scorpio - asking for deep brutal honesty. And Scorpio's ruler, Pluto (of Death and Transformation) is square to our New Moon - calling for transformative action.

So we sit in the hot seat of Love. Ms. Venus in Scorpio dips lascivious fingers into our steamy social psyche... forcing us to stomach what 'Libran Law' is dishing out. It's a 'he said, she said' dance, playing in our collective dream. No wonder the holder of the scales is blindfolded... clearly 'JUSTICE' can be slippery when it comes to the darkest matters of bedroom behavior. Who doesn't want to turn away??

Sex. Law. Civility. Relationship. These Libran realms are debatably the most fractious in human life, spawning conflict and derision.  Pain and suffering.

So let's step away from outer chaos and remember that TRUE JUSTICE is meted at a level higher than rational intellect or judicial courts. It is born at the level of karma, energy and soul. No court in the world has jurisdiction over your soul.... Only YOU have the final authority to cultivate INNER BALANCE, peace, fairness, beauty and love. Only you know the real truth of how you feel about yourself and others, what your prejudices or fears are, and what you've done to people in your life... and only you have the ability to come to forgiveness and reconciliation with that. It is true for us all.

So Libra, as an archetype, is about balance. 

She rules Fairness. Justice. Right behavior. Design. Geometry. Etiquette. Repartee.

For Libra, life is a work of art. And artfulness is fulfilled when a state of graceful harmony is achieved. She creates this harmony through checks and balances, acutely aware of surroundings and making adjustments all the while (charming her companion to peaceful acquiescence, negotiating with reason and logic until 'justice' is meted out, moving the furniture til the room feels 'just so'...).

And when agitated by lack of calm, this gentle gal can use her de-rigueur claws to affect serious influence in her sphere - extending as politically savvy, strategic, negotiating, conniving, controlling... all in the name of Peace. Ahem. (Libra does live between Scorpio and Virgo, after all...).

In Libra's quest for harmony, this gentle lady spends a lot of time considering the OTHER.  Dancing to quell their tumult, shifting to match their flow, jumping to meet their need. She makes a fantastic friend! A delicious lover. And a fair minded colleague.

Yet as she is ruled by her intellect, this relational dance has a way of falling into passive-aggressive manipulation, co-dependency, and a generalized haze of mental confusion...

Because somewhere along the way, Libra forgot that it 'takes two to Tango'... and she left herself back at the table, scowling over the Daiquiri she let her date order (which she never wanted in the first place).

Does this sound familiar? Have you held your tongue to keep the peace? Denied your needs to please another? Given away free will to maintain harmony?

For all of us, it is sometimes more convenient to appease the relationship we have with the outside world than it is to honor our relationship with the inner.

Yet when we subjugate our 'inner' on a regular basis, a pressure builds. A Sadness. Depression. Anger. And pressure needs release.

Libra concedes, concedes...

and then explodes.

Oh my... this can be messy. Projection, blame, bitterness... whatever it takes to PUSH herself to solitude.

For this sweet lover of relationship, this honey dipped brilliant diplomat... when she gives herself away too often, she rebounds into retreat. She has to re-find center, open her heart, and re-ignite her inner voice.

With the INNER SELF at Peace, Libra's ability to met out TRUE JUSTICE is liberated. No blindfold needed - she sees with the eyes of her HIGHER SELF, her truest mediary. That part which transcends 'social etiquette and repartee'. That sovereign part that knows what is needed, and isn't afraid to lean into conflict from a place of higher love.

The Soul knows what's up... and when Libra is resting in her soul, she can dance Balance with the grace of a Prima Ballerina.

According to Alice Bailey, the soulful Libra walks the 'Razors Edge' between Self and Other, Soul and Personality. Walking the 'edge' means not falling into one or the other, but striking a balance between... honoring each as equal.

So today, as we stand in the face of Scorpio and Pluto, trying to balance our desire for harmonious relationships with the TRUTH of how we actually feel and act, we stand on this razors edge.

Called to acknowledge that our INNER SANCTUM effects our OUTER WORLD.  They are inseparable.

If Libra were to share her favorite Earth Rules, they might read something like this

RULE NUMBER 1:
Humans need Humans. Not one of us could survive here without others. We need touch, love, attention, conversation, appreciation and company. We need to live with respect for each other, treating each other justly.

A baby who is ignored and not touched WILL DIE, even if given adequate food and shelter. We are not designed to be alone. We ARE co-dependent, by the very nature of our species. Accept it.


RULE NUMBER 2:
The relationship with our INTERIOR SELF or SOUL is as essential as our outer relationships. Though often overlooked, we must be in intimate relationship with our inner sanctum.... Otherwise we risk becoming lost in the other, can lose touch with reality, and may live in a state of projection, denial, blame or unhealthy dependency.

The Soulful Libra knows that the more honestly and deeply connected she is to her authentic inner self, the more rich and rewarding her external connections will be.

Because when we go inward and take responsibility for our projections and fears, our shadows, needs and desires.... when we 'hold space' for our self and our inner voices, we can better hold the space for the truth of others. To walk the razors edge, to listen without judgement, state facts instead of fiction, and bring objective compassion to all sides in a conflict.

The Meditation
Remember the last New Moon, in Virgo? How we were called into presence, accepting ourselves and our imperfections, just as we were?

Well THIS new Moon perhaps we can take that acceptance to the next level.  I have a feeling many of you out there are facing deep questions around intimacy. How can you not be exploring this, with the heavens configured as they are?  So in our first meditation, I invite you to enter a deeper state of intimacy with your self. If the form of this meditation doesn't appeal to you, change it. Find another way. Just spend some time ALONE and be intimate. Speak the truth. Go deep. Say it out loud.

Meditation/Ritual 1: Befriending
In friendship, we aim to honor the other by receiving them as they are. By HOLDING SPACE and listening.

So in this ritual, I invite you to be with you, alone. No distractions (Netflix, social media, chores, children, partner, work, substances...). I invite you to image that you are your own best friend....  and you are giving yourself the gift of listening.

• Sit and allow your gaze to soften. Breath and deepen into a feeling of inner connectedness. Notice your feelings, your body. Feel grounded.

• Now allow yourself to start talking. Literally... allow yourself to talk, out loud, to YOU (great for a Libra Air day!).

• Whatever the narrative, allow yourself to talk and listen. This is a time to get intimate. Ask yourself questions about how you love, how you desire, about your deepest unrequited longing. About the hopes and dreams you have. Tell yourself your deepest secret, your dearest fantasy. Talk to you... the way you would talk to a lover or a best friend.  Whatever it is, ENJOY YOUR COMPANY!!! You are honoring YOU, in this moment, the way you would honor a friend.

• If you are stuck, consider these 'Venus in Scorpio' themed questions to prompt inquiry:

  • What is under my 'psychic surface' right now - what repetitive emotional or mental pattern keeps pushing up?

  • Where am I settling for less than I want? And why? Do I admit to what I want? Do I manipulate others to get it, or distract myself away?

  • How do I love and allow myself to be loved in return? What is missing? What mistakes am I making? How can I change them? How can I feel better?

  • Is there anyone in my life that I am in conflict with? Can this be fixed, or do I need to let it go.

• And if you want to play it a little more spiritual, imagine that your lower self (personality) is communicating with your higher self (soul).... that you are brokering a conversation between these two parts. See what happens.

Ah, to be honest and intimate... with your interior. It's the sweetest gift.

Meditation/Ritual 2: Forgiving
Now, let's explore our relationships with the OTHER.

Relationships come in many flavors... there are those you  love from your soul, those you adore as friends or companions, and those who you are contracted to. Today I invite you to honor the truth of how you feel about others, to view objectively your projections, and to come into love.

The Dalai Lama teaches a meditation similar to this - intended to cultivate unconditional love for everyone - including your enemies. It is powerful, as it breaks through projection and brings us into forgiveness.

• Take some time to contemplate 3-5 people in your life. Family, colleagues, lovers, friends... whoever comes to mind. Maybe someone you have had a recent conflict with, who 'hurt' you.

• Put a person into your 'minds eye'. Watch what happens in your body - what area reacts, where the emotion 'springs up'. Does this feeling make you feel harmonious? What stands between you and harmony, in the moment you contemplate this person? Notice that.

• Now if something painful arises - a resentment, an anger, a fear - stay with it and witness it. Then, in the spirit of love, offer this painful reaction your compassion. Try to surround it with loving warmth and goodness. Forgiveness. Golden light. Try to hold this energy, until the discord is gone and you feel love for the other... exactly as they are. Until the bad feelings or ill will melts away. Til you are in authentic love, appreciation and forgiveness.

• Repeat for a few people. It will likely get easier as you practice.

• Now move higher... imagine  your 'love' is connecting to a grid of love circling the earth. Imagine you are sending 'care and compassion' to the entire human family, to Gaia, through this grid. Feel connected to the sacred relationship with life. Send gratitude to all of it. Hold the 'space of love' for the totality of what we are, collectively.

• Now if you are particularly generous, send a message to a few of the people you have meditated on. Make a phone call, write an email... tell them what they mean to you. Express gratitude. Or better yet, make a date for a drink or tea... and tell them in person. I bet you will feel absolutely fantastic, when you allow yourself to do this. And so will they.

Okay that's all I got. I hope this was useful, interesting, amusing, entertaining and possibly even a bit illuminating. It was a hard one to write - let me tell you!! Relationships in my life are in a treacherous state. I find deep repose in being alone these days, in taking honest account for all the ways I am responsible for the complete debacle that is my personal life. Painful, painful Venus retrograde in Scorpio. 

But enough about me... please write to me and share your own impressions and stories! It is truly the sweetest joy to hear from you.

Love
Sara