Libra is the sign of Venus’s domicile, Saturn’s exaltation, the Sun’s fall and Mars’s detriment. These dignities alone provide a sound basis for understanding its symbolism in the personality of a native whose chart gives the sign prominence. In the Saturnian type, kindness and sociability are only apparent; yet they are never a mask concealing a passionate face, but rather a gentleness that allows a sharp spear to penetrate with the least resistance. Libra understands that blunt honesty is the worst means of pursuing a hidden purpose. The sign also possesses one of the finest qualities: the ability to weigh everything precisely, never attempting to use force without first considering the balance of forces. Libra never acts unless every condition is favourable. It is Libra who notices a problem and sets about correcting it. Libra is the most effective of all the zodiac signs because it acts consistently in accordance with the laws of nature. It never meddles where it has no business, however much others may think otherwise. It has calculated every possibility, and as events unfold, it will become clear that its aim was peace.
When the active elements of the horoscope fall in weak, passive signs, leaving no driving force, this concern for fairness can lead to inactivity. Libra then spends all its time weighing things up, postponing action until a tomorrow that never comes. Some of the least effective human beings have been born with this rising sign. The mind is so finely balanced that no thought arises without its opposite also suggesting itself. This quality gives Libra an extraordinarily broad outlook and a universal, unprejudiced tolerance. Only the most active types can draw everything together and formulate a plan that incorporates the widest possible range of elements while remaining true to their personal purpose—and then put it into practice. A contemplative mind is very common among those born with Libra rising.
Alongside its devotion to balance and harmony, Libra is also devoted to beauty. Untidiness, ugliness and disorder are particularly distressing to these people. The Libran is highly sensitive; an upheaval such as war brings the greatest imaginable anguish of spirit. He finds consolation in one thing. He tells himself that the old civilisation was hideous, that it bred misery and ugliness, and that, for renewal and change to take place, the building must be razed to the ground and its foundations laid anew. His final judgement is that war is a necessary spiritual preparation for the establishment of a new era, built upon the true foundations of beauty. In short, just as a storm results from an accumulation of intolerable tension, so the commercial and political distortions caused by overpopulation have discharged themselves through war. This line of reasoning is highly characteristic of people with Libra rising. Every Libran instinct recoils from violence, yet Libra will perceive it as a necessary herald of peace and so give it a seal of approval.
The Libran is exceptionally trustworthy because he never allows personal attitudes to become entangled with abstract ideals. If he commits a sin, it will be because he enjoys it, and he will seek no excuses. He will never deceive himself by confusing an action belonging to the body with a thought proper to the mind. If he eats meat, no argument about the sanctity of the cow will prevent him from eating a steak. In other words, he allows each part of his being to go about its own business according to its own nature.
Where money is concerned, Libra is too broad-minded to regard any single factor in the matter as important, while the airy nature of the sign is at odds with the earthiness of money. Nevertheless, the native has considerable mathematical ability and, when obliged to concern himself with financial matters, is surprisingly precise.
The native has a particular gift for charm in speech and writing. Gentle, subtle and persuasive, he manages to carry his intentions through under an ample cloak of fairness. This type is decidedly hypocritical, but Libra instinctively feels that all is fair in love and war, and that the end justifies the means. These people are drawn to dangerous controversies. They win sympathy with great skill, but their polished manner often irritates opponents until they lose their temper and expose their weaknesses. Once the native has an opponent at his mercy, he can point out, with tears in his eyes, that he has been abused or mistreated, and that his opponent’s rage is merely further proof that the opponent is in the wrong.
Libra gets along well at home, thanks to charm, good manners and the ability to accomplish things so subtly that no one notices. Yet the native is not particularly attached to the home, and although a break with the family is rare, his domestic instincts come nowhere near those of Taurus or Cancer.
In love, Libra is perhaps the most interesting temperament in the zodiac. As a cardinal air sign, Libra is decidedly masculine, yet as the domicile of Venus it is also feminine. As a rule, the sexual nature is very strongly developed, something attributed to this mingling of the sexes. Given all this, it is common to find the Libran an expert in every matter of love. He instinctively understands the nature of other human beings, and his adaptability is such that he can draw close to another person without the slightest effort. He takes particular pleasure in this because of his instinctive desire to rule others. With certain planetary combinations, homosexuality may develop. The Libran of this type is often highly lustful, yet refined to the utmost degree. Even where there is considerable sensuality, there is no vulgarity whatsoever. He regards love not as a matter of appetite but as an art. Furthermore, it is true that these people, though exceedingly passionate, are not especially capable of love within the limits laid down by romantic literature. They rarely “live happily ever after”, since the idea of lifelong fidelity is not particularly congenial to them. Indeed, they are not as happy in marriage as they are with greater freedom and fewer responsibilities. They are gifted with every quality calculated to please, and possess considerable tact, yet in many marriages a time comes when they subject their partner to a searching critical examination that few could pass.
The Libran type is fond of children and enjoys playing with them. He will treat them fairly, with grace and tenderness, understand their nature and never tyrannise over them. He will not spoil them, and is quite capable of foreseeing a possible career for them and carefully preparing them for it. One could very readily argue that this is the best parent a child could have.
Libra is so detached that it is often interesting to observe how the native faces adverse circumstances. He will endure immense difficulties to achieve a particular result, yet even if he fails, he derives almost equal mental satisfaction from analysing the forces that shaped the outcome. His failure is merely another factor in the problem, and very often he will begin again and, thanks to that earlier failure, succeed in a way he could not have done at first. In business, Librans take a conservative, commonsensical approach, but one that is in no way prejudiced against new ideas. The native’s judgement is shrewd and his tactics ingenious, yet we rarely find him enterprising. He has little interest in competition; his mind simply cannot devote itself solely to the race for money.
The less admirable types can indeed be superficial and readily adopt other people’s ideas. Yet when the sign is well dignified, we find meticulous judgement, an ability to weigh evidence and a capacity to reconcile apparently incompatible things—all qualities of exceptional importance to further progress. Libra is profoundly eclectic. It refuses to move forward until it has first taken stock of the past. Anyone characterised by this trait will never be one-sided or excessively specialised, though this, too, can be a drawback.