libra season: redefining balance & honoring the equinox
Libra season begins on Monday, September 22nd
Welcome to Libra season! In addition to entering a new astrological season, we’re also transitioning into a brand new season on the Wheel of the Year: today’s Autumnal Equinox ushers us into a period that’s all about harvesting, reflecting, and shifting our energy from the external to the internal. The sign of Libra can help us take stock of our lives (and make adjustments as needed) with its themes of balance, justice, and harmony — and its association with Venus invites us to reexamine our values as we enter the waning time of the year.
Keep reading for an overview of Libra energy & themes, the Major Arcana card associated with this sign, suggested rituals, and more! ♎︎
unpacking libra energy: key themes & qualities
At its core, Libra is all about balance, justice, harmony, and equilibrium. Represented by the scales, it’s a sign that’s satisfied when things are fair and equitable, when options are carefully and thoughtfully considered before decisions are made, and when collaboration and equal representation are chosen over hierarchy. In our day-to-day lives, Libra invites us to notice where things are out of balance — where we’re investing an abundance of time and energy into one area of life at the expense of another, where we’re stuck in relationships that require us to give but never allow us to take, where we’re honoring certain parts of ourselves while neglecting others — so that we can course correct as needed.
Libra is an air sign (along with Gemini & Aquarius), which means that it’s associated with all things relating to the mind, communication, and information: our ideas and insights, thought patterns and inner narratives, learning and widening our perspective, news and the media, speech and language, and how concepts, ideologies, and wisdom gets passed between individuals and communities. It’s also a cardinal sign (along with Aries, Cancer, and Capricorn), which gives it a leadership quality: the cardinal signs boldly usher us into brand new seasons with an air of confidence and strength. Ruled by Venus, Libra is also interested in themes of beauty, pleasure, and comfort, and asks us to focus on our values, the things we’re drawn to, and what we find worthy.
the autumnal equinox: a moment to pause & reset
Today’s equinox offers us a brief moment of equilibrium: as the sun moves from Virgo into Libra and we transition from summer to autumn, we’ll experience near-equal lengths of day and night. Today, we’re invited to hold space for the duality of light and shadow and to notice what it feels like to straddle two seasons with two very different energies. The equinox acts as portal: it’s almost as if time is temporarily suspended, and we’re able to stop for a moment, look around us, and let out a deep exhale.
Any time we transition from one season to another, it serves us to take a pause for reflection so that we can assess what we want to bring forward with us and what we’re ready to leave behind. Of all of the seasonal transitions, the one from summer to autumn might be the most ripe for slowing down, as we prepare our bodies and minds for cooler days and longer nights. If you need a little extra context for the energy of this moment, try thinking back to the spring equinox to help put the autumnal equinox into perspective: where March saw us planting seeds, setting intentions, and focusing on themes of rebirth, potential, and awakening, September asks us to harvest the fruits of our labor, reflect on our progress over the past season (and perhaps reassess any goals, intentions, and plans for the remainder of the year), and let ourselves be guided by themes of slowness, stillness, and turning inward.
As always, we can look to the natural world around us for guidance: we’ll see the trees shedding their leaves, summer growth beginning to decay, and animals starting to stockpile food for the colder months ahead. While we may not need to take such drastic measures ourselves, we would still benefit from simplifying, releasing what we no longer need, and adjusting our energetic output in preparation for future periods of rest and dormancy.
redefining balance in libra season
A piece of advice that’s often thrown around is one that urges us to “seek balance” in life — and while a sense of balance can help us feel more calm, grounded, and in control, it’s not always easy to achieve. It doesn’t help that the concept of balance is often misrepresented, as it differs greatly from person to person and from one moment to the next. Balance is frequently presented to us as a specific point that we can land on, as if once we reach it, everything will fall into place. That leaves questions to be answered, though: what does balance look like, and how will we know when we’ve reached it? What if we’re in a season of life when balance just isn’t attainable?
I prefer to think of balance a little differently, in a way that allows each of us to acknowledge our current circumstances and meet ourselves where we’re at. Rather than imagining balance as a fixed point smack dab in the center of two extremes, I think of it as a moving target: one that’s constantly changing based on our current reality, our priorities, and our deepest needs. Seeking balance, then, becomes an ongoing practice of noticing and adjusting. At any given moment, we can take note of what feels out of balance in our lives and make small but meaningful adjustments to gently nudge ourselves a little closer to center.
This season, you might want to consider the things in your life that feel like they’re competing for your time, energy, and attention: there’s the oft-mentioned work/life balance, but there are also things like solo time vs. social time, creation vs. rest, dreaming vs. doing, giving vs. receiving. If you’ve been filling all of your free time with activities and obligations, maybe coming into more balance looks like carving out some time for stillness or spontaneity. If you’ve been working nonstop or you’ve felt saddled with responsibility, maybe reaching a more balanced place looks like setting time aside for adventure and play. If you’ve been isolating (whether by choice or due to life circumstances), pushing yourself to connect with your community might help bring a welcome sense of balance.
And if you’re in a phase of life where balance just isn’t possible — working on a deadline, caring for a loved one, navigating illness, approaching a big launch — part of the process is acknowledging that reality, too. Balance doesn’t always need to be the goal; sometimes just noticing where things feel off kilter is enough to bring a greater sense of acceptance or peace in the moment. There are times in life when we have no choice but to let ourselves drift far from our center, but we can always work our way back when the fog clears.
libra & venus: finding harmony through integrity
Both Taurus and Libra are ruled by Venus, but while the two signs share a planetary ruler, the planet of love & beauty expresses itself in different ways through the lens of each one. We can look to the the signs themselves to see what aspects of Venus we’re working with most during each season: when we’re dealing with Taurus energy, Venusian themes of beauty, abundance, and aesthetics really come to the surface (it’s early spring, the flowers are starting to bloom, and there’s often a sense of lightness after the long winter and rainy days of April.) Though Venus brings a welcome buoyancy to Libra season too, this time of the year carries a different undertone, because we’re transitioning from the waxing energy of spring and summer (growth, output, action) to the waning energy of fall and winter (reflection, conservation, stillness.) Pair that with Libra’s focus on justice, balance, and equity, and the Venusian themes that feel most present during this time of the year are our values and what we consider to be of worth.
“Values” and “integrity” have become such buzzwords in recent years, but holding tight to your values and living with integrity are simply ways of saying that you’re guided by a strong set of principles and that you refer to them when making decisions; that your actions align with your beliefs. Venus invites us to investigate and assess our values so that we can identify where we are or aren’t living in accordance with them. Have your values changed since you last checked in with yourself? Do you need to adjust any of your actions or habits to better align with your values? Do you keep your values at the front of your mind as you move through the world?
Answering these questions honestly and making adjustments as needed, whenever possible, can lead to more internal harmony and balance — those key Libra themes. This season reminds us that defining and operating within our own value system isn’t just about doing the “right” thing in a surface-level kind way, but that it can actually bring us more inner peace, strengthen feelings of empowerment, and help us build self-trust.
Other aspects of Venus are at play this season too, of course: we can’t talk about the planet of love without thinking about themes of beauty, affection, pleasure, desire, leisure, and comfort. As we brace for falling temps and longer hours of darkness, Venus’s influence gives Libra season a much-needed softness and a rose-colored tint. We’re reminded that turning to the things that bring us comfort can help us navigate the transition from summer to fall, and that as we enter the final quarter of the year, there are still plenty of ways to prioritize feeling good and finding joy.
libra in the tarot: Justice & being with what is
The Major Arcana card associated with Libra is Justice, an archetype that seeks fairness and balance (sound familiar?) It’s impossible to talk about justice without acknowledging the extreme degree of injustice in the world, but this card isn’t here to make us feel hopeless in the face of so much inequity. For a better understanding of this archetype, I’ll share what I’ve learned from my teacher, Lindsay Mack: Lindsay teaches that the Justice card asks us to be with what is, rather than what we wish was. That’s not to say that we should accept things the way they are without a fight — but before we can set out to correct injustice, we’re first asked to acknowledge what’s present. To quote Lindsay directly from their most recent post on No Bad Cards: “Justice is an invitation to be with what is present – not necessarily what we want, what we’d prefer, or what we think should be. It reminds us that our willingness to be with what is is the first step in the process of reaching and/or fighting for true justice.”
This concept doesn’t just apply to big, collective-level things, either: if you pay attention, you’re likely to find plenty examples in everyday life where your thoughts sound something like “it’s not fair,” or “I wish things had worked out differently,” or “it wasn’t supposed to be this way.” Sometimes circumstances are simply out of our control, and that’s typically when it’s most difficult to sit with what’s in front of us (and when the Justice card might offer the most support: it’s like a trusted friend saying “you’re right, it’s NOT fair — and yet this is what we’re facing right now.”) And when it is within our control to change our circumstances, acknowledging exactly what we’re dealing with can help us take action from an empowered place, rather than a defeated one.
bringing it all together: libra season actions, tools, and reflections
For the next month, we’re working with an energy that’s concerned with balance, harmony, fairness, equity, equilibrium, values, beauty, and comfort. How can we best embrace this season?
We can take inventory of the different areas of our life — noticing which feel nourished and which feel neglected — so that we can reallocate our attention as needed. We can consider what balance means to us, and familiarize ourselves with what both balance and imbalance feel like in our bodies. We can learn to recognize when we’re being pulled far from our center and seek out actions that help bring us back — whether that’s quiet time alone, a period of deep rest, or more social interaction or quality time with a loved one.
We can get clear on our values, assessing where our actions are aligned and where we might want to make adjustments. We can acknowledge our current circumstances — addressing what is and isn’t within our control to change in this moment — and continue to fight for what we believe in from a grounded and empowered place. We can embrace Venus’s themes of beauty, softness, and pleasure by leaning into the things that make us feel resourced and comforted as the days get colder and darker.
As we welcome Libra season, we can let the equinox set the tone for the days ahead: it gently reminds us to slow down, make time for reflection and recalibration, and plot our course ahead with intention.
Here are some tools that you may want to work with during Libra season — incorporate them into your life over the next month in whatever ways feel appropriate to you:
Crystals like snowflake obsidian (for duality) and serpentine (for releasing what’s ready to fall away)
Colors like grey (for balance of dark & light) and brown (for harvest season & honoring the earth’s shifts)
Journals and notebooks to jot down your dreams & ideas (honoring Libra’s airy nature) and for self-reflection as we enter a new season
Foods, scents, and objects that bring comfort, to embrace Venus’s themes of beauty & pleasure and to offer support for the colder, darker days ahead
key libra season dates
☀️ September 22nd: first day of Libra season & Autumnal Equinox
🌕 October 6th: full moon in Aries
🌑 October 21st: new moon in Libra
📅 October 21st: last full day of Libra season
libra cheat sheet
📅 Dates: September 22nd - October 22nd
⚖️ Symbol: the scales
💨 Element: air
👑 Modality: cardinal
🃏 Major Arcana card: Justice
☯️ Qualities: balanced, fair, just, equitable, harmonious, collaborative, diplomatic, solution-oriented, intentional, reflective, caring, compassionate