New Moon Reflections for Libra

According to Jan Spiller's marvelous book New Moon Astrology (Bantam Books) each month there is an opportunity to make personal wishes with the advent of the New Moon.

The moon changes astrological signs approximately every two days. However, when the moon exactly conjuncts the sun (shares it’s astrological degree), it is no longer visible in the sky and at this point in the lunar cycle it is called a "NewMoon". This occurs once every month (in rare instances, twice) and marks the beginning of a new monthly astrological cycle.

The new moon signifies a start of a new personal cycle each month. It's a time to renew or revise our goals, reach for what we wish for most and renew ourselves. When setting goals or aspiring towards our dreams and desires it is important to keep a few things in mind. First of all, our wishes can only involve ourselves. We cannot try to change others, only our attitudes towards those people, in hopes that they will respond favorably to us. Another important aspect of this process is to meditate on the qualities of the sign that the new moon is occurring in. These astrological qualities will give us powerful hints on what to strive for, and how to approach or strategize towards what we want to accomplish. It is a good idea to set approximately 10 goals or wishes each month. Jan Spiller also suggests that you do not combine several wishes into one wish! Keep your thoughts clear and separate, and write them down each month. I recommend a special notebook or journal exclusively used for this purpose.

It is often best not to include a wish unless you can clearly visualize it coming into fruition within your imagination. If not, there may be preliminary steps you need to take first, so instead, try visualizing these. Trust your feelings and intuition in this process- you will know what feels right. Some wishes become realized soon after the new moon. Others are more resistant and can take many months. Keep repeating wishes each month until they begin coming true as long as you continue to believe that they are right for you. When things in your life such as people, events, and your own attitudes begin to "shift", welcome this new change as evidence that your life is now reflecting your positive intentions. Try to go along with these shifts, as they may be helping you fulfill a wish!

When the new moon is in the astrological sign of Libra we can begin to focus on how we interact with other people.
Libra is the sign that teaches us about healthy and balanced relationships. The reason that relationships require constant balance is that they involve two people. It is very fitting then, that Libra’s symbol is the “Scales”.

This month we would benefit from contemplating our relationships. In any relationship, romantic or otherwise, both partners must accept the uniqueness and the differences of the other person while not forgetting themselves in the process. This isn't so easy as we all know. This goes for all sorts of partnerships including marriage or long-term romantic partners as well as business relations, student-teacher relationships, close friendships and so on. When you refer to another as "my" as in "my boyfriend", "my co-worker" "my teacher" or "my business partner" they fall into the Libra realm of significant others. As we wish for harmony and balance this month, you may feel a gentle shift in your reactions to others. Welcome this change in yourself as it could be just what you need to get a fresh start on how you relate interpersonally.

Before embarking on healthy relationships or when entering into negotiations with others, it is most vital that a preliminary step is taken. This step acts as a foundation for relating in a balanced way with others. What is this step? It is "knowing thyself"! First formulate a clear picture of who you are and what you want in relation to the other person or social situation. If you are going to compromise with others, as is usually the case, it is important that you are aware of what you may be altering or giving up. If there is something that you are unable to compromise about, it is good to go into a relationship knowing this beforehand- before you run into a roadblock with this person.

Relationships involve sharing. This means mutual trust, honesty, respect and appreciation. This can be a time when we try to correct or move on from relationships that have grown unsatisfying because they are too one sided. If everything in a relationship (especially a friendship or a romantic partner) is only going your partner's way, then there is no longer any room for growth for you! If this is the case you are actually not in a "relationship" any more. Without balance between two people there is no basis for any closeness.

This isn’t often verbalized, but when you love another person, you must also love yourself at the same time. Ideally there would exist a two-way flow of love and communication between you. It is a very unbalanced situation if you are emotionally involved with a person who does not return your feelings or who is unkind to you. Persisting in such situations is not loving to the self, and so these sorts of “relationships” are very unhealthy. In the spirit of Libra perhaps unhealthy and unbalanced mean the same thing.

Libra also rules fairness and negotiations. We can learn how to deal tactfully with others in tricky situations. Win/lose is not Libra. Libra is strictly win-win. This is a great time for cooperative efforts. Instead of being threatened by a differing viewpoint we should strive to be willing to listen and to even validate those different from us. We don't have to agree but we may learn something from hearing a differing viewpoint and just allowing it to exist. If you have never tried stepping back and giving other people this kind of space, space to disagree with you, you may actually find taking this challenge a very rewarding experience. You may learn that just because other people do not agree with you doesn’t make you or the other individual “wrong”, just different! From this perspective relationships with others become much less threatening. Other people have a right to be different from us, and we also have a right to our own uniqueness! We are not forced to agree with others, just to validate them.

In terms of the big picture, I see that differences among people can serve a vital function. If many issues in life only went one way there could be no justice or balance (a Libra theme). Allowing individual differences a place to exist and be heard serves the world by creating natural "checks and balances" within life. Hearing and considering different viewpoints helps society come up with objective and fair decisions. We can even see this in the physical body. Just as smooth and coordinated movements require the interplay of opposing muscle groups to coordinate movement, so too, balance in life comes from the give and take and corrective influence of opposing viewpoints. Although differences in opinions may seem like an imbalance to you personally, in the very large overall picture they create balance and the opportunity for compromise and harmony. When seen this way, there are no completely "wrong" or "right " approaches to most issues, and everybody's input and opinion is a valid one, even if you disagree with it

Libra's influence is also a great time to think of things artistic, harmonious and beautifying. You could set a goal to beautify your home, your environment at work, and even yourself. This is a time to listen to beautiful music, go to an art museum or cultivate these artistic abilities within yourself.

Libra is an intellectual sign as are all the air signs. Unlike its opposite sign, Aries, Libra's influence is never impulsive. This month it is our opportunity to thinks things through carefully before acting. Like it's symbol, the scales, Libra enables us to weigh the pros and cons of any problem or situation and come up with fair and balanced solutions.

I wish you all a month of balance and harmony.

The next new moon will be in the sign of Scorpio on November 12 at 9:28 am. eastern standard time.

Come visit me then at Zodiacart.com or a few days before for more New Moon Reflections.