Today, September 25th Mercury enters Libra. This astrological event influences communication and thinking styles, but most of it all emphasizes harmony, balance, and diplomacy. You might find yourself more inclined to seek compromise in discussions and prioritize relationships over being purely logical. This transit can enhance your ability to see multiple perspectives and may lead to a focus on aesthetics and collaboration in decision-making. It’s a great time for social interactions and negotiations, as people are generally more open to dialogue and finding common ground.
What do we know about planet Mercury and how does it affect us?
Astrologically, Mercury is the planet of communication, intellect, and mental processes. It governs how we think, learn, and express ourselves. Let’s take a look at some key aspects of Mercury:
- Communication Style: Mercury influences how we convey our thoughts, whether through speech, writing, or other forms of expression. Different placements can lead to varied communication styles, from straightforward to more nuanced.
- Intellect and Learning: Mercury is associated with analytical thinking and problem-solving. It governs learning styles and how we absorb information, making it important for education and mental agility.
- Commerce and Trade: Mercury also rules commerce, travel, and networking, highlighting its role in social interactions and the exchange of ideas.
- Zodiac Signs: Mercury moves through the zodiac signs fairly quickly, spending about two to three weeks in each sign. Its influence can change significantly depending on the sign it occupies. For example, in Gemini, Mercury is curious and chatty, while in Virgo, it becomes more detail-oriented and analytical.
- Retrograde Motion: When Mercury goes retrograde, which happens several times a year, it is often associated with misunderstandings, delays, and issues with communication or technology. This period is generally seen as a time for reflection rather than new beginnings.
Overall, Mercury plays a crucial role in shaping how we connect with the world through our thoughts and communications!
The Magician represents skill, resourcefulness, and the ability to manifest ideas into reality. It reflects Mercury’s role as a communicator and a master of verbal and intellectual tools. The Lovers symbolize choices, partnerships, and the balance of opposing forces. It highlights the diplomatic and relational aspects of Mercury, particularly in Libra. The Page of Swords is often associated with curiosity, new ideas, and clear communication, this card embodies the youthful, inquisitive energy of Mercury. The Eight of Wands signifies swift movement, communication, and progress. It captures the quick, adaptable nature of Mercury, especially in its direct and forward-thinking aspects. The Three of Pentacles represent collaboration and teamwork, this card aligns with Mercury’s influence in facilitating communication and cooperation among people.
What about Mercury retrograde?
I am also sure you’ve heard about Mercury retrograde. It is a well-known astrological event that occurs three to four times a year when Mercury appears to move backward in the sky. Mercury retrograde points at communication issues and during this period, misunderstandings and miscommunications are common. It’s a time when emails might get lost, texts could be misinterpreted, and conversations can lead to confusion. Oftentimes technology glitches arise, such as problems with computers, phones, and other devices. It’s advisable to back up important data and double-check plans. Travel plans may face delays or complications, so it’s wise to be flexible and patient during this time. Of course, Mercury retrograde had a different effect on different signs. For example, in Gemini, it may focus more on communication issues, while in Virgo, it might highlight details and organization.
Nevertheless, not all is that dark, negative and distruptive. Mercury retrograde is a great time for introspection — to review and reflect. Instead of starting new ideas, projects, or relationships, Mercury retrograde encourages revisiting past ideas, projects, or relationships, so this period can be fruitful for reflection and reevaluation. While it can be challenging, Mercury retrograde can also lead to insights and revelations. Past issues may resurface, giving you a chance to resolve them.
Tarot cards that embody the themes and challenges associated with Mercury retrograde often highlight communication issues, reflection, and introspection. The Hanged Man, for example represents suspension, pause, and seeing things from a different perspective. It aligns with the introspective nature of Mercury retrograde, encouraging reflection and a shift in viewpoint. The Tower symbolizes sudden upheaval and chaos, this card reflects the disruptions that can occur during Mercury retrograde, often prompting unexpected changes and revelations. The Moon is a card that embodies confusion, illusion, and the subconscious. It highlights the potential for misunderstandings and the need to trust your intuition during this period. The Eight of Swords represent feeling trapped or restricted, this card can reflect the mental blocks and communication challenges that often arise during Mercury retrograde. The Six of Cups signifies nostalgia and revisiting the past, resonating with the theme of reconnecting with old relationships or unresolved issues during Mercury retrograde.
What Should You Know About Libra?
Libra is the seventh sign of the zodiac, ruled by Venus, the planet of love, beauty, and harmony. Here are some key aspects of Libra:
- Element: Air. This element represents intellect, communication, and social interactions, emphasizing Libra’s focus on relationships and connection.
- Modality: Cardinal. As a cardinal sign, Libra is associated with initiation and leadership, often driving the pursuit of balance and justice in relationships and social situations. Cardinal signs are considered the initiators or leaders of the zodiac; they represent the start of their respective seasons—in case of Libra, the start of autumn.
- Symbol: The Scales. This symbol represents balance, fairness, and the pursuit of harmony. Libras are often seen as mediators who seek equilibrium in their environments.
- Traits: Libras are known for their charm, sociability, and diplomacy. They value cooperation and partnership, often prioritizing harmony over conflict. They can be indecisive at times, as they weigh different perspectives.
- Relationships: Libras thrive in partnerships and are often drawn to love and companionship. They appreciate beauty in their surroundings and seek aesthetically pleasing environments.
- Challenges: Libras may struggle with indecision, as they can become overly focused on others’ opinions. Their desire for harmony can lead them to avoid confrontation, even when necessary.
- Ruling House: The Seventh House. This house is associated with relationships, marriage, and partnerships, highlighting Libra’s focus on connections with others.
Tarot Cards and astrological sign Libra
1. Justice and Libra
The Justice card in tarot is deeply connected to the astrological sign of Libra, as both represent themes of balance, fairness, and harmony. Ruled by Venus, Libra strives for equilibrium in relationships and social structures, and the Justice card mirrors this through its depiction of truth, law, and moral responsibility. In a reading, the Justice card often signals a need for objective decision-making, much like how Libra carefully weighs different perspectives before arriving at a conclusion. This card asks for clarity and honesty, emphasizing that every action has consequences, which reflects Libra’s desire for fairness and ethical integrity.
Libra’s association with partnership and diplomacy is also echoed in the Justice card. Both stress the importance of fairness and equality in all dealings. Just as Libra avoids extremes and seeks to harmonize conflicts, the Justice card often suggests resolving disputes by considering both sides and making impartial judgments. This card speaks to Libra’s core motivation to restore balance, reminding us that justice is not just about laws and rules, but about maintaining harmony in relationships and ensuring that all parties are treated equitably.
In its shadow side, both Libra and the Justice card can reflect indecision or a fear of confrontation. Libra’s tendency to overthink and delay decisions, driven by the desire to avoid upsetting the balance, can manifest in the Justice card as a warning against stagnation or inaction. However, at its highest vibration, the Justice card, like Libra, emphasizes the need for truth and righteousness, asking that decisions be made with care, wisdom, and compassion for all involved.
Ultimately, the Justice card through the lens of Libra is about seeking alignment with universal principles of fairness, harmony, and responsibility, calling upon us to act with integrity and balance in all aspects of life.
2. The Empress and Libra
The Empress card in tarot is primarily associated with the planet Venus, which rules both Taurus and Libra. However, the Empress tends to be more closely aligned with Taurus due to its strong connection to themes of fertility, abundance, sensuality, and the Earth. Neverthelss, we can connect the Empress card to Libra through their shared rulership by Venus, the planet of love, beauty, and harmony.
As Libra is a sign deeply associated with partnership and social harmony, the Empress represents the nurturing and compassionate aspect of these connections. Libra seeks beauty and balance in relationships, and the Empress amplifies this by symbolizing the abundance that comes from nurturing love and creative energy. The Empress, like Libra, is drawn to the beauty in all forms—whether in nature, art, or the interpersonal harmony of relationships—and encourages an appreciation for the finer things in life.
In terms of balance, the Empress brings the message of nurturing oneself and others, much as Libra aims to maintain equilibrium in all relationships. Both the Empress and Libra represent a flow of giving and receiving, ensuring that the energies of love and care are balanced. The Empress also suggests a nurturing, maternal energy, and while Libra is often seen as a sign of partnership and diplomacy, the Empress softens it with a focus on emotional nourishment and creativity.
The influence of Venus on both the Empress and Libra highlights a deep desire for peace, comfort, and connection. In the context of Libra, the Empress card suggests that beauty and harmony are not just external but internal processes that require care and cultivation. Libra’s intellectual approach to fairness is complemented by the Empress’s emotional and sensual aspects, reminding us that true balance involves attending to our inner needs as much as those of others.
However, just as Libra can struggle with indecision, the Empress card can sometimes suggest overindulgence or a tendency to become too passive, avoiding conflict for the sake of peace. Both the Empress and Libra must navigate the fine line between indulgence and complacency, ensuring that their love for beauty and harmony doesn’t come at the cost of growth or confrontation when necessary.
Ultimately, the Empress viewed through Libra’s lens amplifies themes of love, connection, and the nurturing of relationships, with an emphasis on creating and maintaining beauty and balance in all areas of life.
3. The Two of Swords – Moon in Libra
The Two of Swords in tarot, often associated with Moon in Libra, carries profound themes of indecision, balance, and the struggle to maintain harmony while facing difficult choices. Here’s an in-depth look at the meaning of this card through the lens of Moon in Libra.
Indecision and Balance
Libra, ruled by Venus, is a sign that seeks balance, harmony, and fairness, especially in relationships and social interactions. The Moon, representing emotions, intuition, and the subconscious, can intensify Libra’s desire for peace but also expose its inherent challenges—such as difficulty making decisions to avoid conflict or disruption.
In the Two of Swords, the figure is blindfolded and holding two crossed swords, symbolizing a state of stalemate or indecision. This perfectly reflects Libra’s tendency to weigh both sides of an issue and struggle to choose between them, especially when emotions (Moon) cloud the judgment. The card often suggests that one may be caught between opposing forces, trying to maintain peace, but without clarity on how to move forward.
Emotional Conflict
The Moon’s presence in this card introduces emotional depth to Libra’s typically rational decision-making process. The Moon represents the inner, subconscious world, so the Two of Swords suggests that the conflict one faces is not purely intellectual—there is emotional confusion or a fear of upsetting the balance by making a choice. Libra wants to create harmony, but the Moon’s influence reveals that the individual may be avoiding deeper emotional truths or uncomfortable feelings that need to be addressed.
Diplomacy and Avoidance
Libra is known for its diplomatic nature, always seeking to keep the peace and avoid conflict.
However, the Moon’s influence suggests that this avoidance may only create more inner tension or prolong the emotional conflict. The swords represent the intellect, but their crossed position indicates that the mind is blocked, unable to cut through to the truth.
Need for Inner Clarity
Libra, being ruled by Venus, is deeply concerned with fairness and partnership, but in the Two of Swords, this concern can lead to overthinking and paralysis. The presence of the Moon reminds us that intuition and emotion are important factors in decision-making, and sometimes rational thought alone isn’t enough to resolve a dilemma. The card encourages tapping into the subconscious (Moon energy) for guidance, acknowledging emotions rather than avoiding them, and finding a balance between heart and mind to make a decision.
Peaceful Yet Temporary Stasis
The Two of Swords does represent a certain level of peace, but it’s a fragile and temporary one. Libra often seeks peace by avoiding confrontation, but the Moon’s influence implies that unresolved emotions are simmering beneath the surface. This stasis will eventually need to be broken, as no decision is also a decision, and inaction can lead to more complications.
4. The Three of Swords – Saturn in Libra
The Three of Swords in tarot, associated with Saturn in Libra, symbolizes emotional pain, heartbreak, and difficult lessons, especially within the context of relationships and balance. The card visually represents three swords piercing a heart, evoking feelings of sorrow, betrayal, or grief. When we explore this card through the astrological lens of Saturn in Libra, we uncover deeper layers about its meaning, rooted in the themes of responsibility, boundaries, and karmic lessons in relationships.
1. Saturn’s Influence: Lessons and Restrictions
Saturn is the planet of discipline, structure, and karmic lessons. It represents boundaries, limitations, and the reality check that forces growth through hardship and endurance.
In the Three of Swords, this can manifest as emotional pain that forces an individual to confront hard truths about relationships, boundaries, or personal imbalances. Saturn teaches through limitations, so this card often suggests that a difficult experience, like a breakup, betrayal, or emotional separation, is a necessary part of learning to create better boundaries or more equitable relationships. There’s a sense of karmic justice in the pain, as it may reflect the consequences of ignoring imbalances or unhealthy patterns in partnerships.
2. Libra’s Desire for Balance in Conflict
Libra, ruled by Venus, seeks beauty, harmony, and balance, especially in relationships. However, Saturn’s presence disrupts this easy flow, highlighting that balance often comes at the cost of discomfort, hard lessons, and emotional confrontation. The Three of Swords reveals that pain or emotional hardship is often a result of imbalances in relationships or the pressure to maintain harmony at the expense of truth.
Libra’s diplomatic nature often tries to avoid conflict or maintain peace, but under Saturn’s influence, the Three of Swords suggests that avoiding conflict has consequences. It may represent a relationship or situation where avoidance or indecision (a Libra tendency) has led to heartbreak because the underlying issues were ignored. Saturn forces a confrontation with these issues, showing that balance cannot exist without addressing the pain that imbalance creates.
3. Karmic Relationships and Heartbreak
Because Saturn represents karma and lessons learned over time, the Three of Swords (Saturn in Libra) can signify karmic patterns in relationships. This card often appears when a relationship is deeply tied to life lessons about boundaries, fairness, or emotional responsibility. The pain symbolized by the Three of Swords isn’t necessarily about punishment; rather, it is a tool for growth, teaching us what needs to be corrected or transformed in future relationships.
This karmic element emphasizes that heartbreak or emotional pain is often necessary to break old patterns, particularly in how we engage with others. Libra’s desire for fairness and equality in relationships is put to the test under Saturn’s influence, which insists that lasting balance can only come through facing the truth, even if it’s painful. The Three of Swords often reflects a relationship or situation where these lessons must be learned the hard way.
4. Emotional Boundaries and Responsibility
Saturn in Libra also calls attention to emotional boundaries. Libra, in its pursuit of harmony, sometimes sacrifices its own needs or fails to establish clear boundaries in relationships. The Three of Swords highlights the emotional fallout that can result from this lack of boundaries. It may point to a situation where one party’s failure to set limits or take responsibility for their emotions has led to a painful rupture.
Saturn, in this context, emphasizes the importance of learning emotional discipline and responsibility. The pain symbolized by the Three of Swords can serve as a reminder to be more mindful of how we engage emotionally with others and how we maintain balance within ourselves. Learning from this experience is crucial for future relationships, as Saturn demands growth and maturity.
5. Breaking Through Emotional Illusions
Libra is often idealistic when it comes to relationships, seeking beauty and perfect harmony. However, Saturn in Libra (and the Three of Swords) serves as a reality check. It breaks through the illusions of perfect love or harmony, showing that true balance requires facing difficult emotions and realities. This card suggests that emotional pain often arises when we cling to unrealistic ideals or refuse to confront underlying issues in relationships. The Three of Swords urges you to face the truth, even if it shatters an illusion of harmony.
5. The Four of Swords – Jupiter in Libra
Jupiter is one of the most powerful and expansive planets in astrology, known for its associations with growth, abundance, wisdom, and higher learning. Often referred to as the “Great Benefic,” Jupiter brings luck, opportunity, and positive energy wherever it is placed in the birth chart.
1. Rest and Recuperation (Libra’s Balance)
Libra is a sign that seeks balance, harmony, and fairness, especially in relationships and social interactions. In the context of the Four of Swords, this card suggests that after a period of mental or emotional strain, a period of rest is necessary to restore balance. Jupiter’s expansive nature can highlight the importance of taking time to reflect and recuperate, ensuring that you are able to return to life with greater clarity and a more balanced approach.
This card often appears when there’s a need to retreat from external pressures to gain inner peace and perspective. Libra’s desire for harmony aligns with this, as the Four of Swords encourages finding balance within oneself before re-engaging with the outside world. Taking time to restore inner equilibrium is essential to maintaining the kind of harmony that Libra craves.
2. Jupiter’s Expansion through Reflection
Jupiter is the planet of growth, wisdom, and expansion, but it also rules over philosophy, higher learning, and spiritual development. In the context of Jupiter in Libra, this placement encourages personal growth through reflection and the pursuit of justice and fairness in relationships and social situations. The Four of Swords suggests that by stepping back and contemplating a situation, you allow for mental or spiritual expansion—offering the space to gain insights or a broader perspective.
Jupiter in Libra highlights the importance of growing through balance and fairness, suggesting that after taking time to reflect, you can return to relationships or situations with more wisdom, ready to approach them with renewed energy and fairness. The time spent in contemplation allows for greater emotional and intellectual growth, in line with Jupiter’s expansive qualities.
3. Seeking Harmony in Relationships
Libra’s focus on relationships is another key theme when looking at the Four of Swords (Jupiter in Libra). This card suggests a period of calm and withdrawal from the constant push and pull of social or relationship dynamics. Libra often feels the pressure to maintain harmony in relationships, and sometimes this can lead to burnout or emotional strain. The Four of Swords advises taking a step back to restore balance internally, so that you can re-enter relationships with a more harmonious and peaceful mindset.
Jupiter’s influence encourages growth within partnerships by seeking deeper understanding and fairness, even through periods of withdrawal. Time spent in reflection is not wasted, as it helps one see the bigger picture, allowing for the creation of more balanced, healthy relationships when the period of rest ends.
4. Spiritual or Intellectual Growth through Withdrawal
The Four of Swords also has a spiritual or philosophical dimension, which can be emphasized through Jupiter’s expansive energy. This card suggests that spiritual or intellectual growth can occur when one takes time to withdraw from external distractions. Jupiter in Libra encourages you to broaden your perspective on relationships, justice, or personal challenges by taking a mental or spiritual retreat.
Whether this means meditating, retreating into a quiet space, or simply giving yourself time to heal, the Four of Swords symbolizes the need for rest in order to allow Jupiter’s expansive influence to work in a more reflective, internal way. The card suggests that through stillness, one can gain wisdom and clarity, leading to intellectual or spiritual breakthroughs.
5. Jupiter’s Optimism in Libra’s Equilibrium
Jupiter’s influence in this card also brings a sense of optimism. Although the Four of Swords is often about rest after hardship, it also carries a hopeful message: the calm after the storm. Jupiter in Libra suggests that balance will be restored, and through this period of rest and reflection, growth and opportunity will follow. There is a sense of renewed energy and expansion waiting once the period of quiet ends, as Jupiter always seeks to broaden horizons and find new possibilities, even in difficult circumstances.
Libra’s association with justice and balance further reinforces the idea that this pause is not just about recuperation, but also about realigning with fairness and equilibrium in both personal and social contexts. This process brings the potential for personal and relational growth once the mind and spirit are rested.