I’ve been away for over a month owing to a bunch of personal stuff but I’m back!
If you don’t already know, we’re swimming deep in the season of the scales. Libra is special to me because my Solar Return (the astro-nerd way of saying “birthday”) takes place during this season.
As a Venus-ruled cardinal sign1, Libra signals the end of summer and kicks off autumn. Bye bye leaves! Hello, throat infection.
Libra is also the sole sign representing an inanimate object: the scales of the goddess of justice, Dike. Appropriately, the tarot card linked to Libra is Justice.
Harmony and the avant-garde
As a Venus-ruled sign, Libra loves beautiful things. Artsy peeps will know that the rules governing visual harmony are manifold. They don’t always represent perfect symmetry but rather, a delicate play of visual weight, be it through colour, shapes, repetition (rhythm) or white space.
Libran queen Doja Cat rocked some bold lewks throughout Fashion Week, using avant-garde makeup and jewellery to play with symmetry and balance. I’m SO here for it.
Balancing the cosmos
How does social bias colour our conversations about the cosmos? From revising gendered language to challenging socio-political power structures, astrology too is touched by the larger tussle for justice prevalent in online spaces and irl today.
For instance, did you know that certain schools of astrology look at the placement of the moon to understand the mother and Saturn to shed light on daddy dearest? This automatically assumes that everyone has a parent of either gender and reinforces tired old patriarchal roles. Um, next please!
As we revisit our values as a society, astrology too needs to refresh the language it uses. If you’re looking for awesome, inclusive and queer af astrologers to obsess over, check out Chani Nicholas, Jessica Lanyadoo and Alice Sparkly Kat.
Neighbours in the night sky
Jupiter and Saturn are currently twinkling in the sky after dark! I’ve been lucky enough to see these giants right outside my window.
If you’re oddly fascinated by space, check out Sky Tonight, an awesome app that uses augmented reality to help you explore the night sky in real time. This isn’t a paid promotion. I’m just in love.
Bits & Bobs
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Cardinal signs are associated with initiating things, including the seasons. In the northern hemisphere, they are:
🔥Aries: sparks Spring
💧Cancer: says “heya” to Summer
🌬️Libra: ushers in Autumn
🪨Capricorn: welcomes Winter
This of course doesn’t apply to areas of the world with different seasonal cycles. Maybe I’ll explore this in another issue…