{excerpts from "Esoteric Astrology" by Alice Bailey (Pages 226-251)}

"A study of The Bhagavad Gita and of Arjuna's problem when he sat down in despair between the two opposing armies will be found most illuminating in connection with Libra. The great battle which is related in that ancient scripture of India really took place in the first instance in mid-Atlantean days and in the sign Libra. The major conflict of this present, Aryan period is being waged upon a higher turn of the spiral and is under the influence of Scorpio. [Page 239] That in the past prepared the world probationary disciple, humanity, for the path of true discipleship. That in the present is preparing the world disciple to take initiation. During the vast interim between the Atlantean decisive happening and the present time, a great re-orientation upon the wheel of life has taken place; since then, several million men have passed from Scorpio into Libra (symbolically speaking) and there have been "weighed in the balances" and have afterwards refocussed their desire life towards spiritual aspiration and reinforced their determination to move forward and thus have returned into Scorpio upon the reversing wheel. Ponder upon this thought, for this constitutes the real problem for the masses of intelligent men at this time."

• BASICS AND THOUGHTS ON LIBRA
  
  
• Kathlyn Newburn on Blue Moon LIBRA

• Important to note

• Libra, the Balance

• Hercules: Labours VII ~ Libra The Capture of the Erymanthian Boar
  
• Hercules: Labours VII ~ nterpretations of the Myth
  
• Hercules ~ The Constellations and Stars
  
• Hercules ~ Highlights on Esoteric Astrology

• RECOMENDED READINGS ON LIBRA

Libra circa XV ad

Basics and Thoughts on Libra:

( excerpts mirror SouledOut.org )

Important to note:

It is interesting to note that during the time we say the Sun is in Scorpio, this year from October 23 to November 21, 2010, due to the precession of the equinoxes, and from the Earth's perspective, the Sun is actually traversing the zodiacal sign Libra.

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Libra, The Razor Edged Path

Libra is the point of balance in the zodiac, the place where neither spirit nor matter dominates. For the disciple on the Way, it is the point of perfect equilibrium. The path the disciple treads in Libra is known as the Razor Edged Path. In this sign can be demonstrated the art of spiritual compromise ~ willingness to yield on all non-essentials, all the while persuading and inspiring. Here we begin to understand the need for single steps along the path; serving wisely, offering just the correct amount of assistance. This develops a dynamic equilibrium in the life.

Libra forces everything into equilibrium. All the experience humanity has collected is laid in the scales of the balance and weighed. What’s valuable is kept; what’s worthless is thrown away. The effect of this balance is harmony, developing our powers of discrimination, and bringing into equilibrium the two-sided forces of duality. The Libran angel radiates the law of balance and justice into the three-dimensional world. Through Her wisdom is known the manifestation of law-giving knowledge.

Libra is the sign of justice. Libra governs law, sex and money, representing life in the lower three worlds, the playing field of the personality. These three areas represent humanity’s greatest battlefields. The first aspect of will or power expresses itself in this sign as law ~ as legislation, legality, and justice. The second aspect manifests as the relation between the pairs of opposites ~ sex, on the physical plane, of which the scales are the symbol. The physical plane shows itself as money; this is the third aspect and demonstrates as concretized energy. It is literally gold, this the externalized symbol of that which is created by the bringing together of spirit and matter upon the physical plane.
The 3 Personality Aspects:
Mental = Law
Astral = Sex
Physical = Money.

Roman Libra

A blindfolded woman standing above scales represents Libra. She sees not the outer world; she relies on true inner intuitive sight where divine justice is to be found. The glyph of Libra is that of the setting sun.

In the stories of Hercules, the seventh labor in Libra is about learning balance and sound judgment. In this labor our hero sets off to capture the wild boar and salvage the country. Meanwhile he was told to take time to eat. Take time he did, so much that he failed to remember the object of his search. Forgetting their wine was not to be drunk by anyone but the Centaurs, and only then as a group, Hercules and his friend went ahead and drank from the sacred cask. Temporarily losing his way, Hercules and the Centaurs then engaged in a drunken orgy. A fierce battle ensued and he once again killed (the other time was in Aries, the first labor).

After regaining his senses, Hercules set off for the mountains and resumed his journey. Using cunning to capture the boar rather quickly, Hercules brought this boar into town walking on its front legs, laughing and singing as the boar led the way. What a sight to see Hercules driving the boar, representing his animal self, into town amidst the laughter of the townspeople. The test is passed; the lesson of true balance is learned, although Hercules is reminded that twice he has slain those whom he loved. He is to learn why.

Libra is the only Hercules labor in the zodiac where laughter is mentioned. By employing creative ways of dealing with our challenges, we can alter our perspectives, and transform situations with humor and an altered approach. To balance opposites and bring opposing forces into synthesis requires creative means, working with the energies that contribute to the general well being.

Like busy spiders, Libran energies perpetually spin the threads of relationships, creating a sensitive network of symbolism. This blending results in synthesis of the concrete with the abstract. There is always a discrepancy, a gap between the goal envisioned and the goal achieved. Yet in the spiritually creative process, the web created glows with light and assumes a pattern of intricate beauty.

Physiologially, Libra governs the kidneys and thus relates to the solar plexus.

The Tibetan tells us that the sign of Libra "is a sign of balancing, of careful weighing of values, and of achieving the right equalibrium between the pairs of opposites." (1) The balance spoken of does not mean we automatically sacrifice the physical for the spiritual; one is as meaningful as the other is. We begin to understand, just as it will be in the Age of Aquarius, that matter must be infused with spirit, leading to what the Tibetan calls the "new materialism." We neither exalt nor abuse matter for selfish ends; rather we wield the energies and utilize it for the realization of the divine Plan for our planet.

The achieved equilibrium, at the point of rest, provides the mental impetus for soul control. Passion is transmuted into love and the initial desire of Aries [Libra’s polar opposite] becomes the full expression of love-wisdom. Desire to manifest becomes the aspiration to be. (2).

A period of interlude, Libra exists between Virgo and Scorpio, two signs of conflict. In Virgo there is the bringing of spirit into matter and the inevitable friction this produces; in Scorpio the challenge is to transform and raise matter into spirit. Between the two lies Libra, balancing the two, creating an interlude. The sun’s movement into Libra marks the autumn equinox ~ a time in the zodiacal cycle that provides an opportunity to rest, balance and recharge our energies in preparation for the service ahead.

Libra governs all interludes, including the present period of transition between the Piscean and Aquarian ages. Those coming under the influence of Libra wait halfway between Heaven and earth: looking above, they see the vision, the golden dawn gilding a snow-capped mountaintop; gazing downwards, they behold the mire through which humanity passes. On the one hand, we recognize high ideals; on the other, we perceive ideals compromised in the affairs of humans. At this midway point we stand and work.

The feminine element is found in Libra by way of its exoteric ruler, Venus, and this allows for the balancing of the masculine assertiveness. When the Libran harmonizes Venusian energies, these can the respond to the androgynous Aquarian vibration of Uranus, the esoteric ruler. Saturn is the ruler of the Libran creative hierarchy.

The three constellations primarily associated with Libra are Crux, the Southern Cross; Lupus, the Wolf; and Corona, the Crown.

As the air sign of the Cardinal Cross, Libra is related to the mind and represents active intelligence, the third aspect of deity. This third ray is the creator aspect and the energy which produces the outer tangible plane of manifestation ~ the form side of life.

The air signs represent the Mind of God as it expresses itself through humanity:
Gemini, the Twins Mutable Cross Mind Cause of duality
Libra, the Balance Cardinal Cross Supermind Cause of synthesis
Aquarius, the Water-Carrier Fixed Cross Universal Mind Soul.

For the human being, lower mind dominates at first and causes the recognition of the Self and the Not-Self, of the essential dualism underlying all manifestation. The higher mind steadily increases its power and control, producing the balancing of the pairs of opposites through the illumination it brings to the lower mind. The Soul, the eternal Son of Mind, becomes the ultimate synthesis, relating Universal Mind to the two lower aspects of the Mind of God.

BALANCE OF THE OPPOSITES IN LIBRA
Fickleness and variability A secure and settled position.
Imbalance Balance.
Bias. Prejudice Justice. Judgment.
Dull stupidity Enthusiastic wisdom.
Untrue, showy outer form life True correct expression.
Intrigue Straightforward conduct.
Materialistic attitudes Spiritual attitudes.

In the midst of dissonance, Libra cherishes the dream of harmony; in the far country is remembered our Father’s house.

(1) Alice A. Bailey's Esoteric Astrology, p. 227
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(2) Alice A. Bailey's Esoteric Astrology, p. 338
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Libra vitral

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Texts abbreviated from The Labours of Hercules , p. 125-139:
To read The Labours of Hercules book, please contact ©Lucis Trust.

The Labours of Hercules. Labour VII:

Libra The Capture of the Erymanthian Boar ~ by Alice A. Bailey

The great Presiding One, within the Council Chamber of the Lord, pondered the nature of the son of man who is likewise a son of God. He thought on what was needed to make him still more like unto his Father. "Another labour must be carried out. Balance he needs, and judgment sound, and preparation for a major test and future service to the race of men. For this, let him prepare with care." And the Teacher, noting on his tablets the purpose of the coming test, went forth and spoke to Hercules. "Go forth, my son, and capture the wild boar; salvage a ravaged country, yet take the time to eat." And Hercules went forth.

And Hercules, who is a son of man and yet a son of God, passed through the seventh Gate. The power of the seventh sign passed through him. He knew not that he faced a dual test, the test of friendship rare and the test of courage unafraid. The Teacher had instructed him to seek a boar, and Apollo gave to him a brand-new bow to use. Quoth Hercules: "I will not take it with me on the way, for fear I kill. At my last labour, upon the shores of the great sea, I slew and killed. This time I slaughter not. I leave the bow.

And so unarmed, save with his trusty club, he climbed the mountain steep, seeking the boar, and seeing sights, on every hand, of fear and terror. Higher and higher still he climbed. And then he met a friend. Upon the way, he met with Pholos, one of a group of centaurs, known unto the gods. They stopped and talked and for a time Hercules forgot the object of his search. And Pholos called to Hercules, inviting him to broach a cask of wine, which was not his, nor yet belonged to Pholos. Unto the group of centaurs, this great cask belonged, and from the gods, who cowered them with the cask, had come the word that never must the cask be broached, save when the centaurs met and all were present. It belonged unto the group.

But Hercules and Pholos opened it in the absence of their brothers, calling to another centaur wise, to come and share their revels. This he did, and all the three together drank, and feasted and caroused and made much noise. This noise the other centaurs heard from distant points.

In wrath they came, and a fierce battle then took place and in spite of resolutions wise, again the son of man, who was a son of God, became the messenger of death and slew his friends, the centaurs twain with whom he earlier had drunk. And, whilst the other centaurs sorrowed with lamentations loud, Hercules escaped again into the mountains high, and again renewed his search.

* * *

Libra stone pile

* * *

Up to the limits of the snow he went, following the tracks of the fierce boar; up to the heights and bitter cold he followed it, and yet he saw it not. And night was drawing on, and one by one the stars came out, and still the boar outdistanced him. Hercules pondered on his task and sought within himself for subtle skill. He set a snare with skill, and wisely hid, and then he waited in a shadow dark for the coming of the boar. And hour by hour went by, and still he waited till the dawn drew near. Out from its lair the boar emerged, seeking for food, driven by ancient hunger. And in the shadows near the snare waited the son of man. Into the snare the boar fell and in due time Hercules released the savage beast, making it the prisoner of his skill. He wrestled with the boar and mastered it, and made it do the thing he said, and go the way that he desired.

Down from the snowy summit of the mountain high came Hercules, rejoicing on the way, driving before him, on the downward way, the fierce though tamed boar. By the hind legs twain, he drove the boar, and all upon the mountain laughed to see the sight. And all who met the son of man, who is the son of God, singing and dancing on the way, laughed too to see the progress of the two. And all within the city laughed to see the selfsame sight, the staggering, weary boar and the laughing, singing man.

Thus Hercules performed his seventh labour and returned unto the Teacher of his life.

And the great Presiding One within the Council Chamber of the Lord remarked: "The lesson of true balance hath been learnt. A lesson still remains. At the ninth Gate again, the centaur must be met and known and rightly understood.

And the Teacher said: "The seventh labour is completed, the seventh Gate passed. Ponder upon the lessons of the past; reflect upon the tests, my son. Twice have you slain that which you should love. Learn why." And Hercules stayed within the city gates and there prepared for that which later should befall, the test supreme.

- The Tibetan (Djwhal Khul)

Prologue

"The Mythus is the undisclosed thought of the soul." (Isis Unveiled)

Libra presents us with many paradoxes, and marked extremes, depending on whether one is on the clock-wise turn of the zodiac, or on the reversed path, the disciple who has turned, consciously, to the evolutionary path, the way homeward. It is said to be one of the most difficult signs to understand. It is the first sign that has neither a human nor an animal symbol, except that holding the balance stands the figure of Justice—a blinded woman, blinded perhaps to the outward objective sight, that the inner intuitive sight may divine where justice lies.

It is an interlude, we are told, comparable to the quiet listening in meditation; a time of assessment of the past. Again, strangely, the average man approaches Libra through the drastic test of Scorpio, while the more evolved man enters into the Libra test from the sign of Virgo, with the Christ consciousness stirring in his heart and mind. Think how different will be the experiences of these two men in Libra. In one case the balance will swing wildly up and down; in the other balance will be approached, or achieved, between matter and spirit, and all lesser pairs of opposites.

At this point we begin to see why, in this quiet sign, we meet with the problems of sex and money, both good servants and bad masters, according to the use made of them. Sex is a sacrament, at-one-ment of male and female, for the production of forms, for the carrying on of evolving life. Money is a means of exchange, of sharing at a distance, if not loved and held for itself alone, the gold of the miser, or the gold of the loving, giving heart.

The balance of the pairs of opposites (Esoteric Astrology, p. 250) is sharply defined. The balance may swing from bias and prejudice to justice or judgment; from dull stupidity to enthusiastic wisdom. How unusual and delightful a combination of words is that. In common parlance we symbolise wisdom by the rather stupid, blinking owl, and those who think themselves wise are too often full of solemnity and a bit stodgy, but wisdom should be "enthusiastic". Something to ponder, that. And there may be intrigue, the winding ways of man-made laws invite it; or there is straightforward conduct, and the Libran may be characterised by materialistic or by spiritual attitudes. Over and over again on this journey round, the constellations are all harmonious, good and for a purpose; it is our receptivity and use of them that determines what we manifest. It correlates with painful exactness the impressions gained by the casual tourist, and the man who goes and lives for a while in a country, and really knows its people. Sometimes one thinks that an intelligence test should be given before a visa is issued. Such wild ideas, for instance, are brought back by people who have spent a few days in Paris and think they then know France.

And in this stately sign of balance and justice and the law we find that the test ends in a burst of laughter, the only labour that does. Down from the mountain came Hercules, trundling the boar like a wheelbarrow, singing and laughing, and all onlookers laughed with him. How delightful; and this despite the fact that again Hercules made a dire mistake. The Teacher had told him to "take time to eat", but Hercules took time for a drunken orgy with two wise old centaur friends. And take note that they broached the cask of wine which was to be opened only by and for the group. A whole sermon could be preached on that point and also on the fact that, while Hercules took every precaution not to kill the boar, he ended by killing two friends. Thus does temptation come up behind us when we think we have cleared the path before us of pitfalls. But then the wise Teacher, when assessing the labor, passed lightly over the brawl, to which all had contributed, merely saying, "Ponder upon the lessons of the past" (Libra's assessment). "Twice have you slain that which you should love. Learn why." That is all; and we are reminded that the personality remains outside the ashram (our teachers see only whatever light we bear). There is no special praise, Hercules just passed, not cum laude; but the seventh labour was declared complete and the seventh Gate passed. Justice with mercy. "If Thou O God wilt be extreme to mark what is done amiss, O Lord who may abide it?"

Libra J. Wall

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Interpretations of the Myth

Before Hercules captured the Erymanthian boar, he sat at the table of Pholos and drank heady wine. At this time he was the soul of conviviality, seeking and finding pleasure. For Hercules, as for all who assume the labour that must be performed in Libra, the fumes of pleasure must be dissipated before the greater task of self-mastery, i.e. the capturing of the boar, can be undertaken.

It is to be noted that the quaffing of the wine by Hercules leads to a tragedy, the death of Pholos. This sudden interjection of catastrophe into the pleasure-seeking existence of the Libran, harsh though the experience may be, is a necessity for the growth of the soul. Without such tragedies, the potentialities of Libra remain dormant. The Libran sets out upon his journey in winter, a time of bleakness when the personality life has lost its allure.

Hercules does not use brute force in taking the boar captive. He sets a trap, waits and allows the beast to trap itself. When the boar flounders in the snowdrifts, Hercules seizes his opportunity. It is curiously Libran to avoid a direct encounter, and not to expend more force than is necessary. He seeks to achieve his ends gently, not coercively.

We are told that Hercules seizes the hind legs of the boar, and compels the beast to walk down the mountainside on its front legs, and that this spectacle excites the laughter of all who witness it. In this incident we observe the Libran's ability to find unusual solutions, and to perceive the value of the incongruous.

Matters of great consequence in the history of mankind are determined by unusual approaches to common problems. For example, a Tartar chieftain started a great fire behind his own troops, thus forcing them to press forward with such desperate vigour that no enemy could withstand them. Again, when Hannibal sent his elephants against Scipio, the latter ordered soldiers to blow trumpets into the ears of the animals; confused and frightened by the noise, the elephants stampeded, and killed many of Hannibal's men.

The perception of incongruities is one of the greatest weapons given to mankind in its perpetual fight against glamour. It is the source of the laughter that explodes presence and destroys outmoded institutions.

This is the only labour that ends in a burst of laughter. Not only does Hercules perform the task assigned; he makes the ferocious boar an object of ridicule. By a slightly altered perspective, many of the terrifying experiences of life may be transformed by a beneficent sense of humour. Much of what people regard with grave and serious earnestness has decidedly ridiculous overtones.

The graphic description of Hercules driving the boar by its hind legs is a symbolic representation of the soul directing the ungainly body. This relationship in which each aspect achieves due importance is characteristic of the more highly organised Libran. Thus is the principle of balance observed.

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The Constellations and Stars

There are three constellations in Libra, all of special interest. First there is the southern cross that has never been seen in the Occident since the time of the Crucifixion, when it was seen at Jerusalem. Now the cross is receding. Let us try to grasp the dramatic presentation in this great symbol. Four bright stars make up this cross; four, the number of the matter aspect of man, the quaternary. The southern cross, the quaternary, is receding. The same symbolism is seen in Gemini, with Castor and Pollux. Castor, symbolising immortality, is growing brighter and Pollux, mortality, is growing dimmer. The cross is receding, and this promise is in Libra, called the open door to Shamballa, the sign in which there is found "the narrow, razor-edged path" which leads the man into the kingdom of the soul.

The second constellation is that of Lupus, the wolf. Down the ages, the wolf's head has been the symbol of the initiate. But it is a dying wolf, and the wolf-nature that has devoured the soul nature until now is symbolised as dying out, for as man achieves balance the activity and power of the wolf dies out.

The third is the Corona, the crown held before man working in Libra. The symbol is based on the story of Ariadne, the mother aspect, who was given a crown of seven stars by Bacchus, symbol of the second aspect of divinity which glorifies matter by making it the expression of the divine mind. (From A.A.B.).

As with all of Libra, interpretations and understanding of the constellations are difficult, but provocative of thought. If the data seems meagre and vague it is perhaps again representative of Libran interlude, which one of the Masters of the Wisdom has called "the master of no-man's land." So we can but ponder, remembering how the wolf appears as the animal that suckled Romulus and Remus; and was the fierce animal which Saint Francis of Assisi tamed by his love for it, and sense of oneness with it.

Libra stand

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Highlights on Esoteric Astrology

In Libra we have the man who does not speak, symbolic of the interlude of silence in the life of Jesus. Between the ages of 12 and 30, we hear naught of him. These were years of silence, whether spent among the Essenes in Egypt or in the carpenter's shop, in which that great son of God balanced spirit and matter and prepared for his ministry as a son of man who was also a son of God—demonstrably. The great revelation to my mind is not that we are spirit, but that all is God in manifestation; it is all energy in different categories. Christ was the perfect expression of divinity in form. He balanced spirit and matter perfectly. That is the work we all have to do ...

The two good centaurs that Hercules killed are known as Cherion (good thought) and Pholos (bodily strength). This test was to show control of the emotional, astral, desire nature, in whatever form it may take; and it is all the more powerful the more advanced a human being is. You cannot control or guide the desire nature by physical strength or by thought alone. You may succeed for a time and then it surges back up in you again. The only answer is to take the boar of desire up into the high mountains. It is on mountain tops that all the great revelations occur, where the mists of the valley disappear and illumination comes . . .

Libra is an air sign and is on the cardinal cross which will govern the next solar system and in this system governs the path of initiation, which is trodden by the flower of the race (Esoteric Astrology, p. 279). Again the mystery veils so that we find the sign difficult to understand. But the keynotes of the sign are clear and plain: they speak straight to the heart and without obscurity. To the average man, with no developed spiritual consciousness, the word goes forth again and again throughout the aeons: "And the Word said: let choice be made." The response eventually comes back as a result of the evolutionary process and from the soul. "I choose the way which leads between the two great lines of force." (Ibid. pp. 251, 261).

The Labours of Hercules - Esoteric Astrology are from the collected writings of Alice A. Bailey; ©Lucis Publishing Co., 120 Wall St., 24th Floor, New York, NY 10005

Libra by J. Bosschart

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Recommended Readings on Libra

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