Libra Basics: Personality, Myth and Constellation

Libra Personality Traits

Is fairness always just? Does justice matter? A Libra does not only find balance and peace even when confronted with traditionally divisive questions, but also enjoys the search for consensus itself.

The strengths of a Libra

Libra are cooperative and highly social and therefore it’s no problem for them to connect with most people they meet. When it comes to communication, Libra can argue their way through most problems, if they want to. They have charming personalities, easy-going energy, and an airy presence like, you may have guessed it, indicated by their Element. And exactly this air element makes Libras also flexible, free-spirited, and adventurous.

Simultaneously lays being a cardinal sign the foundations for them to be great leaders, dedicated and self-initiating. Libras love to have control over their environment and need to acquire the big picture in every situation. They have a keen mind and a strong intellect enabling them to be gifted speakers.

Libra believe that balance is the foundation of happiness in life. They are on a constant quest for justice and equality. Symmetry fascinates Libra so much that they are striving for it, be it knowing or unknowingly, in their everyday lives.

When it comes to decision-making, are Libras reliable to make fair decisions most of the time, although it could take them some time to do so. This can unsurprisingly suit them well whenever clear-headed judging is asked for not only but most obviously as judges and lawyers.
It is Libra’s goal to keep the peace and harmony wherever they are. They are therefore excellent in settling disputes by guiding people to understand the other side of a conflict and troubles within others.

Libra is also the sign associated with marriage. As a sign ruled by Venus the planet of love, Libras have an in-depth understanding of love. They are great partners that are open to traditional ways. Just make sure you have the same traditions. Libras are very dedicated to building and keeping their relationships with their family, friends, and lover stable. Therefore, they rarely commit to tasks without setting apart adequate time for their private lives and loved ones. Although Libras work hard to achieve the things they long for, they try not to overwork themselves and know when to step back for the sake of their inner stability.

The weaknesses of a Libra

Although Libras are capable of fair decisions, it may require them far too long to arrive at a decision and they are prone to get stuck whenever pressured for a quick result. They can be too receptive to input, so they should be wary of an analysis paralysis and never forget to keep some focus on their own gut feeling.

Because of Libras sought-for peace mindset, they tend to slide into agreeing on everything to avoid conflicts or pressure. Being forced into confrontations can be disheartening to them and most likely result in resorting to self-pity. Considering that Libras are prone to holding back their feelings, they may carry a grudge. If there is a challenge in the way, Libras may pull back instead of confronting it head-on.

Libra’s fondness for material things may lead them to be too money-oriented. Moreover, they can also raise their standards and expectations bars way too high for the people surrounding them, while they are too focused on their categorizations instead of the reality.

Libras live so much in their minds that they may look detached and cold and sometimes also as if they are choosing their friends to make them feel superiors and advantageous. And when they suddenly turn into solitude in their need to distinguish their voices among the many, it doesn’t improve this impression.

In short, weaknesses like being too subjective in beauty as ruled by Venus, being elusive like their air element, and overthinking everything as a cardinal sign are inherent traits for Libras to watch out for.

What does a Libra like?

• Natural harmony
• Discussing existence, nothingness and everything in between
• Posh clothing
• Leading the way

What does a Libra dislike?

• Time pressure
• Jejune individuals
• Being stuck
• Replies starting with “Maybe, but”

The Mythology behind the Libra constellation

The space occupied by the Libra constellation was known as Chelae or claws by the Ancient Greeks. Initially, they considered Libra as the claws of the Scorpio constellation. While in Ancient Egypt, this constellation was seen as the shape of a boat.

But when the first century BC came, the Romans associated the Libra with scales and balance. When Rome was founded the moon was in the constellation of Libra. This started the belief of the Romans that Libra is a favored constellation linked with balanced seasons and equal days and nights. When in fact, the sun was at the autumnal equinox in Libra during that year until the year 729 before it shifted to Virgo, giving rise to equal length for days and nights.

However, Romans are actually not the first to associate the Libra with balance. The Babylonians also interpreted the Libra as the shape of a scale and called it ZIB.BA.AN.NA, meaning “the balance of heaven” a thousand years b.C. They even ascribed their virtues of truth and justice to Libra.

Upon the Libra’s association with the scale, its connection with the constellation of Scorpio eventually faded. Nevertheless, as an effort to remind everyone of Libra’s symbolical past, the brightest stars in Libra Beta Librae and Alpha Librae were named Zubeneschamali and Zubenelgenubi, which means “the northern claw” and “the southern claw” in Arabic.

Libra Constellation

Libra lies in the third quadrant of the Southern Hemisphere (SQ3). It is one of the 12 zodiac constellations cataloged by the famous Greek astronomer Ptolemy during the second century CE.

Its name is a Latin word that means the weighing scales. As Libra is the representation of scales held by the Greek Goddess of justice Dike, which herself is represented by the constellation of Virgo. This emphasizes surprisingly to some temporal and human justice as embodied by Dike not divine eternal justice as embodied by her mother Themis. Among the other 12 zodiac constellations, Libra is the only one that symbolized by an object rather than an animal or mythological character.

Libra is visible in the month of June around 9:00 pm, at the latitudes +65° and -90°. It occupies a space of 538 square degrees, making it categorized as a medium-size constellation. Subsequently, it is 29th in rank when it comes in size over other constellations.

Libra contains three stars with known planets, but it does not have any messier objects. However, despite not having messier objects, Libra has its own four deep sky objects.  These are NGC 5885, NGC 5792, NGC 5897, and NGC 5890. Libra also comprises four named stars accredited by the International Astronomical Union (IAU), namely Brachium, Zubenelgenubi, Zubenelhakrabi, and Zubeneschamali. These four are also the brightest stars in Libra and form the shape of the scale. The Alpha and Beta Librae or the Zubenelhakrabi and Zubeneschamali are the balance beam, while the Gamma and Sigma Librae serves as the weighing pans of the scale.

The Zubeneschamali is the brightest among all the stars in Libra, with an apparent magnitude of 2.61. Libra is also the home of Methuselah, which is one of the oldest stars in the sky. Methuselah was created right after the Big Bang, consisting of only hydrogen and helium. There is only one meteor shower associated with Libra, and it is the May Librids that was seen for the first time on May 5, 1929.