15 Oct Weighing of the Heart ~ October 16th-22nd, 2017

This is the Sun’s final week in the sign of Libra. This means that Scorpio, the season of death, is fast approaching. You can imagine the Sun’s final week in Libra as taking place in the threshold of the underworld.

The relationship between the scales of justice and the process of death has long been illumined in mythology, most notably perhaps in the stories of ancient Egypt. The Egyptian Book of the Dead describes a death ritual involving the scales of justice called the weighing of the heart.

The goddess Maat was said to weigh the heart of a deceased person against the principle of divine order. It was said that if a person’s heart balanced against the lightness of a feather, then the deceased would be granted a place in a glorious afterlife. If it was heavy with the weight of regret or cruelty, the heart would be devoured by a terrifying beast.

The point of this story is to understand that no matter how heavy and dark life may become, the purpose of the journey is to find balance with lightness. If you can remain lighthearted, even in the face of death, an eternity of harmonious beauty will be yours.

This week, the culmination of the powers of the Libra’s scales arrives. Thus, it will be important for you to lighten up the heaviness at this time in preparation for the season of death. If you can balance whatever might be sullen or stagnant now, then next week you will be ushered into the underworld as an honored guest.

I came across a cache of old photos

And invitations to teenage parties

When seeking to understand the principle of balance and harmony, the best teacher is always music. For this week, I suggest enjoying the pop masterpiece Being Boring by The Pet Shop Boys, which was on their 4th studio album Behavior, released this same week in 1990.

Though they are alway brilliant, Being Boring is one of their best songs because it is offers a perfect equilibrium between the lightness of pop and the weight of maturity.

This song is like human heart itself, beating and bleeding with love, grief and nostalgia. And the alchemy of this song transmutes the weight of the human heart into a glittering requiem that feels as light as a feather.

When you’re young you find inspiration

In anyone who’s ever gone

And opened up a closing door

Regarding the inspiration for the song and its title, Neil Tenant once remarked that it was a reference to a Zelda Fitzgerald quote,

“She was never bored mainly because she was never boring.”

Boredom is to heaviness as active engagement is to lightness. Thus, the title of the song can be read as a message from Maat herself, asking you to be lighthearted and therefore never boring.

‘Cause we were never being boring

We had too much time to find for ourselves

The lyrics look back upon Tenant’s youth, lingering upon seductive memories that summon a deep well of emotion, an irresistible elixir of bittersweetness. Tenant has shared that the song was inspired by the loss of his best friend, who died of Aids. His friend’s death was heavy,  but Tenant lightened his heart by writing this exquisite elegy.

We dressed up and fought, then thought: “Make amends”

And we were never holding back or worried that

Time would come to an end”

As a songwriter, Tenant instinctually understands how climactic beauty emerges when perfect harmony is achieved. Being Boring exemplifies the power of this equilibrium, using sparkling synth pop to carry the wistful words.

We were always hoping that, looking back

You could always rely on a friend

So this week, let the personal sacrifices of great artists and the alchemy of music inspire you to become more lighthearted. Finding harmony between the light and dark is the whole purpose of Libra season, so seek to accomplish this task now that the time has arrived.

All the people I was kissing

Some are here and some are missing

In the nineteen-nineties

Monday/Tuesday: Opened Up a Closing Door

The week begins with a sextile between the Sun in Libra and Saturn in Sagittarius. This will offer some much needed stability and strength, but will be much more pleasant than last week’s Mars/Saturn square. This is a very good aspect under which to make good decisions, fair assessments and meet the demands of your schedule with grace and poise. You should feel stable enough to meet the demands that are placed upon you, but maintain your peace of mind.

On Tuesday, Mercury, the messenger between worlds will leave Libra’s palace of fine arts behind and enter into the dark waters of Scorpio. The wide angle lens that Mercury held in Libra will narrow into the singular stare of a predator, whose sight is best described as tunnel vision. Ambivalence will give way to passion. A new depth of focus will be present, enabling you to plunge into the hidden realms of the psyche, where secrets, taboos, and mysteries become revealed.

Wednesday/Thursday:  You Find Inspiration

On Wednesday, Mercury in Scorpio will conjunct Jupiter in Scorpio, a herald of some great expansion of your mind. Considering that the first degrees of Scorpio describe the hunger that drives all primal animal instincts, expect this conjunction to make you hungry for knowledge, experience, and wisdom. Since this conjunction is concurrent with the Dark Moon in Libra, this will be a very introspective time, when the inner world opens up more than the outer world.

It is a time when teachers may arrive to answer your deepest questions. It may be a time when you embark upon a deep study of esotericism or psychology. It might also be a time when you are asked to teach others.

In any case, do not let this transit pass you by without making some notes about what interest and desires are arising to entice your mind to grow.

On Thursday, there will be a New Moon in the sign of Libra. A new lunar cycle is a regeneration of the creative and emotional energies that you require. Therefore, at every New Moon you are given a moment to refresh yourself and set new intentions for your life, love, and work.

For this specific New Moon at the end of Libra, the goal will be to bring the power of equilibrium into your life. Let all darkness be met with an equal amount of lightness. Let your life be an art, filled with the creation and reflection of beauty.

This New Moon will be opposed Uranus in Aries, recalling the last 10 months of oppositions between Jupiter and Uranus. The element of surprise will be present, summoning the innovative and ingenious qualities of Uranus. Put simply, Uranus will bring some extra excitement and activity. There will be no excuse to be bored or boring. 

Friday/Saturday/Sunday: Fought, Then Thought Make Amends

On Sunday, Mars will leave the sign of Virgo and join Venus in the sign of Libra. Unlike Venus however, the land of cultural diplomacy and justice is not the most comfortable placement for Mars, planet of war. Since the collective lust for power is being inflamed by Jupiter and Mercury in Scorpio, it should be very beneficial to have Mars in a placement where aggression, rage and impulsivity are being tempered.

In Libra, Mars will have to reconcile with the contradictory urge to fight for peace. But the outcome should be very positive as these seemingly mixed signals may drive you to learn to debate instead of dissent. Through this practice, you might learn to see your enemies as your greatest teachers. You may also find more forgiveness towards those whom you have long begrudged. 

Mars will be in Libra until December 9th, so use the coming weeks to lighten your heart, finding a balanced sense of personal power once again.