The Autumnal Equinox And Libra

The Autumn Equinox began with the mythological moment that Persephone was abducted from a fruitful field by Hades and taken to the Underworld. With the abduction of her daughter, Demeter, the goddess of fertility and agriculture, was brokenhearted and plunged into depression. The grieving Goddess brought an end to the fruitful season and it was not till her daughter, Persephone, returned from the underworld that the soil became fertile again and the warmth of Spring returned. By eating the fruit of the Underworld, Persephone had condemned herself to return to Hades every year. In the Northern Hemisphere, we experience this descent into the darkness of winter and less fertile fields at the Autumnal Equinox. 

This equinox marks the beginning of Libra season, offering yet another reason it is the perfect time to negotiate balance.

The balance between restful and wakeful activities, the balance between your needs and others’, and the balancing out of injustices. (Elections are just around the corner!) The scales of Libra also conjure the image of carefully balancing the abundance of growth and fruit gathered from the seasons before and how to measure them, consider their value, and carefully apportion them in an even and sustainable way. A way that is intended to create harmony, fairness, and beauty in its evenness and symmetry.     

Libra is a Cardinal Air sign; it is an initiator of communication and cooperation. This sign is the only one in the Zodiac that is symbolized by an inanimate object, the scales. Libra’s lessons are marked by measurement; to engage in cooperation requires great intention and attention to the ‘give-and-take’ of relationships, the equal exchange of energy.

The art of communication is illuminated by a balance of listening and speaking or orienting to the other’s needs and perspective.

A beautiful reminder of the power of balance and counterbalance appears in the art of photography. Through this medium, we can easily observe the significance of light and dark values and of the power of contrast. The most beautiful black and white photographs are considered to be those that contain the full spectrum of white to black tones. It is deeply pleasing to our eyes to experience the richest black tones, the ethereal white, and every shade of grey in between. At an even deeper level, we simply cannot see one tone without the other. We require dark to perceive light, and like so many other polarities, it is as if the two distinct entities rely on one another, hold one another in orbit, balance one another.