In the Northern Hemisphere, Libra Season opens on the Autumnal Equinox, when Earth’s equator lines up with the path of the Sun, and the hours of day and night are evenly divided. This perfect parity of light and darkness informs the archetypal Libra personality. Libras thrive on a precise balance of labor and rest, devotion and freedom, cheerful optimism and dour misanthropy.
Libras love egalitarianism! The disparity of an unjust ecosystem only motivates them to rectify the overall imbalance. They are deeply disgusted by bullies, and devastating in retaliation against would-be tyrants. But Libra’s preference for equilibrium does not imply that they always behave in a level-headed way. They are quite prone to overextend themselves in fits of excitement, before snapping back to baseline and laying low to recover.
Libra’s great weakness is a tendency to prioritize other people more highly than themselves. They don’t like to let discomfort go unaddressed, and if they sense an opening to ease another’s upset by taking the burden upon themselves, they often feel tempted to self-sacrifice. Conversely, perhaps due to that resounding sense of empathy, Libras typically set the mood of social gatherings. When they’re genuinely feeling good, that’s excellent! Hell yeah! But when they’re not actually up to being the life of the party, they can feel obligated to fake it for others’ sake. (This eventually results in disaster.) Everything flows more smoothly when the rest of us put some reciprocal effort into gassing Libras up. Mutuality makes everyone happier!
This year’s Libra Season comes with a caveat: from July 2023 until January 2025, the seventh sign hosts the South Node of the Moon's orbit. Libras don't usually dwell on the past, preferring to secure their present with an equal respect for the future ahead. Now, history has got them in a chokehold for the next year and four months. When Libra is fixated on memory and the Sun is in their sign, we’re all going to view life through a vintage faux-sepia filter for a little while.
Most of the zodiac will become mired in contemplation of the past over the next four weeks, but this period of rumination isn’t necessarily negative. In the greater cycle of the universe, the temporary stagnancy will ultimately give way to a surge of progress. We need to collectively secure a place of comfort before continuing to venture forth, relying on each other to build security and community so we can safely forge ahead.
To find out what Libra Season 2023 has in store for you, keep reading.
Click here to jump to a sign: Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces, Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo.
- The Sun, Mars, and the South Node of the Moon’s orbit all begin the season in your sign.
- Mars moves to Scorpio partway through October.
- Mercury hops from Virgo to spend a few weeks in your sign, then jumps onward to Scorpio at the end of the season.
- Mars, the Sun, and Mercury all take turns opposing the North Node, or perhaps more importantly for you, they link up in conjunction with the South Node.
- Your sign ruler Venus travels from Leo to Virgo.
The North Node rules the future. The South Node holds dominion over the past. And every nine years, they take turns visiting your sign. When the Sun arrives in Libra, it’s the South Node’s time to shine! Mars, Mercury, and the Sun all pass through opposition to the North Node this season, meaning they join up close in conjunction with the South Node. You may feel as if you’re moving in slow motion, or have drifted into stillness, but it’s not necessarily a frustrating sensation. Your ambition is not externally blocked, and you're not hindered from pursuing your future. Instead, this concentration of influence around the South Node probably feels more like withdrawing because you want — or need — to look backward for a time.
Reminisce about happy moments all you like, but there’s no need to rehash previous pain. For the South Node’s purposes, it’s enough that you relax into your most comfortable state. Productivity is immaterial; this time should be marked by an absence of effort. Any old emotions you still need to process will emerge in their own time, and you will do the work of resolution by simply existing with the feelings as they occur.
Your sign ruler Venus generates a rush of healing in Leo before traveling on to Virgo. There, Venus takes some time to be selfish and avoid responsibility, supported in its vacation vibes by the ruler of fortune and ease.
- Your sign ruler Pluto turns direct in Capricorn!
- Mars moves into your sign partway through October.
- Mercury leaps to your sign at the end of the season.
On October 10, you’ll be zapped with a ponderous burst of energy, like a tortoise who has basked in the sunshine for hours. In a minor but momentous redirection, your sign ruler Pluto turns direct in Capricorn! The wave of change that’s been pulling you backward in a relentless undertow has finally reversed: now you’ll move unstoppably forward.
Next, your ancient ruler Mars, the planet of bold assertion, joins your sign, stoking the energy even higher. The Sun won’t join your sign for weeks yet to come, but the Halloween parties are already over the top! Elaborate costumes and erotic tension abound.
Finally, Mercury screeches into frame just before the Sun draws the curtains on Libra season. Like Mars, Mercury connects with the rulers of control and gratification. It sounds kind of sexy — black latex vibes, almost! — but more realistically, this means you’ll tire of partying and start enforcing stricter boundaries by the time your own season begins.
- Your sign ruler Jupiter is retrograde in Taurus.
It’s unsettling for a Sag to feel ignored, and your slice of the zodiac wheel is tragically lonely at the moment. But don’t fret! Your sign ruler Jupiter gets a little love from Mercury and Venus in Virgo at the beginning and end of the season, fueling communication and desire. The Moon maintains interaction with Jupiter throughout its journey across the constellations, and it’s not like you’d let yourself get bored, anyway. Even if you weren’t capable of creating your own fun, the wild behavior of the signs affected by the relocations of Mercury, Mars, Venus, and Lilith will certainly keep you entertained.
Your mid-October turn with the Moon is gregarious with Mercury and the Sun. You really like talking, and you have a healthy appreciation for yourself! That’s wonderful. You’ll be able to keep yourself occupied contentedly even as the waxing Moon rebuffs productivity, beauty, and spiritual inspiration.
- Pluto turns direct in your sign!
- Your sign ruler Saturn is retrograde in Pisces.
- You get two Moons this season, each with markedly different Mars and Mercury interactions.
You've got two major happenings in mid-October. After beginning a backslide in Aquarius on the first day of May and returning to join your sign in June, your dwarf planet pal Pluto now abandons its retrograde journey and turns direct. The cycle of significant life change is no longer on pause; earth-shifting development is back on the agenda!
Then, your ruler Saturn, which rarely initiates celestial communication from its outer planet orbit, specifically opposes Lilith. As the favorite child of Saturn, you’re trying to get shit done. You don’t have time or patience for playing around in the dark with Lilith, and you can only manage a modicum of sympathy for other signs who do indulge a temptation to flirt with the shadow ruler. Society could be truly magnificent, if only the rest of the zodiac could get on Capricorn’s level.
You’re the only sign who snatches two shifts with the Moon this season. The exact movements are complicated, but the results are simple: Moon 1 loves Mercury and hates Mars. Moon 2 likes Mars but despises Mercury. During Moon 1, communication is on point but energy is offline. When it’s Moon 2’s turn, you’re ready for action but the words aren’t working. Both Moons in your sign promote organization, expansion, inventiveness, idealism, and intensity.
- Your sign ruler Uranus is retrograde in Taurus.
Like Sagittarius, you’re largely left to your own devices this season. Your sign ruler Uranus attracts mockery from appearance-obsessed Venus and positive attention from analytical Mercury in the final week of September. Other than the relentless but rapid meddlings of the Moon, you’re pretty much free to do as you please in October.
You take your own turn with the Moon at the very end of Libra season. You’ll still be hanging out with the Earth’s satellite when the Sun travels to Scorpio. The First Quarter Moon squares up with the Sun from Capricorn, then, only hours later, crosses the border to your sign. Once it enters your territory, the Moon continues its 2023 tradition of acting like an asshole in your house. It fights with the representative of aggression, insults the planet of luck, and then kicks off your Scorpio season with an elbow to the ribs of your own sign ruler. Damn! But throughout most of Libra season, you’re marked safe from drama so long as you activate observation mode, rather than getting involved yourself when the other signs start acting out.
- Saturn and your ruler Neptune are retrograde in your sign.
- Saturn opposes shadow ruler Lilith in Virgo.
October introduces an interesting dichotomy between structure and selfishness. This is one of those situations where your friends are friends with someone else you don’t trust: Saturn just can’t understand Lilith's appeal. There’s a frisson of tension sparked by their inability to connect. On the strictly-Saturn-supporting team, you and Capricorn are currently focused on responsibility. You simply can’t fathom why Virgo, Scorpio, Aries, Libra, and Gemini are taking advice from shady Lilith. When Venus joins Lilith in opposition to Saturn, all of these signs will seriously lose their minds (and probably also their pants). Try to be patient with everyone else while they make questionable choices. Other signs don’t have the benefit of supercharged intuition powered by Neptune in your sign, reliable even as your ruling planet travels retrograde.
- Chiron and the North Node are both retrograde in your sign (the Node is always generally retrograde).
- Your sign ruler Mars moves from Libra to Scorpio.
- Mars, the Sun, and Mercury all oppose the North Node in your sign.
You’re due to face difficulty in your continuing quest for growth. Good thing you thrive on challenge! The Full Moon in your sign forbids you true emotional transformation this season, even as the Moon’s alignment to Venus makes you yearn for change.
You’re trying to press forward to the future, but Mars, Mercury, and the Sun’s oppositions to Chiron and the North Node slow your momentum, tethering your progress to the weight of the past. Mars is the astrological instigator of action and your sign ruler, closely associated with your personal essence. When your patron planet takes offense to Pluto, your hopes may be thwarted by an inability to embrace change. Mercury follows the same pattern of aspects a week later, stirring even more exasperation when communication issues affect all areas of your life.
Around the time Mercury shorts out your ability to talk through your healing process, Mars moves from Libra to Scorpio. Be very careful at this point, and remind yourself to breathe! The red planet’s new friendship with Saturn reinforces your sense of determination to restructure your life, but the Sun’s disinterest delays your efforts. You’ll be operating on weeks’ worth of frustration by this point, and Mars’ flirtation with Lilith could tempt you to an explosive outburst.
- Jupiter and Uranus are retrograde in your sign.
- Your sign ruler Venus travels from Leo to Virgo.
At the start of October, the Moon in your sign offers nearly every feeling you could want. Your head and house are in relatively good order. You’re relaxed, creative, and connected to your intuition. You’re witty and expressive, prepared for renewal. Everything’s excellent! Except for the Moon’s lone square against Venus, your sign ruler, which stabs a small sharp spike of conflict between your emotions and personality. Try your best to ignore the Moon’s little insult, and focus on enjoying all of the good stuff! Venus will move on to your fellow earth sign Virgo shortly afterward, and your capacity for comfort with your own squishy feelings will improve.
Before leaving Leo, Venus is squicked out by the unconventional nature of Uranus in your sign. Mercury approves of oddity and opportunity from its September position in Virgo, however, and once Venus changes perspectives with a shift in sign, it deigns to champion good fortune in cooperation with Jupiter.
Mercury bustles across three signs this season. For its first shift in Virgo, your sign ruler channels generosity, creativity, and radical development into your communication patterns, though it remains distant from reliable intuition. Double-check big decisions with trustworthy friends, just to be certain you’re not funneling the boost provided by Jupiter, Uranus, and Pluto toward an ill-chosen option.
Your choices in the first week-and-a-half of the season are important! Once Mercury jumps to Libra, it drops you into a lull to contemplate your current position. In mid-October, Mercury disdains healing, disregards the future, and flat-out resists the need for change. If you’ve got your life on point when you enter this period, it will probably be fun — a time to enjoy your present circumstances and party! If you step into this stretch from a swirl of chaos, well… best of luck to you. The turmoil will persist for weeks.
Finally, Mercury moves to Scorpio a day in advance of the Sun. In cooperation with Saturn and Lilith, Mercury immediately gets strict and shadowy, giving you a head start on the mysterious mood of Scorpio month.
- Your sign ruler the Moon is Full in Aries, and New in Libra.
- You host the Moon during Last Quarter phase.
This season’s Full Moon is uniquely peaceful. It’s not crowded by other aspects, or rushed in its traditional ritual of release. For the entire day of September 29, you’re tasked with nothing further than recognizing your emotions, embracing their impact, and then letting them go. The New Moon in mid-October conspires with the ruler of rationality, though it resists reinvention. You’ll be able to effectively assess and articulate your feelings leading into the next Moon cycle, even if you’re not quite ready to initiate change.
Your own Libra season Moon encompasses the Last Quarter phase. Perhaps unsurprisingly, it’s a very personal Moon. At home in your space, your satellite sign ruler urges you to pursue growth by diving inward, instead of seeking external validation. You’ll be particularly collaborative with Saturn and Neptune in Pisces during this time, reaffirming your deepest instincts with a dedication to building constructive habits.
- Venus and Lilith begin the season in your sign.
- Venus and Lilith both move to Virgo.
- Your sign ruler the Sun spends time with Mars, Mercury, and the South Node in Libra.
Your time with Lilith finally draws to a close. Your villain era was magnificent! Now you can pursue other roles once again. Venus sets you up for a fresh aesthetic era before joining Lilith in Virgo. The planet of attraction yearns for the representatives of healing and destiny before it moves along, though it rejects Uranus, the avatar of oddity.
Your sign ruler the Sun is distant from influences of recovery and progress, and outright resistant to renewal, but deeply committed to communication. In your immediate post-Lilith phase, you’ll spend this season carefully examining each of the injuries and comforts you’ve experienced over the last nine months. True healing might feel unimaginable far away at this point, and you’re not ready to drastically restructure the framework of your life just yet, but the power of your desire for a stable future propels you to delve into the issues that are holding you back.
- Your sign ruler Mercury travels from your sign, then to Libra, then to Scorpio.
- Shadow ruler Lilith moves to your sign from Leo.
- Venus follows a week later to join Lilith in your sign.
Shoutout to my fellow myopic and hyperopic people! A perpetual state of clear vision is overrated; glasses are awesome! Thick lenses add an extra layer of consideration to selfies, however. First you have to cope with reflections — often irritating, but occasionally an asset. Then, if your prescription is strong enough, you’ve got to contend with the displacement of your eyes in the image. When an outsider gazes upon your farsighted bespectacled self, your orbs appear gloriously gigantic. If you’re nearsighted, like me, the parts of your face behind the lenses appear to be scooched a few millimeters out of sync with the rest of your head. You might see the world more clearly, but your appearance looks slightly warped to observers.
Your experiences with Mercury, Venus, and Lilith this season are a little like wearing a hefty visual prescription. You see things very clearly, but others watching from outside may feel unsettled by their perception of your gaze. Too bad for them! When Lilith joins your company in early October, extraneous opinions become irrelevant. Your desires don’t have to be comprehensible or easily digestible, and it’s fine to take a temporary break from diligence. Strange changes are inevitable, anyway, and fortunately, luck is on your side.
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