.Libra—Everything in Balance: Risa’s Stars Oct. 9-15

Tuesday evening, as the first star appeared at sunset, the Jewish Festival of Yom Kippur began. Jewish festivals always begin at sunset. The holiest day of the Jewish year, Yom Kippur is a Day of atonement, repentance, fasting, and prayer. We continue to ask forgiveness from everyone, including God, during these sacred days—also called the Days of Awe.

Wednesday is the birthday of famous Russian painter, designer, writer, theosophist, esotericist, traveler, and philosopher Nicholas Roerich (Oct. 9, 1874), known for his Peace Pact.  

Here we are in Libra, our harvest time. Sunday is full moon, Libra solar festival. The Harvest Moon time. Libra brings forth an interlude, when the light—moving here and there, up and down—seeks a place of contemplative rest. Autumn brings us to the dark half of the year. In Libra, the Virgin stands within the “cave of the heart” gestating the new consciousness/light to be birthed at Winter Solstice, when the week-long Festival of the New Group of World Servers begins. 

In Libra, Persephone enters the underworld, remaining with Pluto until spring. We enter the underworld with her. We eat pomegranates, persimmons and pumpkins. Ceres, Persephone’s mother, stands in grief at the loss of her daughter. We grieve with her. The golden leaves fall. Autumn is here.Everything comes into balance. 

 ARIES: Something appears, is seen, recognized, brought to balance, and creates an interlude in your relationships. Perhaps you identify how to have true Right Relations with those who love you. Perhaps you learn that through relationships your true self emerges because relationships are an I/Thou situation and this always balances you, provides structure and discipline, and leads to true intimacy. 

TAURUS: There are times when others tell you their deepest needs. Sometimes you can’t hear or understand them. This month, your needs—usually hidden and unknown to you, thus hardly ever tended—will emerge. Changes, small and subtle, begin to manifest in how you express yourself, and to whom you speak. It’s important to initiate a discussion of long-term wishes, desires and wants. Since your usual word is “no,” everyone listens attentively.

GEMINI: Who is your family? What does family mean to you? Perhaps family means criticism and judgments, or gardens of nourishment. Whatever family signifies for you, it’s time to create your own family, and build balance and love, discipline and rules, kindness and communication into it. We have times when we can recreate certain events and ideas. This time has arrived for you. When you praise others and show gratitude, an alchemy of love emerges.

CANCER: You’re both in the world and not, at home while also working, all at the same time. Family’s close by and yet it’s not. It’s always in your heart. Both you and family have spiritual work to accomplish, though perhaps not in the same geographical region. A new set of realities concerning resources emerges. Your specific and particular skills are a deeply needed resource. When you share them, they nurture and nourish, and we are grateful.

LEO: A tradition—perhaps religious, and including the emotional and intellectual—becomes important. It summons you to a discipline, structure and ritual that brings order and stability to your life. Perhaps you’re remembering a parent, teacher, someone older and wiser than you, who instilled ethics and justice, seeing you as equal. Who is this person? What is this ritual? Honor this. Ask and offer forgiveness.

VIRGO: You have resources in common with another. Resources don’t only refer to money. They include values and/or possessions held in common, intimacy, interaction, and relationships. There’s a question about relationships, and perhaps a feeling of restriction and grief? Remember the beginnings of your relationships and their original emotional value. Can you discover this again? What seems so far away is usually what is closest by.

LIBRA: Libra’s month is an important passage of time, a growing-up time and a maturing developmental stage for everyone. There’s a challenge to choose which path to take. A challenge to change, too. Perhaps frustrations and time issues, shadows and pressures, are distractions. You want wisdom to guide you. There will be times of stillness and times of acceleration. Saturn, your father, guide, disciplinarian, Dweller on the Threshold and Angel of the Presence, loves you. 

SCORPIO: Your deepest desires come forth and although directed at others, the reality is the desire to know the self, to create a new image that better defines you, and the need for a partnership between your emotions, intellect, body, and soul. Emotions may become more passionate; people may shy away should you display too much depth of feeling. Assess who’s safe, who understands, who will support, encourage, defend, and who truly loves you. 

SAGITTARIUS: Turn toward your religious roots, studying the teachings as tools and guidelines that illuminate and make sturdy your inner and outer life. This may sound old-fashioned. However, Jupiter, as a major planet of love and spirituality, is traveling through Sagittarius, where your sun resides. Jupiter provides you with love, wisdom and direction. Another choice is to maintain a state of self-enforced contemplation, solitude and seclusion. Include lots of music, reading matter, deep pools of water and food.

CAPRICORN: An old cycle ends and a new cycle begins. It’s connected to the harvest festival, the gathering of summer fruits and placing them into a root cellar of cool darkness. It’s time to begin fall and winter planting. I suggest reading the book Agriculture, a study of biodynamic planting, which uses special plant, animal and mineral (homeopathic) preparations, and follows rhythmic influences of the sun, moon, planets, and stars (reminding you that you are one). 

AQUARIUS: An entirely different set of ideals (values, goals) begin to dawn, and your view your life changes. Notice it seems the rules have changed, previous values become less important, things taken for granted are no longer useful, and perhaps your faith is being tested. It’s time for new journeys, new studies, definitely new adventures, and travels to new cultures. The disillusion felt will not last forever. Life becomes more realistic. Something about home beckons.

PISCES: While thinking about life and death, and the process of aging, take walks in the early morning and evening. Focus upon making contact with the elements, the devas and nature (plants). Nature is the most balancing of kingdoms. Gather seeds, pods, notice what is ripening yet still green, stop and view the architecture; notice what soothes and comforts. Read A Pattern Language by Christopher Alexander. Begin your own photographic journal. Life finds you in other places soon. The groups are gathering.