On September 23rd, the Sun enters the sign of Libra (Scales or Balance), and this is the autumn equinox. After the ascending phase, from Aries to Virgo, comes the descending phase, from Libra to Pisces. Libra is the seventh sign on the zodiacal belt. Why, you may wonder, are there scales in the heavens, and what do these scales teach us? This is the only sign of the zodiac that does not represent a living being, human or animal. It is an inanimate object, and not just any object, but an instrument for weighing things. It is as though its two pans were there to maintain the balance between the powers of darkness and light, of life and death. Libra, the Scales of the zodiac, is a reflection of the cosmic scales, the equilibrium between the two opposite and complementary principles, thanks to which the universe came into being and continues to exist. The symbol of the scales, which we find also in the sephirotic Tree of Life, dominates the whole of creation.
