New Moon in Libra — October 15, 2012, 12:03 UT

The sign of Libra, ruled by Venus, relates to harmonious atmosphere and justice, and as the seventh sign of the zodiac, to relationships and projection.

Ronald C. Davison wrote in Astrology: “The glyph of Libra represents the setting sun, showing that the essence of being is projected into the world of the ’not-self’.” He continues: “The symbol of the Scales further emphasizes that the main function of the sign is to establish equilibrium and to maintain a balance between the conflicting forces of good and evil.”

The New Moon in Libra is in close conjunction with Rhadamanthus, a trans-Neptunian minor planet named after an earnest figure in Greek mythology, a wise king, who after his death became one of the three judges of the dead. I have placed in the chart also two main belt asteroids, Themis and Justitia, representing the goddess of divine justice.

Themis was a female Titan, the second wife and chief adviser of Zeus. She was goddess of justice of the Greeks. Even Hera is said to address her as “Lady Themis.” According to Ovid, it was Themis rather than Zeus who told Deucalion to throw the bones of “his mother” over his shoulder to repopulate the earth after the deluge. In the New Moon chart asteroid Themis is in exact conjunction with Jupiter in Gemini. Lady Themis has joined Zeus – perhaps giving him advice on matters related to social relations of humans.

A Roman equivalent of one aspect of Themis, as the personification of the divine rightness of law, was Justitia, Lady Justice. The blindfolded figures with scales and a sword outside courthouses depict Justitia. In the chart asteroid Justitia is in Virgo with loving Venus.

Rhadamanthus in mythology is a colorless and rigid character. He was the son of Zeus and Europa. He was a wise and admired king who had a great sense of justice. Because of his inflexible integrity he became the judge of the dead. He has also been described as a punisher of the damned in the Underworld. In spite of his integrity, not a very pleasant figure, I think.

Opposite the New Moon, Eris, the goddess of discord, challenges the law and order of Rhadamanthus. Things seldom are just black and white. We humans make mistakes, we may tell a white lie every now and then, or do even something worse. Luckily we usually learn from our mistakes, we get an opportunity to evolve, or make amends.

The Libra New Moon prompts us not to be too judgmental towards ourselves or our fellow beings.

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