Libra

September 22 – October 22

You aren’t your usual sociable, charming self under this Venus retrograde. You become very serious and withdrawn. There are disturbing memories colliding with your external world now. 

You don’t wish to discuss what you’re experiencing with anyone. You might find psychological therapy to be disruptive and even manipulative right now, and decide to disengage from it. Long buried issues and secret parts of yourself are bumping up against the surface of your consciousness, at first causing irritation in the second half of 2021, and then pounding more insistently as Venus begins to slow down in the fall and reach her retrograde station in December. 

Life has a very heavy feel to it. You may have dreams or insights that force you to realize how much you hurt someone in the past, perhaps even the very distant past. You can’t seem to brush this off, or chalk it up to “I can’t change the past.” 

No, you can’t change the past, but it can change your present life by haunting you. You can try to rationalize it by saying that the other person hurt you also – but the essence of the dirty little secret is that you were the perpetrator in the situation. This is the kernel you are compelled to keep under control, even as it explodes in your inner world.

This just doesn’t sit well with your self-image of being the gracious, poised, popular person. It’s mucky, it’s murky, and you find yourself in a different situation now that is somehow forced to interact with that ugly, distantly past deed in a convoluted pretzel-twist dance, that feels like it’s choreographed by something other than you, trying to resolve it in your emotional life story.

There could be someone who, without realizing their effect, is pouring salt in the wound with their remarks that trigger this dark blob from the past to pound on the door between your conscious and subconscious minds. Don’t shoot the messenger, Libra; it’s not really about how much you find this person distasteful, even hideous; it’s about how much you find your past to be distasteful, and even shameful. 

Like Gemini, you could find yourself trying to unwind your finances from a complicated and very binding mess. This agreement involves parents, elderly relatives, or adult children. If this is an inheritance issue, or concerns caring for any of these people, you’ve probably been dealing with it for some time now.

Of course, it’s the emotional dynamics of dealing with these people that makes this a trying situation. Jealousy is the green elephant in the room that everyone is tiptoeing around, yet taunting with manipulative ploys. Someone needs to take charge – and in a way that puts the rights of those who are vulnerable as first priority. It may have to be someone who is outside of the relationship dynamics to do this. You are definitely too agitated, perhaps even too biased, to be a good candidate for the job.

You seem to have some help with changing the terms of this agreement, but it will take time. The other person or people involved have you under pressure, but you seem to garner sympathy from one main person, and there is some relief.

You seem to desire a certain outcome in your domestic sphere, probably related more to relationships than physical changes to your home, though some Librans will be exasperated by a setback to renovation plans. This is especially vexing because these plans were so close to completion. Others are entitled to their input about this – legally entitled – so you must take their issues into consideration, and probably will have to modify your plans. At the very end of February 2022 you could finalize your new plan by signing an agreement with these people. February 28 is a good time to do so, as the Moon favors a lasting agreement. But that being the case, be sure you’re agreeing to what you really want, as this agreement has staying power.

As for those hoping to see positive changes in domestic relationships, it seems that people have been coming and going through your home, or at least offering their commentary on your personal situation, which doesn’t please you at all. This gets more intrusive after January 24, 2022, when you are also hit with unexpected expenses. You can manage this, Libra, but someone risks arousing your ire by their intrusion, and then expecting you to pick up the tab and/or make concessions and explanations for their behavior. Of course, such crudeness offends your sensibilities, and you won’t have it. Be prepared for this person to railroad you into compliance with their desires, especially from January 24 to February 16, 2022. 

But you are clever. You prefer to don a velvet glove over your iron fist, rather than blatantly bulldoze your way through things. As you silently seethe, you could be envisioning your revenge. You could surprise your “opponent” by a sudden change of direction on January 29, when Venus goes into direct motion again. 

You will probably prevail, but not completely. Be careful of employing sneaky or underhanded tactics that subtly steer the situation as you want it to go, due to the Jupiter-Neptune conjunction in February 2022. You’re a Libra, so be fair and let everyone win. As said earlier, agreements will be binding and long lasting.

Secrets may rise to the surface on January 29, when Venus goes into direct motion again. If you are in negotiations with another, this information is external and could give you an important edge. But for many Librans, this information is internal, giving you clarity about your own deep desires. It could be deeply disturbing and threaten your self-image. It will change the tone of your closest relationships. Others may not be aware of this change, but for you it is all-pervading, affecting all that you perceive, think, feel, and do. 

You become aware of great power behind your actions. Act accordingly.