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LIBRA

The Art of Balance

Jan Van der Linden

The School for Esoteric Studies

This month, with the sun in Libra, a great gift from the heavens can be bestowed upon us when we open ourselves to receive it: the gift of balance, the gentle power of equilibrium. Libra is the sign of the Scales, and when there are two forces opposing each other, the relating energy of the Scales seeks to establish a balance.

This Libra energy never identifies itself with either one of the two extremes but seeks to bring the two together so that they can come into a creative relationship rather than a relationship of opposition and polarization.

Out of the basic pair of opposites, spirit and matter, consciousness can grow when these are held in right relationship. The marriage of the two sexes brings forth the child. From such opposites as light and dark grows vision. Right balance of the opposites is the condition and also the preparation for their ultimate synthesis; balance precedes synthesis.

“The sign of Libra is a sign of balancing, of careful weighing of values, and of achieving the right equilibrium between the pairs of opposites.”1

There are, however, two kinds of equilibrium. One, the lower, is static; the other is higher and dynamic. The lower equilibrium can be characterized by the word compromise, whether it concerns two differing individuals or groups or differing psychological forces within ourselves that are in conflict with each other.

Reaching a compromise is often better than a polarization to extremes or a constant swinging from one side to the other. But a compromise easily leads to crystallization into a state of stagnation or inertia, the status quo. In any event, it does not stimulate progress. It may result in a life spent in a condition of not wanting to take responsibility.

The higher equilibrium, in contrast, is characterized by the control (not suppression) of the opposite forces and the wise regulation and utilization of these forces for constructive purposes. The governing and regulating principle then lies on a higher level than that where the two conflicting poles find themselves. Only by rising does the creative balancing of the opposites become possible, and synthesis is achieved. This invoking of a higher balance is the spiritual task in Libra.

From an evolutionary point of view, this more dynamic balance is not so much a “point” or a “place” but a path, an upward path , the narrow, razor-edged Path that leads between the two opposites. Therefore, the Soul in Libra says: “ I choose the way which leads between the two great lines of force.” This is the keyword for the disciple in this sign.

What are these “great lines of force,” these opposites between which the aspirant or disciple constantly has to choose his way? If we think, for instance, of our life in the outer physical world, we have the familiar contrast between the spiritual and the material, between the Soul and the form or personality. Balance then does not mean that we automatically choose the “spiritual” and avoid the material, as if the one could be meaningful without the other. In the Piscean Age now ending, the religious emphasis has been laid upon the “higher” world, and this has, as a result, led to a neglect or mismanagement of the outer world and the physical plane life. In the new Age of Aquarius, we begin to learn that spirit must be expressed in matter . This would lead to what the Tibetan so intriguingly has called “the new materialism.” The disciple learns neither to despise matter nor to abuse it for selfish ends, but utilizes it and manages it for spiritual purposes and for the realization of the Divine Plan here on earth . This is easily said, but in practice it often requires the confrontation of dilemmas and difficult choices.

Besides these practical dilemmas in relation to the physical plane, we have the well-known pairs of opposites on the astral or emotional level: joy and pain, harmony and conflict, light and dark, etc., which form the battlefield of the aspirant and are described so well in the Bhagavad Gita.

Here, too, we must remember that it is the relationship between the opposing poles that is the important factor in any polarity. We tend to speak of opposites as if they were absolute realities, but we should realize that they are only opposites in relation to each other . For example, happiness as a goal has no existence by itself separate from its opposite, unhappiness. To be happy all the time is just not possible. Nor is harmony a goal that can exist separately from conflict.

In A Treatise on White Magic we read:

The astral plane is that whereon … the pull of the great dualities is most potently felt. Primarily, the interaction is between the soul and its vehicle, matter, but there are many lesser dualities that play their part and are more easily recognized by the average man.

Light and darkness interact, as do pleasure and pain; good and evil meet and form the playground of the Gods, and poverty and riches are offset one against the other. The entire modern economic situation is of an astral nature; it is the outcome of desire and the result of a certain selfish use of the forces of matter….

In relation to the human unit, the secret of liberation lies in the balancing of the forces and the equilibrating of the pairs of opposites. The Path is the narrow line between these pairs that the aspirant finds and treads, turning neither to the right nor to the left.

It must be remembered always that when the pairs of opposites are discerned, when a man balances the forces of his own nature, when he has found the Path and become the Path, then he can work with the world forces, can preserve the balance and the equilibrium of the energies of the three worlds and so become a co-worker with the Masters of Wisdom.2

Balancing the forces of our own nature is quite a different thing from being swung back and forth between these forces , between the mind and the emotions, for example , or from trying to suppress part of ourselves in order to identify with the opposite part. During the Piscean Age and under the influence of the sixth ray of idealism we have been trained to identify strongly with an ideal; thus spiritually inclined people may tend to one-sidedly seek “the Soul,” or God, or the “higher,” and neglect the personality. They may rush toward the light and the spirit, thereby leaving a dark shadow behind them representing the unredeemed part of their nature. But there is no use of spirit without matter or of the Soul without its instrument, personality. So naturally one swings back to the other pole, the darker or lower side of the polarity, until it is redeemed and can be fully integrated into the whole.

In our sixth-ray colored culture we can learn much from studying the sign of Libra, the Scales, with its quality of bringing about right balance. At the point of balance the two opposing forces can be seen in clearer light. In this clearer light of the mental plane we discover not only the possibility of balancing the opposites but also, from a wider vision, of bringing them to synthesis. This is the beneficent path indicated by Libra.

A familiar, often potent, pair of opposites is that of the “old” versus the “new.” This tension has always existed of course, but it is particularly evident in our present transition period as we pass from the Piscean to the Aquarian era. It is causing a great lack of balance everywhere in the world. On the one hand we have the conservatives, those who hang on to the old, which include fundamentalists in every field; on the other hand, there are the progressives, which include radicals and revolutionaries. It is of great importance, naturally, that the essential or positive aspects of the older times be preserved without holding on to obsolete forms . It is also important that the new age unfold without the destructiveness of radicalism and superficiality.

The psychologist William Sheldon noted in his book Psychology and the Promethean Will 3 that in all eras the pioneers in society (whom he calls the “Prometheans”) have usually been attacked and punished by their conservative contemporaries. But, he says, both groups stand for something of value; both have something essential to offer and represent character. However, in contrast to both of them, there are those who stand for nothing except short-term gratification of their cravings and whom he calls the “wasters”; they do not have character in the true sense and are not in touch with their deeper consciousness. They are not a force that contributes to the general well-being, rather they are actually an energy leak in society. Sheldon points out that the conservatives and progressives essentially need each other and should learn to appreciate each other and cooperate more creatively. For if they do not, the result is waste and destruction.

It is indeed obvious that an enormous waste of human energy in the world today is due to the failure of opposing forces to deal creatively with their conflict, to balance the opposites and bring them into synthesis.

In our present time the patterns of the emerging new culture are not yet clearly or generally accepted, yet the forms of the old age are becoming more and more obsolete and dysfunctional; thus the confrontation between all sorts of opposites seems intensified. Solutions cannot be expected from either side alone, rather they require the art of balancing the new with that which is good in the old and achieving a synthesis.

This balance is the gift of Libra. Libra has been called “the master of no-man's land.” As pointed out by the Tibetan, Libra governs the interludes-- the transitions between two activities or between two cultural periods. For obvious reasons it governs the present transition period from Pisces to Aquarius, from the domination of the sixth ray of idealism to that of the seventh ray of organization. Therefore, world disciples sensitive to the need are increasingly invoking and using this energy of balance. We are told in Esoteric Astrology, that the influence of Libra is increasing and “at the end of this century [it] will come into pronounced control and into a position of power in the planetary horoscope.”(4) This is an encouraging thought and another reason for studying the Libra energy and arriving at a deeper understanding of it.

A special field governed by Libra is that of law and legislation . Libra has been called the “Sponsor of the Law.” When opposite interests are weighed, against each other on the scales, a conscious choice can be made leading toward the formulation of agreements or laws. This principle is one of the major ideas behind the United Nations, i.e., solving problems not through violence but through negotiation and international regulations. The main thought is to raise conflicts to the level of conscious mental negotiation instead of letting them work out violently on the emotional-physical plane. Reaching this point on the mental level can become an “impetus to soul control,” as Esoteric Astrology phrases it. Then the passion of the conflict can be transmuted into wider understanding and common rules or laws.

When we celebrate the anniversary of the United Nations on October 24, we may ponder this principle for nations to live by the principle of positive balance. The UN finds itself in a process of renewal at this time, and as this process unfolds we may expect an increase of opportunities for making adjustments and initiating a new phase of international legislation. An important step toward this world legislation has been the Universal Declaration of Human Rights , which was formulated jointly by the United Nations and adopted in 1948. Even if we see many violations of these rights in many places of the world today, the Universal Declaration still represents the conscience of humanity . New formulations of these rights, for women and children for instance, lie along the same line. International agreements, such as the “Law of the Sea,” go even further and are indeed in the nature of a law.

It is through the Libra function of legislation that the higher values are anchored in mental matter by the creation of a consensus. In this connection the Tibetan has remarked that for a humanity reaching maturity “the law must become the custodian of a positive righteousness and not simply the instrument of enforcement.”5

Finally, we may consider the sign of Libra from the angle of its interplay with its opposite sign, Aries the Ram. Such interplay is in fact important for all zodiacal signs, for no sign stands on its own, especially at the time of the full moon when sun and moon are in the opposite signs and the interplay between the two is reinforced. It leads to a certain consummation of a process. For Libra-Aries, this consummation -- as far as the Soul aspect is concerned -- is indicated by the following words already hinted at but worth repeating in full:

The achieved equilibrium, at the point of rest, provides the mental impetus for soul control. Passion is transmuted into love and the initial desire of Aries becomes the full expression of love-wisdom. Desire to manifest becomes the aspiration to be.6

What does that “ to be ” mean? It does not refer to just moving upward in abstraction from the world or simply an intense downward expression, losing oneself in the world of outer form; it refers to the living relation between the two aspects, in right balance. “The great revelation,” Alice Bailey once said,(7)“is not that we are spirit, but that all is God in manifestation; it is all energy in different categories. Christ was the perfect expression of Divinity in form. He balanced spirit and matter perfectly. That is the work we all have to do.”

In fact, this task is expressed in the key word for the disciple, the Word of the Soul in Libra, that we will take into our meditation:

“I choose the way which leads between the two great lines of force.”

Footnotes:

1 Alice A. Bailey, Esoteric Astrology , p. 227

2 Alice A. Bailey, A Treatise on White Magic, p. 225

3 Published in 1936 by Harper and Brothers, New York.

4 Alice A. Bailey, Esoteric Astrology, p. 238

5 Ibid., p. 236

6 Ibid ., p. 338

7 The Labours of Hercules, p. 139