Queer Tarotscopes: Libra Season 2021

This season’s tarotscopes feature The Vindur Deck and the Celestial Bodies Oracle Deck.

With summer coming to a close, today we step into the first day of autumn, marked by the sun’s shift into Venus-ruled Libra. A sign associated with art, beauty, harmony, balance, and aesthetics, Libra is the energy of the connoisseur, with refined tastes and sophisticated desires. After Virgo’s careful and precise attention to detail, after spending time in thoughtful, reflective solitude, Libra invites us to step back into community, finding equilibrium between our individual desires and the broader needs of the collective. 

We often point to Aquarius first as the sign most invested in community, but the truth is that all three air signs crave connection, communication, and collaboration. Libra’s cardinal air is deeply invested in relationships and partnerships, eager to create balanced and harmonious ties that serve everyone involved. Whether you’re intentionally starting something new or are taking a fresh approach to an existing relationship, challenge, or ambition, this is a time to utilize your most powerful sense of truth. Perspective matters, and being willing to gather information, examine all sides of an issue, and make a thoughtful and intentional decision can have a big impact on the ways that we grow, change, and succeed.

In tarot, Libra is represented by Justice, an archetype that seems simple in theory but is remarkably challenging in practice. Like Libra, Justice is concerned with making sure that all voices are heard, that all needs are met, that all perspectives are recognized — not in a both sides discourse way, but in a genuine, leave-no-one-behind way. Justice is not the same as legal precedent, punishment, or revenge, but rather gives us an opportunity to reconsider what is actually fair, equal, and right. What do we believe in? Which principles influence our decisions and actions, shape the ways that we move through the world? What are we willing to fight for, and where are we willing to compromise? Libra and Justice demand that we examine our own beliefs, our ethics, our moral codes, and then consider how those ideas manifest in our daily lives. How do our actions reflect our values? How do we balance beauty with integrity?

Justice, in both the tarot archetype and famous depictions throughout history, is often seen wielding a sword. And in the minor arcana, swords are tied to the element of air and the aspect of the human mind, urging discernment, consideration, truth, and insight. What kinds of facts, information, and data do we require before we believe something? How thoroughly, and how often, do we interrogate our own viewpoints? Where do our strongest opinions come from, and how have they changed in reaction to experience, knowledge, observation? These are not simple questions, yet in spending time thinking through the ideals and standards that we hold dear, in considering the assumptions that we have made, we can learn so much more about who we are. And in being honest with ourselves about what truly matters to us, we can begin to understand how those beliefs influence the choices that we make.

With five major arcana cards and four cards from the suit of swords, this season urges reflection, self-awareness, thoughtful actions, and being conscious of our perceptions and biases. What do we base our decisions on? How are our morals and ethics reflected in our choices? How can we prioritize truth, and where is it essential to include passion, emotion, connection, safety, legacy, and resources in our decision-making process? In this season of Libra, remember the importance of Justice, and the ways that we make space for all voices. Experienced tarot readers or astrologers can plug the cards I’ve drawn for their sun, moon, and rising signs into the spread below to create a custom reading for this season. Libra is ruled by Venus, the planet of beauty, connection, and pleasure, so if you know your Venus placement you can also include that in your reading for a more complete picture of the season.

tarot spread layout for a four card reading: sun/i am, moon/i feel, rising/i project, venus/i have

I recently announced that I’ll be publishing a tarot book with Weiser in 2022! I’ve also just relaunched my Patreon as a study community, to help support my writing and other projects, and am also putting together a ritual collection with Sovereignty Herbs and The Spacious Tarot. Check out my daily work and card draws on Instagram, and you can get my latest tarot writings delivered straight to your inbox by signing up for my Substack newsletter. I only have a few client readings left for purchase before I close readings for the year, but you can check out my website for larger spreads, writings, and purchase my five original e-books for learning tarot. 

As always with these tarot readings, take what you need and leave what you don’t. Happy Libra season!

Aries

aries, the hermit

The Hermit

After last season’s sense of abundance and celebration, you may be tempted to keep dancing in the sun, or to refocus on movement and productivity. And as someone that is typically always juggling multiple projects and focusing on the next big thing, you may be chomping at the bit to check things off of your to-do list and define new objectives for yourself. But this season, give yourself the option of stepping out of your usual routines, shaking up your daily rituals, and carving out deliberate time for reflection, awareness, and personal exploration. There is so much to be learned about ourselves, our goals, and our dreams, but we have to be willing to do the work to ask questions, to find answers. What are you curious about? What have you avoided examining? How might understanding your motivations give you better clarity on all that you are pursuing?

Taurus

taurus, the fool

The Fool

You’re someone frequently associated with responsibility, focus, and determination — but that famous Taurus stubbornness is balanced with a love of pleasure, an ability to be present and honor your senses, a craving for safety and comfort all at once. The Fool may feel like a wildly strange energy, dreamy and imagination, risking it all for something that may never be achievable. Yet this figure is stubborn too, so devoted to their vision of the future that they’re willing to take big risks, find new kinds of trust in themselves. What have you been longing for, craving, dreaming about? What have you told yourself isn’t worth the trouble, isn’t worth pursuing? What if you gave yourself permission to try, to reach, to chase after the future that you want with both hands? This season, allow yourself to take your fantasies seriously, to consider what it would feel like to show your wishes the same respect that you give your ambitions. What are you yearning for?

Gemini

gemini, the magician

The Magician

The sky is the limit for you this season, as all of the brilliance and magic that fill your mind offer you endless possibilities for movement, growth, and abundance. After last season’s tenderness, Libra season offers beauty and connection, partnership and collaboration. How can you balance your own ideas with the insights and talents of other people? Who in your orbit have you been craving connection with, and how can you put your heads together to build something that’s even bigger, even brighter, than both of you? Don’t put limits on yourself right now, or force yourself to hammer out details and practicalities — instead ask questions, dream big, and give yourself over to the limitless potential that is all around you. What have you been aching to create? Which doors can you throw open?

Cancer

cancer, three of wands

Three of wands

You’re making real progress towards a creative goal or personal ambition, and this season has the potential for joy, passion, and endless crackling energy. There is so much magic in the world, and much of it is flowing through you right now, so keep moving towards your biggest ambitions and brightest dreams. The plans that you’ve made are working, your efforts are paying off, and beauty is beginning to manifest in ways that inspire and delight. As you remember the balance that you found last season and continue to put your fire towards your goals, give yourself the space to look ahead, to anticipate all that is coming. What do you see on the horizon? What is the work that you’re doing today contributing to? How are you building something that will endure beyond you?

Leo

leo, page of wands

Page of wands

New ideas have you energized and excited this season, and your natural sense of courage and confidence may feel amplified as you brainstorm, collaborate, and share your passions with those around you. This is a time to play, to dream, to experiment, so don’t be afraid to explore new avenues of creativity or try out new forms of expression. What are your favorite mediums, and what have you been afraid to test out in the past? How could opening yourself up to unfamiliar methods end up inspiring you even further? In making space for the unexpected, you may find yourself with a new vision, a new flash of inspiration that motivates you in exciting ways. Where are your impulses leading you? What are you ready to explore, and how can you facilitate the freedom to follow those instincts fully? What do you need in order to completely surrender to the magic you carry?

Virgo

virgo, strength

Strength

As we leave your season behind and move into a time of focused balance, you may find yourself finding new layers of wildness and magic hidden within. Do you think of yourself as someone tamed, restrained, patient — or is there a fierce, feral creature clawing within you, desperate to escape? How often do you force yourself to hold back, and when do you let those strong emotions, those passionate impulses, run free? Control and patience are powerful, often essential skills, but don’t let yourself get so caught up in perfection and calm facades that you forget to check in with yourself. What do you really crave, and what are you willing to fight for? How could that wildness inside of you be put to good use? Strength and Justice can feel like two sides of the same coin, so consider what these archetypes have in common, and how this season could make space for you to explore both energies. What really matters to you? What sparks your inner fire?

Libra

libra, eight of swords

Eight of swords

Happy birthday, Libra! You’re someone that has a gift for seeing multiple perspectives, that has the ability to honor every voice and respect so many different viewpoints. But sometimes it can be hard to hear your own sense of truth and insight among all of the other ideas, and it may feel like this season, you get a bit lost. Are you fixating on a certain narrative, telling yourself a truth that is limiting your choices? Pay attention to the stories that you tell yourself about who you are, what you are capable of, how others see you. Where is your information coming from? Why are you so sure that there is only one way forward? You may benefit from sharing your thoughts and feelings with those you trust, and being open to others’ assessments of where you are. It is very likely that you have more options than you realize, more open doors than you’re aware of. How are self-limiting beliefs holding you back? What can you do to expand your own perspective?

Scorpio

scorpio, queen of swords

Queen of swords

Perception and truth are gifts that you are often known for, and an ability to set boundaries and keep others at arm’s length can give you a sense of strength and protection that you value highly. This season may find you retreating more than usual, using logic, practicality, and objectivity to prevent others from getting too close. And while vulnerability may be a challenge for you, there is also real magic in allowing ourselves to be seen, in letting others into our processes. Where are you comfortable leading, and where might a more collaborative effort serve you? How are you balancing privacy with authenticity?Sometimes our sharpest ideas and richest sense of clarity comes through conversation, through confession. What might you be willing to share? How might communication and the offering of information help you bring things into sharper focus?

Sagittarius

sagittarius, page of swords

Page of swords

After managing so many big creative efforts and inspiring projects last season, it may feel like this season is one of sharpness, practicality, and logic. New ideas may come surging out of nowhere, insights and understandings that shift your perceptions of yourself, your work, and your world. You’re someone that craves truth, someone that wants to get to the bottom of everything, someone that loves to examine motivations, philosophies, reasons — and this season, it may feel like that blade you wield with such grace is particularly well-honed. What is capturing your attention? What limits can you test, ideas can you push, rules can you break? Intellectual experimentation can be wildly motivating, so allow your mind to explore all of the possibilities, to push past old limits and give yourself all the freedom that you need to move at a pace that feels good. How are new truths impacting your oldest beliefs? What are you ready to seek, question, uncover?

Capricorn

capricorn, six of pentacles

Six of pentacles

The seeds that you’ve been planting, the work that you’ve been doing, is paying off in a big, beautiful way — and this season you may start to feel a real sense of satisfaction in all that you’ve accomplished. You’re not someone that often takes time to celebrate and reflect, instead preferring to keep moving forward, to keep building, to keep striving. But it’s essential to balance ambition with admiration, to consider all that you have accomplished and take pride in where you now find yourself. Where did you start, and how much has changed since then? Who helped you early on, and who might need a helping hand that you’re able to offer? In honoring your most personal goals and objectives, don’t lose sight of what you mean to your community, your friends and family and partners. How do you give back? How do you receive? How can you extend threads of connection, ones that may offer you new kinds of stability in the future?

Aquarius

aquarius, four of swords

Four of swords

It may feel like things are starting to click into place, that everything is moving smoothly and that all is going accordingly to plan. And after last season’s sharp leadership and incisive action, you may be eager to keep moving with pace and purpose. Yet if you find yourself slowing down, getting confused, not attacking problems with your usual creativity and insight, this might be a good time to give yourself a break. Your mind is a precious, magical thing, but even you need to rest sometimes, need to give yourself space to recover and assess. How often do you give yourself room to breathe? How often do you show yourself grace, compassion, true kindness? Rest doesn’t always have to be tied to productivity: you are allowed to step back from work without demanding that you’ll be even more efficient when you return. Instead, give yourself the gift of quiet, of healing, of safety. How can you step back from movement and be intentional about choosing stillness? How do things start to click into place when you stop examining them quite so closely?

Pisces

pisces, high priestess

High Priestess

In this season of beauty, art, and magic, you may find yourself even more keenly intuitive than usual, paying careful attention to dreams, ideas, and insights. You have a rich sense of awareness and a powerful empathy for those around you, but how have you been making space for internal reflection? Instead of focusing your gifts on others, how can you extend them to your own self? You may be in the midst of making a big decision, assessing your options and considering which path you want to choose for the future of your dreams. How can you tune out all of the noise and listen only to your own inner wisdom? When you put yourself and your desires first, what comes forward? You have all of the time that you need to make the decision that is best for you, so don’t allow yourself to be rushed. Instead, be honest with yourself, and wait to act until you have true clarity. Which visions of the future resonate with you most deeply?

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meg

Meg is a freelance photographer, writer, and tarot reader living in New York City.

Meg has written 103 articles for us.

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