The Libra New Moon: The Strange Problem of Too Much of a Good Thing

Venus Before She Was Pink

In traditional astrology, Libra is ruled by Venus. Older magical texts describe a Venus of fragrant plants, sweetness, green things, copper and attraction. You find these associations in works such as Agrippa's Three Books of Occult Philosophy. There is something wonderfully untidy about this older Venus.

Think of a fig ripening until it splits, its sweetness drawing flies. Or a flower drawing a bee, which carries its pollen somewhere new.

Everything is reaching toward something else. Perfume moves through a room. Pomegranate juice stains the cloth beneath it. And everything changes with time. The fruit that was perfectly ripe yesterday may be spoiling today.

Our own attachments can be like that. Something we once needed may now be taking up too much room. A connection might need more attention, or a little more space. Sometimes we're so used to holding on, waiting or pushing that it's hard to see what would actually help.

This is what interests me about balance as a magical question. We can become so involved in a situation that we lose sight of its shape. We know why we began doing something, so we keep doing it, even as the situation changes.

Sometimes it helps to look at the whole thing from another angle.

Scrying the Venusian Field

A Water-Scrying Practice for When You're Unsure What to Do

Think of a situation you're struggling with. Perhaps you're wondering whether to message someone or leave them alone, take another step or give something time, strengthen a boundary or soften it.

For this Libra New Moon, I've made a water-scrying practice to help you look at that situation from another angle.

Scrying is an old form of divination in which you gaze into a reflective surface, such as water, and observe the images or impressions that arise. In this working, a bowl of water sits among candles, fruit, leaves and objects associated with Venus.

You begin by naming the situation and the two directions you feel caught between. Then you soften your gaze and allow the reflections in the water to shift and take shape.

That's the only question you ask. Perhaps you notice something opening, moving away or becoming crowded. Perhaps something unexpected appears. Record what you see before trying to understand it.

Treat the images as something to reflect on, rather than a verdict. They may suggest possibilities you've overlooked. Maybe one side has been carrying too much weight. Maybe you don't need to choose between the two options yet. First, see what is already happening.

The working closes with a sentence to complete in your own words:

Enough, for now, looks like...