Happy Birthday Libra! Spotlight on... Aleister Crowley!

  Well Fall is here, and our collective unconscious is responding to the ancient energy of Harvest Season by eating and drinking pumpkin flavored everything and planning our outfits for Slutoween. Strange times. In any case, that also means it's Libra Season! Happy Birthday Libra! Libras are the coolest, without even trying. Okay, maybe they are trying, that's sort of their thing. But they look great doing it! I just love Libras, don't you? 

  Libra is a Cardinal Air Sign, ruled by Venus, and the Seventh House. Cardinal Signs come at the beginning of a season and the gifts they bring are Initiation and Inspiration. They keyword for Libra is Harmony, and their Mantra is "I Balance." Librans are the idealists of the Zodiac. They're natural poets, and consciously and unconsciously strive beautify their surroundings. Most Librans I know have artistically decorated homes. They love to entertain, and look good while doing it. The most commonly referred to negative Libran trait is laziness. Not surprising, considering Venus is their planetary ruler. The Goddess Aphrodite is most commonly portrayed gazing into a mirror, not hurling a thunderbolt. Many, but not all, Librans abhor conflict and will do almost anything to avoid it. Because Libra is associated with the Seventh House of Partnership, most Libras prefer to be in a relationship. Without a Dominant Ascendant or Moon Sign, Libra has a tendency to be the more passive member in a relationship.

  Another Gift from their ruler, Venus is that Librans tend to be very attractive. Not always classically beautiful, (Though many are.) they tend to have that special something that draws people in. Their good looks and love of fun may have you thinking Libras are all surface but no substance, but not so. Libra is an Air Sign and all the Air Signs love knowledge. If a Libra is curious about a subject, they will soon become an expert. One Subject many Libras are drawn to is Mysticism and the Occult. 

  The Sun entered Libra on September 23. This corresponds to the Autumn Equinox, called so because Light and Dark are equal on this day. The Libra Constellation is the scales of Justice. The Libra Glyph is The Sun halfway down the Horizon. Equal parts Light and Dark seems like an appropriate description of many Libras I know. Many of the life of the party Libras you know have a mysterious side you may rarely, if ever see. A few will let their freak flag fly all the time, it depends on the person. Because they are ruled by Venus, many Librans have a sensuality not normally found in their Air Sign Brethren. (The isn't to say Aquarians and Geminis CAN'T be sensual, they just need help from the other planets in their chart to express that quality.) So we talked about how how beautiful Libras can be, and also how intelligent and charming they are. This combined with a fascination with all things Mysterious, kind of makes them the Witches of the Zodiac, don't you think?

   Which brings us to Aleister Crowley, b.October  12 1875 at 11:42 PM. Sun in Libra, Moon in Pisces, Leo Rising.  He was your typical  Libertine Libra in many ways. A Hedonistic Poet who had many lovers both male and female throughout his life, he loved to live large and surround himself with opulence. He traveled the world in search of Mysterious knowledge. He wrote pornography and started his own religion, Thelema. My favorite quote from his Book of Thelema is "We of Thelema say every man and every woman is a Star." Love that sentiment, so Libran! He also pissed a bunch of people off along the way. His Rising Sign was Leo, which makes the Sun his ruling planet. This influence helped shine the light on his various eccentric interests, and probably drew others to his light. It probably also encouraged his egocentricity and made him hard to get along with. Many members of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn disliked and resented his relationship with the Society's Founder, Samuel Liddel George Mathers and he left the organization after only a couple years. 

  His Moon in Pisces in the Ninth House clearly played a role in inspiring him to travel the world, seeking out new Esoteric knowledge, and having many transcendent experiences. The most notable was when he was honeymooning with his wife in Cairo and experienced many visitations from the Egyptian Pantheon. His Neptune Opposition Jupiter allowed him to absorb this information without judgement or confusion. This may have also contributed to his drug use and more fanciful visions like when he thought the God Horus wanted him to abscond with the statue of the Stele of Revealing  from a museum in Cairo and move to his own island and to publish the Book of Law he was writing into every language. He famously stated "To me, a book is a message from the  Gods to Mankind; or if not, should never be published at all." That's Jupiter and Neptune for you! Together, they'll make you think anything is possible! Instead he gave a few copies of the manuscript to his friends in the esoteric community, and then "Put it away with relief."

  Aleister Crowley was a Mountaineer and a Ceremonial Magician, who started his own religion, but he is most famous for being an Author and a Poet. This requires a closer look at the role of Mercury in his birth chart. His Moon was Trine Mercury, enabling him to write beautifully and influence many people. His Mercury is Scorpio is probably what inspired him to write about Dark Mysteries and Sexuality. Mercury Conjunct Jupiter allowed him to have many interests that he could easily draw conclusions from that would most likely remain a puzzle to other people. His Mercury was also Square to Saturn which allowed him to focus on the details of his subject matter.

  Probably his most challenging Astrological Aspect was Neptune Squaring his Ascendant. Our Ascendant is how the world sees us, and Neptune is the planet of Illusion. This gave Crowley and aura of deceptiveness that may or may not have been deserved. A persistent rumor followed him throughout his life that he was actually working as a spy for British Intelligence. This rumor dovetails with the "Shadow Side" Mythology of Libra as well.  He was also accused of practicing Satanism and sacrificing animals. It should be noted that he was a Freemason and his worldview was influenced my many forms of Mysticism but he did not recognize Satan as an entity and certainly was never a "Satan Worshipper". His openness about his alcohol and drug use was most likely also an effect of this influence. 

  Aleister Crowley passed away in 1947. In 2002, a BBC poll ranked him the Seventy Third greatest Briton of all time. Most of his books are still in print and the Thoth Tarot deck he created is still widely in use. It makes sense then, that his Ceremonial Golden Dawn name was Frater Perdurabo. Latin for "Brother I will Endure." Wherever he is now, I'm sure he would have loved the internet and be delighted that people are still talking about him. Happy Birthday Frater Perdurabo! And Happy Birthday to Libras everywhere! I love you all.

  

  *This week's post is dedicated to the memory of Timothy David Lafollette, a true Libran Sensualist. October 11 1979 - August 23 2011. He was a Wizard and he was my friend.