♎ Libra: dates, element and traits
The second air sign of the cycle, Libra is traditionally linked to balance and partnership: the image is of someone diplomatic who seeks fairness and harmony in relationships, and who can therefore be slow to decide things alone.
- Date range
- 23 Sep – 22 Oct
- Element
- Air
- Quality
- Cardinal
- Ruling planet
- Venus
Traditional traits
- sense of fairness
- diplomacy
- difficulty deciding
Element compatibility
In the astrological tradition, signs that share the same element (Gemini, Aquarius) are usually read as a natural fit. Aries, the opposite sign in the cycle, is read as the pairing with the most tension — and, for some astrologers, also the most mutual growth.
Cuidado
Tradition, not prediction
How to read Libra's element and quality
Libra is a air sign with a cardinal quality in traditional astrology. It shares its element with Gemini and Aquarius, which the tradition reads as a kinship of temperament between the three, even though each one's quality changes how that element shows up.
The sign traditionally "opposite" Libra in the cycle is Aries — six months apart on the calendar — and traditional astrology reads that specific pairing, Libra and Aries, as tension that can also become complementarity: each tends to have what the other lacks.
The 23 Sep–22 Oct period assigned to Libra follows the Western tropical zodiac convention, which splits the year into 12 equal parts starting from the March equinox — which is why that particular start and end date can shift by a day depending on the year, since the civil calendar and the solar cycle don't line up perfectly.
Glossário: os termos desta página
Zodiac sign
One of the 12 equal divisions of the tropical zodiac, each tied to a period of the year, an element and a quality in Western astrological tradition.
Astrological element
Each of the four groups (fire, earth, air, water) that bring together three zodiac signs, traditionally associated with a shared temperament.
Glossary: religion and spirituality — todos os 11 termos.