LIBRA the Sign & its Symbols.

THE SIGN
The main ruling planet of Libra is Venus, named after the goddess of love, beauty, harmony and fruitfulness. Libra is a cardinal, masculine air sign whose positive traits indicate very strong beliefs, a sense of fair play, great charm, a good communicator, refined and sincere, while more challenging traits include indecision, a tendency to be overbearing and manipulative.

THE SYMBOLS
The astrological symbol for Libra is represented by two short straight lines joined by a semi-circle with a straight line underneath Certain herbs, spices, flowers, trees, shrubs, gemstones, metals and animals have long been associated with particular signs of the zodiac. Several plants, for example, have lucky connections with Virgo and, it is said, they are most effective when picked on a day that is influenced by their ruling planet. These include violets, said to be lesser goddesses turned into tiny purple flowers by a jealous Aphrodite; myrtle, used as a tonic and an anti-depressant; the rose, crowned as ‘the queen of flowers’ by Cloris, goddess of flowers which has become a symbol of love and desire. The colours of the rose signify different aspects of life. Red signifies love and respect, white innocence and purity, pink grace and happiness. Gemstones linked to Libra include the sapphire associated with vision and the ability to read the future; emerald, which in 18th century Europe was thought to soothe eye fatigue and when placed under the tongue gave the bearer the ability to tell the future; opal, from the greek word ‘opallios’ meaning ‘change of colour’, possesses all the virtues of stones whose colours appear in it.

THE LIBRA NEEDLEPOINT DESIGN
Motifs have been selected from all the different astrological aspects of Libra and include: the central set of scales in amongst the constellation of Libra; in the corners are the number 7 (for the seventh house), the symbols for Venus and Libra and an opal; surrounding the centre, the images of a rose,the word Libra and a cherub blowing a strong wind, signifying air, are repeated giving the cushion a sense of balance. The borders and backgrounds are in greens and purples the colours most closely associated with Libra.

KEY WORDS
Refined
Sincere
Romantic
Cooperative
Charming
Tactful
To further personalise your needlepoint cushion, add your chosen name and date of birth to the outer border, along with one or two of the Libra characteristics. On the chart, the borders have been left plain ready for you to draw in your own lettering, as preferred. Instructions and alphabets have been supplied or alternatively you can use lettering of your own choice.