Libra Yearly Overview

LOVE & RELATIONSHIPS
You’re in love with the idea of love, but as an intellectual Air sign, you get a little uncomfortable when things get too … intimate. Poetry, flowers and (especially) chocolate? You’re more than OK with that. Having to deal with the “for worse” part of the vows along with the “for better”? Well, that’s when the teeny beads of sweat start to form along your perfectly coiffed hairline.

Since last June, expansive Jupiter has been spending a year in Taurus, your eighth house of intimacy and permanent commitments. Many of you Libras have ventured into that intense terrain that you normally avoid. Vulnerability. Permanent relationships without an “emergency exit.” Having to be there for someone through struggles and rough patches, not just for the candlelight dinners. If you haven’t gone there yet, Jupiter will be in Taurus through June 11, encouraging you to go deeper with the one you love. Happily coupled Librans may solidify their unions with pregnancies, engagements, cohabitation or joint investments (such as writing a will, taking out life insurance policies or opening a retirement fund).

The eighth house also rules shared property and legal matters, and some Libras may be separating or divorcing. If so, there could be a good bit of attention going to the division of your assets. Like Libra Kim Kardashian, you may have impulsively married or gotten involved with someone without doing the romantic due diligence, and there may be a price to pay for that. Rash moves are largely the work of impetuous Uranus, which began a seven-year visit to Aries, your relationship sign, in March 2011. You may be running hot and cold, or perhaps you’re feeling a little suffocated by too much togetherness. In 2012, Uranus continues to stoke a strong desire for independence — or at least try new things as a couple. With Jupiter in your sexy eighth house, some of that experimentation just might happen behind closed doors!

As energized as your love life may be, there’s one relationship that’s been a three-year work in progress: the one with yourself. Since October 2009, maturity planet Saturn has been visiting Libra, putting you in identity boot camp. You’ve been forced to put vanity, selfishness and ego in check, and to humbly strive toward your dreams. You’re becoming a more rock-solid citizen as a result, even if some of the lessons have been hard. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger!

Saturn is in Libra until October 3, and then your three-year cycle of hard-core reinvention comes to an end. Until then, work extra hard — like you’re cramming for finals — on self-reliance. (Funny enough, that’s the title of a famous essay by Libra Ralph Waldo Emerson — you might wanna Google it if you haven’t read it!) If you’re still waiting for someone to gallop up on a white horse and sweep you away, fuhgeddaboudit. Unless you can find the courage and confidence to stand on your own two feet, content in your own company, even the most perfect human being will never be enough.

WORK & MONEY
You’re learning a lot about managing money, Libra, but there are still more lessons in store. Expansive Jupiter is in your eighth house of joint ventures, shared resources and long-term financial planning until June 11, 2012. If you live from paycheck to paycheck (or shiny object to shiny object), it’s time to put some proper plans in place. Why not sit down with an accountant or financial adviser so you can truly learn how to make your money work for you? The eighth house rules passive income, so you could begin making money through careful investments, intellectual property or even a downloadable product. In fact, if you’re a businessperson, this would be a great year to get Web-savvy and think of ways that you can sell something online that helps you collect royalties, even if that means becoming an affiliate vendor. There are so many fabulous resources out there to learn about being a social media and tech-savvy wizard. We recommend Marie Forleo’s Rich Happy and Hot (www.rhhbschool.com) and Laura Roeder’s The Dash (www.lauraroeder.com) for some great foundational training.

The entrepreneurial bug just may bite after June 11, when Jupiter begins a yearlong visit to fellow Air sign Gemini, your ninth house of travel, higher education and adventure. You may decide to return to school, open a business or take a position that involves a lot of mobility. Hello, frequent-flyer miles! A Gemini solar eclipse on May 20 could deliver a stroke of genius, as could a Gemini lunar eclipse on November 28. These eclipses could bring opportunities to relocate or possibly even try your hand at broadcasting, TV or public speaking. The ninth house rules publishing, so if you’ve got a book waiting to be birthed, this would be the time to go for it! Not sure where to start? Check out Danielle LaPorte’s “Your Big Beautiful Book Plan” for in-depth training on how to write a winning proposal.

Keeping your own life in order is the biggest challenge, and one you’ll want to embrace. Structured taskmaster Saturn is rounding out a three-year visit to Libra, where it’s been whipping you into shape and forcing you to put a solid plan behind your whimsical ideas. After all, Libra, ideas are a dime a dozen — but it takes something to really see one through from conception to final product. Saturn is in Libra until October 3, pushing you to grow and take your talents seriously. While you may have moments of self-doubt under Saturn’s spell, the challenge is to fail, fail and fail again until you learn the lesson. Of course, you don’t want to keep repeating the same mistake — with each “failure,” be sure you nail down where you veered off course, and put in the necessary structures to prevent that from happening again. By the time you graduate from Saturn’s boot camp on October 3, 2012, you’ll be untouchable!

From there, Saturn will move into Scorpio, your second house of work and money, until 2015. While there may be times that finances are tight, you’re being pushed to live on a sensible budget and to respect your money. While you may still see your name in lights, that shouldn’t be your end goal. Be humble, be hardworking and be there to make a difference, not to gratify your ego. Saturn will reward you for an honest day’s work — handsomely, once you really master an elegant routine that’s all about quality over quantity.

HEALTH: MIND, BODY & SOUL
Your energy has its ups and downs, and with sluggish Saturn in Libra (since October 2009), some of your systems aren’t working quite as fast as they used to go. It’s possible that you’ve put on some extra weight in the past couple of years, or feel a few aches and pains due to lowered energy. If this is the case, chances are you’re resisting an important message. What are you refusing to change in your life, Libra? Disciplined Saturn is all about structure, sound choices and good sense. If you’ve been avoiding “growing up” by being the life of the party, you may find there’s a dearer price to pay the morning after.

Saturn is in Libra until October 3, 2012, so for most of this year you’ll want to put some real effort into finding that elusive Libra balance. Moderation is always the key for your sign. If you’re overeating, drinking or partying to avoid dealing with certain insecurities, end the escapism and face those fears once and for all. Much of it may stem back to your relationship with your parents, which is partway through a long, slow makeover. Transformational Pluto is in Capricorn, your home-and-family sign, from November 2008 through 2024. Some of your unconscious behaviors and “acting out” may be a way of rebelling against a dominating parental figure. While we’ll leave the deeper exploration of that for the therapist’s couch, you should definitely continue to be aware of this dynamic and work on shifting it.

On February 3, healing Neptune enters Pisces, your sixth house of health and fitness. Neptune is here until 2024, encouraging you to explore holistic health. Many Libras we know are already devotees of raw food, macrobiotic diets and an all-around “health nut” lifestyle, so this shouldn’t take much prodding for you. You may become a full-on yogi or a regular meditator (again, if you aren’t one already!) in the coming years. Your loving, gentle touch can be quite healing for other people, too. Getting involved in a human-rights cause or finding a way to be of service can be deeply rewarding for you while Neptune is in Pisces.