Libra II: Love, Loss, & Commitment

Kramer vs. Kramer, 1979

Hi, this is Cathy Gnatek, and I’m continuing my series on the 36 Decans of the Zodiac, today with Libra II, the second decan of Libra. This particular part of the zodiac, as we’re going to find out, has a lot to do with commitments—keeping commitments, breaking commitments, and the sense of loss we may feel if commitments are broken, especially those involving relationships.

Venus, the goddess of love, rules the sign of Libra. And everybody knows—if you know a little bit about astrology—that if Aries is the sign of "me," then Libra is the sign of "we." It’s this relational sign. How do I interact and communicate with a partner when I’m in connection with someone?

We’re going to see this play out in the esoteric symbols that are associated with this part of the zodiac, as well as in the Tarot card, the Three of Swords, which is called "Sorrow" in the Thoth deck. And finally—interestingly enough—today, instead of looking at people who have their rising degree in this part of the zodiac, we’re going to talk about the late 1970s, when Pluto was in this part of the zodiac, bringing up issues from the underworld around these questions of commitment.

If you lived through that period, like I did, it was a moment when it seemed like there was an epidemic of divorce. There were all kinds of interesting news articles, and the movie Kramer vs. Kramer came out during that time. Divorce was just in the air culturally. So, we’re really going to see this energy in this part of the zodiac.

I hope you enjoy the video! If you do, please like and subscribe—it helps people find my content, and I’m trying to grow my channel.

Transcript (Revised and Expanded)

Okay, let’s bring up the whiteboard—that’ll help us get a deeper feel for this decan.

Libra: The Basics

I always like to go over the basics of the sign we’re talking about before diving into the specific 10 degrees of the sign that’s the subject of the talk.

So, Libra is an air sign. Air signs are all about communication, thought, ideas, sharing, and knowledge. Libra is ruled by Venus, the goddess of love. Venus is about beauty, balance, and harmony, but also about justice. Especially when she’s in her morning star phase, Venus can even be called the goddess of war. She wants things to be balanced.

Diplomacy is a big symbolic association with the sign of Libra in general. You’ll find that diplomats, politicians, and people who speak beautifully and work to ensure all voices are heard often have strong Libra placements.

Lastly, Libra is a cardinal sign. All cardinal signs like to begin things, so there’s an active energy, a masculine quality, to this sign as well.

The Second Decan of Libra: Saturn’s Influence

When we get down to the second decan of Libra, the rulers of this decan (from 10° to 20° of Libra) are Saturn and Saturn under both the triplicity order and the Chaldean order.

So, who is Saturn? Saturn was Kronos in the Greek pantheon. Kronos literally means time—Saturn is the keeper of time.

If you think about Saturn, he’s the last planet we can see with the naked eye. He has rings around him, which symbolically represent boundaries and limitations. Saturn was also known as the Lord of Death. You often see him depicted in art carrying a scythe.

The scythe is associated with death because, agriculturally, at the end of the harvest season, you use the scythe to cut crops and make way for new beginnings. But it’s also about endings and death.

Saturn is also tied to commitment and karma—the idea of "you reap what you sow." Saturn represents discipline, hard work, and responsibility. It has a serious, leaden quality.

When we combine the Venusian nature of Libra (which is about communication and relationships) with Saturn’s energy of limitations, boundaries, and what’s possible in the real world, we get a strong sense that this part of the zodiac has to do with contracts—specifically, marriage contracts or relational contracts.

There’s a seriousness around the question: “Am I going to commit?” Once I commit and give my heart to someone, what are the consequences if there’s a breakage or an ending to that relationship?

And this is not to say that people with planets in this part of the zodiac are necessarily going to have issues around divorce or things like that, but it’s more that they’re going to take commitments very seriously. They will understand that when they commit, there is always this potential in the background, in the shadow side, for a breakage of that commitment. So, they may actually put more effort into a partnership or a relationship to ensure that it’s fair and balanced and that people are meeting their commitments.

Of course, the energy of planets in this decan really depends upon which planet is involved. If Venus is there, it’s going to bring more desire for connection. If Mars or a more difficult planet is there, it could potentially bring difficulties around questions of commitments. Again, this all depends on your chart—whether you were born during the day or at night, and whether you have other planets connected to that Mars, and so on. But this should give you a general feeling for this part of the zodiac.

Ancient Texts

We can also look at ancient texts, and they reinforce the idea that this decan can be about relationality and marriage. Picatrix describes a black man having a journey of marriage and joy, and this is a face of quiet joy, abundance, and the good life. There’s a balance and harmony to it, even if, at the same time, when we commit, there’s the need to understand the potential for rupture of that commitment.

One last thing—when ancient texts like Picatrix use terms such as "a black man," this is more symbolic of the idea of Saturn. Saturn is a dark planet, the furthest planet we can see with the naked eye. He’s out there in the atmosphere, and there’s a heavy, leaden quality about him, as opposed to it being literally about a Black person.

Then we have Agrippa, who describes two men, furious and wrathful, and a man in a comely garment sitting in a chair. The signification here is to show indignation against evil and the quietness and security of life with plenty of good things. In Agrippa, we see more of the mix of qualities that come with this decan. I even think it’s interesting that there are two men who are serious and wrathful—those could symbolize Saturn and Saturn. Then we have another man sitting in a beautiful garment, which could represent Venus, since Venus rules this sign.

There’s this quality of a desire for harmony, peace, relationship, and beauty, but also a seriousness that comes with Saturn ruling this decan.

Tarot: 3 of Swords, “Sorrow”

Now we can move on to the Tarot cards associated with this part of the zodiac. Here, we encounter the Three of Swords, a card deeply entrenched in popular culture. Even if you’re unfamiliar with Tarot, you’ve likely seen this card: a heart pierced by three swords, set against a stormy background. Many perceive it as a dark and somber symbol—one that represents heartbreak, sorrow, and emotional pain. In the Thoth deck, it is aptly named "Sorrow", reflecting its association with the themes of loss and endings. Yet, as we dive deeper into the esoteric meanings of this card, it becomes apparent that there’s more to it than despair.

Three of Swords, Rider-Waite Tarot and Thoth Tarot

There’s a certain solemn beauty in the Three of Swords, particularly when viewed through the lens of Libra’s second decan, where Venus and Saturn intersect. This part of the zodiac highlights the delicate interplay between love, harmony, and the boundaries of reality. Saturn, with its associations of time, discipline, and endings, overlays the Venusian ideals of connection and balance, imbuing this card with a duality. The image of the heart pierced by swords symbolizes the pain of separation, but also the wisdom that comes with accepting impermanence. The stormy background evokes upheaval, yet the symmetry of the card suggests a completion—a letting go that transforms sorrow into clarity. Much like the role of Saturn in astrology, it reminds us that endings, though painful, pave the way for new beginnings. This card doesn’t just invite us to grieve; it calls us to embrace the bittersweet release and growth that follows.

Hermetic Kabbalah, The Tree of Life

Let’s take a look at the Tree of Life in Kabbalah, because whenever we examine a Tarot card, we can also explore its number. There is always a connection between the Tarot card, the decan, and the Kabbalah. In fact, the creators of Tarot cards intentionally incorporated Kabbalistic ideas into their designs. These concepts are closely tied together.

The Kabbalah is an ancient Jewish mystical tradition, and one of its key teachings is the Tree of Life. The Tree of Life represents the descent of divine inspiration into the material world. At the top is Kether, the first sphere, symbolizing the great unknown spirit beginning its journey into physical form. From Kether, the energy flows to Chokmah (the second sephira), then to Binah (the third sephira), and later to Hesed. This flow of energy is often described as a lightning strike, tracing the path from the divine source at the top down to Malkuth, the tenth sephira, which represents the physical world.

This descent illustrates how spiritual ideas take shape and manifest in reality. By focusing on the movement from Chokmah to Binah, we can gain a deeper understanding of the Tarot card and its esoteric meaning. Chokmah represents limitless potential, while Binah is where that potential takes form, gaining structure and boundaries. Binah is the feminine, receptive side of the Tree of Life, where raw ideas begin to take shape.

This process can be compared to marriage: two people come together to create a shared life, but with that union comes responsibility. This is where Saturn comes into play. Saturn represents boundaries, time, and endings, so it has the potential to bring both commitment and, when the time comes, closure. In the second decan of Libra, Saturn’s influence highlights the balance between love (Venus) and responsibility (Saturn).

Libra strives for harmony and connection, but Saturn brings the weight of commitment and the reality of its challenges. Marriage or deep relationships can be beautiful, but when they break, the pain can feel overwhelming. This is reflected in the Three of Swords Tarot card, which symbolizes heartbreak. The image of the pierced heart conveys the pain of separation or the loss of something once whole, like a marriage that has ended.

That said, not everyone with planets in this decan will experience heartbreak or endings. This decan is also about the seriousness of commitment and the effort it takes to maintain a relationship. People with planets in this decan may simply approach their commitments with great care and responsibility, valuing them as deeply important.

Chart Example: Pluto in Libra II (1976-1980), the “Divorce Epidemic.”

One of the reasons I keep emphasizing that this decan is not just about the ending of commitments is because of the example chart I’m using is related to divorce. Instead of looking at someone’s chart with their rising degree in this decan, I wanted to talk about the time period from 1976 to 1980, when Pluto was in Libra II. This was when we had what the New York Times called the “divorce epidemic” (June 1976). During this time, divorce became a major topic culturally. For example, in November of 1976,The Observer, a London newspaper, published a cover story about the emerging “divorcing society.”

The movie Kramer vs. Kramer also came out during this time, in 1979. It was an emotional and groundbreaking film about a couple going through a painful divorce and the impact it had on their young son. The movie resonated with so many people because it captured the emotional complexity of divorce at a time when it was becoming more common. It won multiple Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and reflected the cultural zeitgeist perfectly.

This hits close to home for me because I had a front-row seat to the divorces that began happening in 1976. I was about 12 years old, and all of a sudden, I started hearing about one set of my parents’ friends getting divorced. I remember overhearing conversations as their friends came over to talk about their separations. You know how kids listen to their parents talking in the background. Divorce was everywhere—before I knew it, the woman across the street got divorced, too, and my mom was talking to her about it. Then, in 1980, right in the middle of all this, my own parents got divorced. It framed my childhood and my generation, having grown up during that time.

Pluto, the god of the underworld, is associated with transformation, upheaval, and forcing us to confront things that have been repressed or suppressed. This time period, when Pluto was in the second decan of Libra, was truly a transformational moment—not just in the United States, but in other countries as well. Society began reexamining marriage, relationships, and the meaning of the marriage contract.

It’s also worth noting that this divorce explosion happened on the heels of the women’s liberation movement. Women had begun questioning traditional roles in marriage and asking, “What is marriage supposed to be? What is it not?” The cultural shifts around marriage were intertwined with these broader societal changes.

This reminds me of the TV show One Day at a Time, which aired during this period. If you’re older like me, you might remember it. The show was about a woman who left her husband to live on her own as a single mother. It was a groundbreaking concept at the time and reflected the changing attitudes about marriage and independence during the late 1970s.

These cultural shifts happened while Pluto was transiting this part of the zodiac—the part that deals with relationships, commitments, and what they mean. I think it’s fascinating how the symbolism aligns with the events of that time.

I’ll also add that recently, as the Sun has been moving through this part of the zodiac, I’ve noticed clients bringing up similar themes. Many of them are asking questions about commitment in their partnerships and what truly matters to them. It’s always fascinating to see how these energies continue to play out.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the video! If you did, please like and subscribe. I’ll see you soon with Libra III. Talk soon. Bye-bye.