Libra: The Judge and Harmonizer (September 23–October 22)
Birthstone: Herkimer Diamond

The Search for Harmony

The symbol for Libra is the scale of justice, representing this sign’s affinity for balance and fairness. Those themes are seen in all areas of a Libra’s life, from relationships to the home environment.

Libra is the home of Venus, the goddess of love, harmony and beauty. The 7th House is attributed to Libra and the theme of Partnership & Relating to Others.

Libras are very oriented toward other people, and they continually seek harmony in both personal and professional relationships. This trait is so strong that Libras make excellent mediators, diplomats, psychologists, and judges. They are sociable and have excellent communication skills. But Libras are not patsies—they are willing to fight for justice for people who are defenseless.

Libras need to take care to not be caught in indecisiveness, as their search for balance makes them open to influence by all sides of issues. Because they are so other oriented, they also need to remember to get their own needs met while attending to the needs of others.

Libra is ruled by Venus, the planet of passion and romance, and no Libra is truly happy without a harmonious love life. Venus is also the planet of beauty, and Libras are drawn to beauty everywhere, in the arts, clothing, the home, and nature. They do well in careers in those areas. They are refined in both their appearance and their behavior.


How Gemstones Can Enhance Your Libra Experience

Gemstones are the perfect way of finding the balance that Libras seek.

Gemstones have both physical and metaphysical qualities that can enhance all aspects of your well-being. The perfectly aligned crystal structure of gemstones creates an energy field that interacts with our own when you hold it or wear it on your body. In this way, the gemstone can be used to calm you, balance, . bring you mental clarity, increase your energy, enhance your creativity, and much more.

Astrology and Healing Gemstones

The healing power of gemstones can be understood when we look into the bigger picture!

Astrological principles manifest at all levels of creation, from the largest bodies in the cosmos to the tiniest particles of atoms—all are part of the same network of universal energy. Based on the hermetic principle “As above, so below,” those universal principles allow us to read relations among the planets and extrapolate those principles to things here on Earth, to events in our lives, as well as to our natural environment. The universal principles that govern the planets in the universe are also seen on the much smaller level of gemstones, crystals, and metals.


The Signature of Gemstones

Each gemstone is associated with specific planets. You are already aware that each planet has its own personality in astrology. And each gemstone has a personal “signature”—specific metaphysical qualities, different for each stone, that arise from the stone’s association with its planets. It reflects the chemical composition, crystal structure and color of each unique stone.

How to Make Gemstones Work for You
By considering the individual signature of gemstones, you can select the right gems for your very specific purposes and needs, according to their astrological qualities.

In general Gemstones can be used in three different ways:

(1) They are precious objects of beauty that may hold a special meaning for us. We enjoy their beauty by giving them a special place on a shelf, desk, or altar.

(2) They can be used in meditation by tuning into their frequency for the purpose of balancing our energy field.

(3) They can be made into jewelry pieces for our pleasure, enhancing our individual expression of beauty and sense of empowerment.


If this interests you, you can learn more about the metaphysical properties of gemstones mostly used in jewelry making through my book Jewelry and Gems for Self-Discovery: Choosing Gemstones that Delight the Eyes & Strengthen the Soul. In my book I teach you how to find your true birthstones based on your horoscope and how to find your main 12 healing gems. It also gives you an introduction into the astrological perspective to life and how to use it for your advantage.

Below you will find a description of one of my very favorite stones the Herkimer Diamond, one of the true birthstones for Libra.

The Herkimer Diamond:

The Herkimer Diamond is one of the true birthstones of Libra. Found in Herkimer, New York, is a double-terminated rock crystal with such clarity and brilliance that it was named after the most reflective and brilliant stone there is, the Diamond. A handful of Herkimer Diamonds are as dazzling as real Diamonds. The most common material on earth, silica, becomes a sparkling little gem in the Herkimer Diamond.

This stone grows in small air pockets in the mother matrix rock material. It starts as a small seed crystal and grows outward from the center. Some collector’s pieces are displayed still embedded in a pocket of air in the mother matrix.

This stone is amazing in its beauty, clarity, and perfection. Unlike the Diamond, which must be cut and polished to bring out its beauty, the Herkimer Diamond is perfect in its natural state and requires no cutting or polishing at all. It is untouched by the human hand.

Balancing the Aura and Stabilizing Our Energy

The Herkimer Diamond has a very special place among the gems because of its superior qualities. It is worn most beneficially over the heart. Sitting on the heart chakra, which is the middle one of the seven, it balances the whole energetic system. Thus it is able to strengthen our auric field against all kinds of radiation, including electro smog and negative thought projections. We are constantly targeted by radiation in our daily lives, especially in urban areas. It is known that sitting in front of a computer for several hours can lower our white blood cell count, which inevitably impacts our health. The Herkimer Diamond in its perfection and balance between the negative and positive points can balance us and strengthen our own energy field.

This stone also strengthens our auric field against negative emotional or mental projections. I have made many Herkimer Diamond pendants for people who work in the healing professions to help them stabilize and treat their clients without picking up their imbalances. The more sensitive you are the more likely you are to pick up on disharmony in your outer field. The Herkimer Diamond is your ally in maintaining your own balance and strength.

Balancing the Brain

This stone also balances the right and left hemispheres of the brain, the creative and logical, the female and the male sides in us. Most of us tend toward one side or the other. The Herkimer Diamond balances us out in the middle between the two. The creative mind and the logical and scientific mind are enhanced by each others qualities: the creative mind benefits from greater focus and logic and the scientific mind draws on
more creative and intuitive resources. The two hemispheres join forces, resulting in inventions and discoveries beyond the known.

Stimulates Creativity and Inspiration

The Herkimer Diamond’s brilliancy stimulates our inspiration and connection to higher truth and wisdom. Clarity of thought and a peaceful mind are a matter of balance.

The Herkimer Diamond can be worn very beneficially over your heart or as earrings close to the brain. For jewelry seek the clearest and most perfect crystals. For meditation or even under your pillow you may choose a larger crystal, which might not be quite as perfect as the smaller ones. The larger stones have inclusions and rainbows that make them very beautiful nonetheless. The Herkimer Diamond is a gift in its perfection and balancing qualities, a visual reminder of God’s perfect creation.


I hope you enjoyed the discovery of this truly magnificent stone! I wish you a very enchanted journey into the mysterious world of healing gemstones! If you enjoyed this article and my perspective on things, you might want to come and visit my Astrological Signs Weather Report & Healing Gems Blog where I discuss the actual, universal, astrological forces as well as gemstones and inspire you to use them wisely for a more successful and joyful life.

Aloha and many blessings, Shakti.

A strong Pluto in your personal horoscope or a hard aspect of the transiting Pluto to personal planets is one of the most challenging and transforming constellations we talk about in astrology.

This dark, mysterious god is known for his challenging touch and his powers for renewal and regeneration.

Pluto governs the sign of Scorpio as well as the 8th House, the area of Death & Rebirth. Scorpios are powerful, intense, complex people with a touch of the dark side. A keyword for Scorpio is “transformation.” I like to think of Scorpio—like Pluto—as a phoenix rising from the ashes.

Especially now we all are collectively called to adjustments or soaring from the ashes with Pluto in Capricorn impacting our economical, societal, political and corporate structures. Till 2015 we will be looking at 7 exact squares between Pluto, the god of hell and darkness and Uranus, the god of revolution and sudden eruptions.

This is not an easy process and it has a very personal impact on each one of us as an individual and we are called to action with adjustments in our personal lives. Your personal power lies in your own adaptation with circumstances and the answer to the question:
What Can You Do for Your Own Balance?

Wherever the early degrees of Libra and Capricorn fall in your chart and the connecting aspects to your planets you will feel personally challenged and called to grow into more clarity (Saturn) while building and re-negotiating your place in relation to others (Libra), allow rebirth (Pluto) of a new YOU with the dissolving of old beliefs and values (Uranus).

Consciousness is the key to keep your own balance and works as an antidote to fear and anxieties. You can find ways to focus on solutions instead of problems, you can use proper tools helping to raise your personal frequency and align with the highest potential of the astrological constellations. One of the most elegant ways to support your process is with the healing powers of gemstones.

Healing Gemstones

Gemstones can by your allies for healing and balance because they represent the most balanced, light filled, highest vibrational representative of the planetary principles we have easy access to. They touch us through their beauty and perfection, their radiant colors, magically born in the womb of unimaginable heat and pressure within Mother Earth. They are ancient beings filled with consciousness of the Mineral Kingdom. Astrological principles manifest at all levels of creation, from the largest bodies in the cosmos to the tiniest particles of atoms—all are part of the same network of universal energy.

Opal: A Gemstone to Support Your Transformation

Opal is one of the true gemstones of Scorpio and is therefore ruled by Pluto. The Opals make up a large and beautiful family divided into three groups: the opalescent Precious Opals, the yellow-red Fire Opals, and the Common Opals. The first two are characterized by their opalescence, a rainbow-like sparkling and iridescence that changes when viewed from different angles. Each gem is an individual and unique, but this is especially true in the world of the Opals—there are no two Opals alike.

Opal is the stone of the mystic, shaman, artist, and healer in all of us. It is a stone for support during times of transition and intense change.

Precious Opals are always a mixture of all the energies of the outer planets. The color of the stone determines the planetary principle that it represents: the dark blues lean more toward Pluto and the green-blue-turquoises toward Uranus, while the very colorful Opals and the Black Opals express the energy of Neptune.

The Black Opal (dark gray, dark blue, dark green, red, or gray-black) leans toward the energy of Neptune, deepening our intuitive knowledge of who we are and the experience of feeling connected to the creator of the universe.

The Boulder Opal is famous worldwide for its vibrant colors, stability, strength, and uniqueness. It comes in all kinds of sparkling colors, including green, blue, turquoise, yellow, red, and violet. Because of its connection with the matrix rock, the energy of the Boulder Opal is very grounding. It helps us to stay rooted during times of upheaval in our lives.

Opals in the blue-violet-turquoise color range work with the throat chakra and the third eye. They give us a more holistic view of things and help us to let go of old thoughts, memories, and issues that may be blocking us. These Opals also stimulate our creativity and our search for meaning and vision in life—qualities that help to ease our challenging transitions. The green-blue variety gives us more understanding in working with the heart and the throat chakras. This Opal will help heal the heart, bringing awareness of our true feelings.

The Crystal Clear Fire Opal is the female Fire Opal: transcendent, brilliant, sparkling in many hues. It represents the Amazon woman, strong and independent, never giving her power away. This stone connects us to the collective unconscious and all its treasures. It fuels our intuition with sudden sparks of insight and wisdom. But it is also the universal mother guiding and nourishing us, sustaining us in times of trouble and transitions.

The Fire Opal (orange) is a great energizing stone. When our movement in a particular direction is long overdue, the Fire Opal imparts its fire to us to get us moving. The wearer of this gem is an adventurer, a pioneer. The Fire Opal also represents a Don Juan and a tantric master who loves playful sexuality accompanied by true intimacy.

The Fire Opal is not only powerful, but also gentle and healing in its transmission of energy. It can offer support during recovery from sexual abuse. It helps us to rise out of conceiving of ourselves as victims, helps us to develop forgiveness, and empowers us by releasing those toxic thoughts from our system. It bolsters our sense of personal power and mastery.

Lightning Ridge Opal: The town of Lightning Ridge in New South Wales, Australia, yields some of the most striking Opals in the world, famous for their exceptional color and brilliance. These are Black and Crystal Opals that occur in a beautiful deep blue and other color combination. The most desirable and expensive Opals are those with the strongest, most sparkling colors and the most interesting color formations and combination. Lightning Ridge is the seal of quality in the world of Opals.

White Opals bring in the transformative and refining energies of the outer planets along with the soothing Moon qualities, making us feel nourished, balanced, and in touch with our feelings. The White Opal invites us to embark on an inner journey, diving down into the depths of our being to find unknown and unimaginable treasures. Being renewed, rejuvenated, and deeply changed as a result of this journey; we have a new outlook on life.

Another one of my favorite gems for easing our journey in troubled times is the Herkimer Diamond because it is one of the most amazing gemstones able to support our inner growth towards balance between the polarities because it is a double terminated crystal. I believe the Herkimer Diamond is also a must have gemstone because of its pacifying qualities for Saturn’s, Uranus’ and Pluto’s turbulent energies.

I wish you an enchanted journey into the mysterious world of healing gemstones and looking at them in a new way! If you enjoyed this article and my perspective on things, you can sign up for my free weekly newsletter on my Astrological Signs Weather Report & Healing Gems Blog where I discuss the actual universal astrological forces and the special powers of gemstones and inspire you to use them wisely for a more successful and joyful life.

Aloha and many blessings, Shakti.

We live in a beautiful vibrational universe and to use the metaphysical properties of powerful gems for our personal well being is a very elegant and deeply satisfying way to connect with the beauty of the mineral world.

There is great beauty in the natural form our world takes. Nature can be breathtaking and nourishing in many ways: a sunset over the ocean, a mountain landscape, a flower, or a crystal gemstone. Wherever we perceive balance and harmony we experience beauty. No wonder the perfect crystallization, the reflection of color and transmission of light touches our human heart and lifts our soul.

Beauty is deeply fulfilling for humans. Being in nature, looking at a flower, tuning into a gemstone can realign our own energy pattern to a more balanced flow. I believe that a gemstone that attracts your eye with its beauty will always be beneficial for you.

A Universe Swirling with Energy

It is now universally accepted and confirmed by science that we live in a universe made of energy vibrating at different frequencies. Every bit of seemingly solid matter is just a swirling microcosmic world of vibrating, energized particles creating form as we know it. That applies to our body and to the world we live in and therefore to gemstones as well.

When the energetic pattern of our bodies is out of balance and harmony it will manifest in some form of dysfunction in the physical body at some point.

When the energy system of the body is in balance we feel joyful and centered, emotionally as well as physically. There are many different natural approaches to achieve that balance.

I am a lover and expert of natural gemstones and of course I use gemstones and their healing properties as my preferred way of beautifying myself into harmony and want to inspire you to do the same.

The Signature and Metaphysical Properties of Crystal and Gemstones

In all cultures throughout history gemstones and crystals have had a special place. They have been used for empowerment and for focusing energy in rituals, sacred objects, and jewelry.

The perfectly aligned crystal structure of gemstones and crystals gives them their energy and metaphysical properties: they interact with our own energy field and have a balancing and healing impact on our mind, body, and soul. Each gemstone has a personal “signature”—specific metaphysical qualities, different for each stone, that arise from the stone’s chemical composition, color, hardness, crystal structure, and so on.

Astrology, the ancient science of the universal laws, allows us to understand the creative forces at work in our lives and use them to our advantage. Gemstones occupy an important place in astrology. By considering the individual signature of gemstones, we can select the right gems for very specific purposes, according to their astrological representation. We can use them with appreciation for their beauty to balance and heal what tensions and frictions we feel and will be reflected in our astrological chart.

Astrology and True Birthstones

Astrological principles manifest at all levels of creation, from the largest bodies in the cosmos to the tiniest particles of atoms—all are part of the same network of universal energy. Based on the hermetic principle “As above, so below,” those universal principles allow us to read the analogue relations among the planets and extrapolate those principles to things here on Earth, to events in our lives, as well as to our natural environment. The universal principles that govern the planets are also seen on the much smaller level of gemstones, crystals, and metals.

Most of us know the gemstone corresponding to when we were born based on the list created by jewelers. This is a simplified commercial list, not created by astrologers, and therefore most of the stones on this list are not the true astrological birthstones. Sorry to tell you the truth! But there is also good news.

Your Personal Astrological Chart

You need to have a look into your whole planetary blue print, your personal horoscope to really be able to find your personal power gems and true birthstones. Doing that you can find the gemstone with just the right signature for the individual you are.

We all have 12 main healing stones which are representing the most favorable ones for the 10 classical planets, the moon node and Chiron. Which ones are the ones to choose is depending on in which sign and house position the planets are in your chart, and how they are interconnected with each other through their aspects.If you want to find out more about those 12 main healing stones, you will enjoy my book:

In my book Jewelry and Gems for Self-Discovery: Choosing Gemstones that Delight the Eyes & Strengthen the Soul I explain in depth about healing qualities and the planetary signature of 67 gemstones with a cross reference list. I teach you how to find the main themes and challenges in your chart and which stones are the right ones for you in balancing them.

If you know your healing gemstones you can then easily pick the ones of highest attraction and beauty to your eyes and design your own piece of soul jewelry, totally personalized jewelry to your souls requirements.

If you enjoyed this post, I invite you to come and visit my Astrological Signs Weather Report & Healing Gems Blog where I discuss the universal, astrological forces and inspire you to use them wisely for a successful and joyful life.

I hope I have inspired you to look with fresh eyes at the beautiful world we are living in and consider adorning yourself with your power gems in your jewelry.

Aloha and many blessings, Shakti.