Transcript

Lex Hesperus: Hey babes, welcome to the Sluts Guide to Fate podcast, where we talk about finding your freak and finding your fate. I'm your host Lex Hesperus and as I'm recording it is the first full day of Libra season.

Lex Hesperus: and naturally with The sun moving into. Libra. There's been Libra discourse. And...

Lex Hesperus: Luckily. I have Venus and Libra natally. I've thought a lot about Libra.

Lex Hesperus: And I want to talk about it. Let's set the record straight. So. What got me thinking about this was Lane Smith, Left Lane Smith on Instagram.

Lex Hesperus: was in their stories talking about the pop astrology understanding of Libra being a vapid.

Lex Hesperus: people -pleasing, And the way this really doesn't resonate for them. as somebody who has a natal Libra placement. If you are not familiar with Lane's work, they are a

Lex Hesperus: tireless advocate for justice, I think is maybe the way to briefly describe their

Lex Hesperus: mission in the world. It's really clear from the way they present their work in tarot and the spiritual space that They have been committed to justice work and movement work for a very long time.

Lex Hesperus: and they are tremendously outspoken and

Lex Hesperus: very, unapologetic about the way they speak to justice and advocate for justice in tarot and the spiritual space, but also directly in causes that are important to them. And so it's really clear that Lane embodies a version of Libra justice that is at odds with this pop astrology understanding of Libra.

Lex Hesperus: And Lane called it. PSYOP. pop astrology.

Lex Hesperus: And I just I can't get enough of it. It's so yummy and scrumptious to call this kind of pop astrology. PSYOP. because you know We all get down on pop astrology as astrologers.

Lex Hesperus: And I'm often somebody who... Doesn't like, you know. I have Libra placements myself. I'm like, Yeah, I don't. you know i'll hate on it with everyone else but also Something important is happening here in terms of democratizing information and making it accessible. Like people are fucking hungry for astrology.

Lex Hesperus: but that doesn't mean that these interpretations that come to be popular are neutral. And so let me take a sip of my tea here.

Lex Hesperus: It's Hibiscus Rose. Holy basil. calendula. for folks who are curious. I've been loving holy basil.

Lex Hesperus: in my concussion recovery. it's been such an ally But, okay. So back to it. Let's talk a little bit about what A PSYOP is.

Lex Hesperus: And so. technically, you know, if you go look at the Wikipedia, and I do, I actually like pulled up the wikipedia just

Lex Hesperus: Because I want to give you reasonable information, right? Like I can tell you how this word gets used. But I also want to tell you. How? It's meant to be used.

Lex Hesperus: I guess you could say. But the Wikipedia has a pretty thorough rundown of controversies around it, what it is, how it's been used, etc.

Lex Hesperus: And so. PSYOP. It's a military term, which is why, you know, you have the shortened and then OP for operations. So it means psychological operations. These are military operations that...

Lex Hesperus: convey selected information, to audiences in order to influence their motives. their reasoning, And then eventually, ultimately. the behavior of governments.

Lex Hesperus: organizations, groups, and foreign powers. So. The objective is influencing D.

Lex Hesperus: functioning, and behavior of. groups. But this is done by... at the individual and personal level It is the people. that make up the groups and the people's collective decision -making that influences the behaviors. of the groups. So these are often you know.

Lex Hesperus: the military literally has

Lex Hesperus: teams, groups that function to do this. That is their purpose.

Lex Hesperus: And so. It's efforts that are designed to introduce or reinforce opinions, or behavior that are believed to be favorable to the organization.

Lex Hesperus: doing the operation. doing the PSYOP.

Lex Hesperus: This can look a lot of ways. And in some cases, it it doesn't always.

Lex Hesperus: have to be done by the you know, US government itself. It's not like to call this psy -op pop astrology is not to suggest that the... US government has any interest in influencing understandings of Tarot.

Lex Hesperus: or astrology. or any of it right but it is to say that these opinions, these ways of looking at it. The psychology that goes into it is incredibly favorable to. certain institutions.

Lex Hesperus: and to to the status quo. You might say. And so. When we have something. It's really convenient to the status quo. so like Libra.

Lex Hesperus: is a sign of justice and justice is People pleasing. It is. compromising It's frivolous. It's indecisive. It's impractical.

Lex Hesperus: insincere, superficial. conflict avoidant, right? This Libra. It's really convenient. to systems of power that might be perpetuating injustice.

Lex Hesperus: To have this be. what we understand to be the case for. The. Sign of justice.

Lex Hesperus: And so a lot of these like this people pleasing, agreeable. compromising, indecisive. superficial, conflict avoidant. This comes from the Libra demand for balance, right? Libra is symbolized by those scales.

Lex Hesperus: But for the Libra, for Libra in a justice sense, it's not just. Balance for the sake of balance. Right. I'm thinking I'm being reminded of. Something one of my very first spiritual teachers, Ren Zatopek, would talk about.

Lex Hesperus: When we talk about balance, right, we don't want to be. evenly balanced, completely always at that middle line, right?

Lex Hesperus: We want to be fully engaged as we're moving through in the way that's appropriate. So the example that Ren would give. is when you're sleeping. You don't want to be like at some like middle road state of consciousness. You want to be fully asleep and resting.

Lex Hesperus: And when you are awake. you don't want to be in some kind of like middle ground balanced you want to be fully awake. You want to be fully engaged. in the activity that's appropriate.

Lex Hesperus: in balance so you do end up in that middle line. right but you are fully engaging with the cycle, that that average symbolizes.

Lex Hesperus: And... That is... a Libra balance. in practice. That is a tremendous expression of Libra balance in practice.

Lex Hesperus: It is. Something that requires discernment to actually achieve. And so at the same time as we might have this pop astrology understanding. of Libra as people pleasing, agreeable, attractive, frivolous, indecisive, etc. All of these keywords that I've already listed.

Lex Hesperus: Libra is also and if we just think about you know just that Balance symbol. Libra's also justice. It's impartial, intelligence, judiciousness.

Lex Hesperus: and objectivity. These don't... balance well these two opposing ideas. of Libra. and again going back to this notion of a psyop pop astrology

Lex Hesperus: It's really convenient that we tend to think of Libras in a knee -jerk way. as Conflict avoidant. or people pleasing. rather than Libra as judicious. discerning.

Lex Hesperus: capable of looking at something objectively, being impartial. or even being an advocate for justice. and This isn't...

Lex Hesperus: a new thing. Perhaps I... This is... Well, the reason I'm recording this at all... is because Mm. I was discussing this with my partner.

Lex Hesperus: yesterday evening as the sun went into Libra. and it activated one of the oldest bees in my bonnet. about Libra.

Lex Hesperus: This. was the genesis of me beginning to... engage with Venus the goddess the entity, the being. the planet.

Lex Hesperus: that I work with. most intensively.

Lex Hesperus: And it wouldn't have happened without.

Lex Hesperus: The. like side quest. into this snippet of history and genesis of

Lex Hesperus: western culture or at least the origins of western culture's founding myths as we might understand them.

Lex Hesperus: hang on my washer just turned on and wow it is loud Why is it so loud? Give me a second. I'm going to close the door.

Lex Hesperus: Alright. All right. We are back from closing that door because why would the washer be so loud? That's so rude of it. Doesn't it know I'm recording a podcast? As if I wasn't the one who turned on.

Lex Hesperus: washer on to begin with but ADHD life. Okay. the world's longest PSYOP. Slightly inflammatory title there, but Let's get into it.

Lex Hesperus: So. How do we even begin to get this notion? of Libra as Pretty, frivolous, people pleasing, flighty. indecisive.

Lex Hesperus: the first decan.

Lex Hesperus: of Libra. from 0 to 9 degrees. has an association With. a Group. of

Lex Hesperus: beings. because they're not necessarily gods in Greek myth who exact a particular kind of justice. This first decan is associated with the beings known as the Erinyes.

Lex Hesperus: which is to say the Furies, if you're more familiar. I've also heard them called the Er-in-oo-wes .

Lex Hesperus: One of my teachers, Kristen Mathis, translates Greek. and pronounces it Aaron -oo -ees. So that's how I say it. The Erinyes

Lex Hesperus: Eventually become a much kinder, nicer more conventional justice system oriented beings called the Eumenides.

Lex Hesperus: and how this happens is

Lex Hesperus: Something that is, you know. up for debate, but we do have a play. A tragedy. from the ancient world. Okay. called the Oresteia.

Lex Hesperus: This is a, the Oresteia is a. Trio of Greek Tragedies And part of this, so it looks at, you know, dysfunctional families. Harm and murder. within families. And.

Lex Hesperus: The role of justice versus revenge. within those dynamics.

Lex Hesperus: And the final. book. The final play. in that trilogy.

Lex Hesperus: Sheds some light. on At least one story. that was told about how the Erinyes become the Eumenides.

Lex Hesperus: It details the institution of a litigious justice system over the vendetta revenge system of the Erinyes. So. who Who were the Erinyes? Let's maybe get into that.

Lex Hesperus: first before some of the other notes that I have. The Erinyes, they are three. There is Tisiphone. Alector. and Megara. And their names mean Slaughterer Avenger.

Lex Hesperus: unceasing and grudge.

Lex Hesperus: According to my teacher, Kristen Mathis. The Greeks named them because they stirred things up. and because they tracked you down.

Lex Hesperus: and cause strife. So these are potential interpretations of their name the Erinyes

Lex Hesperus: additionally right uh slaughterer unceasing and grudge these are absolutely strife -related words.

Lex Hesperus: And as time moves on, these two sets of goddesses, the Erinyes and the Eumenides, are understood to believe to be a sort of before and an after version of the same being.

Lex Hesperus: beings of the same divinities.

Lex Hesperus: where the Erinyes brought Frenzies. Madness. bloodlust. where they brought. A revenge.

Lex Hesperus: that balances a violence with a violence. The Eumenides bring about Reasoned. Democratic. systems. It brings about the justice system.

Lex Hesperus: And... the claim of kind of you know, the Uh... ancient and classical sources like the Oresteia.

Lex Hesperus: The claim is that this allows for societies to flourish. The claim is something along the lines of, right, we can't be.

Lex Hesperus: always at each other's throats, fearing like... somebody's gonna like stab me in the back and get their revenge right like they have recourse to a legal justice system. where they can litigate their case rather than seeking out revenge.

Lex Hesperus: So in that third part of the Oresteia, the Erinyes Turn into. The Eumenides The kindly ones.

Lex Hesperus: As Kristin Mathis notes in her discussion of the Erinyes the Eumenides, and her translation of the Orphic Hymns. on her substack, which I will link.

Lex Hesperus: Kristin's translations are tremendous. and Her write -ups are so educational, so I really recommend Kristin's work. But as Kristin notes, and this I will say also concurs with my own experiences of the first decan of Libra. and with these spirits Which? they are associated with.

Lex Hesperus: So. Kristen's words here. There's an interesting intersection. in this traditional myth of the Erinyes, between madness Dysfunctional Family Systems and the tyranny.

Lex Hesperus: of the state

Lex Hesperus: And so... At a time when. We are considering. justice systems, what justice looks like. what is the justice system actually responsive to our needs as people? Is it actually ensuring quality.

Lex Hesperus: it's really important to be thinking about what Libra means and how we express the potential of. Libra. So. We were talking about this first decan, which is associated with the Erinyes, which...

Lex Hesperus: got us on this long tangent about that who they are. Okay. I suppose it's not technically a tangent, it's... directly related to the discussion we're having here.

Lex Hesperus: that I'm attempting to initiate. in any ways.

Lex Hesperus: This decan. Uh, Kira Ryberg in her book on the 36 Decans, the 36 Decans guidebook. The title is something like that.

Lex Hesperus: But Kira quotes Austin Coppock saying that. Or sorry, I wanted to say that Kira associates this deck in with the two of swords.

Lex Hesperus: So this kind of...

Lex Hesperus: weighing of two things. And Kira particularly notes that there's a trust. in appearing blindfolded.

Lex Hesperus: even when You know, no one else is depicted on the card, but there's there's an amount of trust in being. blindfolded. So Kira. in their guide her guidebook Quotes Austin Coppock.

Lex Hesperus: about this Deccan saying legal proceedings and commerce are essentially about balance between two entities. Indeed, peace or strife between individuals is what determines social order, and consensus is the very root of the law.

Lex Hesperus: Fairness and reciprocity must underlie all friendships and romances if they are to last.

Lex Hesperus: Kira continues to say, about this decan. It's here we see all of the different qualities of the space come together. In Libra we find ourselves focused on the topic of relationships, primarily how the self relates to and opposes the other.

Lex Hesperus: We learn how to balance differing viewpoints as this Deccan emphasizes the importance of taking other perspectives into consideration. We see how someone uses their intuition to successfully navigate relationships of all kinds.

Lex Hesperus: whether they're platonic, romantic or amongst buyer and seller. In LibraOne, we see the marketplace as We see the marketplace act as a landscape for human interaction and an opportunity to profit from your crafts and handiwork.

Lex Hesperus: We see someone come face to face with the struggle for social harmony and what is actually fair for everyone involved. In this space, there's a tendency to focus on what is just and right.

Lex Hesperus: Whether that be through hearing someone else's side of the story, compensating someone for their goods and labor. ensuring peace in the midst of a bustling environment, or holding someone accountable for their actions.

Lex Hesperus: I think this is a really... Interesting. Way to look at. this decan. tying the this space.

Lex Hesperus: and the

Lex Hesperus: systems that support our society. not only to the ability to do commerce, but to our relationships, the ability to relate with trust and confidence with one another.

Lex Hesperus: These are really important things that rely on us having some level of Recourse. whether that is a justice system, whether it is some sort of consensus decision -making. These things are required.

Lex Hesperus: However, the thing that Hey. Really need to think. Clearly. and discerningly about bring a lot of intellect, and impartiality to is what are these systems actually do the systems that we have in place actually Serve us.

Lex Hesperus: do they actually facilitate this kind of reciprocal exchange? I think it's worth. Especially... Looking at that. use of the word consensus in the quote from Austin Coppock.

Lex Hesperus: because If consensus is the very root of the law, Does it look like we live in a society right now where there's consensus?

Lex Hesperus: Does it look like we live in a society right now where other perspectives are taken into consideration?

Lex Hesperus: Does it look like... We live in a society right now.

Lex Hesperus: Where? We talk about, we are able to talk about what is just and right. rather than just assuming what is right is either what already exists or whoever is the most powerful, meaning the most violent.

Lex Hesperus: Or... I mean I suppose we could also say meaning whoever has the most money. particularly since we're thinking about commerce here.

Lex Hesperus: you know we can talk a lot about commerce versus capitalism and the exchange of money outside of you know systems uh the dominant system of exchange that we live under currently, right? Does that seem like a system? that is serving justice.

Lex Hesperus: These are actually the things that... Libra is... very well attuned to think about. And...

Lex Hesperus: Also, From. ancient times

Lex Hesperus: is hamstrung. is... is inhibited in. seeking understanding about this.

Lex Hesperus: This goes back. This isn't just A Libra problem. Right. it also relates to our understanding of Libra's ruler, Venus.

Lex Hesperus: Venus. Aphrodite.

Lex Hesperus: Many scholars convincingly relate Venus Aphrodite to earlier goddesses like Inanna. who were goddesses of love and war. i Just to name two resources on this, Bettany Hughes's book.

Lex Hesperus: Venus in Aphrodite is great. Paul Friedrich's The Meaning of Aphrodite. I love that book so much. But. Also a great resource on this.

Lex Hesperus: Venus. If we think of Venus not just as a goddess of. beauty love peace these nice things that we tend to associate that tend to give us this very facile.

Lex Hesperus: the PSYOP. understanding. of. Libra.

Lex Hesperus: Venus. Especially in Libra, right? Libra. Libra has swords, right? It's that two of swords Libra. Libra has opinions and those opinions have weight and they have something that will back them up.

Lex Hesperus: Right. It's like.

Lex Hesperus: the Kind judgment of the amenities. is backed up. by the fury of the Erinyes.

Lex Hesperus: So Venus. In Libra especially, asks. What do you love? Enough. to fight for. You don't have to fight for it. necessarily.

Lex Hesperus: but you need to know what you love enough. that you will. Like. There will be fisticuffs. if necessary. Right. And that is the balance of Libra.

Lex Hesperus: When the Libra is not balanced we get the vacillating we get the frivolous we get the unsure right? Okay. when backed up.

Lex Hesperus: by the potential fury.

Lex Hesperus: That is. impartial. That is discerning. That is. The thing that brings the reciprocity. and balance to the relationship.

Lex Hesperus: Venus.

Lex Hesperus: Libra. Separated. from the sword.

Lex Hesperus: is not able to actually bring that balance

Lex Hesperus: And so...

Lex Hesperus: Forth.

Lex Hesperus: Some food for thought. for this Libra season. I don't wanna make these episodes too long. So. let's get to some some actual things that we can chew on as the sun moves through libra

Lex Hesperus: If Libra is impractical, It is because Libra seeks justice. If we malign... Libra's seeking of justice as impractical.

Lex Hesperus: as That's not fair. That's not equitable. That's not equal.

Lex Hesperus: How convenient. for systems that profit. that benefit from oppression and inequality. that That is seen.

Lex Hesperus: as impractical, unrealistic and frivolous. And so. I think. What? is worth considering.

Lex Hesperus: this Libra season. is the Somewhat trite. Somewhat. simplistic. but very necessary.

Lex Hesperus: Classic. Be realistic. Demand the impossible. If you've been in organizing spaces for any amount of time, you've almost certainly heard this. If you are new to this.

Lex Hesperus: This is a really common phrasing in radical spaces. where people are talking about the world they want to see. what they'd like to see and there's often an impetus of like, oh, that that feels like too much. It feels like too much to ask. I can't imagine that much changing.

Lex Hesperus: but it's the only realistic option. It is the only thing that balances the scales, is the impossible. so This Libra season.

Lex Hesperus: Ask yourself. What do you love enough to fight for?

Lex Hesperus: And what do you love enough?

Lex Hesperus: to fight to see in this world.

Lex Hesperus: What will you choose to be realistic about? Where will you choose to demand the impossible?

Lex Hesperus: And I think that's all I've got to say today. Thank you so much for tuning in. You can catch me, Lex Hesperus, as the Lex Hesperus on social media. you can book.

Lex Hesperus: uh astrology readings i'm an astrology coach. I help folks connect to their true desires and find their freak so that they can embody their fates. If that sounds rad, reach out. If you liked this episode...

Lex Hesperus: Write a review, leave a comment, tell me what you thought. If you've got questions. I would love to respond to them. Thank you so much for tuning in. This has been The Slut's Guide to Fate.