Which Zi Wei Dou Shu star is Libra? Even a Libra can have a blunt Life Palace
Libra birthdays fall in the eighth or ninth lunar month, about half each. The table below shows which two branches the Life Palace usually lands in for each birth hour.
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Libra: where your Life Palace sits by birth hour
| Birth hour | Life Palace usually in |
|---|---|
| Zi (23–01) | You 51%, Xu 49% |
| Chou (01–03) | Shen 51%, You 49% |
| Yin (03–05) | Wei 51%, Shen 49% |
| Mao (05–07) | Wu 51%, Wei 49% |
| Chen (07–09) | Si 51%, Wu 49% |
| Si (09–11) | Chen 51%, Si 49% |
| Wu (11–13) | Mao 51%, Chen 49% |
| Wei (13–15) | Yin 51%, Mao 49% |
| Shen (15–17) | Chou 51%, Yin 49% |
| You (17–19) | Zi 51%, Chou 49% |
| Xu (19–21) | Hai 51%, Zi 49% |
| Hai (21–23) | Xu 51%, Hai 49% |
Counted from one chart for every day and double-hour, 1950–2009; not population data. Life Palace stars are spread almost the same for Libra as for every other sign: about 8% for each of the 14 main stars and 16% empty (see all twelve signs).
Which of these is yours? Draw your chart to find out.
Libra is usually described as fair-minded, keen on harmony, good with people, with an eye for beauty and a hard time choosing sides. Look at the same late-September and October birthdays through Zi Wei Dou Shu (Purple Star Astrology), and the Life Palace might hold easygoing Tian Tong, Qi Sha, who simply sets off, or Ju Men, who has to ask until things are clear. In Zi Wei terms, a Libra can be any star.
The short version:
- Libra starts at the Autumn Equinox. Converted to the lunar calendar, Libra birthdays fall in the eighth or ninth lunar month, about half each.
- In Libra, each of the fourteen main stars sits in the Life Palace 8.3–8.4% of the time, and the palace is empty about 16.5% of the time. That count uses one chart for every day and double-hour from 1950 to 2009, and the other signs come out much the same.
- Once you know the lunar month and your birth double-hour, the Life Palace's branch is fixed. The star inside still depends on the lunar day and the Five Elements Bureau.
- The form above casts your chart; the Life Palace star lookup gives just the main star.
What Libra is in Zi Wei Dou Shu
Libra begins at the Autumn Equinox, the "middle" solar term of the eighth lunar month. On the chart the eighth month sits in the You palace and the ninth in Xu, and Libra birthdays split between the two: about 50.6% in the eighth month, 49.4% in the ninth. The sun signs overview covers how signs map onto lunar months in general.
Where Libra meets the lunar calendar most vividly is the Mid-Autumn Festival. The equinox always comes around September 23, but the lunar day it lands on shifts from year to year, so the fifteenth day of the eighth month sometimes comes before it and sometimes after. Of the sixty Mid-Autumn days from 1950 to 2009, 29 fell in Libra and 31 were still in Virgo. In 1987 the festival was on October 7, a Libra day; in 1995 it was on September 9, a Virgo day.
In Zi Wei Dou Shu both are simply the fifteenth of the eighth month. The Life Palace count starts from the eighth month's You palace, so at the same double-hour the Life Palace lands on the same branch: born at the Yin hour on either day, it is in Wei. A different sign, the same palace position. Which star sits there depends on each birth year.
One day, twelve double-hours
October 12, 1984 is a Libra birthday, the eighteenth day of the ninth lunar month. Here is one chart for each of its double-hours:
| Double-hour | Life Palace | Main stars | Bureau |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zi | Xu | Po Jun | Fire 6 |
| Chou | You | Tai Yin | Metal 4 |
| Yin | Shen | Zi Wei, Tian Fu | Metal 4 |
| Mao | Wei | Zi Wei, Po Jun | Earth 5 |
| Chen | Wu | Tian Ji | Earth 5 |
| Si | Si | Empty (borrows Lian Zhen, Tan Lang) | Wood 3 |
| Wu | Chen | Tai Yang | Wood 3 |
| Wei | Mao | Tian Ji, Ju Men | Fire 6 |
| Shen | Yin | Tan Lang | Fire 6 |
| You | Chou | Empty (borrows Tai Yang, Tai Yin) | Water 2 |
| Xu | Zi | Qi Sha | Water 2 |
| Hai | Hai | Tian Tong | Fire 6 |
Ten main stars take a turn in the Life Palace that day, plus two Empty Palaces. The ones that miss out are Wu Qu, Lian Zhen, Tian Xiang and Tian Liang. The last three hours of the day run back to back, from 5 to 11 p.m.:
- You hour: Empty Palace, borrowing Tai Yang and Tai Yin. With no main star in the Life Palace, the chart is read through the palace opposite. People like this read the room well and show a different side to different people. Of the three, this is closest to Libra's knack for striking a balance.
- Xu hour: Qi Sha. Qi Sha is the general star: decisive, independent, quick to act once its mind is made up. This Libra rarely goes back and forth between two options. While everyone else is still talking it over, this one has already left.
- Hai hour: Tian Tong. Tian Tong is the star of contentment: mild, cheerful, wanting a comfortable life and no quarrels nearby. In this Libra, the love of harmony shows clearly.
Six hours apart, three people share a birthday. One adjusts to the room, one goes out in front, one just wants everyone to get along. All three are Libras, and each one puts the famous sense of balance somewhere different.
Common Zi Wei types among Libras
The fourteen main stars get roughly equal turns in a Libra Life Palace. Among the stars that missed out on that day, a few sit especially far from the Libra image:
Wu Qu in the Life Palace: a Libra who looks at results first. Wu Qu is the wealth star: practical, decisive, good at getting things done. This Libra makes decisions quickly and cares more about whether the job gets done and the numbers add up than about keeping everyone comfortable.
Lian Zhen in the Life Palace: a Libra with a firm inner ruler. Lian Zhen has charm and strong principles. This Libra handles people well, yet keeps likes and dislikes clearly apart, and won't agree with both sides just to keep the peace when a personal line is crossed.
Tian Liang in the Life Palace: the Libra who makes the call. Tian Liang is the sheltering star: mature, fond of reasoning things out, used to looking after the people around it. Libras are said to struggle with choices, yet this type is the friend others go to when they can't decide, and the advice comes out plainly.
On the other hand, a Libra with Tian Xiang in the Life Palace will find the sign and the chart saying similar things. Tian Xiang is the seal star, fair-minded and good at smoothing things over, often the one who keeps a group working together.
How to find your Life Palace
Look up your hour in the table above to see which two palaces are in play. The star inside only shows up on a full birth chart, which the form casts for you; for the main star alone, the Life Palace star lookup is quicker. If you don't remember the time, a birth certificate or hospital record often lists it to the minute.
FAQ
What star is a Libra in Zi Wei Dou Shu?
No main star is tied to Libra. Charting in Zi Wei Dou Shu never uses the sun sign; the star in your Life Palace comes from your lunar birth day, your hour and your Five Elements Bureau. Count one chart for every day and double-hour from 1950 to 2009, and each main star lands in a Libra Life Palace 8.3–8.4% of the time, with the palace empty about 16.5% of the time. All fourteen are possible.
Where is a Libra's Life Palace usually?
It depends on the birth hour. All twelve branches show up among Libras, but once you know the hour only two remain: Zi hour gives You or Xu, Mao hour Wu or Wei, Wu hour Mao or Chen, You hour Zi or Chou, about half each. The deciding factor is whether your birthday falls in the eighth or ninth lunar month. The eighth month gives the first of each pair, the ninth the second.
Libra is ruled by Venus. Does Zi Wei Dou Shu have a Venus star?
No. Zi Wei Dou Shu places its stars on the chart by formula, from your birth year, month, day and hour, rather than by where the planets actually stood. There is no Venus among them. Even the two main stars named for the Sun and Moon, Tai Yang and Tai Yin, are placed by lunar day and Bureau, not by the real positions in the sky.
Libras care a lot about relationships. Which palaces show that in Zi Wei Dou Shu?
It depends on the kind of relationship. The Spouse Palace covers love and partners, the Friends Palace covers friends, coworkers and collaborators, and the Siblings Palace covers brothers and sisters and very close companions. The Life Palace shows your own habits with people: someone with Tian Xiang there likes to mediate, someone with Ju Men wants things talked out. You need your own chart to see the stars in these palaces; they don't follow from your sign.
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Other signs
This is the general reading. On your own chart it shifts with the stars' brightness, the San Fang Si Zheng and the year you are in.
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