Libra II: Bondage, Binding & Breaking
By Shahir Suprasensory
Have you ever made a mutual promise to someone and it turns out they broke the agreement?
What is your relationship to broken promises?
What if you were the ones breaking the promise?
Regardless of our reasons and circumstances, breaking oaths and betraying promises - no matter how big or small - are parts of the storytelling of our lives. These are important questions and ethics whenever we cultivate all forms of partnerships (Libra), whether platonic friendships, romantic relationships, professional partnerships, or even contractual ones.
In 36 Faces, Austin Coppock coined the Libra II Decan as ‘Two Links of a Chain’ where “weak links are exposed, but so is the true heart revealed.” To extend the prescribed imagery suggested by Coppock for this astrological face is important because this decan is not just about the dealing between the two parties (links) - there is a third party involved here, which is the binding itself - the chain. Thus, it is unsurprising that this face is ruled by Saturn, the planet of boundaries and binding, reward and suffering, duty and longevity. Coppock notes that in this face we “encounter a priest presiding over a marriage, binding together.” Here, the role of the priest is likened to the role of the binding itself - the power to bring things together as much as the power to break things apart.
Remember, the zodiac sign of Libra deals with the balanced beauty of promises fulfilled in any relationship (diurnal domicile of Venus) and the endurance of consequences from these fulfillments (exaltation of Saturn). A Venus-Saturn dance of devotion and duty to our promises.
As a Jupiter in Libra II person, I have always loved exploring the dynamic between opposing and complementing forces, and while writing about this holy decan of ours, a technique came about to interrogate this face’s relationship with that of other cardinal signs: Aries II, Cancer II, and Capricorn II, respectively. After all, Saturn rules this face of Libra, and Saturn is known for its methodology of refusal and denial of what it is not, while Venus loves the process of harmonious weaving and delicate balancing with other ideas. The segments below will explore the dynamics of these decans with Libra II as the anchor:
Aries II opposing Libra II
The Aries II decan is the place where the Solar royalty is exalted in the 19th degree of Aries, where the individual agency receives their reputational crowns & ideals through Marsian conquering force and Solar unique popularity or notoriety. Thus, the Libra II decan represents the opposing Venusian and Saturnian forces that seek to create an opposing equilibrium of such power accumulation of any single entity. Libra II is a balancing act, the checks and balances, a reminder that our personal desires and actions are always relational in nature (Venus) and inherently consequential with time (Saturn).
On the international stage, we can witness how heads of state often sign agreements and treaties with each other to maintain the equilibrium of international law and justice, and to protect human rights. For example, recently in July 2024, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) made a landmark ruling that Israel’s occupation of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, is unlawful, along with the associated settlement regime, annexation, and use of natural resources. Concurrently, while the deliberation of this historic ICJ ruling was made, the transiting South Node of the Moon (Ketu) was in the final phase of the Libra II decan. The current solar eclipse in Libra will occur in this decan - thus it would be telling if the themes of Libra II decan will be amplified with the themes of ongoing violations of trust and breaking of laws by the apartheid state of Israel. On another note, we have also witnessed how the birth chart of the establishment of the United Nations with 12 degrees Jupiter in Libra (Face 2) has become important over the past year of genocide in Gaza and Occupied Palestinian Territories, the ongoing genocide case against Israel by South Africa, and now escalation of violence in Lebanon.
Similarly, we could witness the opposing dynamic between these two decans of Aries II and Libra II, with the role of United States veto power in the Security Council. According to the Council of Foreign Relations, the United States has historically used its veto power to protect Israel from Security Council decisions, with approximately one-third of its negative votes since 1972 applied to resolutions critical of Israel. One could argue how the absolute veto power amongst the permanent 5 member states (Aries II) can facilitate the breaking of oaths and contracts in the international laws (Libra II), despite majority voting consensus. Yet, we could also argue that there is an underlying promise made between the United States and Israel - that has yet to be broken (Libra II).
Cancer II overcoming square to Libra II
The dynamic between these two middle decan of Cancer (cardinal water sign) and Libra (cardinal air sign) is something to be admired and nurtured. Here, we can think about the associated tarot cards correspondence of these faces: the 3 of Cups with the 3 of Swords, between the Lord of Abundance over the Lord of Sorrow. We cannot discuss the topics of bonds and binds without discussing the role of Cancer - the primordial matrix of creation, the original bond of existence.
Oftentimes, our relationships with oaths and promises are determined by our childhood relationships with our parents, caretakers, and guardians - how they kept their promises with us or each other. This is because the mutual openness and open-heartedness of the 3 of Cups make way for a trustworthy dynamic between a person and their environment - strengthening the bonds of trust.
The Cancer II overcoming square to Libra II nature is obvious in this dynamic because we tend to keep our promises whenever we know there is a significant emotional bond at stake, like a relationship nurtured through mutual security and protection of our lives.
Alternatively, we can think about the importance of trust in any exploration of kinks like bondage, the state of being physically restrained in a sexual play. Be it being tied up, chained, put in handcuffs, you name it - the consensual act of being controlled or subjected to another person’s actions takes so much deep trust in the other person(s).
Unsurprisingly, the presence of safe words between people create an environment of trust in our quests for mutual pleasures. These two decans interplay the safeguarding and symbiotic communication (Mercury as the decan lord of Cancer II) and erotic boundaries negotiation (Saturn as the decan lord of Libra II).
In 36 Secrets, T. Susan Chang proposed the idea of an “abundance mindset” in thinking about the 3 of Cups tarot card. Chang notes that a “scarcity mindset is a recipe for human misery.” Perhaps, the antidote is an “abundance mindset… there is more than enough for everyone.” From my point of view, an abundance mindset also helps to cultivate deeper trust between parties and acts as a deterrent from betrayals. Thus, solidifying the binding between two people. Similarly, we could view the Libra II and Cancer II faces in terms of sustaining monogamous and non-monogamous relationships. An abundance of love mindset, open communication, and exchanges of relational needs between two or more people make way for healthy commitments - preventing betrayals and breaking of promises.
Conclusion: Libra II and Capricorn II
To conclude everything that has been written above, I’ve been thinking about the role of promises in terms of collaborative power with these two decans: how our oaths can propel synergic actions; how our promises restrain us from the act of betrayal of one another. These two decans, Libra II and Capricorn II, are the places and spaces where we practice what we promised - the transference of airy words into earthy actions.
Both of these signs have a relationship with Saturn, Libra being the exaltation place of Saturn and Capricorn being her nocturnal domicile. We can reflect on Saturn’s relationship with history, extremity, suffering, and colonial legacy.
The dynamic of the “broken promises” and “unequal power” with the history of conquering of Indigenous lands by settler colonial states, the history of slave trade and modern-day slavery, all have become the building blocks of our current oppressive-extractive-capitalist systems, impacting our society and the trust we have in each other.
How we trust power, money and materiality over ethics and relationships, how international laws have been broken without accountability, remorse or impunity, how elected leaders often make empty promises to their people without any consequences, and how broken promises and betrayal of oaths, make way for the breaking of innocent lives, the breaking of ancestral lands, the breaking of ecosystems, the breaking of societal order, the breaking of the world… and how vicious the cycle of broken promises could be to our collective futures.
To end this decan with its Venusian and Saturnian power, think about how the beautiful process of collaborative ideas, the equilibrium distribution of power & agency, and the effort & commitment to promises kept by the roles of each party create a different reality and relational legacy to be in this world.
At the core of it all, the Libra II decan speaks to the cause and effect of unbreakable vows. If you were to make 3 unbreakable vows between you and the world you are in right now, what would those 3 promises be? Let us know in the comments! Take care ~
About the Author
Shahir (they/them) is a queer Muslim astrologer and love devotee diviner, currently based in their homeland Malaysia. Their diviner role as a freelance tarot reader & astrologer accelerated as a means of survival in New York City when they were studying for their MPA in human rights at Columbia University. They write on their substack 'love as origin, love as destination, love as intermediacy' and they have appeared on multiple astrology and spiritual podcasts with their communities.
Consultation: https://suprasensory.as.me/schedule.php
Writing: Suprasensory
Playlist of Guest Appearances: Spotify
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