Libra (Northern Hemisphere)

In the Northern Hemisphere, Libra is the first month of Our Zodiacal Hellenistic Mystery Calendar, which begins on the first Noumenia on or after the Autumnal Equinox. In ancient Greece, this month was named according to the chart below.

Athens	Delphi	Delos	Rhodes	Sparta
Pyanepsion	Heraios	Apatourion	Thesmophorios	Herasios

This is the first Energizing month, representing the natural law of Movement, which is under the rule of Hestia: It is Hestia's fire that fuels Movement and brings an Energizing force to the beginning of the year, to our Soul, and to the Universe. As a microcosm of the Universe, this month represents the celestial sphere of the Moon, which is the first step on the ladder of ascension.

In the myth of Herakles' Labors, the first level of the Soul's purification and ascension is His task to kill the Nemean Lion; the Lion itself is a stand-in for the subconscious sabotage one unknowingly subjects oneself to. The Nemean Lion is so strong, the destructive power of unchecked behavior is so effective, that to handle it with tools is futile. It is only when Herakles strangles the Lion with His bare hands that He is able to defeat it, and only when He conquers it with its own claws, its own methods of attack, that He is able to retrieve its pelt and display this mastery for everyone to see.

Festivals in Libra

Proerosia

Proerosia was held on the 6th of the month in Athens.

Day	City	Name	Deities Honored	Description	Notes
6	Athens	Proerosia	Demeter	Celebrates upcoming Harvest season	Date uncertain, usually agreed as the 6th - See Paian
7	Athens	Pyepsia	Apollo, Helios, Theseus	Celebrates slaying of the Minotaur
7	Athens	Oskhophoria	Dionysus, Athena Skira	Mourns death of Aegeus
7	Delphi	Alkesippeia	Apollo	Funded by and named after Alkesippos	Date uncertain - See Pytho
8	Athens	Theseia	Theseus	Commemorates re-burial of Theseus at Athens
9	Athens	Stenia	Demeter, Persephone	Celebrated with mock obscenity and insults	Celebrated exclusively by women
9	Delphi	Herois	Semele	Celebrates rescue and apotheosis of Semele	Held once every 8 years; date uncertain - See Pytho
10	Delphi	Heraia	Hera	Initiations of women, women's footraces	Date uncertain, speculated to be 10th - See Pytho
11-13	Athens	Thesmophoria	Demeter	Mourns the loss of Persephone
19-21	Athens	Apaturia	Zeus Phratrios, Athena Phratria, Dionysus	Private "brotherhood" festival by and for the phratries of Athens	Date uncertain - See Paian
Final day	Athens	Khalkeia	Athena Ergane, Hephaestus	Rest from work