Daily Horoscope:

Relentless drive powers your journey. Emotions are volatile today. Warning: May cry at commercials. This especially affects your communication style. Frustration levels: Teenager who just got grounded. This especially affects your beliefs and learning. Boundaries? Never heard of her. This especially affects your communication style. Lunar Influence: Gemini's wind stirs Aries' fire words carry flame, and curiosity burns through assumptions. Together they explore without pause, but must learn stillness to hear truth.Solid foundations support your efforts. Boundaries? Never heard of her. This especially affects your values and resources. Emotions are volatile today. Warning: May cry at commercials. This especially affects your values and resources. You're emotionally constipated today. Let it out. This especially affects your values and resources. Lunar Influence: Gemini dances across Taurus' fields seeking stories in stillness. Here, the mind must rest long enough to feel, and thought becomes sensation’s guide.Sharp insights light your way. Your mind is expansive today. Big ideas! Some of them might even be good. This especially affects your daily routines. Your thinking is clear and organized. Are you feeling okay? This isn't normal. This especially affects your daily routines. Foot, meet mouth. Lunar Influence: Gemini mirrors Gemini a hall of thoughts, infinite and dazzling. But wisdom emerges when reflection becomes integration, and thought finds silence.Warm sensitivity lifts your journey. Boundaries? Never heard of her. This especially affects your spiritual side. Emotions are volatile today. Warning: May cry at commercials. This especially affects your spiritual side. You're emotionally constipated today. Let it out. This especially affects your spiritual side. Your mind is expansive today. Lunar Influence: Gemini whispers to Cancer ideas meeting emotions. In this pairing, logic learns empathy, and the mind begins to speak from the heart.Playful energy shapes your actions. Emotions are volatile today. Warning: May cry at commercials. This especially affects your social connections. Frustration levels: Teenager who just got grounded. This especially affects your creative pursuits. Boundaries? Never heard of her. This especially affects your social connections. You're emotionally constipated today. Lunar Influence: Gemini fuels Leo's fire with imagination. Together they perform the dance of creation, where ideas shine and stories inspire.Clear efforts mark your way. You're emotionally constipated today. Let it out. This especially affects your career ambitions. Your mind is expansive today. Big ideas! Some of them might even be good. This especially affects your communication style. Frustration levels: Teenager who just got grounded. Lunar Influence: Gemini and Virgo twin minds ruled by Mercury. One dances, the other dissects. In their unity, thought becomes craft and brilliance finds purpose.A lovely calm shapes your course. You're emotionally constipated today. Let it out. This especially affects your beliefs and learning. Frustration levels: Teenager who just got grounded. This especially affects your communication style. Your thinking is clear and organized. Are you feeling okay? This isn't normal. Lunar Influence: Geminis quicksilver tongue charms Libras grace. Together, they write poetry into relationships, and discourse becomes a kind of devotion.Resilient strength guides your soul. Emotions are volatile today. Warning: May cry at commercials. This especially affects your inner transformation. Frustration levels: Teenager who just got grounded. This especially affects your values and resources. Boundaries? Never heard of her. This especially affects your inner transformation. Lunar Influence: Gemini's chatter touches Scorpio's silence. This is the meeting of surface and soul. Words may skim, but truth dives deep.Bold quests fuel your journey. Your mind is expansive today. Big ideas! Some of them might even be good. This especially affects your spiritual side. Boundaries? Never heard of her. This especially affects your relationships. Emotions are volatile today. Warning: May cry at commercials. This especially affects your relationships. Lunar Influence: Gemini meets its cosmic mirror in Sagittarius curiosity seeking wisdom. They journey together through mind and meaning, learning to teach and to listen.A steady force defines your day. Emotions are volatile today. Warning: May cry at commercials. This especially affects your daily routines. You're emotionally constipated today. Let it out. This especially affects your daily routines. Frustration levels: Teenager who just got grounded. This especially affects your spiritual side. Lunar Influence: Gemini sparkles against Capricorn's stone. Ideas demand form, and time becomes teacher. In this exchange, fleeting thought finds enduring voice.Unique insights guide your spirit. You're emotionally constipated today. Let it out. This especially affects your creative pursuits. Your thinking is clear and organized. Are you feeling okay? This isn't normal. This especially affects your career ambitions. Foot, meet mouth. Mouth, meet foot. It is a whole dance. Lunar Influence: Gemini and Aquarius electrify mind meeting mind. Here, ideas bloom like lightning, and the air is thick with invention.Mystic energy flows through you. Boundaries? Never heard of her. This especially affects your home life. Your mind is expansive today. Big ideas! Some of them might even be good. This especially affects your beliefs and learning. Emotions are volatile today. Warning: May cry at commercials. Lunar Influence: Gemini brushes Pisces' dreams with language. Thoughts drift into visions, and logic surrenders to wonder. Meaning is found not just in words, but in their echoes.

Libra Birthstone:

Peridot (pronounced pair-a-doe) is the gem variety of olivine. Peridot is the birthstone for August and the Zodiac stone for the constellation Libra (astrological sources refer to peridot as Chrysolite). Peridot is associated with the values of fame, dignity, protection, and success.

Olivine, which is actually not an official mineral, is composed of two minerals: fayalite and forsterite. Fayalite is the iron rich member and forsterite is the magnesium rich member. Olivine's formula is written as (Mg, Fe)2SiO4 to show the substitution of the magnesium and iron. Peridot is usually closer to forsterite than fayalite in composition although iron is the coloring agent for peridot. The best colored peridot has an iron percentage of less than 15% and includes nickel and chromium as trace elements that may also contribute to the best peridot color.

Gem quality peridot comes from the ancient source of Zagbargad (Zebirget) Island in the Red Sea off the coast of Egypt; Mogok, Myanmar (formerly known as Burma); Kohistan, Pakistan; Minas Gerais, Brazil; Eifel, Germany; Chihuahua, Mexico; Ethiopia; Australia; Peridot Mesa, San Carlos Apache Reservation, Gila County, Arizona and Salt Lake Crater, Oahu, Hawaii, USA. The best quality peridot has historically come either from Myanmar or Egypt. But new sources in Pakistan are challenging that claim with some exceptional specimens. The Arizona gem material is of lesser quality, but is far more abundant and is therefore much more affordable. An estimated 80 - 95% of all world production of peridot comes from Arizona. The Myanmar, Pakistani and Egyptian gems are rarer and of better quality and thus quite valuable approaching the per carat values of top gemstones. Possibly the most unusual peridot is that which comes from iron-nickel meteorites called pallasites. Some are actually facetted and set in jewelry.

Peridot is perhaps derived from the French word peritot which means unclear, probably due to the inclusions and cloudy nature of large stones. It could also be named from the Arabic word faridat which means gem. In either case, peridot has been mined as a gemstone for an estimated four thousand years or better, and is mentioned in the Bible under the Hebrew name of pitdah (see Biblestones). Peridot gems along with other gems were probably used in the fabled Breastplates of the Jewish High Priest, artifacts that have never been found. The Greeks and Romans referred to peridot as topazion and topazius respectively and this name was later given to topaz, to end the confusion with the two gems. Historical legend has it that peridot was the favorite gemstone of Cleopatra. Pliny wrote about the green stone from Zagbargad Island in 1500 B.C.. Even until recently jewelers have used the term "chrysolite" (latin for golden stone) in referring to peridot gems for some reason. This term has also been used to refer to other gemstones, of a more golden color.

Zagbargad (Zebirget) Island has been known as St John's Island and was mined for centuries. Before World War I, this island was extensively mined and produced millions of dollars worth of gems. Since then the mining has been off and on and at present is all but nonexistent. Still, specimens from here are available at times and it certainly is a classic mineral locality.

Throughout time, peridot has been confused with many other gemstones, even emerald. Many "emeralds" of royal treasures have turned out to be peridots! And although peridot is distinctly a different shade of green, many jewelers refer to peridot as "evening emerald". Emerald is a dark green as opposed to a yellow green and always contains inclusions. Other green gemstones confused with peridot include apatite (which is much softer); green garnets (have no double refraction), green tourmaline and green sinhalite (both of which are strongly pleochroic), moldavites (no double refraction) and green zircon (significantly heavier). All of these gemstones rarely have as nice a yellow component to their green color as does most peridot, but darker green peridot can be confusing when good crystal form is not discernible.

Peridot is a beautiful gemstone in its own right and is widely popular. Its popularity is said to be increasing yearly and with new finds in Pakistan producing exceptionally well crystallized specimens, peridot can be fun to collect for years to come.

Olivine has the same overall composition as the Earth's mantle, and thus can be considered to be the most common mineral INSIDE the Earth (the 1600 mile wide solid iron core is second). In a sense then, peridot may be by far the most common gemstone. Some volcanoes, including Hawaii, occasionally produce sands which are composed of transparent green grains of peridot. On the Big Island, the sands mostly appear black except on a beach near the southernmost tip of the island.

Element: Air
Ruling Planet: Venus
Life Pursuit: To be consistent
Vibration: Unsteady
Secret Desire: To live an easy, uncomplicated life.

Description:

Every adolescent Libran's fantasy is to find the Prince or Princess of their dreams. As their lives unfold, the experiences, false starts, dramas, broken hearts and disillusionment they encounter seeking this personal Holy Grail, often shapes their futures in the most extra-ordinary manner. Love and love-lost makes a big difference to the Libran although their often happy-go-lucky appearance against all kinds of odds may not reveal this as fact.

Librans can switch off from the world around then and during these periods much more occurs on the deep innermost levels of the Libran's psyche, than their closest companions imagine. Many Librans after establishing a lifestyle that somehow falls short of their childhood dreams, manage to conjure up a most independent life and keep up an image of being dedicated to a "close relationship". They can escape into obscure role playing - and often this makes them extremely successful business people. When it comes to romance and love, Librans can be difficult to fathom yet in business many Librans discover they can not only be creative, but it provides an opportunity to express the more diverse sides to their personalities. Their charm can win jobs and provides powerful friends. But in both work and play, looking for peace and harmony, Librans often say "yes" when they should be saying "no".

It is a sad fact about many a Libran's personal or business lives to say - many would have faired far better had they remained alone! But for those Librans who do find their secret dream and meet up with their Prince or Princess, that's another story! You'll find them living in some exotic, distant beautiful place, probably running the local bar or restaurant, designing the beach or ski gear, looking wonderful, sipping cocktails and finding life to be the total paradise they knew it could be. What Librans always have to remember when looking to fulfil their dreams is they should never undermine their own integrity and hold out until their dreams do come true - not simply take whatever is offered.