Polarity: Yin and Yang
Element: Water and Fire
Rulership: debatable. Scorpio is generally associated with Lilith.
I personally believe that she is ruled by Scorpio & exalted in Sagittarius.
There are four Liliths (or technically three -- one with two calculation methods) but Black Moon Lilith is what I will be referring to in this post; this is the “primary” or “most important” Lilith, which is most closely associated with the myth and traditional archetype. The other Liliths have separate connotations & require different interpretations.
Black Moon Lilith is essentially (equal to) the lunar apogee. In other words, the Black Moon is the point in the moon’s orbit when it is farthest from the earth. There are two ways to calculate it -- “True” Lilith refers to the accurate calculation, and “Mean” Lilith refers to the average (smoothed) calculation. True Lilith is used most commonly, as many astrologers believe accounting for the wildly oscillating orbit of the lunar apogee reflects the uncontrolled nature of the archetype & energy of Lilith itself.
The Rejected Eve. The Dark Mother or anti-mother, the “Shadowed” (corrupt) Madonna. The Harlot, the Provocateur, the (sexual) Pariah, the Unwoman, the Woman King. The Vampiress, the Demon-Goddess or Demon Queen, the Mother of Monsters. The Witch, the Enchantress, the Mistress or Temptress.
Lilith is not about “evil,” Lilith is about deviance.
She represents exactly what we are not supposed or allowed to be, particularly if one is punished or rejected for being it. She is the “Joan of Arc” of social and sexual roles -- for everyone, but especially women. She is the untamed subversion of female limitations, and the mother of feminine rebellion.
Above all, Lilith is a symbol of self-ownership and self-creation, regardless of stigma, standards, & rules. Shamelessness and defiance define her.
The figure of the “Dark Mother” or “Demon-Goddess” is one of the oldest archetypes; there have been many different impressions of her throughout history -- all incredibly rich in detail, diversity, and significance. Many astrologers subscribe to the Biblical mythology of Lilith, which affirms that she was the first woman created by God. She was produced the same way Adam was (from dirt or clay), but she refused to submit to him as God had intended. As a result of that, she was exiled from the Garden of Eden, and God replaced her with a new woman (Eve, this time created from Adam’s rib). Her eternity would be spent wandering the earth. In some versions, she fled Eden of her own volition, and God sent angels to retrieve her but she refused to submit to them as well. She then “became a demon who murdered infants and gave birth to monsters.”
The majority of the myth’s manifestations are highly negative in that way. She is almost always depicted as a demon or a witch, with destructive connotations where marriage, sex, and children are concerned; some romanticize the idea of her, some are deeply afraid of it, but the foundation of Lilith remains relatively consistent: she denies or is denied something, and this changes her radically. More importantly, it changes others’ perception of who she is. Whether she found freedom or corruption in her decision is not the point -- what matters is the fact that her choice is the crux of all that she is defined to be.
Lilith’s energy is raw, self-motivated, willful, subversive, tempestuous, and wild. Impulse and tact are unified under a singular all-important goal: liberation. Nothing matters more to Lilith than personal freedom.
-- She is associated with:
Seduction, lust, sexual hedonism, temptation.
Sexuality, especially female sexuality. Non-traditional sexual acts or orientations, subversive sexual roles, fetishes, controversial or “deviant” behaviors, taboo sex acts, dark fantasies & urges, hidden sexual needs, unhealthy desires, harmful desires, or desires that are deemed unnatural.
Hidden needs in general, unnatural or uncommon psychological characteristics, emotional complexes, mental wounds, unhealthy expression of emotions (or emotional repression). Separation from the original self; trying to remove or defy or transform a part of oneself, changing parts of the self that were inborn or built in childhood, disowning personal structures. Defying or radically changing one’s nature, or radically accepting one’s nature.
Female power, female self-knowledge, female rebellion. Crimes & wrongdoings against women; crimes & wrongdoings committed by women. Oppression of women; structural or personal harm of women & girls.
Dark or toxic motherhood. Unhealthy mother-child relationships. Abusive mothers. Abuse in general, either physical or emotional, especially which targets the autonomy of a person. Manipulation and deceit.
Individuality, self-expression, and unapologetic assertion of identity, especially in the face of oppression, alienation, and slander or disgrace as a result of it. Self-ownership, independence, and free thought. Aspects of a person which are rejected and outcast by society; the components of what makes a person unique but also that make it difficult to integrate; whatever prevents others from accepting someone as part of a community. The isolation that comes from being “irreconcilably” different.
The more broad societal themes of rebellion (especially those which veer into political rather than personal territories) are not very close to Lilith’s core energy, but they do loosely relate to what she represents, particularly when it comes to women’s rights. Some of the most negative associations are less about what Lilith creates, and more about what Lilith has the power, resilience, & strength to endure. Lilith can have harmful manifestations, however.
In the natal chart, the primary themes are alienation/rejection, individual freedom, and sexuality. She is the part of us that is demonized for being different or for not conforming to what is demanded & expected. She is the part of us that questions our priorities when we are faced with two options: stifling integration or lonely individuality. She is the part of us that chooses singularity over acceptance, and which would rather make her own way alone than sacrifice autonomy for the safety found in adhering to repressive social structures.