I had the concept for Libra in my mind before I ever conceived of the zodiac project. You see, I'm a bit of a history buff; I actually went to university for Archaeology and Anthropology! One particular era of interest to me is Ancient Egypt, the Pharaohs, and their pantheon of many deities. Anubis, the jackal-headed god of the afterlife, is my personal "patron saint". I even have two tattoos of him in full canine form on my forearms!
Anubis weighed the heart of the deceased upon the scales of balance in the Egyptian underworld. The heart was placed on one side of the scales, and a delicate feather, representative of Ma'at, or the goddess of truth and justice, on the other. If the person's heart proved lighter than the feather, then they would be welcomed into the paradise of the afterlife. If, however, their heart was heavy, it was thrown to the monster Ammit, part lion, part hippo, and part crocodile, who devoured the heart and any chance of eternal salvation. Quite the bedtime story!
I wanted to depict Libra, "The Scales", as Anubis, in an Ancient Egyptian/horoscope crossover piece. I did not intend to model myself for this one originally, but long story short, here I am in a self-portrait. I'm actually a Pisces, but I do have quite a few Egyptian tattoos! I used the timer on my camera to take several photos, and had Kristen and Sharon assist me with lighting and poses. I have to admit, my ankles were a little sore after holding this pose for so long in those sky-high heels!
Libra
I am holding a beautiful set of pewter and crystal scales I found at a yard sale long ago. There's an ostrich feather in the one cup, and a juicy, bloody heart in the other, of course. We really like attention to detail on our team, after all. Are you wondering with just a bit of dread from where we got the heart? Of course you are, or there'd be something amiss! Not to worry, it isn't real. It's just an extremely well done replica made by Kristen Holloway. I believe she used tinfoil, among other materials, to create a human heart that looks quite realistic. This prop will show up in exquisite detail in some future photoshoot, I'm quite sure. I was going to post a closer look at it, but I think I'll keep it a bit mysterious for now. We've already got other ideas pumping through our veins. Sorry.
There are seven stars for the 7th sign of the zodiac, and I chose colours of blue and gold as they seem to be favoured colours for Libra. I did remove a LOT of my own tattoos (in post-processing!) to replace them with a pretty gold Libra symbol. That was great practice in patience and skill!
The "B-Side" image has much more gold and Anubis features much more prominently. As Libra is an air sign, my hair is blowing slightly.
Anubis & The Scales (Libra)
The calendars are almost sold out now. When they do, I will take preorders for one final batch before the new year arrives. Thank you so much for your support.
LIBRA - SEPT 23 - OCT 22
Model, Photography, Editing, Wardrobe, Set Design: Sarah Chisholm
Hairstyling, Make-up Artist, Assistant: Sharon Lytle
Heart replica, Assistant: Kristen Rex Holloway
