Crossword Genius

In astrology his life is in the balance (6)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

libran

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'in astrology his life is in' is the definition.
I know nothing about this answer so I can't judge whether this works.

'balance' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite understand how this works, but
'balance' could be 'libra' (the Scales in the zodiac) and 'libra' is present in the answer.
A single letter 'n' remains which might be clued in a way I don't understand.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

'the' is the link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for libran that I've seen before include "in one House" , "Person born under Sign of the Scales" , "One born between a Virgo and a Scorpio" , "One born Sep 24 - Oct 22" .)

I've seen this clue in The Globe and Mail.
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