The Astro Post

An Overview

As we begin October, we are cooling down from a fiery Aries Full Moon in September that illuminated our individual desires and need for independence. With this idea of independence in mind, at the beginning of October, a deep and intense review of our relationship and values follows with Venus Retrograde in Scorpio. A little over a week into October we have the New Moon in Libra. New seeds are planted, inspiring new changes in the way we relate, or new people/relationships in our life showing up (who may seem more familiar due to Venus Retrograde). Meanwhile, with all this relationship-oriented energy, we are reconciling with own individual desires, creative impulses, and personal ambitions. With Saturn and the South Node continuing their transits through the fire signs of Aries and Leo, respectively, there is an ongoing, long-term refinement of our individual impulses taking place, which may clash with our relationships and close emotional bonds this month. Tough decisions will be made in our relationships, but on the other side is rebirth and renewal. And once the Sun enters Scorpio and we fully shift into Scorpio season towards the end of the month, deep and powerful transformations continue. The Full Moon occurs 2 days into Scorpio season and Pluto squares it, amplifying the intensity. Buckle up!

Transiting Planets

The Sun

We begin October in the middle of Libra season. With the Sun in Libra a focus is shown on relationships, love, and beauty. We may feel an impulse toward social harmony and personal exchange with others.

• Self vs Others: This may be met with some friction with Saturn in Aries opposing the Sun at the beginning of the month. Saturn in Aries wants to work on our self and personal ambitions in a selfish manner. The Sun in Libra opposing Saturn asks us to remember that other people exist and that maybe there is a way for our personal ambitions to be integrated with others or in partnership. The Sun and Saturn may also highlight our struggle with others limiting our personal freedom.
• (Potential) Exit Ramp: Jupiter in Leo sextile the Sun softens the tension and may give us “an out” if we can warmly express ourselves in a fun and playful manner and saying what’s true in our heart.

Lunations and Season Change

• New Moon in Libra: However, within the midst of all of this, new beginnings and new developments within relationships, or new relationships themself are taking place. The New Moon on October 10^th highlights and reflects these new impulses to create social harmony and balance.
• Shift to Scorpio: We fully plunge into the depths of our being on October 23^rd when the Sun enters Scorpio. At this point, Mercury and Venus would have already been in Scorpio for some time, giving us hints of Scorpionic energy in our heart and mind. But once the Sun enters Scorpio, we fully embody the fixation on our deepest feelings and emotions, focus on what will bring a deep feeling of security, and lean our most intimate bonds.
• Full Moon in Taurus: Not too long after entering Scorpio, on October 26^th, we have a Full Moon in the sign of Taurus illuminating our need for self-reliance. With the Full Moon in Taurus, we are being reminded of our own personal values and how we can find our own stability and peace amidst all the chaos. Pretty close by, we have Pluto in Aquarius squaring this Full Moon, roping in the capacity for possible deep, transformative insights and understandings. Full Moons also indicate endings or separations, and Pluto is here to push things over the edge to their extreme conclusion.

Mercury

With the Sun in Libra and Mercury in Scorpio, we may be getting to the bottom of things regarding our relationships. Thinking and communicating from a deep, sub-surface level is suggested this month. This is a great time to observe, process, and try to understand stored emotions that we’ve held onto. Or a good time to deeply penetrate complex topics with steadfast intensity.

• Tense Conversations: Mercury forms a square aspect with emotionally detached and objective Pluto in Aquarius. And also forms a square aspect with fiery and passionately expressive Mars in Leo, adding more fuel for intensity. This configuration may also suggest some tense and conflict-laden conversations.
• Relationship Analysis: Mercury will also join up with Venus retrograde in Scorpio, further cementing the intense conversations we may be having within relationships. Venus retrograde generally calls for relationship review of the past, but joined up with Mercury, the review becomes analyzed and realized on a mental/communicative level. In the sign of Scorpio, we are perhaps facing some deep, dark, or complex truths about our values and relationships.
• Going Back to the Past: Towards the end of the month Mercury itself also goes retrograde, reaffirming the theme of going back to the past, slowing down, and reviewing what’s been lying under the surface. Also bringing under review our emotional hangups, and what’s going to bring a feeling of deep assurance regarding our survival needs.

Venus

Venus continues her transit through Scorpio at the beginning of October and enters retrograde on the 3^rd.

• Relationship Review: Venus retrograde brings back people from our past or inspiring thoughts about people that we almost forgot about. Within our relationships she’s bringing to the surfacing past emotional dynamics- further reinforcing Scorpio’s tendency to brood over past emotional content. Venus is putting our relationships under deep and intense review to effect death and subsequent metamorphosis. Things may get rocky and unstable with matters of the heart being in the volatile and complex sign of Scorpio.
• Venus’ Rebirth: On October 23^rd, Venus sits in the heart of the Sun, bringing clarity, rebirth, and revitalization as she shifts into becoming the morning star. Clarity and revitalization of what we love, and value may bring notable shifts to our relationships and how we connect with others. Pretty soon after her rebirth, Venus steps out of the highly pressured sign of Scorpio and journeys back into her light and airy home of Libra, for the rest of the month. Venus-morning-star has a clearer picture of what it values, and in the sign of Libra the scales may tip more toward what we individually desire if there has been an imbalance of meeting others’ expectations and ideals over our own.

Mars

Mars had just freshly entered the sign of Leo at the end of September and will continue his transit through this sign the entire month of October. Mars in the sign of Leo is energizing our impulses for creative expression, joy, and hedonistic pleasures. Mars makes a plethora of notable contacts with the other planets this month.

• Explosion of Words: Immediately there is friction with Mercury and Pluto which may create tense and argumentative communication that seeks to get to the bottom of something. Pluto is here stoking the flames of Mars’ anger, while Mars is triggering Pluto’s explosiveness. Poor Mercury, the ruler of our communication, is caught in the middle of it.
• Active Imagination: Neptune is here to support the Mars-Leo creative impulses by influencing Mars with a vivid and colorful imagination, and support for deep immersion within our joy and pleasures. Spontaneous ideas and thoughts from Uranus in Gemini may also excite Mars in Leo’s creative-expressive flair. That explosion seen earlier with Pluto can be channeled in to creative/imaginative writing.
• Love vs Freedom: A few days later, Mars forms a square with Venus retrograde in Scorpio. Mars wants to act on its creative and joyful desires, while Venus is currently going through an intense review of values and relationships. This can generally indicate friction in our relationships where we might be at a crossroads with a partner or others and where tough decisions or actions need to be made.
• Mars’ Refinement: A week later Saturn stabilizes Mars’ actions and creative impulses via a trine aspect, while Mars supports Saturn’s personal ambitions and desires. This sets the stage for Mars’ continued transit through Leo next month in November where he will conjoin Jupiter and the South Node. Jupiter is beginning to affirm, help, and expand Mars’ impulses while the South Node is beginning to help Mars cut his excesses and re-direct his energy towards the right targets. Also, with the South Node’s influence- past anger and conflicts that are not serving us anymore may begin to crop up wanting to be released and let go of.