October begins inside the murky waters of multiple retrogrades. Mercury, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Pluto are all on backwards journeys, and it may be difficult to find traction or make decisions. This feeling is exacerbated by multiple planets transiting through spacious, indecisive Libra. On the bright side, this is a potent time to go inward and recalibrate our minds, hearts, and relationships. With intention and care, we can pause before deciding which path we will forge.

Mars makes strong appearances during this month’s lunations. We are working to heal our clarity and anger so we can move forward with Mars’ confidence and Libra’s grace and self-forgiveness. Libra teaches us to make space for all—to harmonize with any discord that arises and to love ourselves just as we are. Meanwhile, Mars makes himself heard, ensuring we stand our ground with courage and strength. How can we simultaneously embody gracious Venus and assertive Mars?

When Jupiter and Mercury station direct on October 18, clarity abounds. Until this point, we’ve been working to recalibrate our minds and beliefs, restoring justice and harmony as we go easier on ourselves. Chiron opposes Mercury as he stations. We are healing any aggression that’s been seeping through our words and thought patterns, moving forward with gentle confidence and vulnerable strength.

By the end of the month, the Sun and Mars will shift into Scorpio, calling us to dive deeper, transforming our shadows into wisdom and strength. Until then, we are learning to have compassion for ourselves—to balance our prickliness with acceptance and peace, and to retain our individuality as we finally come together in unity and cooperation.

LIBRA NEW MOON

The Libra New Moon arrives on October 6, conjunct with Mars at the same time that Pluto stations direct. This is a powerful opportunity for a fresh start around relationships. We can set intentions to step into greater peace and togetherness while we regain confidence and control. We are learning to pick our battles, to self-soothe and assuage our prickliness—even toward ourselves. How can we feel our own strength and independence while making space for those we love? How can we find balance between exerting our will and desires while also accommodating another’s? Negotiation and diplomacy are key as we continue to hold our ground and honor our own experience. 

MERCURY CAZIMI

A Mercury Cazimi takes place in Libra on October 9. This occurs at the mid-point of Mercury’s retrograde cycle, when the planet falls in the heart of the Sun—the tightest conjunction possible. This is a time for epiphanies and sudden insights. The hearts and minds are aligned—our intellect is in union with our inner child. 

MERCURY + JUPITER STATION DIRECT

Mercury in Libra and Jupiter in Aquarius station direct on the same day, our logical and intuitive minds restoring clarity and forward momentum. With Jupiter retrograding through Aquarius, we’ve been recalibrating our belief systems, seeing where we’ve gone awry as a collective. With Mercury retrograding through Libra, we’ve been learning to get along and speak with greater diplomacy and thoughtfulness. Can we agree upon shared ideals, releasing extremist and paranoid views? Can we find our center and sanity? After this period of adjustment, we might find it easier to communicate without our tempers flaring, or misunderstandings undermining otherwise loving connections. 

ARIES FULL MOON


The Aries Full Moon arrives on October 20, interrupting our newfound equilibrium. As this fiery lunation forms, we may experience bursts of anger and disagreement. It’s time to apply what we’ve learned throughout Mercury retrograde and Libra season, going inward to remember our peace. Mars, the ruler of Aries, is squaring Pluto, and our inner children are throwing tantrums, making sure that they are heard so we don’t stay stagnant. Our primal desires and instincts are lighting up, showing us what we’re yearning for, while helping us take leaps toward attaining it.

THE SUN + MARS ENTER SCORPIO

The Sun and Mars enter Scorpio on October 22 and 30, respectively. We are beginning a powerful alchemical journey, after establishing a foundation of self-acceptance. What fears have been holding us back, preventing deeper intimacy, even with ourselves? We are learning how to have healthy confrontation, which is possible when we join our heads with our hearts, meeting each other while standing in courageous truth and unconditional love. 

October Summary 

The astrology of October begins in the midst of hazy recalibration. Most of the planets are either retrograding or clustered together in Libra, sign of balance and harmony. When a planet retrogrades, its backwards motion beckons us into deep reflection and review. It’s not the time to be impulsive or to catapult onto new trajectories. Rather, we can consider where we’ve gone wrong—where our minds, hearts, and relationships have been out of alignment. Libra is a relational planet, ruling love, so we are focused now on where we’ve been caught in disagreement and contention. The Libra New Moon offers us a fresh start around all types of relationships, while the Aries Full Moon elicits our desires and individualism—while possibly flaring our tempers. Overall, the theme this month is balance. How can we stand strong in our confidence, healing our self-denigration and self-doubt, while generating more acceptance of ourselves and others? We are learning to get along, to become more diplomatic as we stand up for what’s fair and just. We are understanding better when we should hold our ground and when we should retreat. We are easing our paranoia and the belief that there is some evil enemy outside of ourselves. The astrology of October reminds me of something a Buddhist teacher said at my first meditation retreat: “As a spiritual practitioner, the first misconception to fall away is the division of the world between friends and enemies.” I couldn’t think of a better summary of the lessons in store for us this month. As the planets station direct, our minds, hearts, and intuitions will begin to clear. We will quicken our pace as we walk down inspired new paths as fresher versions of ourselves.

OCTOBER ASPIRATION

Like the colorful leaves jostling in their final dance, may we enjoy the winds of Libra’s acceptance before Scorpio’s deep surrender. May we feel the confidence to sit up straight and relax, our hearts open more fully because we finally trust ourselves.

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