October begins in the throes of firestorms and triggered nervous systems. The planets are keeping us on the edges of our seats, with ample plot twists and abrupt change. These are not the typical energies of Sun in Libra, who usually inspires diplomacy, romance, and inaction. However, Libra is up-leveling this month, offering her highest lesson—to master paradox. This month teaches us that to find balance and harmony, we must first allow messiness and confrontation. We can accept all sides of being human equally—kindness and anger, humility and arrogance, elation and repulsion. We can love all of who we are, and extend that to others, assuaging our habitual self-loathing, conflict, and addictive pulls.

With Mars retrograding in Aries until November 13, we are all in the cauldron together, reflecting on our anger and inner masculine, feeling the intensity of our passions and boiling blood. What good can come from our anger when we acknowledge it, rather than repress it? How can we harness our passion and courage to slice through confusion, oppression, and manipulation? With the Libra Sun in the background, fairness, justice, and love are infusing our every move. We can be both angry and full of compassion. There’s wisdom in both, and together, they can lead to inspired action.

Meanwhile, Mercury retrograde is ready to cause trouble, sparking chaos, paranoia, and confusion. Shocking news and conversations will likely pepper our reality until November. The key is to stay grounded and limit the information we absorb and how we absorb it. With the North Node in Gemini, we can form alliances with people we trust and bounce ideas off them to determine what is true. The future is in our hands, and it’s our responsibility to be measured, fearless, logical, and heart-centered. We can choose peace within ourselves and from there, step up to fight for justice, sanity, and democracy.

Aries Full Moon

An Aries Full Moon arrives on October 1, offering the chance for resolution in the midst of crisis. Mars, ruler of Aries, is forming a harsh square to Saturn and Pluto—the planets responsible for this year’s great collective upheaval. We’re experiencing deep triggering now, our painful patterns emerging in loud, unavoidable ways. While these energies may feel frustrating or regressive, their purpose isn’t to punish us. They’re amplified now so that the Cosmic Sword can slice through our addictions, fears, anger, abuse, and paranoia. We can now clear old karma and move into the next phase of our evolution. Chiron, the Wounded Healer, is conjunct the already agitated Aries Full Moon. With our wounds surfacing, we may feel raw, vulnerable, and even tired. Are we worn out from all of our fighting? Have our inner children finished their tantrums? Gentleness and diplomacy are key, as the Libra Sun reminds us to practice acceptance and love. We can embrace all of who we are, feeling unconditional empathy for even our prickliest parts. 

Pluto Stations Direct

Pluto stations direct on October 4, after retrograding since the end of April. He has been ramping up our shadows, forcing us to undergo intense inner work and self-honesty. As he begins moving forward again, he’s ready to continue to destruction our old ways so we can birth a new paradigm. All that’s falling away is no longer useful, and we have no choice but to surrender and open to personal and collective transformation. A T-Square begins to form as Pluto stations direct, lasting from October 7–20. A struggle for power is underway that is deeply karmic. In our relationships and the world, tensions are high. It’s time to be fearlessly honest and loving, while not backing away from truth or confrontation. We can dismantle external blame, and notice that forgiving ourselves makes us less charged, more tolerant of others, and better able to establish harmony and peace.

Mercury Retrograde

Mercury begins his retrograde on October 13, in Scorpio for the first two weeks, then returning to Libra for the final week. The retrograde begins opposite to always shocking Uranus. This means that secrets, truth, and revelation may now emerge, striking like lightning bolts, though in a haze of confusion. We won’t be able to find clarity until later on. We’re invited to undergo a deep internal dive, slowing down to observe the chaos around us. This could help us process the dramas and surprises that are now unfolding, interpersonally and on the public stage. We can remember that resolution may not come until after November 3, when Mercury stations direct—Election Day in the U.S. It’s worth noting that the election results may not be clear until after Mercury exits his shadow on November 19.

Libra New Moon

The Libra New Moon arrives on October 16, igniting a T-square with the Sun, Mars, and the transformative Pluto-Saturn-Jupiter conjunction. Relationships are challenged now. We’re learning to confront each other in healthier ways, with both kindness and honesty. With Pallas working alongside the stellium in Capricorn, the key is to strategize and problem-solve. We can blend our feminine wisdom with logic and warmth. The more we are able to hold two opposing states at once—insanity with sanity, kindness with cruelty, feminine wisdom with logic and warmth—the more likely that peace and harmony can prevail. We’re all everything, and the more we can neutralize the charge of our emotions, the more we can heal the divisiveness in our hearts and the world.

Taurus Full Moon

We end the month with a second Full Moon, this time in Taurus on October 31, Halloween. This Moon is conjunct Uranus, which means that the month will end as it began, with a bang of profound catharsis, powerful change, and alchemy. Our internal and external worlds are shifting rapidly, and anything is possible. It’s important to carry forward the lessons of Libra from earlier in the month—recalibrating so that whatever emerges cannot threaten the core of our being. Luckily, the Moon in Taurus helps us ground and stabilize, no matter the shockwaves rippling around us. As we walk this painful path with courage, we are able to establish peace and justice, as we heal and empower our inner feminine. We are rebelling against the past, patriarchy, and materialism, disrupting oppressive systems so we can find a new road to a more inspired, egalitarian, and utopian future. With death comes rebirth. With surrender comes profound opening.

October Summary

October is a chaotic month of upheaval, surprise, and potential conflict. Anything can happen as the planets mix things up and lead us toward the final chapter of closing the old paradigm to begin anew. This month, Mercury begins his retrograde opposite to shocking Uranus, while Mars Retrograde forms potent squares to Jupiter, Saturn, and Pluto, forcing us into painful but necessary triggering and purification. The Libra Sun holds a golden key as we move through the fires—offering balance and gentle guidance by teaching us to embrace paradox and nuance. We are all shadowy creatures with kind hearts, capable of anger and horror on one hand, and generosity and meekness on the other. How can we allow and forgive all of who we are, then extend that to others? It’s up to each of us to dissolve the divisiveness, paranoia, and fear that have been instilled in our hearts. We can apply our intelligence and compassion to discern what is true and what is not, and each time, return to sanity and ground, to empathy and growth. This journey isn’t easy, but awakening never comes without an initial struggle, which only lasts as long as we hold our grips tight. We can step up as warriors, with resilience, tenacity, and tender hearts, as we muster the courage to leap into the Great Unknown.

Surrounded by changing leaves, may we step onto life’s twisting roads with resilience and courage, always trusting our unfolding. May we embody compassion, intelligence, and discernment, stilling our minds and connecting to eternal peace, as we determine our next steps forward.

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