Astrology for October
The fall evening skies are striking. Bright Jupiter hangs in the southeast with dimmer Saturn to the left. You can imagine the invisible Pluto in between them. Fiery Mars rises around 8:00 pm in the East, continuing to rise and travel the heavens through the night. As Saturn and Jupiter set to the West, Venus rises, around 4:00 am. In those early morning hours you can see the Pleiades and Aldebaran in the Taurus constellation, following in a line below, the 3 stars of the belt of Orion to bright Sirius shining beneath.
Oct 1 – Full Moon in Aries – This Moon is known as the Harvest Moon. The Harvest Moon is the full moon closest to the Fall Equinox, helping to light up the hours during harvest. The full moon in Aries quickens our pace. We come into a dynamic polarity of Sun in Libra, diplomatic and relational, while the Aries quickens interaction and the need to follow our own impulse. This is a cardinal sign full moon, so initiative and beginnings are in play. While Mars retrograde warns us to deliberate and be mindful of how we connect with the inner warrior.
Affirmation – “I value my own intuition as well as being fully present to what and who I am relating to. In so doing my consciousness grows.”
With Mars retrograde in Aries, we are well advised to watch our reactive self. We also observe in others any unchecked, or intended impulses, to dominate, aggressively assert, and fight. Any pushing aggressively forward with the negative traits of Mars, polarizing, blaming forcing, pushing, will not go well. (Did anyone watch the debates? More on the politics in my monthly talk). Where are annoyances, frustrations, or anger rising? How can we find balance and directness at the same time? Mars can be polarizing or individualizing. How do we engage with it? With Mars retrograde we do best by observing and being very conscious of our impulses and intentions as they arise. We review how we are using our ability to direct our course with courage and intention. During this time, we can reconnect with our power to act and review the best ways to take conscious action, honoring our deeper values.
September 30 to Oct 1 – Retrograde Mars in Aries squares Saturn in Capricorn – We are all embedded in the powerful energies of these times. When Mars, the planet of action and assertion, squares, meaning is in tense interaction, with Saturn, the planet of structure, and contraction, we experience this as “Standstill”. We can’t move forward in the way intended. (Classic example is the aftermath of the debates, nobody wants that to take place again!) Are you exhausted, overbooked, feeling overwhelmed? For us, it is a call to slow, to refocus, and review our long term goals, to adjust our actions, or perhaps our performance or delivery. We give ourselves space and time to feel into, in order to understand a deeper need or calling.
Over the next three weeks, we are moving through a very challenging time. We are reminded that the larger purpose is to initiate new beginnings, to transform the structures that have shaped our perceptions, our systems, economies, our education and government. (Watch Our Social Dilemma).
Oct 4 – Pluto goes direct. We are being cooked! Everything seems to be up and intensified. What can you let go of? Can you tune into a deep drive, a deep soul desire? How can you use this time to support its development?
Oct 6 – Mars closest to the Earth, bright, fiery, retrograde… makes a big impact
Oct 9 through Oct 18th – continues the intensification of Mars squaring Pluto and Jupiter as well as the Sun squaring Saturn and Pluto. Battles intensify. The politics heat up and things that have been hidden are exposed.
Affirmation – “I take good care of myself, keep centered, and act from a place of my deepest values. I am aware I am walking through a time when our country is disrupted and manipulated. I will educate myself and understand the root intentions of the material I am reading.”
Oct 13 – Mercury in Scorpio goes retrograde until Nov 3rd, the day of the election when it goes direct 9:50 am PST, 12:50 pm EST, opposing Uranus through the 21st.
Mercury in Scorpio fetters out secrets, and is investigative. The planet of the mind and quick thinking, deepens in Scorpio. At its best it has penetrating insight. Yet Mercury in a water sign can be highly influenced by emotions and passions. Ask yourself, am I seeing clearly? The influence of Mercury retrograde becomes the trickster energy, upsetting routines, plans, and technology, like a wild card that dashes into our lives and rearranges things. This tendency is heightened as it opposes Uranus, the disruptor. With Uranus, we are being encouraged to breakthrough our habituated mind and open to innovative possibilities, to think outside the box. Often this pair in opposition can manifest as uncertainty, when nothing is pinned down. With Mercury retrograde it is time to review our ways of thinking, our rational, to observe and understand the intensity of passions so stirred up in this time of elections and divisiveness.
Oct 16– New Moon at 23 Libra squares Saturn and Pluto – The New Moon in Libra highlights the sign of balance, harmony and relationship. How can we establish new intentions around relatedness and presence with each other? How can we bring calmness and peace to these fiery and radically uncertain times? This is a very potent New Moon for our country and therefore for each of us. Could it be around the time that the new Justice is appointed or reviewed, or perhaps the William Barr’s, October Secret? This New Moon highlights the tremendous battle going on in our country between values and whether the old paradigm will prevail, based on endless growth, trickle down economics, and denial of the Earth and environmental challenges we now face. Will we be able to envision new ways of being and systems, acknowledging the profound interrelatedness in which we live?
Affirmation – “Calmness is my state of mind, courage fuels my actions, clear vision directs my course”
Oct 19 – Mercury opposes Uranus – Now the trickster energy, upsets routines, plans, and technology, like a wild spirit dashing into our lives and rearranging things. This tendency is heightened as it opposes Uranus, the disruptor. With Uranus, we are being encouraged to breakthrough our habituated mind and open to innovative possibilities,
Oct 22 – Sun enters Scorpio – We move from the turning point of Libra into the depths of watery Scorpio. With the Sun in Scorpio we experience our sensitivities. Transformations take place.
Oct 31 – Halloween, Full Moon at 8 Taurus– The second New Moon in the month is a Blue Moon, This is also known as the Hunter’s Moon. Halloween is the contemporary holiday of the ancient Celtic New Year, Samhain, the day when the veils were the thinnest between the worlds. This full moon in earthy Taurus is conjunct radical change Uranus. Uranus moves us beyond the conditioning of the society in which we are embedded. Einstein opened to Uranus when he rode the beam of light into the realization of e=mc2. The Earth is asking us to open to the possibilities of Uranus by re-attuning to the aliveness of the earth, to nature’s intelligence, to reinvent this world and transform our perception of who we really are. Let’s use this new moon to seed our hunting for the solutions and healing of the Earth’s dying species and fallen forests.
Affirmation – “I reinvigorate my values of honoring this Earth, listening, seeing, and touching its wisdom. I learn from the Earth”
Politics and global situation
This fall is a peak time of intensity and conflict. The politics is dug in, and highly competitively, especially as seen with the ramming (a good Mars in Aries word) through of Judge Amy Coney Barret. With Mars now squaring Saturn, Jupiter, and Pluto in Capricorn, from September 29 though Oct 18th, we are in for clashes and heated confrontations. We are challenged with political, social, ecological, and emotional crises. Pluto brings upheaval and intensifies, brings out power issues, reveals those hidden structures, (like Trump’s tax returns, and perhaps Barr and Durham’s report on the FBI investigate of Trump/Russia). The battle is intensified between the old and the new.
This is sure to be like no other presidential election. The competition will be fierce and the power to attack, especially by Trump, will be intense as Mars now aligns and gives energy to his Mars in Leo. This alignment also supports his tendency to do whatever he wants to show his power and his ability to dominate. This Mars seems to activate more compassion in Biden, with his sense that he is here to bring about healing and renewal. For Kamala Harris, (a Libra) the Mars in Aries activates the warrior in her, being on her Aries Moon and trine her Mars in Leo. Because the Mars retrograde continues through the election, it may well indicate that knowledge of who has been elected won’t be know for a matter of time. (For more on this join Susan on Oct 2nd for her monthly talk on Zoom.)
The Twelve signs and opportunities for October 2020: For Sun and Rising Signs
Aries (Mar 20-Apr 19): Pace yourself, dear Aries. With Mars, the Full Moon, and Chiron in Aries, squaring Saturn, Pluto, and Jupiter, the keyword here is to proceed with calm mindfulness. Walk like a warrior in the forests. Deepen into the silence that the warrior experiences as they merge with the present moment. Become more than you have been by shifting your sense of self. Imagine the preciousness of all life, the people you live with, yourself, all the life around you, and slow your responses. A rebirth is in the making.
Taurus (Apr 20-May 20): Taurus is known for being slow, stubborn, and needing their security. Kick that definition out the window, and redefine this earthiest of earthy signs. This is the power of the feminine, the Shekinah!!! Look at the Earth, its magic, its mystery, its intelligence, its beauty, it’s creativity. Uranus is in Taurus. Uranus is the awakener. It’s lightning. It’s Prometheus giving us the fiery creative force of fire. Re-imagine, like Einstein, the nature of this mystery we live within, and now re-imagine your life and habits. Mercury in Scorpio leads you into the deeper mystery. Now is the time!
Gemini (May 21-Jun 20): Dear Gemini, with Mercury now in Scorpio, you enter deeper waters. On October 13, Mercury goes retrograde, and takes you further into interior spaces. It explores the nature of your relationships. Be prepared for unexpected situations, and communications, or radical changes in how you perceive or understand others, or things in general. With this combination activating your sign, be alert to the trickster, to your dreams, to unexpected occurrences. Watch and listen to synchronicities. This month may enlighten you in ways that are extremely helpful.
Cancer (Jun 21–Jul 21): Dear changeable and deep feeling Cancer, October 1st is the full moon in Aries. It resonates with your cardinal, initiating energy but conflicts with your more protective energy. So in its honor, initiate something and trust your intuition. Talk to that deeper self that carries your inner passion. Ask it to show you the way. The planets of Saturn and Pluto in Capricorn have been a lot to carry, challenging you with steadiness and perseverance, with intensity of feeling, perhaps with loss and review of the past. This moon activates courage and a new sense of trust. Over the last number of years you have been cultivating resilience and knowledge. Celebrate this time by invoking the 4 directions. The call is for balancing inner and outer, masculine and feminine. It lays the way for your new direction.
Leo (Jul 22 – Aug 22): Dear Leo, there is a lot of courage and initiative now available to you, with Mars and the full Moon in Aries. Perhaps you have started something new. Now you are reviewing it. What have you learned? How do you want to participate in the next situation? Uranus in Taurus challenges you with the unexpected. Is it asking you to slow down, sending new opportunities, or just disrupting your life in unexpected ways? Honor any u-turns or new directions it brings to you. With the Sun moving through Libra, a special sharing of your love or creativity takes place this month. We are all being tempered on the heated anvils of Saturn and Pluto. Sometimes it feels like you aren’t moving fast enough toward your goals, and sometimes you feel the profound transformations taking place.
Virgo (Aug 23-Sep 22): Dear Virgo, Venus now enters Virgo. Perhaps you feel sweetness in your life, richness in your relationships, a deepening of values, and a refreshed creativity. Throughout the month it weaves together the planets in the Earth signs, Uranus in Taurus, and Jupiter, Pluto and Saturn in Capricorn, into a great triangle. Unexpected opportunities to create, to relate, flow smoothly into your life. Later in the month, more opportunities arrive, so pace yourself, with Venus aligning with Jupiter on the 19th. Even though the world is on fire, and in the battle for the soul of the USA, surround yourself with what you love, with your own creativity, and with the creativity of others. Drop into the powers of this feminine deity, the power of the arts that feed the soul. Here you experience restoration.
Libra (Sep 23-Oct 22): Happy Birthday, dear Libra. Be sure to take good care of yourself during these fiery, conflictual times. You may be especially tuned into the fiery Aries, especially as it channels through others. How can you best re-center yourself, balancing between your desire to harmonize with others and your need to honor your own needs? With your planet Venus entering Virgo on October 2nd, this is an excellent time to go into the studio. It’s a time to fine-tune your creations, as well work with your dreams. October 18th and 19th accentuate your imagination and is an excellent time for collaboration, teaching, and working with others. Relationships are enjoyable, so mark your calendar!
Scorpio (Oct 23-Nov 21): Mercury is now in Scorpio, bringing focus to your thoughts, studies and communications. When Mercury is in a water sign, one’s thinking is more easily influenced by feelings, and impressions. One can more easily, make assumptions, rather than communicate thought-out reflections. How can you utilize this tendency in its most beneficial way? Mercury in Scorpio wants to get to the deeper levels of truth, piercing through to what is behind the appearance of things. Penetrating and psychological insight is now available to you. With Uranus in Taurus opposing Mercury, sudden insightful breakthroughs take place. You may discover broader ways of perceiving and communicating. On the 13th Mercury goes retrograde, supporting any kind of editing, and revising of plans or communications.
Sagittarius (Nov 22-Dec 20): Dear Sagittarius, celebrate this full Aries Moon. Imagination that the wildness of this Harvest Moon channels itself down to Earth, and activates the free spirit within you. Being in nature gives you the appreciation of the mystery of this Earth and universe. Reconnect with the owls and the stars and especially with Jupiter high in the Southern skies at twilight. This is your birthright, this strong connection with the life force. Your planet, Jupiter, is approaching its final conjunction with Pluto. You are in the arms of transformative forces. Ask yourself, what beliefs no longer serve me? What behaviors or habits no longer serve me? How can I best be open to that which wants to express through me?
Capricorn (Dec 21- Jan 19): Dear Capricorn, look back to 2008 when Pluto entered Capricorn. Who were you then? You have been under the pressure of powerful forces of transformation. Then came Saturn at the end of 2017, holding you to examine your reality and asking you to embody yourself in new ways. There have been struggles and victories. Then late in 2019 came Jupiter, both intensifying situations and also bringing blessings, enlarging openings, and possibilities (and it still is). Now with Mars in Aries, retrograding and squaring your ruling planet Saturn, you are being asked to be patient. There is present a desire to breakthrough a stalemate, a desire to enlarge your world. Uranus in Taurus is working you. It wants to liberate your creative expression. And it will! Trust those fleeting or not so fleeting insights. Don’t talk yourself out of them.
Aquarius (Jan 20-Feb 17): Dear Aquarius, there is something extremely beneficial that has been cooking you during this pandemic. That stellium of planets in Capricorn have settled in your house of dreams and imagination. They have pulled you back in, and called you to the archetypal realm, to the deeper aspects of yourself, where you connect with all of humanity. Now with Mercury in Scorpio, the fruits of your contemplations are nearby. As Mercury opposes your planet, Uranus, in Taurus, your mind and creative powers are deep and your thinking profound. You’re hitched up to the revolutionary, highly inventive Uranus that breaks you into new dimensions of living. Have you moved lately, rearranged your study or house? The shift activates new insights.
Pisces (Feb 18-Mar 19): Dear Pisces, on October 2nd Venus will enter Virgo and travel through your house of partnership. It will sweeten your relationships with thoughtfulness and a desire to serve you in some way. What a wonderful time for collaboration. Throughout the middle of the month Venus will form a grand trine with Uranus in Taurus, Jupiter, Pluto and Saturn in Capricorn and oppose your ruling planet, Neptune. This is an excellent time to move into more expansive spaces of creativity, spirituality, or service. You set your sights on beauty and the ideal. With Mars retrograde be patient and thoughtful, taking your time as you build your creation or partnership.
Susan Heinz is a professional astrologer in Santa Cruz for 38 years, bringing together traditional & esoteric astrology, Tarot and Qabalah. For info on her Friday monthly astrology groups, her Qabalah, astrology and or, painting classes, and for personal consultations, call (831) 479-3751, or go to www.susanheinz.com.