October is a “7” Universal Month [10 (October) +6 (2022) = 16 = 1+6 =7] in a “6” Universal Year. This will give us a preview of 2023 which will be a “7” universal year. The number “7” is the number most concerned with spirituality and the mysteries which is in alignment with October (the hollows season) and even more specifically THIS October which will feature an eclipse new moon in Scorpio and the start of Mars retrograde. As we move further into the month, the energy will get progressively deeper. Some will like it while others will be very uncomfortable with these energies – it is always wise to remember that how your respond to what happens in your life is up to you – you are the driver of your own experience. October is a month to both take the wheel and give up the wheel – it will take a bit of discernment and attention to know which is in order at any moment in time.
The Set Up
We begin the month with our Sun and Venus in Libra, retrograde Mercury in Virgo, Mars deep in his shadow in Gemini, retrograde Jupiter in Aries, retrograde Saturn in Aquarius, retrograde Uranus and the north node in Taurus, retrograde Neptune in Pisces, and retrograde Pluto in Capricorn. Not that 6/10 planets start the month in retrograde, a sign that the energy signature of October may be dark and murky.
By month’s end, we will have experienced a lot of planetary movement – far more than average for a given month. The Sun, Mercury, and Venus will have entered Scorpio and retrograde Jupiter will have regressed from Aries back into Pisces. Additionally, Mercury, Pluto, and Saturn will have stationed direct and Mars will have stationed retrograde. This shows that things are going to happen rapidly throughout the month of October – that in some ways, life will look very different for many of us by the end of the month.
The Nitty Gritty
There will be no shortcuts through the month of October. The first weekend, 10/1-10/2, will be muddy and unpredictable. On Saturday, Venus (the ruling sign of Libra) opposes retrograde Jupiter in Aries – where Aries is aggressive, Libra wants to compromise. Neither sign wants to give ground here, either. This is further accentuated by the murky energy of Mercury standing still as they prepare to station direct on Sunday. With Venus and Jupiter involved, all eyes may be on love or money. This may be a good weekend to do something daring in a Venusian way (dress up, take in some art, be art) but watch out for overspending.
If you thought that Mercury stationing direct was going to open those closed doors, you may be disabused of this notion as we move into the first week of October. Mercury in Virgo is making a wide square with Mars in Gemini and here you see the strange overlapping wings of their two retrogrades. Here, in Mars’s pre-retrograde shadow, the two planets are square one another as before, during Mercury’s pre-retrograde shadow, they were before. Retrograde Neptune, opposed to Mercury and square to Mars, joins the fray to create a mutable t-square. Don’t expect to get a lot done, this has cosmic “pause” written all over it.
On 10/6 newly direct Mercury trines retrograde Pluto for the third time this retrograde cycle (and the ninth time that the two have made aspects during Mercury’s retrograde cycles this year). On 10/8, Pluto exits its retrograde phase at 26° Capricorn. This point has been important all year long – both Mercury and Venus’s retrograde cycles from January and February radiated out from this point and Mercury has returned to it with each of its subsequent retrogrades all year. Something in our lives, something symbolized by the last degrees of the cardinal earth sign of Capricorn (by house placement or aspect in your natal chart most likely) needs to change. Needs to die so that it can be reborn. Perhaps the pause is here to make space for this undoing.
Notably, this is happening under the waxing light of the Aries Full moon which peaks on Sunday 10/09 at 16°. An Aries moon wants to move but there is a lot here holding us back. Aries’s planetary ruler (Mars) is deep in his pre-retrograde shadow. Saturn in Aquarius and Uranus in Taurus are in a tight square to each other (again). As well as the general, stand still and be in thisness of the energy at large. Aries doesn’t want to sit still. Most Aries don’t even really want to go that deep. And that’s okay – the Aries journey tends to be one of outward exploration. That’s the feel, generally, of an Aries full moon – just know that this time, that feeling may exist but also feel thwarted in some fashion.
This is likely to be a sticky pain point for a lot of people (cardinal types especially) as the full moon will be closely conjunct to Chiron, our wounded healer. Expect some battles over Me versus Us to come up during this time as Aries and Libra’s opposing energies come to a head. It is wise to remember that whatever side you personally fall on this spectrum, your Others have the right to have their own position on it – even if it is one that inconveniences you. Libra season is inevitably a lesson in relationships of all kinds and this energy is dense.
The second week of October should be quieter but, given that two of the three transits of the week are with retrograde Saturn, quite heavy. The Sun in Libra trines retrograde Saturn on Tuesday 10/11 and Venus in Libra trines Saturn on Friday 10/14. Something may be holding us back. Or, looked at from a different perspective, maybe holding us together. In between these two dates, Mercury in Libra makes its final opposition with retrograde Jupiter in Aries as part of its post-retrograde journey – this will push the buttons between Aries’s natural independent spirit and the co-dependent tendencies of Libra. This energy has been a part of our Mercury cycle since August – there are compromises that need to be made but the overall planetary powers aren’t supporting the compromise.
Mercury exits their post-retrograde shadow on Sunday 10/16 which will remove some of the fuel from that fire. Mercury in Libra never WANTS a fight but is always willing to get in one in the name of fairness. Where are the concepts of fairness for everybody coming up in your own life?
The third week of October will be more focused on Mars and Pluto (through the lens of our Sun and Venus). Though the Sun and Venus don’t meet up in exact conjunction until Saturday 10/22, they will be moving neck and neck with each other all week long which will add a bit of ease and grace to our everyday lives. Both try hard to get along with Mars in Gemini through a sweet, sweet trine but Mars may be too deep into his shadow to listen. (both signs will meet up with Mars in many aspects throughout its long retrograde cycle so this will be coming up a couple more times over the next couple of months) Any time that Venus and Mars meet up, you can expect intimate relationship situations to rise to the surface of the collective. Libra wants everybody to get along but is not always happy with the way that Gemini seems to want to flit around and flirt with absolutely everybody. Additionally, Gemini is not as willing to compromise as they would like Libra to believe. The Sun meets up in trine with Mars on 10/17 and Venus on 7/18 – these are days to watch out for – they could go very well or very badly depending on the communication skills of yourself and your others.
Additionally. both the Sun and Venus will square off with Pluto in Capricorn on 10/19 and 10/20 respectively. This is going to bring it all back around to Venuses retrograde cycle back in December and January – there we were shown something about how we love, how we are appreciated, and how we go about attracting what we want out of life all need to be revolutionized in some tangible way. Egos may be high – though Libra likes to look calm and collected, they are also known for being highly egoic – especially where their relationships are involved. This is your cosmic reminder to all my Libra babes out there that you need to apologize sometimes, too, and that you actually have to express your desires if you want them to be actualized.
If you know, you know.
That weekend may be a thing. The Sun and Venus meet up on Saturday before transitioning into the sign of Scorpio hand-in-hand the next day. Additionally, Mercury in Libra makes a quick opposition with retrograde Saturn on Saturday. You may have a lot that you want to share with your Others, but this is a Show rather than a Tell sort of weekend. Mercury gets a bit stopped up by stern Saturn and you may find yourself at a loss for words. The energy is going to get dense and deep fast – the first eclipse of the season is merely two days later – so head for the shore if you think that you might get in over your head.
Enter Scorpio season to expose all of our shit. That’s what Scorpios DO, after all. Well, when they’re not secretly collecting it for a later date, anyway. (I saw this with nothing but love in my heart, Scorps, you are my OG so don’t @ me)
Our eclipsed Libra new moon at 02° on 10/25 will be tightly conjunct to Venus. It’s also worth noting Mercury will be both trine to Mars in Gemini (Scorpio’s ancient planetary ruler) and square to Pluto in Capricorn (Scorpio’s modern planetary ruler), and that Mars is deep in its shadow (it will retrograde by week’s end so is basically “standing still” in the sky during this lunar event). For more information specifically about this upcoming eclipse, you can check out this post that I wrote about it.
The cliff notes are that eclipses are points of fate; in this case, the Sun and Moon will meet up with our South Node in Scorpio which represents our backward facing of “past” fate. This means that this lunar event has both the energy of release (presented by the South Node) and bringing in (presented by the new moon).
Mercury in Libra trines Mars in Gemini on 10/26. Here we see that their two retrograde cycles are linked in some fashion, perhaps there is a lesson that Mercury needed to learn before Mars could take the actions needed to encorporate it into your life. Finally, Mecury squares off against Pluto in Capricorn on 10/27 which harks back to that first retrograde cycle of the year. What repeat lessons are coming back up? Do they need tending to or are they returning for deeper intergration?
Last but not least, Mars stations retrograde on 10/30 at 25° Gemini. This is a part of a bigger Mars cycle that will be in effect for nearly six months. All Aries and Scorpios are in the hot seat during Mars retrogrades since Mars is their planetary ruler and additionally, all Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, and Pisces who have a personal planet between 08°-25° as you will experience this transit by conjunction, square, or opposition three times as Mars moves back and forth across these degrees. I’ll talk more about Mars retrograde as we get closer but in brief, it is concerned with revising how we act outwardly in the world to get what we want. Things tend to slow down while Mars is retrograde and it there are often roadblocks to getting what you want or starting a new project. Mars will be retrograde until 1/12/23 and won’t exit his post-retrograde shadow until 3/15/23 so this is an energy that is here to stay for a while.
The Details
10/01 – Venus in Libra opposed retrograde Jupiter in Aries
10/02 – Mercury in Virgo opposed retrograde Neptune in Pisces, Mercury stations direct 24 Virgo
10/04 – mutable t-square (Mercury in Virgo, Mars in Gemini, Neptune in Pisces)
10/06 – Mercury in Virgo trine retrograde Pluto in Capricorn
10/08 – Pluto stations direct 26° Capricorn
10/09 – Full Moon 16° Aries
10/11 – Sun in Libra trine retrograde Saturn in Aquarius
10/12 – Mars in Gemini square retrograde Neptune in Pisces, Mercury in Libra opposed retrograde Jupiter in Aries
10/14 – Venus in Libra trine retrograde Saturn in Aquarius
10/16 – Mercury exits its post retrograde 08 Libra
10/17 – Sun in Libra trine Mars in Gemini
10/18 – Venus in Libra trine Mars in Gemini
10/19 – Sun in Libra square Pluto in Capricorn
10/20 – Venus in Libra square Pluto in Capricorn
10/22 – Sun conjunct Venus 29° Libra, Mercury in Libra trine retrograde Saturn in Aquarius
10/23 – Sun enters Scorpio, Venus enters Scorpio
10/25 – Eclipsed new moon 02° Scorpio
10/26- Mercury in Libra trine Mars in Gemini
10/27 – Mercury in Libra square Pluto in Capricorn
10/30 – Mars retrogrades 25° Gemini