October is an “8” Universal Month [10 (October) + 7 (2023) = 17 = 1+7 =8] in a “7” Universal Year. When you turn an eight on its side, you get the ouroboros or infinity symbol; this is a hint as to the energy of eight. Full of ups and downs, an 8-month is a reminder that everything comes back around again in its time. This carries energy similar to that of the Wheel of Fortune and is a reminder that what goes up must come back down, and vice versa. This is very in line with the astrology energy which will be dominated by two eclipses on the Aries-Libra and Taurus-Scorpio axes.
January was also an “8” Universal Month so we may experience some repeated themes from the beginning of the year. Additionally, 2024 is an “8” Universal Year (2+0+2+4=8) so the month ahead will act as a bit of a preview into some of the energies that will dominate the year ahead.
The Set Up
We begin the month with the Sun and Mars in Libra, Mercury in Virgo, Venus in Leo, retrograde Saturn and Neptune in Pisces, retrograde Jupiter and Uranus in Taurus, and retrograde Pluto in Capricorn. By month’s end all of the personal planets will have changed signs and Mercury will have done so twice! We will end October with the Sun, Mercury, and Mars in Scorpio, and Venus in Virgo. Additionally, Pluto will have stationed direct.
The Nitty Gritty
The Big News Bears of the month of October is that we are entering eclipse season. This is our first eclipse cycle with the lunar nodes on the Aries-Libra axis, so we are opening the doors of fate to something new but with one last lunar eclipse in Scorpio, we are also wrapping up a few last-minute endings as well. Like many things, we will all fall somewhere on this spectrum between purely something new and releasing the old – where you are personally will have a lot to do with the work that you’ve been doing on yourself AND, to a greater or lesser degree, the way that your personal planets are interacting with the intense energies brought for by this month’s transits.
Either way, the signs of Aries and Libra are in the hot seat as the North Node of forward-facing fate transits the sign of the ram and the South Node of backward-facing fate transits the sign of the scales. The North Node always takes the lead so we can assume that in the eternal battle between the Self (Aries) and the Other (Libra), the self is winning. It is worth keeping in mind that there are ways to honor the sanctity of the self without being selfish (a lesson Aries so desperately needs to remember) and ways to foster interdependence rather than codependence (a lesson Libra so desperately needs to remember). This eclipse cycle may hit especially hard for natives who have a personal planet in Aries or Libra (particularly the later degrees of the signs) and anybody who was born with the lunar nodes in Aries and Libra.
Eclipse season always calls for resilience, adaptation, and a heavy dose of discernment. We’ll get to that.
We begin the month with Mercury in Virgo making some aspects to our outermost planets (an opposition with Neptune in Pisces on 10/2 and a trine with Pluto in Capricorn on 10/03) before moving into our cardinal air sign of Libra on 10/4. This puts three out of five of our personal planets at the same time which is always a sign that our lives will be very Libra-esq for the time being. Choices and conflicts around our interpersonal relationships will be highlighted all month long – remember that we are already working towards of eclipsed new moon in Libra on 10/14 which will also carry the signature of a strong stellium between the Sun, Moon, and Mercury in the last third of the sign.
We are getting ahead of ourselves, though, which seems to be one of the themes coming up for the month of October as a whole.
Mercury has been in Virgo for an unusually long time due to their retrograde cycle that just wrapped up in the last days of September. We all might be feeling a little bit raw around Mercurial concerns (communication, technology, travel) – there may be some amends to be made. Neptune is going to make things foggy and untenable and Pluto, now in Capricorn again for the last time as it also retrogrades, is looking for the “real” ending that forces transformation. This energy will dissipate some when Mercury enters Libra on 10/4 but it will instead add some drama to what is already a frustrating and topsy-turvy Libra season.
Mercury in Libra sees all sides of the story. This may sound like a boon but it can often lead to Libra’s pathological analysis paralysis. As we deal with our three major players in the sign of Libra, I am reminded of an old meme: it involves a group of people standing around staring at a cliff that simply says “OVERTHINKING” on it in bold letters. The thought bubble from each of the people simply says “But what does it mean?”
There may be an awful lot of thinking and very little doing. Keep in mind both that Libra is the planet of Mar’s Fall (meaning it is the opposite sign of its native sign, Aries) and that we still have all our non-personal planets in retrograde. Mars does not function well without action and that tension will keep building and building.
Something needs to change. Many of us will be feeling that pull as we wind down towards our dark moon in Virgo in advance of our solar eclipse, but we won’t be able to do much about it. Rumination and other types of nonproductive thought will be high, this is a time to divorce yourself from unhelpful thought patterns if you can.
Venus exits her post-retrograde shadow at 28° Leo on Saturday 10/07 and enters Virgo the next day which IS a movement but not one that will likely help us very much as she immediately forms an opposition with retrograde Saturn in Pisces who stops her in her tracks. Mars in Libra also squares off with retrograde Pluto in Capricorn who is remanding change, like, yesterday. But we can’t move, not of our own volition anyway.
Everything seems to be stuck in a type of stasis. Outer planet stations tend to do that and Pluto is about to station direct at 27° degrees Capricorn. This may be a pivot point for some – but more likely it is the death throws of something that we all used to be but aren’t anymore. Pluto is our slowest moving planet; it has been sitting in the sign of Capricorn for 14 long years where it has been slowly dismantling our outdated concepts of money and institution. Though Pluto is associated with change, it is not the type of change that we can carefully direct or control; as our outermost planetary body, it is far beyond our comprehension.
There are so many pieces in play during this week but they all lead towards the feeling of a deep long hold position. I at once see the head archer screaming “Hold…hold…HOLD!” in front of an advancing army and feel the tension that builds in your body as you sink deep into a pose in yin yoga.
So much wants to move, but, not yet. Mars enters its home sign of Scorpio on Thursday 10/12 and immediately forms a trine with retrograde Saturn, so, in this way, we can see that both of our interpersonal planets (Venus and Mars) and being inhibited during this time. Tensions will be high as they always are because we are about to enter eclipse season.
As mentioned above, this is our first eclipse with our lunar nodes on the Aries-Libra axis. The lunar nodes changed signs in mid-July, switching our focus to that of the oppositional forces of the self and the other. This is going to greatly heighten the tension we have already been experiencing during this Libra season as it is the South Node that is in Libra signifying that there is something about Libra themes that we all need to let go of. That relationship that you’ve been holding on to because it’s “always been this way”, it’s time to let it go. This energy is encouraging us to be ourselves, really and truly, rather than showing up in the ways that we have been taught to please another. This will create a fair bit of stress and tension in some people’s lives.
Eclipses are beyond us and uncontrollable – at best they can be considered wild card magic. They have the habit of opening and closing doors for us. It is worth remembering that you do not have to go through every door that is revealed to you, but you should consider turning back from a closed door. We all have choices that we can make in our lives, but not all choices are available to all of us. With Saturn, the planet of restriction, so heavily in play, we can assume that we may be shown more of where we shouldn’t go under the energy of this solar eclipse than where we should, but that is pure conjecture and everybody’s experience with eclipses is their own. My best advice is to keep your eyes wide open and practice your very best discernment.
A problem that I have encountered with Libra types is that they can be so adverse to conflict that they will lie their way out of anything. This echoes what may be going on with Saturn in Pisces since I’m pretty sure the Piscean mantra is “lie to me”. Both Libra and Pisces share a common desire to live in a fantasy world in which their potential relationship problems cease to exist and with both our relationship signs in contact with Saturn, this could be problematic. Playing the part of the ostrich who hides its head in the sand is ill-advised at this time.
I will write more about the eclipse as we draw closer but keep in mind that those most affected by its energies will be Libras, followed by anybody with a personal planet around 21° Cancer or Capricorn, followed by anybody with a personal planet in the air or fire signs around that degree. For an eclipse, I suggest a 10-degree orb with the understanding that the closer to 21 degrees your planet falls, the more that this lunar event will affect you.
The third week of October is devoid of non-lunar aspects until Friday which shows that we all may need some downtime to process that intense eclipse energy. Keep in mind that although the energy will peak with our lunar and solar eclipses, the time in between the two events still carries much of the same energy with it.
On Friday, 10/20, our Sun and Mercury meet up inconjunction at 26° Libra. This may be a day of great inspiration or momentary understanding. If you need to have a conversation, schedule it for this weekend. Keep in mind that neither the Sun nor Mercury is at their best in the sign of Virgo, though, so seek compromise, but try to retain what individuality you can. One-sided decisions will come back to bite you faster than you might expect.
!0/21-10/22 is the best aspected weekend of the month. On top of our Sun-Mercury conjunction, Venus in Virgo plays nicely in trine with retrograde Jupiter in Taurus. We might not be having fun (retrograde Jupiter, after all) but we can get some stuff done. Both the Sun and Mercury will be square to Pluto in Capricorn which shows that it’s more about agreeing to make a change (Capricorn) than “togetherness” (Libra). This is the time to work for what you want out of life. It won’t be easy but your hard work will pay off.
The Mercury enters Scorpio on 10/22 and the Sun enters Scorpio on 10/23 which pulls the general energy towards the dark and moody. Again, we have three personal planets, our Sun, Mercury, and Mars, in the same sign as we spend the week ramping up towards an intense lunar eclipse in Scorpio’s opposite sign, Taurus. The energy of this week will feel stuck as well (repetition in transits is ALWAYS notable) because our Sun and Mercury will be in trine to retrograde Saturn and in that very same hold pattern. By the weekend, Mercury and Mars will meet up in conjunction on Sunday 10/29 which will also form a stellium with our Sun (within 5°) and an opposition to our eclipsed Moon. Both Saturn and Jupiter will also be in play here as Saturn hits the Sun-Moon side of this transit (in trine to our Sun and sextile our Moon) and Jupiter conjuncts the Moon and opposes Mercury and Mars.
Jupiter tells us to go big and Saturn warns us to stay small and within our own lanes. Neither planet is right or wrong and we need both in their time. But they are always at play with one another, sometimes coaxing us out of ourselves and other times forcing us to step lightly. The deep truth is that we need to be doing BOTH of these things during this time – this lunar eclipse is still in Taurus even though the North Node has moved on from Taurus into Aries. This is a sign of unfished business. This is also a complicated eclipse in that it involves the energy of release from the full moon but also of new beginnings from its conjunction with the North Node.
Taurus has a reputation for being unflappable which, as a Taurus Sun, I can completely refute. Taurus often doesn’t sweat the small stuff sure, and we’d rather be eating a hedonistic dinner than participate in some petty gossip. But once you get us going, you’d better get out of the way or you’re gonna get gored. If there’s a situation in your life where there’s been a lot of unrest, maybe some mild tremors, but you’ve been relying on it (perhaps falsely) to remain stable because it “always has”, watch the fuck out. Jupiter is in place to blow things out of proportion and Tauruses have been dealing with a Uranus transit for a hot minute. Don’t be surprised when the even-keeled person in your life has had enough. And we’ve got Mars in Scorpio all set up for the revenge fun times.
In other words, I would pay a lot closer attention to the lunar eclipse than the solar. Ultimately Libra will just try to play nice like they always do, which will be frustrating for some. But Taurus has had enough of this shit and is looking to burn some bridges. If that worries you, the weekend of 10/28-10/29 is probably one to lie low and do less instead of more. Mercury conjunct Mars in Scorpio hints at saying too much or cutting words. I EXPECT relationships to end under this energy.
And indeed, we round out the month with Venus in Virgo trine to retrograde Uranus in Taurus. Even if you tried to keep your emotions in check, they may rise to the surface anyway. As always with eclipse things, it’s probably better to let them out but it may not feel nice and we all might walk away from October with some broken pieces. Sometimes life just is that way.
The Details
10/2 – Mercury in Virgo opposed retrograde Neptune in Pisces
10/3 – Mercury in Virgo trine retrograde Pluto in Capricorn
10/4 – Mercury enters Libra
10/7 – Venus exits her post-retrograde shadow, 28 Leo
10/08 – Venus enters Virgo
10/09 – Mars in Libra square retrograde Pluto in Capricorn
10/10 – Venus in Virgo opposed retrograde Saturn in Pisces, Pluto stations direct 27 Capricorn
10/12 – Mars enters Scorpio
10/13 – Mars in Scorpio trine retrograde Saturn in Pisces
10/14 – Eclipsed New Moon 21 Libra
10/20 – Sun conjunct Mercury 26 Libra
10/21 – Sun and Mercury in Libra square Pluto in Capricorn
10/22 – Mercury enters Scorpio, Mercury in Scorpio trine retrograde Saturn in Pisces, Venus in Virgo trine retrograde Jupiter in Taurus
10/23 – Sun enters Scorpio
10/24 – Sun in Scorpio trine retrograde Saturn in Pisces
10/28 – Eclipsed Full Moon 05 Taurus, Mars in Scorpio opposed retrograde Jupiter in Taurus
10/29 – Mercury conjunct Mars in Scorpio, Mercury in Scorpio opposed retrograde Jupiter in Taurus
10/31 – Venus in Virgo trine retrograde Uranus in Taurus