The key aspects and lunations of October.
October brings us Scorpio season with the Sun’s arrival in Scorpio on October 23rd. It also brings Halloween, Samhain and Dia de Los Muertos, a time when the veils between the material & spiritual realms are believed to be very thin. Scorpio teaches us not only of the inevitability of death – change – but also that death isn’t an end. It’s a shift in energy, a change in its expression. Invites us to reflect on how the threads of the past & fated outcomes – the things we can’t control – combine with our dreams, desires & determination to weave the future.
We enter the month with Mercury, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto and Chiron all retrograde – yeah that’s a lot of retrograde energy!
The retrograde energy has gradually built up over the summer months, & since August we have had 5 planets and Chiron retrograde. Mercury who turned retrograde on September 27th makes it 7 celestial bodies retrograde – 7 – wow!
When planets are retrograde they tend to express themselves differently. Retrograde energy means life does not run quite how we expect it to, the usual ebb & flow can be disrupted. For instance when retrograde, Mercury highlights the potential for misunderstandings in our communications & hiccups in our travel plans. Jupiter bestows positivity, luck & abundance, but whilst Jupiter is retrograde good fortune may seem harder to come by. Outer expansion & growth may strike us as having gone somewhat into reverse gear.
Which means that over the last few months we may have felt slightly out of synch with life & found it hard to find our groove. Whatever usually flows naturally & easily could have gone a bit haywire. We may have experienced difficulty putting plans into action or gaining any forwards momentum with projects already in place.
Essentially retrograde energy pulls us more inwards, to seek clarity on where we have been, and where we are going next. Retrograde energy encourages us to re-view things, to re-think and re-evaluate matters that are important for our personal development and growth.
So this pause, where life may sort of be feeling like it’s moving at a snail’s pace, could well have given us time to unravel something key to our progress forwards. Where we may need to alter our approach or change direction. Which is of course also influential & significant on a worldly level, in connection to the ways governments proceed forwards from here – especially around the pandemic & vaccinations – and how the people respond to their policies.
By the end of October a big change in the energetic vibe will have occurred – yay! Mercury, Jupiter, Saturn & Pluto will all be direct. Additionally a new Sun-Mars cycle will have begun, as they meet for their Superior Conjunction on October 8th. At the Sun-Mars conjunction a new 2 year impetus for how & where we take action is put in motion.
October reveals new ways forwards. Activity & change. However, this may not be as smooth sailing as we may wish, as both of October’s lunations are touched by Mars & Pluto – the traditional & modern rulers of Scorpio – the New Moon is conjunct Mars, and Pluto stations direct the same day, then the Full Moon is opposite Mars and square Pluto. Fiery, intense, deep & transformative.
So there is a surge of energy to pursue goals & new initiatives that are important to us, but equally there is potential for frustration with anything that appears to restrict us, as well as the possibility for discord in our relationships. Adding to the change is upon us ambiance, is that the Sun at the end of October triggers the potent energy of Saturn square Uranus – the standout aspect of 2021 – by squaring Saturn and opposing Uranus, to form a T-Square.
For some of us October brings a welcome acceleration of pace, a surge of forwards momentum that liberates what has been stuck or stalled. Gets things moving in a positive direction. On the other side of the coin, we may have to harness our inner warrior to stand up for what is fair, just & honourable or find the courage to face an unsettling ordeal or set of circumstances.
Whilst I know it is easier said than done, if a source of annoyance is unavoidable or the change on the horizon is unwanted, or even feared, endeavour to stay calm. Take time to reflect, seek inner poise & purpose, so that what action to take is weighed up – before being committed to. Change (by its very nature) can be disruptive & chaotic but can also bring – or lead to – advantageous results, lessons learnt, inner growth, healing & transformation.
October 1st
Mercury Rx square Pluto Rx ~ 24 Libra/Capricorn
Mars opposite Chiron Rx ~ 10 Libra/Aries
October 2nd
Venus sextile Pluto Rx ~ 24 Scorpio/Capricorn
October 3rd
Sun opposite Chiron Rx ~ 10 Libra/Aries
October 4th
Mercury Rx trine Jupiter Rx ~ 22 Libra/Aquarius
October 6th ~ New Moon 13° Libra & Pluto Stations Direct ~ 24 Capricorn
More here – New Moon in Libra ~ October 6th 2021
October 7th ~ Venus enters Sagittarius
Venus entering mutable fire sign Sagittarius brings a shift in the energetic vibe. Lightens the load with some optimism and enthusiasm. Venus fires up our desires for fun, freedom and adventure.
Of note is that Venus is out of Bounds from October 10th – December 10th during her sojourn in Sagittarius & then Capricorn. When planets are out of bounds, they are slightly wild & unconventional – enjoying behaving more eccentrically than usual and breaking some rules.
October 8th
Mars Cazimi ~ Sun conjunct Mars (Superior Conjunction) ~ 15° 05 Libra
October 9th
Mercury Cazimi ~ Sun conjunct Mercury Rx (Inferior Conjunction) ~ 16° 35 Libra
Mercury Rx conjunct Mars ~ 16° 16 Libra
More here – Mercury Cazimi in Libra & Venus in Sagittarius ~ October 9th 2021
October 11th ~Saturn Stations Direct ~ 6 Aquarius
Venus opposite North Node/conjunct South Node ~ 3 52′ Sagittarius
October 13th
Venus sextile Saturn ~ 6 Sagittarius/Aquarius
October 15th
Sun trine Jupiter Rx ~ 22 Libra/Aquarius
October 16th
Venus trine Chiron Rx ~ 10 Sagittarius/Aries
October 17th
Sun square Pluto ~ 24 Libra/Capricorn
Mercury Rx sextile Venus ~ 10Libra/Sagittarius
October 18th ~ Mercury and Jupiter Station Direct ~ 10 Libra/22 Aquarius
October 19th
Mars trine Jupiter ~ 22 Libra/Aquarius
October 20th ~ Full Moon ~ 27° 25 Aries
More here – Full Moon in Aries ~ October 20th 2021
October 22nd
Mars square Pluto ~ 24 Libra/Capricorn
October 23rd ~ Sun enters Scorpio
October 27th
Venus square Neptune ~ 20 Sagittarius/Pisces
October 28th
Venus sextile Jupiter ~ 22 Sagittarius/Aquarius
October 30th
Mars enters Scorpio
Sun square Saturn ~ 7 Scorpio/Aquarius