The month of October is a “game changer” astrologically as we shift out of stagnant and stuck energy and experience potentially life-altering changes, transformation, and evolution in our lives. If you’ve been feeling like we have been walking through mud since the beginning of summer, I’m here to assure you we are finally getting some much-needed forward momentum that has honestly been lacking since the end of June. Why is this so? We experienced two inner (personal) planets go retrograde during the summer and these, unlike the outer planets, can be felt more personally. Both Venus, the planet of love, relationships, and money went retrograde and Mercury, the planet of communication, thought processes, business and travel followed shortly after. It’s like the universe put us on an epic cosmic “hold,” preventing us from seeing any major relationships, projects, job offers, contracts etc. come to fruition. As frustrating as this may seem, retrogrades are actually a Gift from the universe in that it allows us the time to really re-evaluate if we are on the right path and have made the right decisions. In a culture fueled by the motto “Go Go Go” we sometimes forget when we need time to slow down and re-think what we are doing in life. Enter retrogrades. When retrogrades occur, the energy of the planet shifts from an outward external vibe, to more of an internal vibe. We tend to become more inward “feeling” rather outward “doing” whether we like it or not. Thankfully retrogrades don’t last and eventually the energy shifts and we’re off and running again. Once the planetary energy shifts externally, we are given the “green light” to make the necessary re-adjustments and tweaks we were asked to consider during the retrograde period.
What’s unique about October 2023 is that we are coming out of a multi-planetary retrograde with an eclipse season right on its tail. Eclipses in Astrology are fated cosmic events meant to act as a cosmic “re-set” in certain areas of our life. Unlike retrogrades, where we have the choice as to whether we make the necessary adjustments or not, with eclipses we get, more or less, divine intervention come into play. Many times, eclipses are connected to major milestones and rites of passage in our lives; for instance, marriages, childbirth, career promotions, retirement etc. They can catalyze the beginning of new chapters in our lives (with the case of a Solar Eclipse) or they can indicate the closing or culmination of a certain chapter in our lives as well (with the case of a Lunar Eclipse.) Now…does that mean lunar eclipses should be looked at as BAD or scary? Absolutely not! I conceived my only son on a Full Moon Lunar Eclipse back in 2007. It was a culmination of my life as a young maiden to my new life as a mother. Ask me if I knew back then the correlation between the two😉 I also got married the day after a New Moon Solar Eclipse in 2004. It is with the help of “divine intervention” and eclipses that we move forward in life continuing to stay in line and on track with the soul lessons we are mean to learn through our unique astrological blueprint. And so, it is here that eclipses can also “eclipse” something out of lives as well if we weren’t proactive in making the decision to do it ourselves. In other words, eclipses can also come in and say, “Enough is enough…let me help you out” and then wipe the slate clean for us i.e.. Rip the Band-Aid off when we need it the most.
This particular eclipse season, both lunations are ruled by the planet of Venus. Therefore, the themes of this season will be all things “Venus-related” such as love, relationships, money, pleasure, luxury, social connections etc. The eclipses are occurring in the signs of Libra and Taurus respectively. As the nodes of destiny changed from the Taurus/Scorpio axis from the last 18 months now to the Aries/Libra axis this summer, we are experiencing the last of the Taurus eclipses for quite a while. It was when we first experienced the Taurus eclipses almost two years ago when we first started seeing signs of inflation…further marked by Jupiter, the planet of exacerbation, visiting the fiery sign of Aries. Could this mean we may be seeing the last of the inflation with this final Taurus eclipse (Taurus rules over money, our monetary system, banking, the housing market etc.) Time will tell. What this does mean is that the next 18 months are going to be focused on ourselves and our relationships with others. Me vs. We, Independence vs. Interdependence etc.
During this month we are also marching steadily into Scorpio season, the sign associated with transformation, change and evolution of the soul. This makes for a powerful month of CHANGE. Let’s discuss the overall feel and flow of October. The first week of October starts out a bit quiet as Mercury finally leaves its retrograde shadow of Virgo (officially ending the 3rd Mercury retrograde of the year) and glides into the harmonious and balanced sign of Libra on the 4th. However, things massively accelerate in the 2nd week with 4 major astrological alignments (including the New Moon Solar Eclipse) occurring between the 8th and 15th. We have officially entered what’s called the eclipse “portal.” The 3rd week the Sun and Mercury merge for some positive energy around communication, contracts, and negotiations. Finally, the last week turbo charges again with the official ingress of Scorpio season on the heels of a beautiful Grand Earth Trine between Venus, Jupiter and Uranus and culminating with a full moon lunar eclipse. The month closes out with a lovely Venus and Uranus meet-up on Halloween ushering in some romantic sparks and “love at first sight” vibes. Check out all the alignments and the FULL Astrological Energy Forecast for the month – and what they mean for you over the course of October below.
· Oct. 4th – Mercury, the planet of communication, moves into Libra shifting our focus from over-think and over-analyzing to making compromises and focusing on improving our connections with others
· Oct. 8th – Venus moves into the sign of Virgo after spending a whopping 4 months in Leo; all the Leo retrograde energy has now made us KNOW if our connections are worth staying in or not. Venus in Virgo starts making her “pros and cons” list.
· Oct. 10th – Pluto, the modern ruler of Scorpio and the planet of transformation, finally goes direct after being retrograde since May 1st. We have found a renewed sense of empowerment within us and are ready to transform our lives. When Pluto stations direct, the energy will feel incredibly potent and powerful, catalyzing a deep transformation within us.
· Oct. 12th – Mars, the planet of action and drive, enters the sign of Scorpio. Mars is the first planet to kick off the Scorpio season by entering the realm of the underworld. However, since Mars is the original ruler of Scorpio in Traditional Astrology, he is very comfortable here. The next 6 weeks are flavored with intense and passionate drive, emotion and a ruthless desire to go after and obtain our desires and goals.
· Oct. 14th – New Moon Solar Eclipse in Libra at 21 degrees – This placement will be most powerful for people with Libra and Aries placements in their charts but Taurus as well as this eclipse and Taurus is also ruled by Venus. The last time a New Moon Solar Eclipse occurred at 21 degrees Libra was October 14, 2004. Think back to that time and see if you can recall any major events going on for you during that time. This new moon solar eclipse is occurring with the south node of destiny which means there must first be a letting go of something in your life to manifest new beginnings.
· Oct. 20th - The Sun and Mercury meet up shining a positive light on communication, contracts, and negotiations.
· Oct. 22nd – Mercury follows Mars next entering Scorpio while Venus makes a lovely trine to Jupiter. Our thoughts will get deep and investigative over the next 3 weeks – we may even go into obsessive mode as the cosmos creates a “Cinderella Transit” where we could meet a soulmate connection with Venus speaking harmoniously to Jupiter. This could be a good day for monetary gains as well.
· Oct. 23rd – The Sun enters Scorpio officially kicking off Scorpio season for the next month. Happy Birthday to all the Scorpios. With three planetary bodies now in Scorpio, the energy will be intense and magnetic. Connections formed now will be deep - Scorpio doesn’t like anything superficial.
· Oct. 28th – Full Moon lunar eclipse at 5 degrees Taurus. Those most affected by this eclipse will be those with early Taurus and Scorpio placements. The last time a full moon lunar eclipse at 5 degrees of Taurus occurred was October 28th, 2004. Can you think of anything that closed out or culminated in your life? This full moon lunar eclipse is with Jupiter in Taurus and the North Node of Destiny. What manifests now in your life is meant to bring luck, abundance, expansion, and growth.
Those are the energetic alignments for October!
See you next month!
*Image credit to respective owner