October is the 10th month of the year and in keeping with the steps of the Hero’s Journey, we enter the 10th phase along the way. This step in the Hero’s Journey is where we have seen the light at the end of the tunnel or Inmost Cave, yet we have battles to face and fight in order to get out of the cave and onto the road to return. In September, an action was taken that woke and provoked the enemy (internally or externally), and now we must face the retaliation or reactions from it.
The propulsive force of the full moon in Aries on the first day of October can be a catalyst that sets a chain of events in motion where we have to find more courage than we thought possible.
On this day or close to it, we may have our first taste of battling a demon within or crossing swords with someone that purposefully attacks. Impulsive decisions and actions may lead to regret later on. It will be important to stay grounded and dig our roots deeply into our faith, beliefs, and values. Jupiter in Capricorn will be sextile to Neptune in Pisces all month giving us the added support needed.
Let me also remind us that Mars retrograde is coming off of an exact square to Saturn at 25 degrees, further inciting combative and irritating feelings and situations. Consider this time in our lives and history much like a clothes washing machine set on a very long agitation cycle. We are being given multiple opportunities to shake off the dirt and muck we acquired over the years, especially areas where we have been hoarding.
Uranus in Taurus and Pluto in Capricorn is making sure of this by hurling surprises our way that we have no choice but to surrender.
We can approach each situation with fear, anger, and egoic reactivity, or grace, ease, and trust that we are never given more than we can handle and that help is only an ask away. The call to arms is finding ways to be of service to others, which is where the greatest joy and satisfaction comes from.
The day after the Moon’s opposition to the Sun, she will still be in Aries and canoodling with Mars. Our feelings may be ignited once again by someone or something that brings out the passion, rage, or fierceness in us. It is also possible if something got stirred up on the full moon that we may continue to rage on or fuel our passions into the first weekend of the month, especially as Mars continues its Jupiter, Saturn and Pluto square. This can be used to push our agendas, goals, and aspirations or force an issue to the surface that we need to keep a cool head about. Saturn is now direct and Pluto stations and moves direct on the 4th.
Remember that Saturn’s light side is mastery, discipline and strength to rise to any occasion.
If we can tap into these qualities of Saturn along with Pluto’s qualities of power, surrender through grace, and resilience, then with Jupiter’s jovial and adventurous spirit we could become abundantly blessed with all that we need to manifest our hopes and dreams.
Tapping into the positive qualities of the planets helps to increase our strengths, while learning from the shadow side of the planets helps us to turn weapons into tools. We will need to keep this in mind as Mercury is in Scorpio and in its shadow period until it stations and turns retrograde on October 13th. This day will also host a Cardinal T-Square with the Sun, Mars and our bedfellow planets in Capricorn. Cardinal T-squares signal dynamic growth, yet with Mercury moving into its 3 week retrograde period, we can feel as though we are sitting at a green light pressing on the gas and the brake at the same time. Needless to say, this day and the days following will be a perfect battleground in the mind. We may be in a constant state of internal conflict as we face various decisions and moments in our lives. This can lead to exhaustion, burnout, and anxiety if we aren’t taking moments to step back and regroup. This is where having a tribe of like-hearted people and being resourceful can be of great benefit.
When Mercury is retrograde our thoughts, communication, and methods in which we process information becomes more internalized. The pathways we normally use for giving and receiving information or the transportation we use to move from one location to another can also become a bit muddled as we have a tendency to become more scattered, confused, or our interpretation of what we perceive is tainted by our personalities.
When Mercury is retrograde in Scorpio we may dive deep into our own inner world, our psyche and discover some hidden truths about ourselves.
This may also be a time when hidden information about a person, or situation comes bubbling to the surface. How we deal with it will be based on the level of consciousness we are at. I have little doubt that during the three week retrograde period we will be given ample practice in fighting with our inner demons and maybe even outer ones. Most likely it will be external events that will wake the dragon within, and we can rise up and burn the village and villagers or soar above the situation and find a higher perspective. Needless to say, I believe this Mercury retrograde period will be one of the most challenging for many who have misplaced their trust and loyalties in things and ideas instead of values and being of service to something bigger than oneself. My rule of thumb during Mercury retrograde times is “when in doubt, take a time out.” It is better to take a step back and re-evaluate the situation or revisit the things being stirred up for you, then push or force something out of a knee-jerk reaction.
On a mundane level, Mercury retrograde often brings things from our past to be revisited and with Mercury in Scorpio these issues may involve the people and things we created emotional bonds with that may have fallen away. We may be revisiting a relationship, a financial decision, or something that has been sitting on the back burner waiting for the right time to come forward. It could be an attachment to an idea or desire that we couldn’t let go of, that will come back to look at in a new way so that with this new perspective we might be able to finally move on.
On the 14th, the Moon will be wrapping her arms around her daughter Venus in Virgo and inviting us to feel the essence of the feminine power and grace inside each of us. Our humble approach to love, values, and relationships can open the doorway to feelings of endearment and devotion. With Mercury in its first 24 hours of retrograde motion, we may feel that Motherly love living inside each of us reaching out to nurture and soothe the critical mind. She may remind us all that we have much to give ourselves and another, and that our value comes through selfless acts of service. Using the analogy of the battlefield, we may look around at the world at large and see others who are hurting and in need of something we can give them.
We can find great meaning in our work and interactions with others when we place our gifts on the altar of usefulness, and think of others before ourselves.
We can ride the energy wave of selfless acts of service into the Libra new moon on the 16th. When the Sun and Moon candoodle in the sign of Libra, along with Mercury retrograde, we may be revisiting subject matter dealing with relationships, values we align with, harmonizing the outer world with what we feel internally, and setting intentions that bring more peace into our lives. Some of us may revisit decisions made on the full moon two weeks earlier or rehash conversations that now need more clarity and structure to them. If we are looking for peaceful negotiations, they may not come easily due to the power play between the Sun and Saturn conjunct Pluto. However, if we are willing to stand up for our values and make the relationship more important than the subject matter, then regardless of the outcome we can walk away from the situation with our head held high. Keep in mind that Jupiter and Neptune are in sextile formation during this time giving us access to higher wisdom and an abundance of compassion and understanding if we are willing to keep an open heart and mind.
When the Sun moves into Scorpio on the 22nd, it will be ushering in a time when we begin to feel the invitation to begin our descent into the underworld, the darkness, the place of the unknown until the light of the Sun casts its shadow. It is during this time that we can expose the deeper truth that lies hidden until the right time to be revealed comes. We are invited to integrate the light and the shadow on our pursuit for wholeness. The wholeness we seek in relationships, in marrying the head and the heart, or gathering facts so that we can see the big picture may be a driving force that unites us on a common cause. We may be on a mission for truth. The saying, “The truth shall set you free.” can be a welcomed ally on this Hero’s Journey or we may discover that the truth we find is another demon to fight.
The invitation when met with these moments is to find new ways to integrate the new information and continue to practice turning our weapons into tools.
Mercury’s halfway point as it canoodles with the Sun on the 25th can give us the boost we need to keep going. We may feel the battle turning in our favor at this time as we begin to experience deeper connections with those we have longed to connect with, hope that a solution is finally coming into focus, or a sense of gentle surrender as we stop fighting inside of ourselves and finally trust the process.
Mercury retrogrades back into Libra on the same day that Venus makes her move into her home sign. The image here is that Venus has returned to her home after traveling through other signs for almost 7 months. No sooner has she sat her suitcase down when Mercury comes knocking on her door needing to come back in for a couple of weeks. Mercury has so many stories to share about what has happened while It was taking care of Venus’ home, and Venus in Libra is quite accommodating.
During this time we may find ourselves listening more to the other side of a story, or trying to understand another perspective.
This can allow us to gather more information before making a decision that we believe will have long lasting effects. These two weeks while Mercury is visiting Venus, can be a call back to the negotiation table, and this time bringing more diplomacy, open mindedness, and desire for harmony. On personal levels, we may still be dealing with serious and intense subject matters, but now we can find a way to create a win-win situation or to agree to disagree and still be friendly.
A perfect set up to the full moon in Taurus on the 31st, All Hallow’s Eve, Samhain, the End of the Harvest Season. This is also a marked time on the calendar when the veil between the physical and non-physical world is believed to be the thinnest. The full moon on this day is significant as we can release the physical burdens, decay, shit sacks, anything keeping us feeling powerless into the fires of purification and allow our ancestors, subconscious, or higher wisdom (insert your belief system here) to alchemize it and return to us what is needed to move forward in the next stage of our lives. With the Moon in its exalted sign of Taurus, we may be more willing than ever to release our burdens and embrace as the Tao says,
“The sage does not hoard. The more he thereby gives to others, the ever more he gets.”
This full moon has magic written all over it, and must be used responsibly. As we use the magic of this day and night, we can choose to manifest from a different place than greed, consumption, or fear. The minute we try to possess or control it, it will submerge underground and draw out its darker side. Using the light side of magic, we can actually manifest from the desire to bond and deeply connect with our most authentic self and expression, and allow magic to work in a symbiotic way with us. In doing so, we may find that the experience is better than we originally thought.
The road back may be filled with bumps, bruises, and maybe even broken bones, but we will emerge victorious if we are courageous enough to trust that transformation is a necessary process of evolution.
Consider this quote one of my teachers and friends shared with me, “If there was nothing to bump into, how would I know if I was falling or flying?”
Happy October!