Nobody's Right If Everybody's Wrong

October is the polar opposite of September. Last month was sluggish at best, slow, arduous, and often stagnant due to most planets cycling in retrograde motion.   Meanwhile October is another story altogether.  This month is rife with planetary gear shifts. Like dominoes falling over, the planets now turn direct motion one right after the other. The fast and furious cosmic activity catalyzes, or in some cases, catapults our decisions and deeds. October kicks off with Messenger Mercury turning direct, then caps off the month with an eclipse and Mars turning retrograde to boot.

So to learn more about what’s in store, let’s dive in. Ready, get set, here we GO:

Nothing says get a move on quite like Day One of October when Messenger Mercury turns direct motion. BOOM.  It is time to move forward with life in a major way. Proceed signing any significant contracts or documents; book travel plans and purchase large ticket items such as cars, homes and appliances.  Anything you have held off on over the past few weeks is now fine to commit to, including the really large aspects of life:  job opportunities and relationships.

After all, October is ruled by Libra, sign of balance, art, beauty, peace and yes, relationships.  As the Sun entered Libra last month, September gave us space and grace to evaluate our relationships including our primary relationship:  to our SELF.  Now in October, we seek balance in all of our relationships in concert with our own being.  In other words: without forgetting our own well being.  Any routine or practice to center yourself will be especially useful this month to bring order from chaos:   use exercise, being in nature, journaling, meditation, music, whether listening, singing or playing it.  Centering ourselves, we organize and align our other relationships:  our partners, family, children, business colleagues, and friends. 

The value of centering practices in October cannot be overvalued.

We will need all of our wits about us, as we carefully balance the various aspects of our lives.  We tread the proverbial tightrope now, a taught high wire, heading into the second week of October and the Full Moon. 

All full moons are emotionally laden since they mark culmination, fruition and release.  This month’s Full Moon on Sunday, October 9^th in the fiery sign of Aries is highly charged as Powerful Pluto turns direct motion on the very same day.  The significance of this timing is key. For the past five months, Pluto has been cycling in reverse gear churning up what has been buried and reconnecting us to our power.  Now, under the glare of the Full Aries Moon, Pluto shifts forward, showing everything to everyone.  Nothing and no one is hidden now.

The Aries Moon is fierce, a warrior and trailblazer.  Opposing the Libra Sun-Venus duo, this moon takes no prisoners.  “Out with the old.  No more Mr. Nice Guy.”  This is raw, red meat energy.  Any dangling, indecisive, wishy-washy tactics or tidbits get trounced.  Not for the faint of heart, there is a brutality to this Full Moon and the week leading up to it.  As if the stakes weren’t already high enough, Taskmaster Saturn and Radical Uranus form their last, exact square during this window.  Think of two heavy weight boxers duking it out and you get the picture.

These two have been going at it for months now and this is their final showdown.  We feel the push to change more than ever regarding:  our values, strategies, principles, talents, toolbox, techniques and more. The more resistant you are to change, the more pushback you will get.  The Change-Is-A-Comin’ Choo-Choo is leaving the station. Better get on board. Because in a deeply polarized nation, the battle lines are indelibly drawn. The old Buffalo Springfield song comes to mind:  “Nobody’s right if everybody’s wrong”.  Myriad choices are offered as to how we proceed.  Align with the Light and frequency of love and you cannot go wrong.

Choice is indeed the operative word as two days after the Full Moon, Messenger Mercury turns into Libra, on Tuesday, October 11^th, joining the Sun and Valuable Venus.  Libra notoriously wavers, sitting on the fence pondering “should I or shouldn’t I?  Yes or no?  Black or white?” Endlessly debating decisions at hand.

A timely Public Service Announcement:  there are no wrong choices.  Only learning.

Try as we might to have it both (or all) ways, we cannot.  We must choose for ourselves and our wellbeing; especially as the Libra planetary trio has us so focused on others that we tend to forget our own needs and agenda.  So remember to factor in your own desires.  A grand air trine, aligning Saturn-Sun-Venus-Mars-Moon occurs October 14^th. The power of persuasion is immense.  Use your thoughts and words wisely; and pay very close attention to what others say.  Ask questions.  Do not be afraid to dig deep and ask for more information.  Knowledge is power.  The old adage:  Think for yourself is never more relevant than now. 

The effects of this grand air alliance last well into the following week. So a word of caution here: we can be easily swept up in the energy of another, whether one person or a group now.  Think peer pressure. In this moment at mid-month, is VITAL to step aside, take a breath and remember what is important to you.  If need be, make a list or notes that you can refer to. Because if you haven’t decided, by mid-October:  you will now.  Or if you haven’t yet cared about exercising your right to choose:  you will now.  Remember to vote for yourself!

The moon enters its waning phase.  Within its darkest days, a trio of planetary gear shifts occur on Sunday, October 23^rd, only two days before a New Moon solar eclipse.  The Sun and Venus enter transformational Scorpio while Taskmaster Saturn turns direct motion in Aquarius. Talk about a change in mood, flavor and atmosphere!  BOOM.  Scorpio Sun-Venus work behind the scenes flexing their power and resources while Saturn connects the dots. Together, they lay the ground work for the New Moon eclipse in Scorpio on Tuesday, October 25^th. 

Time to seed your intentions during this energetic updraft.  Hand write three to five goals you desire to manifest in the coming month, season or year. Focus on what you DO want rather than what you do NOT want or cannot control.  Either plant your goals in the ground or set them safely alight in a fireplace or firepit. 

On Friday, October 28^th, Jupiter reverses into Pisces joining mystical Neptune.  Both challenge Motivating Mars to create one massive smoke-and-mirror effect.  You may feel like you are walking around in a carnival Fun House with warped mirrors and uneven, slippery floors.  So it is critical now to look beneath the surface of matters.  Go ahead:  ask the hard, uncomfortable questions.  If you need permission to make someone uncomfortable, here’s your invitation:  You have permission.  Wouldn’t you rather know the truth and gather all the answers than stay in the dark? 

The question then is:  what will you do with the information that you collect?  Share it? Sit on it? Lord it over another?  Hide it?  When in doubt, check in with your internal GPS, otherwise known as your intuition.  You have it for a reason. You will know what to do with your knowledge when the time arises.

The next day, Motivating Mars marks the final gear shift of October on Saturday, the 29^th, turning reverse gear. Over the next two and a half months through mid-January, the Great Initiator Mars prefers to Research, Review and Revisit rather than launch.    In Gemini, Mars gathers and disseminates information.  Retrograde, Mars can reveal unexpected truths.  More information becomes available during November, December and early January to fill in blank spaces and black holes. 

So if you have significant projects and relationships waiting to fly, best to wait until after January 12^th if possible to roll out anything new. Otherwise, your life may feel like endless re runs of 50 First Dates or Groundhog Day.  Think of spinning your wheels in the mud.  Speaking of which, if you need to purchase ANYthing mechanical or motorized (laptops, cars, phones, appliances), plan to purchase between October 2-27^th.  If you need to purchase one of the above during Mars Retrograde, make sure you do your due diligence and research and be sure to buy the extra warranty.  This is one time you will be very glad you did!