Balancing Act
October 2017 astrological outlookEver feel like a juggler with one too many plates in the air? That’s how September and the post-eclipse wake feel to many, including yours truly. The devils in the details. Virgo rules them and how.
By October 1st, three planets have moved into Libra; yet key players Venus and Mars still cycle through Virgo which rules the future. With unknowns, worry and anxiety heighten, as well as the need for control, often of infinitesimal detail.
Enter Libra. The farther we step into October, the bigger planetary shift occurs into her energy. A beautiful thing, Libra. I will admit: I’m a sucker for this sign: the sign of balance, harmony, and order. Libra rules art, beauty, design, peace, diplomacy and negotiations. Already the Sun (our will), Jupiter (abundance) and Messenger Mercury (communication) are in gracious Libra, though harmony and peace seem to be in dreadfully short supply these days. Extending the olive branch en masse is essential now.
Some days it takes tremendous courage to get out of bed, let alone direct grace toward our fellow man; however, at the beginning of October, this is precisely what we are called to do. And with Jupiter wrapping up its tour in Libra, the emphasis is all the more on finding middle ground, getting to yes, and that dirty little word: compromise. Life moves forward by meeting half way.
Tricky stuff the first week of October. Generous Jupiter is exactly opposite radical Uranus. Change and change now commands this opposing pair. We are challenged to find new and innovative ways to forge a path forward, not alone, in isolation, cutting off those who disagree with us; but through inventive channels to come together and collaborate. Asking questions, good old curiosity is the best way to learn a new method, about another person, and surprise! learn something new about yourself, too.
Really helping us at this time is transformer Pluto in earthy Capricorn aligning positively with Mars-Venus in Virgo. Super practical and pragmatic, this troika keeps our feet on the ground as we figure out what works. The combination lays a realistic groundwork for everything we pursue, especially relationships, both work and personal. Pluto-Mars-Venus asks exactly how to accomplish your goals: who is your audience? What do you want the final result to look like? Do you have enough or the right kind of resources to get the job done? When you do your homework, this threesome promises support.
Also aiding and abetting our efforts is the continuing grand fire alliance between task master Saturn, Uranus and the Lunar North Node. This is the engine that stokes our work, be it interpersonal, spiritual, scientific, romantic, you name it. Uranus is the Great Awakener. Finishing its last year in warrior Aries, we are pushed to break new ground, pioneer new terrain, and yes: boldly go where no wo/man has gone before. Those dreams and ideas you’ve been tossing around: you have them for a reason. Explore where they might take you. Be adventurous and daring says Sagittarian Saturn. Say yes and figure the details out later. (That’s what Mars-Venus in Virgo is for right now!) Motivating Mars, our hardworking drive, and Venus (love and money), are exactly conjoined in Virgo on Thursday, October 5th, at the time of the Full Moon.
All Full Moons carry extra emotional weight and on an Aries Full Moon such as this, watch for trigger-happy tendencies in yourself and others. October 4-6th is not a great time to throw the baby out with the bath water. Guard against abruptly ending relationships in particular this week. This frenetic energy is emphasized by the Jupiter-Uranus opposition. Really be careful of making any impulse decisions from October 3-6. Take a breath. Think about your choices. Once you are certain you’ve weighed all the options, then commit.
Weigh well what lies before you but know that on October 8-9th, the Sun (your will) and Messenger Mercury challenge Pluto. Someone or something may force your hand. Libra is the great fence sitter: looking at the grass on either side of that proverbial fence, trying to decide if one choice is better than another. With Mercury in Libra, the decisions seem to multiply and/or become trickier. It is a very good thing then, when Generous Jupiter moves into Scorpio on October 10th. Scorpio’s laser-like, X-Ray vision exposes the underside of situations and people, buried truths. For the next year, Scorpio Jupiter gets to the bottom of the matter.
It’s been 12 years since this planetary giant passed through this sign. Think back: where were you and what were you doing then? Any great secrets revealed at that time? There is a larger than life element to Jupiter in whatever sign it cycles through. In Scorpio, Jupiter can accrue large amounts of money and literally…magic. Scorpio rules the metaphysical realm, joint finances, sex, death, rebirth, transformation. It is the ultimate make-over, do-over sign. So if there is some part of your life that you want to completely overhaul, Jupiter in Scorpio is here to assist. What you once thought was dead (in you, in your life) has come around now twelve years later to be revisited at a minimum, and resurrected in full at most. Make the most of this next year!
A few days later at mid-month, we gain a helping hand from Venus entering her own sign of Libra. Here Venus beautifies life, relationships, home, all she touches. Beauty, like her counterpart grace, is increasingly taken for granted and overlooked in modern life. So ask yourself: when was the last time you updated your wardrobe? Got a new hairstyle, invested in fresh home decor? The next three weeks is time to look around. Let Venus guide your eye. Since she rules money, she’ll make sure you have a steady supply.
Three days later, on October 17th, Messenger Mercury joins Generous Jupiter in Scorpio. If you were trapped by indecision until now, you won’t be after the 17th. Now no stone truly will go unturned as our thoughts and words seek to know the deeper (and deepest) meaning and answers; the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Scorpio rules shared resources such as joint bank accounts and properties. Our minds will turn to the actual cost of expenditures to both ourselves, but more critically, to our families and yes, to society as a whole. We are living through some extremely expensive natural disasters lately. What is the actual cost of an earthquake or hurricane? Anyone? If the US Congress implements a new health care proposal, what will it cost the government, businesses, individual taxpayers? These are immensely vast collective expenditures and ones that Scorpion Jupiter-Mercury can take aim at with its forensic financial eye at the bottom line.
The New Moon in Libra on the 19th is tied to the Jupiter-Mercury pairing. As these two in Scorpio dig up answers, Moon-Sun (our feelings and will) weigh the cost and benefit implications. This is an uneasy New Moon, as the Moon-Sun oppose radical Uranus. Unlike Full Moons ripe with unbounded feelings, New Moons are a time to plant what you want to grow and harvest in the future. Uranus is uneven, catalytic energy. It electrifies and exponentially charges whatever it comes into contact with. So you can imagine then the tug-of-war effect it has with this New Moon. If ever there was a time to be mindful of the phrase: be careful what you wish for, this would be it! The Scorpio Jupiter-Mercury duo will reveal far more than you may want to know. But at the New Moon time, this is no doubt a very good thing. You want to know exactly what you are planting, and in for.
By the 23rd, both the Sun and Motivating Mars change signs. The Sun joins Jupiter-Mercury in Scorpio and Mars shifts into Libra. The Warrior planet feels out of place in artful Libra, full of grace and diplomacy. Used to doing what it wants regardless of what others think or have in mind, Mars in Libra asks, do I really need to consider the feelings of others? Can’t I just barge ahead the way I usually do? Good thing Venus is already in Libra to soften the rough edges that Mars brings to this delicate sign. Libra is the sign of open enemies and Mars, the planet of war. Given the events dominating the world stage right now between Trump and Kim Jung Un of North Korea, a collective prayer for peace is best offered now.
As each of us is balancing quite a full load this month, it may be too much to ask what can we do individually to make our world more peaceful. And yet, that is precisely the question desperately needing answers. The Jewish religion offers the teaching of Tikkun Olam. It means to repair the world. The response rests on our collective shoulders and the lives of our children. To repair our earth, bring balance and restore order to our world, our lives, two quotations you may find very useful in the coming weeks:
The Hawaiian Ho’oponopono saying: I love you. I forgive you. I’m sorry. Thank you.
And from Louise Hay: I forgive you for not being the way I wanted you to be. I forgive you and set you free.
Try saying these as mantras. Virgo reminds us we are at best imperfect. Libra strives for balanced relationships. And Scorpio shows us how to transform. Forgiveness is always the best place to start.