
All dates are UT so may vary in your time zone
October 2018 sees a square from Uranus to the moon’s nodes settling in
for five months. This alliance speaks of both positive potential and
risk. It may signify sweeping change that cultivates a more innovative
and courageous attitude at a personal, local and global level. Or we may
end up reacting to life’s challenges blind to their deeper
significance, unwittingly retreating to intellectualised theories about
the ‘right’ thing to do without embodying those beliefs in a
‘real-world’ way. This relationship between Uranus and the nodes reminds
us the future can hang on a single decision as much as it contains
infinite potentialities. It affords us the power to impact many lives
both near and far, and insists we respect this responsibility bestowed
upon us.
Uranus is currently tying up loose ends in preparation for its final
entry into Taurus in March 2019. It first entered Aries, the previous
sign, in May 2010, since which there’s been a certain amount of leeway
available for the more impulsive among us. Aries is a fiery energy, fast
to act, quick to change, always ready to begin something new. If the
first decision didn’t work out let’s try this one, and that one. It
doesn’t hang around for the long haul, trying to make something work
that’s already crashed on the rocks of misguided impulse. And it doesn’t
hold our mistakes against us! Taurus, on the other hand, is far more
intransigent, eager to stick on the same path no matter what. Uranus in
the sign of the bull is just as impulsive as ever, but the consequences
of impetuous decisions and ill-thought through plans will stick around a
whole lot longer, their implications pinning us to the spot. So as
Uranus prepares for its final entry into Taurus we need to reflect on
what restricts our movement and growth. What triggers our impulsive
side? What keeps us stuck in old habits that die hard? What behaviours
do we repeatedly indulge regardless of how poorly they’ve worked out for
us before?! Identifying these now will help us curtail impulsive
reactivity and discern what truly needs to change once Uranus begins six
unbroken years in Taurus in March 2019, and we can shift those
intransigent things we never thought we could.
Pluto turned direct in Capricorn on the final day of September,
signalling the start of a seven-month period of impactful external
change. Daily routines may go awry as institutions fundamental to our
way of life flounder. Structures and systems that underpin our lives may
be increasingly undermined. Those who seek to misuse the power of
public office may regret past arrogance and scramble to make amends,
albeit too little too late. The sea change that Pluto enacts in our
personal and collective lives is rarely gentle but always necessary.
With Saturn now accompanying Pluto in Capricorn, we’ll increasingly
encounter the consequences of our resistance to change as much as our
desire for it. The next seven months will shift some stubborn ground and
reveal further the dark under-belly of ‘respectable’ society,
illuminating the shadow forces within and without that perpetuate the
reckless exploitation underpinning a world in which money is king and
power the ultimate currency.
That said,
a waning quarter moon in Cancer on 2nd October
reminds us that other people aren’t the enemy, even when they are! We
can stand firm against injustice without dismissing beyond all hope of
grace those who perpetuate it. Divisive politics and disenfranchised
people create conflict and war. We have enough of those already. Most
people on this planet struggle with the inner forces of ignorance and
see through the distorted eyes of an ego under siege. Cooling water is
poured on the fires of discord and hatred when we recognise that the
very source of our conflict – the ego’s need to prevail at any cost –
also unites us. Use this quarter moon to connect with others and create a
safe space in which to promote reconciliation and compromise, ready for
the new moon in Libra in a week’s time.
Venus is retrograde between 5th October and 16th November.
This happens only once every year and a half, signalling an important
time of reflection and realignment in our capacity for pleasure, our
values and our relationships. Venus currently in Scorpio seeks total
absorption in the experience of lust and longing. She needs to be
overcome by the visceral force of her own desire and consumed by
all-encompassing surrender to the desire of another. This Venus yearns
to lose herself in tumultuous passion which fosters depth and intensity
in her relationships. Retrograding in Scorpio, she emphasises the
obsessive nature of desire and illuminates specifically where we
identify with and feed off the experience of passionate craving. She
reveals where we’re driven by an insatiable need for emotional
intensity, creating problematic situations and relationships we just
can’t seem to let go. This Venus illuminates where the driving-force of
passion in all its forms keeps us hooked into circumstances that
diminish our well-being. If we need the ‘juice’ of emotional passion to
feel alive we may settle for harmful as much as life-affirming
intensity, becoming embroiled in relationships which keep us angry,
needy or obsessed. Power struggles may ensue as we invest increasing
amounts of energy in people who rile our emotions and matters which
ultimately drain our energy rather than feed our spirit.
As Venus retrogrades through Scorpio until the end of the month,
observe where you get hooked by drama, where you can’t just walk away
and leave it be. Ask yourself what’s really going on there and do you
want or need to change that dynamic? Maybe you do, maybe you don’t. Only
you will know. But as this month progresses, those problematic things
we feed off, forever a cause of complaint and yet clung to for dear
life, will become increasingly apparent. We may discover surprising and
unpalatable truths about how much our identity and sense of self is
bolstered by obsessive passion and negative interpersonal dynamics. The
ego loves an enemy and as much as we suffer and complain, walking away
once and for all may feel like too great a sacrifice. If so, an honest
appraisal of why that might be is in order as Venus retrograding in
Scorpio sheds light on the deeper motivations at play.
A new moon in the 16th degree of Libra at 3:48 a.m. on 9th October
signals a good time to wipe the slate clean in any recent conflicts.
Just because we’ve clashed with others doesn’t mean we’re bound to be
forever at war. On the contrary, we may have far more in common than we
know! Human nature is cyclical, moving in ebbs and flows of togetherness
and understanding, strife, separation and discord, then back to
connection again. Like the heavens in constant motion, nothing remains
the same and any notion that people never change simply isn’t true. In
an alliance with Neptune and Pluto, this new moon both softens and
strengthens our relationships. It supports a compassionate heart and
courageous spirit, willing to say the tough stuff with bold love,
knowing the truth which sets us free is sometimes the hardest truth of
all.
In a world that can seem devoid of it, being able to generate love is
a mighty act of deceptive power. When Venus, ruler of Libra, is
retrograde, self-love is especially important. Not a narcissistic,
self-absorbed ‘love’, but a tender and accepting one. Without it we’re
dependent upon love from others, on conditional love that shapes us to
its own agenda. With it we are sovereign and complete: free to love who
we choose, how we choose, whether or not that love is returned. This
moon encourages deep reflection upon matters of the heart and an
opportunity to align with the rhythm of our own, so often lost amidst
the clamour of the world.
Pluto squares the Sun between 9th and 15th October,
reminding us that high drama and intensity aren’t necessarily the
hallmarks of a meaningful relationship. If it can’t withstand the
demands of everyday life – the mundane realities that form much of a day
– we may be using a relationship to escape life, not to share that life
intimately with another. Relationships come in all shapes and sizes.
Comparing one to another is largely pointless. But for those wondering
where a current connection will lead – Is it what I want? Does it feed
me deeply? Is it too serious or not weighty enough? – this alliance may
provide some clarity. It is within the alchemical flames of everyday
life that we often encounter the most profound challenges and deepest
transformation. Relationships which can dive deeply into this realm –
finding the precious in the midst of every day – can withstand much that
life throws at them, strong in the shared rootedness of love. With
Venus retrograde supporting all who seek a deeper, more meaningful
understanding of love, this square from Pluto to the Sun exposes both
the weak points and the greatest strengths of relationship, enabling us
to reflect deeply on who we want to share our life with and why.
Mercury enters Scorpio on 10th October, remaining there until 31st.
Conjunct the Moon and opposing Uranus as it changes sign, this passage
of Mercury may uncover emotionally charged issues which trigger
instinctive defensiveness or pre-emptive strikes on those we sense are
about to plunge in the knife! We may well need to calm down and take a
moment to reflect and rewind before we decide who’s the enemy and what’s
really going on. Mercury in Scorpio wants more than anything to
articulate the truth, but many of its truths are hard to bear. It’s not
that it wants to dig at wounds and rake up pain, it just can’t help
itself! Its insight can be so incisive that disputes and conflict,
misunderstandings and even estrangement are hard to avoid. The onus is
therefore on us all to ensure we reap the blessings of Mercury’s insight
whilst navigating its challenges with compassionate grace.
While Mercury’s journey through Scorpio may test us in the
authenticity department, it does bring its own kind of freedom. If we
stand firm in the face of its truth, we’ll be strengthened beyond
measure. Mercury doesn’t act out of malice. It simply says what it must
and moves on. If we feel the sting of exposure or the pain of revelation
it shows where hearts need to open and minds expand. Truth rises like a
bubble not when we think we’re ready but when it is! Only by
encountering its formidable force head on do we discover our capacity to
embrace it and move on through.
Eris opposes the Sun between 13th and 19th October.
She has no compunction about stepping into battle, being unpopular,
speaking the unbridled truth that no else will say. She wants us
authentic and real, even if that means angry and bitter. ‘If that’s who
you are right now, then don’t fight it!’ she says. Her opposition to the
Sun in Libra highlights where we try to deny our feelings and impulses.
She forces us to look without guile at where and how we suppress our
innate and visceral knowing in favour of a politer and more palatable
evasion or half-truth. Together with Mercury in Scorpio she creates a
formidable and veracious force while the Sun in Libra smooths their
harsher edges, not to disguise the facts but to deliver them in a
sensitive but relentlessly honest way. If difficult issues need to be
addressed there’s much support for honest dialogue here, but those who
want only to obscure or avoid may encounter the unremitting force of
truths that insist they be told, no matter the consequences.
A sextile between Saturn in Capricorn and Venus in Scorpio from 19th to 28th October
provides some background support if things (and especially
relationships!) are feeling a bit (or very!) intense. Grounding us in
the midst of intensity, this alliance helps us enjoy, rather than fear,
the process of revelation. The more we can appreciate the inherent
beauty of each layer of truth revealed, the easier authenticity becomes.
A trine between Jupiter and Chiron from 20th October to 13th November
adds additional support to those shifting from the quagmire of stagnant
emotion into a lighter and more expansive place of insight. This
direction of movement won’t suit everyone. Some will need to shift into
emotion and out of the mind, others out of emotion into greater
detachment. Only you will know where you need to be and why. But for all
who seek truth there is support and encouragement on the journey right
now.
An opposition from Uranus to the Sun between 21st and 27th October
will keep us on our toes and stop us drifting back into bad habits that
distance us from life. Uranus currently retrograde in Taurus is all
about disrupting just such habits, refusing to let them win. The force
of human unconsciousness is unremitting, but so is the current
evolutionary impulse to awaken. As Uranus journeys through Taurus in the
coming years the balance will shift in favour of the latter as the most
intransigent habits of mind, body and spirit come under sustained
assault from the forces of truth within and without. This current
opposition reminds us we don’t dictate the evolutionary timetable, we
are subject to it. We can neither stop it nor force it, but can instead
align ourselves with it in total trust. If Uranus trips you up now, with
unexpected events that shake you awake, try to rest in that trust
rather than fear. Make faith a habit and courage your default setting.
And when you can’t do that, resolve to begin again. Old habits die hard,
but they do die eventually. As
the Sun journeys through Scorpio between 23rd October and 22nd November
we can discover precisely which habits are holding us back and resolve
to deal with them once and for all. This is an excellent time to commit
yourself to living in a different way, to challenging inner voices which
insist on a certain perspective you now know to be false. Don’t let
them drown out the voice of truth which is gaining in volume by the day.
A full moon in the 2nd degree of Taurus on 24th October (16:46
UT) illuminates the power of questioning who we believe ourselves to
be. Conjunct Uranus and opposing Venus, it provides the courage to stand
strong in the face of self-delusion and denial, exhorting us to look
beyond self-deception. This is a moon of profound change and radical
disruption of the status quo. It threatens to test even the strongest
attachments if they compromise our freedom. Squaring the North Node,
this moon can either propel us forward or hold us back, depending upon
how we use it. Refusing to budge can be as radical as letting everything
go if that’s what circumstances require. Wise discernment is key to
managing the energy of this moon and we may well experience its ripples
throughout the rest of the month. Things long ripe for change may shift
exponentially around this time, most likely just when we’ve gotten used
to living with them as they are! Likewise projects we’ve pursued because
we thought we should may suddenly seem too burdensome to continue,
auguring a return to a simpler life previously sacrificed on the altar
of progress. What this moon means for individual life circumstances will
of course vary, but the end result can be a powerful and positive
recalibration of our energy and intention if we let it.
A sextile between Saturn and the Sun from 24th to 31st October
provides some more grounding support. What seems like a burden may
prove to be far more satisfying as we discover creative ways to access a
deeper and more authentic current of instinct and emotion. If the full
moon illuminated inner conflicts that we struggle to reconcile, Saturn
and the Sun provide the courage and creativity to live in deeper
alignment with apparently opposing drives and desires.
With Venus conjunct the Sun in Scorpio between 24th and 28th October,
accepting the shadow self becomes an act of love which demonstrates the
depth of our commitment to fulfilling our potential whatever form it
takes. We don’t have to achieve great things, make a name for ourself or
develop some amazing new power! The core challenge of life is to simply
be who we are without guile or shame: without the denial and
suppression that distorts the human drive for expression into something
altogether less edifying. As October comes to a close and the Moon
begins to wane we are, each and every one of us, called to risk being a
bit more who we actually are and a bit less who we think we’re supposed
to be.
On 31st October Mercury enters Sagittarius where it turns retrograde next month.
On the same day Venus retrogrades into Libra. Watch out for next month’s report for more info about them. In the meantime, suffice to say that
October ends with a waning quarter moon in Leo
which offers solace to egos wounded by the full moon a week prior. Ego
isn’t the enemy despite what you may have heard. We need its sense of
self and substance, an identity with which to navigate through the
world. The key is to know the difference between our conditioned ego
identity and our unchanging, unconditioned essence. Being intimate with
both allows us to live with greater awareness, equipped to face life’s
twists and turns with increasing wisdom and grace.
Sarah Varcas
https://astro-awakenings.co.uk/october-2018-astro-energy-report
Tagged as:
Chiron in Aries,
compassion,
Conscious Evolution,
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divine timing,
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embracing the shadow,
Eris,
Full Moon in Taurus,
healing energies,
Jupiter in Scorpio,
managing change,
managing the mind,
Mercury in Scorpio,
Moon cycles,
New Moon in Libra,
Personal healing,
personal truth,
planetary healing,
Pluto in Capricorn,
Quarter Moon in Cancer,
Quarter Moon in Leo,
releasing ego identification,
Saturn in Capricorn,
self-acceptance,
Sun in Libra,
Sun in Scorpio,
Uranus in Aries,
Uranus in Taurus,
Venus,
Venus in Scorpio,
Venus retrograde