October 2019 Forecast

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​Sidereal Transits
Pluto stations direct Oct 3
Venus enters Libra Oct 4
Mercury opposite Uranus Oct 7
Venus opposite Uranus Oct 12
Full Moon in Pisces (Revatī) Oct 13
Sun enters Libra Oct 17
Mars leaves combustion Oct 22
Mercury enters Scorpio Oct 23
New Moon in Libra (Svātī) Oct 28
Sun opposite Uranus Oct 28
Venus enters Scorpio Oct 28
Mercury conjunct Venus Oct 31
Mercury stations retrograde Oct 31

Mars in Virgo. Saturn in Sagittarius.
Mars transits Virgo throughout October, and until November 10. Virgo is not Mars' favourite sign of the zodiac. Mars is about taking action, gaining courage through doing something. Virgo thinks and plans more. So, we can end up feeling frustrated when its all talk. Frustration is further emphasized because of Saturn's aspect to Mars. Saturn brings more pressure to bear and the world will likely express this in a general sense of tension and fighting restrictions. 

Mars looks to Saturn from its frustrated position and it can get very tense indeed. Although the world experiences this as more fighting (Mars) the establishment (Saturn), you, as an individual, can make the most of this transit by being more focused in your actions, slowing down and paying attention to all the details involved. Yes, it may become a little frustrating, but if you are aware of the need to take stock and allow for more planning, you can make the most of these transits.  

The exact Saturn/Mars aspects occur on October 28. Oh, what a surprise, just in time for Brexit! When Saturn and Mars 'face-off' like this, it creates delays and anger at the setbacks. 

At least Mars leaves combustion while in Virgo, on October 22. It was a hot summer in every sense of the word, but now we have to deal with the fallout form all that heat. What happens when we get overheated? We end up feeling dry, physically, mentally and emotionally. This is the natural progression from summer to autumn, of course, but this year is particularly drying. So, we are likely to see this play out in more fires, I'm afraid, and a general sense of burn out. 

Again, you as an individual, can use these transits to be more focused, deliberate and mindful in your actions, accepting that more time is needed to get it right.

​Keep your cool.
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Pluto stations direct Oct 3
Pluto operates at the background of awareness, as a force of destruction. Destruction is necessary, of course - on every level of our being. If we are not clearing out - thoughts, habits, things, emotions, even cells - then we don't leave room for something new to emerge. 

Pluto is stationing direct in October, but it's a very slow-moving planet, so don't expect to see something pop into your awareness that obviously or instantaneously - unless you are particularly tuned into the planet. 

I have often seen it in client's charts that they are not so tuned into Pluto, especially if it impacts them more! Pluto represents our unconscious, so basically it's our blind spot. For example, someone with Pluto rising in their birth chart may dig so deep (Pluto represents the underworld, which is another way of saying the unconscious) that they lose self-awareness, as this is what the 1st house or rising sign is all about. They may know themselves on a whole deeper level, but on a certain level they may be blinded. 

Look to see where Pluto is placed in your own birth chart, to see what area of your life you tend to remove things, perhaps to the point that you do not have enough of that thing, as well as a lack of awareness of your unconscious needs. And look to Sagittarius right now, where Pluto is stationing, and has been since 2005, to see where there is a need to remove things from your life, as well as being more aware of the unconscious drives involved.  

Generally, Sagittarius represents laws, teachings, guidance and ethics. Hmm. Do you think there is a lack of these at the moment?! Pluto's transit in Sagittarius shows up as a lack of clarity, seen more obviously around the world in leaders - you know, the people who are supposed to know better!

Now that Pluto is stationing, it marks a turning point, in many ways. Although Pluto will return to Sagittarius in June 2020, and until January 2021, this station marks the beginning of a slow turn around into Capricorn, leading to the beginning of a destabilization of all that was built upon a lack of clarity. If anything is built on shaky ground, well, you know what needs to happen...

2020 begins a period of 20 years of tearing down anything built on what is false, as Pluto transits sidereal Capricorn. We will likely see the collapse of many things we thought to be well-established. There is noting to fear in this process, as it's in your best interest, and involves all of your being, including your unconscious desires. 

The good news here is that Pluto leaving Sagittarius can leave way for more clarity about what is right at least. We need this to give order to what we are building for the future, while accepting that pulling down what stands in the way is part of the new build.

​Capricorn represents what we have established, where we strive for an aspiration we have previously laid out in Sagittarius. Pluto's turnaround in October begins the process.

Venus in Libra Oct 4 - 28
Venus is debilitated for the first few days of October, exact on October 2, and leads to a feeling of lack and low mood for the first few days. But that quickly changes as Venus moves from its weakest position to one of its strongest; from the first half of Citrā in Virgo, to the second half of this lunar mansion in Libra. Once it moves into Libra, especially the first 20 degrees of the sign, it is particularly strong and we welcome it. 

Think of an artist carving, painting, making or perfecting a piece of work, or a dancer perfecting a piece. While doing so they are not necessarily enjoying it as they try to get it right. This is what Venus is like in Virgo. But then, Venus moves straight into a place of strength in Libra, where the artist would share their piece. This is the enjoyable part of creativity and one reason Venus is happy in Libra. 

Libra is all about balance, harmony and compromise, all Venus related things. Although Venus' recent debilitation is good for saying what needs to be said, not necessarily being nice, Venus in Libra represents more of an ability to see the other person's point of view, to compromise and create more a peaceful environment, overall. That isn't to suggest October is all love and peace - not with the Mars and Saturn aspects, but it does suggest at least more compromise is possible during a tense period. 

Mercury and Venus oppose Uranus
Mercury and Venus oppose Uranus in Aries while they transit Libra. Mercury opposes Uranus on October 7 and Venus opposes on October 12. Uranus brings with it some surprises, perhaps even shocks, and a general sense of excitment around changes.

Uranus in Aries is all about me, I mean, you - you know what I mean! It's all about individuality, a trend we can see the world over. It's opposition to the compromise of Libra is highlighted in October, and the awareness of the opposition between these two signs only increases as we go through the month; especially once the Sun moves into Libra from October 17.

While Mercury and Venus transit Libra, it points to a stark contrast between individuality and the ability to see the other person's point of view. 

Full Moon in Pisces (Revatī) Oct 13
The Moon is full at 22.07 BST in the soft lunar mansion, Revatī, which is all about guiding us from one stage to the next. Ultimately, this is about guiding our souls from this life to the next, but while we are alive, it's all about guiding us from one stage of life to the next. 

The Virgo stage, as the Sun continues to transit the sign, points to the details of our life, how our lives work (or not), while Pisces points to letting go of all of the details and letting things be as they are. This is not simply giving up, of course. It's a state of acceptance of all that is, of letting go into the all-that-is in the moment, granting us the ability to go with the flow. 

The full Moon is aspected by Jupiter by exact degree, and is a comforting transition in many ways. It points to a need to feel into the transition more than trying to work things out intellectually. Yes, by all means, do that too. But this full Moon offers a counterbalance to all the mental frustrations that we are building up in Virgo with Mars. 

Relax a bit more and let go a lot more for this full Moon phase. When you do, you actually tap into a deeper power that is running the show anyway. Much like when we struggle with a problem (Virgo) and we leave it for a while and daydream (Pisces), we are granted an insight into how to proceed. 

Sun enters Libra Oct 17
The Sun enters its sign of debilitation in October every year. This year, the debilitation is cancelled by Venus, which is transiting here until October 28. When the planet which rules a debilitated planets' position is also present, it is seen as a cancellation. Now, before you go thinking this is a strong Sun, its really a compensation for a sense of lack. It's not that we don't feel the lack, it's that we can rely on other things, other people, to help us through.

The Sun's weakness is a sense of lack of vitality and confidence, of a connection to a Higher Self and purpose, of a lack of rhythm and energy. The Sun's 'strength' in Libra is the ability to forgo our own concerns for others' needs. It's not just about what we want, of course. We live our lives with, and for, others. 

Those with the Sun in Libra, those born between October 17 and November 16, are more able to serve others, as they are more tuned into others' needs. They can 'find themselves' in a relationship, although they may just as easily lose themselves! We can overdo it when we compromise, of course, and must find a balance, and this is what Libra is all about. 

That balance is not always achieved from the outset and we may compromise too much, before realizing we haven't looked after our own needs. 

Venus' transit in Libra always helps. This may be by socializing more at at time of year that we feel the darkness creeping in, at a time of year many feel this a sense of fear of the darkness. Libra is dark. The sign's colour is black. It's where we loose our Higher Self (Sun) in the interaction. This impacts our sense of confidence and self esteem. Venus helps by being picked up by others. We can also pick up our mood with dressing up in nice clothes, surrounding ourselves with nice things and enjoying ourselves and others.

Darkness isn't all bad, of course. Cultures all over the world use it to see what is important. The darkness is actually a way of finding our source of light - our true light which is our connection to something Higher. 

Mercury in Scorpio Oct 23 - Dec 25 (in Libra Nov 9 - Dec 5)
Mercury moves into Mars' sign by the end of October and for most of the rest of the year. Mars and Mercury don't work well together. Mars is action. Mercury is thinking. Sometimes, they are forced to work together, however, and it can work out. This is the case while Mars is also in Virgo until November 10. That's because they're in each others' signs. This exchange is helpful, as you could imagine Mars placed in Scorpio and Mercury in Virgo post-exchange. This strengthens both planets. This can show courage in dealing with fears, communicating what is needed and doing what needs to be done. 

However, Mercury is also slowing down and preparing to retrograde in Scorpio. As it does so, it is joined by Venus, as they come to the same degree by October 30/31. This is seen as a 'planetary war' in Vedic astrology, as both planets battle it out at the same degree, longitudinally. Wars are never good - for anyone, no matter who wins. We could imagine Mars replacing Mercury as well, which would put Mars and Venus togther in Scorpio. A passionate mix, in a sign that is all about joint resources and big changes. Scorpio tends to make things feel like a life or death situation, although it's not necessarily. 

There will certainly be a lot of passion being expressed on both sides of an argument, and again, Brexit comes to mind, but whatever you have going on at this time will be expressed through this exchange. The Moon will join Mercury and Venus on October 30 and 31, before crossing into Sagittarius by the end of October 31. 

This points to a lot of uncertainty around Brexit; whether it will go ahead at all, and if it does, lots of uncertainty and fear about its impact. No surprises there then! 

>>>  Daylight Saving Time Ends Oct 27  <<<
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​New Moon in Libra (Svātī) Oct 28
The new Moon in Libra is the darkest night of the year in many ways. It's obviously not the actual darkest night. That comes during the winter solstice. The darkness of this time of year is more of a sense of moving into the dark months, which is more challenging than the actual dark period.

Yet this darkness is celebrated throughout the world with festivals of various kinds. There's the day of the dead in Mexico and the festival of lights in India. The Sun is debilitated, at its weakest at this time of year, while the Moon is dark for the new Moon phase. It's a time of year to pay homage to the dead, to light up the dark night so we can bring ourselves into the light while not avoiding our darkness. We do this with the help of those who have gone before us. 

There is a need to draw the energy inward at this time of year, as this is a reset point. But there's also a need to light our way through the darkness, to uplift the spirit and commune with others, to help others deal with their own darkness if they experience this in a more negative way. 

By overcoming our own darkness, we can help others with theirs. But also, by helping others with their darkness, we help ourselves. If you're depressed, it's easier to feel better by focusing on others' needs, then it is to address your own problems. When you look for problems, you will only be aware of your problems. But if you seek to alleviate others' problems, you light their way. And you uplift yourself in the process. 

This new Moon phase is placed in the lunar mansion called Svātī, which is all about carving out an individual path. This is done by being open, aware and willing to change. Change is certainly on the cards for this new Moon as the Sun opposes Uranus on the same day. Sun-Uranus connections bring surprises, and sometimes shocks. This creates an unnerving edge to this new Moon phase, and an excitement that cannot be denied. 

New Moons are always a more 'flighty' period, anyway. They offer a pause for the changes that you are making; changes that are necessary, but may not necessarily feel easy. With this new Moon the Sun is in debilitation by exact degree (10 degrees of Libra), where we may have less confidence around uncertain and exciting changes. 

It's like the butterflies we feel on doing something new. Even if we decided to make the changes ourselves, we can still feel the excitment and uncertainty of our decision. The most challenging expression of this is when we don't make any decision, as we try to adapt and lose focus in an ever-changing environment. This is what the sign Svātī is all about and what we think of when we think of Libra. We think of those predominantly Libra as those who compromise so much that they must make big changes that can sometimes make them feel scattered - like the wind, the ruling deity of Svātī being Vāyu, the wind god. 

Ultimately, this actually brings strength and Vāyu is the known as the 'deity of life', representing the life force and the power of carving out our own path. 

​Venus in Scorpio Oct 28 - Nov 21
Venus' initial transit in Scorpio creates a passionate mix of transits we must manage, for fear of letting things get out of hand. Venus leaves Mercury behind as Mercury is moving slowly at this time, preparing to start moving back to Libra, to begin to renegotiate. 
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We all will be renegotiating in some way. Once Mars joins Mercury in Libra by November 10, Venus will exchange signs with Mars. This is a better situation in November, overall. In October, however, we have to deal with all the uncertainty which we are not confident about because of the Sun's debilitation. The Sun's biggest lesson is to trust our Higher Self, that all is as it should be, even when it doesn't look that way from another standpoint. 

And we must love ourselves despite our jealousies, obsessions, insecurities and vulnerabilities. We must love our dark corners and hidden side, as much as our light, if we can say we truly love ourselves, and can then love others. And we must make peace with uncertainty, which is what Venus in Scorpio is all about. 

​Mercury stations retrograde
Mercury is retrograde from October 31 to November 19. It will station at 3 degrees of Scorpio and appear to move back to 17 degrees of Libra. As soon as it returns to Libra, from November 9, it is joined by Mars, which leads to some very passionate debates and negotiations.

The initial retrograde of Mercury in Scorpio, from October 31 to November 9, is full of uncertainty. That week may see Brexit kick in, or it may see further delays and frustrations which spill out into all kinds of chaos. This is because Jupiter is also crossing over the last degree of Scorpio - again, as Mercury moves back to the beginning of Scorpio, to return to the negotiations in Libra. 

Jupiter's return to the last degree of Scorpio leads to a lack of clarity, which may mean a lack of clarity about what the rules of negotiation are. 

As always, when you see a Mercury retrograde phase coming up it is telling you that you are too far ahead of circumstances and once Mercury stations retrograde you are asked to review all that has been in recent times.

Mentally, a Mercury retrograde period is very stimulating. There are too many things on our minds and we can make mistakes. Be mindful of this in terms of business dealings, travelling and such. And because Mercury stations in Scorpio the initial retrograde is particularly emotive, yet held back and frustrated because of Mars' transit.

Patience is key as things seem to come undone by the end of October. Some things need to, of course, while some things need to be redone. 
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