Love In A Cold Climate - October 2022
There is so much beauty, love and wealth to share this October as transits in Libra helps us get in touch with our desires. Yet Scorpio season with its Solar Eclipse reveals a dark side to love that needs searing honesty to navigate.
Mercury Turns Direct With Consideration: 2nd October
Mercury has stationed at 24’ Virgo, where he spends almost a week opposing mystical and confusing Neptune in equally vague and ethereal Pisces, where the thinking planet will call out any uncertainty and show it up for what it is…an ‘opportunity’, for creativity, for healing, to speak honestly about something not yet fully formed in consciousness. Since Mercury chooses this spot to go direct on 2nd October, we know that whatever imaginative ideas, dreams or even mis-givings we have been entertaining at the back of our mind, now have a chance to be analysed in the cold light of day. Every Mercury Retrograde is a chance to reconsider, and back in exacting Virgo, we definitely get to make better choices, or understand where we can improve.
Pluto Turns Direct For Self-Improvement: 8th October
Added to this proactive mindset for self-improvement, comes Pluto, turning direct on 8th October. Pluto has the ability to power up any decision or thought process and this becomes especially meaningful when Pluto changes directions. Pluto turns forward direction and within hours, the Moon becomes full; full of impressive ego charge (raaaaaaah), as this Full Moon on 9th, occurs at 16’ Aries, the sign of the instigator and personal force-field. The Aries Full Moon says “I don’t care about what you feel/how you look”, because it is opposite lovely Venus in Libra, “I have to look after my own wounds…” due to being next to Chiron the Wounded Healer. This might represent a choice where we go with our personal growth or own up to responsibility, even when other more persuasive options draw us towards sweetness. Nothing acts more like an aphrodisiac than being told ‘no’, and this Aries Full Moon gives us the power to do so, and maybe for the first time in a long time. I say go with your own inclinations here, since the Sun keeps moving along with Venus, never less than four degrees apart, for the whole of October, enabling the sweetness to keep working to grab our attention, this is serious grafting and will be very satisfying to experience.
Should I Stay Or Should I Go: 10th & 16th October
As Mercury joins the Sun and Venus in Libra on 10th, the three all make opposition and trine aspects that gear them up for extra heartfelt action in the sign of romance, charm and beauty. It’s not often we are allowed to experience Libra season with extra hot sauce with our romance. Yes please. Mercury leaves the shadow zone at 8’ on 16th October and whatever heart charms have been swirling around are now free to leave as they have done their duty and taught their lesson. But do they go? Perhaps not. Not yet anyway.
The Sun & Venus In A Libra Double Act: 17th – 20th October
The Sun and Venus are still in their double act and both make a trine connection to Mars at 24’ and then a square to Pluto at 26’ on 17th to 20th October. Of course Mars is about to retrograde at 25’, so this little cross roads of delightful forces will power Mars up for an extra grinding about turn on 30th October. But their connection also gives the vital force of the Sun and the glowing magnetism of Venus more seductive suction capabilities to break the will power of a saint. You may have done well to resist so far, but no one is going to blame you for crumbling now. However, there might be karmic wheels turning somewhere, the cogs creaking around ominously, whilst you enjoy the thrill of the fling.
Double Move Into Scorpio: 22nd October
Venus then transits the Sun, that is to say, she actually overtakes the Sun, just as they cross the border out of loving Libra, into the dark shadows of Scorpio. This is where things could get tricky. WILL get tricky. This is where you notice all the red flags that came before. This is where you actually decide to commit, warts and all. It’s too late to turn back now, the karmic wheel has turned powerfully and you are now ‘involved’. Even if romance hasn’t been the star of your past two weeks, perhaps something of value has tempted you. A financial transaction which pays extra dividends or ‘fate’ has drawn you into an unusual but seemingly serendipitous situation. The double move into Scorpio lasts for four days (where Sun and Venus are exact) of intense revelations of what lies beneath which weirdly, may make these ideas, people or situations even more appealing.
Bringing A Soft Light To The Dark Eclipse: 22nd to 26th October
There are a lot of intense aspects occurring at this juncture, so it feels like a major shift in focus away from earthly delights and enjoyment, to what has been hidden or isn’t easy to process or express. Saturn turns direct on 23rd (explained in the paragraph below) as the Sun and Venus: ‘the light and the magnetism’ stay tightly together through zero to four degrees of Scorpio, for four days from 22nd to 26th October, they bring a softness and empathy to the underworld and the shadow, so these darker factors are easier and feel more relatable. We may find ourselves easing into a deeper study of our relationships or situations, where we have been too scared to before (Saturn direct will see that we own up). But half-way through the Sun and Venus’s intense coupling on 25th, is the Solar Eclipse @ 2’ Scorpio. This is the Moon, the Sun and Venus exact, making a conjunction to the South Node to form this eclipse. The South Node is the ‘past’ and as we are moving swiftly forwards with all the recent Uranian activity around the North Node, we are duty bound to address circumstances from the past, or conditions we have created that make us who we are, all so that we can learn from them and release whatever lesson or blessing they have delivered. As much as we have been lulled into an inquisitive look at the shadow, and the perhaps unpalatable, the eclipse is a hard core expulsion of psychocultural factors that force us to own up. We have to take a deep breath here and be utterly honest about our part in all of our situations and really face the music. Whilst the world is going through a series of major changes we do have to take some responsibility for our part and the trick here with all these darker Scorpionic energies is not to spiral down, but to understand the play between light and dark is eternal, and hopefully Venus’s presence at this eclipse will help us remember that.
The Final Saturn Uranus Square Dance
We are though, throughout these aspects, contending with the final square of Saturn in Aquarius, with Uranus in Taurus. These two have been sparring since 2020, and had three ‘passes’ in 2021, and although they do not create an exact square again, they have become closer than a degree at the end of September, and now well into October.
Uranus Wins By Saturn’s Adversity
Uranus is always going to ‘win’ in this fighting duel that a square represents, since Uranus is the slower planet and will maintain his stance in Taurus for longer, whilst Saturn will move into Pisces in Mars 2023 and change mode. Saturn will ‘give up’ on restricting the populace that Aquarius represents and start to go hard on the Pisces themes instead. Also, Uranus rules Aquarius where Saturn is residing, and therefore Saturn’s oppressive tactics are harder to achieve on this excitable and freedom loving sign with its ruler holding a hard square position right next to the North Node destiny point – he highlights the way forward with a big glaring signpost. Uranus is the planet of shock change, with his lightning bolt electrical impulses, which are designed to bring about the chaos that wakes us up to previously unthinkable possibilities and this is why it is the planet of enlightenment. In this way, the oppression that Saturn has put humanity through in the 2.5 years in Aquarius, will actually be the grit of sand in the oyster, the annoyance of being held back, that then encourages us to open our eyes and see various ideas and new landscapes opening up before us. Necessity is the mother of all invention here, and it is a creative, if not revolutionary energy. We have to take action.
Saturn Turns Direct: 23rd October
Saturn turns direct on 23rd October and as Saturn is within the square, less than 45’, his move direct means he is the operator that leaves the square behind. He has work to do in Pisces, which is a whole other story, but for now, this is where the pressure of these two opposing giants starts to wane ever so slightly. We may feel that we are ‘out of the woods’ in some way, a gigantic sigh of relief, that easier times are ahead. Although this is just a feeling for now, it does mean we have passed ‘the test’ and whatever conundrum the square has been forcing on us for the past two years, it is now going to be easier. Of course announcements that the pandemic is over spring to mind, but they also bring us closer to the epic changes for humanity and planet earth that come in March 2023. This was just the preparation to end the epoch and bring in dynamic evolution of every man, woman, child and animal.
Psychic Powers Increase: 28th October
Our planet of abundance and expansion, Jupiter, now retrogrades back into dreamy Pisces, to increase, yet again, our sensitivity and psychic repertoire. This will heighten all emotions whether they are up or down, so do be aware that things could get overwhelming. It is good news if you are still surfing the ‘love wave’ from September and earlier October’s Venusian romance vibes, but alternatively, quite depressing if you got let down, or any plans didn’t go your way. Don’t stay down there, process whatever you can or get help, then take a look at all the world changes happening around you, there will be plenty to distract any broken hearts.
Power Down with Mars Retrograde: 30th October
And yes, the major distraction will be Mars turning retrograde, our planet of action, decisiveness and blind courage now turns backwards, causing us all to lose a lot of power and energy. Happy Halloween. Mars retrograding in Gemini does mean we lose a lot of brain power and clarity. Decision making might get a little foggy as we get confused.com without Mars driving us forward. Gemini does hide their shadow twin, so Mars’s journey backwards will aim to uncover any secrets and white lies that the silent twin has been holding onto. This works on a personal level and things could get tricky with friends, you may need to reassess any small discrepancies in stories or suddenly remember emails sent in haste. On a global level this becomes a fact finding mission where some facts will be censored and the whole ideas of censorship will rear its head as governments and big companies, fight to control our transactions. See the social media platforms, banks (even PayPal is closing accounts they don’t politically agree with). Mars is retrograde until 12th January – an incredibly long journey to perhaps uncover find out more than you bargained for, but also on a global banking, voting, media, telephone fraud and subversive tactics on a scale we have never seen before. Essentially though, Mars in retrograde wants us to clear out the mess, the extras, the fuss and and fear that’s all in our minds, so staying chilled by upping your mediation regime is a must. This Halloween kicks off the trick or treat so it’s up to us to choose wisely.