October offers us many creative possibilities. The various areas of our lives - relationship, career, finances, creativity - all have a chance to take a new and productive direction. After a September which had only one "easy" aspect in the skies, October offers us the opportunity to balance the motivation of challenging situations with the flow of more cooperative possibilities. The major events this month are a station (apparent stopping in the sky) of Jupiter, on the 13th, and the transition of Saturn into Libra on the 29th.
Jupiter stations tend to get our inspiration flowing, and since he will be stopping to move forward after being in reverse since mid-June, we should be able to feel the positive energy of "Yes!" and "I can!" Progressive social causes, like health care, may start moving forward again. Use the days before and after the 13th to get in touch with your deepest motivations, and let the inspiration come when it will.
Saturn’s move into Libra is also quite significant. After two years in Virgo, where he’s been helping us to redefine service (again, health care is a good example, but not the only one), he will be moving into the sign of relationships. Many of us will feel the pull to "get serious" about our partnerships, and issues about dealing with the boundaries of relationship - like gay marriage - will be prominent. Actually, Saturn will bounce back and forth between the two signs until next July, beginning and wrapping up concerns in both areas.
Exciting as these big changes are, we tend to feel things more directly on an astrologically local level. The first part of October suggests that interactions with others will be prominent, while the second half of the month turns the energy slightly more inwards. Mercury, the planet of communication and commerce, is just coming off his retrograde and getting up to speed. He will make a couple of aspects to Mars, on the 1st and the 4th, which should help things along.
The 4th is the day of the October Full Moon, and it is an action-packed day all around, charging up the Full Moon lunacy with aspects between Mercury, Mars and Uranus. Ideas will be flowing, and there will be a general readiness to take action, even if it means moving in an unexpected direction. Take advantage of the energy around this time, as the Mercury/Saturn meeting on the 8th will bring a more careful, reticent feeling as the week progresses.
Relationships will be an area of activity in October. The Venus/Uranus opposition on the 9th suggests that we might try something or someone new. The signs involved will tend to tone things down a bit, though, and some of us will be as inclined to complain as to experiment. Then, on the 13th, Venus meets up with Saturn, leading us to ask about the bottom line in our partnerships. If they pass the test and are giving us what we need, we will be inclined to move forward with them.
If they don’t pass the test, then the Venus/Pluto square on the 15th will probably signal the end of a relationship which has been hanging on by a thread. The Goddess of Love leaves Virgo, where she’s rather shy, for her home in Libra just a day before meeting up with Pluto. Venus in Libra is perhaps a little too concerned with putting a nice face on things, but that won’t hurt when it comes to tangling with the God of the Underworld. It will also make for a relatively good month on the romance front.
This series of Venus aspects between the 9th and the 15th are quite powerful, and it is unusual to have them so close to each other. The upside is the potential to really get things moving in a new relationship, or to shake the cobwebs off one which has been dragging lately. The downside is that too much stress will break a relationship which isn’t really strong... although I think it’s an open question as to whether that really is a downside. It should be easy enough to judge how things are going by looking at whether you find this time exciting or irritating. Remember, though, that you can bring awareness and compassion to any situation, and how you respond to the cosmic conditions is what determines most of the outcome.
On the 16th, Mars leaves Cancer for Leo. This isn’t exactly groundbreaking, as he visits the sign of the Lion every two years for a month or so. But Mars in Cancer tends to inhibit our actions and make us a bit cautious and protective. We can overdo it with Mars in Leo, but in general there won’t be so much hesitation to act with the Warrior in such a fiery sign.
The end of the month, after the Sun enters Scorpio on the 23rd, has generally easy aspects. Of course, Scorpio provides its own intensity, but it helps to have the cosmic actors cooperating with each other. Among the highlights is a nice Venus/Jupiter trine on the 28th, an aspect which can repair some relationship damage done earlier in the month, or open the door to new opportunities in partnerships. The Sun/Mars square on the 29th is the one challenging aspect, although these two planets get along well with each other. Still, watch for the tendency - in yourself and others - to get a little too demanding or to be a little too egotistical. Be careful that you don’t respond to being hurt by trying to hurt someone else.
October is full of potential. As always, what we choose to do with the high voltage the planets send our way is up to us, but this is a month when leaning towards the positive should be within our reach.
Armand M. Diaz, M.A., C.A., is certified as a Consulting Astrologer by the National Council for Geocosmic Research (NCGR). He is available for private consultations, in which he creates a supportive context for self-exploration, to help clients make decisions which are in harmony with their greatest potential, offering a truly integral approach to astrology. Armand has practiced divination for more than twenty years, working with the I Ching and Tarot in addition to astrology. He has published in various astrological journals, including The Mountain Astrologer. He can be reached at 917-216-1541 or armand@ integralastrology.net, or though his website at www.bluemoonastrology.info.