October 2018: Illumination from Within
I hope everyone has their black pointy hats ready because this October is going to be one of the witchiest on record. The planets that make nice are in Scorpio, the sign of sex and death, all month, and Venus will be retrograde for most of that time. Mercury and the Sun will join her and Jupiter there, so there will be a total mind, body, heart, and spirit alignment with the principle of darkness and regeneration. You probably won’t need a costume to feel like you’re living in a liminal space this Halloween. There’s no telling who or where we’ll be by the end.
On September 30, Pluto, the God of the Underworld, stationed direct in Capricorn where his formidable influence has been felt most intensely related to debates around social hierarchy and abuse of power. The Brett Kavanaugh Supreme Court confirmation hearing has forced a confrontation with our relationship to sexual violence and whether we will allow such abusive traditions to continue. One thing’s for certain, this issue is at the heart of what we as a collective are grappling with this month. Mercury in Libra will square Pluto on October 2, seeking a remedy for this spiritual sickness we are afflicted by, and perhaps bringing more legal developments.
The planet of justice and truth, Jupiter, has been in Scorpio since last October, during which the #MeToo movement rose to prominence, and he will be leaving for Sagittarius on November 8. Venus entered Scorpio on September 9, where she is in detriment, to spend Jupiter’s remaining days in the cold waters with him. On October 5, Venus, as an evening star, will station retrograde, and begin her descent into the underworld where she will confront her fears, allow a piece of herself to pass away, and receive a new transmission of life before rising again as a morning star. Venus completes this retrograde process every eight years. Consider where you were in October 2010, and what themes you were dealing with in your interpersonal relationships. Those same dynamics, patterns, or issues may resurface during this retrograde period that will be marked by several distinct stages. From October 5-20, you may be grappling with surrender. This is a come or be dragged kind of process. It works best if you align yourself with the energy and participate. Most people prefer Venus happy and cooperative. We want love and closeness and security. But although that is the most popular story told of Venus, the Divine Feminine has many other faces and facets and you will see them all this month. If you wish for divine assistance on your journey, enlist the aid of Hekate, the triple faced goddess of magic, witchcraft, the night, ghosts, and the Moon, to light your passage through the underworld as she did for Demeter when searching for Persephone.
There is a Libra New Moon on October 8, that speaks to the need for balance and harmony in your home life. If the scales are unfairly tipped in one direction, that will be felt and most likely commented upon. Both lunations this month are ruled by Venus, so they will be flavored and colored by her retrograde experience. What positive qualities do you want to cultivate in order to see you through this journey? Bravery, faith, courage, fortitude, discipline, compassion? Wish upon the New Moon and Selene may make it so.
Mercury enters Scorpio on October 9, which helps the mind catch up with the feelings of the moment. Honor any instincts you have to improve physical health. The following day, October 10, Mercury opposes Uranus and Venus squares Mars, so let yourself cut loose creatively. Dance, paint, sing, or f*ck the pain away. Let yourself be free, if only (but especially), in your mind. Mercury will conjunct Venus on October 15. This is the perfect evening to get out your tarot cards and query the universe on what you’re meant to be learning right now. Write down any insights that come to you and be sure to thank the Gods for speaking through the deck.
The Sun moves into Scorpio on October 23, reminding us that this Venus retrograde is all about Our Bodies and Ourselves. How we feel about ourselves impacts our physical health. How we were raised to see ourselves is often reflected in the partners we choose. We project the qualities we most wish to embody on to another at the beginning stages of love, but when that illusion fades, we may then project the qualities about ourselves we most dislike and fear. This retrograde is about facing Shadow material in the mirror. We all come in alone, and that is how we go out. Relationships begin and end, but the one that comes first is the one with yourself. Who were you forbidden from being when you were young, and how do you forbid yourself now? Who would you most like to be and why do you believe that is not possible? This is a day to commit to radical self love and acceptance. If you have a story of why you are a bad person, write that all down and then set fire to it (safely). Scatter the ashes in the earth and let it fertilize new growth. The past is over. May we learn from it and then be done with it. (This is a great ritual to do the following night at the Full Moon).
There is a Taurus full Moon on October 24, which is ruled by Venus from across the zodiac. The Moon is exalted in Taurus because our watery emotions enjoy a nice sturdy container of Earth. However, for the next 7 years while Uranus is in Taurus, these lunations will be mixed with a challenging volatile energy. This Moon is up close and personal with Uranus, and with retrograde Venus deep into her underworld journey, it may illuminate some of the brackish mire that she is working through.
On October 26, retrograde Venus will conjunct the Sun at 3 degrees Scorpio. Three is a sacred number to the Goddess, representing the three phases of life: youth, maturation, and the wise crone. It is the young Venus that our society idealizes. It is the mature Venus in her full power and strength that is feared and has been reviled. It is the crone who’s wisdom is discredited and ignored. No longer. On this day, in the darkest place of our sorrows, the Sun implants the seed of a new beginning. If the past three weeks were a struggle, (or three months or three years), know that the loss was clearing away a space for the new. The fresh light of the Divine shines renewed within us, and slowly grows, gestating to bring forth a new life.
On October 31, Venus will oppose Uranus before retrograding back into Libra on the most sacred Wiccan sabbat, Samhain, the Witches New Year. This evening is a culmination of the power and promise that was birthed at Beltane in the Spring, and a portal into the dark half of the year. It is the day when the veil between the living and the dead is the thinnest, and many cultures around the world believe that spirits of ancestors visit during this time. The celebrations of Dia de Los Muertos and All Saints Day on November 1, are the continuation of unbroken traditions from indigenous cultures that honor the dead by visiting cemeteries, cleaning and decorating gravestones, building altars, and making offerings.
Samhain marks the third feast of the harvest and the passage of the God into the underworld. The Goddess mourns his loss and wishes him safe passage, comforted with the knowledge that he will be reborn at Yule, the Winter Solstice, on December 21. On this night we look both backwards and forwards as we contemplate with loving thoughts those we have lost, release anything we don’t wish to carry into the new year, and set a magical intention that will grow in the womb of darkness for the next six months. You may want to construct several altars, one for your dearly departed, and one for what you wish to begin. Set a clear and positive intention for yourself and adorn your space with images of what you wish to bring into being. This is also a excellent evening to conduct a spells for all of humanity. Perhaps one to bring about the death of the patriarchy and another to usher in a new egalitarian society? The choices are endless and you can’t go wrong as long as you remember the Witches creed: Do as ye will, but harm ye none.
The following day, November 1, Venus is reborn, rising before the Sun as a morning star in her warrior queen role in Libra. What was learned from the retrograde will slowly emerge in the coming weeks before she stations direct again on November 16.
May the light of the Goddess illuminate you from within as you traverse this hallowed and harrowing terrain. Though we may walk in darkness, we are never alone. Blessed be.