October 2019: Balance & Bounty
Welcome to the witchiest month. Libra began the Fall with autumnal Venus vibes at the Fall Equinox on September 23, but Scorpio plunges us deep into it in October. The power of the Scorpion is being able to look unflinchingly at all aspects of life, including what’s beyond. The Goddess of Witchcraft and the Crossroads, Hekate, takes us beyond the mundane material world into the subtle realms of spirit. The Wiccan holiday Samhain, October 31, the holiest day of the year, is a celebration of ancestors and the time when the veil between the living and the dead is thinnest. There is much to discover, within and without, this month. We call upon Hekate to be our guide, and aid us in venturing forth with a brave heart and torches blazing.
The month opens with Venus in Libra in a disagreement with Pluto in Capricorn on October 1. Venus is emerging as an evening star, in a new phase of her synodic cycle, and wishes to make love to the world. Not in a sexual sense, Libra Season is about the mind, but intellectually by connecting with kindness, respect, and compassion across differences. If love is what justice looks like in public, as Dr. Cornell West says, Venus in Libra wants her good works to benefit all beings on the planet without exception. It may not be possible to create perfect equality, we only glimpse that twice a year on the Spring and Fall Equinoxes, but we can eliminate material insufficiency and insecurity. Venus in Taurus is the Earth Goddess who provides abundance in the Spring. Venus in Libra is the Goddess of Wisdom who helps to mete those resources out fairly. There is plenty to go around. If 3% of the population was not hoarding 87% of the wealth, everyone would have their basic needs met and then some. It is part of the human condition to strive. Balance is an ideal to aim towards. The work of each generation is to move us a little closer to that goal. Pluto in Capricorn represents the oligarch who prefers personal power through domination and control than to contributing to collective wellness. The energy at the beginning of the month may create a disagreement between yourself and the powers-that-be, but with a supportive sextile from Jupiter in Sagittarius, Venus is encouraging us to draw upon your own inner resources to make things right.
The outer planets move slowly, but you can’t miss them when they call. Pluto has been retrograde since April 23, at 24 degrees Capricorn, and will station direct at 20 Capricorn on October 3. Anyone with personal points (planets or angles) in cardinal signs, will experience this pressure most intensely. It’s not just Venus who’s at odds with Pluto this month. The Sun, Mercury, and Mars will all move into positions of tension with the Capricorn crew. It’s nothing new. These are the dynamics that made June and July so difficult. September provided a reprieve from the conflict, but we may find that similar material begins to surface again as we move towards the the Saturn-Pluto conjunction of January 12, 2020.
Mercury enters Scorpio on October 3, bidding farewell to the fair air of Libra, and beginning their descent into the underworld. Mercury in Scorpio is not satisfied with superficial understanding. They seek to unravel the mysteries of the universe and ultimate truths of existence. Mercury will retrograde in Scorpio from October 31-November 20, but we’ll feel the effect a bit longer, from October 11-December 8. During that time, we’ll come into a deeper understanding of the forces responsible for creating the conditions upon which reality rests. Similar to when Jupiter was in Scorpio, and we learned of widespread hidden sexual abuse by powerful people in multiple industries, corruption could be revealed that leads to powerful changes in society over the next few months. Interpersonally, Mercury in Scorpio can be a bit suspicious, so don’t go down roads that you’re not prepared to follow to the end. Scorpio cares more about getting to the bottom of things than feeling happy, so make sure you’re prepared to handle the truth before you start sniffing out clues. Unsavory material could surface. If there’s something you’ve avoided seeing, Mercury may reveal that to you now.
Mercury gradually makes their way backwards through each elemental trigon, going retrograde every 4 months for 22 days, and 2019 was the year of water sign retrogrades: Pisces in March, Leo-Cancer in July, and Scorpio in November. These plunges into our subconscious recesses are an opportunity to reconsider habitual emotional patterns of response and wrestle with unresolved emotional topics. Our physical form reflexively reacts to subtle stimuli, especially those which trigger pre-verbal memories of the early home environment. Venus was retrograde in Scorpio when Mercury entered last October 2018. Collectively, we were grappling with some difficult themes of betrayal and defeat. You may experience a resurfacing of memories from that time. There is always more to heal and it may be empowering to realize how much has shifted in a year.
Mercury opposes Uranus in Taurus while the Sun squares Saturn on October 7. Difficult things may need to be handled, but take care if there’s delicate conversations that need to be had. You might find that words just erupt out of you. If you’re feeling vulnerable, connect with those who are supportive and safe. Venus enters Scorpio while Mars in Libra opposes Chiron in Aries on October 8, and the emphasis on wounds and healing intensifies. There’s mutual reception between the two planets. We’re being asked to work on our challenges from an inhibited position, but much like the Hanged Man tarot card, this inversion helps us cultivate a unique perspective and new skills. Venus will be in Scorpio for the rest of the month, giving love and relationships an edginess and intensity, especially on October 12, when Venus opposes Uranus. If you meet someone during this time, changes are you could feel instantly fascinated and perhaps a bit obsessed. Don’t share of yourself too quickly because Scorpio can come on strong, but doesn’t like feeling vulnerable. You’ll have a different view of things by December. If you can survive the holidays harmoniously then you know things are real. Until then, whatever it is, tell yourself it’s not that serious.
Balance is held on high on October 13, at the Aries Full Moon, ruled by Mars directly across the zodiac in Libra. Aries is the sign of the warrior, the one who fights, but is currently home to both Chiron, the wounded healer, and Eris, the Goddess of Discord. These minor yet potent asteroids tip the scales away from the need to prove oneself, towards the importance of inclusion and community. The Sun’s square with Pluto, lets us know that a greater pressure may be exerted upon you, but the best way to encounter this energy is to raise the red flag and surrender. The Moon in Aries has the heart of a child. In childhood we mimic adults around us by play-acting grown up behavior. The Full Moon brings illumination, and the requirement of an additional piece. If you don’t like what is being asked of you, this is an opportunity to fake it till you make it as you learn a new way. As they say in kindergarten when cupcakes get passed out, “You get what you get, and you don’t get upset.” There’s a lot to be delighted with about this Moon. Focus on the cupcake life is offering you, not the flavor of the frosting on top, and you’ll be sure to enjoy the party.
The week of October 14 is awash in dreams and psychic visions and the little concrete hints and nudges from the universe that it is indeed listening and talking back to you. Enjoy these cosmic notes of resonance and magical building towards a life with more whimsy as Mercury and then Venus trine Neptune and sextile Saturn and Pluto. The Sun enters Scorpio on October 23, and we settle firmly into Fall and the process of transformation it facilitates. In colder parts of the Northern Hemisphere, leaves turn gorgeous colors--crimson, ochre, golden--before withering and falling to the earth. This riot of beauty is a reminder of the glory of life. Humans fear death, but the fleeting nature of this material form imbues all of existence with an undeniable preciousness. Decay and rot are a natural part of the cycle. The mood of the month changes towards deep introspection. We’re moving towards the Witches New Year at Samhain. Now is the time to compost that what is no longer serving you. Build a funeral pyre and heap your mistakes and regrets from the year upon it. Take the last week of October to get right with anyone or thing you feel unsettled about so you can start fresh on November 1. Scorpio Season is a reminder to make the most of each moment because all we have is today. Tomorrow is not promised.
The Scorpio New Moon on October 27, is as intense as it could be. The ruler of the lunation, Mars, is in a square with Saturn and the Sun and Moon are opposing Uranus in Taurus. There is a sense of fated collisions of a completely unpredictable nature. Venus, Athena, and Mercury are all between 24-26 degrees Scorpio. This Moon is witchy and bold af. Hidden powers will be unleashed as Uranus begins to speak with more urgency and clarity. If you go out to parties this weekend, make sure to stay safe because accidents could happen if people do not take extra care.
Mercury will conjoin Venus on October 30 before going retrograde in Scorpio on October 31. What a wild Halloween. Samhain is the Great Sabbat of the Witches Year. A time when we celebrate the death of the God who lies in a state of rest until he is reborn at the Winter Solstice (Yule). Rituals include honoring the ancestors and beloved dead, stoking the sacred fire, and dancing the spiral dance. Samhain is the night when the membrane between the living and spirit realm is most permeable and anyone could slip easily between the two. The tradition of dressing up in costume at Halloween was developed to confuse ghosts from attempting to bring you back with them. It’s a liminal space, a time outside of time, between the end and the beginning. Communion with the dead is thought to be easiest on this night. Lanterns were set outside doorways to guide departed ones home to their families who had set an extra place at the diner table for them.
Samhain is a time to give thanks to all who came before who made your life possible. That includes anyone in your family you’re related to by blood, people who shaped your development growing up, and those whos lives contributed to the conditions you now enjoy, such as freedoms or culture. It is also a time to consider the spiritual and material state of the world. The human practices that cause death, such as war, and ecological imbalance, such as pollution, that creates unnecessary suffering. Witches take time on Samhain to examine our place in the web of creation and consider ways we can make positive change towards healing and regeneration.
Blessed be.