It’s turnaround time in the skies. We enter October 2021 with Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto all retrograde, but three of the five will change direction before November. The turnaround points for Jupiter, Saturn, and Pluto represent the major celestial activity in September and October, although there are some hot aspects that will present challenges and opportunities.
Mercury and Venus are very busy, including Mercury’s retrograde in Libra. These two planets tend to correspond to activity in our personal and social lives, so we’ll be busy making changes in relationships and career.
Mercury’s retrograde suggests the usual caveats around technology and communication, but in Libra the emphasis is likely to be on contracts and commerce. Legal proceedings may take a long time to get sorted, with resolution having to wait until sometime in the first half of November.
For the second month in a row, we begin with a waning Moon and hot aspects, creating more potential for endings than beginnings. The first week in October is a time to clear out the underbrush of your life so that you can move forward.
On the 1st and 3rd, Mars and the Sun oppose Chiron, aspects that can bring up personal wounds. Meanwhile, retrograde Mercury again trines Jupiter and squares Pluto, so we may have to rehash some matters from around September 22nd.
The New Moon in Libra on the 6th is traditionally a time to plant seeds for the future in terms of relationship, business endeavors, and commerce. Yet this new moon is likely to be overshadowed by Pluto’s station to go direct. Pluto stations have a powerful, tense feel. Together with the new moon, there’s an implosive energy that could be difficult to handle for some people. Working or playing alone might be the better option if you or yours are feeling irritable.
The somewhat heavy tone of the new moon starts to give way on the 7th, as Venus enters Sagittarius, casting a more upbeat, outgoing, and optimistic tone over relationships and socializing. The Sun’s meeting with Mars and Mercury in Libra on the 8th and 9th could be a time for discussing ideas, although it’s possible to get lost in the words and fail to launch.
Saturn stations to go direct on the 10th – another indication that things might have some trouble getting off the ground, even if we are approaching the always-active first quarter moon on the 12th. Saturn stations are often times when we have a lot of responsibilities and feel it difficult to get out from under our workloads. All in all, it’s usually best to put in the effort, even if results are modest. Resistance can be low and – pre-pandemic, at least – it may be a time when minor illnesses make the rounds.
More harmonious energy prevails at mid-month, with Venus and Saturn in easy aspect on the 13th and the Sun trine to Jupiter on the 15th. This is a period when diplomacy and tact can move mountains. It might also be an opportunity to revive ideas that were stalled around the 8th through the 10th.
Jupiter and Mercury join the forward-moving parade on the 18th, as both station direct (that’s four planets moving direct in 12 days!). Jupiter stations tend to infuse us with optimism and a sense of faith in the future. The only caveat is that Mercury’s station could mean that we get a little too excited about information that isn’t necessarily correct.
The heightened enthusiasm is especially strong as we’re approaching the Aries Full Moon on the 20th. This full moon encourages our independence and sense of self, along with a bit of a competitive (not to say combative) vibe. Appropriately, this full moon is surrounded by Mars aspects – a trine to stationed Jupiter on the 18th and a square to Pluto on the 22nd (Mars rules the sign of Aries). These Martial aspects indicate that this is a time for action more than words, although the signs involved do indicate a potential for diplomacy.
On October 23rd, the Sun wades into the dark waters of Scorpio. For most of us in the Wisdom area, this is the heart of the autumn, when the leaves turn and fall off the trees. Once again, we can feel the energy pulling strongly inwards.
The Sun makes a square to Saturn on the 30th, indicating tensions between personal security and collective ideals. With Mercury, now direct, about to again aspect Jupiter and Pluto, we may find that this is a point of decisions and resolution for matters that have been hanging in the air since late September.