Astrological Forecast for October 2014--Balance and Poise

Photo by Patricia Herlevi

Fire and Air dominate October.   Challenging aspects include Mercury Retrograde in Scorpio/Libra, Pluto moving into a square with Uranus and a Jupiter-Saturn Square.  On the plus side Venus travels into her own sign Libra sextiling an adventurous Mars in Sagittarius and Jupiter in Leo, but opposing Uranus in Aries. The biggest challenge is keeping our wits about us when the firestorms kick up.  And they will with this lineup.

We start off the month with a wide conjunction of the Sun and Venus in Libra.  Neptune crashes the party in the beauty parlor when the planet inconjuncts both the Sun and Venus. Are we not looking beneath the surface?  Are we placing too much emphasis on conventional beauty and focusing too much on symmetrical perfection? Are we having problems making decisions because we don't see the truth revealed in our situations?  To complicate this, Mercury in Scorpio goes retrograde on the 4th adding to the confusion.  From the 11th until the 24th, Mercury does his backwards dance in Libra (again, we have problems making decisions).  Most likely we experience delays with contracts and other written materials.  This is not a good time to get married or sign any business agreements or to sign a lease.  Wait until the final week of October.

When Mercury transits retrograde in Air Signs we could experience mechanical breakdowns, but mostly our brains short circuit.  Since Libra rules Venus, from the 11th to the 24th, take it easy if possible.  Go to a spa if you can afford it or make a spa in your own bathroom.  Get your hair cut or styled, but communicate clearly with your hair stylist and don't assume they know what you want.  They don't even know what they want at that point.

With the Sun, North Node, Mercury, Venus and Pallas in Libra watch your sugar intake.  Too much mental stress could see you grabbing for simple carbs and this is not a healthy idea.  Too much sugar can cause problems with the pancreas and kidneys.  Also keep salt intake in balance.  In fact, balance is the keyword.  With Mars in Sagittarius for most of the month and Jupiter in Leo there is a tendency to overindulge in food and drink.  Our eyes tell us we're hungry when exposed to eye candy but our stomachs scream, "Enough is enough!" Since Sagittarius rules the thighs and liver, if we get out of balance now with diet and exercise, we will pay later.  Oh, will we pay.

Photo by Patricia Herlevi

The Mars-Jupiter trine that starts off the month leaves us feeling bold, courageous and adventurous.  Many of us will pack our bags and travel abroad, if not physically, then definitely mentally.  People will pack the theaters to watch action-adventure movies with mythological proportion heroes.  This trend last until the 19th, but the ripples will continue into November when the Sun transits into Sagittarius, then we're off on another mental or physical adventure.

However, Saturn dampens the effect when Jupiter Squares Saturn for the entire month.  Since Jupiter Squares Saturn and not the other way around, Jupiter poses the challenge.  We could see all our discipline in different areas of our life erode.  We get distracted and interrupt our daily exercise routine or we fall off the wagon where diet is concerned.  We fail classes in school because we spend too much time partying (college students beware), or we blow our savings account on frivolous pursuits that we regret when the Sun and other planets head into Capricorn.

In December Saturn moves into Jupiter's sign Sagittarius.  I still don't know what to make of Saturn moving into the expansive and jubilant sign, but with Jupiter in Leo, I think we're going to see a lot of smoke, flame, fire and fireworks, not to mention volcanic activity, especially when Uranus in Aries gets involved and we experience Grand Fire Trines.  We want adventure, we want to take on challenges with boldness and we will act overly dramatic at times.  And we could also deal with narcissism to extremes with all of that fire.  Or we might start taking Climate Change more seriously, especially with all the heat on the planet under those influences.  I hope so.  We will also see more people installing solar panels on their homes and we will make more use of the heat from the Sun.  We will also see a rise in wrinkles and skin cancer.

Photo by Patricia Herlevi

Finally, Pluto that went Direct in September now closes the gap with retrograde Uranus in Aries.  We experience a 2 degree orb starting on the 20th and by December we experience the perfect Uranus-Pluto Square.  Expect more chaos and this time without the buffer of Water Trines.  To some people, especially with Cardinal Sign planets at 11 to 13 degrees are going to feel this as a final onslaught.  You will no longer hang onto the stuff that's holding you back.  Uranus brings liberation and Pluto brings a wrecking ball to unsuitable structure.  I'll have this happening in my 7th House with the planet Mercury so I'll be hanging out in the same boat as you.

I'm thinking of Joni Mitchell's song "Both Sides Now" because in October we can choose to perceive the glass as half empty or half full.  We can also study the Yin/Yang sign as we strive for balance in all forms while keeping expansion at bay.  Planets in Sagittarius create bubble economies and bubbles in our thinking so it's easy to overextend ourselves and our credit.  Only Pluto in Capricorn and Saturn in Scorpio keep us grounded in October, but that could cause us to spend time on the dark side and act overly suspicious of others in the form of conspiracy theories.  I will say this, October is an intense month that only seems shallow on the surface.  It's like that lake where you walk a few feet and end up on the deep end and you thought you were just dipping your toes.

November and December also pose challenges for humanity.  If you would like a transit reading, I'm giving readings via Pay Pal (donations) in September. I encourage you to get a transit reading and I'm only accepting 5 clients for this offer.  Sign up at Metaphysics for Everyday Living and use the Pay Pal on this blog.