Astrology of October 2023
Vibes & secret messages, main characters & horoscopes
This is the first edition of my brand new monthly newsletter, where you can get ALL the important 411 on the secret cosmic folklore of each month, delivered right to your inbox at the start of the month, crafted by a professional astrologer.
This first month is free to all, and future editions will be exclusive to paying subscribers.
What to expect in each monthly newsletter:
☆ An ‘overall vibes’ forecast; the folklore of the month, if you will, as told by the cosmos
☆ “Main characters” of the month: the signs likely to be feeling most ~activated~ this month
☆ Visual map of the major transits of each month, and descriptions of all of them
☆ Horoscopes for each sign, intended to be read for your rising sign, but feel free to check for your big three
☆ Clarity on what to expect, and a sense of gentle support to get ya feeling nestled in and ready to take on the month ahead
*Libra and Scorpio* (obv, it’s their seasons), Taurus, Aries
Cancer, Capricorn, and Virgo are strong supporting characters.
(Active month for a lot of us!)
☆ Separating the wheat from the chaff: Difficult but likely empowering separations for relationships that couldn’t survive the reality checks & disloyalties of the summer. Also, endings & loss more generally, and new beginnings.
This month picks up where the last few months left off — we had Venus retrograde from late July through early September, and Venus conjunct Juno all through September and into October, and both of these transits were about evaluating our relationships and commitments to other people, to our creative work, and to ourselves. Betrayals (in real-time or poking out through our barely-scabbed over memories) may have also come up loudly, particularly during September, while Venus and Juno were conjunct. In October, we are reckoning with what we have learned in the last few months, letting old skin fall away, and clearing space for new connections or commitments. In other cases, there may be painful separations or simply endings.
☆ The end of an era that began in November 2021. It’s washed out not like a photograph but a shoreline in a hurricane, or perhaps it’s a cherry on a sundae, or giving a collection of stories a title
November 19th, 2021 hosted the first eclipse of the Taurus/Scorpio eclipse series. This ushered us into an era of learning to balance out these two signs and the areas in which they live in our natal charts and our lives. For more on this transit, check out this super in-depth article on the north node in taurus, south node in Scorpio transit.
☆ Clumsily clarifying, purifying, and making sense of what was hazy, hidden or in transition
☆ The last 5+ months have been a time of major change. This ~portal of transformation~ closes on Halloween night
Since early May, Pluto has been squaring the lunar nodes. This is a time ripe for monumental change. Not sudden, eclipse-like change. This change is one that was put into motion days, weeks, months, or even years ago, and will likely continue to roll out in the months to come, like a blood-red carpet leading into the future. Whatever is changing, it has been a long time coming. This transit officially concludes on October 31st, and we step into our new lives. I hope that this time it feels like you’re stepping off a plane into a land of opportunity, exhaling the past, and breathing in new life.
October is quite a month. The skies are busy and so we, below, are too. All will be well in the future, but this month feels like clearing out a lotttt of nasty gunk, especially in our connections.
At the start of October, Mars in Libra has just finished its opposition to Chiron and sits conjunct the south node and asteroid Lilith, and prepares to square Pluto. This is heavy, conflict-rich energy, and there is a strong likelihood of past issues resurfacing as the south node sweeps up the dust of the past, asking us to resolve what was never resolved way back when. Situations in which we were not treated with fairness (or didn’t treat others fairly) or in which justice was never served. This alignment also highlights the south node in Libra’s themes of loneliness and losing people we love.
Eclipse season is on the horizon this month, too. Our eclipses this season are a solar eclipse at 21º Libra on October 14th and a lunar eclipse at 5º Taurus — our last of the Taurus/Scorpio series series that began in November 2021 — on October 28th.
Juno, asteroid of commitment, fidelity, and betrayal, has spent weeks in an intimate conjunction with Venus and finally breaks contact in October and conjoins Black Moon Lilith for most of October & into early November. This shifts our focus from commitment, betrayal, and authenticity in relationships to self-respect, equality, and asking for better in those commitments.
Venus, planet of creativity and connection, will enter Virgo, the sign of its exile, and will oppose Saturn in Pisces too. More relationship tests & purifications, and a big ole reality check. Loneliness is again likely.
The list quite literally goes on and on, but suffice to say, this month is a wild one, and I’m starting this new subscription now with that in mind.
Note: most of these transits will be felt in the days or even weeks surrounding the exact date listed, not only for one day.
October 2nd: Mercury opposes Neptune.
Hazy, unclear energy. Misunderstandings, confusion, miscommunications. Writing or taking in poetry or music or fiction might be a healthy remedy in the days surrounding this transit.
October 3rd: Black Moon Lilith enters Virgo (until June 29th, 2024).
Getting in touch with the ways that you are sort of an ‘outcast’ in the Virgo area of your chart. The only way to deal with it is by getting to know, honoring, and owning your weirdness and staying true to your standards.
October 4th: Mercury enters Libra, and Mars perfects its conjunction to the south node.
Mercury in Libra is about using words in poetic, connective ways, and this is beautifully welcome after the haziness of Mercury opposite Neptune and the tension of the whole Mars situation. As mentioned earlier, Mars conjunct the south node brings old conflicts up like bodies in the river, especially when someone was treated unfairly and/or justice was never served, and may signify unpleasant endings as well.
October 8th: Juno + Venus separate after 36 days together, Mars perfects its square to Pluto, and Venus enters Virgo (until November 8th).
The days surrounding 10/8 are when I’m expecting to see a lot of people pushing change forward, ending relationships, and facing the facts by choice or by force. This may be a very stressful time period — Mars square Pluto is not pleasant. It is a pressurized kind of anxiety, intense conflict, and potential for a lot of pain. On the more positive side, massive change is possible, especially if we are willing to face reality and let go of what no longer is or has outlived its purpose.
October 10th: Venus perfects its opposition to Saturn, and Juno exactly conjunct Black Moon Lilith.
Genuinely, more of the same. Focuses of these transits are smashing unrealistic hopes, loneliness, loss, clarifying needs and commitments, and separation.
October 12th: Mars enters Scorpio (until November 24th).
Energy increases while Mars is in the sign of its domicile, and conflicts become more pointed and direct. Stress may increase in the area of your life related to Scorpio, and it’s a good idea to find a physical outlet for it.
October 14th: Solar eclipse in Libra.
Eclipses are chaotic, fairly unpredictable energy that coincide with moments of change or strange events, and they can’t really be controlled. We don’t have to try to ‘work with’ eclipses. They just run through us. This eclipse is a letting go, perhaps a shedding of an outlook on love, creativity, connection, sexuality; a shift in mindset. Any eclipse in Libra is relationship-oriented and this one feels like a severing. By being brave enough to let certain things or people leave your life, as tends to happen during eclipses, a hole in the heart opens up. That hole is filled when we find the strength to go on and to keep trying, and the willingness to be seen and loved as we are, knowing that in the future we will again take the risk of putting our love on the table despite the very real risk of pain or loss.
October 17th: Juno enters Virgo (until August 9th, 2024).
Committing to change, clarity, and deep exploration of your Virgo house in your chart.
October 20th: Mercury cazimi in Libra & Mercury square Pluto.
Intensssse clarity & sudden revelations of truths, especially around whatever the south node in Libra represents for you, and for us as a world.
October 22nd: Black Moon Lilith conjunct Juno in Virgo
Self-respect and empowerment. Some relationships will not withstand this test. This is a time when events are likely to come up that tempt us to disrespect ourselves for the benefit of someone else. On the flip side, if all is clear and well, we may find ourselves stitching our own hand to the hand of a lover who truly respects our independence and devotion to self and service.
October 23rd: Scorpio season begins (until November 22nd).
The sun illuminates the themes of your Scorpio house for the next month.
October 28th: Lunar eclipse in Taurus, and Mars & Mercury both oppose Jupiter.
Whatever chapter began with the eclipse on November 19th, 2021 is finally wrapped up; it feels like giving a collection of stories a title. What was happening back then? How have you grown and changed in the last two years? This phase of our growth is coming to an end, and it’s time to move forward. Give some thought and credit to the changes you’ve been through in the last two years. This eclipse is like pulling open the door to the world again and walking through it over the coming weeks.
October 29th: Mars conjunct Mercury in Scorpio.
There is a good chance that there will be some conflict and anxiety in the days surrounding this conjunction. Words and thoughts are sharp and fast. If nothing else, this is a sword that pierces the already-thin veil between the visible world the underworld, and the conscious mind and the unconscious mind.
October 31st: Samhain (Halloween), and Pluto concludes its over-5-month square to the lunar nodes.
The last nearly six months have been life-changing for many of us. Maybe you’ve been feeling like enough is enough and something must change, or maybe you’ve been at the mercy of other people’s drastic life changes or the uncontrollable forces of nature or cycles of life and death, or maybe you are frustrated by the lack of progress in your life or in the world at large. If you have felt like the gears of your life have rusted over, this transit was about breaking them free and getting them spinning again. With the conclusion of this long-term square, the fates have realigned. The fact that this transit concludes on the day when the veil is said to be thinnest is interesting and eerie, like we are concluding a dance with the unseen forces of the universe, and moving from one world to another.
A note: This month is likely to be most uncomfortable for cardinal signs (Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn), especially those who have cardinal placements around 24º, and especially during the first half of the month. Give your cardinal friends some extra support.
Aries
This month may bring change or endings to relationships of any kind & clarity around your intentions & needs. Annoyances at work are likely. 2nd half of October feels money-focused – look at the long-term & invest your time there. Conflict at the very end of the month, perhaps over money. October closes a two-year chapter of financial shifts & challenging/deepening your sense of self-worth.
Taurus
Changes & possibly issues at work are likely this month. Conflict is more likely beginning 10/12. Remember what you learned over the last few years about staying true to yourself. If you have to spend more time alone, do it. The days around the 22nd look more joyful n sweet- dates, dancing and creativity feel yummy. The 10/28 eclipse concludes a 2-year period of major personal & relational transformation, self-prioritization. Be sweet to yourself.
Gemini
Bye-bye to shit relationships / patterns / lovers who don’t see you. Assert yourself & resolve romantic conflicts. Whether it’s orgasm or working on blockages, this is an A+ time for sexual release. Use a condom around 10/14. Get creatively bold during the 1st half of the month. You’ll prob have more energy the 2nd half. This month concludes a two-year period of finding the balance & intersection of mental & physical health. Possible conflict w/ coworkers at the end of the month.
Cancer
A month for resolving issues with family / childhood, subconscious love languages, or within your home (especially the first half of the month). Sexier & more creative vibes beginning the 12th. Cute friend date weather around the 22nd (maybe with a Pisces rising?). This month ends what began November 2021 re: ambitions, goals, audience, friendships. After lots of pressure/changes in the last 5 months, October is the pain of birth & November could be a new life.
Leo
Old stressors, conflicts, or anxieties may come up but it’s time to let go of em with new approaches & perspectives. Do you need to go back to therapy? Make amends? Approach old conflict differently? Be cautious driving first half of the month. Positive financial/work news around the 22nd & possible changes to work late in the month. October closes an era that began November 2021 – changes to your home/family & work life. What have you learned & healed? Family/home stress may come up at the end of the month.
Virgo
Try to focus on self-empowerment right now. If you’re taking on too much at work, 1st half of Oct. is for changing what u can; prioritize financial goals (change is possible) & worry less about making others happy. (Are you leaving a job you’re not fully happy at for something better?). Possible conflict at the end of the month. This month concludes 2 years of new perspectives & feeling unrooted. What do you need in order to feel rooted & supported going forward?
Libra
Potentially stressful but transformative month, especially the first half. Energy may be low despite rising demands; you gotta know what you need right now. Breaking free & making personal changes feels more likely by the end of the month. Boost of motivation to put toward work starting 10/12. Unexpected cash around the 22nd? Whatever began in November 2021 (likely money or love-related) is completed at the end of this month. If financial negotiations arise at the end of October, odds are prob in your favor, even if the other party runs a hard bargain.
Scorpio
Change & clarity in mental health and the path to peace. Pay attention to the stories you tell yourself about your love life; are they blocking the connection you want? Boost of energy beginning 10/12; doing something physical, exercise, perhaps, may help to prevent it from turning into stress. Unpleasant news may arrive at the end of October & result in a change to a relationship. Your 2-year era of improving your relationship with self & others ends this month.
Sagittarius
Work stuff feels iffy this month. Questioning goals/purpose. Conflicts with friends? Restlessness. A shift in perspective around what it means to ‘succeed.’ The 20th feels like clarity around these topics, or something being revealed about a friend. Something happens this month that reminds you to celebrate & enjoy the progress you’ve already made. Something unexpectedly positive shows up at work on the 22nd-ish. At the end of the month, you’re closing a 2-year chapter of tending to mental & physical health and seeking stronger balance between work/activity and rest/relaxation.
Capricorn
You’ve been in transition for months, October marks the threshold; after this month, these changes begin to solidify. Also: change and clarity in career. Changing roles and/or view of yourself and superiors, and major life shifts. Take a trip or an empowering class after the 10th. Boost of energy to your ambitions & goals from 10/12 on, but be aware that . The 22nd is ‘meeting a lover in a strange place’, night out, or sexual experimentation weather. This month ends a period of better balancing your goals with simple pleasures.
Aquarius
Big ‘change of perspective’ energy as you fight against your own ~limiting beliefs~. After months of probable relationship evaluation & shadow work, you may need to assert yourself with a partner throughout the month. High energy & possibly stressful stuff at work beginning on the 12th & peaking at the end of the month. ‘Psychological breakthrough’ vibes around the 22nd. This month concludes a 2-year period of creating balance between past and future, career and home, public and private life. What’s changed?
Pisces
Discomfort or changes to relationships and money are possible, and so is loss, especially prior to mid-October. Clarity around the root of life-wide issues shows up around the 20th. The 22nd feels like a cute day for a friend date (maybe with a Cancer rising?) or a soothing, laughter-filled chat. This month wraps up 2 years of work on your comfort zone (and getting out of it) and mental health, and changes to friendships & beliefs. How far have you come?
Immediate join!
The part about being at the mercy of others life changes…. Phew.
Moon In Gemini with the “lovers who don’t see you” …. Fucking eh girl… spot on