October opens with no less than 6 planets (out of ten) retrograde motion. A number of my clients have asked why the energy is so sluggish. Here is why: Retrograde, or reverse gear, isn’t a negative thing. Rather, it is part of the natural cycle of life patterns. It involves reflection, turning inward, and thinking rather than acting and pushing forward. Think of it similar to the season of winter, and it is upon us cosmically now.
The outer planets spend nearly half of the year
retrograde. Because of their distance
from Earth, we normally do not feel this; however, the overlapping cycles of
the three outer planets (Uranus, Neptune and Pluto) along with titans Jupiter
and Saturn, from the end of August through mid-October has the effect of
slowing life to a crawl. Interior planet
Messenger Mercury added to this on September 27th when it also turned
retrograde.
Little traction is gained now. Instead, tune in. Meditate.
Listen. What do you hear?
The paradigms and constructs we have known are falling away
for sure. The old and out dated are
dissolving (Neptune in Pisces). The
unknown and yet-to-be are gradually taking their place. And the unknown often engenders fear. But while there is chaos all around everywhere
we look, it is also a wildly creative time
to be alive.
October affords us bountiful deliberation and consideration
of how to proceed. Out of our retrograde
reflections we will gain a clearer understanding of our values, what is important to us, how we want to spend our time,
energy and resources. The importance of
this cannot be overstated. We are given
the chance to craft a mission statement for our future.
Libra energy dominates the first half of October, with the
Sun, Motivating Mars and Messenger Mercury leaning our actions and words toward
what is fair, balanced and yes, beautiful.
Libra recognizes that each person deserves to be treated equally and is
entitled to beauty, to feel it, experience it, live it, know it. Libra is grace; something we can all agree is
in very short supply these days.
Use the first week of October wisely and steep yourself in
as much beauty and grace as you can manage.
Create a work of art; purchase a finely tailored article of clothing;
visit a museum or gallery; host an event or dinner party. Give of yourself by sharing your talents and
knowledge willingly and liberally with others, all the while carefully weighing
your choices and possible directions. The
tide begins turning soon enough.
The New Moon on Wednesday, October 6th is a force
to be reckoned with. The impact of this
New Moon is tremendous. Four planets are
in Libra: Sun, Moon, Mars and Mercury. Libra is known as the Velvet Hammer. She gets what she wants through a charm
offensive, and by applying finesse and grace.
She is a master of design: including human, cultural and product. The trick for Libra is decision making. To
choose. Therein lies the quest for
balance, which is Libra’s key phrase: I
Balance. That in making a choice, there is compromise and consequently not
everyone ends up happy. REMEMBER to always factor in your own needs and agenda. Because
Libra’s Achilles heel is often forgetting about themselves when meeting
everyone else’s demands.
Libra can sit on the fence debating pros and cons until
opportunity has passed her by. Especially where relationship is concerned. So it is a healthy idea to take the first five
days of October to make up your mind.
Then at the time of the New Moon:
CHOOSE. Set your intentions carefully. With all four Libra planets aligned to
Generous Jupiter in Aquarius, the Force is with you now. Underscoring this powerful energy, Pluto the
transformer turns direct motion the very same
day as the New Moon. Pluto
challenges Messenger Mercury; our choices weigh heavily. We realize the consequences no matter what
side of the fence we come down on. Here’s
a word to the wise: There are no wrong decisions, only learning.
We realize, though, we have only one choice: to embody, to live, to be our Truth; especially with Venus, ruler of Libra, at the
final degree of Scorpio at this New Moon conjoining the Lunar South node in
Sagittarius. Meaning: exercise the full
power and might of your being with every choice and decision. The imperative here is getting crystal clear
about your relationship to yourself. To
be absolutely 100 per cent yourself. If you don’t know who you are, now is the
time to get to know YOU. Because there
is no more faking, pretending, or going along to get along anymore. The veil is wispy thin now and each of us is
seen for exactly who and what we are.
Do yourself a favor and simply live your honest truth. Others may not like the real you; but the upside
is that you will be able to look yourself in the mirror.
The next day, Valuable Venus moves into Sagittarius. For the
remainder of the month we explore what life has to offer, open up to adventure,
feel more spiritual and philosophical and enjoy people who expand our reality. Given
what faces us nationally and globally, this is a very good thing. Greater understanding and learning only leads
to broader empathy for our fellow man.
That we are not so very different from one another after all.
Giving us a few days to allow the magnitude of these cosmic
events to fully settle upon us and integrate, or perhaps ingratiate itself,
Taskmaster Saturn then turns direct motion on Monday, October 11th. Two planets down, two more to go, in terms
of direct gear shifts this month.
(Uranus and Neptune stay retrograde for a while yet to come). Saturn is serious. Never frivolous. Its direct motion underscores the gravitas of
the moment. In Aquarius, Saturn directs
us toward the collective benefit, what will help the greater good, and connecting
ideas to groups via technology.
As it turns forward motion and picks up steam, Saturn aligns
with the Lunar North Node in Gemini, conveying our thoughts and facilitating
communication. In short, this alliance
takes the edge off Mercury’s retrograde.
We have one week yet to go until Monday, October 18th, when
Messenger Mercury moves forward again.
But we can feel the momentum of life beginning to pick up steam. We are given one more week to dig deep,
research, renew, review, etc. key plans and decisions before we act on them.
Use every ounce of time to finalize details because
Messenger Mercury turns direct motion on the very same day Generous Jupiter
moves forward as well; and, their
combined thrust ahead occurs only two days before the Full Moon on Wednesday,
October 20th. Mercury sends
the message while Jupiter magnifies it; together, we can expect to receive very large messages. Think Times Square BIG. Under the light of the waxing moon,
information is unmistakably clear.
To make things more interesting, this will be a highly combustible Full Moon. So fiery that it should come with a warning
label and wrapped in yellow CAUTION tape. This Aries Full Moon brazenly
challenges Powerful Pluto and opposes Motivating Mars conjoined to the
Sun. One clear meaning: Out with the Old and in with the New. Watch for explosive relationships,
situations, information, or desperate people
who will use just about any tactic to make their voices heard.
It is not hyperbole to say that we stand, individually and
collectively, on the brink of a historic paradigm shift; the immense sort of
cultural pivots that mark distinct BEFORE and AFTER periods, such as those we
have heard our forebears talk about…like, before World War II and after; before
the fall of Rome and after; before Christ and after, and, before or after the
Covid Pandemic. Yes, we are on an
immense threshold.
Some may feel as though they’re being observed or watched,
not in a paranoid way but rather due to an increased awareness that their language,
actions, thoughts and intentions actually
have consequences and impact. Well, they do! Increases of heightened awareness may be
symptoms of spiritual ascension. A
fuller understanding that each of us is truly connected to the other, even if
we don’t personally know the other person or group, indicates growth, expansion
and development. We are learning that we do in fact create our reality from our
thoughts, and our realities ripple out in waves touching all other lives. Such
is the magnitude of this time.
Saturday, October 23rd the Sun turns into
Scorpio, excavating and turning over what needs to be seen, revealed and dealt
with. During the final week of the month,
a test of wills, stamina and fortitude emerges as the Scorpio Sun gradually
boxes with Saturn in Aquarius. Watch for
a “my way or the highway” attitude, a digging in of heels and stubborn resistance,
belying much personal inner work yet to be done. Helping us reach across what divides us,
including getting over ourselves, Messenger Mercury assists greatly in its
alliance to Aquarian Saturn and then Jupiter during October’s last days. Not only does Mercury relay messages but it wants to relate while finishing up its
tour through Libra while a stark Darwinian reality stares us down: Adapt or die. We can adamantly cling to the
old. But change is a-comin’ whether we like it or not. Best to shake the hand of the future and face
it squarely in the eye.
Of Special Note:
Friday, October 15,
2021
Please tune in to Mystical
Messages podcast on Friday, October 15th to hear my conversation with Mariah
Riess, MSW. Mariah is a certified death
doula and End-of-Life specialist. Learn
how our greatest transition may be handled with grace, dignity and yes, even
celebration.
SONI MASUR'S BIG FALL SHOW
Thursday, October 21, 6 pm - 9 pm
Friday, October 22, 10 am – 3 pm
Saturday, October 23, 10 am – 4 pm