October 2010 - Balance

The transition of energies that occurred in September under the self-critical Virgo Sun and fiery Aries Full Moon has caused rapid fluctuations in our confidence levels. For example, you've probably come home one night from work and had a realization that you're very happy; you feel privileged and you love your life. The next morning you wake up, and you don't even want to see yourself in the mirror. You feel lost or confused; your confidence is shattered.

Let's face it, we all struggle to place our self-images in the world around us, and it's never easily done. It often seems like the image doesn't quite fit; it seems somehow different from its context, but impalpably so. Similarly, we often feel like we're making too many compromises with the world around us. Everyone else has their own agenda, and every single thing has its place and purpose. True happiness can only come from discovering and establishing the equilibria between oneself and literally everything else, which brings us to this month's theme: balance.

We've been feeling a bit scattered lately, as the previously concentrated planets have now begun to spread themselves thin across the cosmos. While I'll do my best to summarize the astrological weather of the month, October is going to be quite a mixed bag. Be prepared for several ups and downs.



This October, we find ourselves in a lunar cycle capped on both ends by a Full Moon in Aries; one back on September 23, and coming October 22. These Full Moons are heated with a direct, decisive energy that settles any inner disputes about oneself. However, both these Full Moons oppose the Sun's transit through Libra, which urges us to balance our own happiness by pleasing others as well. October is the month in which you will most easily find a balance between your own needs and the needs of those you care about.

And speaking of those you care about, you'll be scrambling to figure out the ins and outs of your romantic life this month. Although an early-month conjunction of the cosmic lovers Mars and Venus coincides nicely with Mercury's entrance into Libra on the 3rd, Venus retrograde (beginning the 8th, lasting until mid-November) is no time for making progress in your love life. You'll feel as if you're living in the past, as your decisions last month (and maybe beyond) come back to haunt you now. Mercury in Libra does make for a comfortable forum for communication, so be sure to talk things out with your partner and help each other discover the important balance of taking and giving. After all, you will still need them to satisfy your Venus-in-Scorpio desires.



This month will be a good time to develop your social life. You will be at your most charming and outgoing as Mercury swings through Libra to conjoin the Sun on the 16th. Although stern Saturn's slow shuffle through Libra may have you feeling conservative, with "no" being your operative comfort word, try to be at least a little bit adventurous, and you'll be surprised at how well you thrive. Meet some new people, and even consider starting new relationships (platonic or amorous); they have the potential to grow stronger and more serious as the Sun enters Scorpio on the 23rd.

Don't be discouraged when retrograde Venus puts a damper on your developments this month. Remember that for every two steps you go forward, it's acceptable (and often advisable) that you take one step back. You receive, you give. The operative word is balance.


Breakdown by Sun sign coming soon.

Jungian Synchronicity

Great article from Astrodienst about Carl Jung's concept of synchronicity and how it applies to astrology. Check it out!

Astrodienst - Synchronicity

Coming Down, the World Turned Over

This morning, at 6:30am for us east coasters, the waning Moon moved to conjoin the Sun in the middle of Virgo, beginning a new Lunar cycle on a somewhat awkward footing. Luna received a warm welcome yesterday when it ingressed Virgo; Mercury, ruling planet of Virgo, conjoined the Moon shortly after its entrance, providing it some words of comfort and rationale after a heated stay in Leo. This interaction would normally bode well for this Lunar cycle. However, Mercury is in retrograde: its influence questionable, its motives unclear, its trickery subtle, always managing to subvert the trust constructs we work so hard to establish.

Later this morning, just before noon, Venus entered Scorpio for the first time since November of 2009. Venus' romantic energies are intensified in this mysteriously powerful water sign; you will probably feel an increase in your passion for the subject(s) of your affection, or you may feel a heightened desire for intimacy. Although your romantic and sexual drives are always naturally ebbing and flowing, you are now starting to feel an undeniable presence of libido. These energies will require either a positive outlet (which may include other sensual pleasures besides sex/intimacy) or a great deal of self-control. If you are seeking a new partner, this New Moon is a fine time to start developing new relationships; this astrological context will encourage friendships to blossom into romance by the end of the month. However, don't expect everything to come easily between you and your partner; the magnetically dramatic energies of Scorpio don't always play well with Venus' tranquilly amorous nature.

Only 13 hours after Venus' arrival in Scorpio, Jupiter will slip backwards through the zodiac into watery Pisces. Be prepared to feel more empathetic and less self-centered; you are more likely to feel emotional connections to people or objects you previously considered distant or obsolete. This transit is also another stage of the deconstruction of the cardinal t-square, a formerly powerful cardinal cross which will soon be only a weakening cardinal square between Saturn in Libra and Pluto in Capricorn. This deconstruction is likely to bring us a winding down feeling from the excitement of the past four months; now is a great opportunity to eliminate distractions, collect yourself, and take a practical, calculated approach to realizing your goals.

Jupiter in Pisces, Venus in Scorpio: both instances of transits to water signs. Furthering this trend will be Mars' entrance into its home sign of Scorpio next Tuesday. After this point, the only major bodies (besides the Moon, which transits every 2-3 days) in air signs will be Neptune retrograde in Aquarius and Saturn in Libra. There are no major planets in any of the three fire signs. This concentration of planets in water and earth signs has a cooling down / coming down effect (think blazing fire to cool water, up in the air to down to earth). Alongside the decay of the cardinal cross, we can consider ourselves in the denouement of a complex and powerful drama with several climaxes (the eclipse cycle of June-July, the perfection of the cardinal cross through July and August, to name a couple). Take some time to stand back and reflect on the major decisions, changes, and opportunities of the past several months and what you've done to get to where you are now. What have you learned?

Mercury's stationing direct this Sunday (in Virgo, an earth sign), combined with Pluto stationing direct (in Capricorn, another earth sign) two days later alongside the aforementioned Mars transit, could not better mark a time for us to settle down. We may be feeling a little woozy or thick-headed right now, but by one week from today, everything will seem much clearer. These next six days are loaded with transitions and reversals, and although it seems chaotic, they are all necessary pieces falling into place in the grand puzzle.

Start your projects now, and let them grow with the New Moon. You will start to see results in a week, and your quick progress and uninhibited focus will surprise you.

For all you fire (Aries, Leo, Sagittarius) and air (Gemini, Libra, Aquarius) signs, you'll start to feel restless soon. Find an outlet for your energy, be it physical or intellectual (or both). Your time to shine is coming, and after the Sun's transit to Libra on the 22nd, you'll feel like your normal self again. For water (Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces) and earth (Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn) signs, the planets are favoring you this month, and you should feel more calm and generally more confident, especially with Pluto soon direct in Capricorn. Think big, but work small; your attention to detail will be the determinant factor in your level of success.


Note to readers: I've been experimenting the past few months with writing for the Examiner, an online newspaper. This move was part of my goal to relate the seemingly far-fetched concepts of astrology to Joe Skeptical. However, I found myself wasting far too much time worrying about their rules, requirements, and poorly coded publishing tools. The little bit of money I saw was not nearly worth the trouble.
So, here I am, back to good ol' Practical Astrology. But my goal of spreading the good word still stands, so please, follow, subscribe, and tell your friends!