October is here and we are heading into the last quarter of the year. I hope you've all had a nice start to Libra season! A cardinal Air sign, Libra marks the beginning of a new season and often coincides with new beginnings and the start of new cycles. What ideas or relationships have you initiated since the equinox? Libra is my 5th house of creative projects, and I have recently announced my forthcoming tarot deck, the Hollow Valley Tarot, co-created with Erin Alise!

I'm excited to dive into the month's astrology with you and give you an overview of the major transits and the general vibe of the month ahead. October's astrology has some spicy moments, especially in the first half of the month. And yet, somehow, in many ways, October is the calm before the storm of November. That's when Mars will be in Scorpio, squaring Saturn and opposing Uranus, reactivating the Saturn-Uranus square, and we'll have the first eclipse of the Taurus-Scorpio cycle.

This is a great month for taking action, getting things done, and getting your affairs in order before settling in for a dramatic month in November. If there have been any projects and tasks that have been nagging for your attention, this is a great time to address them, before they can come back to haunt you later in the year.

Let's dive into the highlights of the month ahead!

We start with Mercury freshly retrograde

We start October with Mercury moving retrograde through Libra and in a square to Pluto. Mercury retrograde square Pluto is a major theme of this cycle — Mercury has been within a degree of Pluto for several weeks now, and maybe you've already been feeling the more intense and cathartic vibe.

Mercury retrograde square Pluto has an investigative, probing quality to it. It can stir the desire to dig deep to find the truth or get to the heart of the issue. Mercury retrograde is self-reflexive and allows us to understand ourselves or a situation from a different perspective. When square Pluto, these might be deeply hidden things — our core secrets, our unconscious motivations. While most intense around the end of September and early October, these themes will follow us throughout October. The third and final square will happen in early November, wrapping up the cycle.

While Mercury squares off against Pluto, it also goes through the same back-and-forth with Jupiter, only this time, it trines Jupiter in Aquarius. Jupiter in Aquarius is all about our long-term goals and visions, and this is a great time to do some self-reflection about how our current actions and activities are helping us achieve those bigger objectives. We might not feel like we're moving forward (at least until the end of October, when Mercury is direct and does the final trine to Jupiter), but we have a chance to prepare ourselves and figure out what actions we need to take. Mercury trine Jupiter brings a piece of good news and helpful support. You'll feel this on October 3rd, and then again when Mercury trines Jupiter for the third time in late October.

An extremely spicy New Moon in Libra

Happening on October 6th at 13° Libra, the New Moon in Libra this year is very dramatic. We have a very unique and complex configuration of planets right now, that gives this new moon a strong vibe.

The Sun, Moon, Mercury, and Mars are all huddled together between 13° and 16° of Libra. The New Moon will take place on October 6, but on October 8, the Sun and Mars will both be at 15° Libra, and on the 9th, Mercury (still retrograde) joins the party, making an exact conjunction to both the Sun and Mars. This is a very rare configuration — it's not often we have the Moon, Mercury, the Sun and Mars all in the same degrees! This puts a huge emphasis on the Libra part of our birth chart, especially for those with planets or points around 15° of Libra and the other cardinal signs.

This imbues the lunar cycle, but especially the next two weeks, with Sun-Mars-Mercury in Libra energy. So what does this mean for us?

Well, both the Sun and Mars struggle in Libra. It's a sign that promotes cohesion, teamwork and social harmony, while both the Sun and Mars are very independent and action-oriented by nature. When planets are in signs where they struggle, they don't have as much access to their power and abilities. You might feel this as a sudden awareness of what is out of balance in your life. If there are unstable foundations or parts of your life that need to be shored up, this New Moon is a great opportunity to set intentions around "cleaning up" that part of your life. Mars in Libra wants to fight for social justice but also needs to navigate the needs of the people around it. There might be a need to compromise our success for the collective success.

This is a great New Moon for purging, releasing, and cutting away what is holding you back. This is a New Moon for releasing what isn't working anymore so that you have more time and space and energy to pursue what you truly want and desire. It's a little contradictory: while New Moons are all about intention setting, this New Moon occurs while Mars and the Sun are renewing their cycle together. Mars energy is all about separation, cutting away, letting go. So, we have this combination of "new beginnings" and "cutting away." If you have any habits, relationships or practices that you've been holding onto out of sheer obligation or inertia, this is a great lunar cycle for letting go and releasing those energetic ties and giving yourself a fresh start.

Mars is very sharp and pointed and can be aggressive and loud. And when joined by Mercury, this can mean our words, language and communication can become very sharp. Our mental health might be affected since Mercury is so closely linked to our thoughts and how we express them. There might be a quality of frustration or aggravation in our words and mind between October 6th and 9th. Watch out for sharp, pointed words at this time — you might find yourself saying something that, while truthful, you didn't deliver in the kindest, nicest way. However, this energy can also give us the courage to say what we mean, instead of hiding behind niceties and courtesies. It might not be pleasant or easy, but it's important. On its own, Libra energy can incline us towards making the peace at all costs. With Mercury, Mars and the Sun all together in Libra, we might have to confront one another, say the words we are afraid to say, have the conversation we're afraid to have, but ultimately, it can create the conditions for a much more satisfying and healthier relationship.

The ruler of this New Moon, Venus, is in the final degree of Scorpio, where it has spent the past several weeks confronting harsh truths, hidden depths, and the challenging parts of being in relationship with others. This New Moon might bring up some ugly truths that we'd rather avoid — but ultimately, acknowledging those truths is necessary for our relationships to be built on a solid foundation. But Venus is almost done in Scorpio, meaning that we are working through the final issues. This further gives the New Moon a sense of closure.

Pluto also stations direct on October 6th, adding extra emphasis to the 25° point of cardinal signs. Pluto has been extremely active during this solar season, as it is tied into the Mercury retrograde themes. Watch out for whatever was stirred around September 22 and 27th to be revisited. If you are someone who has important planets or points at 25° of Aries, Cancer, Libra or Capricorn, this transit is going to activate the longer-term Plutonian themes you've likely been wrestling with this past year.

And an equally spicy Full Moon in Aries

The Libra-Aries Full Moon always brings up themes of independence vs cooperation, self-sovereignty vs social obligations, and asks us to examine how we sacrifice our own needs for the collective good. Full Moons in fire signs can often give us a sense of impatience, restlessness and urgency.

Although this Full Moon isn't coinciding with any other aspects, the ruler of the Full Moon, Mars in Libra, is in the process of squaring Pluto in Capricorn. Mars square Pluto is a very intense transit, one that can often bring up extreme emotions and urges for action from unexpected places. Mars square Pluto is like a dormant volcano that suddenly erupts. While in Libra, Mars can be much more passive-aggressive or get a thrill out of bringing action/violence/energy to places that are peaceful and calm (think: someone throwing a pile of books on the ground in the middle of a silent library, because they are frustrated with their work). Add Pluto to the mix, and Mars energy becomes much more explosive. Watch out for sudden outbursts of anger or aggression, either from yourself or someone else. Because Mars is still close to the Sun and hidden under the Sun's rays, these expressions of anger might seem to come out of nowhere. For example, our partner might be in a bad mood, but we are lost in our world and don't notice — so suddenly, that off-hand comment you make ends up provoking a strong action.

There's a strong sense of impatience with this Full Moon, which can make us want to rush forward. Try not to let yourself be forced into making decisions you aren't ready to make. If we move too quickly, we might miss something important. This is a very independent Full Moon, so other people might be making lots of demands on you. You might feel like everyone else is being extra selfish. Don't forget that you're allowed to be selfish, too! Try not to go to the extreme, but if someone is putting a lot of pressure on you, it's ok to say, "I can't make a decision right now, I need more time." Remember, "No" is a complete sentence!

Four planets station direct this month

We have several planets stationing direct this month! We already talked about Pluto stationing direct on October 6th (coinciding with the New Moon), but we also have Saturn stationing direct on October 10th, and then Jupiter and Mercury stationing direct on October 18th.

This gives October a feeling of subtle, profound shifts. Pluto, Saturn and Jupiter are all slow-moving planets (especially when compared to planets like Mercury and Venus!), meaning their direct stations tend to be a bit more subtle. It's kind of like a ship slowly starting to turn around to prepare to dock.

For Saturn and Jupiter, both in the sign of Aquarius, this can feel like we slowly going from a more internal, self-reflective review of our long-term goals and vision, and starting to think more about what actions need to happen to accomplish those goals. We have done a lot of inner work while these planets were retrograde, and now it's time to start sharing that work with the world. By the end of October, things might feel like they are moving faster and you are feeling more externally productive.

Venus enters Sagittarius, Mars enters Scorpio

October features two personal planets changing signs: Venus leaves the murky depths of Scorpio to enter the fiery wilds of Sagittarius on October 7th, and on October 30th, Mars enters its home sign of Scorpio.

Sagittarius is an improvement for Venus, who doesn't love to be in Mars-ruled signs. While Sagittarius, Venus is much more easy-going, free-loving, affectionate and open to connection. We might find ourselves suddenly inspired and yearning for a million different desires. We might get itchy feet and a desire to learn new things, take in new art, and have our minds expanded. In Sagittarius, Venus gets to lean into the joy of discovery and learning. Whatever House contains Sagittarius in our charts will receive a nice boost from Venus, which is always nice. While Venus in Scorpio tends to highlight the challenges and difficulties in our relationships and creative energy, Venus' transit through Sagittarius might stoke a desire for creativity, play and adventure that had previously been stifled.

Mars enters Scorpio at the end of October and sets us up for the very dramatic and intense astrology of November to come. While in Scorpio, Mars will be re-activating Saturn and Uranus. Mars will oppose Uranus on the Full Moon in Taurus, which is also our first eclipse in the Taurus-Scorpio axis. More on that next month, but expect November 18 to be a very dramatic and exciting day!

While in Scorpio, Mars is at its most powerful and strategic. Mars is extremely determined, focused and can pursue its goals with a single-minded effort. After six weeks of Mars being in a sign where it struggles to assert its dominance, this is going to be a very different vibe. We might finally feel like we have the power and ability to reach our goals. Just try not to be too ruthless in your efforts. There's more to life than winning, ya know!

And there we are! A very exciting October ahead, setting us up for an even more exciting November.

It's also an exciting October because the Hollow Valley Tarot is coming to Kickstarter! For the past two years, I have been collaborating with artist and illustrator, Erin Alise of the Hollow Valley to create a tarot deck!

The campaign will run from October 20 to November 10, and we need your help to make the deck a reality! Sign up for the waitlist to get more info on the deck. And don't forget to follow us on Instagram for sneak peeks and the latest updates on the campaign.