Hello, and welcome to October. Your monthly horoscopes are available here! Some months are astrologically busier than others. While the past few years have had a lot of dynamic activity from the outer planets on an ongoing basis, it could be that you’ve been feeling a bit lulled by the relative calm of August and September – “relative” being the operative word here. Well, things are starting to heat up again and this month should give us all a wake up call in one way or another.

Nothing brings the heat more than fire and we’ve got a Grand Trine formation between three fire signs to start out the month: Mars in Sagittarius, Jupiter in Leo, and Uranus in Aries. Our dreams, passions and urges to self-direct ourselves towards a more liberating and exhilarating life experience will be aflame. Freedom to be who we want to be and live on our own terms is a major emphasis and these planets are offering plenty of inspiration if we should choose to listen. It will be hard to ignore the voice inside of us that knows exactly what we want, if only we had the courage to do it. This restless and exciting energy will set the stage for the pair of eclipses this month that will be encouraging us to make important life changes.

However, from October 4 – 26, Mercury will be Retrograde starting at 2 degrees Scorpio and ending back at 16 degrees Libra. Mercury retrograde alone has a big influence, but moving through these degrees it will also be close to the Solar Eclipse at 0 degrees Scorpio on October 23. Combine the themes of Solar Eclipse (powerful new beginnings) and Mercury Retrograde (the past) and you can see the potential for the opportunity to have a major “do over.” During Mercury Retrograde, we’ll all be encouraged to wrap up unfinished business from the past and review events leading up to the situation we’re in today. The theme of this Mercury Retrograde is both intimate relationships (Scorpio) and partnerships (Libra). Spouses, lovers, close friends and business partners will be a big focus. You could encounter a significant other from your past this month in order to say or do something that is needed to gain closure, healing or peace of mind.

The time is ripe to break old patterns and take control of your destiny by making conscious choices. Because we’ll have the Solar Eclipse in Scorpio, we can receive a boost from the universe if we decide that we’d like to start a new way of relating with those we love. Likewise, if there is someone we’ve needed to detach from, this month’s astrology can support a clean break. It may take repeating the same mistake one more time in order to realize that we’re done, but the message is likely to come through strongly enough to make it stick. Venus will conjunct the Solar Eclipse, which can help us to love ourselves enough to make choices that honor our values and integrity.

However, before the Solar Eclipse, we’ll experience a Lunar Eclipse at 15 degrees Aries on October 8 that will also be conjunct Uranus. Keep in mind that Uranus in Aries has been driving a restless, revolutionary energy over the past few years. It’s the “rebellious” planet and in the sign of fearless and quick tempered Aries, rapid change is often a result. It’s a good thing on one hand, because sometimes you just need to jump and a shake up to throw you off balance is the only way to get you started. But the unpredictability and volatility of Uranus in Aries can be unsettling and cause us a bit of extra clean up when it comes crashing through our lives. Now this energy will be combined with the Lunar Eclipse and the days around October 8 are likely to be high voltage and eventful.

Relationships are also a big emphasis for the Lunar Eclipse. We’ll be figuring out what we want and need, particularly on an emotional level. For those of us who have been putting our feelings aside for the sake of keeping the peace in a relationship, it can become apparent that our situation is not sustainable. We’re being called to recognize and honor how we feel and communicate that to those people we love. Some of your realizations could be surprising and with the intense energy caused by the Lunar Eclipse, some emotional overreaction is to be expected. Knowing this, you can make a plan to hold back and consider making major decisions next month. Definitely don’t deny what you are feeling. However, you’ll probably have a lot of strong feelings and they deserve time to address. Snap judgments and rash actions won’t give you the time you need to sort through all the information.

Consider taking all the strong emotion of this month and channeling it into something productive such as an art project or physical activity. We’re being pushed to look at the things we haven’t wanted to look at, to face our fears and to be unflinchingly honest with ourselves and others. But that doesn’t mean we have to do all of it in one day, or in one month for that matter! The important thing will be to realize what needs to change. Focus on getting the message you need and then you’ll be equipped to think about the next steps.

Feel free to drop me a line at cardinalfireastrology@gmail.com if you have questions about some of October’s planetary action.