October 2013

This October highlights and accentuates the Uranus Pluto square that has challenged us and daunted us over the past few years. Life was never to be the same. The ongoing process of transformation continues and may even be heightened during this autumnal month of October.

In 2008, Pluto first entered Capricorn and began its Phoenix-like quality of turning many things to ashes. Since that time, various traditions and institutions went by the wayside. If we did not build upon rock but rather sand, things were washed away literally and figuratively.

The housing bubble burst and financial institutions fell by the wayside. Things ‘too big to fail’ were patched up and held up, but life was never to be the same.

This breakdown of old institutions, structures and formats has continued on.

In 2010, Uranus entered Aries and by Sign we began the dance of the Uranus square Pluto, intensified as these two planets hit off each other directly at different times from June of 2012 into March of 2015.

This month of October in 2013 begins with the Sun transiting Libra square Pluto on the 1st – 2nd, followed by the Sun opposed Uranus on the 3rd. The Uranus Pluto square that has been a prime trigger of much of the conundrum over recent years and that will continue to cause us grave disruptions into 2015 is set off and significantly so with the Libra New Moon on the 4th – 5th.

With the New Moon influencing the next fortnight, the first two weeks of October set into motion a six-week period that could demand we keep our wits about us, able to dodge and duck some of the unanticipated variables and curveballs likely to be thrown our way.

The T-Square in the Cardinal Signs asks us to act, not solely react, and calls for us to think outside the box, enlist options and alternatives that may be new to us but that also allow us to stretch and become more aware of the shifts and changes occurring in the landscape and within ourselves.

Let the games begin!

While we might have to transverse minefields, our ability to focus and concentrate on the most important aspects, all the while that we are incisive and highly attuned to the various factors impacting situations, can get us through the night and through the days.

Mercury transiting Scorpio sextiles Pluto on the 6th – 7th of October and Mercury conjuncts Saturn on the 8th. As long as we keep our eye on the ball, we can find the ways to do what needs to be done and done by means of a best practices approach. We have to avoid whining about the circumstances in which we find ourselves and just do what needs to be done. As the English are famously known for from their motivational poster produced just prior to the second world war and the London bombings, this month is a time to KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON.

It would be wise for us to keep in mind, almost mantram-like, the true saying that ‘we never get more than we can handle.’

Venus exits Scorpio on the 7th of October, ending the Stellium of three or more planets in the Fixed Water Sign. With Venus transiting Sagittarius, Venus squares Neptune on the 10th. We might be far more open to expanding our contacts, becoming accommodating and generous to a fault, but we have to be mindful with whom we are doing the dance. The liability to being misled by someone could be strong, whether by their own mercurial qualities or our own tendency to see the best in everyone, even if their potential is far from being realized. Even if we succumb to the wiles of the trickster, we can disengage ourselves and engage interesting new contacts through surprising, serendipitous encounters when Venus trines Uranus on the 16th.

A sense of irrational exuberance with us opening the door to mischief-makers could be triggered by the Sun square Jupiter on the 12th. The 10th through the 12th of October is ripe for enthusiasm and the liability to being led astray by our own optimism.

Mars exits Leo on the 15th to enter Virgo. While we might lose some of the fire in our belly, we may also be more attentive to details and taking care of the many errands on our ‘to do’ lists. We do have to be careful to avoid accidents and misinterpretations around the 19th – 20th when Mars opposes Neptune. Any storm systems could prove quite intense with high precipitation to the point of flash floods and landslides. Our passions may be engaged, and we could act more from irrational impetuousness rather than well-considered reason.

The lack of clarity we might have suffered at the hands of other people around the 10th and by our own miscalculations around the 19th – 20th can be heightened as Mercury turns retrograde on October 21st. This Mercury retrograde through Scorpio runs into the 11th of November and may allow us to buy into self-delusions and accept the illusions presented to us by others. This October through November demands that we keep our antennae up, be mindful of any major shifts that seem to be operating below the surface and then act quickly if in deed there are major changes that could severely impact our financial condition.

I have long been concerned about this period of time, for there are various energy patterns operating that could lead to a perfect storm. We may not have full information, but we do need to be vigilant to even subtle shifts that could be the prelude to major changes. I will not suggest that we are presently living in a house of cards, but I would suggest that how things are operating are far more precipitous than we would like to believe.

If we can draw upon our intuitive sense, not get snookered by the hypesters and spinmeisters, then we can act swiftly and effectively before situations go from aggravated to grievous.

The Sun’s entry into Scorpio on the 21st – 22nd of October re-forms the Scorpio Stellium of three or more planets in the Fixed Water Sign as the Sun joins Mercury and Saturn in Scorpio. By Sign, and with the Sun trine Neptune on the 25th, the Scorpio planets trine Neptune in Pisces enhance our sensitivity and our intuitive sense to feel what is really going on. We might have to step away from the cacophony of bombarding stimuli, but in the quiet of our inner voice, we can hear the soft drumbeats of further changes likely to occur.

Mercury retrogrades back to conjunct Saturn on the 29th. Even if we become deflated by what we feel to be happening, we can also focus on what we might need to do to safeguard ourselves in the event of some significant episode[s].

The month of October ends with the Mars trine Pluto on the 31st, an energy configuration that can give us the impetus to do what needs to be done to secure solid foundations. This Halloween could offer us more of a treat than a trick if we take things in hand and make the necessary adjustments to forestall negative impacts from unexpected situations.

October could give us the hints, a sense of things, and the time to prepare for an intense November. This confluence of various energy patterns seems to heighten into a perfect storm during the early November period.

Let’s keep in mind that life is a series of cycles, sometimes subtle and quiet, other times dramatic and drastic. We may give witness to the indications of possible black swans in the mid to latter part of October, and we could evidence the black swans a’swimming in the first part of November, a time when the Uranus Pluto square is exact as we enter November on the 1st.

Whatever might occur in the world at large or in our own personal world during this month of October, I repeat what I wrote earlier in this piece. During this month of October and this autumn season, it would be wise to bear in mind, almost mantram-like, that we never get more than we can handle.

October 2013… spurts of new growth amidst the turmoil…