October 2022 Astro-Highlights: Transforming Our Self-Worth!

October is a very powerful month that marks a dramatic period of change in the astrology of 2022 with many BIG shifts headed our way! THREE of the six retrograde planets will be turning direct this month along with the start to another fated and transformative eclipse season!

The month begins with a fairly delightful connection between the benefic planets, an opposition from Venus in Libra to Jupiter in Aries, followed closely by an energy we are all looking forward to—Mercury stationing direct in Virgo!

The second week of the month, the energy intensifies a great deal as Pluto ends its nearly 5 month retrograde and stations direct in Capricorn, quickly followed by a strangely vulnerable, but deeply healing Full Moon in Aries! From there, Mars in Gemini makes the first of three confusing squares to Neptune in Pisces! 

The last two weeks of the month, it’s all about VENUS! Venus makes a series of powerful connections throughout this time including trines to Mars in Gemini and Saturn in Aquarius, an intense square to Pluto in Capricorn AND an exact conjunction to the Sun, also known as the Venus Cazimi!

All of this occurs alongside Saturn stationing direct in a final square to Uranus! Saturn's intense station occurs just as Venus and the Sun move into Scorpio where they are both important players in our first eclipse of the season—the New Moon & Partial Solar Eclipse in Scorpio!

Jupiter will dip its toes back into the end degrees of Pisces, bringing back any missed opportunities from that transit or even helping us revise the opportunities we did take. Mercury joins the other planets traversing the sign of Scorpio this month, making our thoughts and communication a little more private and deep.

Last, but certainly not least, Mars, the planet of ambition and physical vitality will station retrograde in the sign of Gemini where it will move backward through this sign until January 12, 2023.

The month of October has the potential to shift our lives a great deal and these shifts will continue to unfold into November and December!

Energy most challenging for Sun/Moon Rising in:  Taurus, Gemini, Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius, Pisces

Energy most positive for Sun/Moon/Rising in: Aries, Libra

Mixed energy for Sun/Moon/Rising in:  Cancer, Virgo, Sagittarius, Capricorn

Maximum intensity for Sun/Moon Rising in:  Taurus, Gemini, Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius, Pisces

 October 1st, 2022: Venus Opposite Jupiter from Libra to Aries

 October 2nd, 2022: Mercury Stations Direct at 24° of Virgo

 October 8th, 2022: Pluto Stations Direct at 26° of Capricorn 

October 9th, 2022: Full Moon at 16° of Aries

 October 10th, 2022: Mercury Re-Enters Libra

 October 11th, 2022: Mars Square Neptune from Gemini to Pisces

 October 14th, 2022: Venus Trine Saturn from Libra to Aquarius

 October 18th, 2022: Venus Trine Mars from Libra to Gemini

October 19th, 2022: Venus Square Pluto from Libra to Capricorn

October 22nd, 2022: Venus Cazimi at 29° of Libra

 October 22nd, 2022: Saturn Stations Direct at 18° of Aquarius

 October 23rd, 2022: Venus Enters Scorpio

October 23rd, 2022: Sun Enters Scorpio

 October 25th, 2022: New Moon & Partial Solar Eclipse in Scorpio 

October 27th, 2022: Jupiter Re-Enters Pisces 

October 29th, 2022: Mercury Enters Scorpio 

October 30th, 2022: Mars Stations Retrograde in Gemini

Venus in Libra Opposite Jupiter in Aries

Exact on October 1st, 2022 at 12:12pm MDT

Most active from September 29th through October 3rd, 2022

The two benefics in aspect is usually a fairly pleasant energy. Venus in Libra brings a love and appreciation for romance, beauty and art. Jupiter in Aries brings a great deal of ambition, enthusiasm and personal expansion. Under this influence we may notice we feel quite good, lucky or optimistic for no reason at all. It’s also possible that our positive outlook is aimed at our goals or close relationships. 

Under Venus opposite Jupiter we may simply “luck out” in some way. We may be on the receiving end of another person’s generosity throughout this time or we could be the one feeling generous! It’s also possible our relationships may receive some kind of blessing under this energy as well, perhaps a much-deserved promotion or raise.

However, keep in mind that we can set our expectations high with Jupiter and Venus. A wise use of this energy would be to look for the good things in our lives, to count our blessings and allow ourselves to enjoy a pleasant moment. An additional thing to keep in mind is that Venus and Jupiter can be overly indulgent. Unlike the other planets, these two can feel so good that we lose sight of the value of discipline.

Mercury Stations Direct at 24° Virgo

Exact on October 2nd, 2022 at 3:07am MDT

Direct until December 29th, 2022

After it’s 3 week retrograde through Libra and Virgo, Mercury is finally ready to move forward! This retrograde has been a little different, and although the typical Mercury retrograde annoyances were in full force, Mercury made mostly positive aspects throughout this entire period. This retrograde was all about reviewing our relationships as well as our work and routines. For many, the positive alignments brought blessings back into our lives that we may have passed on the first time around or that passed us by due to our previous circumstances.

As Mercury moves forward, it will align with Jupiter, Pluto and Venus once more, wrapping up these lessons for good and helping us to move forward with a positive outlook or vision for the future. However, now we are armed with greater discernment and understanding of the practical steps it takes to get there.

Pluto Stations Direct at 26° Capricorn

Exact on October 8th, 2022 at 3:56pm MDT

Active from October 8th, 2022 through May 1st, 2023

When Pluto stations and stands still in the sky, its an energy will be felt on some intuitive level, especially by those who are more sensitive to energy. We will likely notice Plutonian themes coming to the fore of our lives, themes such as death, decay and transformation. In astrology Pluto represents a great number of things in our human experience that can feel dark or taboo, but it's good to remember that these subjects are a natural part of life and must be dealt with as a part of the whole. 

Pluto is now going to move forward and with that forward motion, there can be a sense of dredging up what has been buried or happening on the back burner of our lives these last few months. In the months to come, hidden things will now be brought to the surface to be dealt with in order to purge it and heal another layer so that we may truly move our lives forward.

Pluto is a deeply psychic energy and for those especially tuned in, this may be a time when we can have psychic insights and visions and possibly even paranormal experiences. Pluto can also feel very intense, destructive and all-consuming. We may notice our desires take over our psyche as well as our deepest, darkest fears. 

Pluto brings some of life’s greatest lessons and it’s important to remember that only through our shadows, fears and darkness, can we regenerate ourselves and discover the true source of our power.

Full Moon at 16° Aries

Exact on October 9th, 2022 at 2:55pm MDT

Active from October 11th through October 21st, 2022

The Full Moon in Aries is a strange and healing culmination to the New Moon in Libra. At the Full Moon in Aries, it will feel like turning an important corner, personally and for our closest relationships. This Full Moon promises deep personal healing through unconditional love, which then leads to another layer of healing within our close partnerships.

The Full Moon in Aries is conjunct Chiron in Aries and sextile to Saturn in Aquarius. These seemingly incompatible energies come together in sextile to provide a chance to mend our own incompatibilities, whether we perceive those incompatibilities within partnership or as something within us that has felt inherently broken. Whether partnered or not, essentially, this energy helps us to release judgments toward ourselves in order to build more self-love and stronger, more healed relationships in the future.

Adding to the sense of healing our incompatibilities by releasing judgment is Venus, in her home sign of Libra, conjunct the Sun at the time of this Full Moon in Aries. Although Venus is technically combust, the Sun is also weakened by being in its Fall. This makes for another odd energy that points to healing through unconditional love of self.

Ultimately this Full Moon in Aries shows us that we are not perfect, nor are any of us meant to be. We're here to experience a true sense of self and to learn to love without condition.

Mercury Re-Enters Libra

Exact on October 10th, 2022 at 5:51pm MDT

Active from October 10th, 2022 through October 29th, 2022

Mercury Enters Libra today for the second time, bringing our thoughts, communications and awareness back to fair negotiations, cooperation with others, and fair and balanced understanding.  Mercury’s retrograde has been helping us take a closer look at our close relationships in order to weigh expanding goals for ourselves and further understand how they now fit into the bigger picture of our lives. 

Mars in Gemini Square Neptune in Pisces

Exact on October 11th, 2022 at 11:46pm MDT

Most active from October 8th through October 14th, 2022

Mars square Neptune is a strange and confusing transit that because of Mars’ upcoming retrograde, is important to take special note of because we will experience it 3 times over. This transit brings the energy of direct and ambitious Mars together with nebulous and ethereal Neptune. Mars represents our physical vitality and in a challenging square with Neptune, on a very basic level, we may find our actual physical bodies in some strange state of confusion, perhaps an elusive illness or injury that leaves us feeling very energetically drained and lethargic.

However, we’re talking about Neptune, and with Neptune, nothing is ever so simple as it seems. Because Mars is in Gemini, it would be good to take note of our mental health at this time as there is likely a direct connection to any physical symptoms we may be experiencing. Are you feeling burned out? Have you lost passion and curiosity for what you currently do? Are you questioning your goals and ambition? Have your spiritual experiences created a conflict with what you’ve been pursuing? What is your body trying to tell you?

Mars is in Gemini, a very mental and fast-moving energy coming up against a challenge with Neptune in Pisces, an energy that is much more mystical and mysterious. It’s possible that something may be occurring on a spiritual or creative level that is slowing us down both physically and mentally, shifting our priorities, changing our thoughts, and with it, changing what we are driven toward.

Of course, with all Neptune connections there is the potential for deception and disillusionment. Be very careful with where you place your trust throughout this time as well as how you go about getting your way. Gemini is all about communication and it's very possible that these energies may manifest for some as bending the truth in order to get something that is wanted.

Make note of what comes up for you under this energy because it is likely to be revisited over the next 6 months as Mars moves back and forth through Gemini. What Houses are occupied by Gemini and Pisces? This will help you narrow down the areas of life where these conflicts may arise.

Venus in Libra Trine Saturn in Aquarius

Exact on October 14th, 2022 at 12:21am MDT

Most active from October 12th through October 16th, 2022

When Venus makes a trine to Saturn, it is a nice, solid feeling that we must being doing something right with our lives. Venus in Libra is focused intently on the health and harmony of our relationships. In trine to Saturn, this energy may feel like we are maturing within marriages or making tangible progress in our business partnerships and other close relationships.  With Saturn in Aquarius, innovation is the key to future growth and stability. Within our relationships we are building structures and traditions that are new and unique, but that will bring security for us well into the future.

Venus trine Saturn is a beautiful energy to take hold of as it gives longevity to our contracts and agreements and rewards to be reaped for a long time to come.

Venus in Libra Trine Mars in Gemini

Exact on October 18th, 2022 at 8:20pm MDT

Most active from October 17th through October 19th, 2022

This is an extremely SOCIAL transit! Venus trine Mars in the social air signs of Libra and Gemini is a really nice little transit for getting out and about. This is especially nice for couples or dating as it indicates a mutual attraction. Venus trine Mars brings a flirty, fun energy, along with charm and great communication.

The strength of the Air signs is communication and a genuine desire to connect with and understand other people. They also understand the value of FUN and playfulness. This is a great energy for scheduling a date or for getting out and about. You might just meet someone quite charming and you will definitely have FUN!

Make note this transit occurs alongside the Sun and Venus’ square to Pluto. This brings an additional layer of intensity and passion to the mix! Don’t be surprised if you find yourself magnetically attracted to someone at this time!

Venus in Libra Square Pluto in Capricorn

Exact on October 20th, 2022 at 12:02am MDT

Most active from October 18th through October 22nd, 2022

A connection between Venus and Pluto can be wildly passionate, but unfortunately, a square does indicate challenge! If you find yourself strongly attracted to someone new at this time, be very cautious as you move forward. Venus and Pluto in aspect can be almost obsessive when it comes to the objects of their desire. With that obsession, there is potential for manipulation and controlling tactics.

Additionally, this is a potential time when any ongoing financial issues may reach a peak. However the involvement of the Sun with this square indicates something more. The Sun and Venus traveling through Libra and squaring Pluto could be a time when any self-worth issues surface in order to be dealt with and healed. Themes of self-worth are MAJOR in October and repeating in different ways throughout the month. Have you been holding onto toxic beliefs about yourself and your sense of worth?

Interestingly, in a few days time we’ll experience the Venus Cazimi at 29° of Libra as well as the Partial Solar Eclipse in Scorpio which is exactly conjunct Venus. These energies are likely to bring deep insight into our personal values and self-worth along with an intense desire to transform once and for all. 

Venus Cazimi at 29° of Libra

Exact on October 22nd, 2022 at 3:17am MDT

Most active 3 hours before and after exactitude

When planets are Cazimi, their energies are said to be amplified as they are in the “Seat of the Sun.” With Venus, this is all about our values and our self-worth as well as what we deem beautiful and pleasurable.

This is a brief, but powerful transit that can help us gain insight into any issues around self-worth or our ability to experience pleasure. As we know, the way we value ourselves can manifest in other areas of our life, such as our finances and the romantic partners we attract.

If you are someone who has difficulty enjoying life, if you experience unnecessary guilt or shame, if you always find yourself not having enough money or with partners who make you feel bad about yourself, use the Venus Cazimi to gain clarity on this issue and establish a new beginning with how you value yourself. The 3 hours before and after the exact conjunction are the most potent for this energy and it’s a great time to connect with your core self and vow to begin giving yourself the love you deserve.

Saturn Stations Direct at 18° Aquarius

Exact on October 22nd at 10:07pm MDT

Active from October 22nd, 2022 through June 17th, 2023

Saturn is finally stationing direct after its 4 month retrograde in the sign of Aquarius and this time, Saturn stations in a near exact square to Uranus in Taurus! Saturn’s square with Uranus has been ongoing for the last 2 years and the good news is, this is the FINAL pass! While it is exciting to finally be moving on from this energy, it is going to be quite potent throughout this time as we go through our eclipse cycle and for a little while longer as both planets hold still in the skies.

You may notice Saturnian themes playing out in your life throughout this time, things like roadblocks, restrictions, regulations, authority figures, fear and karma. Saturn in retrograde has been having us examine our responsibilities in life and how well the structures we have created will hold up as we move forward.

Although challenging, the final square to Uranus is likely to help us let go of the past and and anything that no longer serves us in order to move fully in to the future we are building.

Venus Enters Scorpio

Exact on October 23rd, 2022 at 1:52am MDT

Active from October 23rd through November 16th, 2022

Venus enters Scorpio today, the sign of her detriment!  Venus is a fairly light energy, ruling social behavior, beauty and charm. Venus in the water signs typically does well, but the energy of Scorpio is just a bit too intense for Venus!

Venus in the Mars/Pluto co-ruled sign of Scorpio will show up as deeply passionate and seductive. We may find ourselves drawn to social gatherings centered around occult themes or preferring a darker more sultry, aesthetic. Surface level connections just will not do under this energy and we may notice ourselves deeply craving intimacy with others, most especially our romantic partners as this is a very sexual energy as well!

The trouble with Venus in Scorpio is that romantic connections can feel almost obsessive. You may notice feeling more possessive or jealous in your relationships or that you or your partner’s behavior becomes a little more manipulative in an effort to control. The reason for this is because Scorpio shows us where we have hidden psychological fears, and with Venus, our fears become centered around our sense of self-worth.

This transit is very important to pay close attention to as Venus is still traveling alongside the Sun. In just a few days we will have our Scorpio New Moon eclipse, with Venus conjunct the Sun and Moon and continuing our theme of transforming our sense of self-worth.  

Sun Enters Scorpio

Exact on October 23rd, 2022 at 4:36am MDT

Active from October 23rd through November 22nd, 2022

Happy Scorpio season and happy Solar Return to the Scorpio readers out there! Scorpio season is all about taking us on a journey into the underworld to explore our shadow, our dark side, and to bring light to things that are otherwise hidden or considered taboo. Scorpio is the season of death and decay which is mirrored in nature as the once vibrant and colorful leaves are now disintegrating and going back into the earth.

This Scorpio season is going to be intense and EXTRA Scorpio-like! As we enter the season of death and transformation we do so as the fated eclipse season begins as well! This Scorpio season will feature a New Moon & Partial Solar Eclipse in Scorpio as well as a Total Lunar Eclipse in the opposing sign of Taurus! Many dramatic and karmic changes are now set to begin unfolding, changes that will be turning lives upside down and settling us onto a brand new path.

New Moon & Partial Solar Eclipse at 2° Scorpio

Exact on October 25th, 2022 at 4:49am MDT

Most active from October 15th through November 5th, 2022

Eclipses are always like a karmic lane change, taking us from one path and setting us onto another one altogether. This is a partial eclipse to the South Node, which indicates a chapter in our lives closing in order for a fated new one to open up. New Moon’s are always about new beginnings, however solar eclipses, even partial ones, are like a super-charged New Moon energy that feels less like we have a say and more like our lives are being rearranged by something greater than ourselves.

At the very base of Scorpio energy is raw power. This energy teaches us that we have the power to transform our lives, to intensely pursue our desires and to be the master of our own personal universe. This eclipse will have us getting to the root of our desires and examining where we may have given our power over to someone or something else.

The New Moon Solar Eclipse is conjunct Venus! Venus has been very active in recent weeks and is once again, center stage at the New Moon eclipse in Scorpio. The involvement of Venus could very well bring needed endings to toxic relationships along with karmic new beginnings to our sense of self-worth and personal power. Many people may find themselves fed up with receiving less than they deserve and saying goodbye to relationships or situations where they have been manipulated and taken for granted for far too long.

It's possible, too, that many will be beginning new romantic connections and crossing paths with someone they feel they have known before and are mysteriously attracted to. With the South Node, this could, in fact, very literally be someone from the past making an entrance into our lives again.

The co-rulers of Scorpio, Mars and Pluto are both involved in this New Moon Eclipse! Mars is in Gemini, very loosely trining the eclipse energies while Pluto is in Capricorn, very loosely in square. While these angles are not super exact, they are still playing a role and are important to make note of. Venus is in Scorpio, a much more intimate place to be. The trine to Mars indicates an easy attraction or assertion, and perhaps newer relationships is ready to go to the next level. Established relationships may notice a very physical attraction or desire to their partner throughout this time.

Pluto’s square adds a layer of magnetism to this already powerful energy and it could be that something, or someone, feels impossible to ignore. Something to be mindful of with this energy is to the potential for obsession or manipulation. There are very visceral desires at play with the Scorpio New Moon eclipse and squares to Pluto can feel almost dangerous or beyond our control.

Overall the New Moon & Partial Solar Eclipse in Scorpio looks to be a fated and PASSIONATE time for relationships and a time when our deepest desires are likely to surface and make themselves known.

Jupiter Re-Enters Pisces

Exact on October 27th, 2022 at 11:10pm MDT

Active from October 27th through December 20th, 2022

The planet of luck and expansion re-enters Pisces today, its traditional home sign! With Jupiter Rx in the sign of Pisces, we will be revisiting themes from the transit from earlier in the year. It's possible that Jupiter will bring back some of the opportunities that may have passed us by the first time. However, it's likely we will be examining choices previously made under this transit and reviewing the lessons we have learned. Jupiter in retrograde is about gaining an inner sense of expansion and wisdom. 

Take this time to review Jupiter's transit of Pisces. What outward expansion did you gain? What wisdom are you able to take with you moving forward? 

Jupiter will be transiting the end degrees of Pisces until it fully moves into Aries in December 2022. 

Mercury Enters Scorpio

Exact on October 29th, 2022 at 1:22pm MDT

Active from October 29th through November 17th, 2022

Mercury enters Scorpio today, an energy that can turn our attention to more secretive and shadowy subject matter. Mercury represents our mind and in the deep and passionate sign of Scorpio, Mercury is anything, but skin deep. This is an energy that penetrates the surface in order to get to the bottom of things, to the truth of the matter. Our communications are likely to become a little more passionate and probing. Mercury in Scorpio is highly perceptive and very connected to a deep inner knowing or a psychic intelligence.

Under this energy we may find ourselves a little more cautious than usual, perhaps more easily able to read other people and pick up when someone is being untrustworthy. With Mercury in Scorpio we may find ourselves spiraling down a new and taboo rabbit hole or almost obsessively trying to understand something we may at other times find frightening.

This transit is going to activate the eclipse points as well as make hard connections to Saturn in Aquarius and Uranus in Taurus, bringing our attention once again to the challenges of this square. Be mindful of your own thoughts during this transit and aware of the potential for manipulation, either from you or to you.

Mars Stations Retrograde at 25° of Gemini

Exact on October 30th, 2022 at 7:26am MDT

Active from October 30th, 2022 through January 12th, 2023

Approximately every two years, the planet of will, ambition, physical vitality, war and aggression turns retrograde. This time, Mars is in Gemini where it has been since August. Mars through Gemini is an interesting energy because you have a very physical planet in a very mental sign.

The transit of Mars retrograde through Gemini is an energy that is going to be driving home how connected our mental health is to our physical vitality. In Gemini, Mars follows its curiosity and usually has the physical stamina to back up this mentally passionate energy. However, this transit is showing us where we may have gone too far and how are physical energies are spread in too many different directions.

The energy of Mars in Gemini was first activated by the Virgo New Moon in August. This activation was our initial hint that it may be time to cut out some of the things we are doing, not only in order to better refine what we are truly most passionate about, but to preserve our mental health and physical vitality. We may be experiencing this as a burnout or crash.

Mars has already squared Neptune in Pisces exactly, and throughout this transit, it will make three exact passes. In fact, Mars is stationing within a 3 degree orb of this confusing square and this may very much be a time when we feel a little lost, physically and mentally. Mars is our drive and our ambition and during this retrograde, we may question our goals and why we have been aimed at them so intently. Are these goals even aligned with who we are now?

Neptune in Pisces is a highly spiritual, creative and empathetic energy. As Mars began its square we may have noticed inexplicable or confusing new symptoms in the body due to a sort of nebulous interconnection or empathy that we may not even be fully aware of. Mars represents our physical vitality and this may very much be a time when our stamina and energy is reversed or our energies are turned more inward.

Mars’ retrograde in Gemini is going to be a time when grounding is essential and awareness is key. We’ll want to be very mindful of our physical and energetic boundaries, most especially while Mars is squaring Neptune. This is also a time when it will be crucial to prioritize your mental health for the sake of our physical well-being. Look to where Gemini is in your chart as well as Pisces since Neptune will be so heavily involved in this transit. It will give you better indication of what this transit is trying to teach you and change in your life.