October 2023 Astro-Highlights: When One Door Closes, Another Opens

There is an intensity in the air as October begins on the heels of the fiery and uninhibited Full Moon in Aries just a few days prior and leads us directly into the fated eclipse season. This month is full of dramatic change, new beginnings, and long-awaited culminations.

Diplomacy is KEY this month when Mercury enters Libra on the 4th and plays an active role in the upcoming Libra eclipse where we must weigh our options.

Venus, the ruler of BOTH October eclipses, moves into practical Virgo on the 8th and reveals what truly matters to us most in our close relationships as we move through the tumultuous eclipse energy.  

Pluto resumes forward motion in Capricorn on the 10th and brings forth the need to confront buried issues while setting the stage for the Annular eclipse in Libra.

On the 11th, Mars enters Scorpio and marks a transformative shift in this area of life that infuses us with renewed ambition, physical vitality, and focus.  

We'll experience an intensely healing Annular Solar Eclipse in Libra on the 14th, which opens a significant new chapter in our lives but requires that we first let go of our past attachments.

Mercury enters Scorpio on the 22nd, bringing heightened perception and intensified, passionate communication. The following day, the Sun enters this sign and fully immerses us in Scorpio's deep and passionate waters.  

The grand finale is the partial Lunar Eclipse in Taurus, which brings liberating change and closes a tumultuous chapter in our lives.

Energy Most Challenging for Sun/Moon/Rising in: Aries, Libra 

Energy Most Positive for Sun/Moon/Rising in: Gemini, Leo, Virgo, Sagittarius, Aquarius

Mixed Energy for Sun/Moon/Rising in: Taurus, Cancer, Scorpio, Capricorn, Pisces

Maximum Intensity for Sun/Moon/Rising in: Aries, Libra, Scorpio, Taurus

October 4, 2023: Mercury Enters Libra

October 8, 2023: Venus Enters Virgo 

October 10, 2023: Pluto Stations Direct at 27° Capricorn

October 11, 2023: Mars Enters Scorpio

October 14, 2023: Annular Solar Eclipse at 21° Libra

October 22, 2023: Mercury Enters Scorpio

October 23, 2023: Sun Enters Scorpio

October 28, 2023: Full Moon & Partial Lunar Eclipse at 5° Taurus

Mercury Enters Libra 

Exact on October 4, 2023 at 6:08 pm MDT

Active from October 4 through October 21, 2023

Under the influence of Mercury in Libra, our communication style becomes characterized by tactfulness and charm, and we can approach  important conversations rationally. Mercury in Libra enables us to see both sides of the coin, and we tend to place a high value on exchanging ideas with others in our quest to make decisions.

Although the decision-making process may take a bit longer than usual with Mercury in Libra, it’s essential to be cautious about overthinking or not doing what is best for ourselves.

As Mercury transits Libra, it will conjunct the Sun and the South Node shortly following the deeply karmic Annular Solar Eclipse in Libra. This time will likely be a period of intense clarity, healing, and resolution regarding any decisions that need to be made about our close relationships or contractual agreements.

Venus Enters Virgo 

October 8, 2023, at 7:11 pm MDT

Active from October 8 through November 7, 2023

Despite Venus being in its "fall" in Virgo, this transit holds promise. Venus in Virgo plays a vital role in this month's eclipses, emphasizing practicality in relationships and financial sensibility.

With Venus in Virgo, we're more drawn to logic and intelligence in social interactions and deeply appreciate clean, orderly aesthetics.

Venus in Virgo marks the final Virgo transit this year, forming the last Grand Earth Trine with Uranus and Jupiter in Taurus and Pluto in Capricorn. This transit helps us plan and organize our finances and other practical life matters for the road ahead. It also aids in polishing off any rough edges that may linger from Mercury's recent retrograde in Virgo.

Pluto Stations Direct at 27° Capricorn 

Exact on October 10, 2023, at 7:10 pm MDT

Active from October 10, 2023 through January 20, 2024

Pluto’s profound psychic influence can grant intuitive insights, visions, and potentially paranormal experiences to the highly sensitive throughout its stationary period. However, it can also be intense, unleashing desires and our darkest fears.

As Pluto resumes forward motion in Capricorn, it unearths buried issues that have simmered beneath the surface in recent months. Pluto is a major player in the upcoming eclipses, indicating that transformation and healing await, but not before we purge what no longer serves us.

Pluto is now on its way back to the sign of Aquarius again, where it will re-enter in January of 2024 and re-enter Capricorn for the final time in November 2024. The remaining months of 2023 will be a hyper-focus on Pluto in Capricorn themes of hierarchical corruption and transformation, helping us gain a deeper sovereignty this area of life once Pluto leaves Capricorn for good.  

Mars Enters Scorpio 

Exact on October 11, 2023 at 10:04 pm MDT

Active from October 11 through November 23, 2023

Mars in Scorpio is a very different energy than Mars in Libra. In Scorpio, Mars has traditional rulership, where it blends mental fortitude with physical vigor and an abundance of ambition. Mars in Scorpio is all about focus, action, and achievement.

Now that Mars has moved away from the South Node in Libra, the transit through Scorpio, though intense, could almost feel like a new beginning for the aspects of our lives that Mars rules, like our physical vitality and drive.  

However, Mars and Mercury oppose the final Taurus Lunar eclipse at the end of the month. This powerful time will drive us to take decisive action that symbolically "cuts" this area of our lives loose once and for all.  

Annular Solar Eclipse at 21° Libra 

Exact on October 14, 2023, at 11:55 am MDT

Most active from October 4 through October 24, 2023  

Libra season brings us the restoration of balance and a focus on our close relationships, commitments, and agreements. The Annular Solar Eclipse in Libra, accompanied by the South Node, is the first in this sign and intensifies the Libra themes even more this year. Solar Eclipses are significant new beginnings, but the presence of the South Node signifies that this one necessitates first relinquishing the past in this particular area of life.

Letting go may be an initial challenge, given the eclipse's square to Pluto in Capricorn. Pluto's involvement assures profound and enduring healing and transformation, but it demands an initial purge – releasing painful attachments and structures that once appeared unshakable. At this stage, it might feel like anything but a restoration of balance.

This eclipse is conjunct Mercury in Libra and opposes Chiron in Aries, indicating crucial information or communications that affect our relationships and commitments and alter the course of our healing path. This information might not be entirely surprising, nor is it necessarily the news we may have wanted. Still, it is the news we need to begin letting go and initiate a profoundly healing journey.

With Mercury in Libra, it is crucial that we carefully assess our options and make decisions that not only serve our best interests but also those closest to us.

Venus in Virgo rules this eclipse, opposite Saturn in Pisces and sextile to Mars in Scorpio. With Venus in Virgo sextile Mars in Scorpio, we are more discerning in love and passionate about tangible, practical expressions of affection within relationships. Venus' opposition to Saturn clarifies that we can no longer accept the fantasy of a situation or the unrealized potential we may see in someone. We deserve something real that can stand the test of time.  

Although intense, the energy of this eclipse brings about profound healing and moves us toward a better balance in life. It fortifies many relationships through challenge; however, any relationships or agreements not fated to endure will organically begin dissolving away at this time.

Mercury Enters Scorpio 

Exact on October 22, 2023, at 12:49 am MDT

Active from October 22 through November 9, 2023

Mercury takes on profound significance in the intense and passionate realm of Scorpio. Mercury in Scorpio possesses keen perception and psychic intelligence that allows us to go beyond surface-level understanding and uncover the truth at the core of matters.

Mercury in Scorpio will likely make us more cautious in our communications, adept at reading others, and sensitive to any signs of deception. We can expect our communications to become more passionate and penetrating.  

Mercury opposes the final Lunar Eclipse in Taurus at the end of the month and brings intense clarity, which helps us to make necessary decisions that finally move this area of our lives forward.

Sun Enters Scorpio 

Exact on October 23, 2023 at 10:21 am MDT

Active from October 23 through November 22, 2023

As the Sun enters Scorpio, we are invited to journey to the depths of our inner world and explore the aspects of ourselves often kept in the dark. This transit is a time of introspection and shedding light on the hidden or taboo parts of the human experience.

The past 18 months along the Taurus and Scorpio axes have been intense and demanding due to the fated influence of the Lunar Nodes through these signs and Uranus's disruptive but ultimately liberating force.  

This year, the Sun in Scorpio gives us a season of profound transformation due to the final eclipse in these signs, a partial lunar eclipse in Taurus, marking a significant culmination in this area of life.  

The Sun's transit through Scorpio catalyzes one final release and the inevitable conclusion to the tumultuous events that have unfolded in these areas of our charts, allowing us to close the curtains here for another nine years.   

Full Moon & Partial Lunar Eclipse at 5° Taurus 

Exact on October 28, 2023, at 2:24 pm MDT

Most active from October 18 through November 8, 2023

The partial Lunar eclipse in Taurus is the final eclipse along the Taurus and Scorpio axis. Although it is a partial lunar eclipse, it is a POWERFUL culmination that brings a potent release and thrusts us into the next phase of life.  

This Full Moon is with the North Node and closely conjunct Jupiter in Taurus. The presence of the North Node and Jupiter at this Full Moon signifies that positive signs will illuminate our path forward throughout this time.

At the time of this Full Moon eclipse, the moon and Jupiter are conjunct in Taurus, opposing Mars, Mercury, and the Sun in Scorpio. Emotions run deep throughout this time, yet liberating as well. This full moon could feel exhilarating, as though the weight of the world is being lifted from our shoulders.  

With this combination of energies, it's essential not to get overly confident, boastful, or too far ahead of ourselves. The road ahead may suddenly seem very clear, and while that is good, we must pace ourselves by tapping into the grounded energy of Taurus and keeping a level head.  

This Full Moon is ruled by Venus in Virgo, forming the final Grand Earth Trine with Uranus in Taurus and Pluto in Capricorn. This harmonious alignment ushers in well-deserved and tangible rewards and positive but long-awaited manifestations in an area of life that has undergone many challenges over the last 18 months!

Written by Stephanie Weiss, edited by Heather and the Astrology with Heather team