Illustration by @kyinskies
By Mystic Sandwich aka Andrea Javor
@mystic_sandwich
Venus, the planet that rules what we value, stations retrograde on the 5th of October, where it will backtrack through Scorpio, and into Libra, until mid-November. This marks a period of reconsidering what we value, and how to align more fully with that. In Scorpio, themes around intimacy and transformation are highlighted, and we may be working to differentiate interdependence from co-dependence, through visiting issues such as sharing, possession, jealousy, commitment, trust, and betrayal, as we seek to untangle the knots of entanglement, and re-tie them with greater intention and care in ways that bind without deception or manipulation.
Venus rules the Libra New Moon on October 8th, bringing all these themes to bear on partnership and whatever house the New Moon falls within for each of us. The Taurus Full Moon on the 24th is conjunct Uranus and opposite Venus retrograde. As we seek to find balance between self and other, as we seek to sort through the knots of entanglement, Uranus may bring shocks and sudden shifts to our physical life, and may challenge our values. At the same time, with the Full Moon square to the North Node in Leo, there is opportunity to make a decision that will serve our future evolution.
Libra
A New Moon in your sign early in the month ushers in your personal new year, so you may renew yourself, to emerge anew in the world, as who you always were and as someone altogether new. Libra is ruled by Venus, which turns retrograde in your house of self-worth and material security. In order begin anew, then, ask yourself what you value. What do your actions and priorities tell you about what you value now, whether intentional or not? Do you value yourself and your own needs? Do you allow yourself abundance? What do you love and desire? Align yourself with your loves as you emerge into your new year. The Full Moon at the end of the month asks you to consider the relation between boundaries and intimacy; what is yours to keep for yourself, and what is yours to share with others; how to value yourself and your independence, while simultaneously opening to merging and deepening relations. With Uranus conjunct the Moon, who knows, you may receive a shock or boon.
Scorpio
The Libra New Moon may bring to light what had previously been unconscious. You may be more attuned to the symbolic order or reality; to the symbolic resonance underlying everyday events, to coincidences, dreams, patterns, and meaning. The New Moon is ruled by Venus, which stations retrograde in your sign, asking you consider what you value, and what you desire. Analyze your use of money, time, and energy; ask questions of your relationships. What do you want most in life? This is a period to contemplate, before taking action in November. The Full Moon at the end of the month has you seeking the balance between self and other; attending to your own needs, and attending to partnership. With Uranus conjunct the moon, you may meet someone new, or a partner may surprise you somehow.
Sagittarius
A New Moon in your house of friendship, networks, groups, and organizations is ruled by Venus which stations retrograde in your house of the unconscious and your spiritual life, thus linking all these themes. With Venus traveling backwards, consider what it is you value when it comes to your spirituality and your sense of meaning and magic, and how this relates to your friendships and the groups you belong to. Consider also what your behaviour says about unconscious values that you hold, and whether or not those are in line with what you consciously value. The Full Moon at the end of the month bridges your spirituality and your everyday life, encouraging you to merge your sense of wonder and mysticism with your daily tasks, and asking you to locate the deeper meaning beneath the simple moments. With Uranus conjunct the moon, expect your ordinary daily life to be far from ordinary.
Capricorn
This month, with a New Moon and Mercury in your house of career and public presence, you are likely in the spotlight and inspired in the work you feel called to share with the world. Venus, ruling the New Moon, stations retrograde in your house of friends, networks, and the groups you belong to, asking you to reconsider what you value in this regard, and how it is connected to your career. While skilled at going it alone, perhaps you are finding the value in collaboration. At the end of the month, the Full Moon, has you seeking the integration between all these themes around career and networks, with your personal, subjective sense of creativity and pleasure. In other words, take time to do what you enjoy, knowing that it will renew the energy you have available for your work. With Uranus conjunct the moon, keep your mind open for creative insight and inspiration.
Aquarius
The Libra New Moon lands in your house of beliefs, philosophy, and worldview, asking you to commit anew to the expansion of your mind, be it through revising your beliefs, signing up for a course, or travelling to new lands. With the lunation’s ruler, Venus, about to station retrograde in your house of career and public presence, the question is how does your worldview relate to your calling? Is your career in line with your beliefs? Do you make it a priority to engage in the work you feel you are meant for? Taking seriously this period of review will set you up for more satisfaction, and perhaps more money, once Venus turns direct in mid-November. The Full Moon at the end of the month has you balancing work and family; your public and your private life. With Uranus conjunct the moon, be prepared for something out of the ordinary at home.
Pisces
The Libra New Moon early in the month initiates a descent as you undertake a journey of transformation and intimacy; through intimacy we give of ourselves, we accept something new, and in so doing we change. What will you give up? What will you accept? With Venus ruling the New Moon, stationing retrograde in your house of beliefs, worldview, and personal philosophy, what is the connection between your personal philosophy and your most intimate relationships? Are you afraid of deep intimacy? Are you able to maintain personal boundaries even while merging with another? What do you value, and how can you align your values more fully with how you share your space, your energy, your time, your resources? Finally, the Full Moon at the end of the month asks you to integrate your highest ideals and beliefs into your everyday thought processes and communications.
Aries
The Libra New Moon on the 8th begins a new monthly and yearly cycle in your house of partnership. In coincidence with the beginning of Venus’ retrograde, this marks a significant period of considering partnership and intimacy. Venus begins its retrograde journey through your eighth house on the 5th, asking you to consider deeply, and to consider again, what you value when it comes to shared resources and intimacy. Sharing of ourselves, and opening to what others share with us; sharing our thoughts, our feelings, our secrets; sharing time, energy, space, food, possessions, money: these are all ways in which we interweave with others and foster something deep and meaningful and even transformative. So, in this domain, what do you desire? What and who do you love? What do you value? The Full Moon on the 24th has you considering where your boundaries lie: what do you keep for yourself, and what do you share? When do wish to maintain independence, and when do you wish to work toward healthy interdependence. This is the dance of self and other, of healthy intimacy and healthy boundaries.
Taurus
With your ruling planet, Venus, about to turn retrograde, and a full moon in your sign at the end of the month, you are entering into a period of real contemplation and review. Venus will be retrograde in Scorpio, in your seventh house of partnership, asking to you to consider what you value most about your closest relationships with friends, romantic partners, and business partners. This month is not an ideal time to take action in this domain; that will come in November and December, once Venus is moving direct once again. The New Moon in Libra on the 8th begins a new cycle in your house of health, daily routine, work, and service; asking you begin new daily habits that support you and your health, and asking you to consider how you are and can be useful. The Taurus Full Moon on the 24th offers you vitality and light, and the inspiration to move in a whole new direction, toward a future in line with what you love and value.
Gemini
On the 5th, Venus turns retrograde, to backtrack through your house of work, routine, health, and service until mid-November. Take care of any niggling health concerns. Revise your daily routine. Most importantly, during this next month and a half, ask yourself in what ways do you and can you be of service to your fellow humans. The Libra New Moon on the 8th as well as your ruling planet, Mercury, is in your house of leisure, pleasure, and creative self-expression. As Venus rules Libra, what are the connections between your creativity and your work and service? Most often, what we create is of great service to others, but we don’t always see it that way. Reconsidering your daily schedule or how to be of service may assist in beginning a new creative practice. The Full Moon on the 24th has you balancing your work and daily life with your spirituality and sense of mysticism and may infuse your ordinary life with wonder and magic.
Cancer
The Libra New Moon on the 8th may draw your attention home to your house, your family, your ancestry, and your early life. Ruled by Venus, which turns retrograde on the 5th, this lunation connects home and family to creativity and leisure. Venus asks that you reconsider your values around creativity, and leisure, and how they relate to your home life, and perhaps how they stem from your earliest years on Earth. Perhaps this signals a time of projects in the home, or returning to old hobbies, or nurturing your children. This is time to ask questions and contemplate. The way forward will be more clear come mid-November when Venus turns around again. The Full Moon on the 24th may bring surprise or excitement from your social life. With Uranus conjunct the Moon, whatever you do at this time, don’t do normal.
Leo
The Libra New Moon lands in your house of communication and the mind. Ruled by Venus, stationing retrograde in your house of family, home, and ancestry, the New Moon sets a course of questioning your values around family and home, and has you beginning an altogether new line of thought and communication inspired by these questions. Perhaps you decide to foster closer ties with family or perhaps you are thinking and talking about what you value in a home. The Full Moon on the 24th has you straddling home and family life with career and public presence. With Uranus conjunct the Moon, open your mind to insight, innovation, and something entirely new.
Virgo
Venus stations retrograde this month in your house of communication and thought, asking you to reconsider what you value in this regard. With the Venus-ruled Libra New Moon and your ruling planet in your house of self-worth and material security, this is an opportunity to iron out your thinking around your own worth, and what you deserve in terms of material resources, including but not limited to income. Yes, there are people in the world with less, but depriving ourselves of basic resources will not help. All of us deserve to feel safe and cared for in the physical world. What can you shift in order to feel more abundance in your life? The Full Moon at the end of the month highlights the relation between your ordinary thought processes, and your beliefs and personal philosophy, and offers an opportunity to harness an altogether new way of expanding your mind, perhaps through travel, or education, or opening to a new view of the world.
Andrea Javor is an astrologer, writer, and yoga teacher based in Vancouver BC. Her offerings include private readings, event readings, workshops, and yoga classes. She’s passionate about using yoga as a tool to understand astrology in a deeper, more embodied way. Currently she’s studying Evolutionary Astrology in the tradition of Jeffrey Wolf Green. For more information, see her website,www.mysticsandwich.com/.
