Current Transits for October 2010 Current Transits for October 2010Here's some of the important astrological news this month ...
Juno enters Virgo, 10-3
Jupiter Semisextile Chiron, 10-5
Pallas enters Sagittarius, 10-7
New Moon at 14Li23, 10-7
Vesta enters Scorpio, 10-7
Venus Retrograde Station at 13Sc13, 10-8
Jupiter Semisextile Neptune, 10-8
Ceres enters Capricorn, 10-8
Full Moon at 29Ar32, 10-22
Saturn Trioctile Neptune, 10-27
Mars enters Sagittarius, 10-28
Saturn Trioctile Chiron, 10-28
An online ephemeris for the month is available.
After the relative lull in activity of September, the coming month is more of a challenge. In a sense, you can consider October to have a number of aftershocks from the big storm pattern this summer, much like smaller earthquakes accompany the main quake. The 4 "big aspects" this month certainly hint that the outer planets are becoming active again, although 2 of these aspects are new ones that indicate we are moving into some new territory the next year or two. There's a lot of "mood shifting" going on, with 5 bodies moving from one zodiac sign to another, though the effect should be rather minor. The bodies involved are Mars and the 4 major asteroids, not exactly heavy hitters. On a more personal than cosmic level as well is the retrograde station of Venus on the 8th. Since Venus operates at a very instinctive level of basic likes and dislikes, our ability to understand the world at a basic gut level is going haywire for the next 6 weeks. I typically consider Venus retrograde to be much more difficult that a Mercury retrograde, for instance. It's one thing to have your rational thinking go whacky on you, but when your basic instincts, the way you size up the situation with unspoken feelings, goes bad on you, the results are more baffling. So keep in mind that circumstances are changing and it may take some time to get a sense of how to handle these new challenges. Go slowly and tentatively for a time until you get your bearings. Life will make more sense eventually.
October is a busy month. There are 4 "big aspects" to discuss, 2 of which are new influences. Mars and all of the major asteroids are changing signs this month. The only retrograde cycle event is Venus' station on the 8th.
Juno moves from Leo into Virgo on the 3rd for an extended stay due to an upcoming retrograde cycle. She'll be in this sign until 2011-7-27, when she finally shifts into Libra. Juno is the Queen of Relationships, the woman who wants to love and be loved more than anything else. The zodiac sign that she's in at any given time is usually an indication of her style of relating, so when she spends a lot of time in one sign like this, it's a symptom that she needs to pay attention to a particular lesson. Virgo is not the most natural sign for Juno, as Virgo is somewhat button-down and unemotional, so what's going on here? Juno tends to be ruled by feelings, overlooking bad news when things are going well, but passing over good news when she feels cheated or taken advantage of. Perhaps Virgo is prompting her to move beyond her soap operas and look at her situation calmly and rationally. Above all, she needs to be more practical and down to earth for a change, paying attention to details. Yes, romance feels wonderful and can sweep you off your feet, but good relationships take care of the details and everyday concerns as well. You don't need a lot of drama to have a good love life.
Jupiter is semisextile Chiron on the 5th, the second of 3 such contacts. The first contact was on Jun 13 and the last one will be on 2011-1-12. Jupiter is about reaching out to the world around you, making connections, learning how we can collectively make our lives better by pooling our resources. He urges us to transcend our petty concerns and learn to see the big picture of which we are all a part. Chiron, on the other hand, shows where we feel cautious and uncertain, where we feel burned one too many times to fully trust the situation. This aspect is part of a cycle that began just last year with their conjunction (along with Neptune) in late Aquarius, so we're still figuring out what this cycle is about. To the extent that this is a social influence (among its many possibilities), this aspect is prompting us to move beyond our usual social reservations and open up more than we might feel comfortable with doing. Granted, it takes time to build up trust when you feel vulnerable, but sometimes a leap of faith is what is needed. Take a chance and see what becomes of it. It beats giving into a fearful or anxious attitude that isolates you.
Pallas changes from Scorpio to Sagittarius on the 7th, She'll be in this placement until Dec 20, when she enters Capricorn. Pallas is a part of the mind that analyzes situations as a complete gestalt, taking in the picture as a whole and intuitively sizing it up. When it comes to figuring out how to get from point A to point B with minimum effort, she's the gal you want on your side. Sagittarius also has this "big picture" capability, so Pallas in Sag is a potent stimulant of your intuitive powers. Just be sure to nail down the details as well -- all vision and no practicality usually means your plans never get carried out properly. Pallas also has an artistic streak to her nature, so this placement can give you the inspiration to express your vision in some tangible manner. However it plays out, this period shifts the mental-intuitive mind into overdrive, grasping for the grand vision that transcends our normal limitations. Dream big, but be sure to do something tangible to bring it into reality. Pure navel gazing, while enjoyable, doesn't produce useful results.
By the time the new moon rolls around, the aftershocks are setting down. In fact, the new moon chart seems to be broken up into 3 separate groupings of planets. The Sun, Moon, Venus and Mars form one major group, all fast moving inner planets. A second group is made up of outer planets, namely Jupiter, Uranus, Chiron and Neptune, all pretty quiet now. Pluto and the 4 asteroids are a third group, loosely connected with the first. Saturn and Mercury don't really fit in well. This chart lacks cohesion.
During any of the storms, the inner and outer planets cooperated; now they are going their separate ways. This is typical of times when normal ego awareness tunes out those pesky unconscious influences. Life becomes more superficial and "normal", at least on the surface. The strong outer planet influences simply go underground but they don't really stop. As weak as this chart is, it's helpful that life is more normal, without the outer planets kicking up trouble for us. Focus on clearing up little mundane projects that need your attention -- there will be time for the big projects later. Relationships require some remedial work as well, so make sure people understand each other's positions clearly. Deeper, more hidden issues may pop up occasionally, but they aren't the main focus right now. The coming lunar month is getting off to a sluggish start...
Vesta moves from Libra into Scorpio on the 7th, where she'll be until Dec 3, when she changes into Sagittarius. Vesta is well-known for her introverted tendencies. Despite enjoying the company of others, at some point she always seems to withdraw within herself. As with many introverts, the presence of others seems to drain her energies. To recharge her reserves, she needs to turn away and go within herself to that deep center that is the true source of her power. Scorpio can also be a rather inward influence, as it's the zodiac sign where the emotions are strongest and demand the most attention from a person. Much of the time, these powerful feelings operate somewhat unconsciously, taking control of your life without you realizing it's happening. This is not the source of inner power that Vesta had in mind, so when the unconscious bursts upon the scene like this, she needs to gain some control over these tendencies, to turn the chaos into peace and repose. It's only when she can work smoothly with her emotions instead of having them rule over her life that she can feel whole and fulfilled inside. This may be a solitary time for Vesta people, at least until they find that peace within. Indulge her need to go off by herself -- she'll return eventually...
Venus reaches her retrograde station of 13Sc13 on the 8th. She backs up to her direct station of 27Li39 on Nov 18. At a deeper psychological level, the influence of Venus is pretty straightforward. This part of the psyche is motivated by one simple question: do I Iike this situation or dislike it? We are all attracted by things in our lives that feel good and run away from stuff that makes us feel bad. It's a pretty simple response that we learn even before we learn to talk. And like most things that we learn to do at an early age, we don't always get it right and need to revisit those lessons later in life. Venus retrograde is a time when you need to reexamine this business of what is pleasing and enjoyable, to ask yourself whether your desires are actually in tune with your greater goals. It's not uncommon during these cycles that you purchase some item that catches your eye, only to be asking yourself later (after Venus goes direct again) why. A retrograde Venus scrambles up your normal instincts about what appeals to you and what doesn't, widening your tastes perhaps, but also making you do things you later question. The same goes for relationships that start during these cycles: they have an element of "looking for love in all the wrong places" about them. If you find yourself asking "what did I ever see in him?" after a few weeks, this might just be a case of an attraction that isn't normal for you. It's always a good strategy to explore new attractions and interests now, but not to get locked into these changes until you've had the chance to double check them after Venus goes direct again. Change can be good and revitalizing, but it can also be a symptom of bad taste. These cycles are one of the few times when it's not wise to follow your instincts, since it's your instincts and intuitions that are most affected now. Enjoy the fun, but be wary at the same time. It takes a while to sort through the results of Venus retrograde.
Jupiter is semisextile Neptune on the 8th, the second of 3 such contacts. The previous contact was back on May 28, while the final one will be on 2011-1-2. Both of these planets have a spiritual side to them. Jupiter is the more conventional of the two, more apt to express his spiritual needs through traditional channels and mainstream religious practice. Neptune is more of the lone mystic, the seeker out in the wilderness. They were conjunct a year ago, starting a new 13 year cycle, so we're just starting to see this cycle unfold. During one of these 3 part aspects, the slower planet usually dominates most of the contacts. The exception is the middle contact -- the more conventional point of view is the more obvious influence now. Spirituality is always more slippery than our stories can contain, especially the well worn stories of "the old time religion" that colors our thoughts most of the time. In a wider sense, this clash of paradigms is much bigger than what we consider to be "religious". The conjunction was in Aquarius, the sign of new, progressive ideas and perspectives. When new view points collide with the old stories, it takes some time and effort to sort out all the tales. It's interesting how the ruling mythology of that new political phenomenon, the so-called Tea Party, is based on a story of getting back to some mythical golden era or perfect world that never existed. Mythologies, especially new emerging ones, tend to be invisible and beyond one's awareness, despite the powerful emotional hold they have on us. With Jupiter in Pisces, this myth of return has a strangle hold on people who can't stand back and question their basic assumptions; hence the emotional backlash. Ideas, dreams, visions of the past and the future are all swirling around us now, contending for control of our lives. At the level of Jupiter, this is a buzzing confusion. But Neptune is the more distant and slow moving of the two. It's towards this level of moving beyond belief and the need for certainty where we are headed. If tradition had the answers already, we wouldn't be having so much trouble. New perspectives may emerge eventually, if we are lucky, but for now we have our confusion. Stay open to new possibilities.
Ceres reenters Capricorn on the 8th. Ceres has been dancing back and forth across the Sag-Cap border since Mar 19 when she first set foot in Capricorn. She reentered Sag on Jun 7 and is now getting serious about being in Capricorn, where she'll remain until 2011-1-3. All this dancing is due to a retrograde cycle the last 5 months. Ceres in Capricorn is a kind of funny placement, the most maternal planetary body in the most paternal of signs. Ceres is associated with notions of nurture and caring, of realizing our connections with all other living beings. We normally envision these themes in very personal terms, through metaphors of parents and children, but Cap puts a more global spin to this image. It takes on a sense of how we need to care for the world as a whole, caring that is expressed through groups and organizations, not strictly person to person. This year has seen its share of disasters, both natural and manmade, and the call to send a helping hand around the globe keeps coming. And this doesn't even begin to take into account humanity's assault on the Earth herself, the common cradle of all Life including our own. During this retrograde cycle, Ceres has become entangled with grander influences than just her own, particularly Pluto and the Galactic Center. Maybe this is why the grander notion of what caring means resonates now. Let your sense of empathy expand to this global level.
Compared to the new moon chart, the full moon chart hangs together much better. Instead of breaking up into little groups, all the planets seem to be working together more or less. In particular, the full moon axis is well connected with the outer planet pattern we've been watching all month.
Unlike the new moon, where there's a basic disconnect between ego and unconscious, everything is hooked up together now. That combination of intensity and weirdness we've been seeing for months is still coming through and we're responding to it at a deeply personal level. I was most intrigued by a square from Mars to Neptune and Chiron. This often indicates times when your ability to get things done is severely limited, as Neptune tends to dissipate your will power. Feelings and intuition are also limited, given Venus' current condition. So while the outer planets are speaking to us loudly, our ability to tap into their energies and put them to good use can be restricted. You have to remain focused and disciplined to handle these energies constructively. At least the thinking mind is still sharp. When you run into trouble, take some time to see where the problem is. We're all honing our skills now, trying to figure out how to surf these energies as best we can. Often some simple changes are all that is needed to be more effective.
Saturn is trioctile Neptune on the 27th. This is the first contact of a new aspect for us, with 2 more contacts on 2011-3-24 and 2011-8-24, so it will be with us for quite some time. It's hard to imagine two planets that are more different than Saturn and Neptune. Saturn is about hard-nosed reality, the nitty-gritty of living on the material plane. He rules over the rules and restrictions of living as social animals with our fellow human beings. Neptune is the Dreamer, the Idealist, the one who takes a far away cosmic perspective on everything. He has no sense of rules and restrictions at all, since everything tends to blur together in his sight. When these planets are joined together by constructive aspects, they form an uneasy tension between these two very distinct levels of reality that can only be bridged by a highly creative spiritual act. Trioctiles are not aspects of the constructive variety. Here, the conflicts and contradictions between these levels stand out, defying any kind of simple resolution. We need to work extra hard to achieve a situation that not only satisfies all the practical, nuts-and-bolts requirements of uncompromising Saturn, but is also true to the spiritual vision of Neptune. We are just starting a 10 month period where these issues show up somewhere in our lives, so we're likely to see the problems and contradictions now, with no sense of a possible resolution. That will have to emerge on its own terms in coming months. It feels like tension is building up in some area of your life, as if this area no longer works in a sensible manner. Stay with the tension -- something will come of it eventually. (Remember that Chiron is also tied up here...)
Mars moves from Scorpio into Sagittarius on the 28th. He'll remain here until Dec 7, when he shifts into Capricorn. As much as Mars feels at home in Scorpio, I'd have to say that Sagittarius is a pretty good placement for him as well. There's less emotional drama for him to deal with, which suits him fine. There's a feeling of freedom and unbounded ambition with this placement, a sense that he can accomplish anything he puts his mind to. Of course, the footloose and fancy free nature of Sag has its down side, namely a lack of focus and discipline. Sag can be rather flighty, moving quickly from one concern to another without sticking in there to the end. It's easy to scatter your energies ineffectively if you can't focus your attention on one task at a time. But you'll probably have a good time doing nothing. So make big plans, but not so big that you can't complete them. Or at least wait until Mars moves into Capricorn to get started, if you need a discipline transplant. Anyway, it should be fun, so enjoy!
Saturn trioctiles Chiron on the 28th. This is the first contact of another new aspect that repeats 5 times total. The next contact is 2011-2-27 and they extend to 2012-7-29. Here's another aspect impacting the way we handle life on this planet. Chiron is the limitations we experience, whether self-imposed, forced on us by the judgments of others or simply a matter of our physical restrictions. While Saturn is making demands of us in our daily lives, Chiron is holding us back from handling these demands adequately. Some of these limitations are just givens (especially the physical ones), but many of them are a matter of attitudes that can be changed. Since Neptune is deeply involved here as well, it's important to keep your sights aimed as high as possible. If you give in to fears or to an overly constricted view of what is possible for you to achieve, then you've already surrendered to results that are less than what is possible. It's hard to live fully in the world without giving in to these lower feelings -- we're going to find out how hard it can be. Maybe it will encourage us to set these anxieties aside and live our lives anyway. We've got about 2 years to figure out where this will take us...