October Astrology Overview
October sees us past a huge cluster of planetary events loaded toward the end of the month in September, but the dust hasn’t settled yet. In fact, until October 5, we’re still not in the clear. Three major planetary events have occurred in the last six months that stretch our imagination beyond this lifetime, compelling us to look beyond the veils for answers to the questions that dog us.
September was mostly about Cardinal and Mutable signs, leaving the Fixed energies to Mars in Scorpio and Venus in Leo, alone among the stars. However, on October 5, Saturn enters Scorpio, where it will be for the better part of three years (through September 2015). Coupled with the North Node entering Scorpio at the end of August (but at the far end—30°, not 0°), these two indicators of “it’s serious, folks” collide next September 25 with plenty of fanfare in the meantime, in the form of eclipses and the fast-moving bodies hooking things up. This means that Fixed signs finally get their turn at the wheel, bringing in what steadies and supports us. We could use a little more stability right now, no?
This comes as Jupiter commences its four-month retrograde (ending on January 30). What is noteworthy about this Jupiter is that its station comes very near the point of the Venus Transit Point of June 5, that multi-layered connection that brought out all the Gordian knots we’d tied ourselves into without realizing it. Now we want free of those contortions and distortions, and Jupiter gives us a big opening for doing so. Because the Venus event on June 5 was so momentous, inaugurating a 113-year cycle, our experiences carry the unmistakable aroma of karma. We get to clear out our “fate”, as much as we are willing (or compelled) to eradicate. We get a huge window to accomplish this, lasting until Jupiter clears its retrograde zone on April 25 next year.
The other planets are in wind-down mode, Saturn the closest to the end of its cycle. Its new cycle begins on October 25 (2°20′ Scorpio). Neptune and Chiron are past the Full point of their cycles, so we have the benefit of maximum illumination to guide us now as we finish our learning experiences with these healing planets by mid-November. We have barely cleared all the excitement with Uranus. Its Full phase started on September 29 (6°33′ Aries-Libra). We are only now grasping where it wants to take us next, a plot twist full of surprises.
We enter the season (about half the year) when the lunations (New, Quarter, and Full Moons) occur at the same degrees each month as they advance through the signs. These are: New Moon ~22°, First Quarter ~29°, Full ~8°, Last Quarter ~15°. If you have planets at these degrees, especially the New and Full Moon locations, this will be a year of stepwise progress toward a long-term goal.
Besides the new emphasis in Fixed signs, the Mutable signs leap into the foreground early in the month as Venus and Mars enter Virgo and Sagittarius respectively. Both stay in these signs for the greater part of October, putting our focus on healing between October 2 and October 28.
The most critical day of the month is October 5, when Saturn and Mercury conjoin just as they both enter Scorpio. This is also the time of Jupiter Station Retrograde (October 4) and Mars’s conjunction with the North Node at the end of Scorpio. This is a suitable culmination, a clash of cymbals, to end Saturn’s stay in Libra. This all happens near enough to the conjunction point of Saturn and Pluto of 1982-83 to take us down memory lane in a powerful way. This has been happening since last October, but it is at its strongest right now and through October 5. Get what you can out of this time, because the portals of transformation and healing are wide open and ready to receive.
Once Saturn enters Scorpio, the Moon’s void of course periods are very long much of the time—as much as a full day. We’ll be relying on the fast-moving planets to give us more time of external productivity, but the plus is that we get more down time to relax, catch up, and regain our balance after so much to process day after day. This is part of the universal flow. Use the lunar void periods in Taurus, Cancer, Sagittarius, and Pisces without concern—they produce excellent results if we want to take action.
(Except as otherwise noted, all interpretations in this astrological forecast are based on a natural chart, using the beginning of Aries as the ascendant, and times listed are Pacific Daylight Time (UTC–7).
A “Void Moon” or “Void of Course Moon” (or “VOC moon” for short) makes no significant aspects until it enters the next sign. Its void period is thought to be a poor time for starting new projects or making concerted effort toward existing plans.
According to William Lilly, the Moon in Cancer (Moon’s rulership), Taurus (Moon’s exaltation), Sagittarius and Pisces (signs ruled by Jupiter, the Great Benefic) “performeth somewhat.” Lee Lehmann reports that she has tested this, and “you can take it to the bank.” Another way of putting how this works in an astrological forecast is that, when an action is taken during the void period in one of these signs, you get “unanswered success.” That is, the lack of planetary action prevents your action from being denied.
Daily Astrological Forecast, October 2012
Venus nears the end of Leo, squaring the Nodes in Scorpio-Taurus to bring us to a karmic choice point. This has building up since mid-July with something we want—a change in a relationship, a source of income, or something we value.
The Moon finishes its stay in Aries, reaching its last opposition to Saturn before it changes signs. This brings a peak perspective about what needs to be said and done before the end of the pulse of life we took on in October 2009. It’s a good time for a retrospective, to see what we’ve learned and what needs completing this week. Contacts with Mercury and Venus augment harmonies.
At 3:32 pm PT (6:32 pm ET), the Moon reaches its brief void-of-course, which lasts until it enters Taurus at 4:26 pm, harmonizing with Neptune to enhance our imagination and inner awareness.
Moon carries on in Taurus, connecting with Chiron and Pluto near dawn. The action centers on our connections with others as Venus sextiles Saturn just before entering Virgo at 11:59 pm (2:59 am on October 3, ET), connecting us the Star Regulus, the Heart of the Lion.
Venus opposes Neptune, the culmination of a process begun January 13, with another peak April 3-7. We will experience this culmination through October 10, with the chance for transformation of old physical, emotional, and spiritual wounds. Although not completely resolved at this time, critical insights lead in that direction. The Moon continues through Taurus, making no contacts today.
Jupiter finally commences its apparent backward travel, turning Stationary Retrograde (SRx) at 16°23′ Gemini. Over the next four months, it will assist us in recovering missed opportunities as we gain deeper insight into what we value most. This station is near the Venus Transit Point of June 5, so relationship matters will be in the foreground of this process.
The Moon completes its stay in Taurus, going void of course at 0:44 am (3:44 am ET) and reactivating when it enters Gemini at 4:47 am and opens us to deeper layers of feelings about our current relationships and how we want to connect with others.
Mars conjoins North Node, driving us to break down barriers to the purpose or mission we feel inside. This “dharmic compulsion” feeds the other processes of the day, which are numerous. Mercury conjoins Saturn at 29°57′ Libra, just prior to entering Scorpio at 3:35 am (6:35 am ET). Saturn goes into Scorpio at 1:33 pm, opening us to a new three-year mission. In the short term, they take us back to conditions that existed at the end of August that need changing but were not yet ripe for transformation. Now better informed, we can take steps in the right direction in what may be a long-term process.
The Moon occults (eclipses) Jupiter at 2:08 pm, after which the Moon is void until tomorrow evening, bringing our emotions to a peak regarding the healing process we’ve been focused on since October 3. Mercury helps us re-imagine our situation to arrive at new solutions.
All the action is late in the day, giving us some needed down time after more than six weeks of non-stop action. This starts when the Moon enters Cancer at 5:45 pm (8:45 pm ET), immediately harmonizing with Saturn by trine (its first contact since changing signs). This is further augmented by a trine to Neptune, which foreshadows the positive results we’ll get from the three Saturn-trine-Neptune aspects we’ll have in the coming year. We’ll feel the blessings of this contact and pour optimism into our dreams of what we want to build over the three years that Saturn dances in Scorpio.
Mars enters Sagittarius at 8:21 pm, focusing us on transcending the conditions that we need to heal. Suddenly, no explanations are needed; it’s just time to move on and forward to a new place.
The Moon in Cancer reminds us of the larger processes that we ignore at our peril, as it connects with Uranus and Pluto before we rise. Meanwhile, we dive into our healing process through the planets in the Mutable signs (Venus, Mars, Neptune, Chiron). Building over the day, Mars squares Neptune as Venus opposes Chiron, a second peak that echoes her opposition to Neptune on October 3. We get in touch with the core issue now, fueling our choices for the next month as Neptune and Chiron finish their retrogrades.
The Sun dances through a relatively empty sky where most of the planets are in early degrees now. This means that the Moon is the only one to catch it until the solar ingress into Scorpio on October 22, and it does so today, with the Last Quarter Lunation at 15°26′ Cancer-Libra, occurring at 0:33 am PT (3:33 am ET). There’s lots of goodness to come through to help us understand and heal a misunderstanding that surfaces now. We can expect some awkward truths to surface in the nick of time to save some situations from disaster. A Sun trine to Jupiter gives us a firmer grasp of the truth as well as what may be required to get what we want from the Jupiter retrograde. The Moon enters its void period at the lunation (0:33 am), which lasts until 5:06 pm when it enters Leo.
In the chart cast for Washington DC, foreign relations show up as the biggest issue. The ways in which the US is a debtor nation become a source of manipulation of policy, and it’s about the workforce and who does the unwanted jobs for the population. Health care is being discussed as well. However, these are both situations that must be better resolved for the nation to return to its own economic well-being.
The Sabian Symbol for the Last Quarter Moon at 16 Cancer is “a man studying a mandala in front of him, with the help of a very ancient book”. The Sun’s placement at 16 Libra brings forth the symbol “after the storms of winter, a boat landing stands in need of reconstruction”. These degrees suggest deep understanding feeding a healing process, but work is involved if we want to make it happen. It will take persistent effort, for instance, to ensure that the elections are fair and that the electorate knows the truth as much as possible.
Tuesday October 9
Venus brings out a deep truth that heals when it trines Pluto and completes a harmonious Cradle configuration with Mercury and Chiron to foster growth and the building of foundations. In yin signs, this will be a quiet process that penetrates our lives from beneath. The Moon in Leo brings out our fire, invigorating our ability to take action in things that we’ve held off in executing. It’s time to let it go!
The Cradle energies continue as Mercury sextiles Pluto to finalize the pattern. Saturn makes its first of three trines to Neptune, a waning contact that contributes to the integration of insights gained during 2006-07, for the cycle begun in the early 1990s. The Moon carries on in Leo, making a second balancing pattern with the Sun and Jupiter over the day. This Minor Grand Trine focuses on activation, bringing the prime activators Sun and Jupiter together in yang Libra and Gemini with the Leo Moon. Confidence wins the day! The Moon enters its void period at 2:40 pm (5:40 pm ET) until tomorrow.
Giving us a morning to catch up, the Moon’s void period in Leo ends at 12:23 pm (3:23 pm ET) when it enters Virgo. There is picks up the harmony between Neptune and Saturn to give us gentle midday, but toward dinner time, a square to Mars may bring on agitation about what we’ve been ignoring, or at least waiting to get to on the list.
Industry is the word of the day, as we get a whole day of productive focus through our Virgo Moon. It’s all harmonies all day, until it’s time to close up shop. There’s just too much left undone to suit our Jupiterian desires.
Moon squares this planet of “more”. This square opens the Moon’s void-of-course period at 4:48 pm (7:48 pm ET); we have to wait nearly 24 hours for the Moon to reactivate us. This is perfect for internalizing our awareness in preparation for the next lunar cycle, which starts on Monday with the New Moon. This is the Balsamic, Wishing Moon, when we can cast our thoughts forward and set our intention to create what we want in the lunar month to come.
The Moon sojourns an empty sky, void of course in Virgo until 4:02 pm, (7:02 pm ET) when it enters Libra. This gives us time to catch up, reorganize, relax, do inner work—all good ways to refuel before the next lunar cycle has us off and running.
The Libra Moon gets some traction finally when it connects with Uranus and Pluto, the signature planets of our tim,e in the wee hours, infusing our dreams with insights for integrating these planetary processes more smoothly into our lives. A trine to Jupiter takes us in a positive direction as the day progresses. Mars squares Chiron, another factor stimulating our awareness of what was happening January through May for us. It’s all about the healing, and finding our humility is key.
We get a fresh start with the New Moon at 5:03 am PT/22°32′ Libra (8:03 am ET), and what a start it is! Change is easier now, as Mars trines Uranus. This is the waning trine, giving us the opportunity to fall into alignment with the lessons learned since April 2011, particularly in November 2011 through June, and mid-July, 2012. We feel like taking actions now where we feel like we missed the boat. Pieces of the puzzle that we couldn’t find before fall into place in the course of this lunar month. The New Moon takes us into the internal space between the worlds, as its conjunction with the Sun marks the commencement of its void period. This lasts 12 hours, until 5:06 pm, giving us plenty of time to get in touch with what we need to accomplish in this cycle. At that time, the Moon enters Scorpio and connects with Saturn late in the day to focus our pensiveness into plans for future productivity.
In the lunation chart cast for the US, not-so-hidden agreements are motivators for what happens. The Mars-Uranus trine forms an exact Grand Trine with the lunation Midheaven, giving the President an easy ride and suggesting positive poll numbers for the incumbent. Most of the pre-election vitriol is focused in local races and electoral skullduggery. An electorate that knows the truth is armored against any falsehood.
The Sabian Symbol for 23 Libra, the New Moon degree, is “Chanticleer’s voice heralds the rising sun with enthusiastic tones”. This suggests an increased level of rhetoric both in the political arena and in our personal lives. It is often the case that the one who speaks loudest and longest is trying to convince themselves more than you.
The Moon carries on in Scorpio, greeting the planetary cluster in early degrees. Communications go well today if we don’t overreach. Mercury sextiles Venus as she squares Jupiter. Our urge to communicate will tie into events of May, June, and September, as well as the Mars retrograde energy reaching back to November last year. The Moon occults (eclipses) Mercury at 7:23 pm (10:23 pm ET), increasing the emotional tone of our thoughts, a natural connection of head and heart. This opens the Moon’s void period, which lasts until tea time tomorrow.
The day opens with the Moon void of course in Scorpio, a condition which lasts until 5:26 pm (8:26 pm ET), when she enters Sagittarius. A late Moon square to Neptune takes us back into the healing process that has been the focus for most of the month, giving us access to the emotional track for our recent experiences.
The Moon reconnects Mars and Uranus for another shot at those easy changes. Something may come to us without our direct effort, the result of previous actions since early November last year. Mercury enters its retrograde shadow (18°10′ Scorpio) today; time to start tracking events and activity, which now carry the potential for a deeper activation during the retrograde, November 6–26. The Moon anticipates the Mars-Jupiter opposition coming on October 28. Observe and learn. Some actions taken now may draw off some of the tension that could build between now and then—or feed a frenzy if we are overly impulsive.
The Moon continues to make connections, and we can continue to take the initiative. Overnight a bit of discord may contribute to restlessness, but the day is smooth sailing, with sextiles all the way through. After 1:27 pm (4:27 pm ET), the Moon is void of course, but in Sagittarius we can still act fruitfully. At 6:41 pm, she enters Capricorn and bonds Saturn and Neptune together in a very constructive Minor Grand Trine.
The Moon is in Capricorn, making the stars dance overnight as it connects the dots between Uranus and Pluto. The Moon occults Pluto (as it does every month now), giving us a strong dose of deep transformative energy. We’ll wake with the need to externalize it in some way, in order to get perspective. Pour this into projects that need a bulldozer to get through. You’ll have the will to do it today, with no intervening events.
The Moon makes her First Quarter square to the Sun at 29°09′ Capricorn-Libra/8:32 pm PT (11:32 pm ET). This of course initiates the briefest of void periods, lasting until 10:02 pm, when Moon enters Aquarius. The planetary events feeding this lunar event are harmonious, a Minor Grand Trine with Mercury and Venus to make us all Shakespeares! We’ll be brilliant communicators, finding just the right words at the right time in the coming week. This is the time to clear out the last of the past and reaffirm our intentions for what we want to create on this cycle. Our choices now will be especially powerful.
In the chart cast for Washington DC, Uranus is again strongly featured, being on the MC and signifying the nation’s leader, President Obama. He may be providing us with some startling statements and actions in response to events in early October, but which go back to decisions made in 1982-83, when Ronald Reagan was President. This could be related to the changes in economic policy made then that are not working for us now. Foreign affairs related to this spur his actions.
The First Quarter Moon’s Sabian Symbol (30 Capricorn) is “Directors of a large firm are seen meeting in secret conference.” The Sun at 30 Libra is symbolized by “three mounds of knowledge on a philosopher’s head”. An extraordinary collection of leaders may come together behind the scenes to engage in creative problem-solving related to the world economy and specifically the Eurozone. The stand-off between #occupy and corporate power may also be highlighted. The degree of the Sun suggests that wiser heads will prevail, no matter what meetings occur. In our own lives, be careful of forming factions against any one or group. Secrecy and the safety of boundaries may be factors this week, for the security they provide as well as the fear and separation they can generate. A balance is needed.
The Moon in Aquarius wings past Saturn overnight for a deeper dive into what Saturn’s new placement in Scorpio really means to us, but in the daylight hours we find ways to harmonize Mars and Uranus again to create the world we want to live in, step by step. At 5:14 pm (8:14 pm ET), the Sun enters Scorpio, taking us into the depths of feeling awareness. We see the motivations beneath the actions and interactions around us now, in wordless observation.
The Sun augments our insight when it trines Neptune and moves to conjoin Saturn, repeating the trine of the Titans earlier this month. We begin to get a handle on our emotional reactions in a new way, settling into the energies that have kept us hopping since 2008. The Moon continues through Aquarius, blending intuition with intellect as it trines Jupiter, but the download could prove too much for clear conversation as intuition greets the emotions now surfacing through Moon square Mercury at 6:27 pm (9:27 pm ET). This brings on the Moon’s newest void period, which continues until tomorrow morning.
At 4:00 am (7:00 am ET), Moon enters Pisces, giving us a new lease on life through inspired action. Our dreams will carry important messages as she conjoins Neptune in just before dawn, taking us into a beautiful reverie over breakfast coffee via a trine with Sun-Saturn. A sextile to Pluto during drive time brings yet another productive Minor Grand Trine to bear during the evening hours.
The new yearly Sun-Saturn cycle starts with their conjunction at 2°20′ Scorpio/1:32 am PT (4:32 am ET). This comes packed with a Mutable T-square, with Moon at the apex of the intensifying Mars-Jupiter opposition, occurring on Sunday. Mercury heading toward its retrograde means that Venus has a chance to catch up with it. This brings us the joy of another period of smooth communication through their second textile of the month. All this means that healing can be effected through heartfelt connection, whether or not words are used. Mercury conjoins the North Node at the same time to add a sense of deeper purpose to our actions now.
The Moon connects with Mercury, Venus, and Nodes to bring clarity to what’s going on from a deeper perspective. Where we’ve been going on instinctuition, we will have intellectual understand to support us. At 8:04 am, the Moon begins its void period, though in Pisces the Moon still activates. At 12:31 pm (3:31 pm ET), the Moon goes into Aries, stimulating our focus on the deeper processes of transformation affecting all of us. Through the Moon conjunction to Uranus, we feel the results of actions we’ve taken this month to bring about necessary changes.
The Sun trines Chiron today, signaling that this planetoid of healing will return to forward (direct) motion in about two weeks. It’s a good day to connect with how far we’ve come since late February in improving our health and spiritual wholeness. Moon continues in Aries, taking us deep as it squares Pluto overnight but allowing us to take actions during daylight hours that support future successes. At 6:32 pm (9:32 am ET), Moon goes void of course, lasting all day tomorrow as well.
The Moon is in Aries, void of course since yesterday evening. This mutes the feeling layer of our awareness as we encounter a few other planetary events.
Mars opposes Jupiter today, the culmination of this cycle of action and expansion. Occurring at 15°26′ Sagittarius-Gemini, it activates relationship processes that are still in motion from May-June. We want to act now, perhaps precipitously. This is the culmination of a process begun around May 1, 2011.
We get a change in perspective that creates connectivity when Venus enters Libra at 6:04 am (9:04 am ET).
We are lifted from the depths with new understanding that feeds transcendence as Mercury enters Sagittarius at 11:18 pm PT. Mercury is getting close to its retrograde station now, which will occur at 4°18′ Sagittarius on November 6.
Moon enters Taurus at 11:15 pm.
Mercury’s first connection is Sagittarius is a square to Neptune, contributing perplexing details that make us want to figure out what’s going on. Because this is the first of three squares, events that unfold between now and the third square on December 11 will clarify everything. We feel the energy of the Full Moon peak at 12:49 pm PT/6°48′ Taurus-Scorpio (3:49 pm ET), showing us ways that we can turn current situations into long-term successes. It won’t all happen on this lunar cycle, but we have to start somewhere, with a single step. Carried in this lunar illumination is the seed of hope for all humanity, a resolution of ancient conflicts long buried, now healed by common cause. The Moon enters its void period in Taurus on that note (but remember Moon in Taurus is still productive).
The chart cast for Washington DC shows an active President focused on multi-tasking his campaign travels and his duties of office amidst the shrill carping of the party out of power (and its candidate). The people are tired of it all and tune it out. The wise candidates focus on giving a sense of continuity and security, in accord with this Full Moon’s energy. Changes are afoot in the economy. Merchants are uneasy about the prospects for the holiday retail season, which election results will greatly influence. The women’s vote is turnkey.
The Full Moon at 7 Taurus is symbolized by the Sabian Symbol, “The woman of Samaria comes to draw water from Jacob’s well.” The Sabian Symbol for the Sun at 7 Scorpio is, “deep sea divers with special machinery”. These symbols address hidden truths, which will come to light in the next two weeks. Those who are disadvantaged or looked upon with disfavor are given strength and a voice through the kindness of others. We bring blessings upon ourselves when we help others overcome their unexpressed pain.
The Sun reaches its closing sextile to Pluto today, an opportunity to put those finishing touches on our understanding of the transformations we began at the end of December last year. We still have two months to integrate them into our daily life. The Moon is still “void” in Taurus, through midday tomorrow.
During a quiet morning, we get to respond to all the messages we’ve been receiving for the past few days. We’ll be busy! The void Moon in Taurus awakens us to life outside our doors and new possibilities when it enters Gemini at 11:40 am (2:40 pm ET). This gets us in some useful cross-talk, as Moon opposes Mercury and trines Venus over the day. A sextile to Uranus brings a surprise to top off the day’s events.
For more than 20 years, Terry Lamb (M.A. Linguistics, UC San Diego; C.A. NCGR, EEMCP) has been helping people to understand how cycles and energies work and interact in their lives. She augments her astrological acumen with energy medicine, Yijing (Chinese Book of Change), cosmology, psychology, and a broad range of health and spiritual studies.
Terry is among the nation’s most knowledgeable, insightful, and engaging astrologers. With pragmatic optimism and compassion, Terry’s approach has helped clients and students find their own way to “walk among the stars”. She is dedicated to using astrology as a way to create our future and free ourselves from “fate”. She goes along with Abraham Lincoln, who said, “The best way to predict the future is to create it.”
Her unique approach to astrology can be learned through her home study and apprenticeship programs (contact her directly).
Dear Mrs. Lamb,
I do not know and will probably never understand how you do this but all the dates you refer to, the time bubble, past events in ones life, it is always right what you say. I worked through them all the past months and years and you keep astonishing me. My money flow is not that good so I have to thank you in words. If my money ship reach harbor finally I surely will share some with you. Again thank you very much – your postings were of great help on my journey.
hello beautiful astrologer who works so hard and gives so much
to serve love,
you did not mean next Sept 25 but you meant Nov?
September 25 is already past for 2012, you must refer to upcoming eclipses at end of 2012? Just checking …
” these two indicators of “it’s serious, folks” collide next September 25 with plenty of fanfare in the meantime, in the form of eclipses and the fast-moving bodies hooking things up. This means that Fixed signs finally get their turn at the wheel, bringing in what steadies and supports us.”
perhaps there is hope afterall ! (nahhh,…)
Youre work is so helpful, it seems so good quality, few compare I think, (and there are many…) thankyou..
I need it because its been making for crazy ever since 2007
ha.
-william
Thanks, William. Terry is referring to September 25, 2013, next year.