The deep structural changes, many of them interior, in which we are all engaged continue their inexorable working during October. Mercury retrograde during most of the month gives us a special opportunity for awareness, as we review and reflect on our lives and on how they are changing.

Libra issues of balance of power, equality in partnerships, and justice and fairness in relationships are the focus. We’re still working with the family-business Cancer-Capricorn energy, that ancient polarity which ties us to earth and makes us feel secure in this strange land we call Earth.

Libra has help from its ruler, Venus, the most aspected planet in the sky this month. Venus helps us connect with one another, and in that process we develop self-knowledge, values, and priorities. Venus comes into our direct consciousness at the end of the month, as she conjoins Mercury as he turns direct. That is a time for love and affinity to blossom—just in time to accompany the season of Samhain, when the veils between worlds are thinnest. Love can be the bridge for crossing between worlds.

With Venus in Libra, this is a good month for launching a peace movement, praying for peace, and working in a myriad of ways to find our affinities with others. Community is important now.

Cardinal signs dominate the month. Cardinal signs are the go-getters. They have specific goals, and initiate action to achieve those goals. Cancer and Capricorn are both cardinal signs. In Cancer we reach for the security and comfort of human connection, and in Capricorn we learn to walk on this earth and to use its resources to build protective structures—both physical and social. We are ambitious, focused, and determined to get to the top, where we can make sure that things are built right.

During the whole month expansive Jupiter is slowly traveling through Cancer and is directly opposing Earth Mother Ceres in Capricorn. Jupiter is the King of the Gods, and although powerful and fortunate, Jupiter has a fair amount of hubris.
In fact, once most of the rest of the gods, sick of his pride and arrogance, rebelled against him and tied him up.

In Cancer, Jupiter is in command of feeding and nurturing mind, body and spirit, and figures he can do the job as he pleases. Jupiter gives a feeling of invincibility to those whom he touches, and all Cancer Sun people are in the midst of a year of growth and good fortune. This month Jupiter is very close to the U.S. Sun, as well as to GW’s Sun.

Opposing Jupiter is Ceres, goddess of the harvest, in Capricorn. All of the labor involved in getting food to the table is under Ceres’ purview. Capricorn is an earth sign and a winter sign, when much of life is occurring unseen or underground. The harvest now is in a state of retraction and preparation for the future. Capricorn is also a business sign, and Ceres in Capricorn directly relates to business in labor, labor as a business, business and labor.

Jupiter and Ceres may work together as productive big business, or they may oppose one another through labor or other problems which cut into food production. Ceres may deny the harvest if she’s irritated by Jupiter’s arrogance, which could happen now, for the Libra energy field which permeates us emphasizes fairness in all relationships.

Mars travels through Capricorn during most of October. He will stimulate business, government, and all ambition. We can work steadily towards our goals with Mars in Capricorn. Mars there will also support Ceres in her mothering work, however she conceives it now. In Capricorn, Ceres is most concerned with nurturing the hierarchy, and traditional structures. Taking care of the military, seeing that they are well supplied, will be part of her work now.

We can get a good picture of how Jupiter and Ceres are manifesting when Mars opposes Jupiter on October 3, and conjoins Ceres on October 10. Jupiter and Ceres have their exact opposition on October 16. The first half of October, then, features Jupiter and Ceres.

Libra, the sign of the month, is also a go-getter cardinal sign. Libra’s goal is to create balance, and since things are never in balance for more than an instant, Libra has a big job. All of the heavenly bodies are now in oppositions, except for those planets traveling through Libra.

Libra is the fulcrum, the balance point, and those planets in Libra will work at bringing balance, harmony, fairness, and justice to personal and to world affairs. However, whose idea of justice? is one point. The other point is that Libra often has to fight to right wrongs, fight to make peace, so Libra-dominated times are not necessarily peaceful. It is balance that is the ultimate goal, but balance varies depending on who you talk to. Oppositions in the sky often correlate with oppositions between people, groups, or opposing views. In fact, Libra promotes mirroring, and recognizing that others are mirrors for us. During Libra time it can be easier to walk in another’s shoes.

Many of this month’s conflicts and questions will find solutions in the spring, when Aries, the fourth cardinal sign, leads the charge.

Sagittarius and Gemini continue to be inhabited by planets in opposition. Gemini-Sag is that polarity of mental activity, information, attitudes, perspectives, moral codes, beliefs, exploration, and all kinds of growth. We are still in the orb of that major, once-every-35-year opposition of Pluto and Saturn, which moves us inexorably into big structural change in our lives. (See feature articles in August and September Daykeepers.) Pluto in Sagittarius is pushing us to explore new frontiers, and Saturn in Gemini puts a focus on all kinds of communication and information. The U.S. is especially featured with this opposition.

Stern Pluto and Saturn have two of the asteroid goddesses intimately dancing with them this month. Strategist Pallas Athena accompanies transformative Pluto, as she did during those driving months of March and April. And Saturn is joined for the entire month by Vesta, Goddess of the Hearth, of one’s home and turf, and of all investments. Together those two goddesses will work to protect and defend home and territory. Opposed, as they are here, they may have different ideas of how to do that. Pallas and Vesta exactly oppose one another on October 6.

Juno in Leo is also active. This indicates that women will be important this month. And, in fact, the great asteroid activity now shows that quality-of-life issues will be dominant in October.

The many planetary oppositions during October indicate much awareness, relating, projecting, and presenting opposing views on issues. With Mars prominent, it will be in an assertive manner. The challenge is to bring those oppositions together so that their forces can combine in productive activity. The Libra energy field now encourages exactly that—negotiation and compromise in order to harmonize conflicting views. Issues related to transformation of ideas and methods of protection and defense will be paramount.

(The specific impetus for this is certainly obvious now, after September 11!)