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Astrology suggests October [and November] may be when significant events take place in the collective around all the current challenges the world is facing through the coronavirus with the peak of the Mars retrograde cycle and two powerful lunations acting as trigger points.
There was a lot to try to weave together [and to get my head around] so I have done the best I can in the time I have. I apologize for sloppy grammar as I have a very busy teaching and consulting schedule and often write these newsletters much faster than I would like to, but I made the decision years ago to offer them as they come, often fairly raw and in need of tighter editing.
So …Mars reaches the peak of His retrograde cycle this month when He opposes the Sun on October 14, the same day Mercury stations retrograde, suggesting this is a time for major review and revision ...a time when we are all challenged to think about how we can DO things differently.
Both these phenomena - along with the New Moon /Super Moon on October 17 - suggest events may occur that act as a turning point in the outcome of the US election. Mercury in the US chart [Silby chart] is at 24 Cancer and is being activated by Pluto, Saturn, Jupiter, Eris and Mars …the whole current line-up. Transiting Mercury in Libra will make its station direct the day after the US election, so we may not see a clear result on the day.
Congratulations …to 5 of my students who all passed the recent F.A.A. Calculation Examination with High Distinctions. Melissa Clare Mel also received the Silver Medal for top student with a perfect score of 100% Sarah Linton Stacey Williams Jaya Tsimitra Vesna Ljesnicanin …and a special mention to their tutor, Amanda Dane, [a former student and Gold Medal winner] who made the whole online learning process work even though teaching calculation on-line during lockdown was so much more challenging [and twice the work for everyone]. Thanks Amanda, and Congratulations everyone!
Contents
Mars and Mercury Retrograde
October Lunations
2021 Astrology Classes
October begins with Mars, Chiron, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto all still retrograde while Pluto stations direct on October 4, and Mercury stations retrograde on the 14th. Note: All the dates below are for Australian Eastern Time.
October 2: Full Moon in Aries
October 3: Venus to Virgo
October 4: Pluto stations direct at 22 Capricorn 29
October 12: Jupiter sextile Neptune
October 14: Sun opposition Mars
October 14: Mercury stations retrograde at 11 Scorpio 40
October 17: New Moon in Libra
October 23 sun to Scorpio
October 28: Venus to Libra
October sees Mars reach the mid-point of His retrograde phase on October 14 when He reaches 21 degrees of Aries, marking the moment when He is closest to the Earth, a similar phenomenon to a super moon. This is the peak of his retrograde phase and a time when issues that have been brewing for some time may erupt and demand attention.
Mars is at His brightest now as He makes the closest approach to Mother Earth during his 2 year cycle. Look to the east soon after sunset or the west before dawn to see the him; he is easily identified as the red planet. He will be rising in the east at sunset around October 14 and spending the nights traveling the ecliptic, setting in the west just before dawn.
Mercury stations retrograde on the same day that the Mars retrograde cycle peaks; October 14. During the retrograde loop Mercury squares Saturn and opposes Uranus each three times, adding to the complexity of the current dynamic. With the US election scheduled for November 3, the day before Mercury stations ready to turn direct, one would expect that the result could be delayed or unclear in some way.
Mars Retrograde on the Personal Level From the soul perspective we are all being given the opportunity to review habitual patterns and ways of acting and reacting [Mars] as well as our habitual thought processes and ways of communicating [Mercury], especially regards the areas of life symbolized by the houses and planets that they are activating. It is a potent time for deep reflection about where we are putting our energy and an opportunity to become more CONSCIOUS as we gain deep insight into our personal and collective patterns.
It is quite common to feel blocked and frustrated – especially regards affairs ruled by the area of life symbolized by the house where Mars is transiting – [15 to 28 degrees of Aries] and we may experience some or all of the following reactions:
Frustration / Anger / Rage
Depression [repressed anger]
Anxiety …but please try not to react or get stuck in the feelings.
If possible, accept them as a normal reaction to Mars retrograde and be prepared to work with them. If the feelings are overpowering, then reach out for assistance to someone whom you trust to talk them through you may be able to help you think laterally. Retrograde phases always offer us the opportunity to get out of our old conditioned habits and be prepared to stand apart from our ego and contemplate:
Trying something new
Thinking laterally
Becoming more detached and objective …and letting go our ego attachment to getting what we want, the way we want, when we want it!
Mars is associated with the flight, fight or fright syndrome – all activated by fear and a surge in adrenaline. If you are experiencing any of the above feelings, try to come back to your centre and ask yourself WHY you are feeling this way and WHAT it may be asking of you. The retrograde perspective can offer illumination if we are prepared to stop and own our reactions and become curious about them.
Mars retrograde cycles always offer us a new - hopefully more conscious - perspective on our actions and modus operandi as Mars symbolizes the Action Principle; but there is always the danger of slipping into the shadow energy of Mars and missing the possible growth that Mars is offering us during His retrograde phase.
Mars Trigger Points Any planets around 21 degrees of cardinal signs [Aries, Cancer, Libra & Capricorn] will be very strongly impacted this month but Mars will trigger any planets between 16 and 25 of the four cardinal signs as it retrogrades from 25 to 16 degrees of Aries during October.
Remember, this retrograde phase runs from September 10 to November 14 [see last month’s newsletter for more information] but the retrograde loop runs from July 28 to January 3 2021.
The chart for the peak of the cycle when Mars makes His closest approach to opposition is copied below and you will see it is part of a very challenging t-square that contains the following aspects:
Mars retrograde at 21 Aries opposition the Sun in Libra
Mars conjunct Eris and Black Moon Lilith
Mars square to the Jupiter, Saturn and Pluto stellium in Capricorn.
The charts for the Sun opposite Mars on October 14 and the New Moon / Super Moon 3 days later on October 17 both contain all these aspects and issues outlined below, and will act as triggers for insights as well as possible conflicts on both personal and collective levels.
Mars Retrograde on the Collective Level Mars can act as a catalyst or trigger to activate the transits of the slower moving heavy weight planets. This means significant events may occur throughout this 5-month window – August to January – especially regards the major themes for 2020, with issues potentially reaching a peak around the middle of this month.
Always there is the potential for the functional and dysfunctional expression of this energy. The functional expression is more conscious awareness of our patterns and the potential to do things differently, the dysfunctional expression suggests the potential for greater conflict, aggression, polarization and retreat into our shadow.
Besides our personal issues relating to the house and planets being activated we will probably see an intensification around the major global issues for 2020 as Mars squares Jupiter, Saturn and Pluto. The charts for the Sun opposite Mars on October 14 and the New Moon 3 days later on October 17 both contain all these aspects and issues outlined below and will act as triggers for insights as well as possible conflict.
I have talked of the issues in the past as :
RIGHTS VERSUS RESPONSIBILITIES conflict that I discussed in my August newsletter
Competition over scarce resources
Global recession [Jupiter, Saturn and Pluto in Capricorn]
Global pandemic [Eris as the catalyst in square to the above]
Collapse of structures and institutions that that have outlived their usefulness.
Power struggles and concerns about the use and abuse of power and authority
The transits that are highlighted are the middle transits that occur during the retrograde phase and are the ones that can potentially provide us with a fresh insight and new perspective, so prepare to be challenged.
Mars conjunct Black Moon Lilith on 23 September & 29 January
Mars conjunct Eris on 4 October & 22 December
Mars square Jupiter on October 19 & January 23
Mars square Saturn on 30 September & 13 January
Mars square Pluto on 10 October & 24 December
The October Lunations
The Full Moon on October 2 falls at close to 9 Aries …and highlights the viewpoint of Chiron that I offered in my August newsletter as one that can assist us to find a more detached perspective on current events and an eventual way forward. This information feels particularly significant now as the Full Moon on October 2 is conjunct Chiron.
The image I see is of the full moon spotlighting Chiron and illuminating His wisdom, therefore I offer you this perspective once more for your reflection.
Chiron: the key to healing? Chiron, the archetype of the Wounded Healer, is traveling with the Aries group, but a fair way apart, as you would expect from a loner and maverick, and I feel He holds the key to the answer. I think his distance is very telling as well as providing Him with the perspective to see everything from a more objective viewpoint, something Mars cannot do as He is working from adrenalin. At a soul level Chiron is always challenging us to reconcile opposites and accept our differences rather than suffer the pain of alienation.
Chiron in Aries symbolizes the pain, grief and wounded-ness we are all feeling regards the loss of our freedom, our jobs, and even our loved ones as well as our need to isolate, wear masks and keep our distance., as well as the loss of our plans for the future. At one level Chiron validates our pain for us but He also asks us to ACCEPT it, not GET STUCK there and invites us to see the larger picture. We need to own our disenfranchised grief around all the things we have lost - and will continue to lose - if we want to come to a space of personal and collective reconciliation and healing with the new reality that we inhabit. Often what is underneath our anger and rage is a deep fear and grief that needs to be made conscious. We all need safe places where we can own the complex feelings that are arising and feel held in safety – and definitely not feel judged. Sharing with friends, developing online communities, even writing a journal …all can be helpful.
At the collective level Chiron invites us to keep open channels of communication between those who identify as libertarians versus those who identify as responsible, not to get stuck in polarized positions, not see each other as the enemy ... and to embrace the polarities internally and allow them [constructive] outlets …essentially, how can we be responsible and still experience some sense of freedom and autonomy and how can we harness the dynamic pioneering spirit of Aries to find new solutions our current dilemma and create new structures [Capricorn].
The October New Moon falls on October 17 at close to 24 Libra …3 days after the peak of the Mars retrograde cycle and it is essentially the same chart, but is now super charged with the Moon entering into the dynamic T-square configuration. This New Moon is also a Super Moon, a nick name given to lunations that occur closer to the Earth. This Super moon is one of 3 New Moon Super Moons for 2020 [September , October and November New Moon] and the one that falls closest to the Earth.
This New Moon will continue to super-charge the tensions outlined in the chart for Mars opposition the Sun on October 14 but does suggest a possible turning point, the beginning of a new chapter, and perhaps a new way forward. The Sun and Moon in Libra offer a fresh perspective and the possibility of listening to the voices of others, rather than staying locked in a confrontational pattern.
Mercury Retrograde Mercury moves retrograde on October 14, the day of the Sun Mars opposition, at close to 12 degrees of Scorpio. He remains retrograde until November 4 when He turns direct at close to 26 degrees of Libra. As the new cycle begins in Scorpio, we are being challenged to re-evaluate all things connected with our Scorpio patterns …often issues around power, control, trust and betrayal as well as emotional intensity and safety. Scorpio challenges us to let go old fear-based thinking and the patterns of control that come from fear, but may activate these patterns in the first half of the retrograde cycle - October 14 to 26 – to facilitate a fresh perspective. This period of time coincides with the New Moon / Super Moon, so expect some possible revelations and potential shocks, especially with the inferior conjunction [see the chart below] opposing Uranus.
The whole retrograde phase is a potent time for reflection and review … a time when we can become aware of habitual beliefs and thought patterns and make the adjustments necessary to align our thinking with the person we are now.
During its retrograde cycle Mercury will oppose both Uranus and square Saturn 3 times; the underlined date is the one during the retrograde phase:
Square Saturn in Capricorn on September 23, November 2 & November 6
Oppose Uranus in Taurus on October 8, October 20 and November 17
Mercury square to Saturn challenges is to take responsibility for our thoughts and words and warns of the danger of negative thinking while Mercury opposite Uranus challenges us to be open to change but beware of speaking prematurely or rushing into any new plan without thinking it through. The opposition with Uranus is part of the new cycle and suggests the possibility for major insights and AH HA moments, but also unexpected and disruptive events that challenge us to re-evaluate our ideas. The new Mercury cycle lasts until the next Mercury retrograde cycle in late January 2021 and will take us through the US election and the inauguration of the next president on January 20.
Please be aware that the retrograde phenomenon is activated from the time that Mercury enters the loop to the time that it leaves: from around September 24 to November 20. The most chaotic times are when Mercury stations – the few days around October 14 and November 4 when Mercury adjusts to the change of direction.
Key dates / degrees
Exact dates: retrograde from October 14 to November 4
Sensitive degrees 26 Libra to 12 Scorpio
Full time of influence: September 24 to November 20
Time for insight: around October 26 the new Mercury cycle begins at the Inferior Conjunction of Mercury and the Sun at close to 3 Scorpio
Mercury retrograde is considered is a great time to meditate, reflect, journal, research, seek answers, sort out your paperwork, return calls and generally attend to all the things you have been too busy to do earlier.
Mercury retrograde always provides us with the opportunity to free our thinking from habitual ruts and develop a more conscious set of mental attitudes and beliefs. Concerns may arise early in the retrograde phase but around the time the new cycle begins on October 26 when new solutions and insight may emerge. Sit with your insights until after November 4 when Mercury goes direct. The next few weeks are the time to express your insights and put new plans into action.
2020 / 21 Astrology Classes All classes have shifted online for the time being. They are still held weekly in my Zoom Room. Please contact Christine for more information
Christine offers an in-depth psychological and mythological approach to astrology. These classes are suitable for those individuals who are wishing to learn more about themselves as well as those interested in becoming a professional astrologer. Classes can be taken on a term by term basis and sound files are provided for any classes you miss.
First Year/ Beginners’ …at 7pm on Thursday evenings in 2021
Second Year / Intermediate …at 7pm Monday evenings in 2021
Advanced Group Second Saturday afternoon each month. The Advanced Classes give you the opportunity to integrate what you have learned through a seminar format that allows exposure to more advanced techniques and psychological perspectives, plus the time to develop your delineation skill.
Consultations …are now available on Zoom and are still recorded so the sound file link can be sent to you via email. Gift Certificates are available for most consultations.
AN INITIAL CONSULTATION explores the soul’s journey as revealed through the personal symbol of the birth chart. The focus is on the potential inherent in the birth chart and the challenges that need to be embraced in order to realize this potential.
Other readings available include: In-depth Consultation: Two hours to explore both the soul’s journey [see above] and the year ahead. Includes 2 supplementary e-booklets.
Chart Up-date: The Year Ahead: Explores the year ahead from a psychological perspective. Understanding Your Child: A wonderful gift for new parents and explores a child’s unique needs, motivations, potentials and challenges.
Relationship Analysis: Helps explain the dynamic between two people to facilitate their understanding of each other and their relationship.
Relocation: Explains how a different location may impact on your psyche. This can be helpful if you are thinking of re-locating and can be included with any of the above consultations.