An October Month of Balance, Change, and Unique Action

This is an extremely interesting month of October, with a strong revolutionary presence of both Pluto and Uranus, plus two eclipses. This is a month of natural new initiatives as well, following the closure of the recent inner planet retrogrades of Mercury and Venus. Because Mercury’s retrograde shadow period ended in the timing of the Aries Full Moon, just two days before the current month began, we can consider that it is finally time to seize the moment and come up with new ways to move forward, based on the steep learning curve of the preceding many weeks of introspection and reconsidering our options. Interesting as well in the lead up to the mid-month Solar Eclipse in Libra is that the remnants of the previous Virgo lunation cycle, working itself out over the first two weeks of October, featured once again a powerful presence of Uranus in Taurus, highlighted by a close trine from the mid-September Virgo New Moon. While Uranus is antithetical to the solid Earth energy of the Taurus sign, this kind of mismatch seems to be our collective fate. The Uranus degree, still at 22 Taurus, is aspected in the mid-October eclipse lunation also. This presence almost guarantees a few more strange curve balls as we have seen in the national headlines of late, in this country and across the world. Anything goes. Seminal 20th century psychological astrologer Jeff Green called Uranus “Freedom from the Known,” and this Trickster archetype does indeed represent far-out departures from business as usual and old outmoded habit patterns that may have lost their fundamental usefulness. There is, as well, unexpected enlightenment. The line from Grateful Dead lyricist, himself with strongly placed Uranus, perhaps summed up the kernel of this unusual archetype best when he wrote that “Once in a while you can get shown the light/ In the strangest of places if you look at it right.”

When we come to the mid-month New Moon and Solar Eclipse of October 14th we again find Uranus right there, in aspect to the eclipse degree, an inconjunct or quincunx aspect. The eclipse degree is 21:08, while Uranus at 22:15 of Taurus is a close connection, so that this maverick energy – which has been featured in the last few New Moons – is very present in this one as well. Also quite interesting in this powerful eclipse lunation is the Libra Sun and Moon opposite to Eris and Chiron in Aries. These shamanic planets, seven degrees apart, at 17 Aries and at 24, have a midpoint of 21:07 Aries which is thus in partile opposition to the eclipse degree, to the minute of a degree. This is fascinating, and brings the “planetary picture” of these interesting energies in combination to the forefront of our consciousness. The awareness of inner wounding is quite present, and also of the warrior-like determination to proceed with this and other important internal factors such as our most deeply felt values and principles in a decisive manner that is final, takes no prisoners, and partakes uniquely of our own device. The way to successfully deal with inner wounding, the residue of early childhood trauma, as indicated by Chiron, termed The Wounded Healer, is to make friends with these internal flaws, accepting them and reaching out with loving attention from the standpoint of our more mature perspective. When we can manage this, healing will eventually result. And when we can become more conscious of our inner spiritual warrior, great satisfaction can also result because we are moving forward in our life consistent with what we most deeply value; that is what we cannot not do, as we pursue our most authentic selves.

Interestingly as well, in this New Moon eclipse we find another planetary conjunction, that of Haumea and Mars in the initial degrees of Scorpio. Mars is at 1:45 of the sign in the eclipse configuration, while Haumea, newly entered there after slowly leaving the last degrees of Libra, is at 0:19, less than two degrees separating them. Haumea turns out to be a Nature planet, one of two amongst the newly discovered and named KBO planets, referencing “profound connection to Nature” and to natural law, to right action, right relationship, and truth-telling. Haumea has been closely square to Pluto since February, and we have seen truth-telling and the penalties for its absence endlessly discussed in the national headlines, both here in this country and abroad. In this current month’s key lunation configuration, the elevated presence with Mars, ruling the Eris-Chiron placement in Aries, ties together our willingness to lead with our integrity above all, and to insist on the quality of our commitment to kindness with regard to the creatures of this Earth and to each other. Will there be a similar breakthrough on the world stage, as is so badly needed? Only time will tell.

So in summary, this is an important New Moon eclipse, in an important and climactic month, for the world situation and for ourselves. The Taurus Full Moon and Lunar Eclipse at nearly month’s end, taking place on the 28th as a fulfillment of the earlier New Moon energy, emphasizes walking our talk, and choosing to embrace our deepest intention for ourselves and our society, moving forward. And it is indeed high time, or past, that we collectively make the motion in our hearts and with our words, our deeds, and our breakthrough ideas, that can somehow begin to manage that.