By Angel Lopez:
October promises to continue the thematic story of transformation and accountability that has underpinned this entire year. In some ways, it takes us all back to the start of 2020, when we had ideas and possibilities ahead of us. There were goals to be met and personal challenges to tackle. But as the year progressed, we most likely abandoned or shifted some of those, and rightfully so. The world has turned upside down and won’t ever be the same. But that doesn’t mean our lives have ended. In fact, the hope is that it’s gained some greater focus and intention, each of us knowing what we value now and why we wake up each day.
This month is the time for each of us to be finding our way back to the path we started working to establish in the early months of 2020, but with some adjustments in place and newfound wisdom in tow. Now, that’s not entirely a simple task. The challenges of today are brand new and thriving, but some folks may feel this energy and take it as their cue to try and replicate the life they were living back in the day. But that’s not the way.
It’s time to establish a new status quo, one that promotes justice, fairness, and honesty. Forward progress needs to occur but with new, sturdier structures put into place. One cannot build the dreams for tomorrow on top of a landfill. There must be more responsibility taken when it comes to the plans of the future. All of this needs to happen on a global scale, but consider how it can be happening for you in your life.
The Aries Full Moon occurs on the first of the year and brings with it a combustion of growth and power. The days that follow invite you to release any outdated mentalities that your ego may be clinging to. It may also highlight some of the childhood wounds you’ve been carrying around and illuminate how they’re still playing out in your adult life. Opportunity could come for you to face and move through some healing around those past experiences, but that could involve facing some pretty challenging emotional triggers. Remember, you’re being asked to grow in major ways here, and the only way out is through. Jupiter, Pluto, Saturn, and Mars are really feeling activated by this, but more to come on them.
Pluto does have one major turn of note at the start of the month, when it moves direct on the 4th. It’s been retrograde since the end of April, so this shift should allow you to feel like change can come. Pluto needed to slow down and illuminate the deepest of changes for you to make, and now you can move forward with a greater sense of the transformation that needs to take place. Still, Pluto does work on a deeper soul level, and he is pivoting back to where he was at the end of last year. This, more than anything, ignites that reference back to some of the changes you were excited to make as the new year rolled in. Pluto shows how the choices you considered making then were based on mindsets or emotional places that no longer matter, and it’s time to engage with them given all you know now.
This month also begins with a shift for Venus, the planet of love and relationships, into the grounded, rational nature of Virgo. This is some get down to brass tacks energy.
Venus wants you to work with others to make a plan, to iron out the details. To know that nothing’s ever perfect but let’s at least move toward some order.
This can make some relating seem a little bit colder on the surface, but it’s not heartless by any means. In fact, the underlying story here is how do we help each other heal? By offering one another respect and knowing that not everyone is on a level playing ground; by being of service to those who need it, if you can spare the energy; and by allowing others to be in service to you and your needs without feeling bad for asking. This can also make for a heady time in relationships, so be careful not to get wrapped up in any verbal warfare, unless it’s for the highest good of all involved.
Mercury, the planet of communication, has shifted into Scorpio, the sign of intensity and soul-stirring transformation, awakening a greater depth of mental exploration and discourse. Now is not the time for basic conversation and pleasantries, and more passion will accompany your words and writings. You also may be more ably ready to share all of the deeper truths you’ve been uncovering this year, as what’s been kept in the dark wants to come out into the light. This is especially true when Mercury moves into its retrograde phase on October 13th, when it’s time to rethink, reconsider, and remind yourself of what’s important. In Scorpio, it’s definitely the secrets-revealed episode. Here, Mercury remembers, so it may make you accountable for things you said in the past. It could also make you remember what others said and put them under a scrutinizing light. It takes you back to 25 degrees Libra, or September 23rd, so any ideas, thoughts, or conversations from that time period will come back up for review.
Okay, so the big guys at play this year are Pluto, Saturn, and Jupiter, but Mars joined their party earlier this summer and is making more waves in the month ahead. Mars is pretty much just squaring all of these guys through the entirety of the month, which he did back in August. Initially, this shows up like an impediment. It’s a stalled car moment; we’re anxious to get going, but the time’s not right. Well, to be honest, none of us is going to feel like we’re fully moving forward in any way until January. So, you can use this month to make some adjustments to how you go about getting things and what it is you’re focusing your energy toward. This is a time of intention.
What projects or changes caught your eye from the end of July until the middle of September, and what can you do to approach them but now with a keener eye toward greater purpose and a more stable foundation?
In essence, the question of this month is, “Am I making choices that promote my growth at a soul level?” There are two dates that promote reflection. On October 9th, Mars squares Pluto, which can feel a little Jekyll and Hyde—like the old and the new of you coming to war and seeing who’s the fittest. The question you need to face is, “Does the old you get to stick around, or does the new, more-evolved you emerge further and assert its will?” October 18th finds Mars squaring against Jupiter, which is a challenge for your ambition and will. Are you asserting yourself as much as you can be to achieve your goals? With both of these, you’ll find that themes or events from that early August window come up again, so you may just get a chance to re-engage once more. Use any opportunities to try again and bring more confidence with you this time. And take your time. Move slowly and with purpose. At this time, don’t just do something for the sake of feeling of value or important.
If anything, use this time as a chance to pat yourself, or anyone else who needs it, on the back. Let me be the first to tell you you’re doing great!
October 16th brings on the Libra New Moon, which amplifies all of these messages. But this is when you can make some commitments to the new ways of being that need to come into place. The old regime of your mentality and ways of doing things comes under fire, so choose forward progress here. Challenge yourself to make choices that reflect where you want to be headed, not where you’ve been. Lean into your soul’s calling here. What stirs you deeply when you ponder its manifestation? What dream are you simultaneously excited for and fearful of its coming true? That’s the compass.
The final week of the month has both the Sun and Venus making some moves. The Sun moves into Scorpio on the 23rd, following Mercury’s earlier shift. It sends a pulse to us all that what’s in the depths of our being has meaning.
Even the source of your greatest shame has value, and perhaps more than you realize. It’s time to give your shadow side some room to breathe, to be grateful for the pains of the past because they’ve brought you great lessons. You can own all of you to move forward.
Mercury moves into Libra on the 28th, helping you to find creative, idealistic ways to motor that progress. This reminds you that personal growth doesn’t have to be so heavy. It can be beautiful. If you’ve been feeling in a butterfly process this year, it may be time to start chipping away at that cocoon.
The month ends with a powerful Halloween Full Moon in Taurus. Uranus, the planet of inspiration, chaos, and change is heavily involved, bringing a great sense of wildness to the air.
This will be a howl-at-the-moon kind of night, as many will feel compelled to bring out their freakiest of selves. Use it as a time to commune with your most authentic self. To make sure that everything you’ve been doing this month and year is in service to bringing the most unique expression of you out into the world.
If 2020 has been teaching us anything, it’s that life is precious and change can come on a dime, so why spend time being a version of you that doesn’t bring you joy? Be all of you and let the rest of the world catch up.
Angel Lopez is a film producer, writer, astrologer, and co-host of the podcast, THE SPIRITUAL GAYZ alongside his husband, our Spiritual Guru Brandon Alter. Angel has been studying and working with both tarot and astrology for twenty years. He hosted the astrology web-series, ASTRO TALK WITH ANGEL, and writes the blog ASTROLOGY REALNESS. He has also had pieces published on Upworthy.com and The Huffington Post.
On the film side, Angel produced the Sundance Film Festival award winning film DEAR WHITE PEOPLE, as well as the features THE DINNER and STATE LIKE SLEEP. He also wrote and directed his own short film, I CAN’T WITH YOU, which had its premiere at the 2016 HollyShorts Film Festival, and he recently finished producing filmmaker Justin Simien’s second feature, BAD HAIR.