We are here, finally, at the last month of the most tumultuous year in living memory for many of us barring those who lived through WWII. While astrologers anticipated that 2020 would be a history maker, I don’t think any of us were fully prepared for what was to come. This year has challenged all of us in many different ways and has changed our perceptions of what is “normal”.
2020 was always destined to be a year of historic change. The cosmic events we have seen take shape this year indicate a new karmic cycle for the Earth and changes that go on to last for generations. November brings the completion of one of the major cosmic cycles we have been working with this year, the Jupiter Pluto Conjunction. It also brings the fourth and final Lunar Eclipse of the year and it closes all but one of the many retrograde cycles we have been working with. In the first few weeks of November, it feels like the tensions built up in October finally begin to unravel and we can see where we stand.
Halloween, now a secular holiday, gets its roots from the pagan festival of Samhain which is one of the four major sacred days throughout the Celtic territories of England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland and Brittany. Falling on October 31st it began at sunset (the traditional start of a Celtic new day). Exactly opposite Beltane or May Day, on the wheel of the year, Samhain is Beltane's dark twin. It is considered a night of power, when the veil that separates our world from the Otherworld is at its thinnest. A “spirit night” as they say in Wales.
October is a “once in a blue moon” month and will be bookended by two full moons. The first, in fiery Aries happens today. Getting what you want seems impossible at this time since Aries' ruler, Mars, is also retrograde in the same sign. Anger over having to compromise more than you want or give more than you should is likely. You might decide it's just not worth the price. This Moon also brings to a head issues connected to our courage, independence, and ability to thrive. Set against the Sun in Libra, we need to explore our personal responses towards our relationships.
September may start slowly, but it will pick up speed in the second half, gathering potency as the month progresses. I’m not gonna lie: The outlook for the rest of the year is pretty intense. We’ve got Mercury retrograde through election season, two more eclipses, a final Jupiter-Pluto meetup and the “Great Conjunction” of Jupiter and Saturn to navigate before 2021 arrives. (Don’t worry; I’ll be with you every step of the way!)
