Astrology of October 2008 by Henry Seltzer (www.astrograph.com)

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The Astrology of October features Mercury, Jupiter and Neptune. Neptune is highlighted in the lunations of this time period, beginning with the Libra New Moon of September 29th. Uranus and Saturn are also drawing closer and closer to their exact opposition, taking place next month on November 4th, Election Day. We begin the current month in the midst of another Mercury retrograde period, which started in September and lasts until just after the Scorpio New Moon of the 28th when you consider the shadow period, the two weeks during which Mercury is regaining its lost Zodiacal ground. The actual station is on the 15th when its direction changes. This entire month is therefore characterized by missed connections and mechanical and communicative breakdown, which may on the other hand yield to mental breakthrough as we take time off from pushing ahead and pause to reflect on our situation.

The Libra New Moon took place in the last days of September and made a close aspect to Neptune, while the mid-month Full Moon sextiles Neptune exactly, meaning that this entire monthly cycle partakes of this numinous and potentially confusing planetary archetype. Otherworldly Neptune, at its highest, tunes us in to the multiple layers of reality that coexist with the more obviously visible world all around us and thus represents idealism, and the imagination to rise above the unyielding practicality of this earthly plane. These flights of fancy are well-reflected in the arts, especially music, which corresponds to a spiritual order that goes beyond what we can see and hear with our normal senses. But Neptune is not fully at home in the practical world of everyday events, and its power can also lead to illusion, confusion, even outright deception, a tendency that may be aided and abetted at this time by the retrograde of Mercury in a corresponding Air sign.

In another potent chime with the Neptunian energy, the First Quarter Moon of Tuesday, October 7th, conjuncts Jupiter in Capricorn, a placement that contains within it the dichotomy of earthly realms versus an implicit faith in the benevolence of the universe that allows us to rise above. Relationships and the dynamics of intimacy are also very important in this bridge period between the initiatory impulse of the New Moon and the relaxation, acceptance and flowering of the Full Moon that follows it. This crux of the first two weeks of the month is therefore exciting and magical, with however the potential for misplaced idealism, and the possibility of over-extending.

The Full Moon takes place a week later, on Tuesday the 14th. In addition to closely aspecting Neptune, this Full Moon also conjuncts the recently named trans-Plutonian dwarf planet, Eris. This archetypal energy represents a warrior-like defensive stance against established power. At this time too, the Uranus – Saturn opposition is very active, reflecting the same values of taking a stand against a dysfunctional status quo. We will find ourselves speaking truth to power at this mid-month time, and perhaps reveling in the discontinuity of speeches to events. We can and will occupy either side of the polarity, raging against the machine or trying to reconcile our ideals and our revolutionary goals with practical concerns.

We are currently seeing the fulfillment of the ancient dictum that asks "let me live in interesting times." These are climactic days for all of us, at both the personal and the collective level. The time has come to choose sides and really step up to the plate, for whatever drives your deepest passion. We may lapse into starry-eyed idealism or verge into escapism, but we cannot daydream for very long, since the urgency of the times keeps pulling us back to the central point of the matter. Life is a game for sure but a game played for keeps, as we need to recognize both for the sake of our ailing planet and for the spiritual health of the individuals living within her immense bounty.

Transits to the U.S. Chart

The most important thing that has been happening over the course of the last month has been the financial melt-down of the country. Some sort of financial trouble has been not unexpected, given the difficult transits over the next few years, and several factors become clearer when we look at the astrology. In our last column we stated: "When Mercury retrogrades it forms a Grand trine with Neptune and U.S. Mars, so the days surrounding the 24th could be very interesting. Jupiter stations this month, still opposite U.S. Sun while Saturn sextiles it, so that a sense of grounded optimism prevails." Of course the events did prove to be quite interesting, beginning in earnest on Friday the 26th. With Jupiter opposite the U.S. Sun, there was a sense of gambling that came into the picture, as reflected in the $700B bailout move. Then the nay-sayers amongst the general public, ably symbolized by Saturn, pushed back and the bill was surprisingly defeated. The stock market tumbled and then reversed, reflecting the push-pull of these two energies. Saturn is also getting close to its opposition with Uranus, and Uranus squares U.S Mars, indicating the rapidity of the events.

With Neptune involved, there was also a prediction that deception might come up at this time, and the eventual outcome is certainly hazy and confusing. It remains to be seen whether actual deception is involved in the administration's latest moves or just highly motivated rose-colored glasses.

In the current month, Saturn and Uranus come into closer opposition again involving U.S. Neptune, while transiting Neptune is emphasized and trines U.S. Mars. Jupiter is more exactly opposed to U.S. Sun and is triggered by the First Quarter Moon of October 7th. This first full week of October is when the gambling urge will be at its strongest, and also conveniently a likely time for another bailout proposition to come to the fore. Will it pass this time? Saturn and Uranus are still in the picture at this time as well, so all the same players are assembled, and we will likely see more of the same to-and-fro attitude as the stock market continues to fluctuate. At the Full Moon of the 14th, Neptune is again activated along with U.S. Neptune, so that idealism and higher purpose intention will vie with deception as explanatory principles for what we are seeing. The Obama campaign seems to have a lock on the former and we'll just have to see about the latter as the year and the next term of office wears on.

For more analysis of the U.S. chart, see Henry's Zodiactivism blog.

September 29th New Moon
The Libra New Moon that sets the stage for the current cycle makes an exact sesquiquadrate aspect to Neptune, also aspecting Uranus in Pisces, so that higher mind is a large factor. With Mercury retrograde in the same sign, we are intended to be looking more closely into everything that happens to us, and taking a reflective stance on life in general.

October 7th First Quarter Moon
This is a powerful First Quarter Moon, with the Moon exactly conjunct Jupiter, and Jupiter still trined by Saturn, while Saturn and Uranus near opposition. In addition to these powerful indications, Chiron and the North Node are in close conjunction, aspected by Saturn and squared by Venus. We are likely to be more aware than usual of old wounds regarding both group affiliation and control, and relationship, and of the choices that we make that have the power to transcend them.

October 14th Full Moon
In another potent configuration, this Full Moon closely aspects Neptune, bringing to the fore once again the confusion of these times and also their fundimentally spiritual nature. In addition, this Full Moon also conjuncts the recently named trans-Plutonian dwarf planet, Eris. This archetypal energy represents a warrior-like defensive stance against established power. At this time too, the Uranus – Saturn opposition is very active, reflecting the same values of taking a stand against a dysfunctional status quo. We will find ourselves speaking truth to power at this mid-month time, and perhaps reveling in the discontinuity of speeches to events. We can and will occupy either side of the polarity, raging against the machine or trying to reconcile our ideals and our revolutionary goals with practical concerns.

October 21st Last Quarter Moon
This Last Quarter Moon aspects Pluto in the last degrees of Sagittarius. Pluto is getting ready to re-enter Capricorn come November (on the 26th) and we might get a preview of the action there. Banking institutions are one place that will likely feel the effects of this important transit next month.

October 28th New Moon
This Scorpio New Moon comes just before Halloween, the Scorpio holiday, and features Mars square Chiron and also aspecting Saturn and Uranus in the final stages of the first pass of their opposition, which completes on November 4th. This New Moon time period is therefore an exciting one, with an exciting November ahead. Saturn and Uranus oppose each other exactly a total of five times over the next few years, and Pluto joins in by 2010, exact in 2012, making these next few years extremely dramatic ones, as many astrologers have indicated. We are getting the first taste of these amazing configurations in this fall time frame.

The indications for each Sun Sign over this month are given below. Be sure to check out your Rising Sign as well, if you know it. You can now log in to My AstroGraph, or sign up for a new account for a free calculation and interpretation of your Sun Sign, Moon Sign, and Rising Sign. Please note that dates given in this column for astrological events are based on U.S. Pacific Time Zone (UTC +8), for other locations dates may need to be adjusted depending on the number of hours of separation.

Aries (March 21 - April 19) Cardinal Fire. Your ruling planet is Mars.

This is a month of deep introspection for you, Aries, not only for your own path but with regard to significant partners in your life as well, and for points of view other than your own. You are mustering reinforcements in all the corners of your existence for transformational change in support of an entirely idealistic vision of what you could become. This may feel confusing at times, or perhaps exhilarating and challenging. It is and just a little scary to buck an existing system even if it is your own. Although it's still a bit early to make concrete the various levels of inspiration that are driving you right now, it won't be long before the doors of opportunity swing wide open.

As the month begins, partnership in your life is important and variable. You are engaged right now in a shifting landscape of relationship dynamics that stem in part from your own deep intuitional center. You are strongly feeling your own uniqueness at the same time that you enjoy and benefit from perspectives other than your own. The trick as always is balance. At the time of the First Quarter Moon of Tuesday, October 7th, you face potential trials in the arena of relationship and also with regard to career incentives. Greater integration is not only possible but concretely realizable and could lead to success in your work in the outer world. Your focus is still largely on partnership and this includes business connections which form another potent set of interchanges at this time. With the Full Moon of Tuesday, October 14th, you are more fully ready to come at life in a way that includes more of your own agenda but yet does not detract from working fruitfully with others. Mercury stations in your relationship sector the next day, so that this entire month may partake of an intellectual review of your possibilities there. In the last two weeks of the month greater consciousness is dawning regarding how partners in your life contribute to your own development. With the Scorpio New Moon on the last Tuesday of the month, taking place on Tuesday, October 28th, there are likely to be important revelations. This is a time when you will be asked to stretch in unforeseen directions, and you may be asked to give up something in the process. Nevertheless you will come out ahead on net results when you allow the dust to settle and evaluate the total picture with the perspective of time.

Taurus (April 20 - May 20) Fixed Earth. Your ruling planet is Venus.

You are in for a roller-coaster ride of a monthly cycle, Taurus, as poignant possibilities assert themselves strongly in your mental viewpoint. You will come to find also that helpful partners are very important to you right now for establishing your own sense of purpose. This is a time of high idealism and of a vision so profound that it does not really match the way of the world, and you might also find confusion of motivation as a result. On the plus side, this is also a time when your ideas may really begin to gel, blending philosophical and career outlooks. What you do in the world right now has to appeal to your heart as well as your mind or it simply doesn't work for you.

As the month begins, you are focused on service to others, and to your own unique path forward that differentiates you from every other human on the planet. This is an exciting time for you, when you might be getting a better sense of the task that you came into this lifetime to fulfill. Partnership is important at this time as well, partly for its own sake and partly in the way that it furthers your own arc of development. You are also dealing with dysfunctional aspects of both relationship and control, to a greater or lesser extent, depending on how well you have been doing your homework. This comes up most directly for you with the First Quarter Moon of Tuesday, October 7th, which is a powerful configuration for you. This is a time when the rubber meets the road in terms of what you are attempting to accomplish at this time in your life and also with regard to how well you move through the residue of prior trauma as reflected in the unconscious choices that you make. There may be knee-jerk reactions to authority that come up for you at this time, or simply the awareness of how many of the little decisions of your life stem from the past. Ancient scripts that were forged in an earlier time may no longer be applicable to your present moment. You might be able to detect in yourself the commonplace tendency to wall these feeling off and to refuse to acknowledge their power in your life, as well as the inherent limitations this strategy. The more that you can accept yourself in all your beauty and your ugliness too, the more you can benefit from this time of increasing awareness. The Full Moon taking place on Tuesday, October 14th, and the days surrounding it, represent another powerful time. You are fully energized for depth perceptions that take you out of your everyday life. Your imagination and your sense of idealism are shining bright at this time, although you might also need to beware of the potential for self-deception. This is a time when you may be able to heal the trauma of the past by dwelling in a place of Spirit that is natural to you, and from which you can draw strength. Then, the Last Quarter Moon of the following Tuesday, coming along on October 21st, represents another powerful period of time for you. You are coming into a transformative episode that caps the fluctuations of the last few weeks with a dawning sense of understanding, so that you may find a third alternative to a polarized situation. By month's end your heart center may be ready to open in a new way.

Gemini (May 21 - June 20) Mutable Air. Your ruling planet is Mercury.

You are in flux at this time, Gemini. Your ruler Mercury is in various stages of retrograde all month, and in some sense you are in the process of redefining yourself. Your self-expression is highly articulated at this time, but it is turned inward as you recreate your world around you from first principles. You are likely to be optimistic about your changes and seeing them through. You are learning to see everything not so much from the standpoint of the here and now only, but allowing the broadest possible perspective, when there is suddenly room for Spirit to enter into the equation.

As the month begins, your ruler Mercury retrogrades in your sector of self-expression, meaning that you are likely to be mulling over your situation, re-inventing who you are at the core, and striving to come to terms with what you believe at base value. This is a time when you are a stand for a future path that you can clearly see ahead of you at time, and that also at times seems cloudy and vague. You only know that you are dissatisfied with what is. A philosophical distance is created from everything that you have known thus far, erasing previous conceptions. This uncertainty and divine discontent extends to your career decisions at this time; with each new conception a new impulse. With the First Quarter Moon of Tuesday, October 7th, and the days surrounding it, you are filled with a sense of optimism. The impulse to gamble might be especially strong, although this time period also represents one peak of the retrograde period, when you might expect miscommunication and mechanical breakdowns to become more prevalent, and when you do well to carefully regard any decisions you make, looking before leaping, and waiting until close to the end of the month to act on any new ideas that come to you while the retrograde is still in effect. The Full Moon time that begins over the following weekend and climaxes on Tuesday, represents another powerful time period, when a degree of idealism may cloud the proceedings somewhat. You are attempting to see your way to the next phase, and your future path speaks to you loudly, but you are also may be seeing things "through a glass darkly" and not fully discerning your best move. Again, you benefit if you can wait for the roiling stream of your life to settle. The last half of the month is a time of gathering clarity. You are perched on the edge of important breakthrough right now that will manifest toward the end of the year.

Cancer (June 21 - July 22) Cardinal Water. Your ruling planet is TheMoon.

You are returning to home base right now, Cancer, either physically or mentally. This is an important period of time for sorting out what really matters to you in this area. Partnership connections are on the upswing, and prove themselves to the extent that they chime with your most deeply felt inner truth. The Last Quarter Moon of the 21st may be revelatory, providing information that paves the way for breakthrough next month. You are in a state of mystical transformation, wherein you may find that all that you seek is actually available to you from the standpoint of an inner perspective.

As the month begins, you are strong for the safety and security of your protected home environment. You are keeping the hearth fires burning right now, for your family and also for yourself. Partnerships of all kinds are beneficial for you right now, and help you to light your own way forward. There is an elusive almost elfin quality to this monthly cycle for you, as you are changing in subtle ways that may not become fully clear until the month has almost completely passed. Your ideals are strong at this time, and lead you forward powerfully into a new universe of your own making. This period of time is fuzzy and not easily discerned, so that caution may also serve to hold you back at this time. It's an interesting balance that you must strike. With the advent of the First Quarter Moon of Tuesday, October 7th, there are likely to be cracks emerging in the facade of what you see as your path before you. A conflict may arise between going forward full steam ahead and more practical considerations which must also be honored to give the energy of this period its due. This moment is also one peak of the retrograde period, when missed connections of both a mechanical and a communication nature may keep your plans from going entirely smoothly. With the Full Moon of Tuesday, October 14th and the days surrounding it, you are making a stand for yourself, no matter what, stepping out with verve and style into a different world. At the time of the Last Quarter Moon of Tuesday, October 21st, transformational energies are strong in the area of both relationship and service orientation. You may find at this time that certain aspects of a situation you have been dealing with in one way may come to light to illuminate a different path forward. Or the evolutionary pressure of your circumstances may reach a tipping point. It helps to remember that in every organism change is necessary as a sign that you are alive, and that meaningful change seldom comes to you except by force of dire necessity. You can at least choose the moment, and relative gracefulness of your landing. With the Scorpio Full Moon a week later, taking place on Tuesday, October 28th, you are ready to make a fresh start.

Leo (July 23 - August 22) Fixed Fire. Your ruling planet is TheSun.

You are entering a period of exploring your roots with an eye to growth, Leo, on the verge of breakthrough in discovering your true nature. You may find in the course of this month that you come to mystical self-expression in spoken and written word, leading to great idealism, perhaps confusion, regarding your own motivation and also that of important others in your life. This is a great time for journaling and for internal reflection. It is all for the sake of the eventual transformation of your life goals as you seek to operate from the standpoint of the highest intention for yourself moving forward.

As the month begins, you are in a highly communicative mode, but from a decidedly more introspective frame of mind than usual. Instead of capturing the center of attention with your egoic self, you are focused on deeply perceived soul-level interaction, and communicating to others around you from this quiet place. You are also getting more serious about the basis for your security right now, financial and otherwise. You might find yourself looking for ways to celebrate the difference between material success and the feeling of well-being that comes from a deeper motive. You might even be in the process of discovering that psychological feelings of safety stem from many causes, with finance only one of them. With the advent of the First Quarter Moon, taking place on Tuesday, October 7th, you reach both an optimistic point of departure from existing norms and also one peak of the Mercury retrograde cycle. This is a time when you might expect an intensification of the classic symptoms of missed connections and communication breakdown. Together with the increase in tension represented by the Sun-Moon square this could make for an interesting week. It makes sense to avoid sudden radical departures from an established plan at this time, even though the temptation is definitely there to experiment. The Full Moon a week later is another important crux of time, when you are likely to be making a stand for some set of ideas that you believe in, over and above the sense of business as usual. You win when you espouse a middle way between extremes. Taking something from the conservative approach as well as something from the novel and exciting has its definite advantage most times, and certainly now, when polarizations are likely. You also must beware of deception at this time, since the potential for idealization is strong. You could refrain from giving up on your rose-colored glasses altogether, since optimistic assessments often motivate necessary change. By month's end you will be making a fresh start in your core beliefs and in connection with others around you.

Virgo (August 23 - September 22) Mutable Earth. Your ruling planet is Mercury.

This month you are choosing between the micro and the macro, Virgo. Normally you specialize in the detailed handling of any particular situation, but the cosmic energy swirling around your brain right now is gently and sometimes suddenly inclining you in quite a different direction. While your ruler Mercury is retrograding through your sector of values and resources, allowing you to perform a double-take at times on what you hold most dear, a big-picture viewpoint on who you are and where you are heading is forming alongside your consciousness. This is unusual for sure, a little destabilizing and confusing too at times and blows the hinges off doors that you can't be completely sure should be opened. It helps to remember to breathe and to reflect that everything that happens to you right now happens for a good reason.

As the month begins, you are taking an idealistic and perhaps almost dreamy look at where in the world you might be heading these days. Your eventual future is on your mind and your basic values as well. Although a large part of your focus is on security issues right now, and their underpinning in finances and your resources in general, with your ruler Mercury retrograding in that same sector of your chart you might be taking a second look at these matters. The mystical truth that underlies all your worldly activity is that your attitude determines your sense of security and that while consensus thinking keeps that attitude tied to finances, it is the attitude that takes priority and not the other way around. Another way of looking at the world around you is fully possible for you if you can keep your head on straight, no easy task. You win when you can trust in the universe to provide you with what you need, no matter what. The First Quarter Moon, taking place on Tuesday, October 7th, is traditionally a time of conflicting cross-currents of emotion when we might have to give up on some part of the impulse from the preceding New Moon as it has played out thus far. For you, this time, there is a sense of optimism that prevails and a tendency to go for the gold, while you might also feel the pull of a grounded sense of practicality that is also present in the configurations of this fall period. This is one peak of the retrograde energy, so you will want to be aware that outcomes might not match intentions. The Full Moon a week later, taking place on Tuesday, October 14th, and the days surrounding it, mark another time of relatively high energy, when the urge for self-transcendence is strong, and when you might also connect more powerfully with intimate others in your life. Mercury changes direction the next day, signifying that this period of time is another important moment in the retrograde cycle and that the factors that affect the area of your finances and resources are shifting. Mercury will not fully clear its zodiacal shadow until almost the very end of the month. The last few days of October, following the Scorpio New Moon of the 28th, represent another time of heightened optimism when an "anything goes" attitude may prevail, although a time when the forces of practical common sense have sway as well, leading up to an interesting and somewhat intense fall period for you.

Libra (September 23 - October 22) Cardinal Air. Your ruling planet is Venus.

This is a powerful month for you Libra. With the Sun in your sign in your birthday time, you are definitely a self-starter, but you also may find yourself in a deeply reflective space over this time period as well. You are very tied right now to home and family and the psychological roots of your being, as you seek to find new value in tribal connection with others. Good fortune also smiles upon you over this monthly cycle, although it might pay you not to get too cocky. Old patterns of self-expression could also continue to confuse, and to present you with opportunities for growth. You are coming into a time of interior adjustment that takes into account all levels of your psyche, both the more obvious ones and as well the unseen worlds within you.

As the month begins, you are riding the wave of the energy produced by the recent New Moon in your identity sector from the very end of September. This is not a time to go forward with radical departures based on entirely new ideas however, since Mercury is also retrograding through your sign for almost the entire month, when you consider the period of the retrograde shadow. You may in fact detect a tendency to look more closely at all your concepts at this time, and to reconsider your assumptions. With Jupiter and Pluto poised in your sector of home and family and your psychological roots, you might also be taking a deeper look inside yourself at your interior dimension. There is enthusiasm within you at this time for delving down into the vast and yeasty spaces of your internal understanding, and as well for finding new value in your home environment. These considerations are also a priority for you at the time of the First Quarter Moon of Tuesday, October 7th, which conjuncts Jupiter. At this time also, blueprints of psychological orientation could come up for review which no longer serve your purpose in the present moment. It is vital for your on-going spiritual health to transcend these old patterns of behavior and the way to do that is to recognize and accept these cast-off pieces of yourself, so that you can move beyond them. With the Full Moon of the following week, taking place on Tuesday, October 14th, and the days surrounding it, you are entering into a new arrangement with the surrounding cosmos. At this time you might find yourself going forward with your life in a new way, taking on the mystical pursuit of what is largely unseen, but deeply felt, as a guidepost for your emerging personality. You are reinventing yourself in some important ways over the course of this monthly cycle, even though the shift may be a subtle one. The Last Quarter Moon of Tuesday, October 21st, emphasized communicative breakthrough as well as coming to terms with your core interior process and with what you discover there. Much wisdom is to be found in the silences and the gaps between activities, when you take the time to look.

Scorpio (October 23 - November 21) Fixed Water. Your ruling planets are Mars and Pluto.

You are half in and half out, Scorpio. This is in many ways a very internal month for you, with rich thoughts beneath the surface and with your dreams alive and contributing to your trance-like habitual state of deep awareness. Mercury is retrograding through your sector of profound unconscious process all this month, including the shadow period, and you are likely to put yourself into a meditative and self-reflective state for at least the first three weeks of it. A different side simultaneously emerges however in the second week of October, as your ruler Mars enters your identity sector marking a time of new opportunity and optimistic, even over-the-top, communicative outreach. The lesson lies in integration between all your parts. Breakthrough may come in the last three days of the month.

As the month begins, you are outer-oriented, but delving down into your deep unconscious, the hidden spaces behind and beyond your conscious mind. This is a paradoxical monthly cycle for you, when you are pulled to the inside in a largely reflective stance, supported by the Mercury retrograde period which is also in full swing right now. You also have at this time a strong urge to lead out in the world, and to lead from your deep intuitional center. The First Quarter Moon that comes along on Tuesday, October 7th, may serve to highlight these conflicting goals. You are optimistically putting your best foot forward and simultaneously holding back right now, including plans that you could be making toward what is an increasingly uncertain future. The answer involves a greater degree of trust in the internal guidance system that points the way to Spirit acting through you for the highest and in the interest of all life. Finding your way to this place of faith inside yourself is not easy but it is rewarding whenever you can do so. At this time also, relationships with important others in your life could lead you to examine underlying components of behavior that have been largely neglected in your conscious assessment up until now. These unacknowledged patterns still rule your behavior from below, as it were. Getting more familiar with your blind spots is another potential benefit of this period of time for you. With the advent of the Full Moon taking place on Tuesday, October 14th, you are ready to make a stand for what you believe in, and to feel your way forward into greater wholeness. The Last Quarter Moon that comes a week later on Tuesday, October 21st, is a time when you may find the wisdom of choosing your battles, and also of acceptance. Your finances may be fluctuating at this time but more importantly, so is the value that you place on these temporary markers. Like the lilies of the field "that sow not" you might come to find yourself graced with the universe's blessing and sense of purpose. All this monthly cycle leads up to the October 28th New Moon in your sign, when you will have tremendous energy for striding forward in some dramatic new way. You will feel at this time even more strongly the ongoing push-pull of staying safely conventional versus making some unique move that takes you out of existing ruts, and you will make your informed decision each time, proceeding by gut instinct and the power of prayer to the extent that you can school yourself to trust in these measures.

Sagittarius (November 22 - December 21) Mutable Fire. Your ruling planet is Jupiter.

You are coming at the concept of financial security from a new angle this month, Sagittarius. You are cooking up the recipe right now that will take you farther down your chosen world-path. Conflicts and reassessments in how you see your way forward might also come up for you at this time. Idealism and the potential for fuzzy thinking is very present these days in your makeup and in your communication with others. This is a great month for visioning possibilities, not so great for departures from existing plans until your ideas have had a chance to firm up. This is still an essentially positive time for you; a time when you are taking a stand for yourself, striking out with no compromise for a future that you can not only live with but for.

As the month begins you are thinking about your prospective plans with optimism and verve. Finances and other resources that you need as grist for the mill of future endeavors come naturally and easily to you now, with your ruler, Jupiter, in favored position in your second sector of values and resources. Of course, in addition to the recent New Moon, Mercury also retrogrades through your sector of wishes and plans, so that anything you come up with at this time could potentially be revised after the end of the month. The best way to approach the retrograde is to execute on existing schedules, fleshing these out with new ideas as they come to you, but to remain wary of any radical departures from any pre-existing plan. That said, the first two weeks of this month are an ideal time for visioning new possibilities for yourself and for meditating on where you would like to be in the next few years. This is also a great time to journal; months from now you may be amazed when you look back on the earlier record of your dreams and schemes and to see how much of what you committed to paper has actually come to pass. The First Quarter Moon of Tuesday, October 7th, represents a time when you will be tested in the perseverance of your vision for a livable future, and when real-world concerns might threaten to swamp the boat of the future visions that you are nurturing. It pays to remember that everything worth doing is worth doing well, and that passing this test of implicit practicality is one mark of enduring value. At the time of the October 14th Full Moon, and the days surrounding it, you are more ready to be a stand for what you believe and to share your maturing vision with others. This is also the time when Mercury shifts direction and begins to regain its lost zodiacal ground, and you might also notice one peak of the retrograde energy in its standstill. With the Last Quarter Moon taking place a week later, on Tuesday, October 21st, you are able to gather the wisdom from the ups and downs of the three weeks just passed, in order to weave a better blanket of understanding for the next cycle.

Capricorn (December 22 - January 19) Cardinal Earth. Your ruling planet is Saturn.

This is a month of possibilities for you, Capricorn. You may wake up every morning with the feeling that all your days have been leading up to this one. You are creating a work of art out of your life and of your career goals, thoughtfully reflective of where your circumstances are leading you, yet alert to where you can break the mold. Although optimism in your general outlook is definitely a Good Thing, it still pays you to look before you leap. In spite of all your enthusiasm, the first half of the month is better for watching and waiting than for direct action. New career initiatives are more likely to bear fruit after the 15th, when Mercury shifts direction.

As the month begins, you are feeling your way to greater participation in the outer world of achievement, where you have your natural habitat. Your perspective on where you stand keeps shifting right now, and this is a good thing, allowing you to take advantage of new information as it comes to you, rather than remaining stuck in the pre-formed patterns of prior success. A mystical rather than a strictly practical point of view serves to light your way forward at this time, although this also leads to uncertainty regarding where your next available resource might be coming from. You are operating these days in a manner that is at odds with direct action, since Mercury is currently retrograding through your career sector, marking a reflective period of time when you will likely be looking more closely into everything that you do and say. The First Quarter Moon in your sign taking place on Tuesday, October 7th, signals a comfortable time for you when optimism largely prevails; you may only need to beware of too much of it. This time also represents one peak of the retrograde period, so that every action may reveal in its flowering the opposite outcome than what was originally intended. You have the ability at this time to resolve potential conflicts by a mysterious third way that dances between the horns of the dilemma. The days surrounding the Full Moon of October 14th represent a time when you can take advantage of increasing confidence in personal solutions, as separate from the requirements of the work place or the fluctuations of public opinion. This is also a time when the mystical side of life may again assert its power over its practical necessities, and when visionary information informs your blossoming perspective that is far beyond the run-of-the-mill thinking supported by consensus reality. With the Last Quarter Moon of Tuesday, October 21st, a reflective stance takes you along the lines of recovered wisdom. You are transforming in your basic sense of yourself at this time, and over the next month, in a rather extreme fashion, as you attempt to incorporate all the new information that has been coming your way. Breakthrough comes at month's end. Over the next few weeks, you are caught up in a storm of awareness that must be integrated in order to become an effective segment of your evolving toolkit for navigating the tides of change.

Aquarius (January 20 - February 18) Fixed Air. Your ruling planets are Uranus and Saturn.

It is an interesting period of time that you are engaged in right now, Aquarius. With potential confusion over motivation and in deciding just how cause and effect works its way out in your life, you are tempted to hold back and rest on previous laurels. But in spite of this you are opting for change instead of remaining stuck. New perspectives on your life come daily, and some will not have legs, so that you are beset with uncertainties in the midst of your essential optimism. The most important task facing you is to have the courage of your inner conviction, no matter what outer appearances may seem to indicate. If you can maintain your trust in the universe to guide you, you will find that things will work themselves out to your ultimate best advantage.

As the month begins, you are coming to a new way of seeing your world, through actual physical travel or simply through the medium of your everyday experience. With Mercury retrograde in your sector of higher mind, you are also likely right now to be continually rethinking your position. You are arriving, by a process that is as much unconscious as it is conscious, to a sense of participation mystique with the cosmos, as reflected in your relationship with everyone around you and even within your own body. With the First Quarter Moon of Tuesday, October 7th, this sense of mystical involvement may become at odds with the practical side of your nature, which is also a powerful factor for you at this time. A deep sense of spiritual optimism pervading your thoughts right now takes you a long way toward a new beginning. You might also at this time find yourself dealing with old blueprints of behavior that stem from an earlier era of your life and that do not entirely serve you in the present moment. In common with the rest of humanity, you may have demons which you have chosen to wall off rather than to integrate. Revisiting these archaic patterns could have a positive effect as you come to accept parts of your personality that have long been shunned and with that acceptance find healing. The Full Moon that comes along a week later is important in this regard, since it signals a time when you are prepared to take a stand for what you believe, and when you are ready to share your deepest truth with a larger circle. The Last Quarter Moon of the 21st represents a time to gather the wisdom you have gained and as a result to eventually come to a greater feeling of wholeness. You win when you remain in sync with both the surface areas of your mind and as well with the deep core of your unconscious process. The practical and the visionary within you are pulling in different directions right now, and the trick is to come to a balance. You definitely benefit from keeping both perspectives in mind, potentially conflicting though they may be, and to honor the possibility of a paradoxical third solution. With the advent of the New Moon near the end of the month, taking place on Tuesday, October 28th, you may be moving forward with a quicker step and a lighter heart.

Pisces (February 19 - March 20) Mutable Water. Your ruling planets are Neptune and Jupiter.

Change is in the air for you this month, Pisces. You have been exploring your options lately, and now in many ways you see your path more clearly opening up before you. In moving forward you must also exercise caution, because your priorities may shift as Mercury changes direction on the 15th and once again as it finally regains lost ground on the 28th. Ideas for a better future and for making a clean break with the past might have to yield to conflicting practical concerns, or perhaps vice-versa. It is good to remember, always, that whatever course you decide upon, the universe backs you up one hundred percent once you have come to a decision that aligns with your own deep intuition.

As the month begins, you are riding the wave of the energy for change represented by the recent Libra New Moon which took place in your sector of intimacy and personal evolution. This is an important time for you to face up to new beginnings that are not only possible but necessary and that speak to you from a deep place within you of compassion and interconnection with all of life. You are encouraging your independent sense of yourself to flourish, without regard to the prevailing consensus thinking that may or may not recognize you as the entirely unique being that you are. With Mercury retrograde in this same part of your chart you might find yourself in a more internal and reflective space than usual, tuning in to the interior lands within your soul that are ever-present but perhaps overlooked in the hurly-burly of this marketplace society. At the time of the First Quarter Moon, taking place on Tuesday, October 7th, you are energized to make changes in the way that you look at future plans, although with Mercury conjunct the Sun and retrograde it is well to look before you leap, no matter how great the temptation. The days surrounding the Full Moon of Tuesday, October 14th, represents another peak of the retrograde energy, and a time when you might be more ready to share with others the ideas that have been percolating around in your brain. You are a stand for yourself at this time, dealing with your own security needs in your own way, although still very aware of the effect of partnership in your life. The last two weeks of the month will be spent in gathering up the seedpods of wisdom that you can take from events that have recently transpired. You are entering into a period of time where competing concerns will intersect, of self and other, and also with regard to your desire for security and staying the course versus an almost irresistible urge for freedom, independence and spontaneity. The Scorpio New Moon near the end of the month will launch you into these tumultuous waters with a good attitude and hopefully the necessary preparation so that your canoe moves smoothly through to your ultimate benefit.