Growth vs. Contraction OCT 2024

With many outer planets in retrograde motion, it may feel as if some parts of our life has slowed down. Rest assured that internally many parts are in motion. Mars continues its journey through Cancer, which drives emotional energy but not it the most direct path. The sign of Cancer is action oriented but tends to do things in a back and forth pattern much like a crab moves. In astrology terms Mars in Cancer is in a weakened placement as watery, security-oriented drive does not always use energy forcefully. Think of driving an arrow through water. Our actions in the next few months could stem from emotional needs and our feelings. Best advice is tap your gut senses when proceeding this month. Water energy is very powerful when directed with focus.

This is an exceptionally long transit as Mars will go retrograde later this year and dip back into Cancer in January 2025. There must be more work to do regarding our security needs around the home and family and how we nurture ourselves and others. This also reinforces the power of the feminine, which very well could be in power by January 2025.

Jupiter the planet of expansion and beliefs that define us , goes retrograde on 10/9 at 21 degrees Gemini. For all you mutable signs ( Gemini. Virgo, Pisces, Sagittarius) close to 21 degrees, it is time to review areas of your life that have expanded, as Jupiter has been beaming a boost of rarified air to ramp up communications and our thoughts. The good news is that Saturn has eased off the square to Jupiter and will until about 12/1. Jupiter and Saturn and their cycles are especially meaningful and relate to each other in 20 year cycles. As Saturn is clearly a business planet and where we build our life foundations, employ structure and seek accomplishment. Jupiter gives a yearly transit to each of the 12 houses to expand, enjoy some luck and opportunity. The square of these energies requires a special dance to navigate growth and limits. I find these cycles parallel with business growth and expansion cycles. The stock market continues to boom and while employment numbers drop. The overall trend is cautiously optimistic, which could be the case until FEB 2025.

I will expand on these cycles and how it applies to your chart in a separate article to be posted on my new website at www.metaphysical-musings.com.

Pluto in the final degree of 29 Capricorn, will go direct again on 10/12. Expect scrambling around the election until mid November when it finally moves into Aquarius marking a 20 year cycle of collective & social change. Technology and how new power structures manage the incredible growth around AI will be fascinating to observe.

The upcoming election is on the mind of many Americans as well as countries around the world. Women’s issues are spotlighted as many health rights have been taken away. This could be the last power grab from a control hungry system. Many powerful women in politics, entertainment and healthcare are pushing back and broadcasting the consequences of these new policies.

New Leader/New Party?

Liz Cheney, former Republican congresswoman from Wyoming, has been in the background of American politics since her ouster from the recent election in her state. This was largely an effort to punish her for her role on the congressional committee in the January 6th investigation. For many of us we were dazzled by her leadership and soft but powerful communications. Yes, this was a big deal , but thou art not speak poorly of a member of your party or there will be hell to pay - especially with the strongly divided Congress and a vindictive administration.

Her natal chart is fascinating and it is important to understand her motives and if she may resurface again…as I suspect. She is a Leo with Mercury conjunct her Sun in Leo. Taurus rising with the ruler of her Ascendant conjunct Mars in Cancer. This gives a stubborn yet powerful way to assert herself when she gets angered.

While her chart looks rather easy in aspects , she has 2 minor trines with her first house North Node opposite Neptune, which also connects with a Mystic rectangle tied into Saturn ( career) and her Pluto conjunction with Uranus in Virgo. These energies are tied to her 29 degree Sagittarius Moon. Liz connects emotionally with women’s issues but more importantly she has the “ Truth to Power” signature and passion to change institutions when her beliefs are ruffled! I should also note her 29 degree placement of Saturn in Pisces. REMINDER: any planet at 29 degrees has a special calling where it is placed. There will be a feeling of crisis when the energy is activated to do something. The hearing was personal for Liz and staying true to her values were so strong that she felt the career risk would be a price she was willing to pay. Sacrifice for the greater good was beautiful to watch. As the energy was in Pisces , she and others on the committee planted collective seeds that went into the community to wake us up from the damage around us. While the committees’ findings got squashed by the legal system, it exposed the poison and corruption on what can happen when absolute power goes awry.

She recently endorsed Kamala Harris for President, which is also rare for a very conservative politician to support a Democratic candidate - but this a a rallying call for decency and putting decency over Party. Her chart has been affected by several factors. First Pluto ( power, transformation) has been slowly going through her 10th house of public career for several years, shedding her image of a staunch conservative to a person of change, focusing on humanitarian needs and what serves the collective. She will soon enter her 2nd Saturn ( 29 degree) return, starting Spring of next year. Saturn returns are a point that occurs every 30 years or so to redefine our career and outer image in some way. It typically suggests an ending of one path and introduction to a new one, as many of us enter some form of retirement around age 60.

Liz Cheney is very pragmatic and the transits next year indicate she may be working behind the scenes to find the right moment to insert her energy in the political world, but it will be something new!

Samhain - Oct. 31 & Halloween

No October report would be complete without a moment to explore Halloween and Day of the Dead. These 2 days are noted as a time when the veils between spirit and our world are very thin, bringing the spirits of those that have crossed over much closer. Our transitioning world is already opening up to the unseen!

Samhain is a pagan holiday originally marked as the date halfway between the Fall Equinox and Winter Solstice. The constellation Pleiades ( the seven sisters) is also overhead in the night sky. Look for it on a clear evening - it is in alignment with Orion’s belt.

Astrology always aligns with the Sun sign of Scorpio on Halloween, the sign that rules death, reincarnation and transformation. This year in particular Mars at 28 degrees Cancer will be opposite Pluto and trine Neptune, sextile Uranus. The Mars energy can be transformed at this time into a very real connection with our spiritual energy. Create a small ceremony on Halloween to release any energies around yourself that need to be transformed. It could be a magical evening with a connection to spirit and possibly those that are missed at this time. Pluto reminds us that we do not dissolve when we die, our soul carries on to review the past and continue to grow on the other side.

Final Muse thought

At Halloween and Samhain we can think of witches casting spells, usually in a negative light. Let’s remember, spells are just another way of setting powerful intentions, and performed with others it increases the power of the thought. Use the transformative energy of late October to cast your intention of either what you want or release what needs to be let go. We are in a magical time to unload the past and start creating your new future. Remember the quote “ wherever you go , there you are”? It took me a long time to figure that one out as constant change can be its own personal growth lesson. In today’s chaotic information overload, FOCUS on outcomes you want, do not fear those that you do not want. Our collective mental thoughts are growing the world around us. If we all, or at least a large majority simply took our attention from the fighting and destruction and saw peace, cooperation, connection and harmony, would the world shift? Powerful change is in the works over the next 2 years. Use it to your advantage to empower yourself and create a happy and fulfilling life.