Astrological Forecasts

Heads Up!The Writer’s Astrological Almanac
by Kathy Watts
October 2011

Happy October!  Where is this year going?
We start on Saturday (Saturn’s day of the week) with the Moon in Sagittarius.  Think society, adventure, and yes, publication!  Think this all month long.  Not quite a couple hours after midnight, the Moon trines Uranus.  You could discover something useful in a dream.  Midmorning, the Moon trines Mars.  Have a lively weekend and still get things done.
Sun Oct 02 the Moon is still in Sagittarius when Mars exactly squares Jupiter.  It’s okay to decide that some other project is more important.
Mon Oct 03 the Moon conjuncts Pluto in Capricorn.  This gets the work week off to a smart start.
Wed Oct 05 the Moon enters Aquarius in the early morning.  Three out of four Wednesdays this month will see the Moon in a fixed sign.  Make up your mind, and don’t be distracted from your work.
Thu Oct 06 the Moon is still in Aquarius when Mercury exactly conjuncts Saturn.  Aquarius is traditionally ruled by Saturn, so look forward to a day at a slower pace with fewer mistakes.
Fri Oct 07 the Moon conjuncts Neptune in Aquarius, then goes void of course.  Maybe it’s better to be social and let people inspire you.

Sat Oct 08 the Moon is void of course in Pisces when Venus changes signs and enters Scorpio.  If writing fiction, you can get deep into the emotional fabric of your characters.  The Sun has reached 15 Libra, and tomorrow will take its first step onto the Fiery Road, the Via Combusta.  Heads Up for the next month.  Slack is being sucked out of the universe, and if you can avoid getting into any serious trouble, you can save yourself the out-of-proportion suffering that sometimes follows.  Coast carefully and be a bit more serious than usual.
Mon Oct 10 the Moon conjuncts Uranus in Aries.  It’s a good day to outline new projects or draw up a new timetable.
Tue Oct 11 we have the Full Moon at 18 Aries.  Ask the Universe to further something that is specifically yours, but don’t be greedy.  Eleven minutes later, the very full moon directly opposes Saturn.  Heads Up.  The Universe may still grant your wish but expect to work for it.
Wed Oct 12 the Moon is void of course in Aries when Mercury exactly trines Neptune.  Heads Up.  It’s a day to make a lot of bad judgment calls.  On the other hand, it’s a great day to write high fantasy.  Later that evening, the Moon will move on and enter Taurus.  However the day went, comfort yourself.
Thu Oct 13 the Moon is in Taurus all day.  In the middle of the night, Mercury changes signs and moves into Scorpio.  Expect to think about more grim stuff.  Midmorning, the Moon conjuncts Jupiter.  This is usually lucky, so feel lucky and ignore that restless mercurial buzz.  Midafternoon, the Sun exactly conjuncts Saturn.  Heads Up.  Respect authority, act with authority when it’s expected (even if it feels uncomfortable), and be polite all round.
Fri Oct 14 the Moon is in Taurus all day, again, when Mercury and Venus position themselves into an applying conjunction.  They will be waltzing around like this from now until almost the last week of December.  Whatever planet aspects one of these planets will also aspect the other.  Think celestial twins, not separated at birth.  Heads Up.  Make it a good heads up.  Mercury and Venus can be very good for art and all things lightweight and congenial. Sat Oct 15 the Moon enters Gemini.  We have from this morning until early Monday evening to indulge our mercurial passions and write our hearts and heads out.  Go for it.
Sun Oct 16 the Moon is in the depths of Gemini when ruling planet Mercury sextiles Pluto.  Given that Mercury is in Scorpio now, you can confront some uncharacteristically heavy subjects and get some serious work done.  Or you may just overhear or share in some profound conversation or confession.  Be respectful, but we all know that people write fiction so they can tell the truth (at least, that’s my excuse).
Mon Oct 17 the Moon is in the end degrees of Gemini when Mercury opposes Jupiter.  Heads Up.  Don’t think too many big thoughts or have wildly big opinions.  You’ll only be deflated and change your mind anyway.  The Moon goes void of course in the afternoon, and enters Cancer in the early evening.  This can calm things down fast.
Wed Oct 19 the Moon is in Cancer all day, going void of course in the evening.  Get the important stuff done before the afternoon ends.  This is our one Wednesday with the Moon not in a fixed sign.  Relax the mania a bit and just get some work done.  You don’t have to actually finish it today (unless you must).
Fri Oct 21 the Moon conjuncts Mars in Leo.  This can a Moon on fire, but a happy fire.  Be as low-key as you can manage, and be willing to play the clown.  It can further your networking, and heavens knows people (especially other writers) suspect that most writers are clowns.
Sat Oct 22 the Moon enters Virgo in midmorning.  This is the last day of the month for the Sun to be in Libra.  We are now at the midway point of the Fiery Road, the Via Combusta.  No point turning back now, even if we could.  Tomorrow the world will be wildly and profoundly different.  You can probably already feel the coming Scorpio backlash as the energy of this last degree of Libra turns deeply manipulative if not outright devious.  Heads Up.aSun Oct 23 the Moon is in Virgo when the Sun changes signs and slips into Scorpio.  Heads Up.  Be happy for the Virgo energy, and remember that Mercury rules Virgo, so Mercury and the Moon can relate.  In fact, midmorning, the Moon sextiles Mercury, perhaps giving us too much permission to speak freely.  Heads Up, but no need to severely censor yourself.
Tue Oct 25 the Moon conjuncts Saturn in Libra.  You can make good progress on some old project.  It’s also the day before the New Moon.  Heads Up.  With the Sun in Scorpio, on the Via Combusta.  Heads Up.  There’s less tolerance for error, big or small, today.  Be safe.  Heads Up.
Wed Oct 26 the Moon is still in Libra when Mars sextiles Saturn.  Whenever Mars and Saturn support each other, you just have to say ‘thank you’ and get as much done as you can, knowing that it’ll probably all be done right the first time.  After spending three hours void of course, the Moon enters Scorpio in the midmorning.  You can get downright analytical about emotional stuff.  Creepy, huh?  By afternoon we have the New Moon at 03 Scorpio.  If you’re brave enough, you might get a brief peek behind the veil and learn something fantastic about yourself or human nature in general.
Thu Oct 27 the Moon conjuncts Mercury in Scorpio.  Actually, the Moon occults Mercury.  This mercurial hiding behind the disk of the Moon seems very Scorpionic, and appropriate.  There are a lot of secrets being hidden these days, which gives us a lot to speculate and write about.  Two and a half hours later, the Moon conjuncts Venus in Scorpio.  Venus, however, will not hide.  Beauty shines as brightly as ever.
Fri Oct 28 the Moon squares Neptune in Aquarius, then goes void of course.  Three hours later the Moon enters Sagittarius and is there when Mercury squares Mars about twenty minutes after that.  Avoid odd esoteric arguments that no one can win, unless writing an evil magician scene.  Heads Up.
Sun Oct 30 the Moon conjuncts Pluto in Capricorn.  We got to enjoy this one earlier, back on Oct 03.  We can do it again.
The month of October ends, of course, with Halloween.  It’s the third and final harvest festival of the year.  Tradition has it that whatever has not been harvested out of your garden now belongs not to you but to the faeries, and we don’t want them angry with us, now do we?
Halloween is also the day of the year when the veil between the worlds of physical and disincarnate realities is at its thinnest.  Energies and consciousness can sometimes move from one world to the other, and hopefully back again.  I think the planetary aspects have been building up to this since the October 25 New Moon.
Don’t let things creep you out.  It’s only the Moon in Scorpio, and that happens every month.  It’s not always the new moon, though.  It’s a month to address things like sex, death, other people’s money, and all those other unspeakable and unspoken things.  Dig in deep, be brave, and see what you can find in your work this month.  It’ll be a lot, I know, because this is the month for substance, relevance, and integrity.  Your work has it all, because you do and you put yourself into what you do.  Be profoundly outrageously brilliantly powerful and fearless.  Every word and thought carries weight.  Have a fantastic month!  Heads Up!