October 2013 – Understanding Your Inner Motivations

Important astrological energies during the month of October 2013:

  • Mercury in Scorpio throughout the month.
  • New Moon with Sun and Moon in Libra occurs on October 4, 2013.
  • Saturn in Scorpio quincunx Uranus retrograde in Aries on October 5, 2013. This is the third time this aspect occurs. It previously occurred on November 15, 2012 and April 12, 2013.
  • Appulse Lunar Eclipse (Full Moon) occurs when the Sun is in Libra and the Moon is in Aries on October 18, 2013.
  • Mercury in Scorpio turns stationary retrograde on October 21, 2013. It turns stationary direct on November 10, 2013.

Understand Your Inner Motivations

By Misty Kuceris ©2013

Mercury in Scorpio is going to be a dominant, although subtle, force throughout the month of October 2013 with Mars creating a sub-current of energy. As the month begins, Mercury (which entered the sign of Scorpio on September 29th) forms a trine to Neptune retrograde on October 1st. This will not be the first trine that Mercury forms to Neptune during its travels through the sign of Scorpio. In November 2013, Mercury will actually turn stationary direct on this aspect. So, watch what happens at the start of October with a careful eye to understand what occurs when Mercury (which will go retrograde later in the month) really means for you and global affairs.

Mercury rules communications and any industry dealing with communications, including the internet. Neptune rules the clouding of information and anything dealing with software which is used on the internet. This means that you’ll need to be very careful with information you receive from the internet. It also means that a lot of activity will occur with tech businesses that deal with cloud computing and social media. But, on a personal level, it means that you really need to take everything you hear with a grain of salt. Not all is as it seems. There is too much misinformation out there.

The other reason that Mercury is such a dominant force during the month of October is that it is approaching a conjunction to the Moon’s North Node and Saturn, which will be very prominent during the eclipse later this month and eventually Mercury will form a trine to Jupiter. So, you feel the undercurrent of a grand water trine directed by Mercury. But, that grand water trine won’t quite manifest this month because Mercury turns retrograde before it trines Jupiter. This grand water trine won’t be completed until November 2013.

All this energy, with Mercury in the secretive sign of Scorpio, means that you need to search for you inner self and understand just what motivates you. You need to feel your existence and move from just living it day-to-day. While you may be tempted to pull inward and demand more privacy, you’ll still be forced into situations in the external world which require your attention. As much as you value yourself, you’ll need to find ways to value others.

The new Moon with Sun and Moon in Libra which occurs on October 4th is close to the midpoint of the Jupiter/Pluto opposition. The midpoint is 13 degrees and the new Moon occurs at 11 degrees of Libra. If you want to have success with new projects, you have to balance future plans with past knowledge. You may feel a struggle between holding on to important things in your life and a desire to just throw it all out and move on with your life. This feeling is emphasized by the fact that the new Moon actually forms an opposition to Uranus retrograde as well.

Relationships, both personal and professional, can be very difficult right now. On one hand, you want to make certain that no one infringes on your personal freedom. On the other hand, you want to make certain that you get your own way when dealing with other people. The problem is that others feel exactly like you do. Somehow you need to find a balance between letting people express their true opinions and still accepting what you have to say. Perhaps the old adage “you have the right to say what you want even though I disagree with you” applies here. If not, this could be a period where many arguments occur without resolutions.

October 5th is going to be important because Saturn forms a quincunx to Uranus retrograde and Mercury forms a conjunction to the Moon’s North Node. This is the third quincunx that Saturn forms to Uranus in this series. The first one occurred on November 15, 2012 and the second occurred on April 12, 2013. Again the quincunx indicates that you need to find a balance between your past and your future. You may find some of the old ways of doing things just aren’t working. Yet, you’re not ready to determine new ways to do things. With Mercury forming the conjunction to the Moon’s North Node, you have to think about the future. Since both energies are in the sign of Scorpio, you need to understand what motivates you to move into future projects. You have to pay attention to your world. Perhaps reviewing your journal to see what you did in November 2012 and April 2013 may help. Or, perhaps discussing matters with friends might help to determine what to keep and what to throw out. This is a good day to clean house both spiritually and literally.

Do be very careful today because with Saturn forming a quincunx to Uranus and Mercury forming a conjunction to the Moon’s North Node, there is tension in the air. People may feel unsettled with their lives and not understand why. This could be a day of accidents. Or, people may react in anger because they are so frustrated. Arguments aren’t worth it because they won’t lead to any resolutions. If possible, put off discussing areas of disagreements until tomorrow.

October 6th will be a good day to discuss matters that are important to you as Mercury forms a sextile to Pluto. You’ll be able to delve deeply into your thoughts and pull up information from your subconscious mind. If you are seeing a therapist today, you’ll come up with astonishing information. Even if you’re not seeing a therapist, you’ll be able to understand things which didn’t make sense to you in the past. This is also a good day to discuss matters that have been bothering you so you can release any negative feelings attached to those matters.

On October 7th, Venus enters the sign of Sagittarius and Mercury forms a trine to Chiron retrograde. With Venus entering the sign of Sagittarius, there is a need to find spiritual fulfillment in your life. With Mercury forming the trine to Chiron retrograde, you’ll be able to understand how to bring healing into your life, especially as you talk to other people about their own personal growth experiences. Also, the insight that you gained from the previous day will help you clarify any questions that you have about your relationships with other people.

Mercury will be very active on October 8th when it forms a quincunx to Uranus retrograde and later forms a conjunction to Saturn. It may even trigger situations which occurred on October 5th but were not resolved at that time. At first, due to the quincunx, your mind may be scattered and you have difficulty focusing on important facts. Thoughts just keep popping into your mind. When you think you understand something, a different perception or idea presents itself. The good news is that when Mercury forms the conjunction to Saturn later in the day, you’ll find that focus is returning and you can bring understanding to all those ideas that kept popping up in your mind. If you can take time to meditate today, you’ll find that some of these new ideas can actually be incorporated into your plans of action and increase your success. So, don’t let any frustrations from the morning hours interfere with your ability to move forward in the afternoon hours.

Ceres forming a sextile to Jupiter on October 9th can bring you a sense of relief from all the internal thoughts that have been going on in your mind. You’ll find ways to nurture yourself. You may decide that going outside is a good thing. You may be able to try some new things in life. Or, you may find that your luck is getting better. Take the time to enjoy today and have fun.

Be very careful with your finances on October 10th when Venus forms a square to Neptune retrograde. You’re not seeing all the facts clearly, or people are withholding information from you. Also be cautious in your relationship with other people. You may want to help them as they are going through some serious difficulties. However, you don’t want to enable negative behavior. Before you help someone, make certain that person is willing to act on the help you’re giving them.

When Mars enters the sign of Virgo on October 15th, it becomes a sub-current energy for the dominant Mercury in Scorpio. It moves into forming sextiles to the very planets and energy points that Mercury is forming conjunctions and trines to. This means that you are now trying to understand how to bring your subconscious thoughts and desires into your daily life. You’re actually moving from being more internalized to being more externalized. If you feel good about your self-discovery, the Mars sub-current will let you manifest it in a way where you can move forward with your life. If you feel bad about what your self-discovery, you may suddenly feel a lot of anger with situations in your life. Remember that you can be in charge of your life and you don’t need to let anger control you. If you feel angry about situations, start developing plans for changing them.

October 16th is another day where you need to be careful with both your finances and relationships because Venus forms a square to Chiron retrograde and a trine to Jupiter retrograde. If you own your own business, be extremely cautious with any investments in that business. You may find that the cost ends up being higher than you expected. If you are involved in a relationship, be cautious with your words. People are taking things too personally and may be insulted by what you say, even if you don’t mean anything by it. Even you may feel a bit sensitive today. If that’s the case, try not to take anything personally. You may actually misinterpret some important information. You may even find that someone from your past re-enters your life and brings up issues that you thought you resolved.

The third lunar eclipse of the year 2013 occurs on October 18th with the Sun in Libra and the Moon in Aries. This eclipse is part of the 117 Saros Series and will be seen in the Americas, Europe, Africa, and Asia. Australia and New Zealand will be about the only parts of the world that will not see this eclipse.

This eclipse may not appear that important on the surface. The Moon in Aries goes void-of-course after it forms the opposition to the Sun in Libra. Usually, that means that not much occurs. But, Mercury in Scorpio will form two more conjunctions to the Moon’s North Node: once when it is in retrograde motion and the other time when it goes direct again. This means you really need to understand your motivations in relationships, especially commitment relationships. You need to look at how much support you’re receiving from people in your life. You also need to determine whether you are giving up too much of your individuality for people in your life. While you may not leave a bad relationship at this time, you may decide the relationship is over in November when Mercury, once again in its direct motion, makes the conjunction to the Moon’s North Node on November 18, 2013.

October 19th is a day when you may feel very lethargic. Mars forms an opposition to Neptune making it more difficult for you to focus on important matters. Try not to push yourself today. If you are an artistic person, use this energy to be creative. If you’re not artistic, you may want to give yourself a spa day and just relax. Whatever you do, don’t bother getting into any arguments with people. No one really knows what they’re talking about and you may feel injured without understanding why.

When Mercury turns retrograde on October 21st, it becomes more difficult to communicate with other people. This is especially true because Mercury is in Scorpio. You don’t want to share your thoughts with other people. You want more privacy in your life. You don’t want people to know the secrets that are most important to you. If you’ve been having difficulties in personal relationships, you’ll find those difficulties increasing because of the lack of communication.

During this retrograde period, it’s very critical for you to understand your inner motivations. You need to get in touch with what’s important to you. You need to know what drives you to do certain things. If you don’t take the time now, you may find yourself manipulated by others as they attempt to use fear to control you.

In the world people may feel that they have to take some form of military action based on their spiritual beliefs. It’s not that wars may flare up as much as repression based on religious beliefs. Various government officials may try to interfere with the internet or other forms of social media. Laws regarding control over social media may be introduced. Just be careful that you don’t support laws that appear to protect your privacy while in fact they are suppressing your freedom of speech. Mercury will turn stationary direct on November 10, 2013. At that time you’ll get a clearer knowledge of what information was repressed.

When the Sun enters Scorpio on October 23rd, it forms a grand water trine that will be felt until November 12, 2013 when it forms a trine to Jupiter retrograde. That’s actually important because the Sun will form a trine to Jupiter retrograde two days after Mercury goes direct. Be very leery of individuals who make promises of openness right now. There’s a lot going on below the surface. It would be good if you had the information, but you won’t get it right now. The best thing to do is to be cautious and take things you hear with a grain of salt.

Continue to be very cautious with your finances on October 26th as Venus forms a quincunx to Jupiter. There’s a tendency to get excited about some new product that promises to make life easier for you. This is especially true for business people who are always looking for more effective and efficient products. However, the product doesn’t produce what’s promised. So, you could end up with a serious case of buyer’s regret.

Mercury retrograde in Scorpio forms a second conjunction to Saturn on October 29th. It will form the third conjunction to Saturn on November 25, 2013 when it is back in direct motion. Also, although it won’t occur until November 2013, Mercury, both in retrograde and direct motion, will form two more aspects to Uranus retrograde, Pluto, Chiron retrograde, the Moon’s North Node, and Neptune retrograde.

When Mercury is in Scorpio, you want to keep information to yourself. Privacy is very important. This is especially true with Mercury retrograde in Scorpio. And, when Mercury retrograde forms the conjunction to Saturn, this is even more so. You don’t like to share information with others. You’re busy trying to figure out what’s important to you. Just don’t become too critical if other people seem to be prying. It may be that unintentionally you’re withholding information they need.

As the month ends, the sub-current energy of Mars becomes very important. On October 31st, Mars forms aspects to Chiron retrograde, Pluto, and Uranus retrograde. The first aspect that Mars makes is an opposition to Chiron retrograde. Throughout this month, it’s been very important for you to focus on your inner nature and understand the motivations that drive you. But today you may feel angry because these motives are still not understood. You may feel like you want to lash out at other people. Or, you may find that people are lashing out at you. Be very careful with your actions because you may regret it.

As Mars moves into forming a trine to Pluto, you can gain a better understanding of your motives and how to incorporate this drive into your daily life. By doing this, you are more focused with the actions you take. You also can really understand how important you are in this process called life.

True, you may begin to wonder as Mars forms a quincunx to Uranus retrograde, whether you’re doing things because you want to or others want you to. But that question is all part of the process of self-discovery. When you know what motivates you, you know whether you are living your life in harmony with your soul, or whether you’re living your life in the way others want you to. If you feel frustrated at the end of the day, pull back and spend more time finding a way to be inspired by your own inner needs. This journey of understanding your inner motivations won’t be over for at least another few weeks.