The month of October is one of introspection as well as soul searching. At times you’ll need to compromise in order to achieve goals. At other times you’ll need to turn inward to understand what goals you want to achieve.

Mars forms a square to Jupiter retrograde on October 3rd. This is a day when energy is a little haywire. For some of you, the energy will be very high and intense. For others the energy will be very low and debilitating. Basically, if you over extended yourself the previous few days, you’ll have very little energy today. However, if you spent more time resting over the previous few days, you’ll find your energy extremely high. Either way, it’s important that you don’t over extend yourself.

This is also a day where you might feel that you have to fight for your beliefs. However, no matter how hard you try, other people will attempt to justify their behavior and make it seem like you’re wrong. There is no way to win any battles today.

October 6th is a day where you really need to look at your life and determine whether compromise is necessary. The day starts with Ceres retrograde forming a quincunx to Saturn. Make certain that you understand your needs and boundaries before you get involved in any discussions. Ask yourself: What are you willing to give up if you want to win?

Later that day, Mercury forms a quincunx to Ceres retrograde and also a conjunction to Saturn. You might feel as if you can’t get other individuals to compromise their positions. You may feel as if you’re just talking and no one is listening. Perhaps you are demanding too much from others.

When Mercury forms the conjunction to Saturn, it ends the cardinal T-square that began on September 27th. (You may want to go back and read my September 2011 article to understand all the implications of this cardinal T-square.) During the time period that Mercury formed the cardinal T-square, communications felt difficult. You may have felt that other people were always arguing with you. If you feel mentally drained today, try and take some time off. You just may need to rest from interacting with others.

You feel more optimistic when Venus forms a trine to Neptune retrograde on October 7th. Perhaps an old love re-enters your life. Or, you may meet someone who seems like the right person. Just be careful. There’s a tendency with Neptune to see what you want to see and not what’s really there.

You also need to be careful with your finances. Not everyone is going to be honest with you when it comes to your money. You don’t want to make a major purchase today unless you absolutely have to. There’s a tendency to pay too much for goods and services.

Venus enters the sign of Scorpio in the early morning hours, eastern daylight time. Before the day ends, Venus forms a trine to Chiron retrograde. This is a day where secrets are very important. Either people are withholding information from you because they don’t want to hurt your feelings, or they are withholding information from you because they don’t share your world view. It’s better not to push for explanations. People won’t give them. Rather, rely on your feelings.

October 10th could be a very difficult day as Venus forms a quincunx to Uranus retrograde. People from your past (whom you rather stayed in the past) may come back into your life and upset you with information. Finances also could be a problem today as the market is trying to adjust to mixed information. This is another day when listening to you own intuition or inner guidance is important.

This full Moon, with Sun in Libra and Moon in Aries, which occurs on October 11th, will bring a lot of soul-searching. The Sun forms a conjunction to Saturn while the Moon forms an opposition to Saturn. Other people may question your authority or your belief system. They may try to put you into the position of defending yourself. You want to take your beliefs seriously. Yet, you also don’t want to become so critical that you question yourself. If you meditate at the time of the full Moon, you want to focus on your core values. This will help you understand why others may be questioning you.

You’ll feel better on October 12th when Mercury forms a trine to Neptune retrograde. This really is a good day to consider your belief system and whether you need to make any changes. Matters from the past, especially involving documents, will need to be reviewed. Since Neptune is involved, you don’t want to make any permanent changes yet because you won’t have all the facts. However, if thoughts surface from your subconscious mind, take time to jot them down so you can think about them at the time of the new Moon which will occur on October 26th.

Secrets and soul searching continue to be important on October 13th. Venus forms a sextile to Pluto indicating that you’ll have several opportunities to determine what values are really important to you. By digging deeply into your subconscious, you’ll find out just how wonderful you are as a human being. You may even gain a deeper appreciation of other people in your life.

If there have been difficulties with relationships in the family, you may be able to resolve those difficulties at this time. You just need to be quiet and listen to what other people are trying to tell you.

As Mercury enters Scorpio later in the day, it’ll be easier for you to listen to other people. They want to confide in you. They value your opinions. This same feeling of value continues as Mercury forms a trine to Chiron retrograde. People may want to talk to you about things that have been bothering them. They want to resolve old conflicts.

When Mercury forms a quincunx to Uranus retrograde and Venus forms an opposition to Jupiter retrograde on October 14th, you need to be very careful with any conversations you have. Unlike yesterday where people were willing to resolve old conflicts, today they want to fight for their beliefs. They may feel slighted where no slight is intended.

You also need to be very cautious driving today because it’s possible that your ability to focus is very erratic. Or, the same could be said of other people and their abilities to focus. These can be accident aspects.

Once again your thoughts turn to matters which have been bothering you for a while when Mercury forms a sextile to Pluto on October 16th. You may not want to discuss matters with other people because they are so personal. But, that’s all right. Today may be a good day to write in your journal. As you write, more thoughts will surface to your conscious mind and deeper understanding of situations will be gained.

When Mercury forms an opposition to Jupiter retrograde on October 17th, you may feel scattered even though there’s an underlying sense of optimism. This is not a good day to have meetings because most people are just enthralled with the sound of their own voices rather than meaningful discussions. Financial matters also could be difficult as some past due bills surface and need to be taken care of.

If possible, try to take care of old repairs before October 18th because when Mars forms a quincunx to Ceres retrograde on this day, you might just find that items in need of repair start breaking. By waiting, you may end up paying more for the repairs.

Discussing matters is also difficult when Mars forms a quincunx to Ceres retrograde. You’d like to come up with a resolution but there’s really no resolution in sight. It’s easy to feel frustrated because things aren’t happening. Try not to force anything today.

October 22nd seems like a pleasant day as Venus forms a trine to Ceres retrograde. It’s easy to resolve matters and, if necessary, find a compromise that makes everyone happy. You’ll feel connected to other people. They seem more sensitive to your needs, just as you are more sensitive to their needs.

As the Sun enters Scorpio on October 23rd, you’ll find that you want to continue thinking about your situation in life. You’re not ready to discuss it with others, but that’s all right. This is a time to ponder both your past as well as your future. It’s a time to realize that you don’t need to feel powerless in life.

Mars forms a sextile to Saturn on the morning, eastern daylight time, of October 26th. Usually action is one of the key words when you think about Mars. However, with the sextile to Saturn, your feelings change. You want to move slowly and in a steady direction. You want to make certain that you have a secure foundation around you.

As the new Moon occurs later in the day on October 26th, you’ll want to continue planning for your future. This new Moon, with Sun and Moon in Scorpio, forms a sextile to Pluto and an opposition to Jupiter retrograde. With the opposition to Jupiter retrograde, it’s important that you reflect on past events to make certain that you didn’t over extend yourself. With the sextile to Pluto, you’ll have the opportunity to understand past actions and their importance in your life. With this in mind, you’ll be able to correct any past errors while making plans for the future.

On October 28th, Jupiter retrograde forms a trine to Pluto for the second time. The first time that this occurred was on July 7, 2011. This aspect will happen one other time on March 12, 2012. To understand this aspect, you may want to remember what happened around the beginning of July 2011. There is a tendency to push boundaries when this aspect occurs. Legal matters need to be settled. Financial matters need to be addressed. Spiritually you need to find a way to embrace the future without forgetting past lessons. If you began something new around July 2011, this is a good time to assess your progress and make any necessary changes that assure greater success. If you released negative circumstances from your life around July 2011, this is a good time to let go of any negative feelings you may still have towards those circumstances. If you don’t resolve matters at this time, you will have to resolve them in March 2012 when this aspect occurs for the third time.

As October ends, Venus forms a square to Neptune retrograde on October 31st. You need to be very careful with financial matters. You also need to be careful with any information you receive. Unfortunately, people aren’t willing to be honest with you right now. What’s important is that you rely on your best judgment. Once again, you may need to do some soul searching before you make any decisions.