October is such an enchanted month. It marks the transition from summer to winter, and the change of seasons reveals the cyclical nature of time. It’s a wonderful opportunity to meditate on the fact that all things age and fade; that transformation is an inevitable part of living on earth. We start the month in Libra season and close under Scorpio skies, wrapping up with Hallowe’en, the witch’s new year, Samhain. Historically, this Celtic celebration was a time of transition. The cows were brought in from their summer pastures, the harvest was completed, and communities took the time to honour their deceased loved ones and pay homage to the spirits and fairies that inhabited their world. 

Libra’s scales can represent the cosmic balance of all things, life and death, creation and destruction. Libra energy is about harmony and beauty––as in the textbook definition: “a combination of qualities, such as shape, color, or form, that pleases the aesthetic senses, especially the sight.” It’s alchemical: the right combination of factors. We can see so much beauty in the cosmic balance: the glory of the day and the sparkling night, the blossoms of spring, and now, the warm colours of autumn. It’s the month to ask author and botanist Robin Wall Kimerer’s question: why is the world so beautiful?

Side-stepping reality, silence, and deep listening should be practiced this month. Mercury will be in Retrograde in Libra until the 18th, which means that we might be invited into some introspection about what communication we’re listening to and, in turn, how we’re communicating. Libra wants harmony. If you’re plugged into the media or even a group of people whose ideas or advice make you feel unsafe, insecure, or less-than, it’s time to reclaim your intellectual and psychic peace. 

There’s a New Moon in Libra on the 6th conjunct Mercury, which will amplify the theme of introspective communication in our emotional realms. Our love languages might all err towards “words of affirmation.” Don’t underestimate the power of sincere compliments and positive feedback, and don’t be afraid to ask your friends to tell you what they like most about you. It’s a good time to write love letters and send texts telling people why you’re so grateful to have them in your life. 

Also on the 6th, Pluto (Scorpio’s planet) goes direct in Capricorn after its summer Retrograde. This transit brings Scorpio season a little nearer and darkens Libra’s typically extroverted flavour. We’re asked to find ways to achieve more inner balance and a sense of equanimity. Pluto is about regeneration and rebirth exemplified by fungi and dark, nutrient-dense soil. Mushrooms transform death into life and connect all living things to the infinite. With Pluto moving forward once more in the sign of structure and limitations, we need to take a moment to reconnect with our mortality and acknowledge our physical limitations. 

There’s a lot of messaging that says, “You can do anything!” and the underlying sentiment is actually “You should be doing everything, and if you can’t do it all, you’re not trying hard enough.” Pluto isn’t about transcending limitations; it’s about letting limitations transform your ability to be compassionate and to gain a deeper understanding of what it means to be a creature of this earth.

For a significant portion of the month, the Sun, Mars, and Mercury in Libra are all trine (at a 120° angle to) Jupiter in Aquarius. With the North Node––symbolizing the path we take towards fate––in fellow Air Sign, Gemini, there’s some very positive energy supporting new ideas and enhanced communication. Because Aquarius is about the future and one of Libra’s jurisdictions is justice, the energetic mix of the Sun (illumination and life force) and Jupiter (expansion and luck) may support our collective push for equality and sustainability by making it easier to put what we’ve learned into words. Let’s educate others about the possibility of more balance in society. 

Libra rules the tarot card Justice. Tarot teacher Jessica Dore has a wonderful interpretation of this card that speaks to this month’s darker themes. She says, “In myth and fairy tales, those who are kind to ugly and undesirable beings are rewarded, while those who reject them are punished. The moral of these tales is simple: ‘Those who are willing to approach the ugly parts in themselves and others with love & kindness shall be blessed.’”

It’s time to see the very worst in yourself and hold a space of loving kindness for it, instead of trying to fix it. You’re okay. As the month ends, we’re called to take time to appreciate all the abundance that the light has brought us and to celebrate the gathering darkness in the same way: with reverence and welcoming delight.

Keagan is a writer, tarot reader, and astrologer. Find her on Instagram @moonsingemini to book a reading. Subscribe to her monthly tarotscope newsletter here.