Catch these hands

And astrological potpurri

September 30, 2023

It probably seems like I haven't been saying much, but that's not actually the case, I've just been writing stuff I haven't published to the email list, because they're not things I normally write about, including:

October's upon us, and there's a little more motion in the sky than September, and motion = events. It's not an ideal amount of motion, but September was a dead stop in many respects and October's a little better.

For starters, Venus leaves Leo the second week of October. Due to its retrograde, Venus has been in Leo since June 6. It usually does a sign a month, so this energy shift should be notable for at least 1/6 of the population (those of you who are Libra or Taurus rising). Sign changes = new themes and opportunities ( = good, at least in my mind). Venus will be in Virgo, where it'll be persnickety, which, whatever. Start a diet or hang wallpaper or something. No offense intended to people with Venus in Virgo, I just don't get excited about organization or containers or binder tabs. But I know people who do! I don't understand them, but I respect them.

Pluto switches from retrograde to direct at pretty much the same time Venus switches signs, and, um, this happens while Mars is making a square aspect to Pluto. This is not going to be subtle at all. A retrograde Pluto has a 'sleeping giant' feel to it, and a square from Mars to Pluto is always energizing, so this situation is going to be a giant waking up out of a nightmare, possibly throwing punches. If you're pissed off and stuck in a situation you're barely tolerating at the moment, you've got about a week to make adjustments peacefully. Don't be surprised if you're throwing hands in a week is all I'm sayin'. You may think I sound dramatic, but harsh Mars-Pluto aspects are literal markers of violence, so don't take dumb risks for the next couple of weeks, and have an exit strategy if you're feeling scream-y.

The tricky thing about outer planet retrogrades (Uranus, Neptune, Pluto) is that you can get lulled into the feeling that you've solved the problems stirred up by the direct motion of the planet. Essentially, you get a 5 month break when they go retrograde, and then when they switch back to direct motion, sometimes what you considered fixed, solved, resolved, or otherwise "over" is not so much done. The break is a chance for you to catch your breath and regroup. Since we're talking about Pluto things, these can take the form of uncontrollable (or barely-controllable) feelings of the passionate variety in either direction: love or hate. You had 5 months of neutral. Time's almost up.