If I was to split this year into two parts, I would consider the month of October to shift us into the second portion of the 2024 year, starting with the eclipses that we’ve just been through. Those two eclipses we’ve just had opens us right into the official Mars Retrograde shadow period, which starts this week. It’s the beginning of a six month journey involving trials, quests, conflict and frustration that’s sure to test your patience and adrenal levels.

For the month of October, Mars will be moving through Cancer in one area of your life where it will stir up lots of movement, noise and activity. You can be sure that whichever house Mars moves through your chart, those topics will be ignited and brought to your attention. 

What happens in October will not be isolated events. Through unforeseen circumstances, Mars will lead you back to these October events for reasons that will become more obvious to you by March next year. The journey could be frustrating and at times, full of stress and tension. Mars’ energy is difficult to handle, therefore, we don’t naturally gravitate towards Mars-related things. But with this upcoming phase, there’s not much choice other than to tackle this project. It will find you if you run away. But you may find comfort in knowing that such initiations are necessary for your personal growth. 

Check to see where the house of Cancer resides in your natal chart for it will give you clues as to your hot topics for this Mars shadow phase. Consider booking a consultation if you need to do some planning around this next 6 months. 

There’s lots of twists and turns happening this week with Jupiter Stationing Retrograde (9 Oct) and Pluto Stationing Direct (12 Oct). These two stationing planets are occurring in two unrelated areas, so you might need to navigate through potential changes happening in two different areas of life which could feel like a bit of a wild ride. Both planets bring big energy. Jupiter through its optimism and over-commitment. Pluto through its hyper-vigilance and control. 

Pluto went Retrograde in the first half of May and events during that time could be linked to this week. There could be a sense of finality involved as Pluto makes its last Direct Station before leaving Capricorn for another 250 years. A long standing issue could finally be moving forward into completion.

Jupiter will make its one and only Retrograde phase in the sign of Gemini this week. Plans and ideas which you have envisaged may need some readjustment, especially those that may have been formed since May.  Mercury’s trine with Jupiter (8 Oct) just as Jupiter starts its Retrograde journey suggests that any revisions might be welcomed or supported. Reasons for readjusting could be due to new opportunities or ideas presenting themselves to you this week. Be on the lookout for these opportunities to make the most of this beneficial aspect.

Another unrelated aspect is the Venus Mars trine (8 Oct) occurring on the same day as Mercury-Jupiter –  another helpful transit amidst the wavering shifts of the stationing planets. Since entering Scorpio two weeks ago, Venus may have caused some turbulence in relationships and personal connections, possibly due to confrontations with hidden things, realisations of shadow traits in others or a stronger need to reveal your emotional sentiments to others. But this week, with her ruler Mars forming a helpful trine, there could be some acceptance for any unpleasant issues that might have come to surface. Mars will support Venus to come to terms with the necessary tasks that need to be tackled. Despite the messiness of the situation, you could have some extra motivation to deal with it this week. That’s not to say you’ll enjoy it but at least you’ll be a few steps further towards resolving such matters.

Spend this week contemplating your next six months ahead. If you’re feeling over committed already, consider how you might manage your energy and resources for this coming period. This week is a good one to go back to the drawing board to adjust your near future plans in order to avoid the burnout and frustrations that might potentially come. For this week, be sure to observe any important events, noteworthy impressions or changing priorities and feed this new intelligence into those plans accordingly.

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See you next Sunday for the next installment of planetary news.

Shu xx