The intense week climaxes early with Tuesday’s Full Moon in Aries, whose kinetic and inflammatory energy threatens the mandatory equilibrium imposed by the Sun’s pending conjunction with Saturn.  The Sun reaches Saturn on Thursday, the heavy conjunction highlighting the need for deep balance within our lives.  Whilst the Sun and Saturn hold their yearly palaver on Thursday, Mercury enters Scorpio, forsaking the balanced confines of Libra for the single minded intensity of the stinger.

Sun Conjunct Saturn:  Master Builder

The week is dominated by the Sun’s  yearly conjunction to Saturn.  The Sun approaches Saturn for the first half of the week, conjoins the planet on Thursday and then spends the weekend in a slow motion departure from Saturn’s imperial grumpiness.  This conjunction lends the week a heavy tone, compressing the heart with its weight and threatening the mind with anxiety.  Responsibilities must be seen to, and standards met.

This conjunction catches Saturn at a rare moment- his degree of exaltation.  Within the tradition, Planets not only have signs of exaltation, but single degrees as well.  In this lone degree of the zodiac is each planet said to be in perfect possession of its most exquisite powers.  For Saturn, this is the 21^st degree of Libra (20’00”-20’59” Libra).  In Libra, Saturn’s power is to bring structural integrity to whatever words its leaden rays fall upon.  Saturn is a gateway to the rules of the World, the quasi-arbitrary nature of human regulation and legislation as well as the laws of physics and the mechanics of metaphysics.  Saturn is our link to the hidden clockworks of Maya herself, the planetary power through which the law of cause and effect, action and responsibility are made known.

The Sun and Saturn’s meeting casts an x-ray eye on the dynamics of our relationships, outlining the skeleton of our interactions.  Fair and mutual exchanges have their virtue confirmed while inequalities stain the x-ray like tumors.  The written and unwritten contracts between ourselves and others are exposed as well.  Our obligations and our responsibility to them is emphasized.      In mundane affairs, social justice seizes the spotlight while the markets jostle toward equilibrium.  Political alliances are pressurized and tested.

Though Saturn’s penetrating wavelength may be uncomfortable, there is great benefit and greater wisdom  in what is revealed under such light.   This week is an excellent time to lay the foundations for great works, to approach the eminent, to sign contracts and to spend time drafting the blueprints for an ideal future.

The Full Moon:  Dynamic Equilibrium

The Full Moon in Aries comes on Tuesday, bright Luna in Aries staring across the Earth at the Sun and Saturn in Libra.  The dynamic, irritable and erratic Full Moon in Aries tests the equilibrium the Sun-Saturn conjunction impels us to achieve, pushing us to see if we can retain our ideal balance in harried, kinetic moments.  It is one thing to maintain equipoise in yoga class, while the soothing music plays. It is quite another to do the same when circumstances thwart you and people frustrate you.  The Full Moon in Aries demands of us what it always does- that we be more fixed static scales or secluded yogis, that we instead find the capacity for balance in the midst of life’s little battles.  Worship and embody the transcendental whirling of the dervish, the arcane flow of the Bagua master, the rhythmic dance of creation and destruction pounded eternal on silent drums.

Mercury into Scorpio:  Magnifying Glass

While the Sun and Saturn conjoin this Thursday, Mercury abandons the Confucian halls of Libra for the siky depths of Scorpio.  In Scorpio, the messenger becomes inquisitive, intuitive and paranoid, fascinated with mysteries as well as the research necessary to unmask them.  Mercury in Scorpio is a peculiar paradox, drawn to the inexplicable yet always seeking explanations.

Mercury’s ingress shifts the mind into a more investigative place, arousing the mind’s desire to penetrate the veil of appearances.  The ability to fix and maintain the attention on a single task is magnified, though this focus is a sword with which one can cut themselves.  Negative emotional reactions can obsess the thoughts as easily the Will can focus and direct them.  Take care to focus the direction and destination of your train of thought- let it not be hijacked by the old bandito Fear.

We’ll be privy to the acid tongue, cutting insight and single minded intensity of Mercury in Scorpio from October 13^th until November 2^nd, when the swift planet enters Sagittarius.

Horoscopes

Horoscopes are not a real chart reading by an experienced astrologer. However, they are fun and can be reasonably accurate. In addition to referring to your Sun sign, read your from Ascendant and Moon if you know them. If you don’t, find out. I’m a long time fan of the free chart generation software at astro.com.

Oh, and if you’re still concerned that your sign has changed, get a little clarity here.

Aries: The Ram

The Sun spends much of the week conjoined to Saturn, shining x-rays onto the skeletal structure of your relationships.  Tuesday’s Full Moon in Aries stimulates you to factor the space you need into these interpersonal transactions.  Don’t sign the contract that guarantees you won’t get your due.  At the same time, don’t let a spasm of selfishness ruin an equitable and mutually beneficial arrangement.

Meanwhile, Mercury’s entrance into Scorpio on Thursday shifts communications and thought patterns towards exchanges of resources between yourself and others.

Taurus: The Bull

The Sun spends much of the week conjoined Saturn, the two bodies’ combined light revealing the deep structure of fiscal and physical issues in your life.  This highlight is in itself a diagnosis, a step toward bringing homeostasis to the area.  Tuesday’s Full Moon in Aries plays into this dynamic, framing in silvery light the subconscious issues which have invisibly encouraged the growth of concrete problems.   The location of the cure is your habits, and the key principle is balance.  Don’t push your body or your bank account beyond a sustainable pace.

Meanwhile, Mercury’s entry into Scorpio on Thursday shifts the location of communications and tone of thought patterns toward your significant relationships.

Gemini: The Twins

The Sun hovers around Saturn for much of the week, calling for a deep review of how you’re structuring your energy.  The Full Moon in Aries plays into this analysis, highlighting the role your social life has in distributing your time.  Are the people you immerse yourself in empowering and inspiring you, or are you merely wasting yourself among them?

 Meanwhile, Mercury’s entry into Scorpio on Thursday blows the mind to inspect the concrete details of your life. Consider the doctor for a physical and the accountant for a fiscal.

Cancer: The Crab

The Sun spends the week in a pow-wow with Saturn, shining an ex-ray spotlight on your living situation and relationship with family members.  Tuesday’s Full Moon juxtaposes this focus on your foundations with an emphasis on your professional aspirations.  Does your home base support your ambitions or enfeeble them?  Are your familial relationships a source of strength or a drain?

Meanwhile, Mercury’s entry into Scorpio on Thursday empowers your thoughts with creative energy, pushing you to communicate what you’ve slowly coagulated.

Leo: The Lion

  The Sun sits near Saturn all week, spotlighting the structure of your short term goals, while Tuesday’s Full Moon in Aries asks how these short term obligations coincide and conflict with your long term goals.  Will your current tasks bring you closer to your destiny, or are you just wasting time?  Food for thought.

Meanwhile, Mercury’s Thursday entry into Scorpio shifts your thoughts to your living situation, pushing you toward a critical inspection of your home as well as the people you consider part of it.

Virgo: The Virgin

The Sun stands in conjunction to Saturn all week, highlighting the core dynamics of your financial situation as well as what you have to offer others.  Conversely, Tuesday’s Full Moon in Aries shines a silver light on the resources others have to offer and the potential empowerment of partnership.  Here you are asked to consider what you really bring to the table and what others have to offer.

Meanwhile, Mercury enters Scorpio on Thursday, pulling your thoughts toward the peripheral concerns, where a number of small tasks compete for your attention.

Libra: The Scales

The Sun walks though a conjunction with Saturn in your sign this week, emphasizing the structure of your responsibilities, but also, on a deeper level, revealing your capacity to bear them.  Tuesday’s Full Moon emphasizes the importance of relationships in regard to the obligations you’ve committed yourself to.  We are ultimately responsible not to tasks, but to the people we execute them for.

Mercury’s entry into Scorpio on Thursday puts your money on your mind and your mind on the money.

Scorpio: The Scorpion

The Sun spends much of the week conjoined Saturn, emphasizing your psychological equilibrium, or lack thereof.  The conjunction points toward the responsibility to maintain a clear and balanced mind- all other arrangements proceed naturally from such a state. Tuesday’s Full Moon shines on your habits, and the manner in which they either support a state of equipoise or derail it.  Consider the concrete results of maintaining a balanced mind as well as what proceeds from a head full of sewage.

Meanwhile, Mercury’s movement into your sign this Thursday helps formulate the last month’s insights into a more coherent form.

Sagittarius: The Archer

The Sun spends much of the week conjoined to Saturn, concentrating attention and events on the social circles you exist within.  This focus on your social position is juxtaposed by Tuesday’s Full Moon in Aries, which highlights how much energy the social side of your life is using up.  This is a good week to consider whether you should allocate more or less of yourself to social maneuvers.

Meanwhile, Mercury’s movement into Scorpio on Thursday sees the messenger enter the hidden depths of your mind, where he’ll be bringing up forgotten feelings and neglected angles for the rest of the month.

Capricorn: The Goat

The Sun spends much of the week conjoined Saturn, highlighting the structure of your professional life, as well as what you must accept in order to move forward.  Tuesday’s Full Moon in Aries brings your living space into view, asking you to consider whether you are empowered or castrated by your current living situation.  Does your home base function as a proper lair for the super-villainy you plot, or is it full of distractions and stupidity?

Meanwhile, Mercury’s entry into Scorpio this Thursday sees the gears shift slowly toward your social life.  Mercury sends flows of communication along the social networks you exist within, stimulating exchanges for the rest of the month.

Aquarius: The Water Bearer

The Sun spends much of the week conjoined Saturn, highlighting the structure of your long term plans, while Tuesday’s Full Moon in Aries juxtaposes this focus on distant aspirations with the short term tasks that lie directly before you.  The question is whether these short term tasks are leading your closer to your big goals or merely leading you astray.

Meanwhile, Mercury enters Scorpio on Thursday, blowing your thoughts to your professional situation, where they will reside for the rest of the month.

Pisces: The Fish

The Sun spends much of the week conjoined Saturn, highlighting the exchanges of money, time and energy with the people in your life and laying great emphasis on the written and understood contracts between yourself and others.  The Full Moon in Aries on Tuesday brings your own resources into the lime light, emphasizing what you bring to the table as well as what others might add.  The question raised is what is owed to others vs. what need be kept for yourself.

Meanwhile, Mercury sneaks into Scorpio on Thursday, pulling your mind to focus on questions of life direction, personal philosophy and long term goals, topics that will remain in focus for the rest of the month and more.

Sol in Libra, Luna in Aries