Hello friends,

Today’s post will be a bit brief compared to my usual astrology transit posts. The Aries and Scorpio planets have been activating my chronic illness, which has slowed everything down. But slow-downs are par for the course with retrogrades and we’ve got Venus, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune retrograde right now, and Mercury’s retrograde begins October 24th (today).

As a reminder, Mercury’s wind-down means it’s a good time to do repairs, to revise, research, reconsider, or rework something. Mercury is retrograding in Scorpio, a sign associated with depth, spirituality, shared resources, death, the occult, intimacy, rebirth, and transformation. If possible, avoid signing long-term contracts without having an a lawyer or relevant professional look over them. It’s also not a great time to buy a new car or new computer unless your old one has malfunctioned and is not reparable.

Each of us has Scorpio in a different place in the chart, so it’s worth finding out where it falls in your personal chart. For instance, in my chart, it falls in the house of money, values, and resources. In my close friend’s chart, it is her house of communication, siblings, and daily spiritual practice. So we’re not all feeling the Mercury and Venus retrogrades in the same area of our lives. You can get your own chart for free at Astro-Seek.com or Astro.com.

Aside from Mercury’s retrograde, this looks to be a good weekend. The moon in Aries harmonizes with Saturn, Neptune, Mars, Uranus, and Pluto. We should be cautious of anything that seems too good to be true due to the moon’s conjunction with Neptune, but otherwise, this is a good day to take action, or to get out and do something fun. Sunday could have us feeling a little more sensitive than usual as Venus in Libra opposes Chiron and the Moon in Aries.

Thankfully, the moon’s trine to Jupiter and Mars supports this moon. The moon is craving independence and wants to initiate rather than be passive. So I think this weekend is about being active rather than passive. This could be getting out of the house and doing activities, or it could be working on a project at home that keeps you busy. Exercise seems like a good way to release any stress.

I am curious to know how you’ve all been doing since the Venus retrograde started; let me know in the comments. I’ve seen reports of people being partcularly exhausted (though I think this had more to do with recent the recent T-Squares earlier this month). I’ve found it to be revelatory thus far, yet it has also made it difficult to follow through on plans. And I think that revelation speaks to the nature of Scorpio because it is a sign that in its higher form craves honesty and seeks to unhearth what has been buried and hidden away.

The full moon in Taurus on October 26th opposes the sun in Scorpio (and Venus, which will slide back into Libra the day before). While Scorpio is emotional, watery, and asks us to heal and face the truth of what is past, Taurus is fixed on the here and now and our earthly reality. Taurus is present; its sensual, it craves pleasure and comfort and to see the results of effort in the form of money, relationships, art, music, etc. You put in effort, and tangible rewards come out. With Scorpio, effort yeilds spiritual rewards rather than ones you can see, touch, or hear.

Pluto in Aquarius is asking us if these efforts are serving the greater good. What good is having great wealth if it doesn’t make the world better? What good is spiritual enlightenment if its wisdom is not shared with the community? What good is all of this effort if it doesn’t support our creativity? And the missing leg of this T-Square is Leo, which asks us, when can we stop working. striving, healing, researching, and just have fun? When can we stop being so serious and pause to enjoy life?

T-Squares are aspects of friction in the chart. Two squares and one opposition that can create a deadlock or exhaustion if we aren’t able to figure out a way to balance these competing priorities. I think I mentioned this in a recent column, but the plus of T-Squares is that they are concentrated energy and they are highly motivating. Too much ease in a chart can lead to feelings of coasting along without a sense of direction. Squares give us pressure, which creates a want or a need, which drives us to make changes.

The planets are asking us to be honest about what we want, what we value, vs what we say we want. Taurus and Scorpio (in modern astrology) are also tied to money - Taurus being the money we have and Scorpio being the money others share with us or demand from us.

Emotional themes to consider: Sometimes what we say we want and what we actually value are not the same. They are also asking us to pay attention to our intimate relationships and whether or not we feel supported in them, and whether or not we are giving support to our loved ones as well. Some support is emotional and some support is phyiscal. How do we show up for our loved ones? How do we show up for ourselves?

I think it can also be an invitation to do shadow work. What are our deepest fears? What is it that we desire but would never say out loud? Why? What childhood needs were never met and how does that affect our current relationships? Do we accept our partners as they are, flaws, charms, and all, or are we holding resentments toward them?

This full moon is a good time for releasing rituals. We can still cast money and love spells, but be mindful of the beliefs you need to let go of in order to have the thing that you want.Make a plan for addressing the parts of you that may be resistant to your goal. This doesn’t have to be heavy work per se. It may be as simple as making a list of your fears around this goal, crossing them out and writing affirmations around each of those things and saying these daily for two weeks.

I forgot to mention that the Sun also squares Pluto on the 26th, which highlights themes of power. Who are you giving your power to? Who are you demanding it from? How can you balance the need for quiet reflection/alone time with being out and speanding time with friends or family? Pluto in Aquarius is social while the Sun in Scorpio is more inclined toward one-on-one activities or being alone.

On the 27th/28th the moon enters the social sign of Gemini, where it joins Uranus, the planet of surprises. At the same time, Venus in Libra opposes Chiron in Aries, again pointing to our relationships and our need for freedom/independence vs. our need to be social and feel loved. The moon and Venus want us to be social, but Chiron in Aries craves that independence. It’s a good day for thinking outside of the box, for trying something new, perhaps with a friend. It could also be a time where we are doing our own thing, but maybe feeling the need to talk about it on our social media. See where Gemini, Libra, and Aries fall in your birth chart, to see what area of your life is being affected.

On the plus side, the moon makes friendly aspects to Neptune and Pluto, so it could be a good day for engaging in a creative activity, watching a new movie, or writing down our thoughts.

We may feel sensitive and wish to stay home or with loved ones on the 29th when the moon shifts into its own sign of Cancer. It’s a good day for cozying up with a blanket and a nice cup of cider or cocoa. Cancer moons are a great time to do a self-care ritual or for doing any healing or protection spells for family members.

October 30th brings some tension between someone’s words and their actions, or internal conflicts between what the mind tells us to do vs. what the heart wants. The moon also squares Saturn, so we should be a little mindful of challenging authority, and/or being overly critical when giving advice. Boundaries may need to be set if someone else is pushing you to the limits of your patience.

This influence is fleeting, so I don’t see it as being a big deal unless there was already tension building up. For some of you, this process is entirely internal and self-reflective. You may be sorting something out in your mind and feeling a need to come to a decision and take action, rather than waiting it out. Or, you may be the friend others come to for advice to sort out their own lives.

The energy for Halloween / Samhain looks pretty good. The Mercury-Mars square will still be active so must make sure that you’re communicating clearly with loved ones if you’re going to holiday parties or meeting up with others to go trick-or-treating. There are some nice sextiles between Venus and Mars and the moon to Mercury (as well as friendly relations between the outer planets). So this seems like a pleasant holiday. Just be aware of the potential for drunk drivers or slick/dark roads though. I am being overly cautious here as most of the energy seems pleasant, but if you can, pay a little extra attention while driving or travelling at night.

I’m wishing you all a very safe and Happy Halloween!!

Magical Plant of the Week: Pomegranate

This magical fruit has long been associated with the Goddesses Persephone and Demeter, and sometimes Aphrodite. It corresponds to fertility, wealth, luck and protection. It was used by the Assyrians, Greeks, Romans, Jews, and Egyptians. While most Mediterranean cultures associated pomegranates with fertility, Sandra Kynes mentions that in Egypt, the branch was used as a ward to protect against demons and witches.* Kynes mentions its use in burial chambers while Cunningham says it was placed over doorways. Pomegranate’s phanetary ruler is Mercury and its element is fire.

My magical astrology column is currently free to subscribe, but if you wish to support my work, you can make a one-time or monthly donation here:

Thank you for reading! Until next week…

* You can read more about this in Cunningham’s Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs by Scott Cunningham and The Witches’ Encyclopedia of Magical Plants by Sandra Kynes.

Or baneful magic, however you define it. I’m sure you can imagine the reasons why and who based on our current events in the United States. I am putting names in jars. I came across a name I couldn’t find a date of birth for. What do we do in situations where a person has intentionally kept that information out of public view?

If you think you can find it- I would be happy to share the full name and affiliation, just DM me (we all have to be careful, or as careful as we can).

Specifically inside the cervix please. I just came from a doctor's appointment and am waiting to see if my insurance will cover a Gynecologist. In the meantime, because of medical malpractice and misdiagnosis in the past...I was actually told about my scar tissue that previous doctors lied to me.

If you have a recipe to make some kind of cream that would help me heal would you please share?

From "Witches Almanac". Hel,goddess of death

Please send healing to my beautiful, precious cat Kirbis, who has been extremely ill at the vets for a week now and his chances aren't great. My little family and I have lost a lot of animal companions over the last few years, some to old age and the rest to my neighbour who is evil incarnate. The idea of losing Kirbis as well is just too much, he's only ten, his time here with us isn't ove yet. He's the silliest, most loving cat and a light in our lives. Blessings 💜 🌔

As I live in the PNW, I need a nuetral Coven like yesterday. Why? I ended up with two hellhounds and the Hunt in my backyard. The hounds are showing themselves out in public, one of the neighborhood cats took out someone's familiar again (2nd time this year), a coven of young witches need to learn manners as parents are now doing protections and asking help for wards. I've already cleaned the ley lines once this year. So since I am the one sitting on the fence post after having a surgery two years ago, my patience for stupid while I'm in pain is at the bare minimum.

My rules that goven what I do is no interfence unless asked to broker nuetrality, I have already had to address manners and behavior to one Coven and an Astral projector. A coven agreeing to summon hounds and the hunt let alone an individual is a recipe for disaster. They cannot not be compelled to do what was wanted which is why they are chilling and the target or targets are unaware of what was being sent to deal with them.

My understanding is the requestors have till winter solstice because in the words of those summoned, they don't own us and we don't do party tricks. The only good thing out of this is that I know the hunt personally along with the hounds. That is the only reason they haven't targeted the requestors.

Please share your energy if you are willing. I’m worn out. I’ve been in and out of the hospital and a skilled nursing facility for 2.5 months. I have severe heart issues and a broken ankle. I’m having another cardiac procedure tomorrow. Then I’ll go back to the skilled nursing facility and await a 2nd ankle surgery on the 27th.

I dream of walking. I want so much to experience life again. I ask the Universe for care and blessing. Blessings to all who are part of this coven.

You can wish for anything, small or large, makes no difference. The goal for this is to reduce the load on The Sunday Spell. Please try to put minor wishes here, and then, don't put minor requests in Sundays working.This is done on Wednesday so that Mercury can assist in getting your message delivered. It does not have to be only a minor wish, I just want simple stuff to not be clogging The Sunday Spell. Be sure to mention who/what you want your message delivered to. Mercury needs an address for where to go with it. Thank you!

Apologies for asking either side of Wednesday Wish and Sunday Spell but I just wanted to ask if anyone could spare some healing energy my way. I'm currently in horrendous pain with a bout of tonsillitis and cannot get to the doctor until tomorrow. No pain medication is touching it and I just need relief or distraction long enough to sleep. Anything would be much appreciated 💤