October 2023The Harmony of the Design
Dear Agents of Evolution,
Here in the U.S. our government narrowly avoided a government shutdown over the weekend, funding business as usual for another 45 days. The differences in political views playing out particularly vividly here in the U.S. mirrors the greater global collective.
This month's eclipse pair gets us to examine the designs upon which we've built our lives, our relationships, our social structures. None of us are the same people we were before 2020. Individually we'll be examining how we've changed, what that means for how we want to proceed, and what adjustments need to be made to the blueprints we created long ago for our lives. Mary Oliver's famous lines from her poem "The Summer Day" come to mind:
"Tell me, what is it you plan to do
With your one wild and precious life?"
Sometimes it takes some reminding that we don't have forever, that our time here on this earth plane is limited, to wake us up to why we're here. Fall is a perennial reminder in the way that nature withdraws energy from outside displays deeply into the core of Herself. Fall of 2023 is particularly poignant in this regard as we begin to witness the falling away of cherished designs.
In an effort to help us all keep the bigger picture in mind, I will be hosting a free gathering on Thurs. Nov. 2 for Day of the Dead, at 8pm Eastern Time, in which we'll explore the theme of "Death as a Doorway to Evolution," and will include a 40-minute community meditation. See below for more details or click here to register and receive the Zoom link.
October Astro Weather Highlights
October 5
Mars conjunct Ketu in Chitra
Piercing insight into the failures of design
In advance of the solar eclipse in Chitra, this combo feels pretty uncompromising. If it's part of the personality to do so, the "by any means necessary" approach to achieving one's aims looks more attractive.
Better to use the piercing insight this pair can give, toward cultivating detachment from the old designs, so that new designs that better reflect the current moment can emerge.
October 8
Mars square Pluto
Social institutions challenged
This transit functions as a sort of agitator to the Oct. 14 solar eclipse in Chitra. Tempers flare. We are more prone to violence, if the tendency exists in us.
Be mindful on this day. Commit, in advance, to defusing conflict before irreversible damage is done in a heated exchange.
October 9
Venus opposite Saturn
Holding on vs. letting go
The last gasps of loyalty to the "old ways" assert themselves. The examination of outdated commitments. The Grief of Loss. The hardship of Poverty. Valuing simplicity, minimalism. Carrying on even though you think you can't go on.
October 9 is Indigenous Peoples' Day.
October 14
New Moon Solar Eclipse in Chitra
New Design Blueprints
This solar eclipse might bring a peeking-at-the-wizard-behind-the-curtains moment. It may reveal to us some of the ways the old designs have been co-opted by nefarious entities, energies, people.
Some will work to uncover and block the scoundrels and restore the old order. This is part of the transition. Others will work toward learning new ways forward, new group agreements, new models of exchange, new forms of governance, new designs all around. This too is part of the transition.
I will offer a more detailed summary of this Solar Eclipse on Instagram.
October 19
Mercury conjunct Ketu
Intuition, secrets, withholding information, strategic diplomacy
We may be revisiting the past on this day, looking at the brilliance of the old designs, appreciating them for their elegance, maybe glossing over the flaws a bit in our nostalgia.
Use this day to tune into your intuition, and keep your discoveries under wraps in order to protect them in their nascent forms, before you act on them or share them with others.
October 28
Full Moon Lunar Eclipse in Ashwini
Featuring Mercury conjunct Mars opposite Jupiter
The Changing Nature of Speed
Examining how we came up with our sense of a reasonable "response time." Looking closely at the nature of how we heal – questioning whether the ends justify the means. Also, new, playful partnerships that arrive in the nick of time.
I will offer a more detailed summary of this Full Moon Lunar Eclipse on Instagram.
World Astrology Predictions
Review of August/ September Predictions:
Here was the prediction I made:
In the Kelleher chart for the United States (set for 6:30pm, Philadephia, PA, July 4, 1776,) the US is entering a new sub-period on September 1, 2023, of Rahu/ Mercury, lasting until March 20, 2026.
This period may bring economic crisis, possibly due to economic ties with other nations where a downturn or collapse has initiated.
And this is my review of that prediction:
Very thankfully, no acute economic crisis occurred!
(There is still the possibility that the prediction could manifest sometime within the U.S.'s Rahu/ Mercury dasha, which lasts until March 2026.)
However, what we do see manifest already is a growing set of "economic ties with other nations":
- Vice President Kamala Harris' attendance at the U.S. Association of the Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit sought "to bolster ties in Asia as a counterbalance to China." (PBS News Hour, Sept. 7, 2023
- According to a joint statement President Biden made with other BRICS leaders, the purpose of the G20 summit in early Sept. was to "reaffirm our shared commitment to the G20 as the premier forum for international economic cooperation to deliver solutions for our shared world." (White House press briefing, Sept. 9, 2023
- Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen, who accompanied the president to the G20, said "the administration is asking Congress for $2.25 billion for the World Bank and a loan of up to $21 billion for the IMF, and is looking to find a way to provide debt relief for struggling countries." (White House press briefing, Sept. 8, 2023)
It remains to be seen where these complex investments in the global balance of power take the world, and the United States herself. The complexity of these power brokerings is shown in the U.S. chart by our natal retrograde Mercury opposite Pluto, in the same sign as Rahu. One way to describe this astrological configuration is that our fate is intricately enmeshed with the fate of our global partners.
The U.S. Rahu/ Mercury period will definitely reveal the advantages of these arrangements, plus their hidden cost.
And here we are, alive on the planet!
What an outrageous blessing to have the gift of life and be able to evolve!
Here's to our Evolution!
