The skies are quiet this October, but there’s a lot going on underground. By the time we reach the third week of the month, three planets will occupy the sign of do-or-die Scorpio. Every time one of those planets enters Scorpio, it will immediately square Pluto, Lord of the Underworld, on arrival. A square aspect between planets signifies conflict, cross-purposes, but also high creativity. When planets tussle with Pluto it can activate their most basic survival instincts, unearth suppressed information or emotions, and set off power struggles. It can also awaken our appetites for depth, passion, and control. Pluto’s station, before it comes out of its retrograde on the 13th, and its “out-of-bounds” astronomical placement, intensifies our lust: for life, death, and the deepest experiences we can find.
October 6 might prove to be the most dramatic day of the month. It hosts a straight-forward full Moon in Aries and Mercury’s entrance into Scorpio. Both Aries and Scorpio are ruled by no-frills Mars and will color the month with naked truths and confrontation. On the 13th, Venus enters its home sign of Libra. Venus is strong here and offers a cool head amidst much voracity. A sweet new Moon in Libra will do its best to enforce equilibrium on the 21st but could be drowned out by a Mars-Mercury conjunction in Scorpio on the same day. The following day, the 22, oceanic Neptune stations retrograde in Aries as the sun enters Scorpio—another Mars-heavy day that makes it difficult for Venusian gifts to be received. Finally, on October 29, Mercury leaves Scorpio for Sagittarius, breaking the hypnotic spell of the underworld and encouraging some broadmindedness and levity.
Both Mars and Venus are incredibly strong this month and could express themselves as the most erotic alchemy or an end to facile harmony.
This Month’s Horoscopes
This article appears in October 2025.
