If anyone is reading this, then sorry for the delay. COVID put me out of commission for a few days. It’s been tough to marshal back my focus, especially since I couldn’t do much besides doom scroll and watch movies during that time. Anyway…Hump Day is done, but it’s still Thursday, so let’s start here.

We’ve got some potent ingredients to start things off this week. True wishes may be coming into clearer focus throughout the end of this week, as well as some potential strategies to realize those desires. It sounds silly, but knowing what we want, what we really want and realistic ways to get there – that can be very tough to envision sometimes. It’s much more common to lust for things we really don’t want, or to generally want in the direction of some basic life areas – love, fortune, security, what have you. But we’re building to a very special conjunction of the Sun and Venus this week, an event known as a cazimi. The Sun has a tendency to block out a planet’s light, swallowing it within its own. But here, Venus’ wishes are very clearly broadcast from the heart of the Sun. What’s more, a departing trine with Mars may show you how to get done what must be done.

There are some flies in the ointment, though. Mars is crawling to a standstill, preparing for his retrograde at the end of the month. And so even if we see how a thing might be accomplished, it may feel like the wrong time, the wrong conditions, or we may simply feel powerless to enact our plans. There may also be heavy, unspoken facts getting in the way of our wishes, or systems of power and corruption that make getting what we want seem extremely challenging. This comes from Pluto’s square to the Sun and Venus. Squares can be daunting, but they can also be motivating – there is no Goliath that cannot be toppled, though Pluto’s tasks may be require less slings and more emotional labor.

Speaking of that, Mercury’s opposition to Chiron opens a channel to tough discussions, even if they are internal. Giving voice to our issues around agency and insecurity may seem too hard, but bridging the gap can yield treasure. Have a care if you’re looking to change around the structure of your life in some ways, however, as some walls may be load-bearing. Mercury’s trine to Saturn opens up such avenues, but Saturn is still in a square to Uranus and the North Node, an explosive duo. The Moon in Virgo may also act as a trigger to this array on Friday (10/21.)

Saturday (10/22) is the big day – Venus cazimi in the 29th degree of Libra. This is a date I’ve been looking at with interest for some months, and only recently found that other astrologers have been, too. Please see a recent episode of The Astrology Podcast with Arielle Guttman, or this article in TMA on her work with Venus Star Points. In a brief tease of summation, it basically marks a century-long shift in the way that Venus operates, moving from a cycle of cazimi through Scorpio (which began in 1926) and now into Libra until around 2130. Whoo! I figured it was a powerful day for Venus work and I was evidently correct, even in spite of the anaretic degree. Anyway, please find a way to make use of this day. Make some art, make some love, do something you just like to do. Enjoy a beautiful Autumn Saturday.

And then get ready for Scorpio season, because Venus holds the Sun’s hand and walks him right into his ingress on Sunday (10/23.) Whereas the Sun took its marching orders from Venus while they were in Libra, they now both take their cues from Mars. And that’s going to be interesting, because he’s not really taking calls right now; he may as well be at a silent retreat. Our senses of self may be thrown into some tumult by the upcoming Mars retrograde, as well as our desires and emotional health. That’s why it’s extra important to find good outlets for the Mars current – yoga, exercise, martial arts, crafts, cooking, constructive projects, working with our hands and bodies. It’s better to channel energy into areas such as these rather than to wallow in impotence or throw oneself headlong into self-destructive behavior. If something feels overwhelming, breathe through it, don’t get swallowed up by it. Mileage may vary depending on where Mars Rx hits in your birthchart. The retrograde begins on 10/30.

Monday (10/24) is a good day for planning and research, with the Moon in Libra briefly creating a Grand Air Trine. She’ll also square Pluto, so things may feel heavy and our personal monsters may try to block our progress. This is a good opportunity to develop strategies to outsmart them.

Tuesday (10/25) is the New Moon in Scorpio, which is also a partial solar eclipse. This is a funny one, as it doesn’t cast a tight aspect to any other planets, nor any antiscia, and it is ruled by the much-mentioned stationing Mars in Gemini. New Moons are said to act as chapter beginnings, and this chapter feels unsure of itself, a non-sequitur, a pair of characters entering a scene in medias res who are unsure how this setting operates. The coming months of Mars retrograde may prove disorienting to many, and this seems emblematic of that condition.

There are two trines to minor celestial bodies cast by this eclipse. I do not work with either often, but it seems like it would do a disservice not to try and parse out their meanings. The tight relationship to asteroid Juno would seem to me to indicate a dramatic (though probably not sudden) transformation for partnerships, relationships and fidelity. You don’t need a romantic partner to be a good equal in a relationship, and the watery connection between these two placements highlights the emotional give-and-take in life. There can be a lot of romance in relationships that do not seem classically, hug-and-kissy “romantic.” A friendship can be a great romance. A professional relationship can be romantic.

Interpretations of Black Moon Lilith seem to offer a bit more variance, but one interpretation would be a dialogue with places we’ve felt ashamed, stilfed, or misunderstood. Other interpretations I’ve read seem to center on it being a place where we refuse to compromise. Either way, the isolation of this eclipse, along with the stillness of its ruler, Mars…this may all just be about taking time alone to get right with our hearts, both within our closest relationships and with ourselves. May any pain which bubbles up leave your heart less poisoned.

Until next Hump Day!