by Teri Parsley Starnes

Teri’s interest with astrology lies with helping people see how following a practice of intention and self-awareness leads to a fuller relationship with Mystery. Astrology is a wonderful tool for this. Her weekly column orients readers to the seasonal energy of
each month’s Sun sign in order to set magical/mindful intention for the lunar month beginning at the New Moon.

Each week Teri will write about the unfolding energies that support and challenge our intentions. The ebb and flow of the lunar cycle resides deep in our souls. Through following the phases of the Moon, we remember the natural cycles that guide us.

Astrologers divide the lunar month into eight phases. These are:
New Moon: Dreaming
Crescent Moon: Beginning
First Quarter Moon: Manifesting
Gibbous Moon: Perfecting
Full Moon: Illuminating
Disseminating Moon: Sharing
Last Quarter Moon: Evaluating
Balsamic Moon: Surrendering

Come follow the Moon as we practice intentional awareness together.

We don’t have to look far to see people behaving badly right now. The government shutdown is one example. Right on cue, responding to tense aspects to Uranus (planet of rebellion) and Pluto (planet of transformation), we see people digging in and taking their stands regardless of who gets hurt. This is my complaint about most revolutions. Righteous fervor often encourages people to think that the ends justify the means. The best revolutionaries don’t forget that no matter how awful the status quo is, no matter how worthy of radical change, we don’t get a free pass to overlook our values, our aspirations, or our agreements in order to bring the new world into existence. The only way we live into a better world is to keep true to that better world right now. Step by step, choice by choice, an authentic revolution is made.
This is the rarer kind of revolution, and it takes a great deal of strength and grace to attain. Grace and strength—the kind of strength that arises from grace—are excellent qualities to work with the lunar cycle dedicated to the “grace full” sign of Libra. We pay special attention to Venus during this cycle. This planet is the ruler of Libra, so Venus will be the “transmitter” of our lessons about grace and strength. During the season of Libra, we acknowledge that we cannot act alone. Partnerships are vitally important. These partnerships range to every type of relationship. Is it time to sweep out the cobwebs in your relationships? How do we pay better attention to our friends, lovers, and allies? As each of us must deal with a strong urge to assert our own authentic wills this month, what necessary counterbalance comes from consideration of our partners?
In addition to minding Venus, this month we pay attention to Mercury, who is taking center stage to help us reorient attitudes. Mercury will station retrograde in Scorpio on October 21. Due to this apparent forward/backwards/forward motion, it will form aspects with some of the planets three times. Scorpio brings out the depths. One of my favorite Scorpio images is a plow tilling the soil, exposing what is under the surface and preparing the field for life to emerge. Scorpio feels like it is about death but has a lot to do with life. This “three-pass” of Mercury through Scorpio is a time to till even deeper, make sure we uncover things that would impact the complete recovery of life and vitality. Since the planet is Mercury, we need to uncover more that is hidden within our minds. This experience will impact communication, awareness, and knowledge. It looks like the primary relationship work we need to do will be in the realm of communication. This takes patience. When it feels hopeless, breathe into a new reservoir of intention.
We don’t have to look far to see people behaving badly right now. The government shutdown is one example. Right on cue, responding to tense aspects to Uranus (planet of rebellion) and Pluto (planet of transformation), we see people digging in and taking their stands regardless of who gets hurt. This is my complaint about most revolutions. Righteous fervor often encourages people to think that the ends justify the means. The best revolutionaries don’t forget that no matter how awful the status quo is, no matter how worthy of radical change, we don’t get a free pass to overlook our values, our aspirations, or our agreements in order to bring the new world into existence. The only way we live into a better world is to keep true to that better world right now. Step by step, choice by choice, an authentic revolution is made.
This is the rarer kind of revolution, and it takes a great deal of strength and grace to attain. Grace and strength—the kind of strength that arises from grace—are excellent qualities to work with the lunar cycle dedicated to the “grace full” sign of Libra. We pay special attention to Venus during this cycle. This planet is the ruler of Libra, so Venus will be the “transmitter” of our lessons about grace and strength. During the season of Libra, we acknowledge that we cannot act alone. Partnerships are vitally important. These partnerships range to every type of relationship. Is it time to sweep out the cobwebs in your relationships? How do we pay better attention to our friends, lovers, and allies? As each of us must deal with a strong urge to assert our own authentic wills this month, what necessary counterbalance comes from consideration of our partners?
In addition to minding Venus, this month we pay attention to Mercury, who is taking center stage to help us reorient attitudes. Mercury will station retrograde in Scorpio on October 21. Due to this apparent forward/backwards/forward motion, it will form aspects with some of the planets three times. Scorpio brings out the depths. One of my favorite Scorpio images is a plow tilling the soil, exposing what is under the surface and preparing the field for life to emerge. Scorpio feels like it is about death but has a lot to do with life. This “three-pass” of Mercury through Scorpio is a time to till even deeper, make sure we uncover things that would impact the complete recovery of life and vitality. Since the planet is Mercury, we need to uncover more that is hidden within our minds. This experience will impact communication, awareness, and knowledge. It looks like the primary relationship work we need to do will be in the realm of communication. This takes patience. When it feels hopeless, breathe into a new reservoir of intention.
Forecast October 6, 2013 – October 12
Moon enters Scorpio at 3:33 am CDT
Sunday, October 6. Sometimes it is good to be alone, and today may be just that kind of day. Take some time for yourself to sort out your feelings and get your bearings on the relationship/communication work that you will need to do this month. That doesn’t mean you should avoid contact with others—there is a strong desire to make our connections meaningful—so be prepared for deeper and perhaps more intense conversations. Mars in Leo is adding fireworks as it triggers the Pluto/Uranus square through a minor but challenging aspect to both planets. An eruption might show you what you need to pay attention to right now.
Moon in Scorpio
Monday, October 7. Venus, our guide to this Libra lunar cycle, enters Sagittarius. The sign of the Archer, asks us to align our attention with our intention. What is your guiding star? When faced with deep relationship issues, it helps to remember intention and aspiration. Mercury harmoniously trines Chiron today. One aspiration may be to choose only healing words today. Even when we don’t fully understand another, we can choose empathy. With the Moon squaring Mars tonight, frustration and anger may challenge these lofty ideals.
Moon enters Sagittarius at 7:21 am CDT
October 8—Crescent Moon: Beginning. The day begins with a desire to challenge assumptions. It is tiresome to be put in a box that someone else has designed for us. What a good beginning to working on clarity in our relationships. What are the projections that others place upon you and what projections do you place upon them? Everyone does this dance in relationship. Sometimes it helps us evolve into better people, sometimes we get stuck in roles that don’t fit. A guiding mantra today could be, “I will be true to self and soul.” Whether we are looking for it or not, the work of Mercury’s retrograde transit through Scorpio arrives today. Mercury contacts Saturn and we get down to business. Ideals play an important role too as the Moon in aspiring Saggitarius invites us to aim higher.
Moon in Sagittarius
Wednesday, October 9. A couple of weeks before Mercury turns retrograde, it reaches what is known as greatest elongation. This means that Mercury is as far from the Sun (from the vantage point of Earth) as it will get in this cycle. Metaphorically, the traveller god has traveled as far from source as he can and begins to be pulled back into the center. Today is Mercury’s greatest elongation.  Do you feel stretched to the max? The vibrant source of life is calling you back. Because the sign is Scorpio, we are called to traverse the terrain of death, transformation, and soul in order to return to ourselves. The Moon in Sagittarius adds confidence to the journey we begin today.
Moon enters Capricorn at 10:17 am
Thursday, October 10. You may have noticed some doubts recently concerning your relationship ideals. Those doubts could come to a head today. Venus is in square aspect to Neptune, pointing out all the ways we seem to fail at this relationship/balance thing. It could be that we are particularly sensitive to our disappointments, betrayals, and losses around relationship. Can we remember that these experiences don’t define us but are the road to better expectations for our relationships? Heartbreak can become greater faith in love if we surrender to the mysterious alchemy of Neptune’s process. Thankfully, the Moon is helping us see things in a clear and grounded way. This helps build persistence to get to a better place.
Moon in Capricorn
October 11—First Quarter Moon: Manifesting. Are people still behaving badly? The Moon touches off the planets of revolt again—that pesky square between Uranus and Pluto. Pluto is the purger. We can think of some sad behavior as a last attempt before the order of things is changed forever. Uranus is the impatient one. This god speeds up the process of transformation. The uncertainty that this speed generates is one of the primary stressors on all of us.  When will it end? When will things get back to normal? Is there even such a thing as normal anymore? In this lunar phase of manifesting, what is the world you wish to create through this process? Let’s not forget that we don’t have to let the people behaving badly set the agenda. The future may look grim but it is not foregone. The grace of balance, the joy of living in beautiful relationship to all beings, and the integrity of living a value-based life everyday does more to bring authentic revolution than foolish grandstanding ever will.
Moon enters Aquarius 1:00 pm CDT.
Saturday, October 12. The day may start with the repercussions of big emotion but it settles into a desire to get a handle on those feelings by creating distance. This isn’t a bad thing. The Aquarius Moon invites us to take a breath, get a sense of the big picture, and find process-oriented solutions to relationship issues. We turn to the intellect to sort out what we feel and what we need to do about it. What innovative idea really excites you? Spend some time tinkering with new concepts. We need to be inventive to find a way out of stalemate.
* To read more about the Libra lunar cycle that began on October 4, go to http://tinyurl.com/libra-moon-forecast
Contact Teri at teri@starsdanceastrology and visit her website at http://www.starsdanceastrology.com