“You only live twice. Once when you are born and once when you look death in the face.” Ian Fleming, You Only Live Twice.
Halloween or Samhain and All Soul’s Day is the heart of Scorpio season, when we dive in and look at our shadow, make fun of our fears, and, in our own way, honor the departed formally or in fun.
Traditionally Halloween helped us look at death square in the face before we headed into a long, cold winter when death was a real and tangible possibility. This Scorpio holiday gave us a chance to dance with the fear and take stock of our lives and ask what we needed to do to meet the winter fulfilled, well-stocked and with a clean conscience. Though modern implements make winter safer for most of us, this yearly morbid moment when children eat candied skulls and we dress up as our alter egos or silliest fears can still wake up our priorities. This year’ reassessment is underlined as Jupiter, the expansive planet, trines Pluto, lord of death and rebirth, over Halloween weekend and reminds us that death is always near, a mere earthquake or heartbeat away. Together they ask us what we want to do with this one precious life, and how can we help others be fully alive in the process.
Jupiter trine Pluto wants us to think big, look at our philosophies, and make sure we’re taking in the whole picture. It cranks up the volume on both the need for freedom and the need for control, so watch the action on the front lines of that debate around the globe. Venus and Mercury are conjunct in deep thinking Scorpio, which helps get real or be quiet; we’re less willing to talk about trivialities, more private about our feelings, but also willing to talk in depth if we’re in a truly safe environment.
Relationships may have a few unusual difficulties which will need our patience this week. We’ll tend to square off if we argue, but waft warmth at each other when not disagreeing. We may feel out of sync or at odds, or as if we just don’t quite get one another as reserved-but-emotional Venus in Scorpio, passionate and proud Mars in Leo and intuitive Neptune in Aquarius form a T-square. This is fine if we can enjoy the mystery it brings to love, but tough if we blame one another for the edge. Because of this aspect’s fantasy-edge, it’s easier to fall in love with someone in costume or far away than with the all-too-familiar, foible-filled folk nearby– unless we can bring in that magical realm together. We can love the people around us specifically because they’re so different from us, and see their mysterious self afresh. Let’s not stress over disagreements, they’re easy to have and hard to reconcile this week but may unfold smoothly next week once Venus and Mercury ease into Sagittarius.
Notice this pattern in the news, entrenched differences polarize further. We can open our philosophies to include all sides, we can inspire others leaning in our direction, or we can map the differences and form a plan to deal with them, but we might as well forget trying to sway one another. Look for some movement by the end of next week as Venus and Mercury enter Sagittarius, and more in mid-November as Mars enters Virgo.
The weekend begins high energy and unusual honest, if pointed and impatient as Mercury squares Mars under a Sagittarius Moon. Travel can feel great if we’re careful at the crossroads. It will help to avoid situations where we need to wait or where we need to be too politic, because we’ll tend to shoot from the hip and think later. Aggressive moves will be serious, not just threats. We can get snippy under stress, and will need to drive carefully and carve that pumpkin with safety in mind.
But a new and deeper honesty is available if we reach for it. Costumes give us the privacy to be more ourselves this weekend, but we do have sense of adventure. Where we’ve room to move, and can be forgiven of a certain undiplomatic honesty, the conversations flows and gets to the heart of the matter. If we’re not feeling so open, we can fend off intimacy with pointed quips.
Over Halloween and All Souls day, we have a lovely magical fog as Venus and Mercury square Neptune, the veil between the worlds will indeed thin. We just have to know our ordinary vision is distorted and will need to confirm facts, directions, and might want to make sure everyone else will also show up at the party in costume.
This week is an important time to get the word out; with Mercury conjunct Venus, and Jupiter trine Pluto, the world is watching. Hidden truths are revealed, hidden news goes viral, though we’ll need to check our facts. Self-publicity will be heard if it feels real and solid. Gossip flies, and so does suspicion. What do we want to share?
Friday, Oct 28: Let’s get on with it; things may be looking up this morning as the Moon enters optimistic Sagittarius and Jupiter trines Pluto. We want to be part of something bigger than our selves, want an adventure. Watch a contentious or accident prone impatience early on as Mercury squares Mars, feel the pressure but move forward with care and kindness. Speak truth today, but deal with the consequences. Afternoon is expansive. Late tonight we may tire more quickly than we think as the Moon semi-squares Saturn, minor difficulties don’t matter in the bigger picture.
Saturday, Oct 29: Tend to personal life. A long walk furthers. Funny and serious, sweet and disconnected, restless and moody, the day is good for gathering as long as everyone has a moment to themselves in between. Don’t expect groups to cooperate, honor individual personhood around the dinner table and don’t take their self-possessed distance personally. Let the conversation wander into deep places.
Sunday, Oct 30: Watch a serious, humorless streak slip in this morning, and with it a desire to control or manipulate the situation in the name of improvement. It’s a good day to work efficiently on our own projects but we have to watch a desire to control the situation and temper it with a conscious effort to collaborate as equals as the Moon enters Capricorn. Choose carefully where to prioritize efficiency over humanity. Tonight, loneliness or darker feeling may float to the surface but need only to be honored and released.
Monday, Oct 31: Give up control issues, the day just won’t unfold as we want, but if we relax, it can be great fun. We may plod through a series of small delays and off moments this morning, midafternoon a touch of magic hits as Venus squares Neptune and invites us into the fantasy that is Halloween. Step into the portal, just keep an eye on the edge between the veil and discern carefully between the gift and the challenge of illusion.
Tuesday, Nov 1: Maybe we have a sugar hangover from trick or treating, we’re definitely prone to thinking fuzzily and expressing our selves more poetically than logically as Mercury squares Neptune. Water and liquids of all kinds can cause problems; keep an eye on the weather report and the coffee near the keyboard. Dream the day away. Vision, commune, but keep checking for misconceptions and bad directions; speak with the heart but clarify with words. Screen intuitive hits careful, we’re permeable but can easily misconstrue our perceptions. All spiritual practice furthers. Scrutinize all suspicions; they may say more about the suspicious person than the object of investigation. The evening softens with camaraderie and curiosity as the Moon enters Aquarius.
Wednesday, Nov. 2: We love freedom; that’s the overriding message as Venus and Mercury head into free-ranging Sagittarius and calls for room to roam in the mind, heart and politics. We’re more open-minded and much more outspoken as these two planets change signs and begin to trine Uranus. Note a turning point, a new urgency or optimistic that change is possible and necessary; so what do we want to change? It reduces stress to move, walk work out, express in the body. Our beloveds will appreciate room to move and lowered interpersonal expectations, there is so much to be done out there in the world.
Thursday, Nov 3: The focus is on our responsibilities to our community, we may back away from one on one connections for the moment. Quick communications can unjam delayed talks. Let’s not waste anyone’s time nor let ours be wasted as Venus and Mercury in Sagittarius trine Uranus. Energy is released, actions happens; make sure to proceed on real facts and don’t run off half-cocked on a misunderstanding or fantasy as Venus and Mars pull out of their T-square with Neptune. We dream big today; listen to the muse and act on that dream.
Starcodes 
Thank you… Nervous about this week for some reason…
Thank you Heather for your insight into this time of year. Here in Australia, we don’t traditionally celebrate Halloween. We do see it as a unique American tradition, although I do know it is celebrated in a lot of other countries these days. We do tend to not celebrate something that we see, correctly or not, as something that is not Christian. Therefore, there is a lot of people who won’t celebrate it for that reason, myself included. But, I was interested in your opening paragraphs about Halloween, especially the “Honouring the dead” which of cause is very important to us here in Australia, we call that day, our Anzac Day. Thank you once more, and enjoy your Halloween weekend. God Bless. Helen R.