Saturday 14 October – New Moon in Libra 18:55 BST

Saturday 14 October – Mercury opposite Chiron 23:31 BST

Friday 20 October – Sun conjunct Mercury 6:38 BST

Saturday 21 October – Mercury square Pluto 1:51 BST

Saturday 21 October – Sun square Pluto 15:09 BST

Sunday 22 October – Venus trine Jupiter 5:32 BST

Sunday 22 October – Mercury into Scorpio 7:49 BST

Sunday 22 October – Mercury trine Saturn 17:12 BST

Monday 23 October – Sun into Scorpio 17:21 BST

Tuesday 24 October – Sun trine Saturn 8:13 BST

Saturday 28 October – Mars opposite Jupiter 17:03 BST

Saturday 28 October – Full Moon in Taurus 21:24 BST

We have a Solar Eclipse in Libra, this is a New Moon on the South Node in Libra heralding a shift in all things relationship. Most of us have forgotten that it is relationships that will bring us our greatest joy.

We might feel changes in our social interactions, how we treat each other, realisations, a fresh incoming energy or clarity around what we want and do not want in our connections to others.

This eclipse importantly forms a yod aspect configuration, known as the finger of fate, with Neptune in sextile to Uranus forming the sextile, concentrating its effect. Another theme of the Libra spectrum is supporting more balance in our lives. Perhaps we have been stuck in a rut which has felt unfair or out of balance, and this energetic shift will help get us out of it.

While all eclipses are noteworthy, and this Solar Eclipse is pretty close to the Nodes, this is an annular eclipse and so because of that might have a lesser impact. As an annular and not a total eclipse (because the Moon is further away from the earth currently, and so when it aligns with the Sun, it doesn’t entirely cover it), its power is somewhat diminished. But we shouldn’t be fooled by its facade.

All eclipses regardless represent times of spiritual demarcation, where there is simply no going back. This might be a good thing, if what we are trying to leave is a difficult period in our lives. Distinct, concentrated events or decisions are taken, for better or worse, taken now will bring us into a new phase and space. As they often come with feelings of predestined fate, or something out of the blue or unexpected, they reconnect us with a divinely led sublime order.

All eclipses also set in place patterns. Therefore what we do around them for better or worse will start to figure more. It’s important to take action in positive ways around eclipses as what we set and send forth comes more into our lives. If we only imagine how we want our lives to be, this is what will be unleashed – something in the future, rather than here now.

Many people are in a holding pattern of some sort. This is largely because the circumstances of our lives have reached a point of saturation. We can’t go on with the same foundations, patterns, habits or relationships. This eclipse offers a release of the old and brings the impetus to make lasting changes.

This eclipse activates more of us. Giving us the opportunity to access more of ourselves and from a different level. It brings our cast out spirit back into our body, so we can bring more of what we want into our lives. Then we can perhaps solve problems from a new level, and have a new sense of possibilities.

Its offering us a shift in our life participation – but in the right way, from the right level. What part of us is participating in life and our relationships right now? What’s the quality of that participation? How and why are we showing up? What’s the driver? What incoming new frequency can we feel now that will shift that participation?

In the Aries-Libra axis, which is currently being highlighted, it’s about who we are and who the other is. This shows up in our lives in multiple ways. What we see as ours, and what we refuse to take responsibility for, preferring to cast into the shadow. It’s now a time where we can begin to accept and own the totality of our own experience, and stop giving away our power and choice to things outside of us. This sense of powerlessness can drop away and we will begin to embody our more spiritual desires. Rather than being on the backfoot.

Pluto in square Nodes is stripping everything down to the barest basics. This might be the bare reality by showing us what is extraneous to the truth or simply through forcing the question who am I really? It provides an opening into presence and true engagement, rather than a fake sense of being in world. This is definitely an uncomfortable evolutionary push, because it forces us into territory we never wanted to go into, or back into, or is unfamiliar.

The tenacity of Pluto is also opening us up to trusting in a force beyond our smaller sense of self. Eclipses and yods also do this, as they can’t be explained by everyday consciousness. Whatever we call it; the Divine, Nature, God, Goddess, the Universe, Shakti, the nameless – Pluto is its vessel, and he/it demands a collaboration at soul level, where we begin to co-create alongside this force as opposed to seeing it as separate to us.

Co-creation however requires some surrender and trust in the process, which is precisely what we are being trained in currently. We are being asked to surrender our ideas of who we are, and perhaps even more importantly, what our sense of purpose truly is, as this is often how we in the western world define ourselves.

As human beings, we tend to recreate the wheel and not aim too high. We are taught this at school – keep within the margins, play it safe, “no you can’t be a footballer or a graphic designer”. But even these ‘purposes’ are falsehoods when it comes to the ultimate purpose. It’s less about life or work purpose, and now more about spiritual purpose.

Our sense of purpose has become fixed into the material, when our spiritual purpose and ultimate fulfilment is way beyond all of this. The soul is not interested in worldly rewards – getting married, having a family, getting that cool job. It’s interested in our capacity to be vulnerable, stay in the uncertainty and overcome impossible hurdles. It’s a painful process to break free of the worldly conditions that bind our spirit to the material. Yet it’s now increasingly urgent.

Presently Uranus in sextile to Neptune emphasises experimentation, reminding us what’s possible, keeping us open and in our richness, moving us beyond the everyday so we can see how we are all connected, for better or for worse. It allows us to dance on the periphery and then drop into the centre. It encourages our individual creativity and uniqueness, and this nurtures our spirit, calming and stilling the soul with a state of moment to moment living.

Eris and Chiron are moving closer into conjunction and while in orb they are still 7 degrees off as yet; the full intensity of their connection will be felt more next year. What’s significant about this eclipse is that it activates the midpoint of their conjunction almost like it’s inaugurates the beginning of the themes they bring together.

In Aries, Eris is about being cast out, parts and people rejected that do not belong, while Aries Chiron is about our visceral nature and wisdom gained from deep wounds, one of which is not belonging to the mainstream, or indeed anywhere. These themes will over time be deepened so we fully comprehend what we currently cannot see. On the surface though, they bring into relationship the process of suffering and healing, with a surrender to that process, a being with it and even moving beyond it.

Collectively there’s a sense of enough is enough – enough war, killing, pointless polarisation, but equally an uncomfortable pervading sense of hopelessness and powerlessness. With all this it’s hard to not disappear into crutches and coping mechanisms. But even if we avoid the drip drip fear porn news, our own lives mirror enough to disturb and rattle our bones. What does sitting on the fence actually mean? Avoidance, denial, passively absorbing everything in the news as reality or relevant as though it’s a MacDonald’s burger.

We know we shouldn’t do it certain things, but what can we stop to stop? All of this chaos has been going on for an extended period and will only now accelerate. We need to know also that this will escalate further until 2026. There’s some serious questions, recommitment and reorientation we need to now entertain.

How we stay in Libra balance, harmony and diplomacy amidst that is what counts. If we continue to become intoxicated by the events around us, we will continue to deny what’s of real importance. Observing events is always important, but getting pulled in is deadly for our inner balance let alone knowing that our emotional energy catalyses and adds to the polarisation and fear collectively.

A perfect storm is brewing on planet earth and the causative celestial avalanche is determined to put things that matter into perspective – so we will never again forget the truth.

The good news is that this eclipse is a powerful catalyst and can take us toward gaining a deeper, more accurate orientation on life, who we truly are and what we need to call upon in times of stress and overwhelm. Reflecting and acting upon what gives you true strength, balance and resilience as opposed to plugging gaps and plasters is supportive over this month.

More on Libra New Moon 2023 see Card Guidance