If you were expecting some kind of sun sign nonsense, forget it. This is real astrology. See the section above. And if you need help deciphering the astrological glyphs in the graphics accompanying this article, see Astroglyphs: Astrological Symbols Guide. Please note: this forecast is expressed in terms of Universal Time (UT).
And all your future lies beneath your hat.
-- John Oldham
Hold onto your hats, because there's a SuperMoon coming this month and the wind is going to blow. We're talking big storms, and more. Remember the headline tempests and temblors of September, the ones I warned you about ahead of time? There's a sequel on the way. But that's not 'til near the end of the month . . . which, come to think if it, is when all but one of October's notable celestial alignments occur. Not that there's that much on tap: this is a relatively quiet month for a change. I don't expect anyone will doze off in boredom, but I do expect there'll be less of that "living on the brink" feeling which was so prevalent this summer. Nothing's fixed, nothing's notably better or worse, it's just that people can stay on edge only so long before they get accustomed to it. It's just as well, we all need a breather.
October marks the first time in six months that notable Mars alignments haven't been a dominant theme out in the heavens. With the Red Planet starting to recede since its closest approach to Earth at the end of August, and with the next significant Mars configurations not scheduled 'til November, it seems as if there's a cooling off period. Watch for it in yourself: a little less impulsive, a bit more patient. I'm not saying peace and harmony have broken out all over. But I do think people are less on edge in October, not as quick to anger. By and large, I expect fewer tragic accidents and violent crimes this month, as compared to any of the summer months. The bad news is still there, but there's not so much of the "if it bleeds, it leads" type. Instead, people are now focusing on money and debt and law and order; on trials and treaties and negotiations. Let Mars get a degree off its September 27 station point - which it does as of October 9 - and you'll see things cool off and calm down a lot. (Until then, watch your back and put safety first; especially around the 6th and 7th.)
The Saturn and Neptune direct stations - when these planets begin and end their periods of apparent retrograde motion respectively - are the major cosmic themes of October. Both planets remain within a degree of their station points the whole month long. Neptune stations first, at 10 Aquarius on the 22nd. Saturn follows suit at 13 Cancer on the 25th - the day of the first SuperMoon in months. Precious illusions cost dear, reality sucks, the market is right no matter how wrong the experts declare it. The flock, having been groomed and fattened, is now sheared and slaughtered. And the market masters, having churned equities to the breaking point, now sell out and take their profits. Wait 'til after the October crash - due any day, possibly most likely around the time of the October 25 SuperMoon - and then buy in for the next leg up.
These are warning signs with regard to the world's financial system: dollar drops, major market declines, commodity price hikes (e.g. oil, natural gas) and the like are possible around the 6th (as the Sun squares Saturn) and 22nd, and several days either side of the 25th. Saturn stationing right on the Sun in the US Declaration of Independence chart is a sign of weakness in the American financial and economic system, and of reversals for the President. (The Saturn station also falls right on the Sun in the President's natal chart, an emphatic punctuation to the decline in his popularity that began back in June, when Saturn entered Cancer. As I've already noted, this is not a good sign for the President's reelection prospects.)
A month under the aegis of Saturn and Neptune, like October, has an air of sober awakening about it; as though the world wakes up from a daydream and doesn't like what it sees. It's quiet, withdrawn, melancholy . . . that's the atmosphere. And there's a sense that nothing can be done except to roll up our sleeves and struggle through. And maybe there's a kind of ironic sense of humor about it all. Maybe too there's worry, signaled by the ongoing Uranus transit across the Aquarius-Pisces cusp. This began back in March, and won't be over 'til March next year. I've already told you what to expect: count one Uranus cycle back from the current Uranus transit over the Aquarius-Pisces cusp, and you get the Spanish flu. Epidemics - not just SARS, which rose to prominence when the current transit began - and other public health concerns tend toward crisis proportions under this cycle.
Of course, the natural world goes on regardless of human foibles. Storm and seismic news is made a day either way of the Moon's south declination extreme on the 2nd. Things calm down to normal until the 7th, when the full moon effect of October 10 kicks in and carries through until the 13th. This is a time of conflict and confrontation on the human scale, an upsurge in individual as well as collective violence. People strive for power and glory, doing great deeds - some glorious, some dastardly, all daring, some perhaps historic. Meanwhile, this is another storm and seismic risk period, so be ready. Another period of enhanced risk for severe storms and moderate to severe seismic activity comes October 15-18, associated with the Moon's north declination maximum on the 17th.
The new moon at 2 Scorpio on the 25th is easily October's most potent indicator of a surge in strong storms, floods and seismic upheaval (including moderate to severe earthquakes and volcanic eruptions). It's a SuperMoon - a new or full moon that occurs when Luna is at or near perigee, the point in its orbit which is closest to Earth. The first such alignment since mid-May, this SuperMoon is bound to be accompanied by headline-making storms with destructive wind and heavy precipitation - the kind of combination that tends to whip up floods both inland and coastal. (Mudslides may follow.) This same geophysical factor also increases the likelihood of moderate to severe seismic activity, from Richter 5-and-up earthquakes to volcanic eruptions. The risk window begins on the 22nd, as the southward lunar equatorial crossing of the 23rd comes into range. From there the SuperMoon of the 25th takes hold, and the period of enhanced storm and seismic risk doesn't wind down until the 31st, a day and a half after the Moon's south declination maximum late on the 29th.
Being an alignment of Earth, Moon and Sun, a SuperMoon is planetary in scale. And that means there's no place on Earth not subject to the increased geocosmic stresses at work between the 22nd and 31st. Earthquakes and volcanic eruptions are of course locally focused in well-recognized zones. Planet-wide, anyone who'll be in one of these vulnerable zones could do a lot worse than take sensible precautions during the dates just mentioned. Storms can happen anywhere of course, so this type of risk is far more widespread than the seismic variety: wherever you are during the indicated period, it's wise to have foul-weather fallback plans, to allow extra time for weather delays if traveling, etc. Having an emergency kit stocked and ready is always a good idea at times like this: batteries, canned goods, a first aid kit and the like should be stashed somewhere ready to hand. Remember: Saturn is stationary at this SuperMoon, which augurs costly losses around this time. Be prepared.
Planetary scale notwithstanding, astro-locality mapping suggests that a few zones of Planet Earth may be more at risk than others during the storm and seismic risk window at the end of October. Watch the west coast of Africa for big storms, and on a line from there due north through Iceland. Some kind of costly damage - most likely from storms, but seismicity may figure into it as well - is a genuine risk in northern California and the Pacific Northwest. Other potential target zones include New Zealand, southern Japan and the Korean Peninsula, as well as the area along a line stretching due north from the western coast of Australia up through Indonesia and Hong Kong. I hesitate to mention specific zones like this, when as I've said the whole planet is in the crosshairs. So if you think that not being in one of the particular zones just mentioned will guarantee that you're off the hook - well, then you're way off base.
SPECIAL FEATURE: This month's birthdays of the famous and infamous (with astrological birth charts)
