A Street in Venice, John Singer Sargent, c. 1880-82
The Heart of Venus Retrograde
On October 10th, we had our annual Libra New Moon. At that time, we planted a metaphorical seed to bring pleasure and harmony to our closest relationships. Shortly after midnight this Sunday (technically next week), we will reach the Taurus Full Moon. In this span of time, how has your understanding of relationships grown or changed?
Venus’s retrograde has us in a process of excavating the underlying beliefs and causes of our relationship struggles. We are asking questions about what we desire and seeking to understand the cost of that desire.
Late Friday we reach the very center of Venus’s retrograde when she conjuncts the Sun, and on Sunday she backs into Libra, where she will complete her retrograde on November 13th. We still have a long way to go, but the process will be easier once she is in her home sign of Libra. Our examination of our partnership needs will provide more space for us to understand the feelings and desires of others.
On Saturday, Mercury stations retrograde. Spend time this week making a list of all the projects and conversations you have left unfinished over the past few months. Over the next three weeks, don’t start anything new; keep focused on completing past projects and considerations.
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Monday, October 19, 2026: Moon in Aquarius
Last night the Moon entered Aquarius and the week begins with emotional room to breathe. When the Moon is in Aquarius, our feelings are less likely to control the narrative of whatever we are involved in. We are able to find an internal coolness and are generally more objective. You may want to take the long way home to give yourself extra time to engage in your own mind before connecting with others.
To feel the most positive effects of the Moon in Aquarius, it is important to remain open to change and leave your own problems to the side. Allow yourself and others a great deal of freedom today. Don’t be surprised if others seem detached and separate. Separation from emotion is necessary to reach objective clarity. You must step outside of yourself for the wild innovation of the mind to have space to grow. Aquarius teaches us how to see clearly without the mind being muddled by powerful emotion.
- Where do you need emotional distance today?
- Can you allow others to maintain distance without thinking something is ‘wrong’?
Tuesday, October 20, 2026: Moon in Aquarius | Venus Square Pluto
Do not underestimate the power of this day. While you slept, Venus formed a square aspect to Pluto. Venus is currently retrograde in Scorpio. Because of her retrograde, Venus forms this square to Pluto three times. The first occurred on September 15 while Venus was still moving forward; today the square is formed with Venus retrograde, and on December 9, once direct again, Venus will form her final square to Pluto.
With Venus in Scorpio, your values seek depth and intensity. With Venus also retrograde, that search is turned deeply inward. In the square to Pluto, you can expect to feel great pressure in some area where you have been compromising. You or another person may want to hold on very tightly, unwilling to give an inch. You may see exactly what you’ve been tolerating in a relationship or in how you are paid for your work. Jealousy or possessiveness may run high, challenging your desires and values. Consider deeply what you are no longer willing to tolerate.
Using the whole sign house system, find the houses in your natal chart that hold Scorpio and Aquarius. These are the two areas of your life where this tension is running. If you have planets in the early degrees of the fixed signs (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius), you will feel this most directly.
The Moon remains in Aquarius today, which is helpful in keeping your cool in the middle of this intensity. You may be able to see clearly and not have to react to it.
• What have you been tolerating that you no longer accept?
• What will you say no to today?
• Who or what are you holding too tightly?
Wednesday, October 21, 2026: Moon Enters Pisces
At 8:35 AM EDT, the Moon leaves Aquarius behind and enters Pisces. Here we move from an air sign to a water sign, and it is clear that emotional detachment is a thing of the past. With the Moon in Pisces, we feel everything around us. The boundaries between our feelings and the feelings of others grow thin. You may come home from the grocery store carrying the emotional difficulties the cashier was holding.
This is a good day to build on your own ability to feel compassion for others. Check in on someone who’s struggling, sit with a friend without trying to fix her situation. Pay attention to the music you are listening to and allow it to expand your heart. Sit by the ocean or a stream or take a hot bath; water is always so soothing when the moon is in Pisces.
- Are you carrying the feelings of others today?
- Where can you go to expand the softness of your interior life?
- How can you build compassion?
Thursday, October 22, 2026: Moon in Pisces
Today is a quiet day with the Moon drifting through Pisces all day. Allow a soft focus on yourself and everything around you. Don’t expect to pin down conversations or decisions. Allow your mind and heart to wander and don’t expect anything else from others. This is a day for rest.
The Moon in Pisces is also a great time for free-flowing creative activities that exist without ambition or expectations. Permit yourself to stare out the window and daydream or express your softer side through imaginative projects or play.
We are in the gibbous phase of the lunar cycle, which began with the Libra New Moon on October 10th. What began then, and what refinements could be made today? Let your imagination show you necessary small adjustments.
- Can you allow yourself to daydream freely today?
- What creative activity could express deep sensitivity?
Friday, October 23, 2026: Sun Enters Scorpio | Moon Enters Aries | Sun Conjunct Venus
I expect you may wake this morning feeling a bit unanchored. Everything feels different than yesterday. At 5:37 AM EDT, the Sun leaves Libra behind to enter Scorpio.
Scorpio season begins, and over the next month our attention turns toward what is hidden beneath the surface. Scorpio is the fixed water sign and holds the position of the middle of autumn. As the sun moves through the signs, each season is a combination of three signs: one cardinal, one fixed, and one mutable. Autumn begins in the Northern Hemisphere when the Sun enters Libra. Now we are in the middle of autumn throughout Scorpio season and come to the end of the season throughout the Sun’s path through Sagittarius. Scorpio holds the very deepest part of our emotional lives. There is great intensity here as well as fear and deep passion.
At 3:53 PM EDT, the Moon enters Aries and the fog of Pisces lifts. The Moon will remain in Aries for most of the weekend, and you will want an active weekend.
The entire day is building toward the conjunction of the Sun with retrograde Venus. This occurs at 11:44 PM EDT at 0° of Scorpio. This is the heart of Venus’s retrograde. Venus passes between the Earth and the Sun, and a new Venus cycle begins; Venus’s cycle lasts approximately 19 months. Tonight the Sun shines directly on what you have been excavating or reconsidering regarding your relationships or values since she turned retrograde on October 3. Pay attention to your current desires, as these are seeding the new cycle that will run over the next 19 months.
- What have you learned about your relationships, money, and values since October 3?
- What desires do you want to carry with you for the next 19 months?
- What are you ready to unearth from beneath the surface right now?
Saturday, October 24, 2026: Mercury Stations Retrograde | Moon in Aries
At 3:12 AM EDT, Mercury stations retrograde at 20° Scorpio. Mercury entered Scorpio on September 30 and has been pulling our minds into deep territory ever since. Over the coming weeks, it will move backward to 5° Scorpio and turn direct on November 13, the same day Venus turns direct. For the next three weeks, both Mercury and Venus are moving backwards together. Conversations from early October need to be revisited, and information you thought was settled turns out to have another layer that you must examine. Find the house in your natal chart that holds Scorpio. This is an area of your life where there is much reviewing and rethinking.
With the Moon in Aries all day, it is easy to get frustrated if anything tries to slow us down. When the Moon meets up with Saturn this morning, you may feel the brakes compress. Physical activity is the best way to keep frustration at bay today. Go for a run, a hearty hike, or work out at the gym.
- How can you use physical activity to manage impatience today?
- What projects, already started, will you prepare to finish in the coming weeks?
- What conversations from early October need to be revisited?
Sunday, October 25, 2026: Venus Enters Libra | Moon Enters Taurus
Before dawn, at 5:10 AM EDT, retrograde Venus backs out of Scorpio and returns to Libra, the sign she left on September 10th. She will finish her retrograde here, turning direct at 22° Libra on November 13. Venus rules Libra, and she is delighted to find herself back in this cardinal air sign. Now, Venus returns to the agreements and desires that had her attention in the last weeks of August and early September. Look back to that time and consider what agreements you made regarding relationships, money, or your personal resources. Those conversations and agreements will be revisited in the coming weeks.
The Moon spends most of today in Aries. We don’t have much patience and want things to move quickly. With the Moon in Aries, we can be blunt and short-tempered. The best way to work with this is to use your body in a direct, active manner. A workout or a physical project of some sort is a good plan.
At 7:34 pm EDT, the Moon leaves Aries and enters Taurus, where it builds through the day to the Full Moon shortly after midnight. When the Moon is in Taurus, we want steadfast comfort. Move slowly this evening and find ways to enjoy simple pleasures. With the Moon standing opposite the Sun in Scorpio, something is ready to come into view over the next 24 hours.
Sometimes it is hard to sleep during the full moon, but with the Moon in Taurus, try to build into the night as much comfort as possible. Make sure you have clean sheets on the bed and take a hot bath before climbing in.
• What will you start today while you have the energy?
• What did you agree to in late August that needs revisiting?
• How will you rest your body tonight?
Meet with Me In-Person at My New Office in Belfast, Maine
Everything is not fully set up yet, but if you want to meet with me in person, schedule your appointment for a Tuesday or Thursday and let me know you want an in-person meeting.
My office is in The Belfast Center (often called the Red & White Building) at 9 Field Street, Suite 326, Belfast, Maine.
I’m excited about meeting folks in person. This is something I have not done since before the pandemic, when I had an office in Saint Albans, Vermont.
Go ahead and schedule a time that works for you, whether in person or on Zoom.
Thanks, Laurie
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