INTERPERSONAL BOOT CAMP
The September 28th New Moon in Libra set a clear theme for October: relationships. As Venus, Sun, Mars and Moon take turns squaring Pluto and Saturn, we are being poked and prodded to resist temptations to emotionally manipulate and, instead, upgrade our capacity for graceful negotiation and humble resolution of differences. The good news: October provides the exact blend of poise and penetration we will need to pull this off.
Bewitched by the Libran ideal of harmlessness, ego cheapens and numbs our relationships with terrified niceness. Upon seeing this, it’s tempting to “make up for lost time” and confess wildly. October is our chance to get a running start at balancing these Libra/Scorpio extremes before Mercury retrograde in Scorpio coats the tip of our tongue with snake venom on the 31st. A stellar time for a Relationship Reading.
First step: build up our equanimity muscle. To this end, Libra and Scorpio have teamed up to turn October into a rigorous, interpersonal boot camp. Nervous? No need. The following archetypal protein powder should get you ripped and ready.
Somatic Scriptures
October hosts the transition from Libra into Scorpio. To better understand this symbolic sea change, let’s look at the body parts these two signs “rule,” or correspond to. Yes, the body is a two-legged Bible– a stack of somatic scriptures.
Libra rules the kidneys– or, what I like to call the “team cleaners.” They tirelessly rectify toxic imbalances, delivering harmony and balance to the entire body. In what form do the kidneys perform this kind-hearted house cleaning? In pairs– pointing us to the ego-purifying function of interpersonal relationship. Without the steady, humbling feedback of Libran soul-mirrors, our Aries Ego is awash with subjectivity and offensive, ill-timed identity-grabs. Even monks need sangha.
Scorpio, on the other hand, rules the genitals and all the shadowy orifices of the body. Scorpio knows that somewhere in those mysterious, shadowy depths is a psychic “skin” that is so sensitive that, if you manage to penetrate and touch it, an intensely intimate, transformational process will be set in motion. In this way, our inner “shadow hound” deepens “peace-at-any-price” Libran love to include the instinctual and the unconfessed.
Now we can better articulate what October is asking of us:
How artfully can you blend Libran harmony and poise with Scorpionic confession and instinctual congruity?
Om-ing through October
One thing’s for sure: due to the succession of squares between Sun/Venus/Mercury/Mars and Pluto/Saturn, we will stumble. During Plutonic “transform or die” moments, ego sees only two options:
1) Seize psychic control by suspiciously digging into others to get to the truth, followed by a stone-faced stare (lower octave Scorpio).
2) Avoid instinctual congruity and hard truths altogether via polite obfuscation and manipulative “kindness” (lower octave Libra).
Extremes like these are forgivable. What matters is, How quickly can we restore the grace/grit balance?
Here’s a few archetypal self-inquiries to get you started:
1) Scorpio: Confess your #MeToo Monster
Ask: How often, in the name of “intimate realness,” do I penetrate too deep and too fast?” How often do I fail to avert my rape-like gaze and tame my stingy use of tongue?
Still hiding behind veiled sarcasm and an intimidating stare? Consider: The scars of psychic rape are insidiously subtle and– compared to physical rape– may actually take longer to heal.
Still cocky about your capacity to smell incongruity and “out” it with intimidating confrontation, instead of shrewd-guiding compassion? Time to consult a counselor (or a psychologically savvy friend) to help you feel yourself free of the wounds that are fueling this intimacy-killing defense mechanism.
2) Libra: Avoidance is Aggressive!
Ask: Do I “outgrow” relationships or do they slowly shrivel from my lack of instinctual congruity and psychological nakedness? How much interpersonal integrity do I have if I’m not willing to confess when I get lazy, filling my relationships with mediocre, time-filling fodder? If my uncommunicated feelings and desires migrate into others in the form of haunting incongruity, am I not being backhandedly violent?
Still hiding behind a heady facsimile of fairness? Still attached to obfuscating charm? October says, better to rape and repent.
Oct 13th Full Moon in Aries:
Resiliency or Re-set?
This Sun/Moon opposition activates the Aries/Libra (self/other) polarity. Squared by shadow-outing Pluto, this full Moon takes place during the exact opposition between Venus and Uranus. A question is posed:
Are your relationships resilient enough to absorb a transformational shock? Are they strong enough to convert the eruption of a previously submerged truth or emotion into a deeper, more enlivening bond?
If not, Venus/Uranus has a reputation for sudden endings and/or a complete redefining of the relationship’s form.
Single? Ready to jump in and give someone the power to hurt you? Hats off to you for trusting life. And good timing. This mid-month Venus/Uranus opposition has the power to open you to extraordinary, new connections that rearrange your life. Is it sustainable? It will take a good six weeks for that answer to dawn. For now, think of it more like a revolution than construction project. And, yes, this creatively disruptive transit can play out politically, as well.
Oct 27th New Moon in Scorpio
Judicious Change
This Sun/Moon conjunction in Scorpio opposes (once again) upsetting/enlivening Uranus. At the same time, Venus/Mercury trines Neptune and Mars forms a square to Saturn. Is the dust still settling after your Full Moon jolt two weeks ago? This New Moon should deliver the clarity you need to move forward.
Time to ask:
What do I need to let go of in order to free myself– to more completely individuate and birth my next cycle of life?
Prime time to rededicate yourself to a cherished partner or redefine your agreements to allow for more individuation and free expression.
Warning: There is a tension here between the New Moon’s square to Mars and its dreamy trine to Venus/Neptune. Beware of pent-up bursts into some idealized vision of love or freedom. We are only days away from Mercury retrograde. Time for a sober, judicious opening into a new life.
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