I am out of New Jersey and temporarily settled in Quebec. It was an adventure moving during an eclipse along with Mercury retrograde.  Autumn in Quebec is beautiful and being on sacred grounds and in the company of good friends is more than worth the stress of the move.We all survived the eclipse, Mercury retrograde, and the very long station of Mars in Scorpio. The planets are actually in better locations at the moment, but it can take awareness  to feel the positive shift as there is always a bit of a fall-out from the action of Mars being retrograde and stationed in the same corner of the constellation belt for a long period of time.

Mars spent almost eight months in the sign of Scorpio accompanied by Saturn. Scorpio is the sign of desires, and this sign can be very intense.  Saturn is not a planet which will easily satisfy our desires, and Mars does not like to be thwarted… nor does he care for the quality of patience. Across the planet, people have been frustrated and angry, with far too many making decisions based on anger and frustration.  In other words, it is clean-up time for many as they look to put their own houses back in order.

At the moment, Mars is in the sign of Sagittarius which is a good sign for Mars; from Sagittarius, he will move into his sign of exaltation, Capricorn, on November 1st.  In Capricorn, Mars will be able to actually get back to what he likes which is achievement of goals.  The challenge until November 1st is that Mars is aspecting the sign of Gemini which can negatively impact the nervous system. Autumn is known in Ayurveda as “Vata” season which will strengthen the element of air within the mundane world.

While the planetary weather is vastly improved, when compared to the rest of 2016, it is hard to feel the improvement if the nervous system is so stressed out that one can’t relax or let go of worry. This stress will only increase if we allow the high level of vata/air to increase the fire of anger.  This is a time to consciously take steps to work with the nervous system via herbs, exercise, healthy/grounding food, and meditation.  It is always a good idea to pay attention to our nervous systems during Autumn, but this Autumn it might be even more important to do so and that includes appointments with health care professionals if need be – it makes no sense to carry the challenges of the past cycle into the next one.

Venus moves into the sign of Scorpio on the 13th of October and could increase creativity as well as romance. Venus is capable of softening the edges of Saturn still in Scorpio. The Full Moon is on the 15th and will be an active one due to Mars influencing it. It takes place in the signs of Pisces and Virgo which includes a Jupiter/Mercury conjunction.  Take some time over the weekend to enjoy the energy and get out into the crisp, clean air of Autumn.

On the 17th the Sun moves into Libra which is not its best placement — and the ego wants to rule the day — but the neutral mind and heart are stronger, especially if we’ve taken care of our nervous systems.   The 19th will feature the Moon and Saturn in opposition which can be a calmer energy especially if one chooses to be patient and thoughtful.  It is helpful to stay watchful over negative thoughts and insecurity.  The weekend with Mars aspecting the Moon on the 20th, 21st and 22nd  are days when the nervous system may be challenged, and anger could rear its head. If one is planning on getting a massage, one of those three days might be a good day to schedule an appointment.

The 17th to the 22nd might be the most challenging days in the month of October.  No matter how stressful it feels, it is good to remember that it does not really compare to this past summer.  Being in charge of our own minds leads to right perception and perception is a key factor in living a good life!