gal-dem monthly horoscopes: renegotiate your relationships this Libra season
Have you broken up with any friends recently? Astrologer Marissa Malik wants you to reevaluate all of your close connections and get your house in order.
Marissa Malik
07 Oct 2020
Illustration by Nadia Akingbule
Libra season is here once again, signaling the start of the spookiest time of year – October! This is a month of death and rebirth but you should also be renegotiating relationships and learning how to embrace rest. A time for fighting frivolousness and questioning the root of our desire for attention.
There are some major planetary movements happening in October. Drama will be high, and our need for respite higher. The month begins with a fiery full moon in Aries that brings us to grips with the more hidden parts of ourselves; especially the anger we try to hide away. This lunation is especially potent given that Mars, the energetic planet that rules sex and anger, is retrograding all month. This pushes us to evaluate what we’re holding back and the parts of ourselves that feel like an overinflated helium balloon ready to pop at any moment.
On 13 October, Mercury joins Mars in a retrograde journey through the sky. Mercury retrogrades are always a time for introspection, reflection and generally slowing down. This time around, it’s retrograding through the ominous water sign Scorpio, calling our attention to matters of the heart and our longest standing relationships; romantic or otherwise. Be wary of past romances that pop up around this time. Remember that vampires can only enter when invited in…
A few days later, on 16 October, the new moon in Libra lays all our options in front of us, and encourages us to stand by our choices. Although this new moon happens amidst the fogginess of both Mercury and Mars retrogrades, it brings a sense of urgency and decisiveness.
Venus is spending the majority of this month moving through pragmatic Virgo, which helps to balance out the more flippant Libra season (cough, cuffing season) vibes that push us to jump from one love interest or impulse purchase to another. Venus in Virgo also tells us that a “spark” isn’t always enough to keep things going and that it’s important to adjust your standards to whatever your goals are in love and/or lust. Ask yourself: what does genuine connection feel like for me?
The Taurus full moon lights up the sky on the spookiest day of the year, 31 October! Given the way Uranus is connecting with the sun, and the general chaos that full moons love to catalyse; expect the unexpected. At the same time, don’t be afraid to get all dressed up just to eat snacks in your bed. Taurus energy is about being comfy, cute, and charming. What could be better for a halloween where there’s hardly anywhere to go?!
With all of this in mind, here are my thoughts for each of the signs this month.
HOROSCOPES
Libra & Libra Rising
Happy solar return Libra! Your season is finally here, and filled with enough drama for you to star in your own series of Real Housewives. Your sky this October wants you to focus on figuring out what you need to save for yourself. As an air sign that loves socialising and connecting with people who have drastically different perspectives than you, it can sometimes only be in hindsight that you release you’ve given too much of yourself to others. Whether it’s one personal anecdote too much or the brunch that broke the camel’s back, October wants you to go inward BEFORE your extrovert spoons run out.
Your ruling planet Venus enters detail-oriented Virgo on 2 October, setting a tone for you to be more discerning in love than usual. Yes, you have the ability to get along with everyone, but it’s then up to you to choose what you want out of your relationships. Let that guide the “narrowing down” process of cuffing season for you, but follow your gut above all else.
On 13 October Mercury begins its retrograde through side-eye Scorpio. This transit lasts through the rest of the month and encourages you to look at the material world and think about which of your possessions really matter to you. Which are the ones you can’t live without? The ones that make anywhere you go home? This retrograde will also ask you what your priorities are at work and to tweak them based on your new needs. The Taurus full moon on 31 October plans on bringing your love life into center stage. Look out for any big asks happening from situationships or partners around this time.
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Scorpio & Scorpio Rising
It’s okay to not know the origins of your moodiness. Your emotions are going to pull you like a strong riptide this month and it won’t always be comfy. Luckily you’re not one to shy away from a challenge, Scorpio. Amid the fogginess, October is set to help you find a new pace in romance and create separation between your personal relationships and work connections too.
On 13 October, a Mercury retrograde cycle begins. This one is especially significant being that this planet of communication is going to be retrograding backwards through your sign! Mercury is emphasising the need for you to commit to personal reflection and rest this month. If you can’t seem to catch pace with where your emotions take you, make your Plan A to head home and relax. Escape the bustle of the city (if that’s where you usually are) if possible. Trade in your Saturday morning email frenzy for a long walk in the park. Let nostalgia come and go without judgement and reminisce with your closest pals. Be sure not to judge any low productivity levels you’re operating at during this time – one of your planetary rulers Mars is retrograde all month, too!
The Taurus full moon on 31 October illuminates a zone of your sky that focuses on your romantic partnerships and closest bonds. Seek out indications of endings during this lunation but don’t make any snap decisions. It will still be a Mercury Retrograde period when this moon shines its light.
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Sagittarius & Sagittarius Rising
Libra season is revitalising you. Are you ready to reconnect with your community, Sag? You’ve got a lot to say most of the time and Libra season is pushing you to let your voice be heard by the right people. This is a time where you’re seeking like minded folks to bond with and cultivate new communities where they lack. You’ve got the leadership skills, now is your chance to let them shine.
Venus, planet of aesthetics and charisma, moves into Virgo on 2 October, pushing you to let your presence be felt by others. This is a push towards constructive extrovertedness. An invitation for you to come out of your studio and emerge into the spotlight. Don’t be afraid to stimulate conversation and connection in your workplace and social circles. Then on 13 October when communicator Mercury begins its retrograde in Scorpio, your ability to go inwards and embrace the more esoteric sides of your thought process will shine. Be sure to balance how much of your musings you share with others, and which bits belong in your journal.
The full moon in Taurus on 31 October arrives ready to recalibrate your routine in surprising ways! You’re set to feel this lunation pretty intensely in your body, too. Dance, stretch or lay on the sofa. Do what feels good for you to get through it.
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Capricorn & Capricorn Rising
It’s hustle time, Capricorn. I mean, you somehow always manage to make it hustle time, but a key feature of your Libra season is the way you’re ready to level up. You’re able to see just as many obstacles as you do opportunities in front of you in work and career matters. Now, all you have to do is say yes to the challenge and not expect overnight results.
On 13 October, Mercury begins to retrograde backwards in the sky through intense and emotional water sign Scorpio. This transit is pushing you to reevaluate what your role is within your wider political community, and recalibrate your dreams relationally. Perhaps it’s time to release the reins on a project you’ve been hell bent on championing, or fight imposter syndrome by claiming space where you know you have the expertise to do a good job. Take your time in this evaluation. Mercury retrograde lasts through November, so you’ve got time to mull it all over.
On 16 October, the Libra full moon brings in new work opportunities that might feel a bit fraught. Don’t sign any contracts or say yes right away. Something that sounds too good to be true might just be that. On 31 October, the full moon in Taurus lights up a fun-loving zone of your sky that wants you to take the night off, and dance under the moonlight.
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Aquarius & Aquarius Rising
Don’t let your curiosity get the best of you this Libra season! Libra is a fellow air sign and the winds of its season are stimulating your mind in a way that restores the sense of wonder you have for the world. Leave no stone unturned but keep track of the time while you wander. It’s so easy to live in your own reality this October – and you should to some extent! Just don’t forget about the people around you who want you to be present for them.
Mars is currently retrograding through a zone of your sky that rules friendship and communication. This is putting focus on how much time you give to others and what your goals in friendship are. Don’t be afraid to emphasise your platonic connections and seek out ways of building them that fall outside the range of your usual tactics.
Mercury begins to retrograde through water sign Scorpio on 13 October, pushing you into introspection in your career matters. When things get difficult, it’s essential to remember that while your friends and community have your back, you have to show up for them too.
On 31 October, the Taurus full moon lights up the sky with a bang. It’s connection with your ruling planet Uranus is an intense one. Expect matters of the home to jump to the forefront of your mind. Blood doesn’t always run thicker than water.
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Pisces & Pisces Rising
You have to believe someone when they say they aren’t going anywhere, Pisces. Your gut instincts are strong but you can’t live in the subtext of people’s words. This Libra season is pushing you to confront the fears you have in your long term relationships where you feel deeper matters of the heart are at stake.
Love planet Venus moves into your opposite sign Virgo, emphasising the boundaries you do (or don’t) have in your intimate relationships. Respecting your time is just as important as respecting your lover’s time. In true Virgo style consider the quality over the quantity of time you’re spending. Don’t be afraid to say no to them if you’re going to miss that deadline or need to check in on your bestie.
Mercury retrograde in Scorpio begins on 13 October. This haunting transit is moving through a zone of your sky that asks you to step back into your research practice. Chip away at your backlog of moodboards, documentaries and books. Now that the frazzle of summer is over it’s time to hunker down and memorise all of those weird facts you love spewing at dinner parties.
The new moon in Libra on 16 October is a great time to put new relationship boundaries in place and clarify any confusion happening with your boo. Then, on 31 October, the Taurus moon functions as a celebration of friendshi and gratitude for the people in your life who hold you down.
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Aries & Aries Rising
How much energy have you been giving others lately? Are there parts of yourself you’re exposing just because it’s easier? You’re a bottomless pool of comments, questions and ideas, but that doesn’t mean that you should mechanically spout them like a fountain that exists for other people’s entertainment. Libra season is challenging you to monitor your voice and be picky with who you share yourself with.
Your month begins with a bang as the harvest moon in your sign illuminates the sky on 1 October. This lunation is yours, Aries. It marks an important moment for you to release trifling narratives and intrusive thoughts that push you towards self doubt. Pay attention to events occurring around this time as they reveal future emotional patterns that will come up for you in the coming months.
Mercury retrograde begins on 13 October and uproots past difficulties in long term relationships that have come and gone. Expect calls and texts from exes and be wary of your propensity to BE that ex. Write affirmations that remind you of the reality of what past events were (and weren’t) to keep the rose-tinted glasses at bay. Read them out loud when you’re feeling enticed by past desire.
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Taurus & Taurus Rising
You can’t be everywhere at once. Running around isn’t always a sign that you’re operating at your most generative. The winds of Libra season have you itching to move your body and indulge in sensations that stimulate your senses, but are you planning your path before expending energy you can’t easily get back?
Your ruling planet Venus enters Virgo at the beginning of the month, setting a firm pace in your creativity and stimulating your lust for stability. Put plans in place that cement new routines, especially ones that have to do with how you express love and pleasure. Treat time away from your lover(s) with intention. Regular journaling and sketching might be helpful for organising your thoughts too.
The Mercury retrograde cycle that begins on 13 October has you reevaluating past partnerships that didn’t work out the way you had planned. Remember that not everything has to be transformed into a lesson. It’s valid to just mourn and say to yourself “wow, that sucked”. Let the silver linings show themselves later.
The full moon in your sign on 31 October wants to push you out of your comfort zone to discover parts of you that you usually let lay dormant. Try on that outfit sitting in the back of your closet. Most importantly, be honest with yourself.
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Gemini & Gemini Rising
You love being surrounded by escape routes and Libra season’s flighty air sign energy facilitates this easily. But your challenge this October is to stop yourself from centering pleasure around having options. It’s time to focus on what’s in front of you, Gemini. Be in the moment with your bae or flash of passion you’re having with yourself.
Pleasure planet Venus’s move into Virgo on 2 October reminds you of the classic “quality over quantity” lesson that can sometimes escape you, especially in matters of the home. Focus on reigning in your chosen family and working on existing bonds. Everyone wants your attention, but not everyone deserves it.
Your ruling planet Mercury begins its retrograde through ever-intense Scorpio on 13 October, making you aware of the lapses in your routine. Old habits die hard and some might start to resurface around this time. When you find yourself seeking the comfort of nostalgia, listen to your favourite teenage playlists; don’t dive back into your favourite teenage coping mechanisms.
The Taurus full moon falls on Halloween this year! As this cosmic event lights up an especially spooky zone of your sky, look out for messages from the other side that could come your way. Your ancestors are keen to speak to you. It’s up to you to hold the line.
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Cancer & Cancer Rising
Are you at home in your own thoughts Cancer? Or are you spending too much time building homes for other people to be comfortable in? Community care is crucial, as is the love you share with your peers and close friends. The Western world focuses on using individualism as a driving force behind capitalism. But when you extend care as an act of avoidance, it creates new fires to put out. Libra season wants you to find balance between being a creator for yourself and a carer for others.
Mercury begins its retrograde through fellow water sign Scorpio on 13 October, sending you through deep nostalgia about all the blissful joy your life has been filled with. Don’t tinge the edges of these memories with “what if” and “if only”. Let them inform your path forward, especially in artistic matters. Flip through old sketchbooks and reactivate the inner artist you’ve been ignoring lately for more practical matters.
The new moon in Libra on 16 October is a chance for you to expel stagnant energy in your home and revitalise your space. Tidy to your heart’s content and rearrange your furniture until you fall asleep on the sofa. The full moon in Taurus on 31 October brings a big realisation about your role in friendship groups you’re part of. Pay attention to how and when you socialise on this lunation!
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Leo & Leo Rising
Words mean things, Leo. The sweet nothings you’re keen to whisper in people’s ears are your enemy this Libra season. It’s one thing to sweeten your tone to help your friend through their healing but another to betray yourself for the sake of reducing conflict. Your loyalty may be fierce but you face trials when it comes to expressing honest truths when you know they may not be received well.
Pluto ends its retrograde through Capricorn on 4 October, bringing attention to shifts in your routine that have slowly crept in over the last six months. Some of these changes have brought you into a new relationship with your body, but others have disrupted your flow and ability to get boring life-admin type things done. Use this month to recalibrate what needs to stay and what needs to go, especially around the new moon in Libra on 16 October.
From 13 October, Mercury is retrograde in ever-intense water sign Scorpio. As this communication planet travels backwards through a zone of your sky that rules your inner world and the home, you’re asked to rest and retreat. Spend plenty of time enjoying your space and bonding with your bed. On 31 October, the full moon in Taurus wants you to emerge refreshed and ready to reclaim your space in the spotlight.
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Virgo & Virgo Rising
It’s okay to want more, Virgo. Your pragmatism shouldn’t stop you from experiencing abundance! This doesn’t just mean topping up your online shopping cart – it means indexing, writing, planning and research. Holding yourself and others to standards that don’t just satisfy you, but elate you. Libra season wants you to reach for more and stop limiting your vision. Let yourself run away with your dreams for once, then hone in on the core of what you desire if every element isn’t attainable.
Venus, ruler of romance and materiality, is spending most of October in your sign. This adds a boost to your charisma and helps you sweeten any deals you’re currently negotiating. It also encourages you to indulge and lavish in pleasures you don’t always afford yourself. Order that cheese board and book that massage.
Your ruling planet Mercury begins its retrograde through moody Scorpio on 13 October; initiating a time for you to revisit your communication style with friends and peers. Have there been moments where you wish you’d held your tongue or not given unwarranted advice? Don’t dwell in embarrassment; just be proactive about what you want out of your relationships and how communication functions within them. The Taurus full moon on 31 October pushes you to dive deeper into your research; whatever that may be! Let your curiosity drive you in any direction you fancy for once.
Learn more about gal-dem’s monthly horoscopes
gal-dem horoscopes: this Spring Equinox, move forward with clarity and intention
This aquarius season is all about moving forward
gal-dem horoscopes: ease into the new year this Capricorn season
gal-dem horoscopes: dim the noise and be intentional this Sagittarius season
