Astrology for October 2024 is marked by significant planetary movements, creating a mix of challenges, introspection, and opportunities for growth. It is a dynamic blend of upheavals, revelations, and opportunities for healing and progress and encourages breaking free from the past while preparing for new beginnings.
October begins with the effects of a solar eclipse on October 2nd, setting the tone for new beginnings. This period is about embracing change, even if it means stepping out of your comfort zone and shedding old habits and relationships. It's a time to reconsider long-term goals and find new paths forward.
With Jupiter going retrograde on October 9th, it's a time for slowing down and reassessing your approach to growth, travel, and education. Instead of pursuing new ventures, focus on refining current strategies.
On October 12th, Mercury's entry into Scorpio deepens communication and prompts us to dig into unresolved issues, especially around personal transformation. This transit encourages introspection, which might uncover hidden truths.
From October 14th to 17th, Venus brings disruptions, but also healing. It will be opposing Uranus, so expect surprises in love and money. Breakups or breakthroughs are possible. Then Venus trines Neptune around mid-month, softening the chaos with a romantic, dreamy vibe. There’s a focus on healing and compassion.
The Full Moon in Aries occurs on October 17th bringing intense energy, highlighting career matters and personal goals. It also calls for balance in relationships and between emotional needs and professional ambitions. Expect tensions to rise, but this energy can also push you to resolve long-standing issues.
Holidays
In October, several pagan holidays are celebrated, reflecting the changing seasons and the deep connection with nature. These festivals blend traditions from Celtic, Norse, and other pagan cultures, all centered around the themes of transition, the harvest, and honoring the ancestors and spirits. Here are some key ones:
Winter Nights (around mid-October) is an ancient Norse festival celebrated by modern heathens and pagans. It marks the arrival of winter and is a time to honor the ancestors and spirits, particularly the Disir, female spirits associated with fate and protection.
Festival of the Wild Hunt (October 31st): In some traditions, Samhain also coincides with the myth of the Wild Hunt, where spirits and deities like Odin or Herne the Hunter are believed to ride through the sky. This festival celebrates this mythic event and is linked to honoring the dead and protection from malevolent spirits.
Samhain (October 31st - November 1st)**: Samhain is one of the most significant pagan festivals, marking the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter. It is a time to honor ancestors, reflect on mortality, and celebrate the thinning of the veil between the worlds of the living and the dead. Samhain is also considered the pagan New Year by many traditions, particularly within Wicca and Celtic paganism.
Halloween
The origins of Halloween trace back thousands of years to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, celebrated on October 31st. This festival marked the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter, a time when the boundary between the living and the dead is thinnest. Spirits roam the earth and people would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off harmful entities.
When the Romans conquered Celtic territories, they incorporated their own festivals into Samhain, including Feralia, a day to honor the dead, and Pomona, a festival dedicated to the Roman goddess of fruit and trees. This may have influenced the tradition of bobbing for apples.
With the spread of Christianity, the Church sought to replace pagan festivals with Christian observances. Pope Gregory III designated November 1st as All Saints' Day, or All Hallows' Day, a time to honor saints and martyrs. The night before, All Hallows' Eve, evolved into Halloween.
In the U.S., Halloween became more commercialized in the 20th century, evolving into the celebration we recognize today with costumes, trick-or-treating, and spooky decorations. The secular aspects of Halloween now dominate, though the holiday retains elements of its ancient roots in honoring the dead and confronting fears about the afterlife.