By Amanda Painter

Full Moons and New Moons tend to carry more weight in astrology writing. Yet this weekend’s first quarter Moon happens to connect with one of the more important aspects we’re building up to, as does another event this week.

What’s in the dark under that rock? Mercury in Scorpio wants to find out. Photo by Amanda Painter.

On Saturday, the Capricorn Moon squares off against the Libra Sun. That’s the quarter Moon, traditionally describing an opportunity to lean into projects and processes you can build some early momentum with.

Yet the Moon will also be conjunct its own South Node and the planet Saturn. The South Node can represent what is familiar, ‘comfortable’ and habitual in a way that does not help us to grow. You can also think of it as karma: repeated patterns that we’re trying to learn from, so we can move on toward a greater sense of lived purpose. Saturn, of course, holds the line of authority, responsibility, limits and restrictions. Its presence also connects this quarter Moon to the Saturn-Pluto conjunction in January.

The Moon conjunct the South Node and Saturn looks a little like an emotional withdrawal into the experience of these themes; that is, an interior sense of what you may feel is holding you back. Yet the Sun is squaring this cluster from expressive, active, intellectual, balance-seeking Libra.

Along with the kind of tension that may spur you to get moving on a project, this square also suggests a question: where is the point of balance between your need to express and gratify your own aims and desires, and your responsibility to others? Perhaps even more importantly, did you feel an awareness of guilt or habits of self-restriction begin cascading in the moment you even read that question?

We all have adult responsibilities to others that we cannot in good conscience ignore; to do so would actually undermine our own process of growth and maturity, and of taking true authority in our lives. Yet any time guilt is cropping up that’s a signal to pay attention.

This may be most true of guilt that we use to preemptively avoid even approaching making a new choice, or which prevents us from questioning whether certain restrictions are real and ironclad. There’s a good chance it points to some authoritarian voice from the past that we’ve internalized and might be misapplying to a current situation.

Squares are not described as an aspect of negotiation; that is the realm of oppositions. Squares are the aspect of taking action to release tension, which leads to integrating what is represented by the two sides of the square. Yet it’s entirely possible that in taking action to move past some kind of self-restriction that you’d assumed was being imposed over you — and in questioning any guilt or habitual, automatic self-restrictions — you may put yourself in a position to negotiate some new boundaries and discover a new sense of equilibrium. You create a little more room within yourself for you, through claiming some new space for yourself in the world. And vice versa.

Note that the first quarter Moon occurs against the backdrop of three other notable planetary changes this week. Two of these occur today: Pluto stationing direct in Capricorn early this morning, and then Mercury ingressing Scorpio a couple hours later, at 4:14 am EDT (8:14:07 UTC).

Pluto’s station direct sends it on its last leg of approach to the January 12, 2020, meeting with Saturn. Things are getting realer and realer — potentially with the quickly moving impeachment inquiry just begun by the U.S. House against Pres. Trump, as well as with your own personal concerns. This weekend’s quarter Moon might even indicate some small but important step to putting yourself in a better position to meet the events of January.

Mercury entering Scorpio puts it in the sign of its next retrograde. That occurs from Oct. 31 through Nov. 20. You have one week before the pre-retrograde echo or shadow phase begins — though Mercury in this sign could describe more ability than usual to home in on what you most need to understand and communicate to prepare for the retrograde. Think in terms of getting under the surfaces of things, grasping and conveying deep insights, and not mincing words if efficiency and impact are crucial.

Tomorrow, Mars enters Libra at 12:22 am EDT (4:21:50 UTC). This is one of those ‘funny’ Mars placements, in that signs ruled by Venus are not easy places for Mars to be. It can describe enthusiasm and an active approach to relationships, but also can express as less self-directed than in other signs. For example, natives with Mars in Libra are said to be motivated by the encouragement and appreciation of others. That’s generally a boost to anyone, no matter their Mars sign; but there’s a suggestion here that without a cheering squad, Martian initiative can be harder to access in Libra.

Who are your allies currently? Who can you count on to recognize your achievements and to remind you that your efforts are meaningful? In what ways can you offer that moral support to those you care about? True, the esteem of others is not a replacement for faith in yourself, or for harnessing your own desire and initiative, but it can be a useful piece of the puzzle. We all do get by with a little help from our friends.

Mars in Libra can also swing between “as meek as a lamb and as angry as a hornet,” to quote astrologer Isabel Hickey. I’ve seen this in action. And as Mars closes in on its opposition to Chiron in Aries (exact on Tuesday, Oct. 8), you’ll want to pay particular attention to how you’re responding to confrontations of any kind. As Eric is exploring in his brief essay for Monday, there’s a reminder here to take time to understand what you actually want, and what the other person is bringing to the situation.

Negotiations are not about who has the strongest reaction (despite what the Twitter rants of a certain Commander in Chief might suggest). They’re about listening and finding the common ground that can allow a solution to emerge. This takes honesty about what you want, and about what you’re willing to offer or to go without; it also requires the willingness to understand the other person’s point of view with some compassion or empathy.

Compassion and empathy are not the same as people-pleasing or wanting to be liked. Rather than detaching you from your truth for the sake of what you think others want, these actions build a bridge made of honesty and respect for oneself and for the other. As with so much else lately, this week’s astrology appears to be about getting ever more real.

My autumn readings, called In These Times, offer a place of refuge, an opportunity to suspend self-judgment, and my careful reading of the charts. I offer you reasons to be motivated, and strategies for handling the strange complexity of society at this time. To this work, I bring all of what I have learned as a journalist, editor, astrologer, spiritual student and man of the world; and I offer it to you for an affordable price. Read more here.

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