Photo: Partial Solar Eclipse on October 14, 2023, by Gary Palmer from Arizona, USA.
Written and Narrated by Pam Younghans.
Watch video version on YouTube
Current and previous weeks astrological overviews
Astrological Overview: October 16 - 22, 2023
Astrologer Pam Younghans writes this weekly astrological journal based on planetary influences, and offers perspectives and insights to assist you in making the best use of current energies. This column is not intended as prediction. Your own experience will be more specifically defined by transits to your personal chart.
Aspects of Note this Week:
All times listed are Pacific Daylight Time. For Eastern Time, add 3 hours; For Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), add 7 hours.
Monday: No major aspects are exact today
Tuesday: Mercury quincunx Uranus
Wednesday: Sun opposite Eris, Sun conjunct South Node, Mercury opposite Eris, Sun quincunx Neptune, Mercury conjunct South Node
Thursday: Mercury quincunx Neptune, Sun conjunct Mercury
Friday: Mercury square Pluto
Saturday: Sun square Pluto, Venus trine Jupiter, Mercury enters Scorpio
Sunday: Mercury trine Saturn, Venus sesquiquadrate Pluto
*****
ECLIPSE PASSAGEWAY: We are now in that two-week period between eclipses, when life takes on a surreal quality and we can feel adrift in time and space. It is as if we have one foot in the past and one in the future while we await the arrival of the second eclipse. The closing event of the current eclipse season, a partial but powerful Lunar Eclipse/Full Moon on October 28, will hopefully help reinstate a sense of inner cohesion and stabilize our footing as we continue on our evolutionary path.
Please note that although we usually feel the strongest impact of an eclipse around the date of its occurrence, eclipses actually affect our timeline for at least the next six months, until the next set of eclipses occurs. Specifically, there may be events related to the themes of our October eclipses about three months from now, when the Sun has moved 90 degrees and forms a square angle to the degree of each eclipse (on January 11 and January 25, 2024).
FINDING BALANCE AMID CONTROVERSY: As we move through the coming week, our ability to stay in balance is tested. Issues of fairness and equal treatment arise, people may be especially impulsive and reactive, and it can be hard not to take sides, even if we generally prefer to maintain neutrality.
This influence will be strongest from Wednesday through Saturday. Over this four-day period, the Sun and Mercury will align in justice-seeking Libra, and both planets will conjoin the karmic South Node, oppose controversy-stirring Eris, be quincunx enigmatic Neptune, and then square catalytic Pluto.
This combination of planetary energies accelerates the news cycle and draws our attention to matters ruled by Libra: courts of law, trials, and litigation; artists and musicians, partnerships and alliances, contracts, and negotiations. A wide variety of opinions is offered for us to choose from, compelling us to discern our own truth, versus what we may be told is the reality. What has been hidden comes to the surface, a disruptive but necessary process.
EVOLUTIONARY DIRECTIVE: Since the Moon's nodal axis is involved in the dynamics this week, this is a good time to revisit some of the evolutionary directives involved in having the North Node in Aries and the South Node in Libra. However, while we want to be "aiming" for the highest expression of that Aries North Node, it will important to be very self-aware this week; with reactionary Eris now at the same degree as the North Node, some may respond with over-the-top behaviors.
In brief, here is a review of the shadow traits we are called to leave behind and the higher-frequency qualities we are meant to develop in this eighteen-month period while the nodal axis travels through the Aries/Libra polarity:
-
From co-dependency, hyperawareness of others ... to independence, self-awareness
-
From seeing life through others' eyes ... to trusting our own instincts
-
From focusing on external harmony ... to making internal balance the top priority
-
From needing exact reciprocity ... to basing our well-being on our inner alignment
-
From the need for external approval and respect ... to taking risks based on our own knowing
-
From being indecisive and needing to justify our choices ... to acting on intuition and not needing to explain or defend
DAILY ASPECTS: Here are my brief interpretations of this week's most important planetary aspects:
Monday
No major aspects are exact today.
Tuesday
Mercury quincunx Uranus: Thinking may be disorganized today and plans could be disrupted. This compels us to access our intuition rather than solely using our minds to figure things out.
Wednesday & Thursday
Sun opposite Eris, Sun conjunct South Node, Mercury opposite Eris, Mercury conjunct South Node, Sun quincunx Neptune, Mercury quincunx Neptune, Sun conjunct Mercury: It may be hard to find our balance with these energies, especially if we rely on external information or relationships to provide the right amount of ballast. This very complex group of aspects may trigger some important insights, if we go within for our answers instead of seeking them from without.
Friday
Mercury square Pluto: Secrets can be revealed with this aspect, provoking intense discussions and arguments.
Saturday
Sun square Pluto: Relationship and legal dramas continue to be in the spotlight through the weekend.
Venus trine Jupiter: We have opportunities to reconnect with loved ones and to bring peace and order to a personal situation.
Mercury enters Scorpio: While Mercury is in the sign of The Scorpion and The Eagle, from October 21 to November 9, we are drawn to discuss deeper subjects and seek to learn about our own and others' motivations. We are more likely to divulge secrets and to be brutally honest about our feelings with this transit.
Sunday
Mercury trine Saturn: Conversations flow more easily today, as each person takes responsibility for their own perspectives and emotions.
Venus sesquiquadrate Pluto: Relationships stumble if either person has feelings that have not been openly addressed. These feelings may unconsciously affect interactions, manifesting either through pointed criticism or as emotional distance.
*****
IF YOUR BIRTHDAY IS THIS WEEK: Your mind and use of words are highlighted this year, making this a good time to teach, write, or learn something new. You should have plenty of discipline to utilize in studying a subject, planning a class, or creating the outline for a book. However, there may be times when you realize you have idealistically taken on more than you can reasonably handle, and that you need to regain your balance by focusing on your spiritual life or by taking better care of your physical well-being. If your birthday is in the last half of this coming week (Friday-Sunday), you are also experiencing a major personal transformation in 2023, one that will not complete until early in 2024 and will have ripple effects in your life for years to come. (Solar Return Sun conjunct Mercury, trine Saturn, quincunx Neptune, square Pluto, opposite Eris)
*****
SOLAR MONTH CLASS: My class covering the Month of Scorpio is set for Monday, October 23! This class will take a closer look at the planetary aspects we'll be working with from October 23 to November 22. Each Solar Month class includes a brief teaching to help you understand your own chart and transits, and offers time for people to ask questions about their personal charts. In October's class, teaching will focus on how to know where the October 28 Lunar Eclipse will occur in your own chart and how it may affect your life. As always, the class will be recorded for those who cannot attend live. To learn more or to register, please visit: https://events.humanitix.com/solar-month-class-scorpio-2023
INSTAGRAM: If you frequent Instagram, I invite you to check out my daily astrological updates: https://www.instagram.com/pamyounghans/
*****
TRANSLATION and AUDIO/VIDEO VERSION: This weekly Journal is now recorded (in English) AND the text is transcribed into 30 languages! You'll see a row of flags under "Available Languages" in the upper right. And, there are options to listen to the audio (in English) or watch a video directly beneath the photo (see top of page).
The Journal entry is usually updated by Sunday evening, with the recordings appearing late Sunday or by Monday depending on your time zone. Please share this information with those who might benefit.
*****
For previous weeks of the Astrological Journal, click here.
*****
About the Author
Pam Younghans is a professional astrologer, editor, and writer. She lives in a log home northeast of Seattle, Washington with her beloved animal companions. She has been interpreting charts professionally for over 25 years. If you are interested in an astrology reading, e-mail
For more information about NorthPoint Astrology offerings, please visit northpointastrology.com or visit her Facebook page.
