October 2020 is a big month. A blue moon month that starts with a full moon in Aries on October 1st and culminates with a full moon in Taurus on the 31st. So we are really trapped between the qualities of fire and earth. We go from an aggressive and heroic Mars to harmonising and indulgent Venus. Energies of formation and destruction, of simplifying and grounding. But just as our spread proposes, The Devil stands in the middle of it all, dominating the situation – actions, emotions, environments – while we feel disempowered and hopeless. But new energy will come through and, ultimately, will be liberating. With the Page of Wands in the future position, initiation is happening one way or another, even if it’s not the right one, even if it is the wrong sort, even if it’s too impulsive or inconsiderate and careless. And so The Hierophant stands strong as a reminder that working with a mentor to guide us is the way to go forward. This is how we can succeed in accessing principles from trusted sources. We can become our own authority through some sort of commitment to formal study or tradition. And there is a strong sense of responsibility as well to share with others our knowledge and understanding, in a structured way. Amid the chaos will come clarity and solutions.

We are in October, possibly the month that will stand out in the whole year, in and of it self as most significant, but also as a precursor to even more remarkable and extraordinary things to come. Things we took for granted were impossible to happen – either through belief or conditioning – now appear to manifest without warning, in the way we live our life, in the way we experience our relationships with others and the environment, as well as our perception of reality. The Hierophant stands in constant conflict with the Page of Wands. Whatever is that needs to come through has no regard with what’s already there, set in long standing established forms. The month gets going with the enthusiasm of the full moon in Aries. The desire to break through is palpable. But it’s in the energy of The Devil representing the will to win, to be on top, to control.

In addition, as the astrology shows, with the Sun in Libra, and a stellium of planets in Capricorn, it’s cardinal energies all the way. The Hierophant, The Devil, and the Page of Wands are guiding us through this month as they manifest their powers and as they contradict and contest each other. They tell a divinatory story, and they orient our minds towards what to expect, and how to process events that will no doubt leave us shocked and exhausted. Certainly, the journey through October is predicted to be turbulent (whether looking at the tarot or the astrology). Here the fusion tells us that we are in a part of the year when seasons change and we want to get going with new projects, start something new, possibly learn new skills, apply different procedures, meet new people, change routine, dress differently, look at ourselves differently, whatever it might be in our particular case. But our desire is not going to reflect our drive. We are going to feel either stuck from within through the way we tend to do things, habits or addictions, or from obstacles that we find in the outside world that seem insurmountable (and that indeed might be difficult to overcome) that drain our motivation and our resolve.

With combative Mars in retrograde our energy will be flat and it will take time to accelerate and build up speed in what we are trying to achieve. The Devil, explosive and primal, represents a wilful, individualistic, physical force, raw energy that in being thwarted becomes frustrated and manipulative. It is a strong Mars in Aries, the first sign of the zodiac, empowering knowledge of the self and action towards self realization. But as he is in retrograde motion until mid November, all that energy is turned within. Not only that, but through his transit, he connects with several other planets that he gets into a competition with and things get serious. He’s confined, restricted and blocked. This repressed expression can become toxic frustration, anxiety and anger.

A critical authority negating the unknown where there is order and the small things take on a life of their own. We are feeling as if we are being pulled by invisible lines that link us to each other and forces out of our control. A sense of impotence. With a retrograde Mercury in Scorpio, starting at the middle of the month all the way into November, things take a turn towards further depth and darkness. We are going to have to dig deep with persistence and fortitude as unexpected revelations are going to shake the core of our existence. What we thought was solid can collapse and what we believed as sacred will be spoiled. It will be both a sensual and a spiritual shake up which at the end of the day we are either going to need or at any rate enjoy – but it will taste bitter. Between the transits of Mercury and Mars, and their aspects to the three superpowers in Capricorn (Jupiter, Pluto, Saturn) plus an opposition to Uranus in Taurus the scene is set up for hostility in finding accord or agreement. Venus is herself in her fall in Virgo, ruled by Mercury and her planetary contrary. But there are reversals of fortune.

Thankfully, The Hierophant and the Page flanking each side of the spread the same way that the two full moons encase the month of October. The Hierophant is structured energy. The Page of Wands is liberating energy. And so we are given the meta-narrative. Yes. This is not the whole story. This is only the beginning. It is an augmentation of the situation that is illuminated by the blue moon as it has been building up throughout the year and at the same time it is an elaboration of where we find ourselves sandwiched between. Eventually, we are having a breakthrough. The intensity is off the chart. But we find clarity as Venus moves back into Libra, her masculine rulership, and she is now emboldened to have things her own way. Diplomacy and harmony wrap up a season of aggression and violence. So we can find solutions through the drama, go beyond the battle of secrets and ideas, bring art and beauty into the equation, and the ability to delegate. The Page of Wands doesn’t know it all but he is super energised. He brings with him the element of inspiration, illuminating the dark and pushing for freedom. We will find confidence and excitement in our projects, and away from damaging constructs we will be able to finish off what we started.

Flavia