by Susan DeRyder | Oct 8, 2026 |
The New Moon lands at 17°12’ Libra on October 10, 8:50am PT / 11:50am ET and 6:50pm in Giza. The chart for Giza shows the Sun and Moon just below the horizon in the West, with the Descendant at 25°39 Libra.
Libra is really catching my attention (and heart) right now … I am paying close attention to Venus who just stationed retrograde on Saturday, October 3. Today, Venus is in Scorpio and will be there through October 25 when she returns back to Libra in her retrograde motion. On October 30 she makes her Heliacal Rise at 27°02’ Libra (still retrograde). This is the birth of a new Venus overstory in Libra – a 584-day cycle. With the new overstory birthing inside of the Libra lunar cycle this New Moon feels like a special seed point carrying the suggestions for the intention of Venus’s overstory cycle ahead.
Venus, Mars, Pluto in Dynamic Relationship
The New Moon chart shows Venus in a close but not exact square to Mars who is now in his ‘Maturity and Elder Knowledge’ phase of the Cancer overstory. The exact square between Mars and Venus comes January 16 2027, and we can probably already feel the energy of the square at this point, building in tension and offering themes for us all to notice.
In the days leading up to the Libra New Moon, Pluto opposed Mars (Oct 3) which still lingers in this chart and plays into the square to Venus. TOTAMS recently offered a new terminology for ‘opposing’; to consider this aspect ‘facing’, which opens up a new way of sitting with this kind of aspect between planets that I really enjoy. Pluto facing Mars could be asking for straight truths, shining a light directly onto the Sacred Masculine who, whether we like it or not, is in a period of wounding and distortion that shows up in all of us. The need for composting continues. I imagine Pluto facing Mars to be a little less intense if there wasn’t so much to compost. Can you relate? There’s no denying there is a lot coming to the surface and nowhere to hide the distortions of the masculine within us.
Meanwhile, Pluto squares Venus, who is now in a process of synthesising her previous 584-day cycle until Oct 17 when she comes within 10° of the Sun, disappears from the evening sky, and begins her metamorphosis. This square invites a fully initiated Sacred Feminine to encounter the parts that might feel disappointed, especially if we had expectations attached to the outcome of the Venus-in-Pisces-overstory journey we have all been on (even if we didn’t know it was happening!). Put more simply, it’s been a deeply gritty year or two for many, and there have been a lot of big shifts and breakthroughs. Truth is, there’s still so much work to do! Which brings me back to Libra and why I think this next Venus journey is so key to how we might be able to find our way to the next step.
Libra: Developing Our Ability to Communicate Well
From the TOTAMS perspective, Libra is:
“…a sign of non-hierarchical, conscious, equal, sober, realistic partnership, where there is balance between individual self-knowledge and consensus reality. Self-discovery comes through interaction with the other. It is about learning to give and take in healthy realistic personal relationships and healing all co-dependent tendencies. Libra can create a safe space for all places on the wheel to be honored.”
While this description may sound idealised and grandiose, it doesn’t mean we cannot use it as a North Star now and during the coming Venus cycle ahead – activated by this New Moon and by the dynamic aspects between our two neighboring planets, the Sacred Masculine and Feminine Mars and Venus, currently receiving some pretty REAL transmissions from Pluto, master of transformation, composting and revealing shadow. Just be ready for all the blockages and excuses between us and that ideal version of Libra to be poked and purged!
While Libra is so important right now and into the year or two ahead, it is also worth noting that the other 2 air signs, Aquarius and Gemini are also inside of some top tier news with Pluto moving through Aquarius and Uranus in Gemini. Since the element of Air rules our ability to communicate I doubt this will be the only time I mention how important it is to begin to focus our efforts on developing our ability to communicate well with each other. Not just with kindness, but also with truth, integrity, humility, clarity and patience … from the belief that we can find a way to the description above where all places on the wheel can be honored. Communication is not just about the person speaking, it is a collaborative experience that requires deep listening and, hopefully, with an open heart. Within all of this, a question I keep asking myself is: How on Earth are we all going to get along, let alone collaborate and create the ‘New Earth’ so many are speaking of?
Season of Slowing
Later in this lunar cycle, on October 24, Mercury will go retrograde at 20°58’ Scorpio and join Venus, Saturn, Chiron, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto all retrograde. We are naturally in a season of slowing. Now autumn in the Northern Hemisphere, we are being asked to reflect and slow down like an elder rocking in their chair, considering all that worked out, all that still needs refinement, and all that is ready to be released completely. These retrograde planets are helping that process. This month is not a time to accelerate. It is never too early to begin exploring how we might harmonize with the Libra themes mentioned here today, put on the brakes a bit, and give the harvest the attention it requests.
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Photos: Naraya Naserian
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