Thousands of Little Decisions – Big Sky Astrology

Free to Be Yourself

The Sun in Libra gets to know itself best through interactions with other people. That’s not to say that it agrees with other people all the time, and in fact, it may not agree with them very often at all. In my experience, Libra tends to disagree – but it does that by measuring itself against the other, and in an attempt to achieve balance. Which is to say, it doesn’t always get to behave truly as it would like, but rather in a way that balances out what someone else likes.

But as the Sun makes a trine aspect to Uranus (Sep. 28, 2026, 9:22 am PDT, 5º33′ Libra-Gemini), there’s an opening for Libra to just be itself. Uranus in Gemini may introduce an idea or a phrase that the Sun in Libra finds clarifying. “Have you ever thought of yourself this way?” asks Uranus. “You don’t have to constantly look over your shoulder to see what everyone else is doing so that you can do the opposite. Look straight ahead. Look in the mirror at yourself.” Enjoy this day of just being what and who you imagine yourself to be, without referring to others.

The Spell You’re Casting

Mercury enters Scorpio (Sep. 30, 2026, 4:44 am PDT), and like all transits, this one has the potential to bring problems. Mercury is related to communication, and while it’s in protective Scorpio our tongues can be a bit rough when we’re feeling angry or threatened. Unwelcome secrets might be revealed. Pets (ruled in general by Mercury) might need extra attention.

But this is actually an outstanding transit for all kinds of things, conferring a kind of x-ray vision that comes in mighty handy. Those weird, few, unreconciled transactions in Quickbooks? Time to figure out why they’re hanging out there. Preparing a presentation or report that requires a lot of in-depth research? Now’s the time to tackle that; Scorpio likes rooting around to come up with hidden treasures. Need to address a security issue with your computer? Here’s your moment to get to the bottom of it.

And if you’re overdue for a candid conversation with a loved one about your relationship, you’ll both be well equipped to tackle that now. But remember that words carry power; we cast spells with them, whether we mean to or not. So, use language intentionally while Mercury is in Scorpio, and be conscious of the spell you’re casting.

You Don’t Own Me

Mercury square Mars (Oct. 2, 2026, 2:14 am PDT, 2º29′ Scorpio-Leo) this week. It’s an aspect that speaks its mind, and it does not suffer fools gladly. Mercury in Scorpio particularly doesn’t like it when anyone expresses themselves very loudly or very dramatically, which is sometimes something that Mars in Leo can be inclined to do.

But that isn’t always a bad thing. Look at the Sabian symbol for Mercury, 3 Leo: A woman having her hair bobbed. In 1925, when Elsie Wheeler channeled these symbols, having her hair cut short was a radical act for a woman. It shouted, “You don’t own me or my hair.” Amelia Earhart was born with the Sun at this degree, and she was a radical figure, a woman aviator at a time that this was highly unusual. (And yes, she wore her hair very short.)

Mercury, on the other hand, is at 3 Scorpio, A house-raising, which is a symbol we might be inclined to approve of. It sounds very Amish, like a barn raising, where the community gets together to create something practical for someone. And here we can see the square, the conflict: Someone who is independent and radical probably doesn’t find it easy to work together with the community. There can be arguments, and harsh words that can’t be taken back.

Mesmerizing Powers

Within a couple of hours of its square to Mars, Mercury connects with penetrating Pluto in a compelling square aspect (Fri. Oct. 2, at 1:43 pm PDT, 3º06′ Scorpio-Aquarius). Magician Claude Alexander Conlin, billed as “Alexander: The Man Who Knows,” was born with these two planets in aspect. Conlin was a popular stage mentalist of the early 20th century, offering private psychic readings and authoring self-help books with a spiritualist theme.

I was introduced to Alexander in an Ocean Beach consignment store, decades after his death. A print of one of his promotional posters, maybe five feet tall and featuring his trademark, penetrating gaze, stared down at me from the wall. Mesmerized, I almost took the poster home with me and was deterred only by the price tag and a lack of adequate wall space.

Such is the compelling power of Mercury with Pluto. Today, use this combination’s mesmerizing powers of focus, concentration, and persuasion to make long-awaited breakthroughs in your work, and anything else that requires determination.

When Mars Cares 

After Mars is squared by Mercury, and as it heads for its opposition to Pluto on Saturday, it makes a trine to Neptune (Oct. 2, 2026, 3:18 pm PDT, 2º48′ Leo-Aries), which could have one of a couple of effects. One is confusion, with Mars ricocheting off of Mercury and in the general direction of Pluto, and not entirely sure where it was headed in the first place.

But the other effect is kindness. Here is a day when you might want to volunteer for some good deed or other, or donate a little cash to a person who looks like they’re in need, or just go to church and light a candle for someone you care about. Neptune says “I care,” and Mars says, “and I’m going to do something about it.” It’s a helpful aspect to have the day before Mars opposes Pluto, a sort of resetting of Mars’ strident side, especially in willful Leo.

Thousands of Little Decisions

As a woman of a certain age, I occasionally get the urge to run away from home and completely reinvent myself. To start over in some place where I don’t know anyone. Change my name. Cut my hair. Find out who I’d be if I didn’t know who I am.

Our lives, it seems, are the sum total of thousands of little decisions about where to live and with whom, what to do for work, which organizations to serve, the friends we choose, possibly something about flossing. But what we remember during Venus’ retrograde times (Oct. 3, 12:16 am PDT, through Nov. 13) is that the way our lives look on the outside is a reflection of inward-facing work: the promises we’ve made to ourselves, and whether or not we’ve kept them.

Over the next forty days, run if you must… but run inward, and not away.

Mars-Pluto Face-Off

Mars’s lessons are primal, lessons of survival. Survival means protecting yourself from threat and having the confidence to compete with others for the same resources. When Mars and Pluto meet, as in this week’s opposition (Oct. 3, 2026, 3:39 am PDT, 3º06’ Leo and Aquarius), it’s possible that your Mars in Leo lion will break free from its cage and eviscerate its prey.

Without a healthy outlet for your energy and ambition, you may be feeling impotent and inadequate. The haunting question is, do you have what it takes to succeed? Or will you simply give up?

As always with Pluto’s transits, the message is about understanding the limits of your personal power without letting those limits defeat you. No matter how hard Mars fights, how angry you get, or how hard you work, things sometimes happen that are beyond your control. What matters most is how you handle that powerlessness, anger, and frustration.

Family Connections

Cancer is a nostalgic sign, and it’s a sign about belonging – to a family, a community, a tribe. The Cancer Last Quarter Moon (Oct. 3, 2026, 6:25 am PDT, 10º21′ Libra-Cancer) leads us to ask this question: Do you have that sense of connection in your life right now? Does it feel important for you to find more of it?

We were recently watching a Netflix documentary about so-called Blue Zones, where a larger than average number of people live into old age, some into their 100s, in vibrant good health. One of the consistent through-lines of these places was the premium placed on social connections in the family and community.

What do family and community mean in your life? Are there maybe family members right now who need more from you, and how is that impacting other areas of your life, your partnerships, your work?

This Last Quarter Moon concludes the work that began at the Virgo New Moon on September 10, or at least the initial phase of that work, which was something about the purification of our objectives, about being healthier and having a life that’s simpler and more useful. Of course, we don’t achieve that in a single 28-day period. That is work that will continue. But at this Last Quarter, it’s time to at least examine the role that family plays in that vision of a healthier, simpler, and more useful life.

Saturn’s Shove

The Sun makes four hard aspects to Saturn in a year – a conjunction, two squares, and this one, an opposition. The Sun and Saturn in any aspect has the potential to make us stronger, more disciplined, and more determined. But when they’re in these hard aspects, the process doesn’t come easily. We’re presented with some hard circumstance that we have to overcome, and if we pass that test, we gain strength.

This week, the Sun makes its annual opposition to Saturn (Oct. 4, 2026, 5:29 am PDT, 11º18′ Libra-Aries). The Sun in Libra carefully considers its options, and Saturn in Aries demands fast, decisive action. Neither is right and neither is wrong. But the Sun in Libra has to contend with Aries’ desire for speed, for that willingness to just take an impulsive leap; and that isn’t comfortable for Libra.

And I would argue that it’s not the best thing for Libra, either – except when the deliberations have dragged on and on, or when Libra chronically has a difficult time making decisions. Then, the discipline of Saturn in Aries serves as a shove that can help the Sun in Libra own its decisions and take the actions that feel right.

© Words and Illustrations by April Elliott Kent

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