Venus Retrograde in Scorpio
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Dear Friend and Reader:
The October horoscope would never make it into the New York Daily News or have passed muster with Jonathan Cainer. It’s a full-strength astrological analysis based on two factors. One is the combination of Venus, then Mercury, both retrograde in Scorpio. These take place Oct. 3 through Nov. 13 in the case of Venus and Oct. 24 through Nov. 13 in the case of Mercury.
The other is the alignment of approximately eight planets in Aries, all of them retrograde. This includes the Neptune-Borasisi conjunction, the final chapter of the Chiron-Eris conjunction, and Saturn. These retrogrades go on for a while.
The retrogrades of Mercury and Venus end within hours of one another on Friday, Nov. 13. This double station-direct goes on the long list of oddities I don’t recall ever having seen before.
Both retrogrades begin in Scorpio, though Venus spans back to Libra. Both pass through the sensitive territory I’ve been writing about in my Tsunami of Propaganda series — the aspect that includes Poseidon, M87, the Aries Point, Borasisi and Neptune. Let’s give this a name — the Borasisi pattern.
This is calling for extreme caution taking anything at face value, especially if it’s of a Scorpionic nature (sex, matters of life and death, and certain elements of finance). So for example, we have “Jane Doe” of Cornell University as a manifestation of Venus retrograde in Scorpio.
Speaking of A.I., we still have a too stupid for science fiction doom trolling campaign going on. Most recently this features former Microsoft Windows purveyor Bill Gates pitching his latest product by warning that it could murder a billion people. We are living in the future of advertising. Whatever happened to “Have a Coke and a smile”?
Venus also wraps itself around Pluto in Aquarius on two more occasions, in a square aspect, focusing the theme of where the digital environment (Pluto in Aquarius) meets emotional feelings of any kind, including trauma. The first was Sept. 15. The second will be Oct. 20. The third will be Dec. 9. These are points of tension along this slowly unfolding scenario.
As described by the Borasisi pattern, the social media environment will be at its most insane ever, which is saying a lot (advanced and accelerated by now underway generative slop campaigns about unfolding current events). The boundaries between personal and collective will be exceedingly thin, so scrutinize everything before you judge it as true.
The horoscopes below exclusively address the interior, private and personal realm. These are concentrated readings — each can be diluted into a gallon of full strength astrology. I write for both Sun and rising sign, and some say the Moon, although for the most holistic perspective, I suggest reading all 12 signs this month. More on the private realm in Starcast.
I will be handling crucial matters of the public realm on Sunday’s Planet Waves FM.
With love,
Your faithful astrologer,
Planet Waves Monthly Horoscope for Oct. 1, 2026 — By Eric Francis
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Today is horoscope 1,620. Detailed readings for your Sun, Moon and Rising Sign.
Aries (March 20-April 19) — Even for those who love rainy weather, there’s such a thing as too soggy. I reckon this is about where you’re at lately, though the weather is what you might call astral. You’re probably still soaked from the Full Moon in late September, which served as a reminder of the prevailing conditions of existence: everything all at once, somehow too much, not enough, and impossible to have an accurate sense of yourself. If I had to write you one monthly horoscope that would serve you for the next five years, it would say: keep track of how you feel, what you want and who you are becoming. The object here is to get a bearing on the most difficult thing to grasp in the digital age, which is your foundation. The word has become meaningless except perhaps to builders, who know it’s important. It is the part of a structure connected to the ground, on top of which the whole building stands. It must be able to hold the building up and also endure floods, external pressure and the natural shifting of the ground. Yet it’s designed to be out of sight. When you walk into a house or an office, the last thing you think about is the foundation. But you must think about yours. On what does your existence stand? What is it made of? And what does it rest on? In the digital age, most people experience their existence as groundless, and that is why so many people feel so strange right now. You do have a foundation; you need to find it, and remember where it is.
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Taurus (April 19-May 20) — Through most of this month and half of next, your ruling planet Venus will be retrograde. This begins in your opposing/complementary sign Scorpio, and is an invitation to reflect on your relationship situation. If you’re reading me, you’re probably not a member of the younger set, for most of whom the relationship environment has degraded to a cross between Jerry Springer and the Kardashians. With apologies, I cannot offer much for them. But you might be interested to know that Venus is said to have challenges in Mars-ruled Scorpio, for example, being confused by the intensity of one’s own desires. There will almost surely be the question of whether your feelings are appropriate. As Venus retrogrades into an aspect with Pluto over the next few weeks, you may face challenges to your self-image or be presented with subject matter you find difficult to talk about. The only imperative is that you be honest with yourself. And if you’re going through some deep reflection or changes, you would be wise not to merely withdraw from a partner or come up with your own plan of action. Rather, stay in communication and share some of what you’re going through. The root of all evil in relationships is withholds: deception by silence. At the time this is viewed as less dangerous than being forthcoming, but that is a temporary expedient. It is true that communication implies vulnerability, and that is your least favorite thing. But if you want trust, understanding and love, you will need to be open and truthful.
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Gemini (May 20-June 21) — Later this month, Mercury will be retrograde. Sometimes I’m tempted to write a book called Mercury is Always Retrograde, because it seems that way. But actually, it’s true about 19% of the time; and if you double it to account for “shadow” phases before and after, that’s quite a bit. What changes is where it happens, and for you it’s in the work and wellness angle of your chart — Scorpio, your 6th place. On a deeper level, this is about service. The rare combination of both Mercury and Venus retrograde in the same sign simultaneously is asking you to consider who, or what, your life is in service of. This might surface as the question, “Why am I doing all of this?” If the matter arises, you might meditate on it for a while. And the issue is clouded with the constant message, “Your life is about you and nobody and nothing else.” I don’t think that has ever led to longterm contentment, a meekly interesting experience, or progress for society. Yet many are fooled into thinking it’s true. Questions about who or what you might be serving can result in challenging possibilities. To be meaningful, they must land in a spiritual dimension. Though I would ask: to what extent does your life serve existence itself, or nature, or humanity? What do you do in service of our collective future? How are you supporting your fellows and your neighbors at this difficult time in history? What do you have to offer? Or said another way: what gives your life meaning, and do you experience it at all?
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Cancer (June 21-July 22) — The astrological theme of October and November is planetary retrogrades, which translates to review and introspection. With the exception of Mars, it’s going to be all-in. What you may be noticing now is that four planets and a couple of important asteroids are retrograde in your vocational angle, the 10th (Aries). So you may not be experiencing this as a careering career, and you also may be wondering when the time will be right to take action and move forward (that will come, and you’ll know when). I would say that the supreme virtue at this time is
patience, though I don’t mean idle waiting. I mean a combination of preparation and thoughtful observation of a business world and digital environment that seems to collapse on itself five times a day. The far more interesting retrogrades will be Venus, and then Mercury, in your fellow water sign Scorpio. This is an invitation to a soul retrieval, in the form of a personal creative and sexual inquiry. Relative to the sign Cancer, Scorpio is where we look for creativity, but that’s becoming a meaningless term (though it still exists). So, too, is sexual, since most of what happens these days is in pictures and little movies. Scorpio wants fulfillment, and that’s not as simple as Uber Eats. Though it’s an apt metaphor describing how in Century 21 approaching both creativity and connecting emotionally with others is something automatic, predictable and devoid of feeling. More than anything, you want to connect — and that begins with connecting to yourself.
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Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) — As you enter the holiday season, this will be a time for deep reflection on matters of family. At the moment, our society has little use for considering anything in a meaningful way. Emotional reality is an annoyance in the world of the data center. But your feelings will get your attention over the next few months, based on many factors (including Venus moving to retrograde movement in Scorpio next week). We’re all under tremendous pressure to stuff our feelings and our desires. The collective environment has no bandwidth to receive them, and it’s not considered safe to express anything sublime or ambiguous. Everything is turned up to 11, like on the “Hot Ones” YouTube show — except when it comes to inner sensations; those usually get numbed out. You now get a chance to explore your inner sensitivity, and benefit from it greatly. This is a form of freedom that’s quickly being shut down by the environment. Old emotions, memories and desires will bubble to the surface. These may be welcome or not, but it’s a good opportunity to take an “it is what it is” approach: what you discover is what matters. Move gently and notice what comes up. This could be at random times, or in moments when you’re triggered. Work with this process rather than against it. Considering the past is not about nostalgia; there really is something meaningful coming available for you now. Pay attention late at night, especially at home. Look in the basement for family artifacts, and stop long enough to experience their vibes no matter how ordinary they seem.
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Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) — Accidental discoveries will help move along your project of opening your mind to greater possibilities. As you work through prejudices you didn’t think existed, be determined to prove yourself wrong at every turn. That and nothing else is the spirit of investigative journalism! By which I mean: the secret to appreciating the mystery of life for its complexity and beauty, and working your way toward the truth. There would be more of that, except that most humans are not interested. Rather, they aspire to be right. The problem with right, as a goal, is that it contains a blind spot: right tends to omit truthful. It comes in the tendency to fixate on what you presume will be correct, often to the exclusion of all else. What then actually turns out to be correct is usually what you knew all along. Or, it’s something you discovered by seeming random chance, by experiment, or when something goes wrong. Many significant careers have been created by a seeming side-track, or an event that got someone out of a rut. There is a distinct pressure building in your chart designed to pop you out of certain narrow ways of thinking. These are also viewpoints on seeing yourself, and how you perceive the world. You will like yourself, your friends and the entire planetary experience more when you see them for what they are rather than what you would have them be.
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Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) — Pay no mind to the impenetrable wall that seems to be staring you down. It’s nothing but a massive heap of computer code, vast piles of numbers and calculations that are, in the end, irrelevant. It’s a cliff made of fabricated identities, synthetic personalities, purchased followers, beauty filters and the slag heap of a vast D.I.Y. public relations department that has all but replaced human interaction. You can see this for what it is more clearly than others, and as one born under the sign of relationships, you can see the social cost for what it is. You will not be facing this forever, but you are at a distinct advantage for looking right at it. Venus is about to station retrograde, and you can let this point you inward and toward a deeper vision of life. Inward is the direction that massive cliff refuses to go and cannot go because there is no “in.” It’s pure mirage, and those who are caught in it live in a world of illusions. Venus retrograde in Scorpio is saying get real with yourself. What exactly does that mean? Well, you might have a sense of where you’re holding back, but for starters, introspection is your best friend. This may feel strange and awkward in our world where everything is projected outward. Practice going in; Venus will guide you. Go toward uncomfortable feelings rather than away from them. Let some of the chaos under the surface speak through your dreams, and notice what they depict. And every day, ask yourself one question, and maybe write yourself an email answering: What is most important to me?
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Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) — Venus and Mercury will be visiting your sign for most of the month. They will spend unusually long phases of time there because both are about to be retrograde. That term conjures all kinds of theories and responses, but on the fact level it means “sticks around for a while.” Venus rules your opposite sign Taurus. Therefore, in Scorpio, it’s known as “in detriment.” Traditionally, that implies various issues that nearly everyone seems to have anyway, but to me it says “expresses itself differently,” or said another way, brings out different properties than you would expect. A planet that’s out of its element will have to work harder to be itself, and so it will express itself in a more pronounced way. Venus with you also has the property of helping you feel and potentially experience what others go through when they love you. It will allow you to change frames of reference from self to other, and be a better witness. Is anyone really interested? The world is so self-obsessed right now, it seems many days that cops and firemen are among the most interesting people among us. At least they admit that others exist and have problems that call for a response. It will help if you let yourself be curious about what others experience when they have feelings for you. Be curious about why you treat people the way you do, and what exactly informs your prejudices. What is it really? A sense of lack? Or entitlement? Or neglect? It’s only when you give of yourself that you find out how much you have.
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Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) — You have a way of presenting one face to the world while living a profoundly different reality within. You could say this is part of the human condition on Planet TikTok, with all of its lifestyle influencers making videos in mansions rented by the hour. That approach does not help you maintain your sanity, your peace of mind or your sense of purpose. The more contrast there is between what you feel and how you present yourself, the less stability you experience. Those who know Sagittarius have a clue about the deep contrasts you live with, such as between your expressed optimism and what is sometimes a deep sense of despair and paucity. Then there’s the spiritual presentation with the fictional aura of sexual purity. That never got you a date or facilitated a relationship. Yet now, you’re being summoned to devote your attention to your true inner reality. I suggest abandoning any sense of controlling your public image. With Jupiter in Leo, that will take care of itself, as long as you don’t confuse the press release (Jupiter) with yourself (your reality). You’re now being guided inward, thanks to the imminent retrogrades of Mercury and Venus in Scorpio. You will be in your element if you experience your real feelings, and practice communicating them. If you start to feel unsteady, just return to that place. There are times when you may be deterred by the dreaded “what will people think?” monster, and that is the evil creature who must gradually be starved of attention so you can be the person you actually are, all the time, with everyone.
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Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) — Your chart reminds me of the South Park episode where Eric Cartman, pretending to be an exterminator, prowls around an old lady’s home and discovers that hippies are hiding out everywhere. They’re in the attic, in the basement, behind the walls, and in the backyard, smoking weed, drumming and playing guitar. Only instead of hippies, it’s your whole family of origin and its offshoots and remarried partners and all their kids and cousins’ half-siblings, all of whom have moved in with you. You might be thinking, wow, I thought I went away to school and never came back. What are they all doing here? Listen carefully and you can hear them having a big argument that seems to go on around the clock. What are they fighting about? Who you are, of course. Yes, the endless debate is over your supposed purpose, how you justify your existence, whether they think you’ll succeed, whether you’re doing things right and whether you’re living up to their expectations. What do you do about this, assuming it or something like it is happening? Give them a voice; that will be the only way to find out who and what they are. Stuffing them down won’t help; trying to evade their fears will not make your life any easier. These influences have always been there, competing for who you are. But there is no competition; it’s an illusion. You are who you are. The influence of Chiron in Aries the past eight years has taught you a lot, if you will remember the crucial discoveries you have made. You don’t need to live through any of that again.
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Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — Pluto in Aquarius (2023-2044) is developing rapidly into the age of the know-nothing expert. That, and tech billionaires who remind us regularly that they just might annihilate society and this is why their product is so useful. I know I keep repeating this, and (unlike my esteemed colleague Rob Brezsny, who claims to never repeat anything, ever, in his horoscope) I am duty-bound to remind you of this and maybe make it into a Netflix series: you must know when you don’t know. Let those words become like poetry, or a catchy beat that you don’t forget. This is the seemingly fine line between what is irrelevant and what matters; between idiocy and genius. It requires habits of thought, including a constant state of mental reflexiveness. The age of the expert is being fueled by the water-gobbling, suicide-inducing bullshit machine falsely known as A.I., which for you is the spiritual and intellectual equivalent of sniffing shoe polish. If I had to boil your solar chart down to several specific suggestions (for now, and the foreseeable future), they would start with: think for yourself, and set alarms for when you’re not doing so. That means questioning yourself, and taking as your mantra, “How do I know that?” I really mean it: go to the source. That could be something your mother said when you were four, or what some kid (or teacher) in school said back when Reagan was president, or a TV commercial or…anywhere. Once you do that a few times, you will want better sources, deeper thought, and to take much better care of your mind.
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Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — The emphasis in your chart remains in Aries, one of your most important financial houses. By the end of the month, eight of what I consider to be major influences are packed in, all moving in retrograde motion. This includes the last visit by Chiron, which first entered Aries in 2018 and will soon be in Taurus. Seen one way, you cannot take the topic of money too seriously. You can take nothing for granted. It is often claimed of Pisces that you just don’t care about your finances; I don’t know if that’s true, though you do know there are more important things in life. Whatever the past may contain, now is the time to care. Your potential success is too great, and the stakes are high. But with Aries and the 2nd place (personal assets, movable property, tools of your trade), there is a more significant modern issue: your values. In my version of astrology, there is a connection between success and being in alignment with your ethics, principles and values. In 2026 that could be the start of a standup comedy routine; the topic of ethics is always good for a laugh. But hear me now: with every cell in your being, align yourself with what you know to be right and true, and make no compromises. Meanwhile, emphasis opens up in Scorpio, which is the angle of your chart associated with your personal vision. This is associated with your spiritual life as much as it is your core purpose on Earth — and Scorpio adds the business plan. Mercury and Venus retrograde say that it’s time for an update.
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