Your October 2020 Horoscope Is Here (With Poetry Recs!)
Photo: Joanna C. Valente
By Joanna C. Valente
It’s Libra season the first half of this month, which means it’s balancing time. Scorpio season comes into play later in the month, causing us to be more emotional, more driven by our hidden desires. It’s an interesting interplay - and one that can we harness to make our world better, both beyond us and within our personal realms.
October 1 starts us off with a full moon in Aries. We already feel this huge rush of emotion and energy. Make sure to tunnel it in a healthy way; try not to get into arguments with others or be on the defensive. Perhaps, instead, find ways you can be supportive of others - or politically active during election season.
Be mindful of the mercury retrograde happening this month from October 13 to November 3. Double check everything, whether it’s a new contract, an absentee ballot, a lease, a serious conversation with a partner or friend, repairs, etc. Making any major purchase or life move, while not something you can always avoid, should be well thought out.
In this especially strange time, I wouldn’t be surprised if people come back into your life. Be open-minded. It’s a good time to move beyond the past and forgive - and allow us and others to seek being better as people. Timing is everything - and it’s important to keep in mind we don’t always know what someone is going through. This is especially crucial to keep in mind for everyone who seems irritable or frustrated lately - even if it makes your relationship a bit strained.
The new moon in Libra on the 16 falls in line with this, but also brings us a hopeful lens. This is welcome considering the scary climate - and shows that our hard work and dedication will pay off in the future, whatever and whenever that future is. But whatever you’re doing now is essentially sowing the seeds for that future. Everything matters, so be mindful.
We end the month with another full moon on the 31 (also Halloween), which also happens to be a blue moon. A blue moon only happens every 2.5 years (hence the phrase “once in a blue moon”), and according to Farmers Almanac, the last full moon on Halloween was in 1944, as they usually have a 19-year pattern. This was apparently disrupted between then and now as it occurred on November 1 the last few times. You can read more about the details here.
So what does that really mean for us, besides it being beautiful (though not actually blue)?
Dig deep into the unknown and yourself, and be open to what you can learn from others and the universe.
LIBRA
This month is about balance. Are you giving more to others than yourself? Are you losing yourself in a relationship or job? Be honest and look at ways for you to set better boundaries. Setting boundaries doesn’t mean a relationship or job is toxic, but more that you might be pleasing others too much.
Poetry rec: Mandy May - “Ode to My Womb”
SCORPIO
You get easily overwhelmed spiritually and emotionally, so it’s okay to take a step back sometimes and be more introspective and removed. This doesn’t mean you can’t focus on the things that matter to you, and the people that matter. Make sure to check your anxiety this month. It’s easy to let things bother us (especially now) but try to realize what really matters and what doesn’t, and not everything or everyone is perfect.
Poetry rec: Clara Burghelea - “Oversimplified”
SAGITTARIUS
You’re focused on your goals this month, whether it’s work, home, relationship, or spiritually oriented. Or maybe it’s a mix of all of these things. Last month was a bit rough emotionally for you, but this month calls you to balance that with your pragmatism and forward-thinking approach. Tunnel that energy into fixing what you can change and how you can help others.
Poetry rec: Ashley Taylor - “Untitled Fear of Intimacy”
CAPRICORN
This is a career and goal month for you. You are ready to make a major change in your life for the foreseeable future. It’s likely you won’t actually see these changes immediately, but what you do now matters, whether it’s getting materials ready for applications, finding a new job, researching options, and/or working on projects. That being said, ask for help when you need it.
Poetry rec: Holly Pelesky - “Seen, Loved Anyway”
AQUARIUS
Pay attention to the people around you. It feels like you’ve been so inwardly focused recently that you’ve been a bit absent in your relationships.
Poetry rec: Samuel J Fox - “Disgust”
PISCES
Challenge yourself. You are really good about finding routines and sticking to them, but sometimes you do need to mix it up, especially if you don’t want to stagnant. What is something you’ve always wanted to learn?
Poetry rec: Catherine Esposito Prescott - “Testament”
ARIES
You have a lot of energy this month, so use it for good! How can you be a force for good with your friends? How can you support others? It can be seemingly small and simple things, like complimenting someone or helping someone with a resume - or something bigger, like volunteering as a poll worker.
Poetry rec: Emily Jo Scalzo - “Digress”
TAURUS
You tend to enjoy being around others and curating your domestic space. Right now, it feels like you’re overloaded with too much “home” time, and you’re going a little stir crazy. What routine or hobby can you turn to, or set? How can you make your home life more exciting?
Poetry rec: Paul Ilechko - “Grid as Poetic Object”
GEMINI
You are stressed out this month, and a lot of it stems from feeling unbalanced. Is work causing you to feel distracted or overwhelmed? Is the political climate unfathomable to you? There’s plenty of reasons you feel askew and even adrift. How can you open up to friends? Your friends care about you - let them support you.
Poetry rec: Jiaoyang Li - “Clip”
CANCER
You are looking to the future right now. Where do you ideally see yourself in a few years? What does that look like and how can you get there? You sometimes get down on yourself for not achieving all your goals or being where you want, but remember to notice how far you’ve come.
Poetry rec: Lacie Semenovich - “Safety”
LEO
This is a reflective time for you, and a time of change. Sometimes you get defensive when you are scared, afraid, or hurt. Be mindful of not taking your emotions out on others. There’s a few things in limbo for you right now, especially with work. Don’t lose hope. It will work out, even if it’s not always the way you imagined.
Poetry rec: Surabhi Balachander - “Apogee”
VIRGO
Spiritually, you feel “off.” You enjoy having concrete ideas about the world around you, and how you fit into it. Right now, you don’t feel secure. While this feeling is uncomfortable and unsettling, dig into it. Understanding why can lead you to the answers you need. Do you crave a spiritual community, do you want to find a new job, a new place to live? Or is it more internal?
Poetry rec: Kelsey Castaneda - “[poems from ‘the hums’]”
Joanna C. Valente is a human who lives in Brooklyn, New York. They are the author of Sirs & Madams, The Gods Are Dead, Marys of the Sea, Sexting Ghosts, Xenos, No(body), #Survivor, (forthcoming, The Operating System), and is the editor of A Shadow Map: Writing by Survivors of Sexual Assault. They received their MFA in writing at Sarah Lawrence College. Joanna is the founder of Yes Poetry and the senior managing editor for Luna Luna Magazine. Some of their writing has appeared in The Rumpus, Them, Brooklyn Magazine, BUST, and elsewhere. Joanna also leads workshops at Brooklyn Poets. joannavalente.com
