• October Horoscopes

    By Ichrak Dahou

    This month marks a genuine turning point. A new energy, which is qualitatively different from the energy we’ve been feeling for much of this year, is now present and available. This month will make it clear how much better off we are when we choose to go it together.

    October opens up with a relationship-oriented New Moon in Libra — inaugurating a year of concentrated focus on fairness. What is fair often transcends our personal preferences and accommodates a more profound sense of justice, especially when Libra comes into the picture. Reflecting the presence of New Moon in Libra, the planets are actively infusing more harmony, beauty, charm, and consideration for others into our daily activities. At the opening of the month, watch for overextended commitments — be aware of wanting to please or charm, and in doing so, over-promising. Though we might also have the ability to over-deliver, we should be mindful to take measured action.

    We may have to face darker ego challenges around October 7th — this intensity passes, so take what gurgles up to the surface for its value to you, and then let it go. Around the 11th, a bittersweet emotional exchange allows healing to flow. The Full Moon on the 16th is fiery and electric — its message is of boldness and leadership. Any risks taken around that time should be calculated. This is a Full Moon to stay up with the stars and the explore the corners of the soul, and its greatest power will only available in the serene hours, deep in the night. October 19th sees an availability of enormous force of desire and strength, which comes around only once every two years. Use this energy to purge what’s no longer serving you, to create from the depths of yourself, and to draw up that 5-year plan — or just a thorough vision for 2017.

    Charm, along with an acute ability to see the truth of the situation, goes a long way in resolving any disputes from the 13th to the 18th. A more vivacious color of love unfurls from the 18th through the month’s end. Be careful of those rose-colored-glasses in love and money, however, from the 23-26th. Around Halloween, the reality of relationships becomes manifest and acutely perceptible. Rocky partnerships will either need work, or to be released, while solid relationships will be deepened.

    Read your horoscope for your sun sign, as well as your rising sign if you know it. While this is a general forecast for your sign, an individual personal reading is recommended for deeper work. Have a great October!

    Illustrations by Abby Litman

    aries

    ARIES

    You are strong and effective this month, capable of making substantial strides with incredible efficiency. While you are likely to have the upper hand in any conflict, know that making a real effort to genuinely understand others’ point of view opens creative horizons that can lead to gaining important social ground. You are an individual, and these past few years have seen you undergo a powerful process of personal transformation. This month, let the force of your considerable ingenuity actually fuel the contrast between you and others. In a game of opposites, standing in the electric light of your own truth usually means you are courageously lighting a path for others. Your strength is nothing to be afraid of. Use the potent willpower you have at your disposal to single-mindedly pursue your deepest desires. While you normally get very far very fast going it alone, you have just entered a phase of life where you benefit greatly from partnering up in all kinds of ways. Let other people influence you, and let the vigor of your presence shape others. You will be better off for it.

    BLARB’s October book recommendation for courageous Aries:
    Black Elk: The Life of an American Visionary
    Joe Jackson
    Published October 25, 2016
    Farrar, Straus and Giroux

    taurus

    TAURUS

    You are magnetic this month, continuously exuding a “come hither” mist that creates a powerful draw over others. Let the sensual magnetism you feel at the opening of the month wash over all you produce for the rest of the month. You are a creature that loves quality, and that shines through in the works you create. For the next year, you benefit from beautiful collaborations with others. If you choose to actively seek out this kind of collaboration, you will have an easier time than usual finding it, through inner desire and pure magnetism power combined. Let this month sort, soothe, and balance you. October wants to give you loads of self care; this could come in the form of art, gorgeous and relaxing shared meals, or actively caring for your body. You are in an extended moment of abundance, where you are doled out substantial dividends in the form of an improved day-to-day life, and you are well-positioned to improve your nutrition and self care habits. Be sure to make space in the middle of this month for a quiet message to bubble up from within you. That gentle whispering voice has something to say about how you might offer those intuitive gifts you have on speed dial to enhance the rhythms of your daily life.

    BLARB’s October book recommendation for magnetic Taurus:
    The Fire This Time: A New Generation Speaks About Race
    Jesmyn Ward
    Published August 2, 2016
    Scribner

    gemini

    GEMINI

    An active month is in store for you. You are likely to be the liaison between a lot of moving pieces across many scenarios this month. You are embodying the peace broker, and this comes with the perk of bringing fun, beauty, and a keen sense of connection wherever you go. This is a substantial offering you make, as the powers of wit and connection you exude this month have the ability to draw people into relation with you and with each other. In conversations with those who seem to have the upper hand, apply your best powers of negotiation, seeking a fair and just resolution for all parties. This month may find you joining forces with others in a powerful way. Note the strong relationships in your life, and consider how intelligently pooling resources — whether material, emotional, or social — may benefit you both. If you open the month with a generous helping of fun — perhaps go to that gallery opening, film festival, or dinner party — you will be in good shape to observe an important revelation waiting for you around the time of the Full Moon. This realization will have to do with your vision for your life; fulfilling it might mean ruffling some feathers, but perhaps they are simply the feathers of your own expectations. You’ve always been a singular individual — let the truth of that carry you to fulfilling your life’s calling.

    BLARB’s October book recommendation for dynamic Gemini:
    Ninety-Nine Stories of God
    Joy Williams
    Published July 12, 2016
    Tin House Books

    cancer

    CANCER

    You have done a great job focusing on your health in the past year. Keep it up, and notice the impeccable way your clarity of mind and fitness of body augments an almost divine organization unfurling in your professional life later in the year. It would be almost unbelievable, if you hadn’t put in the work for it, day in and day out, yourself. This month, let your roots, your home, and the idea of your ancestry benefit from your luscious Cancerian attention. Turn your nourishing gaze to the real or visionary home that is your place of root and refuge from the world. Watch how the cultivation and care you are so good at is lovingly reflected back to you there. Also take time this month to think about the gift you share with the world out there. There is a chord of music you in particular can hear — it delights others when you play it so they can hear it too. You will see this dynamic clearly at the Full Moon midmonth. Relationships require a significant portion of your energy this month. They also provide rocket fuel for your career. Let the mutual force you develop with a partner change you both, and carry you to a new peak.

    BLARB’s October book recommendation for compassionate Cancer:
    Little Labors
    Rivka Galchen
    Published May 17, 2016
    New Directions

    leo

    LEO

    Your everyday communications now enjoy a golden touch, Leo. The New Moon that opens up October inspires you to plant seeds with this in mind. Your thoughts are your greatest assets for the next year, so cultivate them. Let the everyday conversations you have nourish your expression of the fullness of who you are. Broadcasting your personal truth has a force of strength behind it that is inspiring to others with the Full Moon mid month. Much is coming together this month to help you take care of practical affairs. Take this month to streamline and organize you work life and don’t be afraid to be ruthless about changes that need to be made. This month reveals to you how your everyday life is likely to include more moving pieces. With that comes the culling of what you don’t personally need to attend to, and the addition of a selection of people who can help you, so you can do what you do best. By the end of the month a bright and generous spirit could help you breathe life into a creative project.

    BLARB’s October book recommendation for righteous Leo:
    Lancelot: A Novel
    Walker Percy
    Published September 4, 1999
    Picador

    virgo

    VIRGO

    Now that you’ve wrapped up an extended phase of work on relationships and your personal purpose, you can direct your considerable incisive wit to other matters. First on the list for your attention is your relationship to your personal material resources. The next year is a great time to conduct an objective analysis of your earning situation. Notice the ways that tending to the familial and home allow you to enhance your earning power. A clarifying insight about how others complement your financial position awaits you at the Full Moon midmonth. Beyond money, an incredible amount of creative potential is available to you at this time, and so is the discipline to bring creative missions to form. Allow yourself to descend into sensuous layers of experience to fully tap this potential. A piercing piece of helpful news is nestled between periods of busyness in the last ten days of the month. Push for a fruitful financial development associated with home or family around that time — but keep Virgo lenses at the ready to ensure all is as it seems and is managed prudently.

    BLARB’s October book recommendation for practical Virgo:
    Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking
    Susan Cain
    Published January 29, 2013
    Broadway Books

    libra

    LIBRA

    A new set of possibilities is swiftly unfurling in your world. The world wants to live more through you — it wants you to be its ambassador of bigness, beauty, equanimity, and harmony. More social events, more travel, and an expanded mode of activity will all present themselves this month. Whatever you are doing, take it up a notch — whether that just means more activity, or an increased qualitative return on personal joy. Find ways to open up the gauge to allow more to flow through. The charm, keen attention, and sociability you command 365 days out of the year is now especially valuable, both for yourself and for others. Your astute leadership ability, when beautifully paired with your consideration for others, will work to your advantage. This month’s energetic palate offers you the ability to discover the ways that teaming up with others can benefit you financially. That might be as literal as an actual collaboration or as arcane as soaking up the energetic inspiration you draw from sundry sources. Trust your intuition, and let yourself change in the ways you are drawn to. There is something gurgling within you, and its force is potent — use it to rearrange your space at home, and then carry it deeper to rearrange your relationship to the different parts of yourself. A short trip on the last weekend of the month could provide you with valuable clarity. Any relationship developments at this time show you what needs to be worked on or gently released. Let the fresh breeze relieve you.

    BLARB’s October book recommendation for considerate Libra:
    How Should a Person Be?: A Novel From Life
    Sheila Heti
    Published June 25, 2013
    Picador

    scorpio

    SCORPIO

    Venus, our goddess planet, graces your sign for most of the month. This is an excellent time to consider what your heart is most sincerely singing for. Attune yourself to the nature and force of your desire. Define it, Scorpio. Anything you want is yours, when you make a home inside yourself for it first. You, more than most, are privy to the powers of magnetism, as well as to its natural sister, repulsion. Weave and work the grace of this gift. You are supported in contemplative efforts as you begin the month in reflective mode. The annual Libra season typically finds you in a more introspective state. For the next year, you continue to benefit from time carved out for regular exploration of your inner landscapes. Your mind this month is in excellent shape for that, or any other mental work you have on your plate. You have insuperable strength for any presentations, written communications, or storytelling you find yourself faced with this month. Your mind is designed for poring through and organizing large amounts of information. Use that power for constructive purposes, as your words and thought power carry great force this month.  You come alive with the life force of the sun when it enters your sign on October 22. In the last 10 days of this month, you are in a position to attract the help you need to organize your finances and restructure your portfolio. All month long, check in frequently with your body — ensure it is getting all the love, activity, and nourishment it needs for optimal functioning.

    BLARB’s October book recommendation for commanding Scorpio:
    Multiple Choice
    Alejandro Zambra
    Translated by Megan McDowell
    Published July 19, 2016
    Penguin Books

    sagittarius

    SAGITTARIUS

    You have been doing profound work on yourself since January 2015. The purpose of this growth period has been to deepen your relationship to all facets of your existence, and to let that strengthened connection come forth in every part of your life. Now that you are acclimated to the momentum of this energy, a Sagittarius-style lucky break arrives. Your social network is expanding — and with it, your opportunities for settling deeper into your dharma, or singular path in life. This month sees you exploring new connections, and expressing your truest self as you do. Mid-month, you have the opportunity to apply your superior organizational skills to bolster the strength of your earning power. Later in the month, when the sun enters Scorpio, you enter your annual month-long phase of feeling the pull to inquire more deeply within. This is a perfect complement to the deeper long-term work you have been doing, and a great opportunity to consolidate your position as you look ahead to your personal new year. Also toward the end of the month, you will notice you’re looking even more beautiful to the world than usual — all that serious work you have been doing is on display to others, and it looks good. Let the realities of who you are and what you want serve as your compass; they will lead you in the right direction.

    BLARB’s October book recommendation for intrepid Sagittarius:
    White Sands: Experiences from the Outside World
    Geoff Dyer
    Published May 3, 2016
    Pantheon

    capricorn

    CAPRICORN

    Take steps to consolidate your position and forecast your future this month. You are preparing for life to move at a faster pace than it has for most of this year, and luckily, you have tremendous discipline at your disposal. This month, everyone else will experience a personal dose of the intensive rebirth process you have been undergoing since 2008. You are poised to lead others through their navigation of this transformative time. You have just entered an extended phase of enhanced professional prospects. That means all the work you have already put in will be more easily noticed, and the work you are doing now makes an even bigger splash. The best way to make use of such an energy is to open yourself up to the blessings that are finding their way to you. Through it all, make substantial space for peace and reflection in your life. Ambient, solitary time soothes and serves you now. The wide vistas and open space of nature provide important perspective on the days your load feels particularly weighty. As the space inside you expands, your outer world responds in turn. Be bold about surrounding yourself with the environment you need to do your work in the world.

    BLARB’s October book recommendation for determined Capricorn:
    Sudden Death: A Novel
    Álvaro Enrigue
    Translated by Natasha Wimmer
    Published February 9, 2016
    Riverhead Books

    aquarius

    AQUARIUS

    This month exemplifies the vision you have for the arc of your life. It is about the well of strength you draw from a source that is bigger than you. Travel, culture, and deepening your relationship with spirit are avenues to access that source. You are in the midst of an extended phase of social recognition of your professional accomplishments, and you have the ability to see farther, dream bigger, and reach more people than you have for some time. That means you stand on solid ground to make allies, and you can find harmony between your personal goals and beliefs and those of your colleagues or friends. Generously share the beauty of the truth you have realized for yourself with others — that’s what Aquarius is all about. Your inner life is rumbling this month. Unusual messages will filter through and give you signs throughout the month. Give extra attention to your dreams and floating fancies this month, and notice the connection between those and the ideas you are motivated to express, especially midmonth. Any practice or activity that connects you to the wisdom buried within you is well worth the effort.

    BLARB’s October book recommendation for cerebral Aquarius:
    Can’t and Won’t: Stories
    Lydia Davis
    Published March 31, 2015
    Picador

    pisces

    PISCES

    This month opens a new chapter of exploring your life experience in the context of intimacy with others. Shared purpose between yourself and your intimate partners augments the heights you are currently experiencing in your professional life. Given this, and your abundant openness and generosity to others, ensure that the influences you surround yourself with genuinely support the work you are here to do in the world. You have the opportunity this month to create strong alliances that support your vision for your life. Use the light shining on your closest partnerships this month to ensure that the good things you generate together are fairly distributed. You have particularly strong backers in your social network this month — leverage that support to get your message out there in a bigger, broader, and more emotionally impactful way. Midmonth, the Full Moon shines a spotlight on your personal resources in the form of money, and extending to social clout. Consider how resources shared between you and a partner support the strength of your professional life and funnel money in your bank account. You are making significant headway, and you have plenty of support on the way.

    BLARB’s October book recommendation for sensitive Pisces:
    White Teeth: A Novel
    Zadie Smith
    Published June 12, 2001
    Vintage