“As the sun moves through Libra before crossing into Scorpio’s shadowed terrain, October asks us to trade politeness for truth. In the Northern Hemisphere, the days shorten and the light turns amber and low; below the equator, the world stretches open into spring warmth. Something in the air sharpens our attention, pulling us away from small talk and toward what actually matters. With Venus retrograde from the month’s opening days and Mercury joining her late in the month, this is no season for rushing. Let October be a place to look honestly at what you’re holding onto and what’s ready to be composted, released, or simply acknowledged.”
Keep in mind that the last Mercury In Retrograde of 2026 will happen October 24th-November 13th.
During this Mercury In Retrograde season, may we rewind, reflect and remember the co-creative trails that we have blazed together already during this Year of the Fire Horse.
Please enjoy this newly created podcast version & the original 1st post galloping into 2026 by cicking on the links below:
Please check out the original post at the link below:
Candles, herbs, books, and autumn leaves create a cozy moonlit ritual scene.
Energetically, Libra season officially kicks off on September 22nd, which is also the date of the Autumn Equinox. Libra’s seasonal imprint will last till October 23rd.
Coming right up, a Full Harvest Moon on September 26th honors sacred ancestral rituals like moon-viewing dinners outdoors, harvest blessings, candle-lit gratitude circles, and a Mid-Autumn Festival with mooncakes.
Looking ahead to the New Moon in Libra on October 10th, balance and harmony are dually noted.
Are you feeling driven to be nice rather than speak your truth authentically?
Are you taking an honest look at your deeper feelings and sharing them when the situation calls for it, despite of what is expected of us by others?
As we blaze trails further into this Year of the Fire Horse, ponder how the energies around the next Full Hunter Moon on October 26th may affect a personal sense of safety that could depend on the need for stability.
Remember that an awakening of Fire Horse’s archetypal energies reveal greater movement, decision, freedom and courage so that we can effectively explore unknown frontiers.
What old narrative have you noticed fading away into the rearview mirrors of yesterday?
Have you observed healthier relationships emerging and leaving you feeling a more perceptible sense of emotional, financial, and spiritual rebirth?
Do you see people embodying love, empathy, compassion and kindness?
Although this moon goes by many names, the name Hunter Moon was inspired by the hunting of game animals like deer, turkey and pheasants in mid to late autumn.
Cooler temperatures also make it easier for storing and preserving meat for the winter. Falling leaves and more moonlight allows for better vision to see and hunt animals at day and night because brush is not as thick, making tracking and hunting easier.
The energies of Fox are also associated with this time of year. Fox reflects the art of camouflage, which also reflects adaptability and shapeshifting. Meditation on Fox can help you fade into the backdrop, and blend into your surroundings without being noticed.
Around this full moon, connections with Taurus can be seen as a friendly reminder to accept that change is a natural part of life. Regardless of a Bull or Bear market, our own sense of self-respect does not really come from the coins we circulate in this world of 10,000 things, if you’ll pardon the animal spirited financial pun.
Truly, self acceptance for who we really are does make it easier to see peace and tranquility in the outside world.
In this blog, we have been exploring self-care rituals and strategies.
Full Moons are certainly a powerful time to reinforce self-care rituals and strategies.
Just as an example, consider writing down what needs to be released on a small piece of paper, and then burn it down safely outside under the moon. At this time, fire rituals can be a powerful way to release and let go of whatever we need to let go of in our lives that no longer serves us to clear space for what’s next.
Additionally, the last Mercury in Retrograde of the year will happen on October 24 to November 13, 2026
Mercury in Retrograde aka The Twilight Zone is a good time to look into the rearview mirror, and take a closer look at what issues we may not have resolved in the past yet.
Speaking of reviewing rewiring revolutionary energies, it’s always a good idea to check your own inner state of consciousness as you navigate life’s everyday aches, pains, pleasures, situations and moments. Remember that you can’t feel good when you’re feeling bad about feeling bad!
And then we can reexamine the direction we need to go so that we can move forward to see from new vistas. When we change the way we look at the world, the world changes the way it looks right before our eyes.
The Samhain will happen on October 31 to November 1, along with other thinning of the veils energies falling on All Saints’ Day on the 1st, and All Souls’ Day & The Day of the Dead on November 2nd.
This is a powerful time to honor our ancestors who have passed on and tune into the spirited energies that will be more perceptible during this time where the boundary between the spirit & material realm becomes less concrete and more permeable.
Meditation on the medicinal energies of Bat can awaken transformation through the dark cave of death of the old self, and resurrect the process of rebirth into who you are becoming.
What messages does spirit have to say to you about this?
Keep in mind that playing around with wearing masks can stimulate movement through portals into consciousness, and awaken sacred connections with animal spirit guides like Bat.
Are you aware that a growing body of brain science has consistently shown that brainwaves do change during this extra or non-ordinary states of consciousness?
People who become consistent meditators often learn how to change their brains, their DNA, and their general experience with life. That’s why it’s really hard to go back to the old ways once you awaken to these novel neuronal pathways. This transformation is Alchemy.
It can be enticing to get too caught up in the material world or the spiritual world. This is why our ancestors came up with the mantra of walking with one foot in spirit, one foot in ground.
Our ancestors honored the thinning of the veils; where the lines between the spirit & material realm can be perceived as thinner. That’s why it can be harder to differentiate between the 3-D & spiritual realms during this season.
Costumes, including masks are traditionally worn during the thinning of the veils period. From a consciousness perspective, wearing masks can awaken shapeshifting, transformation, and portals into other alternate or imaginative realms.
Meditation on the archetypal energies of the Shaman awakens new pathways revealed in our field of vision. The capacity to acquire and access novel ways of thinking are key dynamics of Growth Mindset. Meditation on shamanism reveals extraordinary, non-localized and linear free states of consciousness.
May All Beings Be Free Of Suffering and Awaken To Planetary & Universal Peace,
We began as mineral. We emerged into plant life, and into the animal state, and then into being human, and always we have forgotten our former states, except in early spring when we slightly recall being green again.
–Rumi
A Full Snow Moon on February 1st sheds moonshine on the birth of February, followed by the Imbolc aka Groundhog Day on February 2nd. Energetically, spring starts now because the seeds underground are starting to think about waking up from their winter slumber.
Whether the groundhog sees his shadow or not, the arrival of the Vernal Equinox on March 20th marks the official onset of Spring in the Northern Hemisphere, and the Autumn Equinox in the Southern Hemisphere. The equinoxes reflect the Nature’s balance of day and night; which reveals homeostasis of yin&yang/light&dark/masculine&feminine energies.
When I think of honoring the Imbolc tradition of the approximate halfway point between the Winter Solstice and Spring Equinox, I think of the shamanic energy medicine of Groundhog as an animal spirit guide.
How many of us would benefit from waking up to an elevated state of consciousness that Groundhog awakens as a metaphor for reincarnation?
There are evolving souls in the spiritual community, who have shared that they have an attachment to a desire to not incarnate anymore, and would prefer to stay in the spirit realm after their experience in this lifetime ends.
While I respect a person’s sovereign right towards self-determination, there is wisdom in the old saying, be careful what you wish for. In order to really trust the Universe, you have to do the shadow work. The voices of trauma can be exhausting at times.
Groundhog energy medicine awakens death without dying as a real perceptible reality during the gift and many blessings of this lifetime. In this experience, we are reminded of the cyclical death and rebirth aspect of life. In every breath we take, a part of us dies, while another part of us is reborn.
Besides, science has confirmed beyond a shadow of a doubt, that we have trillions of cells living within our bodies that change like tastebuds over time. From that perspective, we really aren’t the same person we once were, nor will be in the future. Might as well learn to illuminate every cell in our bodies and learn to make them smile. There’s God(ess) in that.
For you gamers out there, playing video games is akin to the shamanic death without dying experience. You get to hit the reset button, start over, get a new life, and explore different levels. The program is already there and reveals itself when the time is ripe. Beyond that, it’s up to you how to play the game. Freewill within the program’s matrix. Once you know the program, you can transcend it.
Knowing our true identities as mostly luminous, formless beings of light can be the torch that carries you toward the perceptible reality that there is light at the end of the tunnel. Sometimes, we have find the eyes to see that the sun is still there, it’s just hiding behind dark clouds. More importantly, there is light within, no matter how consumed with darkness we might feel.
Just as an example, the classic American film Groundhog Day captures the sentiment of moving beyond the egoic realm of egocentric manipulation to waking up to the realm of Oneness or Unity Consciousness. Remember that Groundhog Day, like Halloween, derives from ancient traditions honored by our ancestors. I first saw this movie in High School and thought it was hilarious. Little did I know that I would end up going to college in the Pittsburgh area of Western Pennsylvania, where the film takes place, and later realize the profound spiritual depth of this movie that stands the test of time.
And then in the next clip below, we have an open hearted and high minded spiritually oriented conversation between Oprah Winfrey and Eckart Tolle to further capture the sentiment. I remember when I first picked up Eckhart’s new book at the time, The Power of Now. This was back in my social work graduate school days in Miami in the late 90s. The trauma of my mother’s suicide was still a fresh deep soul wound, and I was craving finding deeper spiritual meaning in my life to deal with the loss so that I could move forward. Upon reading the this book, I was struck by how his own suffering transformed into a radical spiritual awakening. I was inspired back Zen, and continue to be right Tao.
Flash forward to March, 2009, when Oprah brought to life the first free online planetary book club that explored this spiritual teacher’s next book, A New Earth. Both of my grandmothers died earlier that Winter. I felt triggered by their deaths, my energy field was gravely depleted, and l really looked forward to their live weekly webinar sessions. It was a light at the end of the tunnel for me at that time. I had already been working for several years as a day treatment social worker, in the same Public School community that I worked in over the past couple of decades. I still don’t know how I got out of bed to go to work in the morning during that time. Because we had meaningful connection, a concerned School Nurse I worked with at that time could see auras, and commented that she could see how weak my energy field was. Between Winter’s dirge, and my own grieving process, the time was ripe again for some more transformational inner work.
Switching horses, we will officially enter into the Year of the Fire Horse on February 17th. Fire Horse’s energy reflects greater movement, decision, freedom and courage so that we can effectively gallop into unknown frontiers.
Perfect timing for much transformation on this year’s pathways ahead. But transformation isn’t all sunshine and rainbows. Growing pains are part of the process, and we do need to get off of our cushions and live our lives. May the Chi of the Fire Horse heat up our saddles, and get us off our bums, so to speak.
Speaking of blazing saddles, the Eclipse Season further fuels the flames of transformation with a Solar Eclipse on the Chinese New Year, and then a Lunar Eclipse on March 3rd. Many of you are already feeling these energies before the first eclipse takes place.
Of course, the aftershocks of the Spring Eclipse season will carry on through College Basketball’s March Madness, the Ides of March, Vernal Equinox, and into the Aries time of year. The season of Aries the Ram starts around the onset of baseball season, and energetically always feels like a new year because it is the first sign of the Western Zodiac.
As we already know, eclipses are catalysts for change and shaking up the status quo in our inner and outer worlds. There’s nothing to be superstitious about with regards to any of these energies because, like the present moment, they are what they are.
More importantly, what matters is how we align with the energies at play. Hunkering down and riding the storm out are typical conditioned human survival instincts. But instead of running away from the weather by heading down to the shorelines to get washed out; consider what the animals like rams do in times of alarming weather fronts.
Rather than resisting and fighting ominous weather, they head for the mountains to gain a better vista so that they can intelligently secure deliberate footing that harmonizes with Climate Change.
Or you can curse the weather, fight against the current or push the river, so to speak.
May all Beings be free and live in the present moment of Inner Peace,
Mercury went back direct on November 29. It’s often a time that feels like the old Twilight Zone TV show to many people. Be kind to your mind during this transition, especially because it usually takes approximately 10 days before the mental fog clears up.
Are you listening to your dreams, decoding their symbols, and noticing the heightened synchronicities revealing themselves all around you?
A Full Cold Supermoon arrives on December 4th. Remember Supermoons are like Full Moons on steroids. This Full Moon will amplify universal energies at this time.
Paradoxically, these energies can soften our hearts and minds. When energies are amplified, it’s especially important to be gentle and soft on ourselves and each other.
When we are faced with the need for changes and spontaneity, we can find a sense of safety in thinking about our feelings and sharing them with other people. People are meant to come down into their souls more during the holidays, and particularly in December.
Try not to get sucked into running the hurry up offense during societal consumerist mania. A cool head can be an asset. But but a cold heart can cut you off from the spirit and magic of the season; as well as become a Grinch who steals this from others. Harmony of the head and the heart is a balanced way to be present at this time.
Like water, taichi is a friendly reminder that there is power in softening our edges. Because, like water, cultivating this energy builds gradually. Eventually, a slow drip gains momentum and cultivates power.
Surrender deeply to the river of life and allow it to flow with grace and ease through your body and soul.
And then a New Moon in Sagittarius on December 19 welcomes new beginnings to satiate the hunger of expansive souls. A positive outlook on life and belief that things will get better; even when confronted by challenges, is part of an effective transformation process.
After the New Moon, the Winter Solstice on December 21 will mark the darkest day of the year in the Northern hemisphere. This is the time when our ancestors coaxed back the light; which gently allows for shifts in our consciousness into a new dawn of awakening. Even in darkness, there is light.
The Winter Solstice is a good time for us to get in touch with and express our gratitude for what we have experienced over the past year. Tis the season to let go of anything that we are struggling with, have little or no control over or any resistances to what is persisting in our lives. The clinging and grasping is part of what we resist that persists. Let it all go. A ceremonial fire ritual, especially in a community of people is a powerful way to capture the sentiment.
I remember when a community of men stood around the fire and got real for over a decade around the Winter Solstice. It was a powerful time. Men often hurt in ways that we are not even aware. This can manifest in a garden variety of ways, like the way men often use humor as a way to approach, and then retreat. It’s hard not lose ourselves in work to do and bills to pay. In the old patriarchy, avoiding intimacy is just something you do. But thankfully, the times they are a changin’. By redefining masculinity, we see that being in touch with our feminine sides; such as listening and being sensitive are powerful ways to be men. Besides, it makes us better role models.
Let go of the shores and trust that you will be guided and taken to where you most need to be.
The New Year of the Fire Horse on February 17th will reflect many more big changes coming down the pike. In Shamanism, the energy of Horse symbolizes personal freedom. Consider perceiving the fire element as a blazing saddle that will facilitate the development of a further sense of personal freedom in our lives as we build new frontiers together.
Energetically, one of harbingers of big changes coming our way is the arriving mysterious interstellar comet that scientists are calling 3I/Atlas. It appears that there are mixed reviews about 3I/Atlas’ constitution. It seems that there is agreement among many that 3I/Atlas it is ancient; as in billions of years old, in linear time at least. And apparently, there is a high level of consciousness embodied within it. But as Indigenous people have long known; there is consciousness in everything.
Be mindful that with a deeper and higher sense of personal freedom, which is an Aquarian personality trait; comes the freedom to choose and responsibility to act on how we navigate these big changes we are facing.
As we have discussed in this blog, comets have historically been seen as harbingers of change. I don’t think its a coincidence that this ancient comet has associations with the Sun, and is moving through our neck of the woods into the Year of the Fire Horse. Our Solar Plexus Chakra is our inner sun or our personal will. And the Sun gives us sustenance.
We have been programmed to shy away from mystery, and fear the dark and unknown. But it really is the question that drives us. It’s hard to go wrong with a position of curiosity and empathy.
Allow your imagination to be free to see and feel beyond the veils of ‘normal’ reality into the unseen realms and mysteries of the soul.
Regardless of what exactly 3I/Atlas is, it already appears to be shifting our collective consciousness. There is no doubt in my mind that it has a role to play in awakening a more transcendental, expansive and open hearted and minded perception of the world we live in.
Ponder its universal energies as being a much needed upgrade to elevate our consciousness . . . So that we are equipped to effectively evolve into new ways of being spiritual beings having human experiences.
Of course there is always freewill and choice. If you look at this comet from the viewpoint of the lizard brain, then it will probably look ominous and perhaps seen as a threat.
Given past behavior, we can predict with a high level of confidence that the military-industrial complex looks at it that way, and the talking heads on the media will probably parrot the party line they are ordered to repeat. A real free press doesn’t do that, nor does a more free thinking, fair and just society foment that kind of deception.
Pun alert: Because of the aforementioned tendency, this writer wouldn’t be surprised if an elaborate Wizard of Oz like Wicked elaborate hoax is already being manufactured as we speak. Of course, their intent is to try to control the narrative by keeping people distracted, afraid and enslaved in devilishly repetitive and fixed ideas. The battle to control the public mind is nothing new.
Isn’t it insane to want to keep people asleep, when we are meant to awaken to our Better Angels?
But then again, you all know the definition of insanity is to keep doing the same thing, and expect different results.
Remember that every moment is a new moment, including another moment to be liberated from being driven to distraction.
That’s why is so important to be mindful of the living moment and the power to remember to breathe and focus on positive self talk. The living moment is always there for us to live and breathe in.
As we look back over the last year, December a powerful time where we can slow down and reflect on forgiveness and acceptance, and focus more on giving, peace, and joy.
Slow down, see the playing field, and welcome a gentle and soft approach with the energies at play right now. Allowing for openness and receptivity, and thinking about what you can do for others is the gift that keeps on giving.
