Some months feel like a packed diary in the sky. In the second half of October 2026, in a little over ten days, Pluto changes gear, the Sun enters Scorpio, Mercury begins to retrograde, retrograde Venus returns to Libra and the Full Moon lights up Taurus. Soon afterwards comes the cultural Samhain of 31 Oct.
You do not need to ritualize everything, nor fear “heavy energies”. This text is a map of the month: times in BRT, one simple action per date and a short ritual at the Full Moon to close the cycle opened at the New Moon in Libra on 10 Oct. It is the calendar to hang beside your altar.
What it is: why October is so full
Four movements meet in the same stretch of the month:
- Two inner planets retrograde. Venus has been retrograde (℞) since 3 Oct, and Mercury enters ℞ on 24 Oct. Together, they call for a review of what we love (Venus) and of what we say and agree (Mercury).
- Pluto changing gear. After months retrograde in Aquarius, Pluto makes its direct station: it stops in the sky and moves forward again. Because it is slow, this turn is a backdrop for months, not a one-day event.
- A solar ingress. The Sun leaves Libra and enters Scorpio, and the collective tone shifts from the scales to the depths.
- A full moon. The Full Moon in Taurus, opposite the Sun in Scorpio, illuminates body, values, security and attachment.
The script is coherent: we review in depth, set the direction, adjust our words, renegotiate with diplomacy and harvest in the body.
Highlight: Pluto direct in Aquarius
On 15 October 2026, at around 23:24 BRT, Pluto makes its direct station at about 3°04′ of Aquarius. If the retrograde phase was a time for digging up what lay buried in collective structures and in our mechanisms of power, the direct station is the moment when the deep review gains a forward direction. What was understood begins to turn into commitment.
Technical note: stations of slow planets vary according to the ephemeris. Some point to hours earlier, on the same 15th. We adopted 23:24 BRT, the consensus of Swiss-standard ephemerides.
We will not retell the whole retrograde phase here. For the full picture, read Pluto retrograde in Aquarius: what it is and how to ritualize the review.
Practical tips: the calendar of the month
| Date (BRT) | Event | In one sentence |
|---|---|---|
| 03 Oct (already happened) | Venus stations ℞ in Scorpio | The review of what is loved and valued begins. |
| 10 Oct (already happened) | New Moon in Libra | Sowing intentions of rebalancing. |
| 15 Oct · ~23:24 | Pluto direct (Aquarius ~3°04′) | Deep transformation moves forward again. |
| 23 Oct · ~06:38 | Sun enters Scorpio | The solar year dives deep: a time of truth and intensity. |
| 24 Oct · ~04:13 | Mercury stations ℞ (~20°59′ Scorpio) | Review words, contracts and secrets. |
| 25 Oct · ~06:00 (window 05:57–06:23) | Venus ℞ re-enters Libra | Renegotiation becomes more diplomatic. |
| 26 Oct · ~01:12 | Full Moon in Taurus (~2°46′ Taurus), the “Hunter's Moon” | Harvest, give thanks and adjust in the body. |
| 31 Oct | Cultural Samhain | Ancestors and threshold, in a spring mood. |
What to prioritise in each movement:
- Pluto direct → long-term commitment. Choose one deep change understood in recent months and give it a concrete step.
- Mercury ℞ → backups and communication. Save files, reread messages before sending, check dates and contracts. To understand the whole transit, see Mercury retrograde in Scorpio: what it is and how to ritualize the review.
- Venus ℞ back in Libra → renegotiate with more diplomacy. After weeks in Scorpio stirring up jealousy and resentment, Venus returns to the sign it rules, and it becomes easier to propose fair adjustments without war. The full context is in Venus retrograde in Scorpio: what it is and how to ritualize the review.
- Full Moon in Taurus → body, values and emotional possession. What do you feel is yours? What gives you real security? What are you holding on to out of fear of losing it?
Step by step: mini-checklist by date
One action and one caution per date. That is all.
☐ 15 Oct (Thursday), Pluto direct
Action: write in one line “what I understood in this review is…” and, underneath, “the first step is…”.
Caution: do not force radical decisions on the same night. Let the direction settle.
☐ 23 Oct (Friday), Sun in Scorpio
Action: light a dark candle (black, burgundy or purple) and ask: “what truth have I been avoiding looking at?”.
Caution: intensity is not a synonym for depth. Go in short doses.
☐ 24 Oct (Saturday), Mercury ℞
Action: back up your important files, including your digital Book of Shadows.
Caution: avoid signing contracts or sending that definitive message without rereading it the next day.
☐ 25 Oct (Sunday), Venus ℞ re-enters Libra
Action: review the intention you wrote at the New Moon of 10 Oct. Is it still fair? Is it still observable?
Caution: renegotiating is not starting from zero. Adjust, do not discard.
☐ 26 Oct (early hours, Sunday into Monday), Full Moon in Taurus
Action: do the short ritual below, on the night of 25 Oct or that of 26 Oct.
Caution: do not use the Full Moon to demand results from yourself. It is a check-in, not an exam.
Short ritual at the Full Moon in Taurus (10–15 minutes)
The peak is in the small hours (~01:12 BRT on 26 Oct), but there is no need to wait up: the light of the Full Moon is valid for the night before and the night after. For the full structure of an esbath, see our Full Moon Esbath.
You will need: a white or green candle, a glass of water, something from the earth (a seasonal flower, a piece of fruit, a handful of seeds) and the paper with your New Moon intention of 10 Oct, if you did the rite.
- Ground yourself. Feet on the floor, three slow breaths, exhale longer than the inhale. Taurus is earth: feel the weight of your body.
- Light the candle and say: “Under the Full Moon in Taurus, I acknowledge what has blossomed.”
- Give thanks. Name aloud three concrete things you have and value: food, shelter, a hug.
- Reread the Libra intention. Ask: “what has already moved? what needs adjusting?”. If needed, rewrite one line: the scales of Libra meet the ground of Taurus.
- Make an offering. Leave the flower, the fruit or the seeds on the altar and, afterwards, return them to the earth.
- Drink a sip of the water charged under the moonlight and close: “May what is mine remain, and may what is not go in peace.”
- Put out the candle (without blowing, if that is your custom) and note in one sentence how it went.
The bridge to Samhain
Sown on 10 Oct, the intention receives harvest and adjustment on 26 Oct. Five days later comes 31 Oct, the cultural Samhain, with Venus and Mercury still retrograde. Arriving with a revised intention is arriving lighter at the threshold of the ancestors. Samhain will have its own text; for now, the Full Moon in Taurus is your gateway.
Quick answers
Does Pluto direct “release” everything that was stuck? No. The direct station marks a change of direction, not an instant unblocking. The effect is felt over the following months, as you act on what you understood.
Does Mercury go retrograde on the same day the Sun enters Scorpio? Almost. The Sun enters Scorpio on 23 Oct (~06:38 BRT) and Mercury stations retrograde on 24 Oct (~04:13 BRT), less than 24 hours apart. The weekend of 23 to 25 Oct concentrates three movements: go gently.
Can I call it the Hunter's Moon in the Southern Hemisphere? You can, knowing its origin. The Hunter's Moon is the Northern Hemisphere folk name for this October Full Moon, where the month is autumn and hunting season. Here in the South (Brazil, for example) it is spring, so we prefer Full Moon in Taurus, with the traditional name only as a note. In our climate, it feels more like an early harvest and blossoming earth.
Is this a horoscope? Do I need to know my sign? No. This is a map of the collective sky, with practices that anyone can do. If you have your birth chart, you can look for where 3° Aquarius, 20°–21° Scorpio and 2°–3° Taurus fall, but this is optional.
May the October sky be less a marathon and more a staircase: one step at a time, with your feet on the blossoming earth of spring.