This is the time of year in the Northern Hemisphere when traditionally the veil between the world of the living and the world of the ancestors becomes thinner, and connections between those of us living in physical reality and those spirits in alternate or non-physical realities are more accessible. Known as Samhain to the pagans, this time of year actually was often thought of as the beginning of winter, rather than the traditional Roman calendar version which places it at Solstice. Conquering civilizations being that they are, old holy days are co-opted into new redefined versions, and Hallowe’en, All Hallows Eve, has been reduced to a children’s masquerade party and a sales opportunity.

But the timing of the Earth’s orbit around the Sun transcends societal definitions, and the midpoint between Equinox and Solstice is our crossover point between equal day/night and the darkest/longest night of the year. And the meaning of such doorways may be covered over by modern society, but our bodies still feel the ancient movement at the deepest level of our brainstem. And for those who wish to take advantage of the ancient doorway opening, this is a very intense and powerful time.

Especially at this New Moon, there is an exact (180˚) opposition to the Sun/Moon conjunction by the planet Uranus, the great awakener. Uranus in the ancient ways was the god of Chaos, which is actually the “higher order” of the universe just seen as chaotic from our small mortal perspective.  Uranus, now in Taurus, is calling us to pay attention to the Earth’s ways, to our own bodily/Earth ways (as our bodies are made of earth), and thus to honoring the substance that holds the molecules and atoms of our bodies together: our passion and love for life, i.e. Scorpio.

How have our passions directed us so far in our lives? Certainly at times they have led us down the “primrose path” of oblivious pleasure and the pain of rejection or corruption of our innate desire to love and be loved. And hopefully we have learned from our errors or assumptions. But have we in the painful process of learning, let go of our passion, to be simply acceding to societal pressures of conformity, or even our own desire to be accepted and loved? Have we lost the initial enthusiastic and joyful expressions of our soul? Most of us will have to answer yes, at least partially, as the demands of life, making a living, or being in a relationship take precedence over the flame inside that yearns for authentic expression.

But Uranus in the picture this month will be shaking the ground we stand upon, asking us to look deeply into our soul at this time of year. Perhaps it is time to ask our ancestors for assistance in fulfilling a destiny that our forebears could not fulfill. This is no small matter, but then Scorpio energy doesn’t  deal in things by halves. The rulers of Scorpio, Pluto and Mars, are in a 90˚ angle, squaring each other off in a challenge to fulfill our potential, and let go of the ego’s ideas about itself. This is a time to transcend our ideas of our own limitations. Saturn is in an even tighter square to Mars, which is shaking up, asking us to question, the outer structures of how we have arranged our reality.

It’s possible that in the outer world of the larger political and social stage, things may heat up, even more than before. Mars square to Saturn is a time of emotional frustration, or it could be a time of breaking out of some limitation, but we need to be careful what we break. With the combination of Uranus pulling against the New Moon and Mars in Libra pushing our relationships to the limit, both personally and globally we are in highly pressurized energetics. Be most careful of your interactions with others at this time.

Love is, and always has been, the answer. Of course, there are so many different “flavors” of love. In this New Moon chart, Venus and Mercury are both in Scorpio, and right in between them both is the asteroid Athena, also in Scorpio. Athena in Scorpio is kind of a poster goddess for depth psychology. The planets of communication and receptive love are both blended with Athena’s sharp and penetrating drive to get to the depths of our feelings, to unravel the history of trauma or stories that we’ve been identifying with that have anchored our passion (Scorpio) in ways that have become outmoded, that leave us drained and depressed.

With Mercury turning retrograde on Halloween, the time for self-review begins, lasting until November 20th. Use this time to pay attention to your dreams, to schedule in time for extra meditation and quiet alone time. Connections to your inner self, guiding spirits and ancestors are especially strong for this next period of time.

Especially at this juncture of diving deep into the darkness, we are being asked to increasingly become the witness to our reactions, and release our fear, judgements and shame around what we encounter in ourselves and others. Uranus, the planet that rules Aquarius and the shifting sands of the very paradigm that we live by, will be sending us jolts of awareness, opening our eyes to more and more of what needs to be perceived and changed. If we try to close our eyes again, the repercussions will not be pretty. However, it’s important to remember that the Universe wants us to wake up, to increase our capacity for love and compassion, to let go of our personal or petty desires, all of our thoughts and judgements about ourselves and others, and to flow with the tide of the Great Turning of consciousness. As we learn to let go of our internal dialog, we awaken our hearts, and then our passion becomes a guide we can trust, bringing us more clarity and energy to deal with the turbulence of these times.