Well, readers, October is upon us along with the witchy breeze of its autumnal magick. Revel in the glory of fallen leaves crunching helplessly beneath your feet, each one a reminder that we’re going to have to start wearing pants soon because it’s about to be way too cold for showing skin in these streets. With the release of summer’s heat, body odor, and minimalist clothing trend, the planets are coming out of their long and oppressive retrograde phases. While the recent sweaty season most likely felt oddly abusive to you, I can say that it was setting us all up for a lovely fall quarter filled with connection, integration, and the sociable energy that we normally get a dose of when summer isn’t spanking us in a non-sexy way. With PRIDE in full and hefty swing at this time, it’s safe to say that many of us are feeling like the Sanderson sisters after Zachary Binx lit the black-flame candle: brand-new and ready for some timeless debauchery. Don’t be surprised if you find yourself counting more blessings than sins by the time we get to All Hallow’s Eve.

Etheric Medicina

October is a BIG month in terms of fresh energy, reaping what we have sown, and cashing in on some major XP in our relationships. The theme of our collective story during October is multifaceted and wonderfully balanced; it seems that with the challenge and confrontation of summer, a lot of us now have the desire to get involved in community connection (I don’t mean circuit parties), group efforts (I still don’t mean circuit parties), and even some humanitarian-focused paths of action (I still don’t mean circuit parties). It’s interesting and delightful how personal adversity can often lead to togetherness, relatability, and the seeking of healthy intimacy. New and enriching relationship dynamics are a huge astrological focus this month, and they come with a healthy dose of spiritual awareness and development. If you’ve been wanting more out of your interpersonal and romantic connections, honor that because this month, especially the second half, is ripe with opportunities for mixing and mingling in purposeful ways (I’m still not talking about circuit parties).

September through November represents the final harvest time of the year and typically the last and most influential breakings of bread that we engage in before settling into the slowness of Winter’s daunting cold front. Historically, this is a time of gathering resources, food stores, loved ones, firewood, insulation, and even a good amount of weight to buffer the chill in the air. So don’t feel bad about gathering those pumpkin spice and candy corn calories, darling, it’s for warmth and survival. For many of us today, there will be an almost unconscious inspiration to ‘gather’ information, education, details, teammates, and new experiences. You may find that the aftermath of this summer’s burn-off has you wondering where you belong, what you should be doing, and who you can really count on. A word to remember is “trust.” Trust your instincts; trust your intuition; trust your gut; trust the direction that motivation is taking you. But maybe don’t trust your codependent need for certain types of attention. I know you may not have had time to get your annual summer fling this year, but ‘trust’ that it is for the best.

If you’re someone who loves the sound of your own voice, then October will be right up your…alley. The communication energy right now is caffeinated, probably because of how much tea everyone is suddenly spilling. My encouragement is that instead, you enliven connection by discussing passions, creative desires, social causes, and even spiritual beliefs. Remember that “words are spells,” especially during witchy season, and allowing trash to fall out of your mouth makes you look like a trashcan. We will be crossing paths with important, supportive, and even influential people this month, and it would behoove us all to trick them into thinking that we are diplomatic, integrious, mature people. I’m just kidding…No, I’m not…

Earlier, I mentioned that there are opportunities for “major XP” within our relationships this month, and I meant that in a multitude of ways; I’ll start with the pokey stuff first, and since I enjoy lists, here you go:

• Issues around fidelity (whether they’re real or paranoid stories) can make or break a partnership, depending on how it’s handled. Transparency and patience are needed when addressing this, and they will bring truth and clarity.
• Sometimes, “trust” in relationships is more conceptual than literal, and we need to learn how it really looks and feels when embodied. Take the opportunity to trust in a new way, and you may find space for much more in your relationships.
• When the tectonic plates beneath the foundations of our relationships shift, it can be exciting, scary, awkward, and tense. Without this happening, though, they stagnate and can turn swampy. Let them transform, what comes from this will be huge.
• Relationships connected to home life are seeing massive and super beneficial changes during this time. No matter how this presents, as “good” or “bad,” please know that this transition will be instrumental for you and your future.
• And lastly, let God be in the driver’s seat. Kidding. Kind of. Look, whatever your spiritual or religious affiliation is doesn’t matter. What does matter is that your spiritual/religious cup is being filled within the context of your intimate relationships, whether directly or indirectly. Connections lacking this foundation element can eventually feel purposeless, shallow, misguided, and distracting. It is important to be honest with ourselves here, asking if there is space for expansion, evolution, and the divine within our intimate connections.

Entering November (assuming we’ve all taken the opportunities offered in October), we find ourselves crossing a threshold into a new kind of existence, an embodiment of ourselves that we have each had a glimpse of but didn’t really know how to actualize. At the start of the month, it kind of feels like dating a new lover, but the person you’re having dinner with is yourself (not that photoshopped set of abs that you considered ‘swiping right’ on). You weren’t necessarily planning on entering a “new season, new me” phase, but you won’t be able to deny that there’s something different about you. No matter how seemingly big or small, the truth is that an evolution has taken place inside all of us, seeded in our subconscious, structured through our fluctuating home and relational environments, and directly supporting our highest truths and purposes. This period of time is about getting to know yourself now and learning about who this iteration of you wants to be.

The diffraction of energy that is taking place now following the volcanic charge of this summer is like the inner layers of an opal: alluring, colorful, mesmerizing, and multidimensional, but also a bit ungrounding and frenetic. Both October and November come with lots of movement at a time when we are normally settling into stillness. It will be both invigorating and discombobulating, like walking in heels for the first time. Go with the flow that feels the most inspired, impassioned, organic, and truthful, and enjoy the opportunity to stumble into new experiences and connections. There is a grand redefining happening when it comes to the moral of our collective story, and we all get to be part of the plot twist.

This article was originally published in the 2024 PRIDE Celebration issue of Las Vegas PRIDE Magazine, and can be read in its original format here.