The movements of personal planets Mercury, Venus and Mars have the starring roles in this year’s Libra Sun cycle, and their shifts have short and long term implications. After the Sun enters the cardinal air of Libra on the 22nd, incoming trends will quickly take shape. Mars will enter Leo on the 27th, Mercury will enter Scorpio on the 30th and Venus’s retrograde will begin on October 3rd. All three planets have retrogrades on the horizon, underscoring the significance of their placements. Libra is one of pleasure-seekingVenus’s home signs, and Venus is the planet associated with love and money. In Scorpio, and especially during her October 3rd to November 13th retrograde, romantic and financial matters are in for some scrutiny. Given the macroeconomic developments already unfolding heading into this retrograde, the subject of money can easily turn light Libra breezes into Scorpio storms. From a healthy perspective, the Rx, which will see Venus venture back into fair-minded Libra on October 25th, presents an opportunity to correctly identify problems and to then make needed changes. Venus won’t be the only planet retrograding in Scorpio’s transformative waters.

On October 4th, Mercury will cross the shadow of its October 24th to November 13th, exclusively Scorpio retrograde. Mercury, along with Scorpio-based Venus, will endure the pressure of squares from Scorpio’s ruler Pluto in Aquarius and from Mars and Jupiter in Leo. On October 2nd, Mercury will square Mars and Pluto. On October 19th, Venus will form Pluto square number two, in the series of three that began on September 15th and ends on December 9th. Additionally, a Mars Pluto opposition will be exact on October 3rd, as Venus stations retrograde. These cosmic conditions make avoiding or evading the truth next to impossible. Mercury’s Scorpio visit will last until December 6th, and Venus will re-enter the fixed water sign on December 4th, with a final exit date of January 7, 2027. On the bright side, there is plenty of time to process the discoveries made during the coming weeks and months. For the exact dates and degrees of these two retrogrades, please see my Sun Into Virgo 2026 article.

Not to be upstaged by Scorpio drama, Mars is due for a Leo tour that will last until May 14, 2027 and a retrograde co-starring Virgo. The first leg of the Leo journey will run from September 27th through November 25th, the usual Mars stint. But its retrograde will begin on January 10th at 10° Virgo 39′, and Mars will re-enter Leo on February 21st. Ultimately the spunky, spicy planet will travel all the way back to 20° Leo 55′ on April 1st, and station direct. A nearly three-month-long Mars retrograde will certainly subdue and slow down initiatives, and stamp the beginning of 2027 with its distinct signature. Soft launches and trial runs are highly recommended for endeavors undertaken during this period. That said, delays do not equal denials. Adventuring Mars in optimistic Leo can find and exude galvanizing inspiration. In analytical Virgo’s care, aspirations can be refined, organized and thoughtfully implemented. November 5th is when Mars will initially cross that 20° Leo 55′ retrograde shadow point. By then, the Venus and Mercury retrogrades will be in full swing, under a Scorpio Sun. Before then, Mars will find agreeable fire-sign company in Saturn, Neptune and Jupiter, and while in cooperative, harmonizing Libra, the Sun will enjoy air-sign boosts from Uranus and Pluto. Both sets of planets in the outgoing yang signs can help Mars kickstart endeavors. The upcoming retrogrades are sure to uncover new facts and test resolve. Nonetheless, the time to prep the ground for those darling buds of May starts now.

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