Starcodes for the week of October 16-22, 2026
Batten the hatches, catch up on e-mail, get organized this competent week. Forgive yourself if you don’t, just be away that the next few weeks will be easier if you do. Mercury, patron saint of cities, communications, talk therapy, and AI, joins Venus retrograde in Scorpio next week, October 24 – November 13, just in time for the mid-term elections. The more clear and organized we are going into this cycle, the easier it can be. This work will be supported by a competent, energizing trine between Mars and Saturn all week long.
Retrograde planets have a useful job, they send us back to remember, review, repair, help us summarize our work and savor memories. We might find missing manuscripts that need work, old poems that still call to us, paintings that need one more touch. But if we get uncentered or in a rush, trickster Mercury retrograde can trip us up, hide our keys, engender misunderstandings, throw in bizarre delays, and add to an already ongoing flood of illusion. Watch carefully for the dissemination of misinformation before this coming election, expect there to be lies and obfuscations. It’s getting harder to find real facts in this AI age, so scrutinize carefully any new information or flash opinions.
Mercury has been in its shadow, the part of the zodiac it appears to back over during its retrograde cycle, for several days; it went in just about the time the bombing of Russian bot-churning AI centers. Venus is already retrograde in Scorpio. The past walks with us, ghosts need to be honored. Walk a fine line between accountability versus retribution.
Mercury and Venus in Scorpio can call us to dive deep, which is really useful for research and problem solving, for spelunking within our soul or coming to understand our companions, but we can get caught in the past or perseverate on old pain just for the intensity. Venus is retrograding into a square with Pluto, some pain that arose mid-September when Venus first squared Pluto, or in a time earlier in our lives, now circles back and needs our work and our respect.
Let’s choose to use the pitbull-like strength of that Scorpio focus with care. Like a dog chewing on our favorite shoe, our minds don’t get it when we say, “drop it,” we have to give it something else to chew on, some other mystery to solve.
Scorpio calls us to move deep rather than fast, if we try to hurry or brush over a difficult topic, we can make the situation worse. We can also trip and fall. Pay extra attention to the surroundings for this next month. Take the time to live with care.
Friday, October 16: Let’s get our work done under a competent Capricorn Moon and as energizing Mars forms a supportive trine to organizing Saturn. Prepare for the coming Mercury retrograde – firm up plans, buy tickets, update tech – just keep the receipts. Be effective, not controlling. Take a break or be extra attentive in a sleepy-spacey moment at noon as the Moon squares Neptune. Run a checklist at the end of the day and check in with the team to keep processes on track. Help people process the work week over dinner then relax sociably tonight as the Moon sextiles Venus.
Mars trine Saturn 2:32 AM MDT, Moon enters Capricorn 6:56 AM, Moon square Neptune 11:53 AM, Moon sextile Venus 4:51 PM.
Saturday, October 17: Strange worries or concerns can bug our dreams as the Moon squares Saturn overnight, but the rest of this day could be busily productive. People may feel distracted rather than sociable, as if they’re on a mission even if they’re not sure what that mission is. We’ll all feel better if we can support each other’s work and feel like we’re getting somewhere on our to-do lists. Hurrying can backfire with Mercury in its shadow preparing to retrograde, so measure twice and cut once. In this busy and competent day, notice if human interactions have gotten a little out of sync, take the time for eye contact and confirm people’s expectations to keep everyone on the same page. Look for good conversation tonight as the Moon sextiles Mercury.
Moon square Saturn 3:50 AM MDT, Moon sextile Mercury 9:06 PM.
Sunday, October 18: The mood is generally constructive and hardworking, determined, but people can act out with Mars in Leo temper flares when frustrated or feeling guilty. We may need to wrestle with questions of accountability and strategy as Neptune and Uranus form a yod with Venus. Ask who’s responsible for what’s happened, and how we can break cycles – whether that cycle is personal or political. Take a moment alone if needed but watch a tendency to isolate under stress. The Moon enters Aquarius tonight and the mood grows more hopeful about connection to our community. Just don’t expect people to care that much about individual issues tonight; we’ll be open but still not warm and squishy.
Moon square Sun 10:12 AM MDT, Moon enters Aquarius 7:39 PM.
Monday, October 19: Check in with people who have a tough decision to make or are facing questions about the security of their home, voting, or citizenship as the Moon in Aquarius conjuncts Pluto. They may be gearing up to make an important move; Offer support and assistance rather than advice. We may be easily distracted this morning but can focus more effectively this afternoon as the Moon sextile Saturn. Tonight, if pressured by deadlines as the Moon opposes Mars, rather than get irritable or anxious, let’s get organized. Do not borrow trouble from the future.
Moon sextile Neptune 12:25 AM MDT, Moon conjunct Pluto 1:49 AM, Moon square Venus 2:52 AM, Moon trine Uranus 5:51 AM, Moon sextile Saturn 3:51 PM, Moon oppose Mars 8:24 PM.
Tuesday, October 20: Note where compassion acts- and where it is sorely missing. Sadness wafts through as Venus squares Pluto, something may trigger a memory of letting go, or deep disappointment. If that is so, let the waves of feeling pass through rather than hold on or fight it. Luckily, we don’t have to grieve all at once; this may be an old grief or a response to our world today, rather than a personal loss. If possible, pour these feelings into art, music, or hugging a puppy; make homage to Venus. Have the courage to love this world and the dear people in it anyway–even though nothing is completely safe or secure.
Venus square Pluto 12:55 AM MDT, Moon square Mercury 11:41 AM, Moon opposed Jupiter 4:49 PM.
Wednesday, October 21: A day to catch up on unprocessed emotions. We could feel tender-hearted as the Moon enters sensitive Pisces and trines Venus, called to be there with empathy or understanding we gained through our similar experience as the Sun opposes Chiron. Our hearts are wise, but tension can multiply and cause more problems if we get too much in our heads. If we’ feel misunderstood, let’s slow down and clarify without a charge.
Moon trines Sun 2:42 AM MDT, Moon enters Pisces 6:34 AM, Moon trine Venus 10:50 AM, Moon square Uranus 4:06 PM, Sun opposed Chiron 4:26 PM.
Thursday, October 22: Empathize, let everything come from the heart and avoid those ditches of resentment. From the poet Rumi “Close the language‑door and open the love‑window. The Moon won’t use the door, only the window.” Once an empathic understanding is created, then bring in the words to understand it with the mind as the Pisces Moon trines Mercury. Mercury slows us down as it slows down to turn retrograde in 2 days. It wants us to look backwards more than ahead, so continue the work of clearing the decks from Mercury retrograde but lead with the heart, lead with compassion.
Moon trine Mercury 9:31 PM MDT.
Provided by Heather Roan Robbins www.roanrobbins.com
