SignOut/October

by Lilly Roddy

Lots of activity is going on as the month begins. Mercury finally goes direct on the 6th, and it will be time to start new activities by the 8th. However, Venus goes retrograde on the 10th, which doesn't give us much time to shift. Venus represents things and people that we place value and love on. During the retrograde time, we look back at what made us make the decisions to get involved or make that choice in the first place. Relationships that are in difficult times will be pushed to their edge. Others will just seek renewal in their existing relationships. Venus goes direct at the end of November. Fun days are the 1st, 16th, 17th, 18th, 21st, 22nd, 23rd, 28th, and 29th. Days to call in sick are the 3rd, 6th, 9th, 10th, 14th, and 31st.

ARIES (March 21-April 19).

Relationships and shared resources are certainly on the menu for you this month. You will generally be more direct with people in your work and home environment. There may be a tendency for you to seek out challenges when none is offered. Some of you may just see getting to know someone better as an adventure. You will probably prefer the latter. Relationships on the rocks will certainly go through some tough times after the 16th. Work may be an easier place to be if they don't fence you in.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20).

You may feel like you are doing that new dance, the Enron Two-Step. You are moving two steps forward and having to take three steps back and hide behind your partner. Your career choice is on slippery ground. You are confused, and for right now that is the best place you can be. You know for sure that you are not continuing on the path you were on with that "Bridge Out" sign ahead. Take this time to re-account for your choices. You may need to make more than just a subtle shift. And you are feeling more alone even if you are in a partnership. Look for new ways to assure your partner. She really needs it.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21).

You will be happy with your ruling planet going direct on the 6th. Now you can stop backwards talking and track on back life your get. It is a good month to pay attention to your health. You will really want to go down Chocolate Lane and Coconut Circle to satisfy that sweet tooth. You are a bit edgy at the beginning of the month, but you lighten up by mid-month. Coworkers can be more difficult to deal with. Their relationships overrun the workplace. Be careful that you don't become the mother confessor and get dragged down in the muck. This is a great time to shift your routines so that you are not bored.

CANCER (June22-July 22).

You are being dragged down to the depths of Hell this month. Oh, sorry, you are going to visit with your parents. That must have been a slip or projection or too much therapy. You are seeking emotional security by bonding with the internally projected images of your childhood-and throwing the projections of those same shadowy images onto the people around you. Get your home into shape. Work on those projects that you have been putting off. It will give you that inner security you have been seeking.

LEO (July 23-August 22).

Gosh, you are the happy sunshine pixie this month, spreading your fairy dust of hope and good wishes everywhere you go. You just see endless possibilities-half-full glasses of water, pot with every chicken, and soon you will be channeling Shirley Temple. You are certainly in a good time. Opportunities are opening up everywhere. Continuing education, travel, and meeting the perfect life partner for the weekend are just around the corner. Be careful on buying new things for your home this month-you may regret the choice at the end of November.

VIRGO (August 23-September 22).

Money and finances have you in a funk this month. You are really trying to get a handle on your life. You are feeling the pressure that all you have done and built up to amass this giant empire isn't making you feel the satisfaction and confidence that you thought it would. And worst, you are feeling that you are not being appreciated. I can see that bottom lip sticking out now. This can make you feel very withdrawn and drive your loved ones away. Try keeping that lip under control.

LIBRA (September 23-October 23).

The sun enters your romantic sign this month, making you a magnet for all those who enter your realm of physical, mental, and spiritual fulfillment. You may be distracted by a nagging financial problem that you have successfully avoided in the past. Now is the month to get it out of the way. And then you will have plenty of time to plan the surprise party your friends are going to throw for you. You are certainly in a reflective time prior to your birthday with your ruling planet retrograde. You may feel a little nostalgic or even a bit melancholy. But by the end of the month, you will be ready to face your public once again.

SCORPIO (October 24-November 21).

That lovely little temptress, Aphrodite, is running through your sign. She is magnetizing your personality and activating your sex drive. Of course, she will be going retrograde, so she will be dragging you through some dramas that you thought you had already seen before. And you have seen them before. Yes, remember that intense passionate lover who later became a stalker. Would it help if he brought flowers and candy? And relationships that are on their last breath you will pronounce dead. You are just making way for all the nominees that Venus is hypnotizing and bringing to your door. Oh, work, career . . . yes, that looks good.

SAGITTARIUS (November 22-December 21).

You are certainly being social this month, and yet you are still trying to fulfill all those obligations at work. Only a Sag can burn a candle at all three ends and still think that she has one more end. You may appear to be aggressive by some, especially in the workplace. They just don't have any ova. By mid-month you will be winding it all down, needing some time for recuperation. And you did spend all of last month getting those piles of papers out of your office. So you have earned a rest.

CAPRICORN (December 22-January 19).

The planets are moving through the career sector of your zodiac this month. This is the place where you like to shine and feel important and helpful to all the people in your universe. Old friends come to visit you from the past. Keep your schedule flexible so you can adapt. This can be a difficult month if someone tries to squash your individuality at work. You certainly won't stand for that. And very likely you will be squashing back. Frustration levels may reach their peak by the 11th. You will move your attention outside of work after the 24th. And then life will be a bowl of cherries.

AQUARIUS (January 20-February 18).

A mixed bag of nuts is on hand for you this month. You are mentally restless. You are seeking but don't know what the destination looks like. You are tired and need to rest. But you cannot turn off your brain to get the rest you need. You are more visible than usual, and others may expect you to take a leadership role. And you aren't sure you want to make that commitment. Try to remember to be true to yourself, and you won't feel so fragmented. Otherwise, you will be reaching out and feeling overextended.

PISCES (February 19-March 20).

Just a simple job of balancing the forces in the universe this month is what is spotlighted for you. Good and evil, light and dark, sweet and sour-take your pick. Or take them all. You are longing for a routine, something mundane to ground your existence. The smallest of tasks seem to have all the secrets of the cosmos bundled up into it. Some of you are hiding away waiting for it to pass. Others are swimming in the galaxy, drinking at the edge of the Milky Way. It's not due to leave the station till 2008. So you might as well learn to swim.

Lilly Roddy is a Houston-based astrologer. She can reached at lillycath@aol.com or www.hermesfoot.com.