Cancer Monthly Horoscope

How about a little rest after that non-stop September? Life had you on the move, but with six planets in wayward retrograde, there were also lots of pivots and pauses. Now, you’re ready to do some of your famous Cancerian nesting, and Libra season is prime time for that. Until October 23, the Sun is in your homey fourth house, beckoning you to rejuvenate in your well-appointed Crab shell.

 

But don’t fall asleep in there! The October 9 Aries full moon will activate your career sector and bring a shining professional moment. Three of the retrograde planets—Mercury, Saturn and Pluto—also wake up from their naps. And the month ends with the first of two life-changing eclipses, right in time for Halloween!

 

If you’re hankering to hunker under your velvety blankets binge-ing House of the Dragon, do that earlier in the month. Once Scorpio season hits on October 23, you’ll be ready to get back out and enjoy life to the fullest. The October 25 Scorpio eclipse could bring a change to your love life or a creative opportunity that puts your name in lights. Travel could be in the picture before the end of the year too, since adventurous Jupiter will make a pitstop in Pisces and your global ninth house from October 28 to December 20.

 

But you’ll have to manage your energy carefully once action planet Mars turns retrograde on October 30, slogging in reverse through your sleepy twelfth house of healing and closure until January 12. This could be an introspective time for relationship repair or healing from heartache—all the emo stuff Cancers do best.

 

But first: Halloween! The Aquarius moon in your sexy eighth house paired with three Scorpio planets in your head-turning fifth call for a costume that’s more “vamp” than “vampire.” Feel free to skew sexy on the night when you’ve got permission to let any one of your alter egos out to play.

Cashmere throws, cable-knit sweaters and crockpots, oh my! Bring on the creature comforts of fall! The Sun is making its annual visit to Libra and your homey fourth house until October 23, putting the spotlight on all things domestic. During Libra season, you're in your element, because Cancer rules the zodiac's fourth house. So as the Sun beams its rays here, you could be inspired to redecorate, spend more time with family or hunt for a new address. 

Friction begone! A mind-bending Mercury retrograde that began on September 9 finally ends, after disrupting technology, communication and travel plans and driving us all mad. Until September 23, Mercury backed through Libra, sending ripples of contention through your domestic sphere—particularly with female friends and relatives. You may have needed to clear the air with your mom or a maternal figure or just have an honest conversation in which you unburden yourself of whatever's been bunching up your smooth bond. If you’re a parent, managing responsibilities and getting through to your kids has taken extra effort.

Since September 23, Mercury’s been in Virgo and your third house of communication. You naturally feel misunderstood as a Cancer (so many feelings), and this made it ten times worse. Hopefully you were able to take a few deep breaths and get through to everyone. Old friends and colleagues could have resurfaced over the past couple weeks, since Mercury retrograde can bring reunions with people from your past. That part of it is always balm for your sentimental soul. 

However, the retrograde could have found you bickering with siblings, neighbors and people you interact with daily. Road rage much? With Mercury reversing through your house of vehicles, anything with wheels could have been a source of stress. Great news: You’ll feel back in the driver’s seat (in every sense) starting October 2. But take care, because the “retroshade” shadow phase will leave some of Mercury’s fumes lingering until October 16.

Transforming your relationships becomes a top-line item starting October 8, when karmic Pluto ends a five-month retrograde in Capricorn and your partnership zone. Have you been embroiled in a power struggle with a key person? Maybe you’ve been hashing out deal points but keep stopping shy of signing on the dotted line for a professional venture. Energetically, something’s been holding you back or getting in the way of making things official…but perhaps it’s a blessing in disguise? Now that Pluto returns to forward motion, you can see these dynamics more clearly and work to balance them.

Your career is front and center on October 9, when the year’s only Aries full moon beams into your tenth house of success and ambition. Something you’ve been working on for the past six months—a promotion, leadership role or status-boosting initiative—could come through at last. Are you craving a new professional path or a change of nine-to-five scenery? These transitional moonbeams could bring an exciting new opportunity.

But don’t be surprised if there’s resistance from loved ones at first. This full moon stands opposite Venus in your family sector, indicating that your crew might not be so supportive of your ambitious plans. Cancer, you’re the ultimate caretaker, but you may need to let your inner circle know that it’s YOUR turn to receive rather than give. What goes around comes around!

Some well-deserved fun arrives starting October 23, when the Sun moves into fellow water sign Scorpio and your fifth house of pleasure, passion and play. Creativity spikes with your mojo; a fall romance could heat up before the holiday season begins. If you’re in a relationship, get some concerts and fun outings on the calendar, along with a few dressy dates (you look adorable in athleisure, Crab, but you also clean up nicely!).

The October 25 Scorpio new moon opens a six-month window for new (or deepening) love or an exciting creative project. Even better? This one is a partial solar eclipse—a potent push off the fence and into decisive action. Artists, musicians and performers especially should seize this date for an album drop, gallery opening or to start working on your craft in earnest. Be your fiercest and flirtiest self today and you could attract an admirer or three, especially since this eclipse will be exactly conjunct (together) with love planet Venus. 

Whether it turns into something romantic or just a kindred-spirit spark, what’s most important is that you let your authentic self emanate—big and bold! The people who are drawn to you when you’re being raw and real are the ones you ultimately want around.

Scorpio season isn’t the only thing starting up your sizzle. On October 23, structured Saturn wakes up from a four-month retrograde in Aquarius and your eighth house of intimacy, shared finances and merging. Since June 4, the taskmaster has been reverse-commuting, forcing you to take a hard look at how well you play with others. Issues of trust may have surfaced, along with old fears and doubts. 

Some Cancers may have separated from a partner (either business or romantic) while others had to work through an unresolved block around jealousy or control. Your mojo may have gone into slow-mo with restrictive Saturn bottlenecking your erotic eighth house. Debt, a legal issue or real estate challenge could also have been a source of frustration.

 

Hopefully you used the time for repair work instead of driving yourself deeper into a stubborn mindset. Saturn's main quest was to help you streamline your plans and make sure they were rock-solid—as opposed to overly ambitious (read: destined to fail). Inspector Saturn isn't here to punish you, even if it feels that way. Rather, he acts as an astrological auditor, ensuring that you build your long-term success on a solid foundation. That means NO cutting corners on your path to power, partnership and prosperity, Crab! With mature Saturn now powering forward in Aquarius—where it will remain until March 2023—you can take any hard-won lessons and apply them. The longevity of your investments, both emotional and financial, depends on it.

How about a vacation, Cancer? On October 28, lucky and expansive Jupiter makes its third and final visit to Pisces and your travel sector, staying until December 20. Jupiter has been visiting this part of your chart in a three-part act since May 2021, but it moved ahead into Aries and your career zone back on May 10 of this year. 

If you’ve been making massive strides in your professional life, no surprise. Our friend, Cancerian singer-songwriter Michelle Branch (https://michellebranch.com/), went on tour during this Jupiter in Aries cycle to debut her new album “The Trouble with Fever.” Jupiter was on her side: Michelle brought along her six-month-old Pisces daughter who she’s still breastfeeding, and managed to pull off a multi-city tour bus extravaganza while Mercury was retrograde! That’s the luck of Jupiter in action.

Still, you might be a ready for a holiday break, and Jupiter delivers the opportunity, dipping back into your globetrotting ninth house. Whether you sink into a staycation with a stack of books or find yourself hitting the road for pleasure instead of work, Jupiter’s final visit to Pisces beckons you to take a sweet escape.

Forget about Halloween being scary—the past could come back to haunt you this October 30 (and it’s wearing a skeleton costume). Aggravator Mars will be retrograde (backward) in Gemini until January 13, forcing you to deal with an issue you’ve swept under the rug. A romance that’s been speeding along could cool down for the next couple months.  

 

Mars is in your behind-the-scenes and restful twelfth house for an extended journey that began August 20 and will stretch until March 25. On January 13, 2023, Mars will blaze into Cancer, a spring reboot that could send you soaring. But until then, easy does it. Your physical and mental energy levels may be low or internally focused. With Mars reversing, prepare for a dose of healing and dealing. A piece of your life may go through an emotional transition and perhaps even come to a close. If you’ve put off mourning a heartbreak or dealing with a nagging issue, reach out for support to deal with this painful but necessary healing head-on.