Cosmic Compass | October 2026
By Nylah Razvi, HerAwaken
There are times in life when everything seems to move forward effortlessly. We feel confident, inspired and capable of taking on the world. And then there are periods when, despite our best efforts, life seems determined to slow us down.
What if these moments are not simply obstacles to overcome, but opportunities to understand ourselves more deeply?
As a student of spiritual sciences, I’ve become fascinated by the relationship between cosmic movements and our personal experiences. Astrology and ancient spiritual teachings have given me a different way of looking at the challenges I encounter, helping me recognize patterns, question my reactions and become more conscious of the choices I make.
I don’t use astrology to predict my future. Instead, I approach it as a symbolic guidance system, one that helps me explore the lessons a particular period might offer.
And the planetary movements of October 2026 present an especially meaningful lesson about power, humility, wisdom and the warrior within us.
1. What’s happening in the cosmos?
There are three important planetary influences I want to introduce you to: Saturn, Mars and Jupiter.
Don’t worry if you know absolutely nothing about astrology. I’ll explain everything in simple terms.
First, a quick note: I’m drawing from the ancient sidereal astrology tradition, which follows a slightly different zodiac system from the Western horoscopes you may be familiar with.
Saturn: The strict teacher
Since July 27, Saturn has been retrograde, a phase that continues until December 11.
In astronomy, retrograde simply means a planet appears to move backward when viewed from Earth. In astrology, this apparent backward movement is traditionally interpreted as a period of revisiting, reviewing and reconsidering.
Saturn symbolizes discipline, responsibility, boundaries, justice and consequences.
Imagine a strict but ultimately fair teacher who suddenly decides to inspect all the homework you’ve been avoiding.
That’s Saturn. And unfortunately, “my dog ate my homework” isn’t going to work with this one. 
Symbolically, Saturn asks us to examine our responsibilities, unfinished business, decisions and integrity.
Not necessarily to punish us, but to help us correct what is out of alignment.
Mars: The warrior
On September 18–19, Mars entered the zodiac sign of Cancer, where it will remain until around November 12–13.
Mars represents our fire: courage, ambition, willpower, anger, the instinct to fight, and our desire to take action.
Mars is the warrior within us.
But Cancer represents a very different environment: home, family, nurturing, emotional sensitivity and protection.
In traditional astrology, Mars is considered weakened in Cancer.
Imagine a powerful warrior, fully dressed for battle, suddenly finding himself in the middle of a kitchen.
He’s ready to swing his sword, but someone hands him a wooden spoon and asks him to prepare dinner.
Not exactly the battlefield he had in mind!
And yet, this is where the lesson begins.
The warrior wants to fight.
The nurturing energy of Cancer asks him to protect.
The warrior wants immediate action.
Cancer asks him to consider how his actions will affect others.
In other words, strength is being asked to develop sensitivity.
Jupiter: The wise teacher
Here’s where things become particularly interesting.
Jupiter has also been moving through Cancer, and remains there until October 31.
Unlike Mars, Jupiter is traditionally considered exceptionally strong in Cancer.
Jupiter represents wisdom, higher understanding, truth, guidance and the ability to see a bigger picture.
So, from mid-September until the end of October, we have two very different planetary qualities sharing the same sign:
A restless warrior who wants to act, and a wise teacher who asks him to think first.
In astrology, this is considered a meaningful combination because Jupiter’s wisdom may help guide Mars’s powerful but unsettled energy.
The lesson isn’t to eliminate our fire. It’s to learn how to use it wisely.
And this brings us to the most important part of today’s letter.
2. What might this mean in our everyday lives?
I find this planetary combination fascinating because it offers such a powerful mirror for human behavior.
Think about how often we react before we’ve truly understood a situation.
Someone makes a remark we dislike, and suddenly we’re rehearsing a five-minute speech in our heads.
Someone challenges our opinion, and we feel an immediate need to prove ourselves right.
Something doesn’t go according to plan, and our first instinct is to push harder.
Sometimes, we don’t even realize we’re fighting. We simply feel tense, defensive, restless or unusually sensitive.
From an astrological perspective, this is one way the unsettled energy of Mars can be understood.
When our inner warrior feels threatened or restricted, that energy may turn into impatience, anger, passive aggression or the desire to control outcomes.
But here is the deeper question:
Are we responding to what is actually happening, or are we reacting to something within ourselves?
Perhaps a person’s words hurt us because they touched an old insecurity.
Perhaps we’re desperate to win an argument because we secretly fear being wrong.
Perhaps we keep pushing for a particular outcome because accepting uncertainty feels unbearable.
This is where the inner work begins.
The real battle may be happening inside us
One of the most valuable lessons I’ve taken from my studies is that not every battle needs to be fought outside ourselves.
Sometimes, the person or situation upsetting us is simply revealing something within us that needs attention.
An old wound. A fear. A belief. A need to be validated.
And when we become aware of this, we have a choice.
We can continue fighting the situation.
Or we can become curious about what it is teaching us.
This is what I mean by inner cleansing.
Not some mysterious ritual or complicated spiritual practice, but the very real work of recognizing the unconscious patterns that influence our behavior.
It’s learning to observe our ego without automatically obeying it.
It’s being willing to admit when we’ve been unfair.
It’s releasing the need to always have the last word.
And sometimes, it’s accepting that we may have something to learn from someone whose opinion we initially rejected.
That last one can be particularly uncomfortable. Our egos aren’t always enthusiastic students!
Not everything that feels good is good for our growth
Another important theme of this period is learning to distinguish wisdom from validation.
We naturally enjoy hearing that we’re right, that we’re wonderful, and that everyone else is the problem.
But genuine growth often begins with a truth we’d rather not hear.
A good teacher, a trusted friend, or even an uncomfortable life experience may reveal something about ourselves that we need to address.
That doesn’t mean accepting every criticism or surrendering our judgment to someone else.
It means developing enough humility to consider whether there might be something useful in an uncomfortable message.
Wisdom doesn’t always tell us what we want to hear. Sometimes it tells us what we need to understand.
And that, to me, is one of the most beautiful opportunities hidden within this period.
3. How can we work with this energy?
If October is offering us a lesson in bringing wisdom to our actions, how do we actually practice it?
Here are a few things I’ve been reflecting on and would love to invite you to try.
â‘ Pause before you respond.
This sounds simple, but it may be one of the hardest things to practice.
When you feel angry, defensive or emotionally overwhelmed, resist the urge to respond immediately.
You don’t have to resolve every disagreement in the moment.
Sometimes the wisest response is to take a walk, step away, or simply give yourself time to settle.
That doesn’t mean avoiding difficult conversations forever. It means returning to them when you can speak with clarity rather than anger.
And yes, that includes the beautifully worded text message you’ve already typed out in your head. Perhaps don’t send that just yet! 
â‘¡ Ask yourself what you’re really fighting for.
The next time you feel compelled to argue, defend yourself or force a situation, ask:
Am I protecting something genuinely important, or am I simply trying to protect my pride?
There is a difference between standing up for your values and needing to win every disagreement.
We need courage to do both — but wisdom helps us recognize which battles deserve our energy.
â‘¢ Be willing to become a student again.
One of the deeper messages of this planetary combination is that even the strongest warrior needs a teacher.
We cannot learn when we believe we already know everything.
So, remain open.
Listen carefully. Ask questions. Seek guidance from people whose wisdom and judgment you trust.
You don’t have to agree with everyone, but you can always remain willing to learn.
â‘£ Stop forcing what isn’t moving.
Saturn’s ongoing retrograde invites us to review our foundations rather than constantly chase new beginnings.
Perhaps there’s something in your life that keeps resisting your efforts.
Instead of immediately pushing harder, consider whether you need to step back and reassess.
Is there an unfinished responsibility?
A boundary you’ve been ignoring?
A pattern that keeps repeating?
A decision you’ve been avoiding?
Sometimes progress doesn’t look like moving forward.
Sometimes it looks like correcting the foundations so that the next step can actually hold.
⑤ Tend to your inner garden.
This is one of my favorite ways to think about personal growth.
Imagine your inner world as a garden.
Every resentment you continue feeding, every dishonest excuse, every unexamined fear is something growing in that garden.
And so are your kindness, patience, courage, integrity and self-awareness.
You are responsible for what you cultivate.
You don’t have to transform your entire life overnight.
Start with one small thing that needs your attention.
Pull one weed. Plant one seed. Water something beautiful.
And remember, the work you do within yourself influences how you show up for everyone around you.
4. What can we expect as we move into November?
October 31 marks an important shift.
Jupiter moves out of Cancer and into Leo, ending this particular period of Jupiter and Mars sharing the same sign.
Mars remains in Cancer for approximately another two weeks before entering Leo around November 12–13.
In symbolic terms, the supportive relationship between wisdom and an emotionally unsettled warrior is changing.
This doesn’t mean November is destined to be difficult or that something terrible is about to happen.
But it does give us a useful theme to carry forward.
When emotions run high, our greatest challenge may be to remain conscious rather than reactive.
We may find ourselves dealing with strong opinions, disagreements, power struggles or decisions that require courage.
And rather than trying to predict exactly where these situations might appear, I’d encourage us to prepare by strengthening our own inner balance.
Notice when your pride is taking over.
Be careful with words spoken in anger.
Avoid using pressure, guilt or manipulation to get your way.
And remember that possessing power doesn’t mean you always need to exercise it.
The strongest person in a room isn’t necessarily the loudest.
Sometimes, it’s the one who can remain calm when everyone else is losing their composure.
And sometimes, the bravest thing we can do is put down the sword.
A little thought to leave you with
Something I’ve been thinking about lately is how easily we confuse power with control.
We imagine being powerful means making things happen, changing people’s minds, overcoming resistance, or getting the results we want.
But what if true power is something much quieter?
The ability to choose your response.
To remain fair when you’re upset.
To tell yourself the truth.
To walk away from a needless fight.
To have the strength to act — and the wisdom to know when not to.
Perhaps the greatest warrior isn’t the one who wins every battle, but the one who knows which battles are worth fighting.
That’s the thought I’d love to leave you with this October.
And as always, take whatever resonates with you, reflect on it, and see how it applies to your own life.
The planets don’t need to decide your future for you. Their cycles can simply invite us to look at ourselves from a different perspective.
And for me, that is where the real magic of these studies lies.
With love and a shared spirit of discovery,
Nylah Razvi
HerAwaken
Cosmic Compass is a monthly HerAwaken series exploring planetary movements and spiritual wisdom through the lens of personal growth and feminine self-discovery. These reflections draw on traditional astrological symbolism and spiritual philosophy as contemplative tools, rather than scientific predictions of human behavior or future events.
