October 2020 Horoscopes for Actors

Happy Libra season! As a Venus-ruled air sign, you love to weigh your options and dream about a better world. But you’re not afraid to act when faced with a challenge. Listen to the stage directions the universe is giving you and stand up for yourself. For the past month, frustrations with your close friend or lover have been testing your people-pleasing tendencies. Instead of making excuses or shifting your position to accommodate them, use the friction as fuel. Take up space. Fight for what you want. When Mercury goes retrograde through your House of Finances and Self-Worth, make an inventory of the things you give away for free. Your time, energy, and labor are valuable. Don’t waste them on people or projects with diminishing returns.

When Mercury goes retrograde through your sign, there’s an opportunity for creativity as well as anxiety. The middle of October is rife with rumination, which might as well be your middle name. You know your weaknesses intimately. You have so many ideas about how to improve your life. So why is it so hard to actually do it? There’s a difference between beating yourself up and being curious about who you are. One is paralyzing and one is actionable. To move from one end of the spectrum to the other, start from a place of forgiveness. Then take a step toward self-compassion. It won’t feel like much at first, because it’s a process rather than a destination. Keep practicing. Push the limits of how much you can love yourself.

The sun is shining on your friends and wider network this month. Use their creativity and energy to fuel the solo projects you’re working on. You might not be ready for feedback yet, but that doesn’t mean you can’t ask for help in other ways. When you’re feeling blocked, bounce ideas off of your friends. When Mercury goes retrograde through the area that represents your subconscious, your brain will be in full-on emotional processing mode, making productivity a challenge. Don’t fear the slowdown. Retrogrades remind you that healing–and life–isn’t linear. It’s cyclical. Just like in nature, there are moments when we need to shed our foliage or go underground for protection. It doesn’t mean you’re not growing.

Amidst all the delays and turmoil 2020 has brought, you’ve managed to make incremental progress. October wants you to celebrate the wins in your career and to recognize that you shine brightest when you’re being authentic. It’s hard to have integrity in an industry where the odds are stacked against you, but you’ve spent the last three years learning how to be your own north star. When Mercury goes retrograde through your Scorpio-ruled House of Friendships, take stock of who deserves to be on the journey with you. Who is celebrating your wins and commiserating in your low moments? Who can sit with your emotions without trying to fix you? People will tell you who they are this month–not only with their words, but by how they make you feel. Listen.

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October is about perspective. Your wanderlust is kicking into high gear at a time when long-distance travel is impossible, but you can approximate that high by learning something new. Enroll in an online class or teach one! Write down everything you know about a topic you’re passionate about, the list will be longer than you think. Mercury going retrograde in your career zone is inviting you to reflect on where you’re headed. You might find yourself questioning your accomplishments and comparing yourself to others. But you were never going to fit into someone else’s mold, so why waste your energy trying? Whatever goal you’re working toward, make sure it’s true to who you are. Approach your auditions from a different angle this month and keep your eyes peeled for unexpected opportunities.

When your job involves processing a character’s emotions, your brain can be tricked into thinking you’re healing yourself. One is not a replacement for the other. You don’t have to convert every feeling into art, you just have to pay attention–which is often much harder. Sit with the chaos, the grief, and the changes you’re going through. Midway through the month, Mercury will be retrograding through your zone of philosophy and education. Retrogrades are not fertile ground for learning something new, but it’s a great time to review material you might have forgotten. Re-read your favorite play or poem. What books spoke to you when you were small? Ask yourself what your inner child is craving right now and nourish them.

September was no walk in the park, Aries. You’ve been trying to balance career and your relationships at a time when the hits keep coming and it feels like you have nothing left to give. October gives you an opportunity to transform. As Mercury retrogrades through your House of Deep Feeling and Self-Abandonment, ask yourself: how do I nourish my body? How do I honor my grief instead of just coping? When do I make commitments out of fear rather than desire? The unearthing process won’t be easy, but 2020 isn’t about the path of least resistance. Don’t feel like you have to go it alone. Be honest about your feelings and give your partner or best friend the opportunity to ease your burden.

This month, find one thing you can do every day that will make you feel more connected to your body, whether it’s walking around the block or twerking. Consistency is better than perfection. On Oct. 2, Venus is reminding you why you got into this field in the first place: because it’s fun. Try to bring childlike joy to your auditions. Then on Oct. 13, Mercury is asking you to review your close relationships, both romantic and professional. As creative people, it’s easy to get wrapped up in how we want things to go. Part of your job is to embody what’s going on in your head–don’t get so lost in what you’re doing that you forget your scene partner. Be careful on Halloween–there’s a chaotic and disruptive full moon happening in your sign.

October starts off practically begging you to make art with your friends. With a full moon shining on your wider network and a new moon in your Libra-ruled creative zone, whatever you begin will have legs–as long as it’s with the right people. If there’s a system that will make your day-to-day more efficient or more creative, implement it in the first half of the month. On Oct. 13, Mercury will start reviewing the way you get things done. This is a great time to return to a work project you might have shelved or to organize your workspace. Pay attention to your dreams and synchronicities, especially on Oct. 7 and Oct. 19. Don’t discount the mind-body connection. Whatever you’re seeking is also seeking you.

October starts off with a spotlight on your career and public image. All eyes are on you and something you’ve been building for the past six months comes to fruition. Every time you put yourself out there, it brings a lesson and an opportunity to grow. Halfway through the month, examine what worked and what didn’t. Ask for feedback, and try to be as objective as possible when you listen. Following your feelings is essential when you’re making art, but can be detrimental when you’re analyzing it. Use this distance from your creative process to experiment. Step outside of your normal way of breaking down a scene. You’re the crab of the zodiac and crabs move sideways–tap into your ability to approach problems from different angles.

Get your message across. As a fire sign, you’re all about action and following your gut, but this month is crucial for communication. The fear that we’re unlovable keeps us silent and stuck. If you can journal or talk through your feelings with someone you trust, they have less power over you. Refine, clarify, and cut the fat until you get to the heart of what you’re trying to say. On Oct. 13, Mercury goes retrograde in your Scorpio-ruled zone of home, parents, and the past. Resist slipping into thinking patterns you’ve outgrown. Investigate the origin of your negative ideas about yourself. The labels your family gave you aren’t written in stone. You’re allowed to change your mind in the presence of new data.

Does anyone deserve to treat themselves more than a Virgo? Starting on Oct. 2 and lasting the whole month, Venus wants you to take self-care seriously. Spend 15 minutes sunbathing. Start an art project that's just for you. Buy an outfit that makes you feel joyful. Whatever signals to your brain: “my worth is not tied to my productivity.” When you tap into your inner abundance in a world that restricts and restrains you, anything is possible. Then on Oct. 13, Mercury retrogrades through your House of Day-to-Day Communications. Don’t overanalyze the messages, auditions, and emails coming in. Cultivate an attitude of non-attachment to the things you can’t control, but try to be as specific as possible when communicating your needs. Asking the right questions is half the battle.