October Magic: Astrology, Ancestors & Samhain

I love the fall!  I'm a September Libra gal, and although I really enjoy the summer months, I'm always ready to put on a cozy sweater. My staff and I are always excited to decorate the shop and then transition to Halloween. It's sweater weather, cozy tea and blanket weather, and of course time for all the warm colours and feels of fall.

October has a way of asking us to slow down. The light fades earlier, gardens settle, and the first cold evenings make a warm house feel especially welcome. It is a good month to take stock: what has sustained you this year, what needs tending, and what are you ready to leave behind?

October begins in Libra season, bringing some attention back to balance, relationships, fairness and how much of our energy we are giving away. As the month moves into Scorpio season on October 23, the focus shifts deeper toward transformation, hidden matters, endings, ancestor work and the things we may have been avoiding. With both Venus and Mercury retrograde during October, this month has more of a review and reassess feeling than a rush-forward energy. It’s a good time to check your boundaries, revisit unfinished business, clean up what has been lingering and pay attention to patterns that keep resurfacing.

The Libra New Moon on October 10 can be used for restoring balance or starting fresh in relationships, while the Taurus Full Moon on October 26 is a beautiful time to take stock of what has supported you, what you’ve built and what you’re ready to carry forward into the darker part of the year.

For those who observe Samhain, the end of October also brings a time to remember the dead and mark the turn toward winter. Others simply feel drawn to clean the house, revisit family stories, or spend a quieter evening with a candle. There is room for all of that without pretending these customs come from one tradition.

Taking stock as the season changes

Autumn  energy is about taking stock of what we have accomplished, what do we need to wrap up and if we are being resistant to changing. We need to take stock of what is already asking for our care. What are the loose ends?  Maybe you need to finish a project, mend a relationship, or rest. Maybe it is time to clean out a cupboard and make the house feel like yours again. A seasonal practice can begin with an honest look at ordinary life.

October’s astrology

In 2026, Venus turns retrograde in Scorpio on October 3, and Mercury turns retrograde in Scorpio on October 24. If you follow astrology, you might use these periods as prompts to revisit relationships, spending, conversations, and plans rather than as warnings that everything will go wrong. Cafe Astrology’s Venus calendar and Mercury calendar have more detail.

The October 10 New Moon in Libra offers a moment to consider where life feels out of balance. You might write down one thing you can change, then take a real step toward changing it. A candle can help you focus, but it cannot have a difficult conversation or send an overdue invoice for you.

Later in the month, Scorpio season begins on October 23. Some people use this time for journaling or divination. Instead of asking only what will happen next, try asking what you have overlooked or what pattern you keep repeating. The questions that lead to useful action are often the best ones.

A Taurus Full Moon follows on October 26. Taurus is often associated with home, food, comfort, and material security. Set out an apple, bread, or another seasonal food if you like, and think about what has supported you this year. Not every harvest is financial. Sometimes it is a skill you learned, a friendship that held steady, or a boundary you finally kept. You can check local moon times with Time and Date.

Care for your home

Late October is a good excuse to give the house some attention. Start with the ordinary cleaning: clear clutter, wipe down surfaces, and wash the floor. If spiritual cleansing is part of your practice, follow with the method you already use, whether that is prayer, a floor wash, incense, bells, or a spiritual cologne. Open a window if the weather allows, and be mindful of smoke around children, pets, and anyone with respiratory sensitivities.

Afterward, consider what helps your home feel settled and protected. That might mean refreshing a charm or tending a candle, but it might also mean fixing a loose lock. Spiritual care and practical care can sit side by side.

Remembering the dead

Ancestor remembrance takes many forms across cultures and religions. Some families prepare favourite foods; others visit graves, say prayers, share photographs, or tell stories at the dinner table. Follow the customs of your own family and tradition rather than treating every practice as interchangeable.

You do not need an elaborate altar. A photograph, a glass of water, or a family recipe can be enough to begin remembering someone. Say their name. Tell a younger relative a story about them. If your relationship with a deceased family member was difficult, you do not have to honour them or invite them into your spiritual life. You can choose whom you remember and how.

October Is an Excellent Month for Divination

Tarot tends to get a lot of attention in October, but there are many forms of divination. You might work with:

• Tarot or oracle cards
• Tea-leaf reading
• Pendulums
• Scrying
• Bones or casting sets
• Automatic writing
• Mediumship, where appropriate to your practice

Rather than only asking "What's going to happen?", October can be a good time for questions that reveal patterns.

What have I learned this year?

What am I refusing to see?

What needs to be finished?

What am I carrying into another season unnecessarily?

What deserves my attention before the year ends?

Those questions can be much more useful than trying to predict every detail of the future.

Other Religious and Cultural Traditions

I love the fall because this means I can give extra offerings to Oshun, my mother Orisha and guardian. I practice and and am an Apetabi in Ifa. There is an abundance of pumpkins, squash and sunflowers this time of year to show Oshun my appreciation for her. 

October is also a meaningful month in several other religious and cultural traditions. In the Jewish calendar, Sukkot continues into the first days of October in 2026. It is a harvest festival that also remembers the Israelites’ journey through the desert, and it is traditionally observed by spending time and sharing meals in a temporary structure called a sukkah. Sukkot ends on October 2 and is followed by Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah, which mark a separate sacred observance and the completion and restarting of the annual Torah-reading cycle.

In Hindu traditions, October often includes important observances connected with ancestor remembrance, the Divine Feminine, protection and the victory of good over destructive forces. Depending on the lunar calendar and location, the month may include the end of Pitru Paksha, a period devoted to deceased ancestors, as well as Navratri and Dussehra/Vijayadashami, when many devotees honour forms of the Goddess such as Durga and celebrate the triumph of dharma over harmful or chaotic forces. These are living religious traditions with their own rituals and teachings, so I think the most respectful way to include them in a broad October spiritual calendar is as important observances to learn about, rather than treating them as interchangeable with Samhain or modern witchcraft.

Samhain at the end of October

Samhain is associated with the end of the harvest and the approach of winter in Celtic tradition. Many modern Pagans and witches observe it around October 31 and November 1, though their practices are not identical to those of the past. For some it is a religious observance; for others it is a quiet evening of remembrance. And enjoying Halloween does not make either one less meaningful.

If you want to mark the night, cook a family recipe, visit a grave, light a candle for someone you miss, or set aside time to tell their story. You can place a white candle beside a glass of fresh water and speak the names of loved ones you want to remember. Extinguish the candle when you are finished, and never leave it burning unattended.

October does not need to be a month of constant activity or elaborate rituals. Sometimes the most fitting thing is to clean the house, remember the people who shaped you, and let an ending be an ending before deciding what comes next.

Happy October Witches and Magical Friends!