The Flow State Herald: Edition 3
The Flow State Herald
24 to 31 October 2026 · Edition 3 · Vol. I · No. 3
The edition for everyone
'Tis better to have loved and lost / Than never to have loved at all.
Alfred, Lord Tennyson, In Memoriam A.H.H., 1850
Read this first
- The week: Venus, retrograde, moves back into Libra on Sunday. The Full Moon in Taurus and the Sun's square to Pluto follow early on Monday, and Mercury, also retrograde, squares Mars on Friday. Venus walks backwards into Libra like someone going back for the glove they left on the table, so old loves, old deals and old favourites get another look.
- Dates: Sun 25 Oct, 5:09 am ET; Mon 26 Oct, 12:11 am ET and 8:11 am ET; Fri 30 Oct, 1:20 pm ET.
New here? Your chart is a castle of twelve rooms, explained on the castle page.
The sky this week
- Sun 25 Oct, 5:09 am ET (09:09 UTC): Venus, retrograde, moves back from Scorpio into Libra. By the end of the week it is in Libra.
- Mon 26 Oct, 12:11 am ET (04:11 UTC): Full Moon in Taurus, with the Sun opposite in Scorpio. Its traditional name is the Hunter's Moon. The Full Moon lights every shelf of the pantry at once, so what you own, eat and value shows down to the dust.
- Mon 26 Oct, 8:11 am ET (12:11 UTC): The Sun in Scorpio squares Pluto in Aquarius, a few hours after the Full Moon. The Sun squares Pluto like a stare-down in a stone hallway, and the thing you've been avoiding says your name.
- Fri 30 Oct, 1:20 pm ET (17:20 UTC): Mercury, retrograde in Scorpio, squares Mars in Leo. Mercury, still retrograde, squares Mars, so a reply sent in a hurry can start an argument you'll have to take back.
Which half-finished job from the past month would take under an hour to close?
Planet of the week
On Sunday Venus, retrograde, backs out of Scorpio and into Libra.
Inanna, the Sumerian goddess of love, war and political power, is linked to Venus as the bright star seen before dawn and again after sunset. In the poem known as Inanna's Descent, she sets out for the underworld, which her older sister Ereshkigal rules. At each of seven gates she gives up a piece of her regalia. The seven judges of the underworld then strike her dead, and her body hangs on a hook. After three days the god Enki sends two beings to bring her back. The underworld demands a substitute, and the galla demons take her husband Dumuzid. Some scholars read the going down and the coming back as the way Venus disappears from the sky and reappears. The Wikipedia article on Inanna summarises the texts.
The Maya of the Dresden Codex tracked Venus in a 584-day cycle that includes weeks when the planet cannot be seen.
Tarot
Distraction, procrastination, lost focus. Reversed, the Page of Pentacles is the goal that lost its footing: studies half done, a practical plan put off, attention drifting to easier things. It comes back for a second look because the work is still there. With Venus turning back into Libra on Sunday, the dropped plan gets a fair second reading.
Spark, inspiration, new beginnings. The Ace of Wands is the traditional card of a raw creative spark: enthusiasm before there is a plan, energy that wants to be used. Upright, it is ready now. Under the Full Moon on Monday, when everything is lit evenly, the idea that keeps pulling at you is the one that catches.
Completion, wholeness, fulfilment. The World stands for completion: a long cycle finished and everything it taught folded in. Upright, the matter is already done. Mercury squaring Mars on Friday will be loud, and the loudest voice may be arguing over something that has already reached its ending.
Cards: Pamela Colman Smith, Rider-Waite-Smith tarot, 1909.
Each rising sign edition works out these same dates house by house.
Border: Box decorated with flowers and clouds, Korea, 18th century. The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
How this was made
Times are Eastern (ET), with UTC in brackets. The sky is calculated with the Swiss Ephemeris. Pictures come from museum open access collections and are credited in each caption. For reflection and enjoyment, not medical, financial or legal advice.
