Scorpio Season Opens as Mercury Stations Retrograde in Scorpio

Scorpio Season and Mercury’s Final 2026 Retrograde Begin

On October 24, 2026, the Sun enters Scorpio, beginning the fixed Water sign’s period from October 23 - November 21. The almanac identifies the Chinese lunar date as “Lunar Month 9, Day 15” in the “Year of the Fire Horse (Bingwu),” with “Day pillar: Xinwei day (Metal Goat).” Its next listed solar term is “Lidong (Start of Winter) on 2026-11-07 in the Gregorian calendar.”

The same date carries the day’s most consequential astrological change: Mercury stations retrograde at 20° Scorpio and remains retrograde until it stations direct on November 13, 2026, at 5° Scorpio. The pre-retrograde shadow began on October 4. This is the final retrograde of 2026, so readers following the annual cycle have reached the closing station of the year rather than another midyear turning point.

Grace Invites Restraint, While Line 5 Changes the Picture

The Plum Blossom method identifies “Hexagram 22 (Grace, Mountain over Fire)” as the primary hexagram, with “moving line 5,” transforming into “Hexagram 37 (The Family, Wind over Fire).” The upper trigram is Mountain and the lower trigram is Fire.

For a reader using the image as a cultural reflection rather than a forecast, the theme is form shaped by restraint. Grace suggests attention to presentation, conduct and the relationship between inner feeling and outward behavior. The moving line makes that symbolism less static: the day’s image points toward adjustment rather than simply preserving a polished surface.

The transformation into “Hexagram 37 (The Family, Wind over Fire)” shifts the emphasis toward relationships and the exchanges that sustain them. Read as a prompt for the day, it asks how careful presentation might be reconsidered through conversation, shared responsibilities or a change in the way one relates to others. The almanac’s cast does not prescribe an outcome; it supplies a symbolic frame for noticing conduct and connection.

The Tarot Draw Turns from Constraint Toward Suspension

The three-card past / present / guidance draw is “Past - Eight of Swords (upright); Present - The Hermit (reversed); Guidance - The Hanged Man (reversed).”

The upright “Eight of Swords (upright)” opens the sequence with a familiar image of restriction and self-imposed limitation. The reversed “The Hermit (reversed)” that follows suggests a withdrawal or search for solitude that may no longer feel entirely productive. In this combination, the most useful question is practical: which constraint is genuinely imposed, and which has become habit?

The guidance card, “The Hanged Man (reversed),” continues the theme of suspension with a more unsettled expression. Rather than presenting surrender as automatically wise, it can point toward resistance, stasis or a refusal to see the situation from a new angle. Together, the cards favor honest review over dramatic action. For anyone using tarot as a reflective practice, the sequence encourages checking assumptions before treating either withdrawal or pause as the answer.

Astrology Coverage Moves from Warning to Reflection

Astrology coverage around October 24, 2026 is split between practical preparation and interpretive caution. One daily horoscope says to “Get ready, because Mercury retrograde starts on October 24, 2026,” while another identifies five signs with especially favorable horoscopes: Aquarius, Leo, Capricorn, and two others not named in the retrieved evidence. The inclusion of favorable signs alongside the retrograde notice is a reminder that a seasonal transit does not produce one uniform mood.

Other coverage frames Scorpio as a transformative period, while a more ominous report calls this “a very bumpy Mercury retrograde” and emphasizes the communication and travel disruptions traditionally associated with the station. A basic astronomical clarification is also useful: despite the familiar name, the planet never actually reverses direction. These are cultural readings and descriptions of astrological expectations, not verifiable claims about events.

Practically, the convergence of coverage points to a familiar October routine: review messages, allow extra time for travel, and treat stalled plans as subjects for checking rather than proof that every delay is permanent. Readers interested in the distinction between planetary sign placement and personal sun signs can consult Why Is Mercury Different From the Sun Sign?.

Two Cultural Calendars Meet in the Same Day

The almanac’s Western and Chinese frameworks provide complementary ways to mark October 24, 2026. Western astrology places the Sun in Scorpio, while the Chinese calendar identifies Lunar Month 9, Day 15 of the Fire Horse year and the “Xinwei day (Metal Goat).” The next named solar term, “Lidong (Start of Winter) on 2026-11-07,” gives readers a seasonal marker beyond the immediate date.

The pairing is useful for readers who follow both systems because it keeps the calendar layers distinct. The Sun’s zodiac placement is not the same device as the sexagenary day pillar, and the lunar date is separate from the Gregorian date. Tools for exploring those differences include the Zodiac Sign Calculator, the Chinese Zodiac Calculator 2026: Find Your Animal by Year, and the guide to Find Your Chinese Zodiac by Year, Month, Day and Hour.