Relationships, Feminine Awakening, and Inner Child Healing 

The main themes for the New Moon in Libra on October 21st at 8:25 AM EST center on relationships, harmony, balance, and identity. These set the stage for the dynamic archetypes at play, including the Wounded Healer, the Lover, the Great Awakener, the Lord of the Underworld, and more. Together, they orchestrate stories of transformation and revelation, inviting us to explore our inner world so that we may better align with our most authentic, harmonious selves.

In this guide, I’ll break down the major aspects occurring during this New Moon in Libra and how you can work with them in your own life. I include reflective questions you can journal or meditate on for each section, as well as practice ideas at the end. As you read, notice what stands out to you, and trust that this is the wisdom meant for you to explore during this New Moon.

New Moon in Libra Overview

On October 21st, the Moon and Sun come together at 28° of Libra. New Moons symbolize new beginnings, as they mark the start of a new lunar cycle. As such, they’re a time for setting intentions for the phase ahead, lasting until the next New Moon. The sign of the New Moon and the planetary aspects in the horoscope can point to where we should direct our focus and intentions.

Libra is the sign of relationships; its symbol is the scales, and its ruling planet is Venus. It’s all about balance, harmony, fairness, beauty, art, and connection. Libra represents our one-on-one relationships, including romantic partners, close friendships, and business collaborations. It speaks to the art of communication, working together, and creating something with another.

With the New Moon in Libra, we’re invited to reflect on our closest relationships. How do you show up in relationships? Do your relationships feel healthy and balanced? Or do the scales feel tipped—perhaps where you’re giving more than receiving, or the other way around? It’s also a good time to reflect on how safe and free you feel in your relationships. Do you feel you can be your authentic self, or do you feel the need to dim your light or make yourself small in any way?

Reflecting on these questions can lead to healing conversations, boundary setting, and opportunities to let your people know how much you love and appreciate them. It’s a time of honoring the way others show up for and love us, and of spending quality, harmonious time together.

These themes form the foundation for the dynamics at play during this New Moon in Libra. This is the focal point; however, it’s being tested and stirred by the intense energy of a Grand Cross.

Grand Cross: Deepest Wounds and Inner Child Healing

The New Moon in Libra is opposing Chiron and Eris in Aries. It is also square to Jupiter in Cancer and Pluto in Aquarius, both of which are square to Chiron and Eris as well. Altogether, this forms a Grand Cross, a challenging and tense pattern.

To me, these dynamics point to how our deepest wounds (Chiron) show up and affect our relationships. We learn how to relate to others and the world based on our earliest bonds with our caregivers (Jupiter in Cancer). This can reach even further back to our ancestry and past lives.

Often, our core wounds take root in early childhood, and they can influence every relationship we have if they aren’t addressed or healed. This can lead to chaos and disruption (Eris), as well as manipulation and unhealthy power dynamics (Pluto). This challenging configuration is asking us to deeply reflect on how our inner child wounds are affecting our current relationships.

With Chiron in Aries, this also speaks to wounds related to our sense of self, identity, individuality, and sovereignty. Perhaps we lack a strong sense of self and conform to who we think others want us to be. Or maybe we overindulge (Jupiter) in our individuality as a form of protection, pushing people away. These are just a few ways these dynamics might manifest and affect us personally.

Much of this territory lives in the underworld of our subconscious (Pluto), so it can be difficult to fully recognize these wounds or how they show up. Because the Sun and Moon are square to Pluto, the shadow dynamics of how we relate to others may rise more clearly to the surface. But they are rising to be known, healed, and released, so we can move toward greater balance, harmony, and love in our relationships (Libra).

Reflective Questions: 

• In what ways do I give and receive love and support in my closest relationships? Do I feel a sense of balance?

• How safe do I feel to be my full, authentic self with the people closest to me?

• Are there any parts of myself I tend to hide, suppress, or dim in relationships? Why?

• What early experiences or relationships may have shaped how I show up in partnerships today?

• Where might my inner child still be seeking safety, validation, or love through my current relationships?

• What recurring relationship patterns or dynamics feel rooted in something deeper or older than the present moment?

• What conversations, boundaries, or acts of love could bring more harmony into my relationships?

• What intention do I want to plant with this New Moon to call in more balanced, loving, and empowering connections?

Mars and Mercury in Scorpio

During this New Moon in Libra, Mars and Mercury are conjunct at 20° in Scorpio. This sign represents the underworld, transformation, and the death–rebirth cycle. Its symbols include the phoenix rising from the ashes, as well as the scorpion, snake, and eagle. Scorpio also governs deep psycho-emotional patterns, the subconscious, sex, and the occult. It is an intense and passionate sign—especially with a Mars transit, which is the sign’s traditional ruler.

Mars is our action-oriented, fiery, warrior self. Coupled with Mercury—the mind—this dynamic points to honing in on what we’re most passionate about. What makes you feel alive? With Mercury in the mix, we can gain clearer insight into what truly lights us up and fills our cup.

This theme is supported by Jupiter and Saturn + Neptune, who are in a Grand Trine with Mars and Mercury. We’re being supported in following our highest excitement and thrill for life. We are being asked to take action and make logical steps toward our dreams—that which pulls on our heartstrings and fills us with vitality.

Speaking of heartstrings, Mars and Mercury are also square to Mary Magdalene in Leo. She is opposing the asteroid Chariklo in Aquarius, who is also square to Mars and Mercury. This is an intriguing dynamic, and I relate it to the underworld journey of facing our psychological “demons” and being spiritually reborn. It also points to the primordial feminine mysteries of the underworld—she who understands the mysteries of life, death, and rebirth. In this form, she is often depicted as a great serpent, again tying into the symbolism of Scorpio.

In the Gospel of Mary Magdalene, she receives Jesus’ account of descending into the underworld after his crucifixion. There, he had to overcome seven powers. In a modern understanding, we can think of these as psychological powers of the ego—forces that fortify the illusion of separation from our Soul or Divine Nature. This reflects the essence of Scorpio: traversing the underworld and emerging in a new form. Mary Magdalene represents the loving, devoted witness to this process.

In this way, to navigate the dark waters of our subconscious, we must be a loving witness to what emerges. Through our love and devotion, we can alchemize the darkness into light.

Chariklo enhances this theme of transformation. She is a spiritual healer who dwells in the ethereal realm of dreams and the unconscious. These two sacred feminine archetypes are here to support our inward journey, but they’re doing so with greater intensity and friction since they’re in a square aspect to Mars and Mercury. They are pointing to an inner resurrection—shedding our old skin of beliefs and identities that no longer serve us and emerging as a wiser, more loving, and more aligned version of Self.

I believe these archetypes are also pointing to sexual healing and awakening. Scorpio is associated with kundalini, the sexual serpent energy coiled at the base of the spine. This is a supportive time to cleanse our sexual energy and call it forth.

This also relates to feelings of passion and aliveness. When sexual energy is suppressed, weak, or denied, it can diminish our ability to feel vibrant, passionate, and alive.

If you’re feeling dull or disconnected from your spark for life, consider your relationship with your sexual energy. This energy is directly connected to your life force. It isn’t just about the physical act of sex, but the raw, primal creative power that lives within us all.

To enliven and awaken this energy, start by bringing your loving awareness (coupled with physical movement) to your sexual center. Imagine the energy swirling there, and allow it to awaken and move. Emotions and old wounds may arise; let them, but be gentle and wise with yourself. This is part of the healing and releasing process.

By working in this area of the body, you’re awakening and honoring your inner feminine. During this New Moon in Libra, another archetype is asking us to awaken to her gifts, and that is none other than the feminine Lover: Venus.

Reflective Questions: 

• What activities, dreams, or desires make me feel fully alive?

• How can I take practical steps to embody and follow what lights me up?

• What psychological “demons” or shadow aspects are ready to be witnessed with love and acceptance?

• How do I respond when intense or uncomfortable emotions arise? Do I avoid them, analyze them, or allow them to be held in loving awareness?

• What is my current relationship with my sexual energy and sensuality?

• How can I honor my sexuality as sacred—an expression of my life force and divine essence?

Venus in Libra

Venus is in a Grand Air Trine during this New Moon in Libra with Pluto in Aquarius and Uranus + Sedna in Gemini. Pluto, Uranus, and the dwarf planet Sedna have all been potent archetypal forces for several months, and they are showing up for this New Moon just the same.

These planetary energies represent rapid, full-body transformation and awakening—an awakening to our inner power and expanded states of consciousness. They tie into a long-term collective theme that you may have heard about: the dawn of a New Human and a New Earth. They speak to our cellular DNA evolving and our capacity for multidimensional awareness expanding.

Now, these cosmic forces are tugging at our inner feminine lover (Venus) in a supportive, harmonious way. They are gently asking her to awaken to her gifts and embody her loving energy.

Venus represents our relationship with pleasure, sensuality, creativity, and beauty. She is also about our relationship to the Earth and the land we live on—the gardens we tend, the forests we walk through, the sunsets we admire, and the rivers we rest by. Venus reflects how well we can receive the beauty and pleasure around us, be present with it, and offer our love in return.

Uranus, Sedna, and Pluto are energetically supporting us to awaken to our feminine gifts. These gifts include our ability to feel and receive pleasure and beauty, as well as our ability to create (art, projects, conversations, connections, babies, etc.), our intuition, sensitivity, emotional wisdom, psychic abilities, compassion, and free-flowing, unconditional love.

Awakening to your own inner feminine and her abundance of gifts and wisdom is what’s on offer during this New Moon in Libra. With Venus in her home sign, you are invited to deepen your connection to beauty (such as the beauty of flowers and the sky), the land, and the people you love.

Reflective Questions: 

• How do I currently connect to pleasure in my daily life? Do I allow myself to fully receive it, or do I resist it? If I resist it, is there fear or shame to witness? 

• How does it feel in my body to receive love, beauty, or pleasure without needing to earn it?

• How connected do I feel to the land beneath my feet and the natural world around me?

• What feminine gifts or qualities (intuition, emotional wisdom, sensitivity, compassion, artistry) are awakening within me right now?

• What parts of my consciousness are awakening or expanding at this time?

• How is my relationship to pleasure, beauty, or feminine power transforming?

Practice Ideas

Based on the various energies at play, I recommend feeling into the following list of practice ideas and seeing which one resonates with you the most.

• Pleasure Practices: Invite your feminine out to play by setting up a ceremony or ritual focused on pleasure and beauty. Light a candle, take a bath, or lovingly rub oil into your skin. Focus on the sensation of your touch and delight in the pleasure of it. 

  • This practice can lead to bringing awareness to your sexual center and filling it with love and healing energy. Allow the energy to stir and awaken through your breath, intention, movement, sound, touch, and visualization. 

  • If you wish to take the journey one step further, call to your feminine lover and ask her to awaken within you. See where she shows up in your body, and pay attention to sensations, visuals, memories, and emotions. Let her take the lead and trust where she takes you. 

• Inner Child Healing: Go on an inward meditative journey to a place in nature where you feel safe and relaxed. Meet your inner child there, and see if they have anything to say. Perhaps they want to show or remind you of something. Be open to what they reveal, and focus on the feelings and sensations that arise while you’re with them. Before leaving the meditation, ask if you can hug them. Wrap your little self in love, forgiveness, and gratitude. If they decline the hug, simply send them this energy with your heart and intention. 

• Descend into the Underworld to The Primordial Feminine: For this practice, you’ll want to start with energetic hygiene, movement, and breathwork to ground and center yourself. Start in your heart center and then slowly move your awareness down your body, all the way to your feet. Grow roots into the ground and follow them down, down, down until you reach a cavern, cave, or portal (trust whatever you see or feel). Your intention is to meet the primordial feminine. Go to her layer. Be in the energetics of the space through breath, movement, sound, touch, and visualization. Perhaps she wants to show or tell you something. Perhaps she is sleeping, and you are simply there to witness her. Maybe she is awake and wants to slither up your spine. Trust wherever the journey takes you. 

Above all, allow your intuition to guide you this New Moon. Truth and wisdom are always within you—let your Higher Self lead you to the practices, rituals, or intentions that most serve you in this moment in time.

May this New Moon in Libra bless you with harmony, beauty, healing conversations, and heart-opening experiences.

With Love,

Rhianna Quanstrom
Read my other works here on Substack!

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