Mercury is entering Scorpio, which is stirring up a dark and stormy aura that’s kinda perfect for spooky season. “Mercury in Scorpio is a brooding and inquisitive energy,” astrologer Lisa Stardust tells Refinery29. “It’s an intoxicating and sensual vibe, but we will totally be down to embrace the rapture and fall into rabbit hole of intrigue and mystery.”

The planet of communication’s whole journey through Scorpio is going to be pretty wild, notes Narayana Montúfar, senior astrologer for Astrology.com: On October 13, Mercury will go retrograde (it’s last transit backwards in 2020). It’ll slip into Libra on October 27, only to re-enter Scorpio (this time moving direct) from November 10 to December 1.

As soon as Mercury enters the water sign, we’ll notice things taking a turn for the low-key eerie. “Mercury is nicknamed ‘the trickster of the zodiac,’ and in Scorpio it could seem like communication is coded and overly secretive,” says Leslie Hale, Keen.com psychic astrologer. “During this time you or others could be concerned with exposing the truth in some way, as Scorpio likes nothing better than to unearth new information.” We’ll feel an urge to uncover what is hidden, secretive, or dark.

Sure, we may be tempted to cue up My Favorite Murder. But we’ll really become detective in all of our passion areas. “During this time, we will be focusing on issues that are very important to us until we find the answers we are looking for,” Montúfar explains. “It’s an amazing transit for research, psychological, and shadow work, but we must watch out that these efforts don’t become an obsession, which can easily happen due to Scorpio’s deep, profound waters.”

Yeah, this is the time we’re at risk of falling down a rabbit hole of internet conspiracies, political scandals, and your ex’s Instagram page. It’s important to know when to pull it back before you end up becoming too fixated. (If there was ever a time you’d feel tempted to surreptitiously snooping on a partner’s phone, it’d be now. Resist!)

“Collectively, this transit should bring a lot of secrets and information to light,” Montúfar says. Oh… And she says that since the election falls while Mercury is in retrograde (eek!) this secretive energy might be extra-strong around then: “All sorts of lies, manipulations, and power struggles will most likely be aired out for people to know and find out.” This is where you can let Mercury in Scorpio’s inquisitive nature take over — but try to ground yourself in the truth.

On a personal level, Montúfar says that this transit will most likely have us examine our relationships in order to figure out if there’s a balance in the give-and-take. “Scorpio’s emotional nature is one to worry about the spoken and unspoken contracts, deals, and agreements that we have in our one-on-one relationships,” she explains. You’ll start to take a hard look at your friendships and partnerships. If anything is standing in the way of your truth, now’s the time you’ll be set free, if the three oppositions that Mercury will form with retrograde Uranus (aka “The Awakener”) are any indication. It’s a good time to have tough (but calm) conversations with loved ones and coworkers.

There’s a major light at the end of the tunnel, with this Mercury transit: Once Mercury leaves Scorpio, we can expect having the sense that whatever just took place was meant to happen, Montúfar says: “At the end of this transit, which is when Mercury forms harmonious sextiles with the Capricorn planets, all the changes that took place during this time will begin to feel more natural and make more sense.” One foot in front of the other.

Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?

It’s Mars Retrograde; Welcome To Hell

Libra Season Is Here To Bring Secrets To Light

Your Autumn Equinox Horoscope Is Here