Libra New Moon: Put on Your Poker Face

New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani has been busy since he took office earlier this year. He’s been advocating for fare-free buses, universal childcare, rent freezes, city-run grocery stores, higher taxes on the wealthy and justice for workers. And he’s already planted over 18,000 trees in NYC, the most in a decade, to bring cleaner air and prevent flooding.

In September, the NYC Department of Consumer and Worker Protection brokered a settlement for DoorDash workers that delivers more than $115 million in unpaid wages. DoorDash had failed to pay thousands of workers, was late with wages for thousands more, and underpaid more than 260,000 workers total — all while reporting $13.7 billion in revenue in 2025. This is the largest worker settlement in New York City history.

Said Mayor Mamdani, “DoorDash underpaid more than 260,000 workers, and today we are getting that money back. When a worker earns a wage, they deserve to be paid that wage, on time and in full.”

Mamdani has a diplomatic, justice-oriented Libra Sun. Born Oct. 18, 1991 at 1:15 am in Kampala, Uganda, his chart features kingly Leo rising – making the Sun the “captain of his ship.” And it’s placed near clever Mercury and Mars in early degrees of deal-making, determined Scorpio. The city’s first Muslim, democratic socialist mayor, Mamdani’s Libra-Leo combo provides artistic talent as well. A former rapper, he has also worked with his mom, director Mira Nair, on several film projects.

I’ve made Mamdani our poster boy for the Libra New Moon (Oct. 10, 8:50 a.m. PT) because it features the Sun conjunct the Moon in his intelligent air sign. And, Mercury is in insightful Scorpio, same as in the mayor’s chart. Plus, Mars is in heroic, get-it-done Leo – just like his Ascendant. So, this lunation expresses many energies that Mamdani embodies. Happening just a week before his birthday, it promises a dynamic new solar year for him – and gives us all of us a dose of these can-do energies.

Libra is a cardinal sign which thrives on action, especially when it comes to relationships, justice and fairness. This lunation gets a sextile from Jupiter in Leo, introducing an element of luck or expansion that will play out over this next month. Yet with Libra’s ruler, Venus, currently retrograde in Scorpio (Oct. 3 – Nov. 13) affairs of the heart and social justice may be “going underground” for a bit. It’s best to move cautiously with relationships, particularly new ones and iffy ones from the past.

Mercury will also turn retrograde in Scorpio later in the month (Oct. 24 – Nov. 13), providing a good time for inner soul-searching. Be sure to rectify unresolved situations before initiating new things, especially if you’re ruled by Mercury (with Gemini or Virgo strong in your chart.) And, if you have Taurus or Libra Sun or rising, your Venus ruler going retrograde suggests that it might take until mid-Nov. for things to get going, become sorted out or start to make sense. Take the long view and persevere.

With this much Scorpio afoot, we’re apt to see plenty of life-or-death-scenarios in the near future. If you need a masterclass in surviving a struggle, brokering a deal or winning over an enemy, you can learn from Zohran Mamdani. On Sept. 21, the NYC mayor experienced a viral moment as he stood stoically next to the current president, who was railing against media outlets like CNN, MS NOW and Politico. Mamdani defended these news organizations that had been banned from the White House, while maintaining an unruffled demeanor the entire time.

Late night host Jimmy Kimmel, in town to record his show, was impressed with Mamdani for staying on point and not reacting in anger. Amazingly, as Kimmel observed, Mamdani’s calm “poker face” didn’t seem to faze Trump. The president knows a worthy adversary when he sees one. “He just seems to like you and that is it,” Kimmel later told the mayor. “And that’s all that matters, I guess.”

At this Libra New Moon, peace and justice are on our minds. Whether it’s a personal situation or something going on in the world, we need champions for doing what is right. Putting on your best poker face while speaking your truth can help resolve things. No matter what kind of hand you’ve been dealt, let the process play out over the next few months and trust that resolution will occur.