THE COSMIC PERSPECTIVE

There is a particular kind of madness that descends upon a woman before Diwali. The house needs cleaning, the gifts need buying, the mithai needs making, the family needs managing — and somewhere between the salon appointment and the family WhatsApp group, she's expected to look radiant and enjoy herself.

Naturally.

But beneath the lights and festivities, something else is happening. October is drawing to a close, deadlines are piling up, old conversations are resurfacing, and relationships that seemed perfectly manageable last month are suddenly requiring a second opinion. Possibly from three friends and a cousin.

In Vedic astrology, Venus and Mercury are retrograde, Saturn is still moving backwards through Pisces, and Jupiter enters Leo on 31 October. Think of this as a cosmic pause button: a chance to review what we're giving our energy to, what we're holding on to, and what we're finally ready to outgrow.
Venus is particularly interesting here. She governs our relationship with love, beauty, pleasure and self-worth. As she retraces her path from Libra into Virgo in early November, we may find ourselves reconsidering everything from our relationships to our reflections. Suddenly, the outfit isn't right, the photograph isn't flattering, and the woman across the room seems to have everything you thought you wanted.

And then comes the whispering. Is that dress a little too much? Are those diamonds real? Did you see who she arrived with?

Festivals can bring people together, but they can also bring comparison, old rivalries and the peculiar social sport of discussing someone else's life while pretending to admire their jewellery.

The point isn't to become suspicious of everyone around you. It's to notice how quickly someone else's opinion can become your own insecurity. You can admire another woman without measuring yourself against her. You can look beautiful without needing to be the most beautiful woman in the room.

Meanwhile, Mercury's retrograde brings its own complications. Old friends may reappear, unfinished conversations may need revisiting, and familiar relationships may ask for a fresh look. Some connections deserve another chance. Others are better left as memories. Nostalgia is lovely, but it isn't always evidence that someone belongs in your future.

And if you're feeling overwhelmed, whether you're single, married, divorced, rebuilding your life or quietly questioning a relationship you've spent years maintaining, pause before you overcompensate. You don't have to repair every strained equation, answer every message or prove your worth by keeping everyone happy.

Jupiter's move into Leo invites us to consider identity beyond the roles we perform. Saturn adds a necessary question: which responsibilities are genuinely ours, and which have we accepted simply because nobody else volunteered?
This Diwali, look beyond the photographs and the perfectly arranged diyas. Ask yourself what you want to carry into November — and what you're ready to leave behind.

Perhaps it's an old resentment. Perhaps it's a friendship that no longer feels reciprocal. Perhaps it's the habit of walking into a room and immediately wondering how you're being judged.

You can celebrate other women without diminishing yourself. You can love people without chasing their approval. And you can look absolutely fabulous without making someone else's opinion the measure of your worth.

Light your diya. Wear the dress. Eat the mithai. Reconnect where it feels right, and step back where it doesn't.
The festival is about light. Your life doesn't have to be a performance.

With love,
Sheetal Dewan Kapur