MY DARLINGS, there is a particular kind of heartbreak that arrives when the festivities begin to wind down.
The flowers are wilting. The new clothes have been worn. Your feet are protesting. Someone has misplaced an earring, somebody else has eaten the sweets meant for guests, and the family WhatsApp group is still producing photographs at an alarming rate.
And yet, there is something rather lovely about it all.
This week begins in the thick of celebration. Durga Puja reaches its glorious crescendo with Ashtami and Navami, followed by Bijoya Dashami on Wednesday. Elsewhere, Dussehra brings its own rituals, reunions and celebrations of good triumphing over evil. And in Bengal, the week closes with Kojagori Lakshmi Puja, giving households another reason to bring out the lamps and prepare something sweet.
But the heavens, predictably, have other plans.
On October 20, Venus retrograde squares Pluto, a combination that astrologers associate with complicated desires, questions of control and emotional attachments that refuse to behave themselves. It's the sort of cosmic weather in which a harmless disagreement about the festive menu could suddenly become a discussion about who has been making all the decisions since 2018.
Then, on October 23, the Sun enters Scorpio. The mood changes. We become a little more private, more observant, more interested in what lies beneath the surface. The following day, Mercury turns retrograde in Scorpio, inviting us to revisit conversations, plans and assumptions we thought were safely settled.
And on Sunday, Venus retrogrades back into Libra, bringing relationships, fairness and the delicate art of compromise into focus.
The Moon, meanwhile, moves through Aquarius, Pisces and Aries, taking us from collective celebration to sentimentality and finally a desire to get moving again.
Quite a week, wouldn't you say?
There is a food lesson in all of this. Festivals remind us how much pleasure we find in abundance. Their endings remind us that a quieter meal can be just as meaningful. The first spoonful of bhog, the last piece of sandesh, the simple dal-rice dinner after four nights of eating out — each has its moment.
So enjoy the celebrations. Say your goodbyes. Take the leftovers home. And if Mercury retrograde delivers an unexpected message from someone you haven't spoken to in years, perhaps finish your tea before replying.
Now, let's see what's cooking.
♈ ARIES
You've been running on festive adrenaline, Aries, and it's beginning to show. Mars in Leo has kept your enthusiasm high, but even you cannot survive indefinitely on excitement, late nights and whatever snacks happen to be within reach.
The Sun's arrival in Scorpio turns your attention towards deeper matters, particularly shared responsibilities and the things you've been putting off. A conversation about money or expectations could demand more patience than you're accustomed to giving.
Before launching into another grand plan, clear some space. Finish what you've started. Return the borrowed serving dishes. And perhaps acknowledge the person who did most of the cooking while you entertained the guests.
Food-wise, you need something satisfying without another elaborate production. Think smoky baingan bharta with hot rotis, a punchy tomato dal, or leftover potatoes transformed into crisp tikkis with coriander chutney. A little chilli is welcome; another week of culinary excess may be less appealing.
Your competitive spirit can take the evening off. Dinner doesn't need a winner.
♉ TAURUS
Venus, your ruling planet, is still travelling backwards, Taurus, and this week it has some questions about your relationships.
The Venus–Pluto square could bring a familiar tension to the surface. Perhaps you've been accommodating someone for too long, or perhaps your own fondness for doing things a certain way has become rather difficult for others to negotiate.
By Sunday, Venus returns to Libra, encouraging a more measured approach. You'll find it easier to discuss what feels fair when neither party is determined to have the final word.
Meanwhile, the end of the festivities may leave you craving familiar comforts. A fragrant cholar dal with luchi, a simple vegetable khichdi with ghee, or a bowl of warm payesh can provide the sort of reassurance you appreciate.
If you're celebrating Bijoya, take pleasure in the rituals of visiting, greeting and feeding loved ones. There's something deeply satisfying about a table that keeps making room for another guest.
Just remember that hospitality is not a competitive sport. You are allowed to buy the sweets.
♊ GEMINI
Oh, Gemini. Mercury is preparing to reverse course, and your already complicated schedule may become an archaeological site of forgotten commitments.
The retrograde begins on Saturday in Scorpio, drawing attention to your everyday routines, work arrangements and the details you tend to overlook when life becomes interesting. Double-check plans, confirm timings and resist the temptation to volunteer for five things at once.
There's also a chance that an old conversation will resurface. Listen carefully before responding. Your quick wit is a gift, but it occasionally arrives several seconds before your judgement.
After days of festive indulgence, your appetite wants variety without too much effort. Make a colourful vegetable fried rice with leftovers, a tangy chana chaat, or a batch of nimki to accompany an afternoon of gossip and tea.
If you have an assortment of vegetables languishing in the fridge, consider it a creative challenge. You are particularly good at making something interesting out of seemingly unrelated ingredients.
The same skill may prove useful in your personal life this week.
♋ CANCER
You knew this moment was coming, Cancer, but that doesn't make the end of the celebrations any less emotional.
The Moon's passage through Pisces around midweek may heighten your sensitivity, particularly as the rituals of farewell unfold. A familiar song, the sight of an empty pandal, or the smell of something your family always cooks at this time of year could send you straight into nostalgia.
Let it happen. Some occasions deserve to be felt fully.
The Scorpio Sun later in the week encourages creativity and a more personal expression of joy. You may find yourself revisiting an old hobby, reconnecting with someone dear, or finally making a recipe you've been meaning to learn.
This is the week for food that carries memories. Perhaps a family-style aloo dum, homemade narkel naru, or a bowl of payesh made exactly the way you remember it. Ask an older relative about a particular festive dish and listen to the story that follows.
There may be measurements involved. There will almost certainly be opinions.
And if you're the person everyone relies on for emotional support, remember to keep a little tenderness for yourself.
♌ LEO
What a performance, Leo. You've attended the celebrations, assembled the outfits, organised the photographs and somehow managed to make every gathering feel like an occasion.
With Mars and Jupiter in your sign, your natural exuberance remains strong. But the Sun's move into Scorpio shifts attention towards home, family and the private life that exists beyond the festive photographs.
A domestic matter may need sorting out. Perhaps the house is a disaster, perhaps someone feels overlooked, or perhaps you've simply had enough company for one week.
Whatever it is, deal with it gently. You don't have to turn every conversation into a dramatic scene.
In the kitchen, your taste for indulgence remains intact. A rich paneer curry with jeera rice, golden malpuas, or a bowl of saffron-scented kheer would make a fitting finale to the festivities.
But there is also a case for an excellent cheese toastie, eaten in comfortable clothes while nobody asks you to pose for another photograph.
Even royalty requires a day off.
♍ VIRGO
The decorations need putting away, the kitchen needs reorganising, and there appears to be an extraordinary number of containers that don't belong to you.
Naturally, Virgo, you've already noticed.
Mercury's retrograde in Scorpio could complicate communication, especially around arrangements, messages and small but important details. If you're coordinating family visits or work commitments, confirm everything twice and leave a little room for delays.
The temptation to correct everyone may be particularly strong. Choose your battles. Someone misplacing a ladle is not necessarily evidence of a collapsing civilisation.
Your food mood is practical and restorative. Use leftover vegetables in a comforting mixed-vegetable dal, turn extra rice into lemon rice, or prepare a lightly spiced lauki-and-moong dal for a quieter dinner.
You might also enjoy making a batch of homemade chutney or pickle, particularly if the festive shopping has left you with an abundance of ingredients.
There is pleasure in putting things back in order. Just don't forget to sit down and enjoy the results.
♎ LIBRA
The Sun is preparing to leave your sign, Libra, and you may be feeling a little wistful about the passing of your season.
But the week has one more surprise. On Sunday, Venus retrograde returns to Libra, inviting you to reconsider your priorities, relationships and the ways you've been trying to keep everybody happy.
A disagreement over something seemingly trivial could reveal a more important imbalance. Perhaps you've been doing more than your share, or perhaps you've avoided saying what you really want because it seemed easier to agree.
You can be gracious without being endlessly accommodating.
In food matters, this is a lovely week to explore contrasts. Pair a rich Bengali ghugni with sharp tamarind chutney, enjoy a delicate sandesh after a spicy meal, or make a refreshing cucumber-and-pomegranate salad to accompany the last of the festive leftovers.
And if you're hosting a Bijoya gathering, let the menu be manageable. A beautiful platter of sweets, some savoury snacks and good tea can be quite enough.
Elegance, after all, has never depended on the number of dishes.
♏ SCORPIO
Welcome to your season, Scorpio. The Sun arrives in your sign on Friday, just as Mercury prepares to turn retrograde there.
Subtle? Hardly.
You've already been feeling the effects of Venus retrograde, and the square with Pluto early in the week may bring an uncomfortable truth into focus. A relationship, ambition or old emotional pattern could demand a more honest examination.
Try not to interpret every situation as a test of loyalty. Sometimes people are simply tired, distracted or unable to find the right words.
The weekend offers an opportunity to reconsider how you present yourself and what you genuinely want from the coming weeks. You don't need to announce a transformation. You can simply begin behaving differently.
Your palate, meanwhile, is drawn to intense, layered flavours. Think a deeply spiced kosha-style mushroom preparation, smoky roasted aubergine, or a dark, glossy tamarind chutney served with crisp savouries.
For dessert, something with jaggery, coconut or dark chocolate would suit your mood.
You may be in the market for reinvention, darling, but your love of a properly seasoned meal remains reassuringly constant.
♐ SAGITTARIUS
You've had a marvellous time, Sagittarius. There have been outings, reunions, unexpected detours and probably several meals you hadn't planned on eating.
Now the Sun moves into the more introspective territory of Scorpio, encouraging you to slow down and pay attention to what all that activity has been distracting you from.
Mercury retrograde may bring an unfinished personal matter back into view. Don't rush to solve it. Sometimes a little distance makes a situation easier to understand.
Your appetite is still curious, however, and this is an excellent week to try a regional festive speciality you've never made before. Perhaps Gujarati handvo, Bengali ghugni, or a South Indian sweet pongal. Each brings a different flavour and culinary tradition to the table.
If you've collected recipes from friends or relatives during the celebrations, choose one and actually cook it. Your enthusiasm for discovering new things deserves an occasional practical outcome.
And while you're at it, plan an evening at home.
The world will still be there tomorrow.
♑ CAPRICORN
You've managed the logistics, met the obligations and probably kept several celebrations running smoothly without receiving nearly enough credit.
Capricorn, Madame Zest sees you.
The Scorpio Sun shifts your attention towards friendships, communities and the people with whom you share your ambitions. You may find yourself questioning which commitments still deserve your energy.
Venus retrograde and Pluto's influence could also bring up an issue involving money or shared responsibilities. Approach it with your usual practicality, but don't assume every problem requires an immediate solution.
In the kitchen, simplicity will feel especially rewarding. A hearty bowl of khichdi with ghee, roasted papad and pickle may be more appealing than another restaurant meal. Alternatively, make a comforting vegetable stew with fresh bread, or a lightly spiced dal with steamed rice.
If you're celebrating Kojagori Lakshmi Puja on Sunday, a homemade sweet can bring a sense of occasion without turning the entire day into a production.
You've earned the right to enjoy what you've worked so hard to organise.
♒ AQUARIUS
The Moon begins the week in your sign, Aquarius, bringing your attention to personal needs and the question of how you want to spend your time.
After days of collective celebration, you may feel a renewed desire for independence. You love your people, but you've reached the point where another crowded gathering sounds considerably less appealing than a quiet afternoon.
The Scorpio Sun activates themes of ambition and public responsibility, while Mercury retrograde may ask you to revisit a professional conversation or reconsider an earlier decision.
Keep your plans flexible. A delay could turn out to be useful.
Food-wise, this is a good week to get inventive with leftovers. Transform extra rice into crisp cutlets, use cooked vegetables in savoury pancakes, or make a hearty chickpea-and-roasted-pepper salad.
If you're feeling particularly experimental, try adding an unexpected spice or texture to a familiar dish. Just remember that innovation works best when the original recipe still tastes good.
And please, label anything mysterious before putting it in the freezer.
♓ PISCES
The Moon enters your sign midweek, Pisces, and you may find yourself unusually moved by the closing rituals of the festival.
The music, the lights, the farewells, the knowledge that another year has passed — it's enough to make even a relatively practical person sentimental. And you, my dear, have never been accused of excessive practicality.
The Scorpio Sun later in the week encourages you to seek meaning beyond your immediate surroundings. You might feel drawn towards a new subject, a spiritual practice, a journey or simply a conversation that helps you see things differently.
Mercury retrograde may also revive an old idea worth exploring.
For now, nourish yourself with something gentle and familiar. A bowl of coconut payesh, soft vegetable khichdi, warm semolina halwa, or a fragrant rice pudding with cardamom could be especially comforting.
If you're cooking for others, make a little extra. The act of sharing will feel particularly satisfying.
And when the festivities are finally over, allow yourself a quiet moment to appreciate them.
Not every beautiful thing needs to last forever to matter.
*
And so, my darlings, another festive chapter comes to a close.
There will be photographs to sort, clothes to fold, borrowed containers to return and perhaps a few relationships that require more careful handling than the good crockery.
The Goddess departs, but the lessons remain. We have celebrated abundance, practised generosity, revisited old traditions and occasionally eaten more than was strictly necessary.
Now Scorpio season asks what we're taking forward. Mercury retrograde invites us to reconsider what we've left unfinished. And Venus, returning to Libra, reminds us that the best relationships, much like the best meals, require a little give and take.
So make something comforting. Call the person you've been meaning to call. Put the leftover sweets in a proper container. And remember that the end of a celebration is often the beginning of another story.
The stars approve. Madame Zest is putting the kettle on.