STAR GUIDANCE

“Any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind; and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.” John Donne.

The beginning of November is somber. The leaves will be gone (at least here in North America). The night’s longer, the skies a bit grey. November is also Remembrance of the end of hostilities on the 11th day of the 11th month at the 11th hour (11.11.11). War, atrocities, and the loss of life will be on our minds – the ones of days gone by and the ones those that are fresh.

This month we get a better understanding of the big picture. Even if the big picture is one that we would rather not see, it doesn’t shut us down. Saturn, Venus, and the Sun will still be traveling through Scorpio and, on the heels of a solar eclipse last month in Scorpio, we are asked to delve deeper. One by one the Sun, Mercury, and Venus will move into Sagittarius by the end of the month, putting us in the mood for a vacation and adventure but there is work to do be done before that point.

Saturn has us doing the hard work around our identity, our word, and our values. There is some help to clarify what needs work. On the 1^st, Mars (now in Capricorn) is sextile Neptune in Pisces. This positioning gives us a sense of responsibility to our collective human being and we might be filled with a sense of vision for something better. On the same day, Mars will help us to find practical ways to direct that vision. Mercury is also sextile Jupiter, expanding our minds and our creative thinking. We’ll be able to make a fair assessment of the possibilities. Yet, Venus in Scorpio is sextile Pluto making us a little intense. We might get so passionate about our ideas that we want to impose them on others. With the Sun square Juno, the tension may revolve around how we relate to one another. How can we be ourselves, express our identities pursue our dreams, and still be in relationship to others? Uranus is trine Vesta, so we may feel the need to put our passions first. We can fight through patterns of thinking through and create new neural pathways. This month holds so much energy to envision, drop the barrier, and to manifest a new way of being. Doing it in groups will help establish new collective neural pathways.

Though this is a time for change, the full moon in November is on the 6th in Taurus – and Taurus does not like change. This full moon will be opposite Venus in Scorpio making us to feel a little awkward within our relationships. It’s also square Juno in Leo leaving us a little uncomfortable in our skins. And with a square to Jupiter, we might waiver in our new direction. We waiver between building castles in the safe sandbox and building castles in the sky. Two more transits are adding to the confusion. Neptune is square Ceres, confusing us about our true source of nurturance. Venus is square Jupiter, craving some intensity which can border on codependence. Codependence is when we go outside of ourselves to feel fulfilled and complete. But no other person can give us the security, the nurturance, and the fulfillment we crave. The trick will be to honour our inner child’s needs for safety with the need to move forward into change.

The anxiety may intensify on the 10th and 11th of November. Mars will conjunct Pluto and Vesta will sextile the North Node. This is a combination that might lead to a blow up. It might also be a wakeup call with Mercury trine Neptune. Even if it is harsh and things do fall apart, it will bring our vision into sharper focus. And as we stand at attention in remembrance on the 11th, our silent reflection will lead us to connect with our intuition and to reconnect with our vision. The new is calling us forth.

“Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold; Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world.” -William Yates

On the 12th Venus will conjunct Saturn. This makes us take pause and consider again our values. How have we been spending and sharing our inner resources of love and commitment and our outer resources – our money. Mars square Uranus triggers our collective inner warrior again. Our level of consciousness will determine if it expresses itself as a warrior of light or a warrior of destruction. The good news is that Mercury sextile Chiron signals breakthroughs in connecting with the inner warrior of light. It connects us with our head and our hearts, allowing for self healing. It also helps us to communicate our healing to others. We might feel so good about our newfound selves that we go a bit overboard on the 13^th when the Sun (which is our ego) squares Jupiter in Leo (the sign that rules the sun and our egos).

By the middle of the month, the outer planets of transformation and revolution will be chatting with the goddesses. Uranus trine Juno helps us to express ourselves in our relationships with a little more freedom and self expression. Pluto sextile Pallas is helping us to see the patterns of the new paradigm in greater focus. Mercury sextile Pluto and conjunct Pallas on the 16th has us thinking and talking about these big changes. With Venus conjunct freedom-and-adventure loving Sagittarius the same day, think of an updated version of the free love hippie movement of the 60’s. What would we call a 2000s version of this? By the 16^th we’ll likely come up with a term for it!

On the 16^th, Neptune also goes direct. Neptune has been retrograde since June 9^th. When it goes direct, we will again go into a dreamy state of collective unconsciousness. The good news is that the direct motion will help us to be a little more hopeful. I’m glad for this as I think hope is something we all need in the world right now.

November 17^th is a great day to take a break and have a spa day. Purifying our minds with a seaweed wrap, yoga session and a country hike will bring us back into renewal. Make sure you check into a country spa and not a hustle-and-bustle busy city one. Ste. Anne’s spa is one of my favourites.

With a renewed body and mind, we can get back to the matter at hand when the Sun conjuncts Saturn on Nov 18^th. We are now refocused on our projects and might find that the amount of work is intense. You’ll be glad you took that spa day. Though the amount of work to be done may feel like a burden, we will all feel an incredible amount of passion and purpose as Jupiter trines Vesta. If you’re not in your purpose or following your passion, then this time might be a little tough for you as Mars squares the North Node. If you haven’t been hearing the call, you might get pushed into the ring anyhow.

Chiron trine Pallas provides us with amazing energy to imagine and weave the life that we want. If you find you’re not good at manifesting, the 18^th would be a good day to give it another try. One of the keys to manifesting is not just to see it, but also to feel it. Chiron will help you heal anything that has been blocking your ability to get into the feeling space of it.

The visioning continues on when Venus is square to Neptune on the 20^th. On a good note, it helps us to visualize and be idealistic about our goals. On the other hand, it is not a good time to make decisions or put any of our goals into action. For instance, if you envision a project or a business that you are certain will make you money and is going to change the world…. wait. You likely don’t have all the information about the money to support this vision and it will follow you like a bad cough if you launch it now. With the New Moon in Sagittarius conjunct Venus and Saturn and this square energy to Neptune going on, we are very much at the idea stage of things. Now is the time to get out your sticky notes. Write out all of your ideas. Brainstorm with the energetic space of thinking that “no idea is a bad idea”, knowing that a “bad idea” voiced might spark a really good idea. But it is just that – the idea stage. Mars is also sextile Mercury so, if given the forum, the ideas will be firing on all cylinders!

One of the reasons that we won’t be able to see the forest for the trees is that our creativity is still at odds with our ideas of commitment and relationships. We want to go one direction and our partners might be saying “are you crazy” or they are bothered that it’s taking away from the relationship in some way. With Mercury conjunct Saturn and square Jupiter, we might have a couple of days of strong opinions and serious communication around this topic.

At the end of the month on Nov 26^th, Venus in conjunct Ceres in Sagittarius. It’s a great day to go off on an adventure – One that nourishes you and feeds your aesthetic senses. Maybe this is a hike in the country or the first time you experience dinner at an Ethiopian restaurant, including lentils served on a shared plate with injera and the fragrant tea. Soak up the experience! Venus is also trine Uranus, so you can just set out for an adventure and expect the unexpected!

Mercury moves into Sagittarius on the 27^th expanding our worldview some more, but we might struggle at first with Venus square Chiron. Our religious upbringing or faith in old, outdated traditional systems might get reignited, bringing up a need to consider if these things are working for us anymore. Uranus trine Ceres will allow us to grant more freedom to the ways in which we take care of ourselves and with Chiron also square Ceres we might be feeling in conflict with what “Mama says” and what is good for us. This tug of war might show up on the social level as a conflict with traditional western medicine vs. non tradition forms of healing.

On the 29^th, Venus is trine Juno and sextile the North Node. Finally we are feeling more comfortable with the idea of a relationship as a soul mate adventure. This is different from the relationships of the past. The conclusions we reach now will send us off in a new direction as far as committed relationships are concerned. What a great way to end November!

November is filling us with ideas and vision. Read each sign to see where the creativity will emerge for you:

Aries:  In the beginning of the month, you will be taking a hard look at your finances and how your shared resources are in need of liberation. You’ll feel resistance at first, as the feeling of expressing yourself without a relationship will make you feel naked. By the end of the month, you will be transforming your beliefs and will have some great ideas on how to move forward.

 

Taurus:  You’ll be taking a hard look at your partnerships. You might resent at first what you come to learn. It means that you now have to change. It’s something that you would rather not do. Later in the month all of your ideas lead you to see how you could have financial freedom, so the security-loving side of you will have something to drive it forward.

 

Gemini:  The situation at work is coming into sharp focus. You might not like it, but it’s helping you to see where you values are misaligned with the work you do. Crap. Does this mean you have to find a new job? All that job researching and resume revision will make you feel like ditching the idea. By the end of the month, you will be seeing how new partnerships are going to be a better alignment. Maybe this is a business partnership or a new team project partnership. You may have to leave, but maybe you don’t. Keep focused on the vision and the way will emerge soon.

 

Cancer:  You love to mother, but there is something about what you are mothering or how you are mothering that has outlived itself. At first your own ideas might feel insulting. The defensive words “I’m a good mother” might float out of your mouth. Later in the month, you’ll be able to separate your ideas of how you mother from who you are which will allow you to find new ideas for new outlets to serve and give.

 

Leo:  Your ideas of your family (Mom and Dad) are coming into sharp focus. Maybe you see some bad in them or even so good in them that you don’t want to see. You are invested in your image of them, so the fierce protective lion might initially want to lash out and scratch. By the end of the month, you will see how much more creative you are when you let things be.

 

Virgo:  You may have never questioned the way you speak. You also may take for granted the thoughts that pass through you mind as truth, but something is seeking to be transformed in this area. Virgos love roles – husband, wife, helper, server. This is because you know what to expect and what is expected of you when you have a role. It’s tempting to reject new ideas related to the roles that you play. Later in the month, you will start to envision a new foundation which will help you to feel rooted once again.

 

Libra:  You are assessing your value and your resources this month – what’s given, what’s taken, and the boundaries around what is yours. You may initially want to go overboard on seeing the other person’s point of view. By the end of the month you will discover new ideas on how to communicate your new sense of value. This will make it easier to focus your own point of view without expending it for the sake of another’s.

 

Scorpio:  You might have an epiphany about yourself this month which leaves you feeling very uncomfortable. As you start to realize some of your faults you might become sharp with others who shine any light on it. Later in the month as your vision and ideas of yourself start to broaden, and you can see how they will increase your self esteem, you become more comfortable with the changes. You see now that they must come.

 

Sagittarius:  At first you feel the rumblings of something new wanting to emerge from deep within your unconscious. Maybe it pokes out into the light of day for a moment. You may be tempted to push it back into the far and unreachable parts of your mind. By the end of the month you will feel more comfortable will allowing your beliefs and who you are to emerge. It’s your birthday month and you’re starting a new cycle and this new cycle is a biggie!

 

Capricorn:  You’re assessing the value and resourcefulness of your friendships. You are seeing patterns that you may not want to see at first. As you examine your communication, ideas, and patterns of response, you might start to address them first on an unconscious level. They say that everything happens at the spirit or soul level first and then manifests later on the material level. The soul level is what you will be deciding this month.

 

Aquarius:  New ideas are emerging about your career. You might have the feeling like Moses had when God told him he was chosen to lead his people out of slavery… “why me???” You might go into serious doubt and rejection of the idea at first. Later in the month you will start to see how you might be supported to go forward by your tribe. The ideas that they bring forward will be inspiring and the idealism in you will help push you forward.

 

Pisces:  You prefer not to commit to any one vision. However, your ideas of pluralism may be carefully constructed forms of keeping you from the leading and teaching that you have been called to do. The vastness of commitment has you remaining in a fog. This might be to a religion or to anything that you must put your faith in. As you find it within yourself to commit towards the end of the month, you become centered in your ability to lead.

 

Have you noticed that things have been going a little crazy in our lives and in the world at large lately? Well October will be a month of reckoning.  How can it not be?  In October we have a lunar and solar eclipse. Plus Mercury will go retrograde – all astrological energies known to be game changers.

Mercury slips into Scorpio at the beginning of the month and then goes retrograde on the 4th of October. The first couple of days of Mercury retrograde may be a little intense; not only will mercury turn retrograde on that day, but the Sun will also square Pluto. Words spoken might sting and power plays may be in full effect. Mars is also square Chiron and though we will feel motivated to heal our hurts, we might come across like a spoiled child. Be careful of temper tantrums. I always write the horoscope as though I am speaking to one person, but what I am speaking of is the energy at play. While I speak about the energy and happenings from a personal perspective, it also applies to the world stage. So my advice for this energy is to take it slow, consciously consider your thoughts and words and focus on how you are behaving. If every person did that, including those in powerful positions can you imagine the impact? On the 5th Saturn will conjunct Ceres and we may feel our inner child wounded and longing for connection. Mars’ trine Uranus will help us to break through any obstacles that exist. This is an energy that helps us to have new insights.

With new insights come a new desire for a new direction, which will get a boost on October 7th when the sun will oppose Uranus. It will charge us up with restlessness and a desire for change. Change is on the agenda. Any aspect to either Uranus or Pluto is furthering that whole transformation that is happening within us and on a global level.  Just remember, things can look messy on the outside and I think we can all agree – they do. If we look at the analogy of the ‘healing crisis’ – that awful feeling we get just before we are about to get well while doing a detox – then we can accept the headache, the feelings of nausea and the discomfort with a little more hope that all will be better soon. Change is happening and it will lead to good things.

Speaking of change, there is a lunar eclipse on the 8th in Aries at 15°. This is when the sun and the moon are opposite one another and the earth gets in the way. Normally the earth is a little off to the side and  doesn’t create an obstruction. But when the luminaries are perfectly aligned, the Earth gets in the way and creates a shadow on the moon;  this is a lunar eclipse.  Full moons are pretty powerful, but Lunar eclipses are a ‘supercharged’ full moon.  Anything can happen! This lunar eclipse is so interesting. On one side the Sun will be holding hands with Venus and on the other side, the moon will be high fiving Uranus. On their own both Venus and the Moon are feminine and thus attractors. This means they are most powerful when they are being receptive. Though not her natural or even most powerful way of being, every once in a while the feminine needs to dig deep and take action. This is what is going to happen at this lunar Eclipse.

This energy reminds me of the Clan Mother in the Iroquois tribes.  The role of Clan Mother existed to make sure that the community’s needs and the children’s best interest were always at heart. Though the men ran the show, when needed the Clan mothers had veto rights. If she saw things get out of hand, Clan Mother had the right to step in, take action, make sure of the communities best interests. That’s what’s happening now.  The Moon (mother) is getting wound up by something and is springing into action.

I always laugh at a story my friend, who is a twin, once told me. When she and her twin were babies, and her mother and father new parents, her parents decided to take the babies for a walk at the mall (she was born in the winter). Her father had not quite ‘gotten’ his responsibilities yet and complained the entire time. Mom, knowing that her words would get nowhere, decided that actions would speak louder than words. She asked him to hold onto the stroller and noticing a bus coming, she left him (with the two babies), ran for the bus and went home. Sometimes mama’s gotta pull out all the stops to get her point across. We might see similar unconventional stunts like this at the full moon lunar eclipse.

Venus is opposite the moon and holding hands with the sun. The Sun is that masculine energy and when you block him, like the earth is doing, he can come across pretty strong. But at this eclipse Venus rubs off on him, softening him and putting him under her spell. Remember the influence that the royal mistresses had on the kings of the world. He may be doing all the acting, but she is behind the scenes strongly influencing. Venus is squaring Pluto, so she might be acting obsessive and using her wiles in a negative way. She’ll also get a boost from Mars and Jupiter, making her a little over confident and the center of attention. But if she is wearing her skirt too short, not because it’s how she really dresses, but because she knows it will help her get her way.  Clan Mother (moon) on the other side will sort her out because the Moon also has Mars and Jupiter in her wings. The Moon’s message at this eclipse – use your power both masculine and feminine, appropriately.

Mercury will then slip back into Libra on the 10th, and will cause relationship communication mess ups for in the latter part of October. Initially the sun will sextile Jupiter allowing us to let things fly things off our shoulders fairly easy. But then on the 11th Venus will oppose Uranus.  You might find yourself distracted with the hookup app tinder. Great if you’re single. If you’re not, question what needs are not being met. If it’s just a communication mess up, wait until Oct 25th when Mercury goes direct again. Things could  clear up by then. If you feel that that’s not the case, Mars’ sextile the north node will help to point your compass in the right direction. It may show up as that door of opportunity that keeps presenting itself. Even if we get off track in our lives, there is usually a period of time when we have many outs.  If a new direction does appear, the sun conjunct on the north node on the 12th will swing that door wide open. Just like in the movie Adjustment Bureau, it will appear like a door or shining light. If you do see it appear, don’t be afraid to move forward out of a sense of duty to your former life or fear that you’re making the wrong move. Go into the light, find your purpose, and find your love.  Venus will sextile Jupiter on the 14th, connecting us with our hearts desire. She will also conjunct the north node, so the door leading to our passion will be wide open for at least a couple of days.

One word of caution though. If the doors that open look like brand new opportunities, one that you have never seen before, give it a tentative ‘yes’. The reason is mercury is still in retrograde. Let me refresh your memory about what mercury retrogrades are all about. They are times for going forward with anything that starts with a “re”. Re-read, review, reinstall, restructure, renew but it’s not an ideal time to start anything new.  With that said, if the door is a job, a love or any other opportunity presented to you in the past you have the green light.

During the retrograde, Mercury will coming into contact with the sun and will help us reassess the way we are presenting ourselves. Next, it comes into contact with Mars bringing about a review of the progress we are making. It then touches Venus and may signal the return of a love – Now may be your second chance. When Mercury touches Jupiter, an opportunity may re-appear. And when it conjuncts the North node, a second chance to connect with the right people may re-surface.  Again, if any of these opportunities are completely new, you may not have all the info and things may change once we get into November. The other reason to stall is we also have an upcoming solar eclipse. Eclipses are not good times to take initiative. Things will happen on their own accord, pushing us in a certain direction. If you are responding to events, most certainly do what you must do. But it will not be until November when the dust settles and we will really understand what happened in October.

The solar eclipse will be at 0 degrees Scorpio on October 23rd. A solar eclipse happens when the moon gets in the way of the sun, blocking out its light from the perspective of the Earth. Pallas and Venus will also line up with the Sun and Moon creating a powerful solar eclipse which will focus on truth and transformative love. Secrets may come to light now or some other form of a ‘big reveal’. Things which have eluded you for some time will start to make sense as Pallas helps us to see the big picture.

Mercury will return to its direct motion on Oct 25th. The next day the Sun and Venus will conjunct Pallas exactly on the 26th.  So much will become clear; and now with the eclipses and the retrograde behind us we will be able to make informed decisions.  Mars enters Capricorn on the 26th as well.   We will be able to put our plans into action in a methodical manner and with a strong sense of commitment.

At the end of the month Venus is trine Neptune on the 27th.  The storm has passed and it’s now a great time to enjoy a little vacation. If you can’t get away to a beach, have a stay-cation or even an amazing movie will provide the much needed escape. Vacations are important as they help us to engage our mind in a different way. Have ever lost your train of thought and then pushed yourself to remember, only to come up blank. Then, only when you let go – start having fun or focus on something else – that thought or insight floated to the surface again. If so, then you will know how much having a break is important. Also, if we take that break, we can better take advantage of the energy on the 28th when the Sun will trine Neptune. With a now rested mind, we will have an unusual ability to tap into our intuition. It will give us confidence that we’re on the right track and connecting with the right people when Mercury – now in a forward motion – conjuncts the North Node again on the 29th .

Read what’s in store for your sign:

During the last Mercury retrograde, a friend of mine said to me, “Can we all stop blaming Mercury retrograde for everything?” She said this because it seemed to be the new excuse for doing nothing or not taking responsibility for our actions. Mercury retrograde is not a time to blame all mess-ups on a planet. It’s a time to slow down, take our time and apply the “re” to our activities. So this month I wanted to focus the sign horoscopes on Mercury retrograde and what each sign should slow down with.  (the eclipses will be happening in the same houses too).

Aries:  Mess up can happen this month with your shared resources. Examples may include; one didn’t know the other was paying a bill and you pay it twice. Or you both use the credit card not realizing that the other has used it and you find yourself embarrassed with a declined payment. Pay attention to the details and review these areas of your life. This means you will need to say, check out, say again, repeat back to the person and check again to make sure you have made yourself understood in your relationships.  Your re words for this Mercury retrograde is review and repeat.

Taurus: Communications will get intense in your personal relationships. Wires will get crossed and misunderstanding may cause you to want to escape in your work. But then confusion will only shift to workplace misunderstandings. Recheck and double check your work.  Your re words for this Mercury retrograde are react (positively) and retract

Gemini: Mercury retrograde may start out with something like an unintended reply-all email. Whatever you say may get you in trouble as it reaches your unintended recipients. Later in the month you may find yourself facing a creativity block. Maybe its writers block or a feeling of lack of ideas. Now is the time to go back over your creations not just for modification but also for inspiration.  Your re words for this Mercury retrograde is review and recreate.

Cancer:  Mercury retrograde may bring back a past love causing you to review your commitments. Later in the month mercury will disrupt things on the home front. Your family relationships may need a makeover. Your re words for this Mercury retrograde is re-attract and re-attach.

Leo: Mercury retrograde may bring up something on the home front causing a need for a renovation. Maybe this creates a lot of garbage or something else unsightly for your neighbors. Later in the month Mercury retrograde will have you needing to mend fences. Your re words for this Mercury retrograde are renovate and recycle.

Virgo: Watch out for blown car tires or power surges this month. Plus, Mercury retrograde could see you messing up something with your budget or finances. Spend some time checking in with your plan and make adjustments as needed – using what you already have.  Your re words for this Mercury retrograde are redirect and redistribute.

Libra: Mercury is retrograde in your financial sector.  An unexpected expense may appear. Later in the month you might feel the need to do a little hustling to make that money back. Make sure you check how you’re coming across to others. Desperation does not sell. Your re words for this Mercury retrograde is re-box and re-brand.

Scorpio: Mercury retrograde starts out in Scorpio, your home sign. Your words are known to sting, but now they might also be misunderstood. Later in the month Mercury gives you a chance to step back and meditate on how you have been presenting yourself. Your re words for this Mercury retrograde is re-evaluate and recharge.

Sagittarius: Stuff floating around in your unconscious is now causing you to behave in ways that maybe you can’t explain. You’ll need to spend some time journaling or using some other method to get it out. Later in the month you may need to reflect on your friendships. Though wires can get crossed in our friendships now, have patience because our friends are the ones who will reflect back to us our shortcomings, in loving ways. Your re words for this Mercury retrograde is regenerate and relate.

Capricorn: Mercury retrograde will have you taking a look at your hopes and dreams. Later in the month this might also include your career.  Is your work and career fulfilling your purpose?  Your re words for this Mercury retrograde are remake and re-purpose.

Aquarius: You might trip and fall this month during Mercury retrograde. If you do, it may be quite the spectacle. One in which you may feel the need to regain your composure in some way. Later in the month your faith will be tested and Mercury will call on you to reconnect with your advisors and guides.  Your re words for this Mercury retrograde are re-orchestrate and re-orientate.

Pisces: Classically during this Mercury retrograde, travel may not be a great idea. If you do decide to take a road trip or get on a plane, make extra copies of all your documents and back up your directions. If Mercury decides to get you lost however, it may lead to a transformation within. Sometimes you need to get lost to find yourself. Your re words are re-saddle and re-pace (as in re-pace your steps).