STAR GUIDANCE

November is a month of big developments and healing. The universe is going to facilitate a big announcement on November 1. It’s a big day with lots going on in the skies; the biggest aspect being the third in the series of squares between Pluto and Uranus. These guys have been moving back and forth in the skies and making exact aspects; the first two happened over the last year and a half. The first square left us reeling after an earthquake sent a wave across Fukushima, Japan, disrupting the nuclear power station. We saw Arab Spring and the Occupy movement. We have seen a greater focus on a hard to pin down enemy, homegrown terrorism both official, as part of terrorist plots, and unofficially with the misguided or deeply disturbed openings of fire. This Pluto-Uranus square will bring further development.

The good news is that the Sun is sextile pluto on the 1st and will be good for helping to clean up situations that have been or become disordered and confusing. It is a great combination for helping to clear up difficult situations. This, however, requires a level of consciousness and a concerted effort. If not, what may happen is a confrontation, because at the same time the Sun is in a difficult aspect to Uranus. I can’t stress enough, conscious expression is important or we might find ourselves in one big surprising situation.

The bad news is that Mercury will still be retrograde in Scorpio and in lots of aspects to other planets. With so much going on with Mercury we can expect words, possibly secrets, to come to light that will be a game changer. Over the last year and a half we have been stunned by actions and natural disasters, but with Mercury playing a big role in this Pluto-Uranus square, it will be words, not actions, that hit us hard. I have heard it said that “words” or “psychological abuse” is much harder to recover from than physical abuse… That is the power of words! We can expect to see words pack that kind of punch on this day. Mercury is sextile Pluto in Capricorn, promising the possibility of something being exposed, possibility in the government or other such institutions. Whatever it is, it will penetrate and have the kind of power in speech that will deeply impact the collective consciousness. The Sun, also in Scorpio conjunct Mercury, promises that the communication will be asserted with some degree of clarity. If you have ever experienced the sting of the scorpion, you will already know what this is like. Mercury sextile Mars, which is in Virgo, will help to ensure that it is honest and direct.  This is a no mincing words combination. As Iyanla Vanzant says, “let’s call a thing a thing, people.” The fact that Mercury is retrograde suggests that we are going over some old ground here and something will come to light that we just didn’t ever think.

On November 1 the Sun is also trine Chiron, so we can be sure that whatever happens, a spiritual awakening will occur. Chiron is in Pisces, so this will be a healing to the collective consciousness. Also, Venus is in truth-seeking Sagittarius trine Pallas in theatrical Leo.  I once had a conversation with a friend’s sister who was a bit of a quirky type; adorable, but quirky. She told me that when she is upset she likes to act it out in the mirror. I feel this may actually be a good way to use the Venus-trine-Pallas energy; expressing your creativity and allowing it to be mirrored back to you so that you can see the subtle patterns of truth and beauty in the situation.

So much astrology is gloom and doom or a report on what has happened using the planets and stars. Yet the energy of the planets, stars and asteroids is not so fatalistic. We do have choice and knowing and using the energy in enlightened ways is, I think, a positive way to use this sort of ethereal knowledge. So much of the time we say “Yeah…let’s do this, let’s do this! We have gotta change the world.”  Yet in reality we only point out the problems and complain about the issues.  We ourselves do not step forward in any real way to make the necessary changes. And so, I was so excited to hear of Marianne Williamson’s decision to become a politician last month. This is a woman who is stepping up! In my excitement I took a look at her natal chart and what I discovered is that more than a politician, Marianne is a mother to the world. Clan Mother! Clan Mother is a role in Iroquois tribes that I quite like. What I like is not just the idea that power was in the hands of a woman, but that the decision-making process was a different one, where the care of the children of the community was taken into consideration.  On the contrary, patriarchal decisions have a different agenda. I bring up Marianne and Clan Mother because I want to talk about a pattern that is forming in the skies on November 1. Uranus is forming difficult aspects and is inconjunction or quincunx to the Sun and Mars. The Sun and Mars are sextile. This configuration in astrology is called a “finger of God”.  Both the Sun and Mars are masculine planets and often represent men in a horoscope. They are sitting in Scorpio and Virgo respectively. Scorpio’s symbol is ♏ ˜and Virgo is ♍ –. Demetra George says that these “Ms” represent matter and in latin, matter’s meaning is “mother”. Right in between Virgo and Scorpio is Libra.

It is important to note that Libra was a patriarchal construct. Libra is the only sign that does not have an animal representing it; it has the balancing scales. In truth, Libra is the tail or the claw of the constellation of Scorpio and was once just a part of the sign Scorpio. The moon transiting in this claw or Chela is the release because it is opposite Uranus. So there the moon sits opposite to Uranus who is in an uncomfortable and in a tense position with the two boys who are in the arms of mother, or at the very least sitting in feminine signs, and having a nice conversation with one another about topics that may or may not be making much sense. Remember Mercury, the communication planet, is retrograde and conjunct the Sun. The moon definitely points to the solution to the tension here. The Libra moon is seeking balance.  Libra, or Chela, can hold on or “claw” to bad situations out of a need to keep the balance, but the hindi/sanscrit meaning of the same word Chela  is “a religious student”.  And maybe it is in this meaning that we should embrace.

In fact, I really feel that if the moon in Libra can step up and be courageous, we can make the most of the Solar eclipse, which happens three days later on November 3. All of the energy of November 1 will still be in effect, however, we have some further developments. The moon will have met up with the Sun at this point and will pass in front of it. All in all this eclipse is an incredibly healing eclipse. If you have ever done a detox diet and had a healing crisis, you will know that in the moment it doesn’t feel very good. In fact, you can feel downright awful. But what is actually happening is that your body is ridding itself of all of the toxins and is getting healthy. With Saturn conjunct the solar eclipse, this in fact, might be the feeling. Structures and things of old may be collapsing around you, but know that it is a part of a deep healing. Mercury is also conjunct the north node facilitating a move in the right direction, this is the path to our destiny.

Ceres will also move into Libra on the 3rd, the day of the solar eclipse, helping us to find the balance in nurturing and to bring about healing. There is, however, a couple of days when we can be thrown off balance. We feel cautious with nurturing on the 6th when Venus squares Ceres. Uranus will oppose Ceres on the 24th and may show up as an erratic emotional response; and Pluto will square Ceres on the 28th igniting separation anxiety.  We may hate the structures that are falling all around us, however, they are the devil we know and we may cling to them out of security at this point. The truth is, we are being challenged to let go in a very deep way.

Venus moves into Capricorn on November 5. Venus – the planet of love and attraction – in Capricorn gets a little materialistic but also cautious with money. If you are doing some Christmas shopping Venus sextile Neptune on the 7th gives a great appreciation of things of worth, however, Jupiter goes retrograde the same day. The better way to use this energy is to allow what you are seeing to inspire the depths of your soul.

Venus will also touch the Pluto/Uranus energy going on this month when it opposes Uranus, also sextiling Chiron on the 14th and conjunct Pluto on the 15th. Remember Venus represents love, but also money, so we may see something come to light with the markets and our own purse strings. If things get a little disordered, or even a lot disordered within these couple of days, we have a saving grace because on the 23rd Venus will sextile Saturn giving us an a small window for financial recovery and stability. It won’t last long though. On the 28th Venus will opposes Jupiter making us excessive and indulgent.

Mercury goes direct again on the 10th of November. Before it does, it will trine Neptune on the 9th and then trine it again on the 11th. An aspect during this time when Neptune changes directions makes it very potent and with this aspect, it is making us all a little more intuitive and a little more psychic than usual. This is the kind of communication that stays away from the logical mind, so if we are sensing something that we feel a need to be able to “prove in court”… don’t bother. Your sense perceptions are bang on, whether you can prove it or not! What we see, what we believe and what we understand will seem like a hall of mirrors in a couple of days later as Neptune also turns around and goes direct on the 13th making its power a little more potent as well. Neptune can create lies, illusions and foggy situations, but also inspiration and spiritual insight.  However, with Neptune opposed Pallas now in Virgo on the 16th, our perceptions and ability to see the big picture and the patterns, may be even more distorted.

Things will clear up the next day when Mercury is conjunct the north node again on November 17.  The moon will also be full on that day giving us a sneak peak at the new beginnings that took place with the eclipse. Mercury is sextile Pluto and trine Chiron on November 20 and conjunct Saturn on the 25th, taking us back over the November 1 eclipse points. When Mercury was retrograde communication may have been heard, but was not understood. Eclipse happenings will crystalize over these couple of days as Mercury goes over the same ground again.

All in all, November will be filled with lots of communication and healing. Sometimes clear, sometimes murky. Crystals that will help the energy this month include pink calcite, which aligns us with the divine mother and the divine feminine.

Read what’s going on for each sign…..