THE COSMIC WEATHER REPORT
NOVEMBER 2011
We’re in the Scorpio time of year, a time when deeper feelings and issues get stirred up. However Mercury and Venus enter Sagittarius on November 2, helping us keep things in perspective, keep the big picture in mind. Sagittarius is easygoing and philosophical, a nice balance to Scorpio. The Sun will enter Sagittarius on November 22.
Neptune will turn direct* on November 9. Neptune stations can be times when matters are confusing or unclear. Paradoxically, if you seek clarity and truth, things usually become clear. At any Neptune station, matters can seem to kind of drift, float along without much direction, no matter how much you try to steer them forward. This tends to be so for at least a week before and after the actual station.
Full Moon comes November 10. The Full Moon chart for Washington, DC, which influences our country as a whole, and government in particular, features Pluto directly overhead. That could indicate crisis and pressure. In Albuquerque, the chart has a very different feel, and it is also worth particular notice, with Mercury and Venus in Sagittarius directly overhead, Neptune just rising, and Mars just setting. Pluto at the Midheaven in the Washington Full Moon chart signals some things coming to a head, even more than the general expectations for Full Moon time. Fortunately other indicators in the chart show a potential for very promising new beginnings, and this applies universally, not just in Washington.
The New Moon following this Full Moon is a Solar Eclipse, which adds extra potency to the new cycle. That partial Solar Eclipse comes on Thanksgiving night. It will not provide a show in the United States, though it may be felt, nonetheless, depending on how strongly it aligns with your personal chart.
Mercury turns retrograde* on November 23, appearing to backtrack its orbit until December 13. Get your holiday preparations under way early, before the retrograde.
WEEK BY WEEK:
October 30-November 5: The first part of the week could have its moody moments. Mercury and Venus are transiting the late degrees of Scorpio. Mercury and Venus are square Neptune on Monday. This could be a good year to put romance and fantasy (or trickery) into any costuming or decorating you’re doing for Halloween.
From Wednesday on, things are lighter, easier. Mercury and Venus enter ebullient Sagittarius Wednesday morning, immediately coming into trine with Uranus, which brings novelty, easy change, unexpected positive developments, insights, positive connections, relationships moving in new directions. Expect to be a little bit lucky. Let it be easy.
Generally this is a rather low key week. On Saturday the Moon is void of course** all day. Take it easy.
November 6 – 12: This is quite a week. Neptune turns direct ‘round noon on Wednesday, and this affects us for at least a week or two on either side of the station. At Neptune stations, some matters can seem to be in a fog, not moving along no matter how much you expect them to proceed as usual. As I noted in the November overview, some matters can be particularly unclear; however, if you really seek clarity, it often emerges and can be quite liberating. Make every effort to see clearly this week; don’t just ride along on your hopes and assumptions. As for matters moving along, this may be a good week to remember the grace of being patient and going with the flow.
This last statement may be particularly applicable especially at the beginning of the week. Mars, planet of energy, initiative and action, will be opposite Neptune on Sunday and Monday. Energy is easily dissipated, and confusions and misunderstandings or misperceptions are rampant. Add to that the fact that Mars is in the last degree of flamboyant Leo, and the possibility arises that any misperceptions will be rather dramatic. Remember, this is only a transit; it is not the drama of the year, though in some quarters it may seem otherwise. (By the way, Daylight Savings Time ends on Sunday. Expect an unusual number of missed connections from that annual event.)
So, we start the week with a Mars-Neptune opposition, and Neptune turns direct on Wednesday. Then comes Full Moon, at 1:16 pm MST on Wednesday. This is the Full Moon I warned you about in the November overview. Pluto is directly overhead in Washington. Pluto is a planet of crisis and transformation. You never know what kind. Tensions could be high, with efforts to turn situations around of course on the forefront. There is the possibility of major disruptions. Watch this and see what happens. Also featured in the Full Moon chart, regardless of location, is Mars at the very end of Leo, making for flamboyant excesses without much effectiveness, in part because it is still moving out of the opposition to Neptune. On the bright side, Mercury is conjunct Venus in Sagittarius, helping to keep optimism and vision at the forefront, with only a little exaggeration and excess verbosity.
I sometimes note the “Sabian Symbol” for the degree of the Moon in a Full Moon chart or the Sun and Moon in a New Moon chart, if the symbol seems especially striking. This is such a time. The Sabian Symbol for the degree of the Full Moon is, “A new continent is rising out of the ocean.” Lynda Hill, in her book The Sabian Symbols as an Oracle, says that this degree indicates eruption, disruption, followed by new opportunity, a fresh new arena of opportunity coming out of nowhere. With Pluto overhead in Washington, indicating pressure and potential turning points in our national affairs, this Sabian Symbol seems a validation of positive potential and new opportunity. Again, here’s an opportunity to see astrology at work. Will there be anything notable? Sometimes you see obvious correlations, other times not so much.
As noted in the overview, the Full Moon chart as cast for Albuquerque is quite interesting. Mercury and Venus in Sagittarius will be directly overhead, promoting positive, affable communication and pleasant interaction. Neptune will be just rising, and Mars just setting. That could bring out the confusion, drama and dissipated energy of the Mars-Neptune opposition. At best we are unfocused but happy, kind of a wild goose chase or a comedy of errors. At worst it’s a big mix-up with lots of rash behavior.
Mars enters Virgo Thursday evening. We’ll be inclined to work humbly and diligently with exacting attention to detail for the next couple of months. After all the influences for this week, with Mars opposite Neptune, the Neptune station, and Full Moon, we can expect things to move rather slowly on Friday morning. The Moon will be void of course** from 9:27 a.m. MST until 1:10 p.m. Friday afternoon and Saturday are on a more even keel, with nothing notable, astrologically speaking.
November 13 – 19: This week seems to be fairly free of astrological milestones. We’re past Full Moon, and there is only one planetary alignment, a trine of Mars to Jupiter exact on Wednesday. Mars is action, Jupiter is ease and expansion. Mars trine Jupiter supports easy and successful activities, good timing and good will.
Keep in mind that Mercury will turn retrograde* on Wednesday November 23, the day before Thanksgiving. Use this week to get all your affairs in order and projects started, as well as getting holiday shopping and preparations under way. Complete reservations for travel and other activities you are planning for this month and next.
November 20 – 26: This is a busy week, with Thanksgiving as the high point. On Sunday the Sun is square Neptune, exact just after the noon hour. We’ll likely be a little out of focus, slow getting the day going. Have a list, a plan for the day if you need to get things accomplished. Or, just take it easy and catch your errands in mid-afternoon. You or others may be moody or dealing with emotional matters, as the Sun is at the end of Scorpio. The Sun will enter buoyant Sagittarius Tuesday morning.
There are several minor positive planetary alignments at midweek. Venus is sextile Saturn on Monday and Tuesday, supporting smooth interactions and dependability of friends and social arrangements. On Tuesday and Wednesday the Sun is trine Uranus. That alignment supports flexibility and novelty in our daily doings. Mars is also trine Pluto on Tuesday and Wednesday, helping us to cut through red tape and get things done effectively.
Mercury turns retrograde* around midnight on Wednesday, so be sure to use the positive and easy alignments of this week to really get your daily affairs in order and your holiday preparations under way, including travel reservations, before the retrograde. The rest of the week is still early enough in the Mercury retrograde to complete anything not done by Wednesday midnight.
Thanksgiving Day is blessed with a sextile of Venus to Neptune, a harmonious aspect supporting ease and understanding in relationship. This is the last day before New Moon, usually an indicator that things are fairly quiet. New Moon comes ‘round midnight on Thanksgiving, at 11:10 p.m. Mountain time. This New Moon is a partial Solar Eclipse. It will not be visible in the United States, and in fact will only be visible in extreme southern latitudes, the tip of South Africa, New Zealand and Antarctica. Eclipses seem to be catalysts for change, to the extent that they affect our individual charts.
The New Moon/Solar Eclipse chart is not especially noteworthy. The Sun, Moon, Mercury and Venus are in buoyant Sagittarius. On one hand that can indicate general good spirits; on the other hand, that can indicate impulsiveness and the voicing of strong opinions. The Sabian Symbol for the degree of the Sun and Moon is, “the ocean covered with whitecaps.” Lynda Hill refers to this as things whipped up into a froth over nothing important. Take any upsets in stride.
In Albuquerque, Neptune will be just setting at the time of the eclipse. This could indicate confusion and unclear relationship situations. If you thought you knew where things stood and now it’s not so clear, go with the flow and patiently seek clarity.
On Saturday Venus is square Uranus, an indication that we need freshness and novelty in our relationship routines. Social arrangements may fall through, and it may be best to leave your time and plans unstructured. Venus is coming into trine to Jupiter; everything will work out happily.
November 27 – December 3: Venus is trine Jupiter on Sunday, an indication of happy relationships and pleasant social times. Monday and Tuesday are unmarked by special influences. The Moon is waxing, making this a good time to move things along, keeping in mind that Mercury is retrograde and matters may need a bit of patience and deliberation to compensate for the natural tendency for daily matters to drift or run into delays. Remember that Mercury retrograde periods are good for catching up on loose ends and clearing the decks for the coming Mercury direct period.
Venus is conjunct Pluto on Wednesday and Thursday. That can bring buried issues to light. The Sun is square Mars on Thursday and Friday; an indication that impatience and irritability can lead us into conflict and confrontation, and haste can make us prone to accidents. Take it easy.
The Moon is void of course from 11:06 a.m. MST on Friday until 6:51 p.m. on Saturday. Moon v.o.c. periods are well used for rest and meditation. It may be time for some down time. Moon v.o.c. periods seem to be even more unfocussed when Mercury is also retrograde, as it is now.
December Preview: December should be an active month, with three planets turning direct,* a Lunar Eclipse, and Winter Solstice.
Uranus turns direct on December 9. That’s an indication of lots of changes afoot in the world and in our lives. When Uranus is retrograde, we’re laying the groundwork for needed changes and liberations, which tend to move forward as Uranus turns direct and resumes apparent forward motion.
The Uranus station coincides with a Full Moon/Lunar Eclipse which comes seven hours later, early on December 10. In Washington Venus will be just rising, which may be beneficial. In Albuquerque the Moon in eclipse will be setting as the Sun rises, potentially an awesome sight.
Mercury turns direct on December 13. Matters will move forward more easily.
Winter Solstice is December 21, marking our entry into winter and the Sun’s ingress into Capricorn.
Jupiter turns direct on December 25. When Jupiter is retrograde, it seems that luck and ease and expansiveness are in short supply, and the bounce comes back when Jupiter turns direct. The economy, our moods and everything else should become more buoyant as we come up to this station.
*Regular readers of this column and others familiar with astrology know that all the planets occasionally appear to backtrack or “retrograde” in their orbits. A planet will slow down, appear stationary, and then appear to slip backward for a period of a few weeks or months before again appearing to slow down and be stationary before resuming apparent forward motion. Of course the planet is not actually reversing direction but only appears to do so due to its motion relative to Earth’s. Nonetheless, we do feel the effects of these shifts. When a planet is at its “station” or stationary point, the planet’s energies are emphasized; when retrograde, its energies are more internalized. The cycle looks like this. The planet is going forward, and affairs of the planet are moving forward normally. As the planet slows and turns stationary, those matters related to the planet become emphasized in our lives, and significant developments may take place. Then those matters ebb in our outer lives for a while, as we internally digest those developments and realizations and integrate them into our lives during the retrograde. Later, the planet again goes stationary, coming back to the forefront of our awareness, and then “turns direct,” resuming apparent forward motion as we again move forward with those matters related to the planet.
Mercury takes a little three-week retrograde cycle approximately every four months. Our daily affairs slow down and get complicated. Communications get tangled, computers flake out, automobiles break down and travel arrangements fall into disarray, a comedy of scheduling mishaps occurs, and things pretty much slow to a crawl. It’s really a great time to slow down and regroup, to finish projects and catch up on unfinished business. Just try not to launch your big project, or sign on the dotted line for a new contract, job, car, or whatever unless you really need to. Try to get those things moving before the retrograde, and shepherd things patiently along during the retro cycle, knowing that some things may not completely come together until Mercury turns direct. If you are making significant moves during the Mercury retrograde period, just know that some things will have to be straightened out after the direct.
**Moon void of course occurs when the Moon has made all the alignments it will make while in the sign it’s in, and is just “marking time” without real momentum. The Moon goes through a sign in 2 to 2 ½ days, so consequently it also goes v.o.c. Every couple of days as well, sometimes for only a few minutes or more likely hours, but sometimes for more than a day. Things initiated during a Moon void of course period tend to meander off and arrive at a destination other than what was planned. Void of course periods are well used in completing tasks or doing routine chores, or in resting, meditating, and planning for future activities. The v.o.c. period ends when the Moon enters the next sign.
I am available for personal consultations and forecasts, either in person or by telephone. I also offer comprehensive computer chart services, providing charts, transit calendars, and computer interpretations. I invite your feedback on this column and am available to answer simple astrology questions. Be in touch!
Please feel free to share this forecast with your friends.
Just be sure to include my name and contact information:
Sandy Bryan, Astrologer (505) 255-5001
E-mail: sstars@thuntek.net
sstars
