THIS MONTH’S ASTROLOGY
Even without the US elections, November was always going to be a volatile and stress inducing pressure cooker. We start the month 21 hours short of a New Moon in Scorpio which means that it begins during the dark Moon phase, that time of the month which is about shedding accumulated psychic emotional baggage and, a gestation period preceding some form of rebirth.
While in Scorpio the Sun looks like the most stable of the personal “planets” all the others, Moon, Mercury, Venus and Mars are all in volatile and/or combative positions, making for a dangerously explosive collective energy. Fortunately, each also receives positive aspects from other players, while the agents of healing Chiron and Hygeia are directly overhead, at least in Australia, and supported by good aspects to the benevolent Jupiter.
The question for all of us is whether this pressure cooker is going to blow apart or blow open the possibility for radical yet creative change. Will Jupiter and the healers be enough to balance out some of the dark forces operating at this time!?
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When the Sun is in Scorpio, the solar energies within are both partially dimmed and powerfully deepened by the intense emotionality of the sign and, by its natural connection to the Plutonian energies of our lower chakras. It is a formidable energy that does require some caution and discrimination around how to express such depth of being. When Scorpio energy is running well it is absolutely extraordinary, tenacious, courageous, resilient and penetratingly honest, with a big heart and capacity for deep love. However, when this energy goes off and mixed with the baser emotions it can be equally destructive.
In conjuncting the Shiva asteroid this power potential is strengthened and potentially exalted. As an expression of highly evolved masculinity, Shiva can be seen as Indian and more yogic version of Scorpio’s ruler Pluto, a mixture of mystical and transformative energies. This can support us to stay deeply centred and present even in the midst of chaos and deep change. We are going to need him!
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In highlighting Juno the goddess of marriage the Moon puts relationships in deep and challenging focus, with opportunities for flushing out psychic emotional disturbances, whether from recent relationships cycles and experiences, and/or from ancestral or parental imprinting. Given the Intensity of the Grand Cross below, while whatever surfaces may not be very pleasant, it does speak of processes seeking to clear the decks of ancient rubble that inhibit our capacity for ever deepening connection with our loved ones.
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The Mars/Pluto opposition in the middle of this grand cross is the most challenging aspect in the month’s chart, a head-on confrontation between the more egocentric Mars warrior with the relentless and unforgiving god of death and rebirth. It speaks of intense power struggles, the brewing up of bitter legacies that can activate ancient forms of rage which then have the capacity for being extremely destructive.
The Moon and Juno are caught in the middle of this confrontation triggering old anger issues and power struggles in our more intimate connections, and adding even further intensity to this Dark Moon phase. There is however an inkling of some deeper, wiser expression of the feminine acting as a circuit breaker in this whole dynamic, particularly when the healing goddess Hygeia is involved. Can the mothers and wives of all the predominantly masculine combatants aroused at this time around the planet be able to make a real difference?
Fortunately, as we’ll see below, every player has good aspects that can take some of the edges off the more extreme expressions of this dynamic.
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The planet of the mind Mercury will be entering Sagittarius on the third and retrograding on the 26th. In his last three days in Scorpio he is at a pivotal point in both a Grand Trine and, what are called Mystic Rectangles. As we saw earlier Scorpio can be a fearless energy with the deep curiosity around what’s happening beneath the surface of things, infusing Mercury with greater depth, emotional nuance and psychospiritual power.
His trine to Mars energises our capacity to translate thought into action and to pursue our desires and goals powerfully and at times tenaciously. However, Mars’ opposition to Pluto can blunt that expression, especially if we’re not listening to deeper voices inside ourselves. Mercury sextiling Pluto can also give us access to a depth of wisdom around the appropriateness of our ego drives and their expression, in ways that take the heat out of the potential power struggles of Mars/Pluto opposition.
A trine to Neptune simultaneously offers access to the subtler awareness of this planet of psychic and spiritual openness. Whether this expresses as intuition, body knowing or psychic downloads, it can give our intellects more subtlety, intuitive accuracy and the ability to navigate challenging scenarios. Mercury’s simultaneous links to the action man Mars and to mystical Neptune support the translation of spiritual goals, visions and practices into real-world expression. Of course, all of this is dependent on how willing and deeply we are prepared to listen within.
However, all these great aspects to Mercury are penetrated by an exact opposition to the unpredictable Uranus, another aspect that has both explosive potential but also for triggering radical and liberating change. And given the current climate, this can fall either way in the direction of chaos and/or break through experiences that release accumulated tension.
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Here the goddess of love, already fired up and dynamically expressive in Sagittarius, joins a trilogy of fierce, intelligent warrior goddesses in ways that will add even more heat to our relationship experiences at this time. The Lilith asteroid is one of those carriers of accumulated pain and rage from the disempowering and dishonouring of the feminine within our family systems, our culture or our past life histories, a theme that resonates through the hyper-intelligent Amazon in Pallas Athena and with the wild Kali who wants to cut through bullshit and egocentric behaviour.
Having said that, there is some high-quality masculine energies linked to these goddesses in the form of the normally benevolent Jupiter and the deep healing and compassionate masculinity of Chiron. Whenever these goddesses get met by quality, respectful and present masculinity, they will show more of their deep love, passion and tantric power.
At the very least, Venus will be enormously empowered particularly in the first days of the month.
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We’ve already seen that Mars is in the middle of this month’s pressure cooker, in opposing Pluto and squaring the Moon and Juno, while having good aspects to Neptune and Mercury. He is also sextiling Uranus in Taurus which is a brilliant combination for expressing and acting on our individual uniqueness, our needs for personal space and freedom and for deepening our connection to our authentic self within.
This theme is continued as Mars enters the fire sign of Leo on the fifth. Being a red-blooded, expressive, extrovert energy he will feel much more at home in Leo during his last eight weeks in the watery sign of Cancer.
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The ongoing Jupiter/Chiron sextile is almost perfectly exact, to within four minutes of a celestial degree, meaning a perfect line up between the expansive growth-full Jupiter with his half-brother healer and teacher Chiron. While the sextiles are not the strongest of aspects, a keyword around them is “opportunity”, that is we can’t just sit around waiting for grace to fall, we have to make a conscious effort to bring out the best of what’s on offer. And in the case of Jupiter and Chiron it’s about taking up the healing opportunities of this time, even when it feels like the whole planet is in turmoil. With each of these archetypes it is not just about healing ourselves but we are contributing the benefits of the work to humanity and the planet.
There is great healing potential awaiting here.
Go well, stay safe,
With love and blessings,
Daniel