November 2018
This is a busy month, with lots of astrological events occuring. Venus will still be retrograde for part of the month, with Mercury going retrograde the day after Venus goes Direct. This hasn’t been an easy year for most because of the retrogrades of personal planets. It’s not an overstatement to say, it’s been a year of chaos, sometimes for good, but other times creating havoc.
Transits & Retrogrades:
11/9 Jupiter enters Sagittarius
Jupiter finally leaves the extremism of Scorpio and enters its ruler, Sagittarius. The next year should find expansion and abundance for everyone. Beware of over-indulgences and risky behavior. While times should be good, the party always ends, and end it will end after one short year, leaving us all to pay the consequences when Jupiter enters Capricorn. This is a year to take advantage of the bountiful energies of Jupiter while in its ruler, but plan for the lean year that will follow.
Jupiter is the largest of all the planets and represents growth, big ideas, and grand experiences. There is no better time than Jupiter’s transit through Sagittarius to expand our horizons, both mentally and physically. We are itching for something new, and this restlessness will push us forward. The more we try and the more we risk, the greater rewards we’ll find.
With Jupiter in Sagittarius, we are encouraged to connect with our own dreams and futures, and realize what we can do in the present moment that will help us reach our ultimate goals. There is a risk, however, of aiming so high that we establish goals that are, in fact, out of reach. DO dream big, but remember that if you want your dreams to come true, you can’t ignore the realistic steps you’ll need to take to attain them.
There’s an extra emphasis on expanding our minds through the exploration of not only new places, but new concepts — learning about different philosophies, religions, and cultures helps us better understand our own place in the world.
11/16 Venus goes Direct
Flaky investments, extravagant purchases, and friendships may have fallen by the wayside over the last six weeks, but Venus is now moving forward and we’ll see renewed clarity about who and what to trust.
Venus retrogrades take us back though issues of love and money that need resolutions. During this past Venus retrograde, people probably had to deal with a lot of little money issues that were starting to coalesce into a big one, or maybe they’ve been troubled by lots of little issues in the area of love and friendships. Necessity pushed them to make many immediate decisions, dealing with things as they arose.
Now, over these next five weeks, it’s the perfect time to pull the larger lessons from these experiences and to leave the bad or hastily made decisions behind. The direct motion of Venus won’t magically solve all our love and money issues. Those are happening in a larger context as reflected in longer-term transits of the slower-moving planets.
But there is a period of time, right after Venus goes Direct, when Venus regains the ground she lost. We’re in the comeback period of a time when we’ve had to review and clarify some values. There is a renewed focus in the matters that Venus rules, and the time right after she turns direct is the time to take note, and implement any changes Venus brought about.
11/16 Mars enters Pisces
Mars in Pisces, when negative, just loves to play victim, martyr, and all round masochist, so watch out for those who seem overly depressed. During this transit there is a lot of sadness over goals that have not come to fruition. The tendency is to “give up”.
Pisces is the sign of “self-undoing”, and when Mars transits through this sign, often people look at their failures with an overly despondent eye. “I’ll never get what I want”, is often the cry.
Mars is dynamism and focused desire, and when in Pisces the place of ‘Hearing’ and psychic energy, psychological and psychic fields are likely to get stirred up and distorted to an almost ridiculous degree.
Basically, this transit of Mars is more emotional reaction than direct action.
11/17 Mercury goes retrograde in Sagittarius
The cycle begins with the Pre-Shadow in Scorpio on October 29 at 12:50 am GMT (October 28 at 8:50 pm EDT).
- Mercury Retrograde station occurs in Sagittarius (13o29″) at 1:33 am GMT on November 17 and 9:33 pm EST on November 18.
- Mercury re-enters Scorpio December 2.
- Mercury goes direct at 9:22 pm GMT on December 6 in Scorpio (27o16″).
- Mercury re-enters Sagittarius December 13.
- The Post-Shadow ends on December 24, 2018 at 11:26 am GMT.
If possible, avoid signing contracts just prior, during and just after a Mercury Retrograde. If that’s not possible, read the fine print!!
If you are planning travel, make contingency plans for delayed flights and possible missed connections.
Try not to begin any new projects on this particular Mercury Retrograde. It’s going to make a retrograde sign change on the 2nd of December, and that isn’t a good sign for new projects. What might have been completely settled in planning, will be thrown out the window once the retro sign change occurs.
Mercury Retrograde is actually good for catching up on unfinished business, getting reorganized, reviewing those things to be started in the future, and refining plans. It is also a good time for reflection, research, review, re-creation, and if you’re not careful, re-doing.
11/23 Sun enters Sagittarius
The symbol of Sagittarius is half man, half horse, portraying the conflict between the philosophical mind and the carnal instinct of human nature. The glyph represents an arrow slung in a bow, aiming at the stars. This symbol corresponds with the Sagittarian ideals of cosmic freedom, progress and abundance.
The ruler of Sagittarius is Jupiter.
Sagittarians are positive people; they have a bright outlook on life, are enterprising, full of energy and vitality. Versatile, adventurous and eager to expand their range beyond the comfortable and familiar. They enjoy travel and exploring, and their minds are continually searching for new experiences. They are ambitious, optimistic folk, and nothing seems to get them down. They are idealists, and this seems to keep them going even when life disappointments crop up and smash their plans. “To keep on, keepin’ on” is a Sagittarian way of life.
They have a tendency to get over zealous when they are interested in something. They are believers, and what they believe in, they are willing to fight for. They are both loyal and independent at the same time. They manage to balance both traits.
Sagittarians are usually modest and often spiritual, with strong values. They like rituals, and sometimes can get caught up in form, rather than substance. They are profound thinkers, and are gifted with foresight and good judgment. Witty conversationalists and storytellers, they do have the gift of gab. They are avid learners, love to initiate new projects and make great researchers. They are quick studies, with keen minds. They have an expectant attitude and a penchant for new experiences, which may account for the fact that Sagittarians are noted for their longevity. They are often intuitive and original thinkers. Better at adapting than inventing, they work well in collaboration with others. A strong-will and good organization ability combined with their other talents usually bring any project they undertake to a successful conclusion. They are generous by nature, but are quite resourceful in caring for and balancing their resources.
Sagittarians are ardent, sincere and straightforward in relationships. They are generally conventional and in control of their sexual natures. Because of their independent nature, maintaining a close personal relationship is difficult. They prefer a solid home base, but as a place to return to when they have completed a particular travel venture. They have a compelling need to feel free, and sometimes make this choice at the expense of a 9 to 5 career, or even a family. The driving desire in life is “Freedom” to live their lives on their own terms.
In friendship they are reliable, and can be counted on. However, they have a quick temper and a biting tongue, often speaking before giving forethought to the full effect of their words. Their rage may pass quickly, but the stinging of their comments often remains. On the other hand, they are quick to forgive an affront and extremely dependable to a friend or family member who needs looking after.
The vices to which Sagittarius is prone are anger – they tend to flare up over trifles, and impatience – they want to rush every new project through immediately and can be too demanding. They are quick to jump on inadequacies of others while expecting full recognition of their own efforts. This is not to say that they do not deserve the recognition. In completing a major project Sagittarius will sacrifice everything else before it. Often, though, they can be exacting, and inconsiderate in their work life, while boastful and extravagant in their private lives. The great achiever or the wastrel—take your pick.
There is also a side of the Sagittarian that is quite superstitious, and reading into signs and portents would not be uncommon. The Sagittarius love of sports often leads to an indulgence in dangerous pursuits. Many centaurs are prone to accidents due to a tendency of taking too many risks.
11/25 Neptune goes Direct and while Neptune is not an easily understood planet [and is much maligned in fact), it does have a generally positive side to its influence. How could it be otherwise?
However Neptune can be problematic when it first goes Direct because of the tendency to break down boundaries and to feel the need to escape. This will vary depending on the personal chart, but the degree of the urge towards the “non-material’, the ‘non-confined’, or merely vague, depends largely on the condition of Neptune in the chart.
Matters that appear to come from the unconscious give light to the world of inspiration through art, in dreams, in trance, in hypnosis, and altered states.
Moon Phases:
11/7 New Moon in Scorpio
11/15 First Quarter in Aquarius
11/22 Full Moon in Taurus
11/30 Last Quarter in Virgo
Have a Happy Thanksgiving!!!
