Serious Considerations

We start off November with the bang of the Uranus-Pluto square and a serious solar eclipse. Expect the month to be an active one and perhaps stressful, especially in its early days.

That said, opportunities lie within the tensions, especially for those of you who are ready to own your choices and acknowledge where you use blame or feelings of powerlessness to avoid the heavy-lifting required to release yourself from the mire of dissatisfying situations. We all do it, tell ourselves that our lives suck because some person at work “makes” us miserable or our partner won’t pull his/her weight, etc., and yet do little to address the problem or we keep applying the same ineffectual “solutions” to the same problems.

November provides us the perception to see into entrenched patterns and come to decisions. Those of us who are willing to explore the fundamental realities of our lives, take responsibility, and make the hard calls can free ourselves from stasis and spur constructive growth. Those who are willing to decide in favor of more passion, more aliveness may find the strong gales of the solar eclipse bring you closer to the shores for which you’ve been longing than you ever imagined.

November 1^st – Uranus square Pluto at 9° Cardinal (Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn)

Tension can mount the week leading up to this stress-ball combination. At its best, it leads to inventive regeneration, liberating us from patterns and situations that oppress us. This theme is with us throughout 2015.  Globally, we see it as where “the man” – authority/power – is holding us down and the reaction against such abuses.

Applied personally, it speaks to where we hold ourselves back and become our own oppressor. The trick is to see it as such or we’ll externalize the dilemma—the job that has us down, the unfulfilling marriage, the endless grind of the day—and neglect to recognize that we are not bit players in the drama.

The key to liberation is doing something differently, identifying innovation possibilities, and taking the chance on something new. Until we do, tension continues to rise – for us, and all of those around us – as each of us has an internal oppressor waiting to be overthrown.

November 3^rd – New Moon Solar Eclipse at 11° Scorpio

This eclipse is a ponderous one. It points to hard decisions, either/or situations in which something must be given up, or moments in which a door must close before another will open.  Given Scorpio’s need for passion and intensity, questions concerning where your passions lie and how to reinvigorate your life become central.

Scorpio excels at turning points and endings. Dig deep and access its power to destroy the unnecessary, the unhelpful, the toxic. Scorpio intuitively knows that it’s better to tear down a rickety house and rebuild it than it is to continue to repair a fundamentally unsound structure. If you have areas of your life that you are patching rather than rebuilding foundation up, take notice.

With Mercury, moon, sun and Saturn all conjoined in Scorpio, this new moon speaks to the power of abstract thought, reflection and analysis, the kind that allows us to spot patterns and identify the roots of entrenched situations. It’s time to face the truth squarely, to acknowledge what matters and what gives your life lasting meaning.

The heavy thinking done around the new moon tends to lead to serious decisions when Mercury leaves retrograde around November 10^th or as it approaches Saturn around November 23^rd-26^th.

With Saturn involved, we are in the driver’s seat. We are responsible for where we are and how we will go forward, and we can’t expect anyone to take the wheel. At its best, Saturn narrows our focus and enables us to eliminate the extraneous so we can get down to business. At its worst, Saturn can so narrow our vision that we don’t consider all our options and our outlook becomes pessimistic and fatalistic. We only see the endless road ahead and miss all exit signs that would let us leave this grim stretch of highway.

Support from both Mars in Virgo and Pluto in Capricorn indicate the alternate routes available to us this month. Mars in Virgo is the technician with finely wrought tools. It knows how to act precisely and effectively. Pluto in Capricorn is the powerful, self-reliant administrator with the big-picture view. Working together, they point to practical action based on realistic assessments and the potential of regeneration if one deals with structural and institutional issues rather than skate along the surface. This lunar cycle, look to practical solutions that are constructive and directly tackle your problems. Doing so can have profound results.

In addition, Mercury (mental activity, decisions, communication, the rational mind) and Mars (action, drive, courage) are close consorts this month, underscoring the need to act on your conclusions, to do something about the problems you identify.

This eclipse connects to the North Node—a point of growth, obsession, and invention—another indicator that it is better to err on the side of innovation, courage, and going it alone. Become a transformation artist this moon cycle: out of the dark of the new moon, you must trust your instincts and take a risk that enlivens you.

November 5^th – Venus enters Capricorn

Venus leaves fun-loving, don’t-fence-me-in Sagittarius for serious, responsible Capricorn. Structure your finances and organize. Responsibilities to those we care about may be highlighted over the next few months. Capricorn has high standards and can be uncompromising, even dominating. Make sure your demands are tempered by love. Tensions and surprises connected to our relationships or resources arise around November 14-15, when Venus wrangles with the Uranus-Pluto square.

November 10^th – Mercury Retrograde Ends at 2° Scorpio

The internalized thinking that began in October and intensified at the new moon may begin to crystallize as Mercury ends its retrograde period. As Mercury joins Saturn between the 23^rd-25^th, expect your choices to be thrown into relief and your options to become clearer and more defined.

November 13^th – Neptune turns Direct at 2° Pisces

Neptune spends about half the year retrograde and half the year direct, so unless you have a planet at this degree you may not feel its influence overtly. In general, dreams and inspirations we’ve been exploring on an internal level make their way to the surface to be explored more consciously.

November 17^th – Full Moon at 26° Taurus, Sun at 26° Scorpio

We started off the month thinking heavily about where our passions lie and what fears prevent us from being wholly alive. If we’ve delved into the depths and took stock of the fundamental realities of our lives, by the time of the full moon we find enough light to see our situation more completely.

Scorpio tends to look for what’s missing or what’s amiss – investigation, crisis, discontent, even envy – to spur it to take risks and feel more alive; whereas Taurus seeks contentment within the framework of life as it is in the current moment. Its strategy is to wait to see what unfolds organically, to avoid crises, and maintain stasis

After the early heavy analysis of the new moon, the investigation into where we feel disempowered and our own culpability in situations not to our liking, we are now called to acknowledge our need for safety. And perhaps reveal positions in which we’ve become entrenched and need to reevaluate.

The full moon asks us to illuminate where we are content within our lives – not from fear or laziness, but in simple joy and gratitude – and where we feel deadened, resentful and stuck. Scorpio’s all-or-nothing approach must be balanced by Taurus’ capacity for peace. In some instances both positions may be wildly entangled.

Our awareness of these dichotomies helps us determine what is worth keeping and what must be shorn from our lives, and it encourages us to honestly assess how much of our stability we willing to give up to feel more alive.

In the days leading up to the full moon – especially November 13^th – 15^th as Venus approaches the Uranus-Pluto – relationships and financial considerations may prove to be the arenas that throw various choices, decisions, values, power dynamics, and raw behaviors into the light.

As interactions with others intensify, remember that you only have control over your own behavior and aim high: avoid indirect means of exercising your power and compassionately call out obviously manipulative or abusive behavior in others. Power battles that create winners and losers rather than win-wins serve no one, so stand in your own power while resisting the urge to impose your will on others (or letting anyone impose their will on you).

November 21^st – Sun enters Sagittarius

Sun leaves introverted, suspicious Scorpio for open-hearted, seeking Sagittarius. After the intensity of the past two months, we can lighten up and laugh a bit at ourselves and spur ourselves to move beyond our current limits. Follow your enthusiasms.

November 23^rd-24^th – Mercury conjoins Saturn

If you’ve done your work earlier this month, you should find your choices clearer on these days. The shadow of Mercury/Saturn is pessimistic, even fatalistic thinking, so seek out a creative, positive ally to kick around solutions that you may not be considering in your more literal, black-and-white state of mind. Better yet, outline your situation, your possible decisions and the framework you think you’ll be using to go forward.  Then put them aside for a day. Pull them out again on November 25^th– 26^th, when Jupiter supports Mercury, with that same optimistic ally to see what other possibilities present themselves.

2013 November Horoscopes

If you know your rising sign (the sign on the ascendant at the time of your birth), read that description as well as your birth sign.  If you don’t know your rising sign and would like to find out, click here for instructions.

As always, a broad analysis such as this is no substitute for a personal astrological consultation based your full birth data.  If you are interested in setting up an appointment, please email me or call me at 800.604.0299.

ARIES              TAURUS           GEMINI                 CANCER                LEO                    VIRGO

LIBRA              SCORPIO         SAGITTARIUS        CAPRICORN          AQUARIUS        PISCES

ARIES

Gemstones: Howlite

November presents you the opportunity to tie up old business and bring things to a close. If you’ve been struggling with private doubts, this month can help you lay them to rest. Your capacity for research and problem-solving shine this month, so dive into your work: grab hold of a sticky problem and don’t let go until you feel that you’ve nailed it. Doing so pays off in a big way: a surge of self-confidence.

TAURUS

Gemstones: Chrysoprase

You may feel as if your life revolves around others and their needs right now. Regardless of how much you long to recharge your own batteries, responsibilities to others – real or self-imposed – loom large. Some of those duties may require you to set limits. If so, hard choices concerning your finite energy and personal needs may crop up.  Make sure you’re as loyal to yourself as you’re famously loyal to others.

GEMINI

Gemstones:  Calcite

Nose to the grindstone, Twins! As much as you like to play, this month asks that you put more energy into your daily routines and tackle the minutia you’ve been avoiding around the house. Honest effort and consideration to the tasks at hand mean you’re less likely be caught off guard later in the month when interpersonal tensions rise and the difficulties find themselves in your lap.

CANCER

Gemstones: Dioptase

If you’re feeling pressure, you haven’t fully committed to the creative renewal for which you are slated. This eclipse asks you to dig deep and start removing the obstacles to greater self-expression and authenticity, whether that be creating a life that better reflects your inner life or allowing your creativity free reign. You have to take some risks and you may need to burn some bridges. You’re worth it.

LEO

Gemstones: Flourite

Deeply personal decisions affecting home, family, or the person you want to be may arise this month. You may feel like you have quite the growing to-do list. Take your time assessing your options, as you’ll have a more complete picture by month end. Conflicts with people at work or over differences in values are possible.  Trust your creativity, rely on your integrity and you’ll sail through.

VIRGO

Gemstones: Coral

Count November in for being hyperactive mentally: emails fly in and out, conversations are ongoing, and paperwork seems endless. You may feel pushed to act and act now, but take your time to gather your information and ensure the path you head down is the right one. A powerful attraction or creative idea may reveal itself later in the month. Explore it.

LIBRA

Gemstones: Malachite

Financial considerations may need your attention this month. You may be deliberating a decision that impacts your finances or it could feel like every time you turn around you’re being asked to shell out a few more dollars. The big decisions delay until early December, if at all possible. A deeply personal shift later in the month is a possibility. What old ghost would you like to send to toward the light?

SCORPIO

Gemstones: Smoky Quartz

Encounters with reality, the hard truths of your life, and where you sometimes fall short become the focus of this month. Armed with this knowledge, you can begin regenerating from the ground up. The trick is to engage in fearless scrutiny without sliding into fear, blame or self-rebuke. If you are to rise from the ashes, you need to recognize where you weigh yourself down and remember where you keep your wings.

SAGITTARIUS

Gemstones: Jasper

Your health or work may be a source of a few hurdles this month, so as much as you like to wander and be in the thick of it all, call upon your inner hermit. Scheduling some away-from-it-all time and checking in deeply with spirit can bring intense truths to light that open new ways of thinking about what you value in life. Slowing down – just for this month – invites profundity and insight. It’s a little heavier than you like to roll in general, but those that heed the call emerge clearer and more awake.

CAPRICORN

Gemstones: Prehnite

Intense  inquiry into where you are and the path you are on seem to hang in the balance this month. But deep reflection and deliberation now pay off in two months time, so do the heavy lifting and free up the energy for the incoming possibilities. If your life seems to be an ongoing obstacle to previously set goals, dig deeper and take practical action. Relationships may need attention toward the end of the month: give.

AQUARIUS

Gemstones: Adventurine

Eclipses are game changers and this month your career and public roles could shift. Think carefully on who you want to be in the world and stand in that truth. If you’ve been delaying a decision, this month holds the key to moving forward again. Endings can bring you into focus this month, as can examining the ways your approach to relationships and your values can become stumbling blocks, and where compromise becomes your friend.

PISCES

Gemstones: Obsidian

Being so inclusive, you know how to soften the edges so everything becomes one. This month asks you to work against your grain: to refine, test, and even eliminate some of the big picture truths you hold. Those beliefs that hold true when you put them into action are the ones to keep. Sometimes not everything belongs. Sometimes removing the distracting elements creates a focal point, something in which to center ourselves.

TO FIND YOUR RISING SIGN (the Ascendant):

You’ll need the following information: date of birth, place of birth, and, most importantly, time of birth.  Go to the following webpage and select “Extended Chart Selection” at the bottom right section of the page.

• Select the bar which says “Click here to show the chart,” which is to the right and above the “Options” area of the page.
• You should find yourself at another page. Select “Click here to go directly to data entry page.”
• You’ll be taken to the data entry page. Enter your birth data and click on “Continue.”
• Your natal chart with the positions will appear.  At the upper left, look for the information in red text. Your rising sign appears after the word “Ascendant.”
• You can print the chart if you like, too.

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