Stormy Weather
Welcome to November, a month fraught with tricky waters for us mere mortals to navigate. To reach our destination we need to know how to anchor ourselves when stormy relationships threaten to blow us off course. We also will need an accurate map of who we are and where we are going and the internal compass of our integrity to keep us steadfast when the environment provides no support.
The month starts with Venus in Libra in tense aspect with Uranus and Pluto. This can indicate frustration, tension, and resentment showing up in our relationships. Situations in which you’ve felt manipulated or controlled may come to a head. And if you have used indirect means to impose your will on others, don’t be surprised if you’re confronted about your behavior.
The best approach is a direct one. If you’ve felt undermined and disempowered, state your boundaries. If you’ve pushed others too hard and crossed boundaries, own it and vow to do better. Clear the air. Venus in Libra has much tact and grace. Access her skills to balance the scales and restore equilibrium.
This same process can be occurring internally. Is there an inner battle between control and the desire to break free? What is it you fear? Where do you feel oppressed and powerless? Explore how your own attitudes and behaviors might be complicit. Acknowledging the shadowy part of your psyche has the potential to liberate you from patterns that thwart you.
On November 6th, Mercury, planet of communication and information, turns retrograde and remains retrograde through November 26th. If you were watching Mercury in the night skies, it would appear to stop moving (what we call a station) and after a few days look like it is moving backward through the sky. Astrologically, Mercury retrograde periods are connected to miscommunications, computer and electronic issues, contract difficulties, travel snafus, and so forth.
Mercury retrograde periods are terrific periods to clean up your office, organize your files, back up your software, double check your communications with others and revisit old material. And to keep your patience and sense of humor when things go amuck because no one can get keep their information, calendars, or plans straight.
My usual advice about the fuss around Mercury retrograde periods is to add a pinch of salt, as they happen three or four times a year and plenty of contracts are signed and trips taken without ill effect. Not everyone’s computer goes on the blink. A bit more caution and care doesn’t hurt, but don’t go off the deep end if you have no choice but to sign a contract during the period.
That said, this Mercury retrograde period is a doozy, as it occurs during a period of stressful contacts to Mercury and Mercury is in the sign of Sagittarius, where it is less effective.
On October 29th, November 13th and December 10th, Mercury squares Neptune. This configuration has a reputation for deception and/or misperception and it serves as bookends for November.
Deception can take two paths: we can be lied to or we can lie to ourselves. Misperception has a similar pattern: Either we or others have partial information yet we act, decide, and base our understanding on this incomplete data as if we had the whole truth.
This November it’s important to remind ourselves that we are operating with limited information – either because we don’t know the facts, don’t want to believe the facts, or because someone else doesn’t have all the facts, doesn’t want us to know the facts.
The period of November 6th through the 14th is particularly ripe for this kind of deception/self-deception.
To boot, Mercury is retrograde in Sagittarius, the sign of his detriment. Mercury wants to deal in data and linear information while Sagittarius prefers to deal in beliefs and values. The tendency is to discount details and data that don’t support one’s worldview, and in the process, miss what is actually going on. In short, if we aren’t careful, we can hear what we want to believe rather than what is being said.
We can also convince ourselves that facts that get in the way of our Truth can be dispensed with, as they’ll just muddy the waters, and we have the authority to make that choice for others.
As we are in an election year, I don’t think it’s any stretch to say we may have people telling us what we want to hear and cherry-picking facts to suit their argument. But, again, this isn’t limited to the political arena or other people. Each of us has the capacity to do this to ourselves and to others, so hold yourself to the facts and don’t shortchange your integrity by giving into the temptation of padding or slanting your argument. (If you’re interested in mundane astrology, the astrology of world events, Eric Francis offers meaty analysis.)
Nuance in information and language can also take a clobbering, so foot-in-mouth disease can be another manifestation of this period.
November 14th through December 9th, Mercury will move back into Scorpio. A bit of research and ruthless detective work into the depths can help uproot untruths—the intentional and unintentional—and correct misperceptions, but the waters stay pretty murky through December 10th, when we have our last of the Mercury-Neptune squares.
It won’t be until December 17th, when Mercury in Sagittarius sits opposite Jupiter in Gemini, that the gulf between the facts and our beliefs is fully exposed. Astrologer Lee Lehman calls this configuration—two planets in mutual reception in the signs of their detriment—mutual deception. In short, these two planets want to help each other, but they aren’t in the position to do much good. In this instance, it may be a case of “the damage is done,” so all we can do is truthfully acknowledge what has transpired.
So let’s talk about November 13th. We have Mercury retrograde in full swing and the second of the Mercury-Neptune squares. We also have Mars skulking its way toward Pluto, turning up the heat on our need for control and power and pretty much annihilating patience and goodwill. Oh, did I mention the solar eclipse at 21 degrees of Scorpio?
In non-astrological speak, we are not listening to one another nor communicating very effectively. We can be duped by others or we can dupe ourselves. We want to have things our way, are more ruthless and self-concerned than normal, and aren’t inclined to negotiate. It doesn’t take much for tempers to ignite. To boot, solar eclipses represents assaults (real or imagined) to our identities so we tend to be combative and defensive. If we’re not careful, we can slide into one of our “not our finest moment” moments, as our tweaky, reactive, 10-year-old self takes charge.
If power or control issues are in play for you, two hotspots occur during the month. The first occurs November 22nd and 23rd, when Mars squares Uranus. Expect the unexpected and don’t let your temper get the better of you. These two days patience wears especially thin and you chaff against restrictions.
Truly explosive are November 27th and 28th, when Mars conjoins Pluto on the day of a full moon lunar eclipse. If tensions are high, the lid can blow. Those of you who have planets at 7 to 9 degrees cardinal (Capricorn, Cancer, Libra, Aries) will feels this most intensely, as will those with planets at 5 to 7 degrees mutable (Sagittarius, Gemini, Virgo, Pisces).
In short, the period between November 21st and November 29th can be difficult. Before those weeks hit, identify where you feel trapped, stuck, or disempowered. Then begin to brainstorm and envision how it could be different.
As murky as November’s Mercury-Neptune fog can be for linear reasoning, it’s fairly adept at interpreting non-linear forms of information. What does your gut say? Seek your answers in dreams and daydreams.
Do this exercise before the last two weeks of November, so you won’t be thrown off course when the waters become turbulent.
If you are trying to break free of an untenable situation, you need to have a very embodied sense of where you’re going. It’s not just enough to free oneself from the storm’s clutches. You have to know where you want to land. Otherwise, you may survive the storm only to find yourself in unchartered waters and further from your destination than before.
In short, it’s better to have your map in hand before the weather changes rather than be roused from bed, still fuzzy from your rum nightcap, and trying to remember which boat your navigating.
Lastly, the lunar eclipse of November 28th is connected to Neptune, the watery god of spiritual aspirations, dreams, as well as illusions and disillusionment. We need to illuminate the path of our dreams. By month end, we need to acknowledge where we are spinning unattainable but beautiful fantasies and identify our aspirations worth fighting for.
Neptune prefers its rose-colored glasses and often opts to ignore its troubles. However, Venus-Saturn and Mars-Pluto create a yod with this eclipse: you are better off addressing the stress at hand as a strategy to attain your greater vision. And if that vision isn’t real, expect a bit of a reality check around this period.
If there are adjustments or compromises to be made, make them, but make them for the vision of what can be – if you’re willing to break free of the chains that bind you, especially those you place on yourself; if you’re willing to make sacrifices (without playing the victim!); and if you’re willing to do the hard work of recreating yourself and the world around you.
Ultimately, those who will gain the most during this period are those who bring their thoughts and beliefs into alignment and who walk their talk. In this case, the act of liberation and breaking free is also an act of personal integrity—not from a place of hubris or self-righteousness, but without fanfare, stemming from a place of humility and self-knowledge. At that moment, the vision for one’s life becomes more than a reflection of some inner gift seeking expression but a spiritual offering, one from which the entire community heals and benefits.
ARIES
This month facts and information can be colored by unconscious fears or guilt, so bounce your ideas off others to clear the residue from them. Don’t be surprised if some long-held, cherished belief is challenged this month. Even philosophical ideals need to be put to rest on occasion. If it doesn’t hold up, let it go. Stone: Blue Lace Agate
TAURUS
Avoid taking on more debt this month as what looks to be a good deal for your long-term goals this month might end up being less than appealing come December. Tensions in relationships can stem from being secretive rather than direct in your dealings with one another. Money can also be a source of stress, so be prudent. Stone: Malachite
GEMINI
People can be less than forthright with you, especially at work, as they are operating with less information than they realize. Situations can change rapidly on the job and with others, so clarify, clarify, clarify. This month can be a game-changer for you. Get out of your head and into your gut. Trust it. Stone: Moonstone
CANCER
You’ve been yearning for greater self-expression and may feel particularly stifled at work. Explosive relationships are a potential for you this month, so be clear about your objectives and ground yourself. Approach this month as spiritual practice: be emotionally generous and willing to let go. You may watch your life transform. Stone: Onyx
LEO
A creative project or idea that you’ve been kicking around may be more hot air than substance. Letting it go for now and revisit it after the 17th of December. Focus your energies on home, family, work environment, and health routines. The end of the month promises to be intense—harness then energy into your self-expression and work. Stone: Carnelian
VIRGO
Given you pride yourself on clarity, this month tests your patience. At home, interacting with others, what starts off clear can end muddy. You have plenty of work to do and much of it is slow-going. There’s a message here: Focus on the creative process rather than the linear results. Breathe. The devil’s details can wait until next month. Stone: Peridot
LIBRA
Start getting your financial house in order, Libra. You have two and a half years to complete the job, but the kick off is this month when the new moon eclipse falls in your house of income. Pay careful attention to your language and listen carefully to what others say to prevent serious blow back at work. No indirectness: mean what you say. Stone: Lapis
SCORPIO
Big changes are on the horizon for you and whether you excel or fail hinges on how mature your approach is. Clearly defined expectations around money will serve you well this month. Fuzzy math or a haphazard approach could have unintended consequences. Use your values and ethics to guide your decisions and sidestep potential conflicts and unexpected landmines. Stone: Turquoise
SAGITTARIUS
November can be a particularly tricky month for you, Centaur. Your expansive nature likes to jump into experience, but caution behooves you this month. One, there’s more going on than you are aware of, and, two, you’re likely to misread the signs. Sometimes it’s better to sit on the sidelines and observe. Better yet, be still and listen. Stone: Citrine
CAPRICORN
Your words can have unintended consequences this month, as you may find yourself in the role of unwitting revealer of secrets or saboteur. If you feel irritated and combative, don’t ignore the storm brewing. You’re trying to break ties with the past and come into your power. Rather than trying to control your environment, explore your motivations so you can plug into the current. Stone: Topaz
AQUARIUS
This month’s solar eclipse falls in your house of career. For some, this month brings about stocktaking, an opportunity to reassess what truly matters, which allows you to realign your life. However, if you are too attached to an idea of yourself or a role you play in the world, you may be challenged to loosen your grip. Don’t hold fast. Stone: Obsidian
PISCES
You’re apt to have miscommunications at work and, perhaps, to feel a bit misunderstood or out of step in November, Fishies. Do your best to clarify and untangle. Long-held beliefs may go through a transformation, especially if you’re willing to look at those values that do more to hold you in place than set you free. Stone: Apatite