*Times are PDT, unless stated otherwise. Planetary positions are expressed as the degree (rounded to the nearest whole degree) followed by the sign.
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Are you wondering why you feel some of the transits we talk about and not others or why a friend may feel one but you don’t? If the transiting planet affects a planet in your natal chart, that is, where the planets were at the time you were born, then you are more likely to feel the transit or may feel it stronger than one that does not affect a planet in your natal chart. Don’t have a chart? Would you like one? Let us know.
We left off on November 6th at 2:00 a.m. with daylight savings time ending and the Sun at 13° Scorpio and unaspected. While our attention has been diverted by the Sun’s wildcard position, the Lord of the Seas, Neptune, has been slowing down in preparation for a change of direction, making its influence much stronger and setting a mystical tone for the next couple of weeks. Are your dreams increasing in frequency and intensity, or focusing on a particular subject? Does the fog seem to be lifting or is it getting thicker?
On November 7th, Mars at 28° Leo opposes Neptune at 28° Aquarius, giving us a power play between our corporeal drive and the indefinable, often unobserved, forces that seem to be guiding us to our soul’s purpose, in spite of anything we think we may want. When asserting ourselves, if we do not align with our spiritual purpose we may find all efforts undermined, either because we lose the energy to move forward or the perceived goal simply dissolves in a sea of uncertainty. Adherence to the truth at the core of our being is essential as others could easily pick up on any hint of deception and withdraw trust, or we could deceive ourselves into believing that what we’re after is all right and good in order to justify questionable behavior. If we can manage to balance the physical and intuitive energies, we may open a channel that allows our dreams to manifest. At the highest level, Mars/Neptune is the archetype of the Spiritual Warrior, characterized by increased physical sensitivity and selfless action. If we can wake up the cells of our body to “listen” to Neptune’s call, we may be able to defy earthy laws of mass, weight and resistance. For inspiration, watch Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.
As discussed in the last AstroCast, Mercury and Venus have been traveling in close conjunction for more than a month, never more than a few degrees apart, and by November 8th Venus at 7°59’ leads Mercury at 7°56’ Sagittarius by just a few minutes and the energy of this aspect is peaking. Mercury will now start to fall back as he prepares for his next retrograde period that begins on November 23rd. Have you found others easier to get along with lately? Hopefully, Venus is softening any tendency Mercury may have in Sagittarius to blurt out raw truth without concern for others’ feelings. Her influence here may also give space for others to have their say and be open to considering differing points of view. Talking comes easy, which helps us slide on silk into the heart of another. Use this time to make peace, love and laughter.
On November 9th, Neptune comes to a complete stop to take on a full load of fuel, passengers and freight as he prepares to bid adieu to Aquarius and head home to Pisces where he will arrive on February 2, 2012 and stay for the next 14 years. During the next three months we can celebrate the accomplishments of this historic era. The last time Neptune was in Aquarius – 1835 to 1849 – we saw the invention of the telegraph and railroads come into wide use. This time around the decidedly Aquarian souvenir Neptune will take back home is the global brain he created and developed into a worldwide phenomenon that became a part of our daily routine – the Internet. More socially connected than ever, we’ve just taken a giant leap in the development of the universal consciousness. This period has truly been the birth of the Aquarian Age.
On Thursday, November 10th, the Moon at 18° Taurus opposes the Sun at18° Scorpio. Exalted in Taurus, the Moon is strong in this configuration, representing the feminine seed in the womb of mother earth. At this Full Moon phase of the cycle, the seed planted at the New Moon is fully gestated and ready to birth. And this Moon has the full force and wisdom of the ancestors behind her. While the Sun in Scorpio always has thoughts of death lurking somewhere in his mind, the Moon in Taurus concerns herself with fertilization, always sweetening the earth with elements that will nurture and make her progeny grow. Is it possible to reconcile the opposing Taurean and Scorpion approaches to life on this planet? On one hand the earth is a bountiful, placid environment that is the solid ground beneath our feet giving us sustenance, comfort, shelter and beauty. On the other hand, it is a giant rock “hurtling around a gargantuan nuclear bomb,” as Steven Forrest puts it. “Million-ton stones blast randomly around you at a hundred miles per second. You are protected only by a thin haze of gas. And within that wiry shield, you share living quarters with madmen bent on destruction. Some have .38s. Some have neutron bombs. And even if you escape them, it does not matter: you are bound to a physical body as doomed and fragile as an orchid in a buffalo stampede.” The answer here is to know of our death. That is possibly the greatest fertilizer we could give to our life to infuse it and all its gifts with meaning and purpose. That would give us courage to take risks and to master the fear of giving birth to our soul. The Sabian symbol for the 19th degree of Taurus is: “A new continent rising out of the ocean.” To Dane Rudhyar, this powerful image implies a new level of being: “When the mind has been emptied and light has been called upon to purify the consciousness freed from its attachment and contamination, a new release of life can emerge out of the infinite Ocean of potentiality, the Virgin SPACE.” For the 19th degree of Scorpio, the Sabian symbol is: “A parrot repeats the conversation he has overheard,” which Rudhyar likens to “the capacity to transmit transcendental knowledge… The mind that has learned to be silent and attentive can become attuned to the rhythm of utterances which he may not comprehend intellectually, yet which may truly manifest superhuman realizations.”
Also on November 10th, Chiron stations direct at 1° Pisces, having completed his rounds following up on his patients. Chiron isn’t about self-pity or playing the victim. He inspires us to stand up and take ownership of our lives, including our mistakes. As with any stationary celestial body, there is added strength to open windows of opportunity, in Chiron’s case for harnessing the energy of old wounds rather than leaving them festering in the unconscious. Time to take off the band-aids and acknowledge our scars of battle for what they have taught us and pass on the wisdom gained to those who are right behind us on the path. We don’t live life alone on this planet and any growth even a hermit gains has a ripple effect throughout the consciousness of the man. At 9:15 p.m., Mars moves into practical and discriminating Virgo where he will be until next July due to his long retrograde period beginning in January 2012. “Mars gives added intensity and sharpness to the operation of the Virgo energy,” says Rudhyar, and “suggests an eagerness to throw oneself into the process of transformation.” Rudhyar talks about Joan of Arc and Napoleon, who “threw themselves intensely into their work, with a sense of destiny, with a never-failing belief in the value of their goal. This intensity, however, is cool, detached and objective, efficient and sharp like a surgeon’s knife. The earth is to be ploughed, old roots to be cut. In the realm of spiritual devotion, Mars in Virgo acts as ruthless self-denial, and perhaps as the will to martyrdom.” During Mars’ long stay in Virgo we have the opportunity to hone our skills and work on tasks with military precision while paring away the frivolous or unnecessary elements that can bog down a mission. Our cautionary note is to not become overly critical or nit-picky and lose sight of Virgo’s big picture, which is to ready ourselves for transformation, the “metamorphosis of the personal.”
Gradually slowing down for the past three months in preparation for his 2012 retrograde, Mars at 0° Virgo opposes Chiron at 0° Pisces on November 12th. With Neptune less than three degrees away from Chiron, together they put pressure on the Martian impulse to fight for a cause – for the oppressed, the disadvantaged or the underdog. There is a sacredness to the battle that fights evil and tyranny. With Chiron in Pisces, that could be anything that separates us from the force of balanced Unity. If any old traumas are triggered they may be from the fights that were not fought, or those that were lost, due to fear of retribution or obeisance to mainstream societal “values” that are merely constructs of a powerful few. This time presents an opportunity to look at those wounds from a trans-personal point of view, find the courage to heal and release them, and to go out and fight the good fight.
Mercury reaches maximum elongation ahead of the Sun (zodiacally) on November 13th, with only 22°35’45” between them. As Mercury continues to slow down in preparation for his next retrograde, the Sun now begins to close the gap and Venus continues to pull ahead changing the dynamic of self-expression from relationships to ideas.
On November 16th Mars at 2° Virgo trines Jupiter at 2° Taurus, making it an excellent time to marshal our forces into action – tremendous earth energy is available now for the crusade of our choice. But keep in mind that Jupiter is still retrograde and perhaps it would be wise to tune into our deep inner faith to ensure the motive behind any action is sound. Well-laid plans can expand at an appropriate rate if they are not forced. Excessive, unbridled energy could lead to over-expansion and with Jupiter in Taurus this could lead to over-indulgence in material comforts or obsession with amassing wealth – think waistlines and market bubbles for example. But Mars’ exacting nature in articulate Virgo should temper any excessiveness with practical, lean efficiency. Additionally, Pluto at 6° Capricorn is in orb to create a grand earth trine with Mars and Jupiter that adds an extra dose of power and persuasion to problem solving.
Except for aspects made by the Moon, there are no exact major planetary aspects for several days. Planetary activity continues however, as there are aspects that are still within “orb” (depending on the aspect, up to 10 degrees on either side of the exact hit) and therefore still active. The game-changing Uranus/Pluto square for example is continuing to pit the markets and governments against the people who have been stirred into protest against inequality. The faster moving aspects weave in and out of the slower ones adding depth and focusing energy to the longer lasting aspects that define a generation. Chances are between now and next summer, when the first exact Uranus/Pluto square hits, Mars goes direct and hits his third trine with Jupiter we won’t have to ask what the Occupy Movement is about.
November 18th brings the third quarter square of the Moon at 26° Leo and the Sun at 26° Scorpio and a “crisis of consciousness.” This is the time for reviewing what was “harvested’ at the recent Full Moon to see what is working, what isn’t and what we need to let go of. In these fixed signs, it may be hard to leave behind fearful feelings that sabotage our creative endeavors. If we tune into Leo’s courage and Scorpio’s willingness to face death, we could achieve a breakthrough, and any psychological wall that topples, no matter how minor, takes us a step further along spirit’s evolution road.
On November 20th, the Neptunian theme of this period continues with Sun at 28° Scorpio squaring Neptune at 28° Aquarius. For some who are “squarely” identified with ego, the vagueness of the Neptunian influence can be disconcerting. However, the lesson here is to find a way to navigate in the dark so to speak, to close our eyes in order to see. It is well known that those who have lost physical sight have developed tremendous abilities to interpret their environment and the people in it using auditory and sensory faculties, and not just those on the physical plane. Neptune is about tuning into spirit. Lack of clarity on the material plane does befuddle the best of us when Neptune is activated but it is there precisely to get us to develop new tools for piloting our course in a trans-personal direction. This too is a third quarter square as the Sun begins its final approach to its next conjunction with Neptune. We have the choice to align with the mystics to see life in a new way or try to escape from this strange reality and continue to be undermined by others who would take advantage of one who would retreat from destiny. With these planets in water and air, and especially with Neptune’s nebulous presence, it may help to look to where earth is in our charts to keep us grounded. We could also tune into that transiting Mars/Jupiter/Pluto grand earth trine to give us the strength and ingenuity to proceed with a practical approach to maneuvering through the fog of external reality in order to get to the core of our internal one.
Now there is another brief period of no major planetary events until the Sun moves into fun-loving and philosophical Sagittarius on November 22nd. Don’t miss our Sagittarius AstroCasts as we have Mercury retrograde and a New Moon Solar Eclipse followed by a Full Moon Lunar Eclipse.
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