The planets go deeper into the realm of Scorpio this week, perhaps making it challenging to maintain perspective. The nature of this fixed water sign is to completely identify with what it is doing, which can appear as passion, loyalty or on the other side of the dualistic set, obsession. With the Sun, Venus, Jupiter, and this week the New Moon in Scorpio we have a golden opportunity to work constructively with this archetype by commencing an inquiry into how we express the ‘urge to merge.’ We may not be conscious of it, but embedded in human nature is the motivation to connect deeply to something that can transform us, elevate us out of the ego mind and catapult us into a 3D experience of the mysteries of life. In order to have that experience, however, it would help to practice the art of dying. As the archetype of the Phoenix, Scorpio at its highest potential is a master at letting go of attachments and belief systems in order to be fully present in the moment. It may actually feel like we’re dying inside as we bid farewell to an old comfortable ego-created pattern, yet this is absolutely necessary in order to align with the natural rhythms of the cosmos. To practice dying simply means to allow one cycle to end so another can begin.
Letting go of a particular way of being in relationship is one way we may experience a little ego death while Venus is in Scorpio. Still within orb of its conjunction to Jupiter (discussed in the last AstroCast), Venus moves into a flowing alignment with Neptune in Pisces, exact on November 16. Venus in Scorpio archetypally seeks the deepest possible connection with another person. Also, Neptune asks us to recognize our desire to be intimate is not limited to the body or a single person. It extends to All that is. Strong in its home sign and laser focused as it nears a directional change next week, Neptune also recently entered into orb of a graceful alignment with Jupiter that will last through next fall (the first of three exact aspects occurs in early December – more on this in subsequent articles).
Venus activating the long term Jupiter/Neptune planetary pairing could lead to such head-in-the-clouds euphoria or romantic idealism that we may avoid focusing on real problems with how we relate to the world. According to Jim Sher, rather than creating illusion, “the Neptunian process reveals how our belief systems create the system of illusions that get in the way of a direct experience of our real nature.” As Venus aligns with the traditional and modern rulers of Pisces, may we answer Neptune’s call to let go of our ego-identifications so we can align with love. “Ego blocks love and compassion, and that ‘self’-ishness turns the world into a very difficult and painful place,” says Sher. “We imagine a better place or a utopian world not realizing that no political or governmental system will bring that world into being. It’s not the system that is the problem; it is us. When we change and live in the world out of love, the world will simultaneously change.”
Mercury in Sagittarius aligning with Mars in Libra on November 17 may give us a boost of clarity in the way we perceive these matters. Energizing conversations and thinking processes, we may be more willing to grasp some new idea, although we could just as easily blurt out opinions without regard for how they are received. If we catch ourselves doing that, we could take it to the next level by talking with others about how to reach a state of non-attachment to our beliefs and actively put it into practice. This is the first aspect Mercury makes after entering its ‘shadow’ on November 14, so what unfolds now can presage the issues we’ll be dealing with during Mercury’s retrograde period in December. Anyone with natal locations between 13° and 29° of the mutable signs (Sagittarius, Gemini, Virgo, Pisces) may find the need to revisit these issues next month.
The Scorpio New Moon on November 18 is likely to correlate to an emotionally intense lunar cycle. The Sun and Moon here unites our will and emotions in a state of hyper focus on present time. Total immersion is the game, the object of which is to live deeply and feel profoundly in order to gain entry into the realm of the occult. We have an opportunity here to experience true intimacy with another by being utterly transparent and honest about who we are, and we may be surprised at what we find. Just as when we experience a genuine crisis, we could gather our entire being into the moment and alchemically unite with a higher power that guides our response to what is happening to be as integrally appropriate as it could possibly be. Imagine if we didn’t need a crisis to transform us into the kind of force that can move mountains. During this new lunar cycle may we commence a process of letting go of a few precious ego beliefs, little death by little death, so that the higher power of the larger consciousness system can operate more freely through us.
The stakes in this process increase when Mars in Libra squares Pluto in Capricorn on November 19. Pluto amplifies Mars in Libra’s strong drive to create balance and the square could make it seem relentless. With the traditional and modern rulers of Scorpio in tense alignment, rather than trying to force some external matter, we could take advantage of this amplified Scorpionic force to drive an internal ego identification to its death, to end the cycle of a thought form that no longer serves a true need. With Mars in Libra, we may pull in the support of others to find the courage to allow hidden motivations and fears to the surface. If we simply observe what is coming up without judgment, we gain enough distance to let it go. It is then we are initiated into a sacred merging with the cosmos, a more powerful alliance than anyone’s ego can muster. As Yoda said: “Use the force!”
Here’s the data (Pacific Time and rounded to the nearest whole degree unless otherwise noted):
November 16 – Venus trine Neptune at 11° Scorpio/Pisces at 7:21 a.m.
November 17 – Mercury sextile Mars at 6:25 a.m.
November 18 – Moon conjunct Sun (New Moon) at 26°Scorpio at 3:42 a.m.
November 19 – Mars square Pluto at 4:11 a.m.
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