Heads up for some shifting “astral weather,” and here are just a few things to be aware of in the coming days and weeks:
There could be some fiery intensity in the public (the mass mind) as Mars (conflict) will transit across the natal Moon in the U.S. birth chart on November 17. This aspect can exert an effect for several days either side of November 17, as well. The conjunction occurs in the 3rd house which could potentially indicate conflict heating up related to neighbors and borders, as well as suggesting some kind of media upset or frenzy.
The Sun is transiting in its monthly sandhi phase, on the edge of two signs, beginning today on November 15 at ~8:00 AM EST. The Sun will leave its sign of weakness/debilitation (Libra) and move into the friendly (beneficial) sign of sidereal Scorpio, on November 16 at ~8:02 AM EST. The Sun will move past the one-degree sandhi/edge by November 17 at around 8 AM EST. When the Sun is sandhi, it is a time to be extra-mindful and aware, as we can tend to lose our bearings and feel vulnerable, or miss appointments, or misplace belongings.
Generally, the Sun’s strength (our confidence and vitality) improves after it leaves sidereal Libra and moves into sidereal Scorpio, once it moves past the sandhi. But for each individual, it depends on many calculations in the natal chart as to its unique effects. Generally, leaders (“kings”) become more effective when the Sun transits in Mars-ruled Scorpio versus Venus-ruled Libra.
Also important, (woo-hoo), Venus is now slowing down in preparation for its exact direct station on Friday Nov. 16 at 5:51:50 AM EST. It’s been retrograde since October 5, 2018. Once it begins to move forward, Venus will be in the Lucifer Direct “Light Bearer” Morning Star phase for nine months, which generally has a more emotionally buoyant quality than Venus has in its Phosphorus (Evening Star) phase. This Stellarium image below shows a very bright Venus beneath the Moon and next to the fixed star Spica in the predawn sky on December 2, 2018, which is the date when it will be at its greatest illuminated extent. “Venus’ phase will widen but its disk size will shrink, so Venus’ overall brightness will slowly but surely decline. Even so, Venus will remain the second-brightest celestial object to grace the morning sky (after the moon) until Venus transitions out of the morning sky into the evening sky at superior conjunction (full phase) on August 14, 2019.” (Earthsky.org)
As Venus stations and moves forward on November 16, it may be helpful to review any lessons learned during the last 42 days, as related to Venus’ natural significations such as matters of love, relationship, self-worth, values, and resources; and also as related to the houses that Venus rules and occupies in your natal chart, and also, the house where it has been transiting. All of these will help to pinpoint where and how you will be experiencing more clarity, new developments, and forward momentum as Venus leaves its retrograde phase and starts to become very bright in the coming weeks. As a professional astrologer, this is something I am focused on in my consultations with clients now.
The Universe does have an ironic sense of humor, as seen by the fact that Mercury will station retrograde soon after Venus stations direct! This will happen later on in the evening of November 16, 2018, at 8:34 PM EST. Mercury will retrograde from about 19 degrees of sidereal Scorpio back to about 3 degrees of sidereal Scorpio over the next ~3 weeks, and will station direct on December 6. For most of this cycle, Mercury will transit in the fiery Anuradha nakshatra, which relates generally to friendship and learning.
This Mercury retrograde cycle will be a good time to slow down and spend time in quiet reflection; pay special attention to your intuition and feelings, which will be heightened; meditate and focus on healing, studying, and creativity; cultivate patience and mindfulness; and reorganize, reassess, and tidy up whatever needs to be attended to and organized in preparation for the December holy days and the upcoming new year.
Some cautions for this Mercury retrograde cycle include: Avoid initiating new contracts, business plans, and new learning or teaching programs. Travel plans made at this time might become subject to revision. More specifically, an astrologer should advise you to avoid beginning anything new related to the houses that Mercury rules in your natal chart and the houses that it occupies natally and in transit.
As an example of how to work with this, for one with Scorpio ascendant, it is not a good time for applying or signing for a new loan (as Mercury rules Gemini in the 8th house of loans and lending); and it is not a good time for beginning any kind of investment or group endeavor (as Mercury rules Virgo in the 11th house of investments and group affiliations). If Mercury occupies the 6th house of the natal chart, when it is retrograde (no matter where it is retrograding in the natal chart), its retrograde cycle would not be conducive to changing something big in the workplace, or it would not be conducive to making or attending a first-time medical appointment (with a new practitioner), unless of course it’s an emergency. If Mercury is transiting in the 7th house, for instance, the retrograde cycle is not a good time for beginning a new relationship. It could, however, be good for rekindling or revisting and clearing up any misunderstandings in an old relationship.
According to mundane astrology, I have noticed that sometimes, the Venus or Mercury retrograde cycles will bring a turnaround in markets. If markets were bearish, they will become bullish in the retrograde cycle of one or both of these planets, and vice versa. This is not always true, but quite often I have seen it to be so. Around the time of the Venus retrograde station in early October 2018, markets turned down significantly. If this technique is accurate, we could possibly see some of the financial markets improving in the coming days as Mercury stations retrograde.
Thank you for being here, and I wish you all the best “as the world turns”!