November 2015: Veiled Shifts, Shifting Relationships

Looking down at rainbows from above Sims Creeks canyon

(photo credit McKay Savage, September 2011)

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The Sun is just about to move into Scorpio’s second decanate as November comes upon us. So we have already been experiencing Scorpio’s most personal and physical degrees - those which are most likely to challenge what we do, our sense of who we are, or our sense of how viable (or even sensible) our current priorities and perspectives are.

As of November 2nd, the Sun will do just this: it will exit Scorpio’s personal/physical first decanate (degrees 0 through 9) and enter its extra-special-spicy second decanate, degrees 10 through 19. And just as the first decan of any sign is where we can expect to experience that sign’s effects in First Person Very Particular, every second decanate is where the sign expresses itself and its drives, preferences, designs and values through our emotions and All Things Emotional.

Which with Scorpio is saying quite a lot! If we were talking airy Gemini, the Gemini imperative to ‘make a choice’ (and know why you’re making that choice) might grow more emotionally trying. Or maybe we’d start feeling frantic because there’s nothing we like.

Or worse yet, not an option in sight.

But when we talk Scorpio, we’re already talking about an emotional sign: Scorpio embraces everything, everyone and anywhere in life where our convictions and sense of worth gets tested either by others who may not agree with us, or in the sense that we get ‘tested’ to see if we know how to express, utilize or work with others (or some external situation) ....

a.) without going into a meltdown
b.) without harming anyone else
c.) without lying
d.) without insulting, marginalizing or ignoring those values held by others

And we’re supposed to be doing all this while we’re feeling anything from anxious about our chances of success to insulted by someone else’s question or challenge to our sense of authority (whether they’re actually challenging it or not), all of which is a lot more about our inner insecurity and lack of conviction (or possibly, self worth) than it has to do with anyone or anything else.

And no, we don’t want to hear that, so don’t bother bringing it up unless you want your ears singed off.

Moreover, just to make this period of some ten days or so (while the Sun gets through Scorpio’s second decan) a bit more feisty, two other things are happening on Monday, November 2nd.

The first of those concerns Mercury, as Mercury is moving from Libra into Scorpio as of 7:07 in the morning on November 2nd...

Mercury in Scorpio (glyph chart)

November 2, 2015 - 7:07 a.m., UT/+0 - Aries Wheel (Location Not Specific)

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Mercury in Scorpio (text chart)

November 2, 2015 - 7:07 a.m., UT/+0 - Aries Wheel (Location Not Specific)

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... which means that just as life (represented by the Sun) seems to be getting past some sort of ‘sticky point,’ Mercury’s moving into Scorpio is going to do one of two things: either we will find ourselves thinking through why we take things (or something in particular) so personally ... or a period of some days when we become almost re-convinced that everything is or should be looked at personally.

To put this simply, the first version is an example of our ‘owning’ Scorpio’s energy. The second version is our being ‘owned by’ Scorpio energy.

As always, with Scorpio the issue is whether we are aware of not just what we feel - but why we feel that way and where those feelings come from, or why we’re carting them around like so many pieces of emotional baggage.

So with the Sun moving into decan two as Mercury moves into Scorpio’s decan one, we could expect that things would likely get even more intense. Or at least our outlook on things may become more intense, intensely focused, or speculative as we try and figure out what to do or which path forward to throw our lot to.

This combination (which only lasts until November 8th) suggests an awareness of how our success will depend in part on facts and factors we don’t totally control - and how we’re likely to feel anything between uneasiness to frustration to indecision as we figure things out. And with this Mercury/Scorpio ingress also being part of a square to the Moon (in Cancer) which in short order turns into an out-of-sign t-square with Mercury at the ‘t’ and Ceres/Byblis at the opposition, there is bound to be much thinking, talking, insisting and debating being aired, all of which is like to have or be based on some perspective or point of view which, in accordance with t-square rules, needs to become less personal and more universal in order to succeed.

Combining Cancer-Scorpio-Aquarius in this matter plainly asks what things are ‘worth’ or whether something is ‘worth it’ - that’s a basic consideration here, one which is likely to take all sorts of forms over the next few days. Questions of whether we should invest (or be invested) in things are likely to face suspicion and other forms of bias are likely to arise, too. But not all of these are current. Some are about feelings of the moment, and some matters will reveal deeds, issues and feelings from or about our individual ... or collective past.

Which is which, and which form of same each of us will be facing is individual of course. And with Byblis conjunct Ceres on the Aquarian side of this t-square, some of us will be putting everything into trying to stop things while others will be aiming at not ending up in even less desirable position than that they are in at the moment.

Everyone is likely to have to face a few moments of dismay or feeling unsettled as we pass through these days, so don’t be surprised if you hear someone sounding wary - or if you feel a bit wary or  speculative yourself. Mercury coming into this sign (and the ingress t-square) in conjunction with Eros virtually guarantees there’s something on our mind coming into this time. And whatever that something is, it - or our sheer focus on that alone - may trip us up. Wherever the power of desire, personal drive and other forms of ego need come to the fore, they need to be used with discretion, sensitivity and an eye to everyone’s emotional priorities, lest we find ourselves unable to hone that personal plan or approach which might have otherwise led to success.

Plus there’s one other noodle to drop into the pot here: November 2nd is the date that a Plutino currently only known as 2003 AZ84 (or by its IAU number, which is 208996) goes retrograde at 2 Leo - a position which is conjunct that Moon we mentioned which was part of the Mercury t-square.

2003 AZ84 orbital diagram at November 1, 2015 (image courtesy of JPL)

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What the heck is Plutino 2003 AZ84 and why should you care? The ‘why you should care’ part is pretty simple: all Plutinos represent emotional ‘draws’ which test whether we have sufficient hold on our Self as to not to get ‘carried away’ by something (or things) which we think (and want to think) are real even though they aren’t ... or an equal desire to think something isn’t real in spite of the fact it is. Where Plutinos are concerned, it is not ‘the thing’ which is important but rather those desires we project onto the situation which lead us astray.

And those desires are either rooted in, or reflective of some personal vulnerabilities or sense of being vulnerable.

As for 2003 AZ84’s individual traits, what we know and what I can tell you about AZ84 is as yet limited. But in observing it’s effects (in transit as well as in natal charts) one quality which 2003 AZ84 appears to embody is a quality of ‘magnification.’ So for some, 2003 AZ84’s taking a turn to retrograde may coincide with ‘making a mountain out of a molehill,’ while for others it will represent something very real ‘coming to be’ or perhaps ‘rearing its head,’ requiring consideration.

In having been discovered when at 16 Cancer back on January 13, 2003, some will suggest that AZ84’s energetics will always carry something of the symbolism associated with that degree. If so, this station will test our courage and willingness to require of ourselves that we think things through while not throwing out the notion of, and need for general compassion.

Yet whatever you think there, that this Plutino is currently going retrograde at 2 Leo brings in a few days sticky situations and sticking points (of every type) which a.) will tend to have everyone (and anyone) thinking critically, and which b.) will tend to affect, reward and/or daunt us based on whether the company we keep brings out our true potential or just some tendency which allows us to sell our Self (and our potential short) through some sort of ‘going with the flow’/‘going along with the crowd,’... or conversely by walling ourselves off from things or people or situations because we haven’t dealt with the need to be a differentiated and productive individual through growing our abilities and ability to relate (“play well”) with/to others.

(You know, that Leo thing!)

As that pertains to Mercury’s t-squared ingress, with 2003 AZ84 conjunct the t-square’s Moon, its to expect that feelings are going to be magnified. And as regards those trials which are so very t-square, this would certainly underscore the frustrations which spur us to try as well as those we feel when things don’t go our way. With Mercury moving into Scorpio with the Sun already in Scorpio, needs, efforts and responses are all likely to be particularly intense. It also tells us that our intensity of focus on something, someone or some situation can be (or become) overwhelmingly absorbing.

Is that focus merited? That would be the question. And are we seeing things correctly - or are we seeing what we want to see because we so want that to be true? That would also be a sensible thing to ask, as that’s the question to ask when any Plutino is in play, as 2003 AZ84 is at this point.

So we shall give 2003 AZ84 and say it’s station will begin on October 31st and run through Wednesday, November 4th. After that, we’ll work through whatever happens and get on with our life, learning from our mistakes as surely as we enjoy being inspired by our discoveries.

Plus, no sooner does this ‘station allowance’ for AZ84 end, but other things arise. Thursday November 5th, for instance, is the date when asteroid Amor (platonic love/loving loyalty) goes direct at 10 Pisces and when the Leonid Meteor Shower begins.

A Leonid Meteor streaks across the night sky

(photo credit: Navicore, November 2009)

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The Leonids are another long meteor shower, running annually from November 5th through the 30th, reaching its peak on November 17th. Produced by comet Tempel-Tuttle, the name of this meteor shower comes from the idea that its ‘radiant’ (the place in the sky that the meteors appear to come from) lies in constellation Leo.

Does that add to, or tie into whatever happens as 2003 AZ84 takes its Leo station and goes retrograde? It does certainly maintain a ‘Leo theme’ of sorts, that’s for sure. And for some (read: those folks with natal chart points at the very end of Cancer-or-Capricorn or the beginning of Leo-or-Aquarius) these are likely to be days which challenge one to come up with new ideas and answers, some of which may lead to opportunities for growth, advancement, even a bit of fun wherever the idea or activity ‘strikes a common chord’ with others.

Amor’s presence in the mix lends something of a human-to-human aura here which for some will trend towards friendly and for others may simply indicate companionship, conversations and the sorts of interactions which while productive, are more or less simply about the continuing business of daily life.

But then we add in 10 Pisces. 10 Pisces has a reputation for lend a ‘stellar’ quality to the simplest of things, and that means something could well develop out of relationships or through some sort of interaction, meeting, conversation or other ‘chance moment’ at this time. Questions of ‘competence’ and ‘acceptance’ may figure here, and our manner or method of approaching, operating, dealing with or utilizing ‘energies of the moment’ may well be very telling.

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Being the first degree of Pisces’ emotional and emotionally provocative second decanate (degrees 10-19), 10 Pisces often indicates personal sensitivity, which given Pisces often manifests as a higher-than-usual tolerance for personal denial and the kind of goofing off (read: lack of personal responsibility) which periodically manifests as an ‘emotional sloppiness’ towards the feelings of others ... which in true Piscean style never turns out the way we thought it would.

All of this is happening as Venus is winding up its transit of Virgo, a transit which not only requires thought and diligence, but one which ‘calls out’ or shows us how and why morality exists not as something to order or critique in others, but as a universal standard we are asked to support and see our own erroneous departures from.

Venus in Libra (glyph chart)

November 8, 2015 (15:32 or 3:32 p.m.) UT/+0 - Aries Wheel (Location Not Specific)

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Venus in Libra (text chart)

November 8, 2015 (15:32 or 3:32 p.m.) UT/+0 - Aries Wheel (Location Not Specific)

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As of 15:32 (3:32 p.m.) on November 8th, this opportunity for self-education shifts into Libra, a sign where Venus excels, as Libra is all about the give-and-take, the cause/effect and the garnering of rewards for what we do well - or at least attractively.

This shift from Virgo to Libra is a vital one in zodiacal terms as this is the cusp which represents the moving from our personal and private world into a realm where we can be seen, where we are visible, where even those things we might like to hide are more visible than we might like. Known equally as a sign of relationships, alliances and open enemies, Libra is a natural link between ‘I’ (and all I do) and ‘thou’ - and everything the world thinks of/about us. This is the sign where all we have done and been reaps responses good and bad, which given Venus as a timer for bringing about all which we have earned means we shouldn’t be surprised if the period of November 8 through December 5 (Venus’ transit of Venus) brings both opportunities and something of a report card where we’ve done less than well.

With Venus making this Libra ingress a day prior to Damocles going direct at 19 Aquarius, some who have ‘earned’ some sort of response, support or reward but who haven’t yet received it may receive their due and benefit. Others will find that all their hard work (under Venus in Virgo) has gotten them past one hurdle, only to face another. As an astrological object, Damocles embodies the idea that we shouldn’t criticize others (or what someone is doing) until we’ve walked a day in their shoes and how things which look easy often are anything but.

But let’s not think this is all necessarily going to be easy. With Damocles going direct on Monday the 9th and a New Moon at 19 Scorpio at 17:48 (5:48 p.m.) on Wednesday November 11th, the whole of the first part of this week is a wee bit questionable. Yes, Venus entering Libra may bring us some reward, but that reward may just be more which needs doing and greater responsibilities than ever.

And at least we’re not alone. With Venus is entering Libra in the company of the ‘I need to deal with this’ North Node and asteroid Terpsichore (just behind at 29 Virgo), there is potential ahead and things already under way, and in spite of how much we know we should be working to grow and expand our abilities and world ... well, we really aren’t sure we’re in the mood.

Effort? MORE effort? MUST we?

With the South Node (the easy thing), Vesta (the cost) and Scheat (emotionally driven rejections) in opposition to Venus and company, things are likely to shake out in such a way as to tempt us to think it’s easier to accept and deal with some sort of (Vesta) ‘cost’ than to forge ahead. Damocles turning to direct during this time makes it likely that difficulties not yet taken into account are going to become evident, whether in our immediate world or the greater world around us. And that isn’t likely to thrill anyone. Plus we do have this very obvious Damocles-station-square-New-Moon situation shaping up, which with this New Moon occurring in Scorpio automatically raises feelings of ‘emotional threat,’ whether that’s real or imagined.

Let’s remember: Scorpio isn’t about ‘the other’ - it’s about how secure we are with our SELF and how calmly and securely that helps us deal with ‘the other,’ be that ‘other’ a person, situation, company, or personal challenge.

And let’s also remember that this Scorpio New Moon also marks the beginning of the second lunar month after September’s solar eclipse. There’s nothing ‘official’ in the astrological books about this, but after a number of years of taking notes on eclipses and eclipse effects it does appear that things which have been resisted (or perhaps were merely surfacing) at the time of the actual eclipse often go through some changes during the second lunar month after a given eclipse.

New Moon at 19 Scorpio (glyph chart)

November 11, 2015 (17:47 or 5:47 p.m.) UT/+0 - Aries Wheel (Location Not Specific)

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 New Moon at 19 Scorpio (glyph chart)

November 11, 2015 (17:47 or 5:47 p.m.) UT/+0 - Aries Wheel (Location Not Specific)

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As for the Moon in Scorpio, any Scorpio New Moon can be expected to exhibit some sort of ‘getting to the bottom of things’ sort of energy. Being a water sign, Scorpio supports all the Moon’s most basic symbolism: feelings, instinct, money (in particular, business money), memory, reaction/responses, females, home, native culture, real estate ... all those things.

And yet, Scorpio is also a sign in which ‘Moon things’ - which at their most basic would mean anything where our feelings are involved or can be provoked - none of that works swimmingly. Even when things work out well, where we see Moon in Scorpio we know there’s going to be tension. 

Sometimes that tension is obvious and sometimes its hidden. Sometimes its between two parties (or sides) and sometimes (read: most of the time) Scorpio - and our (Moon) feelings about all things Scorpio are an argument deep within our soul. With Scorpio so often known for manipulation and ‘manipulating things,’ (which doesn’t have to be negative - just ask any chiropractor!) any Moon or New Moon in Scorpio can be expected to having us trying to ‘manipulate’ our way either to where we want to go or (as happens in Scorpio situations) at least away from where we don’t want to be any more.

That’s a marked trait with anything Scorpio - the tendency to reduce, cut out, deny, reject, abandon, and so on - all of which results in something else Scorpio is known for: the desire for control. In other words, whenever we choose to reduce, cut out, deny, reject (etcetera) instead of doing the thing which Scorpio asks us to do, we end up in situations where either someone is trying to control someone (or) the ability to control one’s own destiny feels threatened or totally absent.

So what does Scorpio ask us to do? Scorpio asks us to confront our feelings about others in terms of how that makes us feel about our Self. If, where and to the extent that those feelings aren’t solid, sound or durable, then we get uneasy. Insecure. Alienated by others, their ideas, success and happiness.

As for the degree 19 Scorpio, this is a degree which represents determination of a particularly unhesitating kind. Said by some to be ‘militant,’ others note in 19 Scorpio a quality somewhat akin to the old expression ‘you haven’t seen anything yet!’ In other words, this is another indication that the  lunar month ahead will involved ‘steps’ but not ‘finalities.’

It’s about experiencing life as a work in progress, in other words. And that also is very Scorpio, as Scorpio is a sign about ‘the process’ and all which goes into or comes of any process we are either involved in, are thinking of becoming involved in, or that which we have been involved in, this last being the most ‘emotionally confrontational’ version of Scorpio as such ‘confrontations’ tend to refer to things we cannot now change ... but which we may now understand as a regret.

Beyond all this, the November New Moon is not the most heavily aspected New Moon of the year. Its conjunction with Mercury (at 15 Scorpio and conjunct Lachesis and Achilles) speaks to ‘enduring skill’ or the duration of one’s skill, or skilled choices. And with the Sun and Mercury in conjunction we would be likely to be ‘too close to the subject,’ as that’s a Sun/Mercury conjunction quality even when said planets aren’t in Scorpio.

So this month may well have a quality of being just that ‘too close’ to something to see it clearly. Whatever this ‘thing’ is, it will be emotionally trying. It may be simply about us in who we are (and are being) in the world, or this may actively refer to some relationship we’re in - or not in, for that matter. The point here is that the whole of this November-December lunar month will be about both the strength of such focus and whatever form(s) of shooting our Self in the foot we are prone to when we don’t see the forest for the trees (as the expression goes).

Other than that, with this New Moon (and its Mercurial side-kick) are also sextile Jupiter (in Virgo) and inconjunct Uranus (at 17 Aries), a combination which will have us struggling against whatever we feel is holding us back even as we are also working towards some sort of innovation or improvement of some situation or our lives in general.

Both Jupiter and Uranus are symbols of change, though their means and methods of ‘operation’ tend to differ - sometimes wildly. Jupiter is always about ‘pushing the limits back’ and the expanding of knowledge, all of which tends to operate in a step by step by step by step manner when it works - Jupiter’s notorious foot-in-mouth negative tendencies being all about when and where we ‘overstep’ our bounds or exceed our understanding. Uranus on the other hand, is much like an electrical charge which builds and builds until it either has the ‘power’ to ‘burst through’ all resistance - or until there’s simply too much energy to be contained (which is when Uranian effects are said to be ‘explosive’). Uranian energies also tend to be non-specific and impersonal where Jupiterian growth is something we ‘connect to,’ or which pertains to areas of life and efforts which very directly affect us and our ability to pursue our path, life or lifestyle.

So what do you get when you put all this together? Answer: a Yod.

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Transiting Yods represent challenges and quests of today’s moment. Associated with a New Moon, we could expect the ‘theme’ of this one - the expressing of our beliefs, needs and ideas - to be carried through the whole of the lunar month, popping up in this discussion, that observation and whatever errands are on our list today. As Yods represent dynamics which ‘hem us in,’ we can expect to feel at least mildly uncomfortable with some of what we are facing.

The ‘trick’ here (or at least the ‘solution’ to this figure) lies in understanding that the (Uranus in Aries) change implied here is not about us: whether we are ‘different’ is not the issue, whether anyone thinks so or not. Then again, the issue is also not about (New Moon in Scorpio) changing things, forcing anyone to agree with us or necessarily labeling anyone or anything as ‘good’ or ‘bad.’ Moreover, as much as we might want to think, tomorrow’s (Jupiter) advances are not going to come through someone (anyone) simply coming to understand something, as much as we might want to think so.

(And yes, we will be wanting to think that.)

All that being what it is (which it is even if that’s not the answer), the solution to a Yod is described by the point which lies half way between the points of the “Y” and in opposition to the base.

In other words, the solution to today’s tensions (the Yod) lie in late Libra - at 18 Libra (as the mean) - and that tells us that progress comes through the tone and attitude of our approach. Like all Libra degrees, this one refers to our relationship to others and who we are being as the person doing that relating, and the specifics of lore here suggests that an open mind and willingness to act in the spirit of human hospitality is useful.

Will that be easy to adopt? Probably not. And why not? That begins with the Libra tendency is always to think in terms of ‘them’ and how to get them to do or be what or who we want. And with Uranus in opposition to this solution point, a lot of agitation and/or pressure may be being used, may have been used, or may be being contemplated as a methodology. Plus, with Uranus in the mix, there is a stronger than usual temptation to just ‘go with it,’ even where that little voice in our soul is counseling us to ... a.) not make things worse, or... b.) to go ‘the long route’ and not cut corners out of impatience or frustration, particularly where our frustration is a result of sheer weariness of mind or physical body.

One more thing to note here: this New Moon is occurring on the last day of Mars in Virgo, under Nessus station effects as Nessus will go direct on November 12th... and on the very last day of Moon’s lunar nodes being in the signs of Libra and Aries.

What this amounts to is several things. For one, if at 59 minutes after midnight (UT/+0) on the 12th the lunar nodes back from Libra (North Node) and Aries (South Node) into Virgo (North Node) and Pisces (South Node) as Mars is moving from Virgo into Libra, at some level that still represents the somewhat irritating (and sometimes slightly disturbing) relationship between the Mars ‘what we want to do’ part and the lunar node ‘how others are responding (or not responding) to what we’re doing’ part of things - Mars and the nodes have just changed places.

Mars in Libra - Nodes enter Virgo Pisces (glyph chart)

November 12, 2015 (21:42 or 9:42 p.m.) UT/+0 - Aries Wheel (Location Not Specific)

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Mars in Libra - Nodes enter Virgo Pisces (text chart)

November 12, 2015 (21:42 or 9:42 p.m.) UT/+0 - Aries Wheel (Location Not Specific)

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But once past that glibness, there are some very real and important differences. The North Node in Virgo is a need to care about how we do what we do, even as the South Node in Pisces speaks to how easy it’s going to be to want to opt for avoiding any connection or feeling of responsibility for anything or anyone, even as people desperately try to avoid exactly that - particularly where they unconsciously know they’re on some ‘wrong side’ of any given moral question. North Node in Virgo stresses the need for training, for health and healthy thinking particularly where one’s efforts (or ‘job,’ whether of the moment or otherwise) asks us whether we are willing to make the effort to be a decent and responsible ‘human’ being not just with regards to those and that we like, but in the greater and most universal sense of all terms.

That all this happens as Mars moves into Libra may help in the shortest of short runs, which I say merely because Mars will only be transiting Libra until early January, while the Nodes will be in Virgo and Pisces until May 2017. But given that ‘shortness,’ Mars in Libra is Mars in the sign opposite to that (Aries) in which Mars is at its most individuated and personally motivated, meaning Mars in Libra is where our ‘urge to take action or speak our peace’ is more likely than at other times to a.) take the other person’s position into account (personal negotiation) and b.) to place our own goals on a par with those of others (personal priority).

The lower reaches of Mount Sharp, as photographed by the Mars Curiosity Rover

(photo credit: NASA-JPL Caltech, August 2012)

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In Libra, Mars’ strident ‘ego’ quality - the ‘LISTEN TO ME’ part of Mars is gentled and somewhat quieted, one might say, making relationships and the ability to relate much more successful. So we can expect to understand more about others - and maybe we’ll even wonder how we were SO fixated on our own ‘stuff’ that we missed that oh-so important fact/factor about someone or something else to begin with.

As this happens however, there is also a tendency for Mars in Libra to bring out weakness and in some, a ‘fear of weakness’ which is often projected (example: that choice they made was weak!) even if the source of that judgment is the psyche and mindset of the speaker. When ‘thinking Libra’ (anything in or about Libra) we should always remember how the derivative third sign from Libra (the derivative third always being about communications and communicating) is Sagittarius -the sign of ‘putting the word (or decision) out’ which of course results in all sorts of reactions, which is why we associate Sagittarius with the media as a whole as well as with education and the justice system. Bringing this back to Mars, where we feel vulnerable, Mars in Libra effects may well manifest in the tendency to ‘assert our value’ or to put on displays of assertiveness or even aggressiveness, whether such defensiveness is merited or not.

And that quality - the instinct to be defensive and to defend whether it is needed or not is a common Mars in Libra self-undoing (undermining of self) because under Mars in Libra that very instinct to defend (or become even more aggressive) even if there’s no active threat speaks to one’s personal sense of vulnerability - thus diminishing our ‘reputation’ for invincibility, strength, confidence ... whatever.

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With Mars entering Libra in conjunction with Terpsichore (the talent for making things look easy) that may mean will have an easy (or at least easier) time of weathering our personal insecurities. Then again, it may speak to being in a situation which requires a ‘softer’ or more willing tone about something or with someone. With Venus at 4 Libra as Mars makes this ingress, the ‘success’ of something already done or committed to may also surface now. With Venus’ position at 4 Libra sextiling Saturn’s March 2015 station (which was at 4 Sagittarius) some who have been working all year on some project will now make a bit of headway. The flip side of this will involve those who have known about but avoided committing themselves to doing ‘the responsible thing’ because of the effort required, because they preferred doing things which seemed ‘more pleasant’ or because of some ‘how it would look’ factor will now encounter circumstances which invite them to reconsider, and through that reconsideration, learn more about their own capacity as well as their own shortfalls.

If this was only an opposition, we would look across the zodiac, see the South Node (the easy thing) sitting with fixed star Scheat and Vesta at 29 and 28 Pisces and recognize that we were dealing with a choice in which its natural to want to ‘spread the cost around,’ or to ‘deny the cost of denial’ (aka reject the cost of rejection) or to be in some sort of situation where denying responsibility for the situation works because of some financial, emotional, spiritual or other kind of (Vesta) cost associated with what such responsibility would ‘cost.’

But as fortune would have it, this is not a mere opposition - it’s a t-square. So though we might want to deny or want to spread some ‘cost’ around (whatever kind of ‘cost’ that may be), unless we ‘pass the test’ associated with Charybdis, Pallas and Icarus poised in early degrees of structural Capricorn, we are going to be more or less ‘stuck’ in some sort of quagmire which either puts our vulnerabilities and weaknesses on display, or which doesn’t go as well as it could because of some vulnerability and/or weakness which we don’t want to admit to.

So what would a Charybdis, Pallas and/or Icarus test be? Charybdis refers to the need to continue trying, lest you ‘fall prey’ to not trying. Positioned in Capricorn the reference is structural, and as Charybdis is also an entity associated with the water (Charybdis is a mythical ‘water monster’) this suggests ‘structural issues’ which pertain to physical water, emotionality and/or financial issues as being ‘in the way’ of this t-square’s goal to not have to care about some cost.

Icarus -Daedalus and Icarus by van Dyck

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Combined this with Icarus, we recall the story of young Icarus, who was so enthralled with his father (inventor Daedalus) giving him wings that he (Icarus) didn’t stop to listen to instructions and limitations on those wings, preferring to take to the skies.

With Icarus, we can get ‘carried away’ by the idea of the thing - only to (as in the story) have that ‘haste,’  unwillingness or perhaps our inability to listen being what comes back to haunt us. Few of us (hopefully) are going to meet the fate of the storybook Icarus - he fell from on high to his death in the sea. But our ‘high flying ideas’? Those are subject to being ‘taken down’ by either the ‘heat’ we encounter (Icarus’ wax wings melted when he flew too close to the Sun) or because we are simply not qualified to ‘navigate’ our way through something we have not yet learned enough about doing.

The third factor here is Pallas - a factor which stands for the intellectual or dispassionate perspective which demands our loyalty and attentiveness to facts in order to succeed.

Taken together, Pallas plus Icarus either represents the ‘falling apart’ of an intellectual or calmly formulated (scientific, perhaps?) idea, or the gaining of perspective on something which did fall apart (or which is in danger of falling apart) because the idea was seized upon too quickly, without fully understanding the strengths and/or weaknesses involved - and in understanding this t-square, it’s probably useful to understand how either version of this Pallas/Icarus synthesis reflects some of the qualities we were thinking through with regards to Mars entering Libra and the pluses and minuses there.

With all that said, the standard challenges of a t-square apply here. So what would those be? T-squares ask that we ‘balance’ our personal view with a more global view even as we avoid insisting on our perspective or reasoning. The very ‘square’ built into a t-squares can become our strength (or at least ‘a strength’ in the situation) if we can get past the fixation on our goal, our method, our friends, priorities and preferences. But that’s rather often the issue, as t-square dynamics virtually guarantee the sort of fixation on Self which makes shifting into a less personal mode (which given Pallas, is stressed in this particular t-square) seem rather unattractive... at least until (unless) we make said change and come to recognize the benefits of doing so.

As the points at the ‘t’ of this particular t-square are asteroids and not planets (or dwarf planets) this is not as ‘hard edged’ others. The problem or challenges being faced may feel less ‘defined’ than usual - or less defined than we’re comfortable with. But it still has to be dealt with, and the reluctances involved have not to do with others - they have to do with us.

And no, we don’t like hearing that ... or at least we’re unlikely to be warm and fuzzy about such subjects at the moment. That notice comes courtesy of Nessus, a figure which pits us against some of our snarkiest, nastiest flickers of thought and instinct. The mythical Nessus having been a centaur, the ‘baseline’ issue is whether we will be ‘beastly’ or human(e). 

Will we use our strength for the good we can do in this world regardless of whether we benefit personally - or are we so fixated on some sense of ‘what we are entitled to’ that we are willing to compromise the abilities, work or achievements of others forever and ever more?

That last comment, the ‘forever and ever more’ is a quality to be remembered where Nessus is concerned. The story of Nessus concerns betrayal of one’s word or alliance where we have initially moved past some difficulty (and our feelings) with regards to something which isn’t ‘ours,’ or where some choice/choices aren’t ours to make ... only to turn on a dime (or whatever coin you prefer) the moment the opportunity arises, betraying our jealousy and hidden grudges, all of which are far less about whoever is being ‘aimed’ at and far, far more about our lack of personal boundaries and emotional selfishness - and perhaps immaturity.

It’s not the nicest story in all of Greek myth - let’s just face it. 

Given that this asteroid falls in every chart, there’s somewhere in our lives where we are each capable of falling into this trap. And given that the personage Nessus is angry with is Heracles (Hercules - you know, the guy who does all the immortal tasks no one else can do?), this becomes something of a metaphor for all those internal arguments between duty and a willingness to use our ‘strengths’ in the service of others versus our preference for serving and servicing our own aims.

The particulars of how this is going to work in each of our lives is about where all three (four really - there are two nodes) ... where these points fall in our personal natal chart, and where Mars, Nessus and the Nodes fall in that chart. Yet beyond that, given the Libra New Moon of the 11th and this Mars-Node-Nessus combination on November 12th, its likely we will sense a ‘shift of gears’ inside our personal world and well as in the world around us.

And with Nessus going direct at 0 Pisces, our new awareness is going to either include a measure of determination to ‘bide our time’ ... or some sort of recognition that emotions and emotionalism are, and are capable of being both our strength and our ultimate weakness - with the dividing line between those two being all about WHY we do what we do.

Put simply: being all about us or OUR feelings or how WE want to feel (or how we think others ‘should’ feel) is neither about them ... nor is it likely to benefit us.

Moreover, all of this is occurring in tandem with the lunar nodes changing signs. Always symbolizing some form of relationship, having the nodes move from Libra (North Node) and Aries (South Node) into Virgo (North Node) and Pisces (South Nodes) tells us that we are leaving approximately 2 (plus) years of focusing on who we are and who that other guy is (or what that situation means) as a means of gauging what we need to be aware of (and do) behind - even as we enter a new just-about-two-years-long span which doesn’t prompt us as much to action as it prompts us to know our position and why we’re doing whatever it is we’re doing. (And whether that’s a good idea.)

With the North Node in Virgo, the ‘should do’ qualities all have to do with being responsible and doing things to our best ability. The North Node in Virgo calls us each to act with integrity, not just with an eye to what we can achieve. The ‘shadow’ quality here (yes, there always is a shadowy side) has to do with feeling entitled to pursue one’s own priorities to the detriment or exclusion of others and/or to prioritize what we like over what will actually prove beneficial - and often not just to us.

Against this, the South Node in Pisces speaks to how easy it is going to be to be either emotionally indulgent or selfish throughout this nodal passage. Pisces always challenges us to feel those ‘tough’ feelings - the things we don’t want to feel or think about because it ‘feels’ so disquieting, or tends to leave us a little down - and the influence of the South Node here is such that being more sensitive about one’s Self even as we’re being INsensitive to someone else is (unfortunately) par for the nodal game.

And let’s be real - we’re all going to fall afoul of our ‘relationship to relating’ responsibilities once in a while even when we like what we’re doing or who we’re doing it with.

It’s just a people thing.

Beyond that and the above, there’s also how we all (quite understandably) want to avoid negative feelings in our own life. And under South Node in Pisces, we may come to think we are entitled to not to have to pay attention to anything which makes us feel down or bad or challenged - which may ‘feel’ good in the short run, but either the ‘feeling good’ part won’t last or something will happen to let you know that your responsibility to your Self is to experience the fullness of what life has to hold ... and that includes the down days and shadowy part.

That whole discussion - the ‘should but don’t want to’ is always part of the ‘down’ side of the South Node, just as the South Node is also an indicator of ‘what comes easily,’ whether we call it a talent, an aptitude, a knack or simply something which ‘comes easily’ to you (or someone) during this time because they’ve earned it prior to now.

Beyond that, whatever sign the South Node is in (in this case, Pisces) that’s the sign we want to take ‘for granted’ - which with Pisces means we would be ignoring-denying) universal needs, our own deepest emotional needs (as individuals and as a race) and the plight of all (animal, vegetable, mineral - human and otherwise) who have no voice, who are given no choice, and those with no capacity to understand or defend their own needs.

One other thing to always remember about the nodes when they change sign; as the lunar nodes cycle backwards through the zodiac, they start in the public and worldly third decanate, high degrees of a sign (starting with 29), as opposed to planets which enter a sign at 0 and work their way up to 29.

What this says is that from November 12, 2015 when the lunar nodes back into Virgo and Pisces until May 9, 2016 when they will finish degrees 20-29 by moving into 19 degrees of respective signs - until then, everything we have been talking about is going to manifest through societal actions, options (or the lack thereof) and the shaping of that ‘outer’ world with which we have a relationship (of course).
From May 9, 2016 through November 12, 2016 the nodes will be counting down through Virgo and Pisces, second decanate - degrees 19 down to 10. The second decan of any sign being where that sign’s ‘tone’ or ‘attitude’ comes through emotionally, we are bound to see (and hear) a lot of opinions and fervency both positive and negative.

And of course we will experience all the situations and dynamics which promote, demand and inspire those opinions and all that fervency - for good and bad alike. (Of course - did we think we would escape that? Probably not, even though we might want to!)

The last segment of this incoming nodal transit of Virgo and Pisces (the whole of which is, by the by, signaling a LOT of changes in relationships and our ability and/or willingness to relate to any of it) ... that last part of the transit is the countdown through first decanate personal and physical degrees 0 through 9. This is when and where life, limb, conscience and morality equal inclusiveness or exclusionary and where we can expect some great displays of ill will as well as some which are heroic and near-miraculous in their ability to alter our relationship to our potentials and possibilities ... and the possible consequences for failing to consider some alternatives as necessary even though they require us to bend, give, make an effort or face Responsibilities of a Real and Consequential Kind.

Those dates are November 12, 2016 through May 9, 2017, May 9th being when the lunar nodes will again change signs, this time into Leo (North Node) and Aquarius (South Node).

All of this ... the Mars, the Nodes and the Nessus of it all gets poured into life’s cooking pot as of Thursday the 12th - after which there isn’t another astrological peep until Wednesday, November 18th, when at the hour of 15:30 (3:30 in the afternoon, UT/+0 time) Neptune goes direct.

Neptune, a statue housed at London's Victoria and Albert Museum

(photo credit Junho Jung, August 2008)

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The degree of Neptune’s station is 7 Pisces, a degree which even without Neptune isn’t exactly known for crystal clarity, like as not as part of that famously Piscean lessons about needing to accept life as it is, lest we end up fighting for or against things which are nothing more than a reflection of our own illusions ... or delusions. Some of this - or rather the Neptune effect on it - may be more easily understood if we recall the Sabian Symbol for this degree: ‘A GIRL BLOWING A BUGLE’ as this is a symbol which refers to a response to something (in one’s life or in this world) which ‘summons’ us from our individual lives to something of joint or community concern. This is not a ‘gender specific’ call - in metaphysics, the use of gender refers to whether we are initiating something on our own (‘male’) or whether we are responding to some person or situation in our environment (female). The age cited however, is another thing - this is not ‘a woman’ or ‘a mother’ or ‘a female elder,’ this is a glrl, implying someone or some attribute being called on which is ‘immature’ in some way.

Does this mean we will be coming to understand whatever our lingering immaturities are? With Neptune, a symbol of both dissolution and inspiration, going direct at this degree, are we being told we are now going to be dealing with our strengths or weaknesses? Will this be when some folly or misunderstanding come into focus, ‘dropping’ the Neptunian veil which has kept us from seeing something? Might this be when we stop focusing on what we ‘imagine’ is, could be, or might happen, as we face facts and get on with our life?

All are possible during these days of Neptune’s station, the whole of which begins on Monday the 16th and ends on the 20th, which would be as Mercury is moving out of Scorpio and on into Sagittarius.

But before we get to that, a few more words on Le Station de Neptune, as Neptune stations tend to affect us when we least expect it and in a manner we least expect to be affected. That’s simply the nature of Neptune, as Neptune is always about what we don’t know or haven’t seen. Many a person has told me that they have had some amazing personal insight during a Neptune station, which makes perfect sense as Neptune represents the power of dissolution and ‘dissolving,’ which in the case of insight is the ‘dissolving’ of whatever it was in your personal think tank which caused you not to see a relevant truth ... which considering this is Neptune we’re talking about could be about you and only you, or others and not you at all. It could even be about how others relate to you and how you relate, have related or plan to relate to others in the future.

What matters with Neptune and about the astrological Neptune is how, no matter what you think you know coming into a Neptune station, how that may turn out to be completely irrelevant come just a few days later.

Or you may simply be proven wrong - about your capacities or ability to deal or put up with something. After all, Neptune is the ‘outcome’ ruler of Pisces, which means that all those many Piscean lessons about having the courage to face truth no matter what truth is, and no matter how that truth makes you feel about yourself.

That last is the giant bugaboo of Pisces: that primal, irrational (in most cases) horror we have not of ‘the other guy’ and what they’ll think - yes, you may care about that too, but not as much as you and I and everyone else on the planet secretly dreads having to live with our Self in some moment when we’ve been totally invalidated.

In our own eyes, that is.

The ‘in’ door of Pisces being Jupiter, the initial question in all situations Piscean is whether we have enough (Jupiter) raw knowledge about our Self to be able to make wise choices once our emotions are in play? Do we have know enough about who we are to know when something is a fantasy - or perhaps even more importantly, when it should be left a fantasy?

Pisces is a water sign and everything which occurs under the astro-auspices of Pisces taps into our deepest, least defined emotions. Pisces is the sign of everything we dream of - including things which we shouldn’t even want... which is how Jupiter represents the ‘wisdom’ of pursuing (or not pursuing) any given dream, with Neptune representing that singular relieved sense of inner reward when things go well, and the disappointment and disillusionment which pours in upon us when dreams crumble or as we recognize our mortal and human foolishness.

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As for Mercury entering Sagittarius on Friday, November 20th (at 19:44 or 7:44 p.m., UT/+0 time) that may connect to the mid-week Neptunian turnabout, but it doesn’t really have to. Plus nobody is likely to miss it much as Mercury in Sagittarius is a busy and mental time ... or a busy mental time, depending. There’s so much which goes on during Mercury that this has come to be a combination of planet and sign known for things getting overlooked and argued over in haste - along with a substantial amount of that which people call ‘spin’ as pace outstrips our ability to think things through in order to formulate a thorough, in-depth thought.

As a transit, Mercury in Sagittarius can be equally philosophical and demanding. It will only take about two-and-a-half weeks for Mercury to zip through Sagittarius (it exits the sign on December 10th), but during that time it is to be expected that gaps in plans and planning will show up as Sagittarius (in part) is a sign which acts like a metaphysical ‘devil’s advocate,’ finding the weak points in our efforts and thinking not so that we should be defeated, but so we should get straight with our Self before things get ‘set in stone,’ robbing us of a chance to change (minds, methods, aims, etc.) which at this stage - though perhaps not easy - is easier than it could be.

This quality of being ‘able to change’ (adjust, hone, polish, edit, fine tune, etc.) is a hallmark of all four mutable signs (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, Pisces) and the ‘other’ side of the tendency those with a lot of planets in these signs (or their native houses, the 3rd, 6th, 9th or 12th) have to get told they’re indecisive, wishy-washy, ‘a flip-flopper’ or simply ‘weak.’

In astrological terms, that we will change our mind under Mercury in Sagittarius is a given, in other words. And that’s no weakness. The WHY we change? That may or may not define some personal weakness or character flaw. But Mercury in Sagittarius - or any planet in its sign of fall or detriment, for that matter - has a purpose. We just have to want to avail ourselves of that positive while avoiding the negatives, which with Mercury in Sagittarius starts with the tendency to be judgmental.

And the reason for that is simple: Mercury in Sagittarius - ultimately - is about how important it is to understand that we don’t know everything. We don’t know everything as individuals, and we don’t know everything as the human race. Mercury in Sagittarius, in other words, is as much about learning what we don’t know as operating within the bounds of what we do know.

And those who don’t know the difference - or who ignore this difference - are those most likely to get tripped up during the weeks ahead.

This tendency is only going to get more pronounced when the Sun enters Sagittarius two days after Mercury does - on Sunday the 22nd at 15:26 (3:26 in the afternoon, UT/+0 time) to be precise.

Sun in Sagittarius (glyph chart)

November 22, 2015 (15 26 or 3 26 pm) UT +0 - Aries Wheel (Location Not Specific)

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Sun in Sagittarius (text chart)

November 22, 2015 (15 26 or 3 26 pm) UT +0 - Aries Wheel (Location Not Specific)

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The Sun’s transit of Sagittarius can mark a rollicking good time. Then again, in also representing the phase at which we are almost there, there is always a tendency that we may a.) assume all is won before it is, b.) assume all is lost because we’re meeting up with critique or challenges to our plan, or c.) we may just get into a mental space where we assume we know everything we need to know - unless we find out we’re wrong, that is!

Associated with the 9th house of the chart (any chart, including yours!), the Sagittarian essence is indeed exactly all about what lies between us and success - be it any of the above assumptions or anything else we don’t yet know. Why? Because presenting, confounding, challenging or stopping us cold in our lukewarm tracks with what we don’t yet know is the metaphysical purpose of Sagittarius, a sign whose mutable (changeable) qualities go perfectly with the Sagittarian theme of pushing back those boundaries and learning more.

Or better. As the opposition sign to Gemini, Sagittarius - and therefore the Sun’s transit of Sagittarius represents a period when choices made and plans already embarked upon get a good ‘shaking out’ to see what works and what doesn’t work - and the why’s of either side, good or bad. Sagittarius is about learning what we need to learn in order that we either can achieve that Capricorn/10th house goal, standard, standing, reputation or achievement ... or learn why we’re not going to get there, whether that’s as a result of a lack of knowledge (Sagittarius = education), experience (Sagittarius = things, situations and people which are foreign or new to us) or because we have simply made an incorrect choice.

Mistakes - and the finding out the error of our ways is also Sagittarian, whether the ‘correction’ comes from our having broken some sort of secular ‘rule’ (otherwise known as a law), some form codified set of ethics (religious doctrine) or some other body of knowledge which is either proven or so widely accepted that to violate the tenets of the ‘group’ (be that a social, family or societal group) would prevent us from reaching some goal. That Sagittarius is the energetic of ‘learning more-or-better’ means the whole of the solar month ahead is going to be filled with stories and examples of people either needing to learn better, having learned better or in the throes of being challenged.

It also means that like it or not, something from the vastness of information flow which is going to flood by us is going to hit the mark and otherwise penetrate our mentality. That’s Sagittarian too, whether the result is an inspiration which allows something new to come into being or an  understanding which empowers becoming more effective, efficient or productive either in present or future tense.

(And yes, sometimes the whole of this process can make you very tense!)

Adding to that (of course) would be the fact that Mercury AND Saturn (let’s not forget Saturn...) are also in Sagittarius. And with Saturn still in early (i.e., first decanate, 0-9) degrees the rewards, lessons, setbacks and opportunities are like-as-not going to be all about what we have a.) earned (that being the Saturn quotient) ... as well as being about our sense of, and perspective on others.

Why others?

The first answer there would be simply the nature of Sagittarius - a sign which is natively 3rd quadrant, and therefore interactive and not about who we are all by ourselves on a pedestal (or in a hole, depending). So ‘others’ (or the world around us) is involved by default. But then, as discussed, with Mercury in Sagittarius there’s also a present chance of ‘overload’ and a more-than-usual tendency to over-step boundaries (or tread on toes or other sensitive body parts).

And that suggests a brief contemplation of the third derivative sign to Sagittarius as a metaphysically implied ‘echo’ of that Mercury-ruled Gemini ‘vibe.’

So what’s the third sign to Sagittarius? Counting Sagittarius as ‘one,’ that lands is in Aquarius, a sign which tests whether we understand the difference between the perspective labeled ‘freedom’ and that labeled ‘non-inclusiveness’ at the same time as we get challenged to hold our own priorities in mind while trying not to forget that the priorities of others are equally as valid to them as ours are to us if only because we are each individual.

Remember these two issues and you’ll be able to see (or think) your way into a lot of situations which arise over the next several weeks. No matter the subject, no matter the ‘apparent’ right or wrong, beneath whatever situational or verbal garb you will find the same set of challenges - challenges which again, are not ‘about’ the other person, but rather about our willingness and our ability to master our Self while interacting with the situation or with that Other.

Full Moon at 3 Gemini (glyph chart)

November 25, 2015 (22:45 or 10:45 p.m.) UT/+0 - Aries Wheel (Location Not Specific)

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Full Moon at 3 Gemini (text chart)

November 25, 2015 (22:45 or 10:45 p.m.) UT/+0 - Aries Wheel (Location Not Specific)

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Some of this may well apply in short order, too - an idea I put forth seeing as the Full Moon (a ‘high light’ moment in the month) is going to occur on the Wednesday (the 25th) after the Sun reaches Sagittarius on the Sunday prior.

This Full Moon also features a t-square which, with Neptune at the ‘t’ guarantees one part unreality, one part inspiring dream and a deal of confusion atop all. Still situated at 7 Pisces, in keeping with its Sabian symbol Neptune still represents whatever it is which is ‘bestirring us to respond’ to some clarion call being sounded deep within our soul or psyche.

And let us be clear here: that instinct - whether in its lack of clarity or simply in its natural and personal impulse - is at the moment, a ‘hurdle’ we have to get past if we are to ‘succeed’ in our current aims, or the achieving of something we think of as a victory.

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Having this Full Moon occurring at 3 Gemini (the Moon is at 3 Gemini with the Sun in opposition at 3 Sagittarius) indicates a strength of feeling and the kind of personal stability as to ‘what’s worth what’ which is positive here. Against that, 3 Gemini is also a degree known sometimes for its failure to ‘follow through’ on things to their definite conclusion with some chance for things going awry because things haven’t been pursued to their last breath and twitch. Against that however, there’s a brightness - sometimes even a ‘brilliance’ associated with this degree which in being now ‘bestirred’ (if you will) may well manifest by our feelings (the Moon) coming into ‘high focus,’ and thus granting us useful insights. Or we may - given this degree’s ability to ‘highlight’ particular abilities (which goes well with the Full Moon’s habit of ‘highlighting’ something every month) - we may find ourselves in the spotlight, find ourselves ‘showing off’ some particular aptitude, quality or talent we have in our ‘bag of tricks.’

Or, given how this Moon is in the position of being the goal of the t-square as its presented, maybe we’re just working on getting to the point where we can act in our brilliant best behalf, or where we can understand (or be understood) with enough clarity (in having gotten past that Neptunian ‘hurdle’) so as to be able to act with definition, conviction and confidence.

Of course if the (Full) Moon and its idea of ‘completing a phase’ represents the goal, that does mean we’re starting somewhere else - which in this case would be the Sun at 3 Sagittarius in conjunction with Kalypso, Saturn and Mercury.

Right off the bat, because this t-square is ‘starting’ with the Sun we know the object of our efforts (or desires) is that ‘full’ feeling represented by the Moon. With the Sabian symbol here being A LITTLE CHILD LEARNING TO WALK WITH THE ENCOURAGEMENT OF HIS PARENTS we are given to understand that at this point, getting anywhere depends on doing it ‘all by our Self’ even if/where others may have more experience or practice with some skill - and that includes the decision to give walking (getting somewhere) a try. That we don’t know and aren’t sure we can ‘make it’ (to our 3 Gemini goal) may seem daunting and we may not even known why that goal is so important - all of that would be very much in keeping with the Neptunian t-square challenge, especially as we are having to make what is in essence an emotional (Moon) ‘bet’ based on what we (Sun) know or are conscious of thus far.

Will we ‘keep the (Neptunian) faith’?

With the Sun conjunct Kalypso, we are also being given to know that as concerns whatever is of importance at the moment, we know the ‘right from wrong’ as that concerns the lay of the ethical land and how the ‘right’ answer is likely to run counter to our personal pleasure. But its still the right answer, and with Saturn in this mix, issues of structure, self-discipline and responsibility are implied at a level which (given the t-square) speaks to the responsibility to do not what we want but the ‘right thing.’ With Mercury joining the group (which puts Mercury in a mutable square with Neptune), knowing the truth of the matter and inner conflicts are likely to pit beliefs against better judgments and even the facts.

Will we go against the facts? And if we do, will we be rewarded for our faith in our beliefs or will we be taught some sort of lesson which feels disappointing even if it doesn’t ‘disappoint’ the aim of the process?

With the Sun having just moved into Sagittarius, this Full Moon may also mark the time when those glitches, problems and challenges we are going to need to sort through turn up - and in that sense, having the Full Moon at 3 Gemini (early in the Sun’s run through Sagittarius) is a positive in that it gives us the balance of the Sun’s time in fire sign Sagittarius for ‘working out the kinks’ (if you will), before the Sun hits the Capricorn concrete come December 22nd (UT/+0).

After the Full Moon, there are only a couple more astrological notices of note before November noodles to its end. The first concerns asteroid Sabine going direct at 6 Aries on Friday, November 27th, and the other is Chiron’s turning to direct at 16 Pisces at 5:42 a.m. (UT/+0) on Saturday the 28th.

With Sabine going direct on the 27th, given the ‘allowance’ we give planetary and asteroid stations, that means its ‘station effects’ would have started on the 25th as the Full Moon passed through our skies. And that suggests some of the Sabine quality of being ‘held’ (to or against from something) or the Sabine notion of being ‘forced’ against our will will be incorporated in, or come out of whatever matters come about in conjunction with the Full Moon at 3 Gemini, with Sabine at 6 Aries telling us that the relationships we have ... as well as those we don’t have but could benefit by having ...whichever way we go at the Full Moon (and with our Full Moon questions) we will face one or the other ‘relationship’ or ability/willingness to relate being something which becomes more of a question until said question gets solved.

In the city of Florence, a statue of the Rape of the Sabine Women by Arnold Paul

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All of which leaves Chiron. Centaur Chiron, with an orbit which at its most distant from the Sun is just beyond Uranus and which even at its nearest is between Saturn and Jupiter is a constant point of personal struggle. And the reason for that is simple: Chiron represents the bringing to importance (at least in our regard or life) that which we don’t know enough about and which we haven’t mastered. Often referred to as ‘the wounded healer,’ Chiron tends to manifest along two very different tracks. On one side, Chiron represents the thing we need to try in order to succeed not just in some activity or effort of the moment but so that we learn more about who we really are and what we are (and aren’t) capable of, and capable of being.

On the other side, Chiron speaks to those places where we are injured, and how we need to learn what that does and doesn’t mean greatly for our own sake - but also for the sake of those who we are apt to harm or hurt by not doing so. Healer, heal thyself, Chiron tells us. We cannot be of support if and where are are actually demanding attention for our Self. As a matter of orbit Chiron tends to be very active in our lives in our early/mid 20s and early 50s (at Chiron’s return), and at both points in life people tend to find themselves ‘shifting gears’ as they let go of one ‘phase of being’ and begin anew on the next ... all of which may be very exciting and definitely necessary, even if we aren’t quite sure what we’re doing - or what we will be doing as we move ahead.

As for the degree of this station, in going direct at 16 Pisces, Chiron is likely to bring out a deal of latent or hidden ‘security issues.’ They may be merited. Then again, they may simply be arising from insecurity, paranoia or a habitual tendency to overindulge in emotionality without dealing with things on a realistic level. Protection vies here with control, which with Chiron as the activating force in attendance speaks to the need - and not knowing how to deal with either a real need to protect someone or control something, an imagined or falsified claim of need, or someone (our?) unwillingness to ‘go there’ in understanding the real need of others, or as being presented by some cause or situation.

With Chiron, everything ‘feels’ like it’s about ‘them’ because we don't want it to be something we need to contend with. Our every fiber screams at the idea of being put through something we don’t want to do - which mind you, is entirely and completely different from ‘inability’ or being unable to do something. Where Chiron is concerned, the question is never about what ‘they’ should do or teach us ... it’s about what we have to learn about our Self through doing and the process of owning why getting our head and hands around that ‘thing’ is so difficult.

Only once that is mastered are we equipped to move on in our own lives and qualified to teach or critique others, particularly with regards to their Chiron challenges.

The month finishes up with Saturn and Neptune ‘sitting’ in a 7 Sagittarius/7 Pisces mutable square which, in having come to a perfecting of degrees in the hours after the Full Moon reaches its peak will continue on through December 4th.

This square actually has its orb-like roots back in October, as it was around October 22nd when this square came into orb. Once Saturn exits 7 Sagittarius, Saturn won’t be out of orb to Neptune until it exists 12 Sagittarius - and that event occurs on the 19th of January (2016), if only briefly.

What do I mean by that? What I mean is this: though Saturn will exit the orb of this square to Neptune on January 19, 2016, because Saturn will go retrograde at 16 Pisces on March 26th, and because Saturn will in the course of its retrograde come back into orb of this square, this Saturn/Neptune relationship is speaking not just to something which applies here in October-November-December 2015, but which will also apply to a period which begins in early June 2016 (on June 5th) and which thereafter remains in effect until October 17, 2016 with effects becoming more evident or obvious once Saturn goes direct on August 13th.

So what is Saturn square Neptune ‘about’? Saturn’s transiting squares to Neptune test our resolve and test our sense of reality - or they represent periods of time which test that sort of faith-in-self and realistic perspective on life and who we are in that life and world. As a natal aspect (in other words, when seen in a natal chart) Saturn squaring Neptune often speaks to problems with the balancing of Self and others and the responsibilities involved in such relationships. The nature of this combination pits stability and ‘the known’ against the imagined and unimaginable. The Saturn side of this square is our perspective on life, reality and ‘the facts we can rely on’ where Neptune represents all we cannot know - and when these two forces come into play simultaneously in our life, feelings of confusion or insecurity are going to result. Where these cannot be resolved over some period of time (which may happen here, given the length of the overall influence) it is entirely natural and human to work on ways to cope - we humans are terribly fond of defining our situation.

And this is where Saturn square Neptune can become personally problematic. The basic question is about acceptance: can we accept not being able to ‘be in the know’? How good are we at living in the ‘Now’ - in a state where we don’t feel the need to (or can’t) know, predict and define our lot in life, and maybe even life itself?

Some people are good at this. Some people aren’t - and where this aspect goes wrong, it tends to go wrong in a manner which can either undermine some effort in a way which either doesn’t get noticed, or which doesn’t get taken ‘seriously’ or as a fact or factor which needs attending to. Slip ups and avoidance or negation of responsibility and ‘hard-and-fast’ standards may also occur or surface now, and with Saturn involved, that which is left on its own may well become an entrenched fact or factor which must then be dealt with ‘for the duration’ or at least for some time to come.

Oh... and one other thing: Neptune retrograded into 7 Pisces last September 15th. Then it went direct at 7 Pisces on November 18th.

That very Neptune will continue to be positioned in 7 Pisces asking how much growth of the spiritual and altruistic side we are willing to do until January 17, 2016.

That’s a lot of Neptune at 7 Pisces - enough to say we are each and every one of us both now being gifted with an inordinate opportunity to grow, and being tempted to abandon the truth of our better nature.

And that is the astrological tale which is November, so I'll see you next month... and hopefully the days between here and then will treat all of us more kindly and more supportively as time and our efforts go along.
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