November 2019: Honoring the Crone
November begins on an optimistic note as Venus enters Sagittarius on the 1st, and our relationships get a beautiful boost. Over the course of the month, Venus will move closer and closer to Jupiter, until at last they conjoin on November 24. The mounting anticipation of their meeting will stoke our heart fires, and give a dancing quality to the end of Jove’s transit through his home sign. This is the grand finale before Jupiter enters Capricorn on December 2. Make the most of this month because the good times won’t return in such a dynamic form for another 12 years. We’ll surely all feel the shift as Jupiter in Capricorn brings some much needed rain to a parched area of our life. Our own little oasis in the desert. But his absence in other places will absolutely be noted.
November 1 & 2 are All Saints Day & All Soul’s Day known as Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) in Latin America, when the veil between the living and the dead is the thinnest. In many cultures, people visit cemeteries to clean off the graves of their ancestors, and spend time in remembrance of them. If you don’t live where your beloved dead are buried you can still honor them by constructing an ancestor altar. Scorpio season is the perfect time to honor the crone and contemplate The Mighty Dead, and what kind of legacy you hope to leave on earth. The Mighty Dead are people who’ve passed into the spirit realm but who’s memory lives on long after they’re gone. The way they lived on earth continues to inspire future generations. There are many kinds of Mighty Dead--leaders, saints, artists, healers, heros--anyone who’s resonance reverberates far into the future. Spirits connected to a large number of living humans continue to impact the world even though they’re not embodied. The few two days of November is the time to remember the lives of those we revere. They can teach us how to live well so that we can continue to contribute even after we’re gone. (Witch tip: I love Sara Mastros writing on witchcraft, especially her new Orphic Hymns Grimoire. She offers Mighty Dead incense and has a beautiful ritual for honoring the ancestors).
Mercury stationed retrograde at 27 Scorpio on October 31, and on Sunday, November 3, we fall back with Daylight Savings Time. Not all states in the USA follow the practice of springing forward, and there is discussion of making daylight savings permanent. However, the change has not come yet for most places, and this modification of time will add to the confusion of the Mercury retrograde moment. Thankfully the extra hour of sleep means that we’ll better rested to deal with whatever tricks the messenger God throws our way over the next three weeks. Mercury is closing out 2019 with a final water sign retrograde. It’s been an epic relay race through some stormy seas: the highly influenceable ever shifting tides of Pisces in March, the strong family feelings of Cancer that crashed upon our shores in July, and now, the depths of our secrets and inner sorcery with the dark pools of Scorpio in November. This retrograde could be the most potent yet as it invokes the chthonic healing of the Venus retrograde of Oct-November 2018. Stay curious and attentive to what unfolds during the beginning of November. All the strange foibles and snafus that happen with email, travel, and packages are just a backdrop for the deeper therapeutic processes taking place below the surface.
Venus in Sagittarius is making us feel fun and flirty, but Mars in Libra is cranky when he doesn’t get his way. Beware conflict in partnership when Mars in Libra squares Pluto in Capricorn on November 5. Mars in Libra is being subjected to lessons around diplomacy and manners that he’s not particularly interested in, but needs to learn nonetheless. This poke from Pluto exacerbates his dour demeanor. Pluto forces a confrontation with self through oppressive external circumstances. He could easily pull Mars into argument around how things should be done. You’ll be extra sensitive to power dynamics and may have trouble navigating negotiation peacefully. Don’t be surprised if you feel that things aren’t fair. Seek to grow towards the Libra ideals of kindness, consideration, and justice wherever possible, especially when dealing with your own shortcomings. The Sun in Scorpio moves into a trine with Neptune in Pisces on November 8, illuminating our higher mind. Jupiter and Neptune envisioned some big dreams for us this year. This connection with the Sun is granting the inspiration needed to finish that masterpiece. Saturn is sending a sextile from Capricorn, lending tangible support for this project. You’ll come to understand what was a beautiful fantasy and what can be made real this month.
Mercury conjoins the Sun on November 11, at 18 Scorpio. This is peak Mercury retrograde when we’re flooded with feelings and an abundance of emotional material. Mindfulness practices can help you make the most of this rich yet overwhelming period: journaling, meditation, or long walks aid in sorting and processing the goldmine of subconscious detritus. Mercury is moving through Mars’ home, so don't be surprised if you find yourself in struggle around balance and equanimity. The gift of this retrograde (there is always more than one) is that the Scorpio energy will help you get to the bottom of why you’re out of kilter. You’ll be able not only to grasp the roots, but pull them out with full strength in the coming months.
The Full Moon in Taurus on November 12 is joyfully hosted by Venus in Sagittarius who’s moving into a square with Neptune. There is a heavy outer planet influence on this Moon. The outer planets are similar to the Major Arcana in tarot in that they affect the big picture of our lives, and indicate context and phases. The universal forces that work upon us. The archetypes that speak through us. The Moon in Taurus is about pleasure, and values the simple enjoyment of a home cooked meal, a good book, and a peaceful walk in nature. Venus’ fixed earth sign that gives in abundance, Taurus is a lover, but with Uranus in the house, they want to make love to the galaxy and perhaps with an alien. This Moon is in a trine with Pluto, lending it some staying power, and a sextile with Neptune, adding some mystical enchantment to the mix. The result is a romantic and earthy Taurus Moon that wants to break the rules to create a more spectacular world than the one you currently inhabit. Neptune could stretch the boundaries of what is possible with partnership. You’ll know if you’ve gone too far. Don’t stop believing in your dreams, but keep your head where your feet are planted to avoid disillusionment.
Time takes the form of a slippery noodle in the days after the Full Moon as a retrograde Mercury trines Neptune on November 13, and the square with Venus becomes exact on November 14. This influence will inspire your creativity, stimulate your spiritually, and activate longing for deep soul connecting love. You may feel distracted and day dreamy at work, like you’d rather be cavorting with woodland nymphs in the forest. If you can cut out and frolic in the autumnal wonderland of peak Scorpio Season, I say do so.
If your will has felt like a wet noodle since September, all of that ends when Mars enters Scorpio on November 19, just before Mercury stations direct on November 20, at 11 Scorpio. We’ll collectively heave a sigh of relief that Mars’ painful tightrope through Libra territory has concluded, which felt like a tug of war between our mind and heart that kept us going in neither direction. Scorpio is Mars wet, wily, feminine abode, where he gets down and dirty with psychic sensing, crafty plans, and sexy spells. Mars will stay in Scorpio for the remainder of the year, helping us dry out from the Mercury retrograde, and take clear decisive action on whatever was uncovered during that time. Over the next 6 weeks, you’ll have the unique ability to transform situations in your life which have previously baffled you. This Mars is self-assured and stealth, but can lend a sharp edge to conflict. Let yourself explore regions you’d previously considered forbidden and watch the magic unfold.
It’s a party at the end of the world when the Sun enters Sagittarius on November 22 in a trine with Chiron in Aries. The next four weeks is everyone’s favorite time of year when we make merry and give thanks for all we’ve received before the wheel turns again. It’s a time of deep reflection, recognition, and a pondering of the big questions, like, what makes me happy, what does family mean to me, what gives meaning to my life? Sagittarius can be a little recklessness because they know winter is coming, things are going to get hard before they get better, so we might as well enjoy ourselves now. Ruled by Jupiter the sage priest, Sagittarius season is home to many religious holidays and spiritual festivals. The holiday season is typically difficult for folks, and this one has the potential to be a bit bumpy as Jupiter will be leaving the warm skies of Sagittarius for the cold shores of Capricorn on December 2. The final week of November hosts some spectacular astrology. Make the most of this glorious season by dancing towards the finale.
The weekend of November 22 is one of the best of the year. Venus moves into a conjunction with Jupiter, which peaks on Sunday, November 24, and Everything is Love. This is a beautiful and bountiful transit that will illuminate our hearts and minds with a sense of divine union and hope. An excellent time for business or romance, whatever you decide to do during these days will be tinged with sweetness and the possibility of dreams coming true. This energy provides an auspicious beginning to any new venture and is a wonderful time to deepen commitment.
The tone changes significantly when Venus enters Capricorn on Monday, November 25, and the stars in our eyes are replaced by plans in our minds and tools in our hands. Venus in Capricorn needs a love that works and enables her to be and do her best. Whatever you got swept up in over the past month, expect to move forward on what is actionable and discard the rest while Venus is in Capricorn until December 20.
The Sagittarius New Moon on November 26, closes out the month and Jupiter’s passage through his firey home turf, with a distillation of wisdom and the planting of a seed that will continue to grow and mature for the next 12 years. We won’t see Jupiter back in Sagittarius until October 2030. The prolific growth you’ve undertaken over the past 13 months, will provide a template for the entirety of the next decade. This is big stuff from the largest planet. Jupiter’s gifts are too mighty to digest all at once, but you know enough to make some intelligent projections. Use this Sag Moon to cast your vision far into the future and allow yourself to stay curious about how everything unfolds. You’ll be assimilating his wisdom for a long time to come.
We’re in for major changes come December as we bid farewell to the second decade of the 21 Century. All around us structures are crumbling and new forms rising. Use the energy of November well, and you’ll enter 2020 feeling like there's nothing you can’t do.