Thursday, November 03, 2011

November 2011

PLANET REPORT: Live life as creatively as possible in November! This mindset will provide the antidote to the confusion and uncertainty that will punctuate the weird and wonderful days ahead of the festive season. It will be a colourful journey but there are perils that we need to be alert to as our energy slumps and decision-making abilities stutter.

Right up until December 11th - when the second of two eclipses across Gemini and Sagittarius pass – look at life as an exotic marketplace in a land where the language is hard to understand and where the sights and sounds overwhelm the senses. The colourful characters, situations and events that emerge this month will provide a tempting array of gaudy trinkets that look like the real deal but should be viewed with a mix of suspicion and curiosity. As Mars opposes a turning Neptune on the 10th, glance sideways but keep going from anything and anyone who comes bearing gifts! Accept very little at face value unless you are absolutely sure or you have consulted the travel guide; better yet wait until you have got to a safe vantage point in December before accepting, or making, offers, deals and decisions. The glamour can hide a multitude of underlying problems.

It is also possible to be lured by the opium den of addiction to situations and substances that prolong a myth or give a false sense of reality. Like any high, we have to come down at some point. This is a landing spot month where we would be better to fill our days with carefully selected activities to avoid the deflation or disappointment of high expectations. The Cup is on the mantelpiece and now we need to take stock of the future. Mars moves into Virgo on the 11th and will remain here until early July 2012 - an unusually long time for this faster moving planet. In Virgo, there is a massive clean up ahead physically, mentally and spiritually so check for signs and signals of what requires a healthy dose of cosmic Janola in the coming months.

In the marketplace of life, November contains a lot of haggling to get the best out of dubious situations. Decisions concerning major lifestyle changes are complicated by the tricky details, or the tricksters who cross our path especially when Mercury turns retrograde on the 24th. Until the 14th, take leave and take stock. The fertile Taurus Full Moon on the 11th at 9:17am signals a shift in energy and a climax of matters that began six months ago and, luckily, creates a cautious, practical streak to cope with the general vagueness and wobbliness of this month. However, life will get more emotional by the eclipse at New Moon in Sag on the 25th at 7:11pm which adds fuel to the fire of agitated emotions but also brings an unexpected release so that we can move into 2012 with a refreshed outlook. This phase will be great for looking at the bigger canvas and into the future, and for sorting what needs sorting rather than adding to the pile that the festive season brings. The Sun shifts into Sagittarius at 05:09am on the 23rd.

ARIES: With your ruler Mars shifting into Virgo for an unusually long time from November 11th until July 2012, November is the beginning of a major clean up in your life. Not only is Mars in the sign of cosmic housekeeping but it will travel through the zone of your day-to-day routine, your health and work zone during this extended period. Be a step ahead of the current by looking closely at how diet, exercise and general consumption of the good and bad affects your mind, body and spirit. There will be periods of long hours spent working at gruelling tasks but if you pace yourself, you can achieve so much in the coming months. At work, you might decide to hone your skills or work through issues with co-workers. Around the 10th it is very important to be clear and concise about issues. Communication is very important this month, especially by month’s end when Mercury turns retrograde.

TAURUS: In December, Jupiter will resume normal operation in your sign and you can move into the next phase of self-development and personal growth. Until then, navigating the unusually charged atmosphere of November is the name of the game. At least Mercury and Venus move out of opposite sign Scorpio on the 2nd and 3rd relieving you of the pressure that other people have been placing on you but your annual Full Moon wraps up a six month phase on the 11th. Mars also moves into a favourable position for your sign on the 11th, remaining here for the next 8 months; and while this might not be plain sailing in the area of children, romance or creativity, if you focus on the details and avoid critiquing situations, you will find constructive solutions. This is the month to attend to financial or business matters that involve second parties.

GEMINI: With your ruler going off air on the 24th in opposite sign Sagittarius as well as two eclipses darkening the cosmic doorway on November 25th and December 11th across your sign, the next six weeks are appropriate for clearing up and cleaning out. In major relationships there may be issues that have been simmering below the surface that will emerge and, if so, it is best to work with these situations with good communication and rapport. There will be a general sensitivity this month and it may be all too easy to react before thinking. Mars moving into Virgo packs of a bit of a punch over the next 8 months and for Gemini it will slowly, but surely, spring clean the proverbial cobwebs from home and family dynamics. And though this is not a particularly fun transit, you do have the chance to perfect, polish or finish off a project, renovation or move. You will also learn the art of patience with the people you live with. Organisation is the key and having a plan. The trick is in knowing that Virgo energy tends to get anxious when there is a lack of structure.

CANCER: An interesting month ahead with lunar activity creating a bit of a roller coaster, and strange feelings, situations and people gathering on the sidelines of your financial sector. Get second or third opinions if you are involved with major wheeling and dealing as what you see, hear or read might not be what you get in the long term. The same is true in reverse too: be aboveboard and honest in all your dealings because there are loose seams that could unravel now. Even though the signs that the coming eclipses fall in do not impact immediately upon your own, the fact that you are ruled by the Moon means you have a greater sensitivity to what takes place in the sky this month. Over the course of the next 6 weeks your life may revolve around visits to the dentist or doctor but welcome this as a chance to get on top. Needless to say, this is a month to be precious about your wellbeing. Mentally, you are shifting into a longer period of concentration where communication or the written or spoken word becomes extremely important. The devil is in the details now. But go for gold!

LEO: From the 11th Mars shifts out of your own sign and into your financial zone for an extended period that will take you up to July 2012. On the same day at Full Moon lights up your career sphere and brings a culmination to professional projects that might have begun six months ago. This Full Moon also highlights the bigger issues that have been developing since June. November is a crossroads month where you need to be very aware but also cautious about making big changes too quickly. By the middle of the month we enter into an uncertain phase where it might be better to take a wait and see approach. Focus instead on personal goals, friendships and networking circles as well as children, lovers and the activities you do in your spare time. While the conditions are ripe for bringing issues to the surface, December is the better month to act. Be especially vigilant about the fine print and ask lots of questions! Research is the trick up your sleeve.

VIRGO: Mars’ arrival in your sign is nothing unusual in itself but because it will be looping around and moving back and forth over a period of 8 months, this suggests a long period of focusing upon your physical, mental and spiritual needs. It is also a time for developing confidence and leadership skills that will bring success in the future. As with any retrograde, some of life’s lessons come from trial and error, and while annoying or difficult will mean you can speak from experience. Virgo is the sign of perfection and Mars is the planet of doing; this translates into doing perfectly, whether a skill, diet or project. As it leaves Leo, Mars will oppose Neptune on the 10th and this may highlight hidden issues that will grow in complexity over the coming months. Your ruler Mercury turning around on the 24th in your home zone until December 11th gives you space to clear the home of unfinished projects and prepare for the festive season and 2012. Avoid big decisions about furnishings, electronics or renovating or agreements with family, flatmates and other people who might impact upon your life, until December 14th.

LIBRA: As Mars moves into a very private sphere in your chart for a full 8 months on the 11th, it’s what happens behind the scenes that matters most. Whether it’s a spiritual journey where you consult your inner oracle or whether you take the advice of someone who can throw light on the future, you are concerned with developing and perfecting a deeper part of yourself. Perhaps a situation with a friend that occurs around the 10th will draw out your inner sage and make you more aware of how in control you really are. On the other hand, health is also covered by this zone and you may become more aware of how diet, exercise and sleep affect your day to day performance. With lunar activity highlighting your knowledge zone, you may decide to seek information from places further afield than you usually do. Communications and how you think are very important this month and for some this will relate to study, while for others what you read or hear will have a profound effect. All in all, soak everything up but wait until after December 11th to put theory into practice.

SCORPIO: Happy birthday Scorpio! As your new year takes place, you will be glad to hear that Mars moves from a difficult angle to your sign to a place that takes the spotlight off you so that you can relax a little more. However, do be aware of the time around the 11th when an awkward situation surfaces. Rather than act on what transpires, it is better to hold off making big decisions until the fog lifts and you can see the lay of the land. All might not be as it appears so make no commitment to anyone or anything. Shifting into your zone of friends and your personal dreams, you have a full 8 months to focus on a special group of people, or perfect conditions so that you can achieve a unique goal. The trick is to raise your expectations each time you overcome each hurdle. It will be a slow journey and there is no rush. On the 24th, Mercury goes walkabout until December 14th in your sphere of finances. This is the perfect time to adjust your values, budgets and earning ability, and, most importantly adjust spending. Avoid making big ticket purchases without thorough research.

SAGITTARIUS: A big month is November! Circle the 10-11th as a turning point where everything cosmic leads to the eclipses that fall across the Gemini-Sagittarius axis. Your annual New Moon occurs on the 25th but because it happens to be an eclipse (that will lead to a second eclipse on December 11th) there are changes afoot that could catch you off-guard. On top of that, Mars reaches the pinnacle of your chart on the 11th and will remain in your life direction zone for a full 8 months. This whole scenario in a snapshot suggests that right up until July 2012 you will be in “perfection” mode – perfecting skills, talents or a role – whether you are a parent or CEO – or simply polishing your public profile. It’s time to get down to the nitty-gritty and to look at the tiniest of details within the context of the bigger picture. Mercury also goes retro in your sign from the 24th until December 14th so it could take a while before your birthday year springs into action. Review, revise and recharge!

CAPRICORN: Knowing that it takes sweat and hard work to make it, you will be one of the few signs that can grasp the essence of Mars in Virgo. Tackling the tiniest of details will come easily to you but you have to be careful not to allow this to degenerate into nitpicking, otherwise, the seams can come undone just when the fabric is taking shape. Patience is another virtue of yours once you have got over the initial rush of wanting something. This is good because you have 8 months to cut out the pattern and stitch it all together. That’s the period up until July 2012. In the short term, November contains a brilliant Taurus Full Moon on the 11th that will finally bring about a resolution in a romantic or child-related issue however the New Moon following that is an eclipse in Sagittarius that will bring hidden issues to the surface. Whatever bubbles up will provide clues to the much bigger picture that is taking shape. What transpires then will culminate around the Full Moon of December 11th bringing changes to a work situation and the day to day running of your life.

AQUARIUS: If you have been having a hard time of it lately with other people, you will be glad to hear that Mars will be moving out of your opposite sign Leo on the 11th and that relationships will lose some of the heat that may have been evident. As it leaves though there will be a gnarly opposition to Neptune, which is turning direct in your own sign. November is complicated to say the least, and most astrologers would suggest leaving big decisions or purchases until well into December. And though the passion may cool to more manageable levels, the 11th is the beginning of an 8 month stint that will focus on assets, money, property and business that you have in common with second and third parties. This can be anything from taxes to insurance to the division of shared resources. Cool as a cucumber, you have a few months to work through this process so take your time and avoid being pushed or pushing for results.

PISCES: November is a tricky month for Pisces with so many cosmic events occurring at difficult angles to your sign but it can also be highly creative if you have the right mindset. Easier said than done I know, but if you can take the road of least resistance by not making big decisions that could affect you in the long run, you can coast through this phase with only a case of internal irritability that can easily be worked off. An eclipse on both ends of Mercury retrograde serve to jiggle life up and severely test your patience. Again this leaves space to review the current state of affairs in your life direction and home zones. By December 11th-14th you will get a much better idea of the broader layout of these areas so that you can move into the festive season with a set of revamped ideas. The longer term brings relationship issues – from love to professional – to the fore. The trick is avoiding falling into the sweating the small stuff trap and use this time to etch out the details of agreements, arrangements and proposals.