The Astrology Blog 9 November 2020
All times in GMT
“In the process of letting go, you will lose many things from the past – but you will find yourself.”
Deepak Chopra – spiritual growth & alternative medicine, author of more than 80 Books, including The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success
https://www.astrotheme.com/astrology/Deepak_Chopra
“In my beginning is my end … In my end is my beginning.”
T S Eliot – poet, essayist, playwright, quote from East Coker (The Four Quartets)
https://www.astrotheme.com/astrology/Thomas_Stearns_Eliot
This is a landmark week (you keep saying that Jo, well okay, another landmark week but this one is underlined and in bold) as it includes two major astrological events – Mars turning direct, and then the third and final Jupiter – Pluto conjunction. Both the Sun and Venus then play into that conjunction, Mercury returns to Scorpio and oh let’s throw a Scorpio New Moon in as well while we’re at it! Take a deep breath, going in …
Let’s start with Mars as the week begins and ends with this planet making his presence felt –
Monday 9th November
- Venus 15 Libra opposite Mars 15 Aries 17.10
Saturday 14th November
- Mars turns direct 15 Aries 00.37
Venus and Mars between them are often referred to as the love planets – women are from Venus, men are from Mars but it can be any gender combination – so the two planets in opposition to each other is a real statement about differences. It’s a standoff. It doesn’t mean that relationship issues can’t be resolved, it can even show as opposites attract or being stopped in your tracks, but it can also indicate polarizing – taking up opposite positions and not being able to find the middle ground.
Note that extreme polarizing can be a form of “acting out” – eg I secretly think you drink too much wine but rather than say so, and invite the adult conversation, I’ll just stop drinking myself and be super virtuous about it – and is nearly always about seething resentment. And in turn that resentment is usually about something else. Any evidence of this kind of behavior is a massive red flag.
The fact that this opposition happens just as Mars is about to swing back into action underlines the theme that this could also be a tipping point. If you’ve been battling with or tolerating love differences or any tricky or frustrating situation in your personal life, enough is enough. The healthy choice is to remember that the most successful relationships are in fact built more on differences than similarities. Don’t try to make your partner, or anyone else, be like you. Note that Venus is currently also strong in her own sign of Libra, sign of the Scales, symbolizing equality and balance – but not sameness.
So pay close attention to what is unfolding for you as the week kicks off. Personal issues that have reached boiling point or which dominate your life on Monday are likely to bring results or consequences at or by the end of the week. These can be for better or worse, depending on your situation, but Mars being “stationary direct” ie, getting ready to move in the right direction again, suggests that time is running out on delaying tactics, yours or other people’, or any kind of waiting game. Mars getting fired up in his own sign of Aries is Good News for any kind of new cycle linked to progress rather than twiddling your thumbs and wondering when or even if anything is going to change.
Mars still has a long way to go on his six month (instead of the usual two) journey through Aries and won’t change sign until the New Year. So as much as we all want 2020 to be over and done with there’s still time to throw plenty of irons in the fire, romantically or career wise or anything else wise. Now’s the time to think about where you want to be when that highly desired New Year finally arrives. The sign of Aries favours those who are their own driving force.
The beginning of the week isn’t all fire and fury as it also brings a lovely water trine from the Scorpio Sun to Neptune in his own sign, followed by Mercury returning to Scorpio –
Tuesday 10th November
- Sun 18 Scorpio trine Neptune 18 Pisces 05.13
- Mercury re-enters Scorpio 21.57
Neptune is “stuck” at 18 degrees for the whole month and in fact for the whole of December as well as this planet, like Mars, is also “stationary direct”. Because Neptune is so slow moving he’s already at the degree at which he’ll turn around (will turn direct 29 November), the Sun is highlighting this and therefore the aspect carries more weight than usual.
Neptune has many faces. At one level he’s the dream maker, super romantic, all about fusion and the urge to merge, so he’s great for falling in love. Bathing in the Scorpio sunlight he’s at his sexiest and most seductive and oxytocin levels will be soaring, the “bonding” hormone that promotes affection and attachment. This is often referred to as the “love hormone” or even the “cuddle hormone” and after all these months of social distancing it fits that these kind of Neptunian moments are even more attractive.
At another level however it’s clear that this collapse of boundaries is not great for staying Covid safe so stick to your own lockdown rules and remember that they’re there for a real reason, not an imaginary one. Neptune’s other issue is that reality tests that come later can reveal the true picture or at least practical or emotional details that we’d blissfully ignored at the time.
Astrology can also be hilariously literal. Neptune rules the booze and our lockdown here which started two days ago is scheduled to finish on 30 November. As Neptune switches back to direct motion that is when the bars and tavernas will be opening. Neptune (god of the sea) also rules absolutely everything to do with water and it’s noticeable how many people have been telling me about plumbing problems lately! This reminds me that my own job is to get guttering put up. I live in an old Greek house and gutters were obviously considered to be expendable, but the last two winters have brought freezing cold water pouring down the walls and straight onto my plants, many of which I then lost through frostbite. Sadly it’s a myth that Greece is warm all year around, but the summers get so hot that yet again I’d forgotten about this job until the last minute … amazing how we manage to “forget” the things we don’t really want to deal with because they’re a hassle and then they become even harder work. And am sure am not just talking about myself here lol.
MERCURY RETURNS TO SCORPIO
Mercury entered Scorpio (27 September) but only got as far as 11 degrees of this sign before then turning retrograde (14 October), sliding back into Libra and then turning direct there a week ago (3 November). He’s now picking up speed and there’s one more aspect to come before Mercury comes “out of shadow” (19 November) – gets past 11 Scorpio where he originally turned retrograde. That aspect will be the third and final opposition to Mercury early next week, yet another finale moment. More on that next time. For now look out for the reappearance of issues that started around the middle of last month, or for second chances of any kind in relation to the things that you feel very strongly about.
For a fabulous illustration of this as a natal placing Kamala Harris has Mercury at 1.28 Scorpio, so she’s now on her “Mercury Return” – ie Mercury is coming back to that exact natal position. With Gemini rising this is also her ruling planet. Her victory speech was a superbly crafted power (Scorpio) of words (Mercury) piece, not just in terms of content (healing, rebirth) but in her delivery. She appeared to use no notes, she was spellbinding and word perfect.
CHANGING THE BACKDROP SCENERY
Quick recap –
Jupiter – main principle is expansion, rules anything that makes our life bigger and better. He is known as the Greater Benefic, the bringer of freedom, liberation, opportunity, luck, good fortune, abundance and generosity. Jupiter also rules long distance travel and all matters or people related to overseas.
Pluto – main principle is endings/beginnings, often starting with loss, finality, death of the old and the birth of the new, transformative processes, darkness, absence, invisibility, starting from scratch, deep healing, resourcefulness and secrets. His nature is absolute, uncompromising, empowering or disempowering depending on which side you’re on, and relentless.
Thursday 12th November
- Jupiter conjunct Pluto 23 Capricorn 21.18
Jupiter catches up with Pluto once every 13 years, and usually it’s a “one off” meeting. The last two were at 28 Scorpio in December 94, and 28 Sagittarius in December 2007. The next two will be 15 Aquarius in February 2033, and 3 Pisces in April 2045.
This time around it’s been a three legged event, with Jupiter in his sign of “fall”, ie most difficult sign for this planet. Here’s a reminder of the sequence that has been the backdrop for this whole year –
- 5 April – Jupiter conjunct Pluto 25 Capricorn – 1st time
- 14 May – Jupiter turned retrograde
- 30 June – Jupiter conjunct Pluto 25 Capricorn – 2nd time
- 13 September – Jupiter turned direct
- 12 November – Jupiter conjunct Pluto 23 Capricorn – 3rd and final time
Put the two together and what have you got? As noted in previous blogs this conjunction has been no brainer symbolism not so much for the virus itself but for the worldwide effects of lockdowns and recessions. All Jupiter’s things fell into Pluto’s black holes = wipeout. At the beginning of April it became depressingly obvious that we were dealing with something serious and universal, and that foreign travel and tourism were going to be in the hard hit frontline of collapsing businesses and therefore economies. Pluto stuff is total and irrevocable – and rarely offers choices.
5 April turned out to be THE DATE that Easy Jet didn’t cancel just some flights but grounded their entire fleet, and the media was speculating about airline losses running into billions. They were right. Jupiter also rules growth and abundance and we’re now struggling with the effects of a worldwide recession.
30 June was the 2nd conjunction and therefore the middle (retrograde) one. The middle of any three legged transit often strikes at “the heart of the matter” in way that is presented through an unraveling, often in a “see, I told you so” way. This date coincided with the premature lifting of travel restrictions for which many countries are now paying the price, including Greece. We went back into lockdown yesterday morning and this time we have a curfew of 9pm to 5am as well.
I’m not naïve enough to believe that this grand finale signals the end of the virus but astrologically there’s no getting away from the fact that it’s a milestone. When you have a timeline it’s a reminder that something difficult, whatever it might be, will end. One of my mantras all year has been “This is not forever … it just feels like it!!” I think that in some way this final conjunction is a significant stepping stone in terms of the beginning of the end, which is at least partly supported by the fact that it’s coincided with Trump’s defeat, liberation (Jupiter) from a dangerous power (Pluto). In terms of coming full circle he started his term of office by refusing to believe the number of people who attended his inauguration, and he’s finished it by refusing to believe the number of people who didn’t vote for him. Says it all.
THE ASTEROID PALLAS
All three of the Jupiter – Pluto conjunctions have fallen conjunct Pallas. This third and final conjunction falls at exactly 22.52 Capricorn. If you’re interested in asteroids note that Pallas will also be at exactly 22.52 Capricorn. And even if you’re not interested in asteroids you can’t help but being struck by this exact alignment, a “partile” aspect (one that is exact not just to the degree but also to the minute).
This asteroid is named after Pallas Athena, who was born from the head of Zeus (Jupiter), so she speaks of the relationship between father and daughter, but is primarily recognized as a goddess of warfare, wisdom, skill, and strategy –
“The energy of Pallas errs on the more masculine side, unlike the rest of the asteroids in our chart which tend to be more feminine. In fact, Pallas was born literally from the head of her father. She’s all about using the left side of your brain and articulating how you tune into logical forms of reasoning. While your Venus sign signifies how you fall in love, Pallas has something to say about how you make difficult decisions in your relationships.”
If you don’t know your Pallas sign – or the sign of the other asteroids – the above article includes a link to a chart calculator. It says it will give you those placings but I tested it and it doesn’t. The astrotheme link however does, and you’ll find it under “Checking Charts” at the top of the page.
DOES IT GET MORE SCORPIONIC THAN THIS?
The short answer is no, it doesn’t. Going into the coming weekend the mood it’s Scorpio themes from start to finish. By Saturday we will have passed the exact moment of the Jupiter – Pluto (Scorpio’s planet) but because these two planets are slow moving it will take until the end of the year before they are far enough apart to stop counting as being conjunct each other. In fact another major finale moment will be when Jupiter changes sign, moving into Aquarius 19 December, 2 days after Saturn does the same thing.
For now the Jupiter – Pluto is in a sense being re-invoked by the Scorpio Sun and then Venus in Libra making aspects to both within a very short space of time, with the New Moon smack in the middle –
Saturday 14th November
- Sun 23 Scorpio sextile Pluto 23 Capricorn 19.46
Sunday 15th November
- Sun 23 Scorpio sextile Jupiter 23 Capricorn 03.59
- New Moon 23 Scorpio 05.08
- Venus 23 Libra square Pluto 23 Capricorn 19.43
Monday 16th November
- Venus 23 Libra square Jupiter 23 Capricorn 05.34
From my book Be Your Own Astrologer here’s a flavor of Scorpio –
“Power and control are central issues for Scorpio and they get a massive kick out of achievement, especially of the “against all odds” variety. Tell them that something can’t be done and they will be the first to set out to prove that it can… Scorpios do not do subservience. They would rather be broke.
Scorpio’s redemption is to be found in the nature of their co-ruler Pluto, commonly referred to as the planet of transformation, which is also captured in their symbol of the phoenix. In real terms Scorpios embody this death and rebirth imagery through their endurance and survival skills. It is not uncommon for a Scorpio to end one way of life, to walk away and start again, often totally from scratch and often more than once. They are not unduly attached to their material world, although they are quite capable of amassing wealth if only because money is power.
As god of the underworld Pluto also links Scorpio to the realms of the unconscious and death. Depth psychology, psychoanalysis, detective work, healing and psychic practices all belong to this sign. “
If you need to make serious and lasting changes in any area of your life, or if you need to step back into your own power and authority, then this is your moment. If you have planets or Angles at especially 23 Scorpio/Capricorn or 23 degrees of any other sign then I would expect you to be looking at least one scenario that has inevitability written all over it. Letting go may be something forced upon you rather than a conscious choice.
At a general level, however, and in terms of the major themes of this week’s astrology, it’s time to take a leaf out of Scorpio’s book with regard to fearlessness and resilience. Dealing with the unknown is extremely challenging but it’s something that we’ve all had to learn about this year – what exactly is this virus, where did it come from, when will it end, how can we rebuild our lives and so on. Uncertainty has spilled into every area of our lives, and even without a pandemic we all feel fear in the face of big changes, but I strongly believe that there’s a phoenix in all of us.
The bottom line is probably most connected to the idea of working with the uncertainty and not against it. We all know that if we wait for “the right moment” we generally end up doing nothing – eg I’ll do that when I don’t feel afraid, when I’ve got enough money, when I’ve lost weight and so on. Take the step, whatever it might be, and trust that the starting over process will happen even if you have no idea what shape that might take. Along with the scariness are the positive payoffs of feeling powerful instead of helpless and it doesn’t take long before we wonder why we didn’t act sooner.
May your finales open up that wide road to the future,
Until next week, with love from Greece
Joanna