Mercury in Sagittarius - Big Ideas and Visions for the Future

 

Mercury moves into fun loving and adventurous Sagittarius on Thursday November 09, where he will be until December 01. Mercury is about travel and communication, and when he moves into Sagittarius, he encourages to think big and to expand our minds. Sagittarius is about religion, philosophy, foreign travel and larger ideas. It is also about fun, laughter and adventure. Mercury encourages us move away from the inner reflection of when he was in Scorpio, and to get out an explore and share our ideas with the world. This is a wonderful time for just having fun with friends and for laughing and enjoying ourselves. Mercury in Sagittarius reminds us that not everything needs to be so serious all the time.

Astro Codes Oracle

Sagittarius is also about the bigger questions of life like politics, religion and philosophy. When Mercury is in Sagittarius we often want to talk about these subjects and learn more about them. It can be a great time to discuss these as long as we are open to other people’s point of view and avoid taking a dogmatic approach, which can be a down side of Sagittarius. As long as we keep our sense of humour and don’t take everything personally, we may be able to expand our point of view. The other way we can explore the world is through travel, and Mercury in Sagittarius favours long distance travel. This is a great time overall to go on a trip, or to plan one. There are some challenges to this later in the month as I will discuss below.

Mercury makes some positive and some challenging aspects this month. The first is on November 10 when he makes a square with Saturn in Pisces. Communication and travel will be more difficult on this day as we run into barriers and have to face our limitations. Saturn sees our big Sagittarian dreams and reminds throws the cold water on them. More positive aspects are on the 15^th and 20^th of the month. The first is a pleasant sextile with Venus in Libra that makes for harmonious communication and is also good for creative writing or for party planning. The second is on November 20th when Mercury trines Chiron in Aries, which brings the opportunity for healing conversation, pr we may receive some important information that helps us. On November 27 Mercury makes a square with Neptune in Pisces, which can create travel difficulties in the from of confusion or delays due to a storm. It is also a time where misinformation and deception are more likely.

Mercury in Sagittarius brings some challenges this month, but overall lends a positive energy to November. This is a great time to also think of your plans and vision for the upcoming year, 2024.

 

Venus in Libra - Healing Through Beauty

 

On Wednesday November 08, Venus the planet of love and beauty enters her home sign of Libra, where she will be until December 04. Libra is a sign that is about balance, harmony, partnership and beauty, so it’s no wonder that Venus feels great when she is in this sign. When Venus is in Libra we are inclined to be more conciliatory with others and to focus on working together towards a common goal. This is a great time for partnership and romance as we are focused on the “we” rather than the “me” and are inclined to see the other person’s perspective better. There is an emphasis on finding the beauty in the other and wanting to have everything go smoothly. Libra likes things to be balanced, so Venus in this placement does not like it when things are upsetting or in conflict. This is not just for romantic partnerships, but any in our lives, whether it be friendship, family or co-workers. We want others to get along and it can make us feel unbalanced and ungrounded when there is any discord. As we are all aware, things have been very difficult for many throughout the world this past month, so I am hoping that the energy of Venus in Libra will help to bring a more conciliatory tone. One downside to this placement is that sometimes we are so focused on the other, that we compromise too much of ourselves.

Astro Codes Oracle

The other emphasis of Venus in Libra is on beauty and the arts. Venus’ other home sign, Taurus, is all about the beauty of nature. Libra is about human made beauty, like art, music, architecture, and home or garden décor. The next few weeks are a great time to indulge in the creative arts, whether making something or decorating for the holidays, or by getting out and enjoying art. This is a wonderful time to go to an art gallery, attend a concert or to shop for clothes. It’s also a great time to get a beauty treatment, go to the spa, or get your hair done. Even amidst challenges and difficulty, we all need beauty and creativity to help lift up our souls and to help us to stay optimistic. As long as we are not in denial of our difficulties, then a little escapism into beauty can be okay.

Venus has some healing aspects this month as she travels through the sign of Libra. On November 15 she makes a sextile to Mercury in Sagittarius. This gives us an opportunity to have some pleasant conversations and is a great time for creative writing or for planning an event like a party or a show. On November 22 Venus is opposite Chiron, which can confront us with some issues that need healing, specifically around issues of beauty, creativity, or femininity. While initially unsettling, this situation presents us with an opportunity to heal and work through these issues.

My hope is that this positive placement of Venus in Libra for the rest of November can help to balance some of the more difficult energies and help us smooth out and adjust to any of the changes brought on by the eclipses in October. Venus invites us to bring harmony and balance to our relationships, and to bring more beauty and creativity into our environments this month.

 

 

Lunar Eclipse in Taurus - When Masks Slip

On Saturday October 28, we have a Lunar Eclipse at 5 degrees of Taurus. Full Moons occur when the Sun and Moon are in opposite signs of the zodiac, in this case the Sun is in Scorpio and the Moon is in Taurus. Lunar eclipses occur about twice a year, when the Earth’s shadow passes exactly between the path of the Sun and the Moon, blocking the Moons ability to reflect the light of the Sun. Full Moons are times of heightened energy and emotion as the Moon represents the subconscious and our emotional side, and are times where we must find balance between the energies of the two opposing signs. In this case, the Sun is in mysterious and penetrating Scorpio and the Moon in earthy and nature loving Taurus. This time of year often finds us pondering the meaning of life, investigating spirituality and psychology and indulging in all things spooky (its no accident Halloween falls in Scorpio season). Meanwhile, the Moon says for emotional balance we need comfort and stability. Taurus wants to ground us in the physical world and in finding ways to practically integrate our spiritual insights. 

This Taurus Full Moon is also a Lunar Eclipse, which adds to the heightened energy. Lunar Eclipses are times when things that are hidden get revealed to us. What is hidden in the shadows are much easier to see now. This can be a painful time as illusions are shattered, but it can also be a liberating one, as we are freed from delusions. Expect over the next week to find out some secrets and be prepared if you have been keeping them, for things to come out. 

 

This Lunar Eclipse is particularly volatile due to aspects between Mercury, Mars and Jupiter on this day. Both Mercury and Mars are in the sign of Scorpio and opposing Jupiter in Taurus. Mercury is the planet of communication and travel, and Mars of action, desire, aggression and war. When they join together this can lead to angry words and accidents. In Scorpio these words can be particularly cutting and have long lasting effects as the sign of Scorpio is one that looks deeply into things and can also hold grudges. Be careful of getting into arguments with others as what is said now can cut deeper than intended and have long lasting effects. With both planets opposite Jupiter, the planet of expansion, there is the potential for things to become bigger and more explosive than originally intended. Avoid getting into fights and doing anything risky now as the energies are quite volatile. 

 

What is good to do at this time is to step back and observe things. Watch for secrets to be revealed and for who loses their cool and does or says something they shouldn’t. This can be a very informative time when some people’s carefully crafted masks will slip. This Lunar Eclipse’s energy makes me think of the saying “when people show you who they are, believe them.” While this time is one that can be disruptive and unsettling, it is one that will help us to see the truth behind illusions. 

 

The Sabian Symbol for this eclipse is “A Bridge Being Built Across a Gorge”. It holds another clue as to how we can deal with this challenging Lunar Eclipse. When difficult things happen in our lives and upsetting events happen in the world, it is tempting to see these issues as divides that can never be healed. The only way that we can overcome the immense challenges facing humanity now is to build bridges of commonality rather than letting anger tear us apart.