I don’t know about you but October ran a bulldozer over me. Wow. The weeks left me feeling grateful to be in tact and relatively unscathed. Grateful for what is working in my life and where I do not have to struggle. It was enough to cope with life events hurling at me full speed.
Loaded events carry over into November. Like a match to a firecracker, this month starts with Pluto exactly challenging Uranus. These two have tangoed for a long while and will for a time yet to come. Out with the old and in with the new this pattern hammers at us, pummeling our lives until we do as we’re told. And shown. Get rid of habits, relationships, jobs, you-name-it, that do not work or serve you.
Only two days later a solar eclipse occurs in powerful Scorpio on Sunday, November 3rd. The strength of this eclipse is difficult to overstate. Scorpio is about power, karma, transformation and the ultimate transformative processes for human beings: sex, death, sharing joint resources (ie, bank accounts, land, cash, property of any kind). Money. All eclipses mark significant passages in our lives. What makes this particular eclipse so strong is its close tie to Saturn, the north node of the moon and messenger Mercury, all in Scorpio. There is no mistaking the message we are to hear now. Like a door swinging on a hinge, closing behind us for good, this is a pivotal point in time. Get busy, get down to brass tacks, get going making changes in your life so you can healthfully, meaningfully live the rest of your life.
Let’s begin with Saturn’s role in the eclipse. The most serious planet in the zodiac, Saturn demands responsibility and integrity in all we do. The rings around Saturn symbolically tell us: until we can contain and control our own lives, effectively, responsibly and honorably, Saturn (or life forces) will bind us by curtailing and inhibiting our freedom and choices. In the powerful sign of Scorpio, Saturn demands us to change but also gives us a clean slate and fresh start. We can settle debts now. Saturn is often viewed as the party-pooper, dour albeit wise. However, Saturn wants us to be our best selves. Demands nothing less than greatness to serve the purpose we are here to live. That said, for those ignoring life lessons or their true path, Saturn will strip you bare and insist we behave, deliver what is coming to us. Better to live honestly, don’t you think, than continue trying to get away with something? Think of the thief who has perpetually gotten away with the goods, time after time, never been caught. Bernard Madoff comes to mind. Time’s up, says Saturn. Time to pay the penalty. Time, after all, is ruled by Saturn. It tells us: it is only a matter of time before life catches up with you. One of the primary Universal Laws is that of Cause and Effect. “For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction,” might well have been dictated by Saturn.
Drawing us further into this reality is Mercury tightly conjoined with the moon’s north node. Like True North, the north node calls us forward, pulling us toward our destiny. Meanwhile, retrograde Mercury turns us inward like a scope diving into the deepest reaches of our psyche to examine just exactly who we are and to tell us like it is. In Scorpio, we will feel every inch of this message. What we hear, live and learn may be stark, harsh, profound, revealing, and powerful…For if nothing else, Scorpio is about power.
If you have shied away from stepping into your own power, this eclipse insists you embrace just how powerful you truly are. One. Step. At. A. Time. On another note, power struggles of all kinds are highlighted now and brought to a head. Often those afraid or reluctant to accept and be powerful become victimized by those who do not wield power compassionately. Is someone or some situation holding power over you? Economically/financially, emotionally or psychologically? Are you the victim or perpetrator of abuse? Abuse can often be surreptitious as Scorpio rules what is hidden: power that is manipulated from behind the scenes, for good or ill.
Remember, power does not mean aggression, anger, vicious behavior or words, although it is often expressed this way. Power simply means asserting strength through choice and action. At its best, power is wielded with kindness and compassion, such as anonymous generosity via donation or action that helps another. Withholding harmful gossip. Shielding or protecting another from pain. This is the purest form of power. Think of the policewoman in Florida who recently caught a mother stealing food from a grocery store. Drive to desperation, the mother resorted to theft to feed her children. The policewoman understood that arresting the mother would only compound the family’s circumstance by making it more dire than it already was. Instead of taking her into custody, the policewoman gave $100 of her own money to the mother so she could buy food. “Watching the kids unload the groceries,” she said, “you would have thought it was Christmas.”
That is power.
In the shamelessly exhibitionist, reality-TV, celebrity-obsessesed world we live in, it is essential to remember how much we, all of life, are sustained by the sheer goodness of the vast majority. Most of this compassionate power is purely unseen. Just because it is invisible does not invalidate its existence. The reverse is actually true: it is the glue upholding the world and stitching the fabric of life together.
And, now, a word about sex. Scorpio rules sex and there is an immense emphasis on it during this time. How is your sex life? Good, great, non-existent, indifferent? Are you having an affair or thinking about having one? Has bisexuality, the gay or transgender life crossed your mind; or perhaps, emerged as a life you want to lead? Scorpio demands you to live your truth to ensure your deepest needs are met. You are a sexual being. Attend to this side of yourself. Since Scorpio rules our shadow, the dark side of life, a word of caution: Ask yourself, where does passion turn into obsession, or become an ugly addiction? Sex is fabulous so long as it doesn’t become all you do or want to do, just like the consumption of alcohol, gambling or any behavior that can turn dark.
Even routines that have become so rote giving our lives little substance or dwindle purpose to nothingness fall within Scorpio’s domain. You may not like to think of your routine and habitual comforts as obsessive compulsions bordering on addictions. Take a second, deeper look, however. Are they confining you into a life of safety but not fullness, beauty, risk…? Every day a little death, wrote Stephen Sondheim. Live a little instead, stings Scorpio. You may have no other choice around November 3 with the eclipse, Saturn, Mercury and the moon’s north node pushing us to transform, change it up. This month may very well shatter its share of lives. But it is through the cracks of our smashed pieces that the Light is able to pour in. When we resist, we block the Light; Light shining hope on us to grow, evolve, be our best selves. Tip: surrender, do not resist.
This will be especially true for relationships, to your Self, your Shadow and to others. Catalyzed by newly elevated planet Ceres at a critical degree of Libra, relationships are put on notice. Love yourself: the good, the bad and the ugly. Change what you can and embrace what you cannot…ie, your Shadow. For therein lies your greatest strength…the thing you least like about yourself. What you dislike in others is a mirror for what you dislike in yourself. With Ceres at a decisive degree, there is no more fence-sitting: get in or get out, get on or be done with it. If you decide to stay in certain relationships, figure out how to make them work for both of you. Ceres demands balance now between you and the outer world, you and the other person.
The other person may very well be a family member or loved one, especially around November 7. Jupiter in nurturing Cancer turns retrograde just as Saturn reaches a critical degree of Scorpio. Family matters will take the forefront. Anything hidden or buried from the past, old wounds, unresolved arguments, stories intentionally withheld, will be dealt with now. The good news is that a flowing angle between Jupiter, Saturn and the Sun make it easier to pull old closeted situations out to look at, talk about, and heal.
This can include financial concerns, joint/shared property, particularly the familial kind. Be aware of financial manipulation. Secure your home and property as well. Theft figures into this picture. Conversely, pots of gold might just surface now. That Aunt you heard about but never met might leave you a chunk of change. Were you her only living relative? Family karmic debts will be settled now; prepare to receive or pay up. By extension, estates may either end up in court with relatives fighting bitterly over them (read: resistance to change behavior), or reach resolution. May the latter be your circumstance! In any event, attempts to hide ugly parts, the pieces and people we disown, just will not work now and going forward. Everything has a glaring light shining on it.
This is really true after messenger Mercury turns direct motion on November 11, and further clarified by Neptune as it turns direct on November 14. What has been put on hold, delayed, or misconstrued is now clear and ready for action. Get busy cleaning up and clearing out the old and making way to accomplish the new and fulfilling in your life, be it projects, business ventures, relationships. Now is a terrific time to dive in head first and launch new endeavors. The energy at mid month is heightened when transformer Pluto joins Venus on November 15 in Capricorn. Great for building anything, practical and pragmatic Capricorn will show you how to climb that mountain in front of you, step by step. Black and white, stark by nature, Capricorn informs this planetary duo about who and what works or does not work, the people and parts of our lives that function well and other aspects that need to be rehabbed or scrapped altogether. That is Capricorn.
Saturn rules Capricorn and both rule Time. Venus in Capricorn asks how much time and energy do you really want to sink into relationships, especially those that are dysfunctional? One particular aspect to note during mid-November pertaining to Pluto (power) and Venus (love and money): power struggles involving our relationships and money (and our relationship to money) will either reach new plateaus, new lows or be settled once and for all. Ask yourself, who has the power in your relationships and who does not? Does money have power over you?
Furthering our insights about this pair is their alliance with the moon in earthy Taurus, as well as beneficial angles to healer Chiron, messenger Mercury and the north node of the moon. Deep healing is possible now enabling us to chart new courses for ourselves and our relationships as we purge and cleanse old patterns and utilize our best parts. All efforts point to maximizing function and constructive operation. Again, this is Capricorn.
November 13-20th is a significant week with Saturn at an attention-getting degree of Scorpio. High profile news, changes, deaths and events will occur. Continuing from late October, mysteries still unfold and revelations clarifying what was heretofore misunderstood or unknown. Venus/Pluto’s beneficial angle to Jupiter will lessen the severity of those experiencing loss or difficulty during this passage.
The Sun enters Sagittarius on the 22nd leading us into Thanksgiving. Our resistance may soften, give way to broader outlooks, spiritual and philosophical perspectives especially as the Sun aligns helpfully with radical Uranus. Surpise and ingenuity rule this week so take a little adventure over the holiday. Do something, visit somewhere you have never done or gone before. It will do you a world of good.
We know Thanksgiving is a time to come together. Keep in mind the larger picture and end goal of this pivotal era: to bring humanity together. To show us that individuals are simply parts of a collective whole, that each of us fills a missing part of another, even those we vilify or disagree with, for they awaken us to greater self-awareness.
During this season of gratitude, let’s remember the Dalai Lama’s words: “We can make this a more peaceful century if we cherish non-violence and concern for others’ well-being. It is possible. If the individual is happier, his or her family is happier; if families are happier, neighborhoods and nations will be happy.” By transforming ourselves we can change our human way of life and make this a century of compassion.”
Use your power for good.
Hilary’s personal astrology readings are available via www.hilaryharley.com, www.tremont-tearoom.com, and www.celestial-beginnings.com.