Building on the intensity of the eclipse season, the New Moon in Scorpio will be far from a restful, low-energy time, as New Moons often can be. This lunation sets off the volatility of the Mars-Uranus opposition, bringing forth both the joyous and the irritating, and perhaps correlating to the consequences of digging for secrets or unveiling mysteries tucked among the taboo topics of our lives. And though we may be inspired to action, or forced to respond to suddenly erupting events, Venus’s entry into Libra on November 8 may lead us to wonder about the different actions we might take. The social graces of Venus are powerful in the sign of Libra, and will have us considering others’ thoughts and ideas, and may turn up the heat of social discomfort should there be a clash of wills.
Our capacity to communicate resides in the trickster planet Mercury, who will try to bring some levity upon entering the jovial sign of Sagittarius on November 9, but Mercury immediately runs up against the sobering influence of Saturn. We may find our attempts to think more broadly clouded by doubts and misgivings, or we may otherwise feel inclined to consider serious topics.
Among those topics might be how to serve our higher ideals, and noticing where our actions are in accord with or out of alignment with our ideal image of our lives, our relationships, and our world. A new, two-year cycle of Mars is being set into motion during his conjunction with the Sun on November 17, and this connects intimately with the long-term world transit of Uranus-Neptune. The latter of which correlates to fresh imagination and new spiritual inspiration. In this way, the cosmos portrays an expression of will and a call to act, which transcends present limitations, encouraging us to connect with higher sources of guidance and enthusiasm.
New Moon in Scorpio
The Moon swings through the sign of Scorpio to conjoin the Sun on November 13 at 1:27 a.m. US/Pacific, tilling up fertile ground of a new lunar cycle in which to plant seeds of commitment, determination, and the will to achieve or overcome any odds that may feel stacked against us. New Moons tend to bring an ebb in energy, when many feel less energized and would prefer to take it easy, but this particular New Moon is looking a bit more provocative than usual. It makes a close conjunction with fiery Mars, who is quite at home in the intuitive sign of Scorpio, and also opposes the rebellious, free-thinking power of Uranus, which may actually set off fireworks for some of us. Any projects which need innovative action, a willingness to challenge authority, or to blaze a new path will benefit from placing intentions into this lunar cycle. However, be aware that intentions set into this cycle may also be more difficult to manage, taking on a will of their own or shooting off in surprising directions. We might even notice some “unintentional intentions” imprinting themselves into this lunar cycle.
This New Moon follows on the set of powerful eclipses that happened in October, and is likely to vigorously propel any events set in motion at that time forward, or perhaps trigger events that surfaced but did not gain any traction during eclipse season. For those of us who have been drawn into Scorpio’s lust for unveiling mysteries and rooting out secrets, this New Moon may signal a moment of consequences for pursuing those curiosities. For example, we might be on the giving or receiving end of surprisingly hasty actions, a burst of righteous anger, or a truly thrilling experience of liberation. In any case, the Scorpio New Moon signals some volatility for mid-November, and the activation of our sense of purpose in our lives.
Venus in Libra
Venus Trine Pluto
We may get a chance to discover where we are of two minds about a course of action, as Venus enters her home sign of Libra on November 8 (until December 4), since Libra likes to consider all points of view, all alternate futures and routes one might take. Venus’s aesthetic sense is heightened in Libra, with an eye for symmetry and proportion and harmonizing with others’ thoughts. This could look like reasoning through and weighing the pros and cons of our own decisions, or feeling more inclined to entertain others’ ideas. This inclination may actually lead to social discomfort wherever there is discord or a clash of wills, particularly as Venus trines powerful Pluto (exact November 6), and accentuates the intensity of the Sun, Mercury and Mars—all active, extroverted planets who are currently in the sign of Scorpio.
+ Mercury Sextile Pluto and Venus
+ Mercury in Sagittarius
+ Mercury Square Saturn
The trickster planet Mercury will actually let off some of the pressure by leaving intense Scorpio for jovial and philosophical Sagittarius on November 9 (until December 1). We might find diplomacy and tact a little more accessible as our capacity to communicate, Mercury, makes a soft sextile to the consummate diplomat Venus (exact November 15), but the total picture is rather complicated. The Sagittarian shift to a more outward-focused and big picture view is also accompanied by Mercury’s brief sextile to supercharging Pluto (exact November 8) and a more severe square to sobering Saturn (exact November 10). While these influences can help sharpen our mental focus, they may also spin up some confusion as our attempt to take in larger sources of information hits some roadblocks or delays. Doubts, misgivings, and a sense of narrowed options may litter mid-November, suggesting rumination on very serious topics.
Sun Conjunct Mars Opposite Uranus and Trine Neptune
One of those topics might center on our commitment to our highest ideals, our sense of faith and hope, and how we could sustain these through the pursuit of a calling or mission in life. One reason the mid-November atmosphere is so charged with high energy is the conjunction of the conscious awareness of the Sun with mission-oriented Mars (exact November 17), a conjunction which only happens about every two years and gives us clues about Mars’s expression until the next conjunction in 2026. From November 11 to November 17, the Sun-Mars conjunction will form exact aspects to the Uranus sextile Neptune world transit (August 2023 to June 2029), which is an archetypal combination that weaves a cosmic quest to express the underlying unity hidden within the amazing diversity of the web of life. With the prominence of Uranus-Neptune as a representative of transcendent spiritual breakthroughs, renewed spiritual vision and evolution of the imaginal realm, we might consider how our actions align or conflict with our ideal image of our lives, our relationships, and our world.
The visionary scientist Buckminster Fuller, himself an idealistic and revolutionary Mars-Uranus person, wrote, “You cannot get out of Universe. Universe is not a system. Universe is not a shape. Universe is a scenario. You are always in Universe. You can only get out of systems.” The portrait painted by these skies suggests we locate deeper sources of enthusiasm—from the Greek ἔνθους (énthous), divinely inspired—so we can maintain momentum and sustain our drive for what brings us meaning in service to life, and to see beyond concepts which are too limiting. In this way, we might more effectively work within the scenario of the Universe, sourcing the real boundaries which create rather than the illusions which negate. Stay tuned for our monthly herbal astrology feature here—next up: Herbs of Scorpio!
