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Sunday, October 31, 2010

Astro Tips for November 2010

When the Sun travels through the sign of Scorpio, our thoughts turn to the mysteries of life and death. Samhain, the Celtic celebration to welcome the winter and to begin the New Year, gives us the history of this dark time of year. Costumes were worn to hide from evil spirits and to stay out of the way of any unwelcome dead returning to visit. The ancestors were honored, but the living lit bonfires to keep the living safe. Too much closeness to the mystery is uncomfortable and risky.

Perhaps the association of Scorpio with sex and death is exactly why there are jokes about that sexy Scorpio tribe. Without procreation there is no life. Without life, there is no death. We have to make jokes about that. Another hot Scorpio topic is taxes. People aren’t joking about that one either.

The New Moon on November 6th has Venus retrograde sitting off to the side of the Sun and Moon union in Scorpio. A current example of Venus retrograde showed up on October 9th when Virginia Thomas, wife of Justice Clarence Thomas, left a phone message for Anita Hill asking her to apologize for nearly ruining Thomas’s career back in 1991. Thomas was accused of inappropriate verbal harassment of a sexual (Scorpio) nature. It is still coming back to haunt him. The events of 1991 have been rehashed. A new generation is educated about the imperfections of a Supreme Court justice. (See The Plain Dealer, Cleveland’s newspaper, October 24, 2010, for an excellent article on the subject).

Venus backs into Libra after the New Moon and then turns direct on November 18, the same day that Jupiter goes direct after its long retrograde phase since July 23. This is an optimistic event. On the personal level, we may feel better about how we have sorted out our lives in the past few months. Perhaps we feel clearer about what we value and about our goals and potentials. On the collective level, the right will be happy or the left will be happy! It isn’t voting day as I write this.

One thing is very clear. Part of the population will feel frustrated and disappointed. Events will be blown out of proportion. Frustration and resentment will contaminate the airwaves. Saturn, the planet that is reality based makes a difficult connection with Neptune, the planet that dreams. Furthermore, Chiron is conjunct Neptune and both of these bodies go direct during the New Moon time. Chiron, the wounded healer, may have played a pivotal role in getting the health care program launched. Chiron and Neptune together are geared towards compassion and healing. Unfortunately this funny aspect/connection with Saturn implies that the reality is messy. The health care bill didn’t go far enough for some; the status quo system lobbied to make sure that didn’t happen; and the bill went too far for others. This is still to be worked out with Saturn’s hard working help.

Another tip about Chiron and Neptune is this: it is difficult to discern the distinction between fact and fantasy. Notice the media! It is very confusing. It doesn’t matter what you think the fact is some people won’t believe it. People seem to be prone to believing what they hear, if they hear the same lie over and over again. Neptune tends to confuse and dissolve boundaries. When it touches Chiron, the wound is sensitivity to this lack of boundary. We are living in a time when people are caught up in collective emotion. It is hard for people to step aside and gain objectivity—hard to feel the boundary between self and the emotional hoopla. This Chiron/Neptune union affects us all. Saturn is tugging on the chain telling us to get real and rational. The Health Care bill that was passed is a part of this messy dilemma. Our challenge is to recognize that we are all one (Neptune) but we have to honor the reality (Saturn) of our separatness.

On the personal level, this is a powerful month. The Full Moon offers energies of cosmic connection if we can avoid the our own forms of self-undoing. Admittedly on the day of the Full Moon, Venus at 27 degrees of Libra makes an awkward connection with the Moon and Jupiter. We should all be careful not to get carried away with financial speculation. Remember the Scorpio/Taurus polarity has much to do with money and resources. The Full Moon in Taurus says be careful while the funny aspect with Venus says, oh, go ahead. Also on the day of the Full Moon in Taurus, Mercury and Mars are sitting together in Sagittarius and squaring Jupiter and Uranus. The handicap here is harsh words that are hard to retract. This is a combo that promotes impulsive speech. Try writing it down first. Try holding your tongue. If that doesn’t work, apologize quickly. Prominent personalities will make outrageous statements leading them into the hall of fame or the hall of scorn.

For Scorpios, empowerment is currently your middle name. Pluto, ruling planet of Scorpio, is working hard. It continues to tear down the old structures that hold you back. And, Pluto’s connection with Uranus continues to encourage insight and growth. Venus in Scorpio, even retrograde, has empowered Scorpios to get clear about values, love, partnership, and resources.

During these Scorpio days we will be bombarded with the reality of living in a world of duality. Each side of the fence thinks the other side is living in the dark. We complain about the dark ways of our civilization, but maybe we should contemplate the possibility that we are evolving at a fast pace now. The more light, expansive thinking there is, the more apparent the contractive darkness will be. Maybe we can’t have the light without the darkness. Maybe we need the contrast. “When it is dark enough you can see the stars.” (Charles Austin Beard)

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