November 20th ~ 27th

This being human is a guest house. Every morning a new arrival. A joy, a depression, a meanness, some momentary awareness comes as an unexpected visitor. Welcome and entertain all! Even if they are a crowd of sorrows, who violently sweep your house empty of its furniture, still, treat each guest honorably. He may be clearing you out for some new delight. The dark thought, the shame, the malice, meet them at the door laughing, and invite them in. Be grateful for whomever comes, because each has been sent as a guide from beyond. ~ Rumi

We are entering eclipse season. On November 30th we will have a penumbral Lunar Eclipse in the sign of Gemini (8º45’) followed by a total Solar Eclipse in Sagittarius (23º06’) on December 14th. All this is preceding the Great Conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn on December 21st. This conjunction will be most visible as darkness falls, when Jupiter and Saturn will be near the waxing Moon until the 21st. The two largest planets in our Solar System, Saturn is as bright as a 1st magnitude Star. But it is Jupiter, 12 times as bright as Saturn, that is putting on the show this month. If you follow them in the night sky over the next few weeks, you will gradually see them perfect their conjunction on the Solstice. Astronomically this is the closest Jupiter/Saturn conjunction since 1623! The next conjunction of these giants won’t be until 2040, and to see one as exact as this we would need to wait until 2080 (well past my bedtime)! 

The Great Conjunction has even more significance astrologically. These two slow moving giants are conjunct approximately every 20 years. And they do so in series according to element. Each sign has a corresponding element of Fire, Earth, Air or Water. The past series of conjunctions all (but one) occurred in Earth signs. The one exception was the conjunction in 1980-81 in Libra, an air sign, which was something of a harbinger of the current series. The conjunction on December 21st is at 0º of Aquarius, an air sign, and so it will be for the rest of this series of conjunctions. This is why this particular conjunction is seen as such a big deal, since it is seen as a transition into a whole new 200 year era. 

At the end of this month, on November 28th-29th, Neptune will station for its apparent direct motion. And as it does so, it will square the Nodes of the Moon. The Nodes of the moon, are the places where the path of the Sun and the path of the Moon intersect from our standpoint here on earth. Therefore, these Nodal points in the sky are approximately where the Solar and Lunar eclipses are going to take place this year. In May, these Lunar Nodes moved back into the signs of Gemini and Sagittarius. There are two Nodes. The North Node (Gemini) and the South Node (Sagittarius). Therefore the Lunar Eclipse in Gemini on November 30th corresponds to the North Node in Gemini, while the Solar Eclipse on December 14th corresponds to the South Node in Sagittarius. 

The Nodes are not planetary, stellar or other cosmic bodies. They are significant however, because these are the places where the eclipses are occurring this year. And when planets intersect with these points they add an additional story. It is also true, that when planets station, as Neptune will the end of this month, they make their presence known. Neptune has domain over those things that cannot be seen or obscure our senses and vision: gases, liquids, drugs, alcohol, poisons, and even viruses. These are things that commonly are not restricted by boundaries, and can seep seamlessly across borders over oceans and into the very air that we breathe. 

Neptune also has domain over our dreams, our feelings, and can penetrate into the deeper levels of our psyche. Insidious and deceptive, it clouds our comprehension and deludes us with intoxication, deception and uncertainty. Neptune can lift us beyond the material world, into a world of transcendent bliss and inspirational revery. Artists know this world well, as do skilled meditators and intuitives. Its capacity to dissolve boundaries and that which divides us, is the basis for compassion and empathy.  

For those who are sensitive, strong Neptunian waves can overload us on these psychic and psychological planes. Therefore it is important to maintain a balance, and ground ourselves. Neptune has domain over artists, musicians, poets mystics and visionaries. It also has domain over grifters, cultists, and the psychologically sensitive. It can confound us with fear, paranoia and lead us down the garden path. And we can all feel psychologically overwhelmed and adrift in delusion, denial and uncertainty when Neptune comes to call. 

It is difficult to see clearly when Neptune is afflicting and strong. We are prone to seeing what we want to see and ignoring the obvious truth. It can drain us emotionally and psychologically and fill us with uncertainty and fear. Neptune rules fogs, masks, glamour and intoxication. Avoid situations or people that drain you psychically and leave you a rag of your former self. The key is to feed your psyche and spiritual nature with the gifts and the beauty that Neptune can bestow. And for the past 5 months that Neptune has been retrograde we’ve been getting in touch with our own inner Neptune: our spiritual lives; those things that make our lives meaningful; our imagination; our ideals; our dreams as well as our fantasies. And now that Neptune is stationing, we will be attempting to put those ideals and dreams into application. 

Whenever Neptune stations, as it will be on the 28th-29th the things and worlds of Neptune become activated. Watch for vivid dreams; intuitive flashes of insight; an increase in our sensory perceptions; as well as an increase in compassion and understanding. That is what we are needing more of. 

For this week’s horoscopes, click below:

HOROSCOPES

Header Image - Proserpine (Persephone) by Dante Gabriel Rossetti