Current Transits for November 1998 Current Transits for November 1998Here's some of the important astrological news this month ...
Full Moon at 11Ta35, 11-3
Pallas Direct Station at 13Pi29, 11-12
Jupiter Direct Station at 18Pi09, 11-13
New Moon at 26Sc38, 11-18
Mercury Retrograde Station at 17Sa32, 11-21
Mars enters Libra, 11-27
Neptune enters Aquarius (for good!), 11-27
November is the final demise of the logjam energies of October, although it takes a long time to build up any steam. Frankly, the month is rather sluggish and disconnected energetically, never seeming to get really organized. The main news is the passage of Neptune into Aquarius on the 27th, ending a year-long transition period and kicking off a 14 year stay. That should shatter any sense of calm and solidity in our lives! In fact, Neptune and Saturn seem to be major players in most of the important planetary patterns this month (as they've been all year), indicating our lives are a combination of rapidly changing areas mixed up with very "stuck" behaviors that is challenging our ability to make our dreams come true. Our lives are preparing for a major "gear shift" -- get your affairs in order!
There's 3 planetary stations and 2 sign changes worth mentioning in November. Of course, one of those sign changes is Neptune's final entrance into Aquarius (one of the major events of the decade!) -- that's enough major news all by itself.
The main group of planets in the full moon chart contains almost all the feminine planets balanced off by several of the most masculine bodies. Well, "balanced" may be a misnomer, since most of the aspects here are stressful ones like squares. There's a deep, inner tension brewing within us as we try to merge together some disparate parts of ourselves into a workable whole personality. It's important to recognize all these many drives and attractions within us, if only to remain honest with ourselves, but the result is rather jarring and disruptive at times. The less you are able to hold onto this tension within you, the more you will experience it in the world around you instead. If you hold onto the hard driving, hard-nosed side of the coin, the soft, flowing and yielding side will come back at you from all directions. If you accept the powerful emotions inside, the lightning of the intuitive intellect will puncture your bubble. It's all there inside you, even when you only see half the picture at any given time. Remember we are just coming off the Halloween scare of Saturn square Neptune -- with Mercury the thinking mind joining in the fun. The conflict between the points of view recognizing the "factual" world of the 5 senses' story versus a reality more dimly perceived by the intuition can derail the certainty we believe rationality provides. Which is more "real", the dreamer or the disbeliever? Or can you suspend the need to believe in something true, simply using these points of view as mental tools when they are useful, to be dropped when another works better. Few people operate at this refined level of psychological fluidity consistently -- it's a skill that needs to be practiced and integrated. Most people are prone to accepting one version of the world and fighting for their "truth". You can't work with or live with others that disagree with you if all disagreements are an invitation to fight. Our beliefs are a recipe for discord and we can't afford to perpetuate the disharmony any longer. The divisions between people (especially on a national or world scale) are great; the divisions within each of us are even greater. It's time to start mending...
It's curious that the full moon falls on election day. Full moons are a time when situations come to fruition and display their inner nature for all to see. As a nation and a people, we are at a crossroads. Early in the morning, before the polls open in most places, the Moon passes over Saturn. Normally, you'd expect this to bring out a conservative streak in people as they go to vote, but the conjunction is in Aries, which also makes them stubborn and hot-headed. It's also connecting with Neptune (via that difficult square), which creates much confusion and apathy. When the purpose of elections has shifted from governing to winning power via manipulating public opinion, the whole process is poisoned. Moon square Uranus adds a rebellious and chaotic streak. However, one man's rebellion is another man's status quo -- voters all too often punish the wrong "rascals" and reward the perpetrators. I wouldn't even pretend to make "predictions" from a chart like this, particularly given the polarization of opinion in the country these days -- the evening's results should be interesting.
Pallas and Jupiter both went retrograde 3 days apart back in July, and they both go direct this month only a day apart. Pallas is the first body to stand still on the 12th, at 13Pi29. Pallas is the part of the mind well versed in creativity and planning skills. When she's in reverse gear like this, it seems our creative expression is stifled or side-tracked. It's harder to figure out all the necessary steps between you and your goals, leaving us fumbling around and trying to make things happen. It's probably best to step back and see why these disruptions have happened. Sometimes, you're secretly sabotaging our own activities, often because your head wants one thing, but your heart wants something else. The first obstacle is to discover how to cooperate with yourself; the remaining stepping stones are much easier to deal with in comparison. Another obstacle that can sometimes happen is relying too much on another's help, when rightfully the effort should be all yours. Whatever the stumbling block, now is the time to trip over it and become aware of its existence. Look upon setbacks now as the missing "aha!" you've needed all along and make the changes. Your mental powers are acute -- so use them. Mental roadblocks will be lifting shortly.
Jupiter is standing still on the 13th, at 18Pi09 (close to Pallas' station), about to switch into forward motion. Since Jupiter rules over our efforts to reach out to the world and enrich our lives through contact with others, the last 4 months has been problematic for us. Our connections dry up and become less "profitable" for us when Jupiter is in reverse gear. This is especially crucial for people in business for themselves. Sales go into a tailspin during this time (even the stock market took a dive since July), as customers and clients prefer to sit on their money instead of spend it. You'll know by now how firm your financial foundations are and where they need to be improved. Your vision for your future looks brighter, even if the resources to make it happen haven't quite caught up to you yet. Things are shifting, doors are opening up. Hang on just a bit longer -- the situation is improving.
The obvious focus of this new moon chart is the 7 Scorpio and Sagittarius planets at the bottom of the chart (in the 4th house for Minneapolis). Emotions are riding high on the home front, but not always smoothly. It's a good month to look at the rough spots you're experiencing with close partners or loved ones, since long simmering issues may be bubbling to the surface. Just stay focused on resolving problems, since the urge to "score points" over others will invariably lead to nasty repercussions. It's questionable whether you have enough drive to confront people head on, anyway, since Neptune is softening and smoothing over that Virgo Mars -- confrontations are more apt to be covert and hidden. If you stay on the high road, people will be cooperative in return. In fact, adopting an attitude of caring and helping has remarkable returns, opening up doors where there was only a possibility of conflict before. Speak from the heart, not the head (which is becoming cloudy and sluggish as Mercury grinds to a halt) if you want to get through to others. Get ready to switch into high gear soon, as Neptune moves into Aquarius in a week. Things are changing quickly!
Mercury screeches to a halt on the 21st at 17Sa32, about to go into 3 weeks of reverse motion. As always, this is a sign that our thinking minds are going down the tubes. At its worst, Mercury retrograde muddles our thinking, messes up communications and turns plans into recipes for disaster. In general, the Mercury mind is responsible for providing us with that "inner picture" of things that enables us to make sense of the world and operate effectively in it. To the extent that this picture is truthful and accurate, we get along OK. And if people share a common picture, with common expectations of the world, they can communicate and interact with each other well. When the Fleet-footed God is stuck in the mud like this, neither assumption is likely to be true. Judging by the mistakes and foul-ups you encounter these 3 weeks, you can safely assume those areas of your inner understanding are ripe for revision. Don't make major plans or agreements for now -- wait until everyone's minds are clearer. Mercury goes direct once more at 1Sa18 on December 11th.
The first planet to change signs this month is Mars, which moves from Virgo into Libra on the 27th for about 8 weeks. This is one of the least helpful placements for our Warrior God. The cooperative, diplomatic, other-centered atmosphere of Libra is quite at odds with the go-get-em, rough and tumble, egocentric roles that Mars is used to playing -- in short, it cramps his style. It favors working with other people, though the tendency to lord over them is hard to resist. If you can do something that has an artistic flair or expresses some creative urge, you'll have a much better time with this energy. This situation lasts until January 26th, when Mars takes on a much juicier role in Scorpio.
But the main news this month is when Neptune enters Aquarius for good, also on the 27th. We got a taste of this placement the first half of 1998 and it was hectic indeed. In fact, Neptune's return dip back into Capricorn last August 22nd (apparently to pack up some loose luggage left behind) has been a refreshing relief from the fast pace we experienced earlier in the year. Neptune is an "other worldly" planet. It deals with affairs that are often dream-like or illusory, that deal with the subtle levels of reality beyond what the 5 senses can tell us. It allows us to sense, work with, and master the subtle energy patterns behind material reality. The shift from Capricorn into Aquarius plants both our feet firmly in this other world. We've moved out of the material world where money talks into a more ephemeral, mental-plane existence where the higher mind and higher heart combine forces to make a more perfect world. This inner technology of the Spirit is our lesson for the next 14 years (until 2011-2012, when Neptune enters Pisces).
Of course, there are many pitfalls along the way. Neptune is the planet of illusion and addiction, you must realize. Aquarius is a very technology-oriented zodiac sign and becoming addicted to our technological tools and pasttimes is just as debilitating as drugs, alcohol and other "escapes" from reality. As much as you might want to, checking out of the material plane and moving yourself onto the Internet is not a feasible option. Aquarius can also be the manipulative technocrat, using technical means to spy on and control others. The erosion of our personal privacy is apt to increase and even be promoted as a good thing. In general, however, a big problem with Neptune is the addiction to Glamour, the attraction to all the tinsel that glitters like gold. We're more impressed by the inferior present that comes in the great wrapping paper than the gift of substance and worth in a plain wrapper. Especially in politics, style and spin are already more important than substance. As a long-term social trend, I expect the manipulation of our national psyche through the use of compelling images and deception to be heightened until a majority of us simply say "NO!" to the image-makers. We remake our consensus vision of reality all the time, but the resulting mass myth seems to be more hollow and less fulfilling each passing day. The capitalistic myth helps make capitalists rich, for instance, but it doesn't promote our growth towards being an intelligent, wise and spiritual people. If we're to survive the next 14 years, it's important for us to wake up (the literal meaning of the term "enlightenment") from the collective bad dream and start creating our world according to our own images, not someone else's. We need to realize the power that lives in each of us at our deepest core, which is the only antidote to the "powers" that wish to control us for their own purposes. We need to strengthen ourselves -- body, mind and soul -- in order to consistently live and work at this high level of being. We need to purify our relationships with others to allow our highest aspirations to take hold in the world. The 10 month transition period is coming to a close -- we're into the real game now.