Current Transits for November 1999 Current Transits for November 1999Here's some of the important astrological news this month ...
Mercury Retrograde Cycle, 11-4 to 11-24
New Moon at 15Sc17, 11-7
Saturn square Uranus, 11-14
Full Moon at 0Gm32, 11-23
Mars enters Aquarius, 11-26
An online ephemeris for the month is available.
November is a powerhouse of a month, probably with very difficult tendencies. It's the exact opposite of October in one regard, however: there may not be many important planetary events to speak of, but the overall pattern is quite powerful. One event seems to dominate the entire month, the square of Saturn and Uranus on the 14th. It seems the potent planetary storms are both tied into this demanding square. You may feel some situation in your life is being stretched to the breaking point and beyond, as you are being forced to break through some restrictive circumstances that are holding you back. Just remember this square is only the middle of a 10 month long process, so don't necessarily expect that your problem areas will be automatically cleared up by December -- there's a long road to travel yet, most likely. Get ready for a ride!
There's not much in the way of headlines in November. Mercury goes through it's retrograde cycle this month, Saturn and Uranus are square, and Mars goes into Aquarius. It's the big planetary storms, built on some very demanding T-squares and Grand Crosses, that dominate the month, not the usual astrological news.
Mercury stands still and goes into reverse motion on the 4th at 1Sa43. It stands still on the 24th also, at 15Sc37, switching back from reverse gear to normal motion. For this 3 week period, our brains will be operating about as well as cold oatmeal. So don't arrange your affairs so that you need to be fully on top of matters all the time, because you won't be. Mercury is the thinking mind, the part of us that relies on words and symbols to make sense of the world and get things done. When the thinking mind is running in reverse like this, it's not doing a lot of making sense or getting things done. In fact, there's a whole lot of spinning your mental cogs uselessly, of mixing up crucial communications with others, and making bad decisions. That's why most astrologers warn you against any situations where you have to actually rely on your wits. Put off important matters until next month or at least make sure you can change your mind at a later date. On the other hand, if you're into watching your own behavior and figuring out how you sometimes screw things up, this time provides a good deal of material to study. The results can be quite illuminating.
Incidentally, during each Mercury retrograde period, there's a point (called the "inferior conjunction") where Mercury passes directly between the earth and the Sun. This contact is similar in effect for our mental lives as the new moon is for our emotional lives. Some astrologers even refer to this as a "new Mercury", in analogy to the Moon's cycles. As with the Moon, Mercury usually passes either above or below the Sun at inferior conjunction, due to the tilt of it's orbit. Every 7 to 13 years, though, the planet will pass right over the Sun's disk, appearing as a tiny black dot (visible in special telescopes) that crosses the solar face in a few hours time. It's like a solar eclipse, except that Mercury is so tiny and distant, so the Sun is not blotted out. I don't know that this kind of planetary "eclipse" has any special significance (I haven't heard any astrologer talk about it). It wouldn't surprise me if this strengthened the new Mercury effect or made it more long-lasting, much as a solar eclipse is "stronger" than a regular new moon. Generally speaking, a new Mercury time is the start of a 4 month long cycle in your mental development. You may be discovering some new interests or make some breakthrough realizations about projects you're already involved with. It may require you to acquire new communications skills or force you to work cooperatively with others. Check out what's happening for you as Mercury passes over the Sun on the 15th, especially if this conjunction point (23Sc06) closely affects planets in your birthchart at similar degrees. The next few months could be more pivotal than most of these cycles.
The new moon is an early "triggering" of the Saturn-Uranus square, kicking the square into action a full week before it's exact. With the new moon point directly opposite Saturn and square Uranus (a T-Square), the next lunar month can be expected to upset everyone's plans. There's a split in our perceptions these days between looking at the world in the same old way we always have and a wakeup call to look at things in a more inclusive manner. Many of the blockages and restrictions we're experiencing these days are of our own making. This is particularly the case when, for reasons more emotional than rational, we fail to recognize options and opportunities that lie right before our averted eyes. I've been noticing how many people I meet lately seem discouraged or despondant about some part of their lives that just isn't working right. They feel stuck and hopeless, unable to change their situation -- that's Saturn out of control. Yet if they really step back and take another look, there are changes -- often simple and painless -- that can be made to improve matters. The trick is in changing your point of view so you can finally see the opportunities within the "hopeless situation", hiding there in plain sight. Sometimes it's only fear of failure or a lack of confidence that holds us back. For others, it's a feeling of being worn down and exhausted by a constant struggle, preventing them from gathering the ambition and insight to try once more. It's interesting how most of the "beneficial" planets are locked up in the 29 degree group of planets separate from the T-square, as though the "goodies" in our lives seem separated from the areas that are stuck. Here again, a change of attitude is the key to unlocking the rewards. There's a need to pull back from circumstances that are draining your energies, no matter how emotionally attached you are to them, and refocus your efforts on the activities that actually make a difference. It won't be easy, necessarily, but it sure beats sticking your head in the sand.
As I mentioned earlier, Saturn and Uranus are square on the 14th. This is the 2nd of 3 such contacts. The first one, last July 17th, was a day away from the JFK, Jr. airplane crash. The final contact is on May 13th in the spring of 2000. This aspect is famous for busting up some area of your life that's fallen into deadly inertia. Whether it's from fear of changing or simply from lack of imagination or perspective, somewhere each of us is stuck. It's possible to "follow the crowd" only so long under this influence before it becomes evident the easy path just won't work for you. At some point, if the pressure gets too great for you, you'll be forced to change. This is often precipitated by unusual or expected events and forces that simply don't fit in or make sense unless you completely change your perspective. The tendency is to dig in and try to hold on to the old way of doing things, but that only makes the rascally trouble-maker Uranus more insistent. Less rarely, a person will want to chuck everything and make an over-exuberant break with the past, which can be just as disruptive. Balance is needed here. Let events in your life, particularly those odd bits of synchronicity, show you where to focus your efforts. You're changing your reality, afterall, not declaring war on it. Remember this is a long 10 month transition, not an overnight switch. You've got a long trip ahead of you still, so pace yourself and don't burn out early (a frequent danger with Uranus energies). You're learning how to handle true freedom in a more mature fashion, as an individual and not as "a responsible member of society". That's scary sometimes, very demanding and always a bit baffling, but it certainly makes life more rewarding in the end.
One of the most intriguing parts of this version of the Grand Cross is the Scorpio end, a tight conjunction of Vesta and Mercury that's exact later in the day. It seems our notion of the intellect free from the emotions is more myth than truth, a hangover from the Greeks and our recent pre-psychology culture that glorified the god Rationality as the highest virtue. Whenever you get mired in Scorpio like this (or much of the rest of November), the emotions always play a role. If you're honest with yourself and watch the way you actually behave (instead of how you'd like to be seen) these days, this should be obvious. The thinking mind is way out on a limb anyway -- it should be clear from its bumbling around how much of a "god" it really is. That's OK. Realizing that the thinking mind is vastly overrated is one of the first steps towards wisdom. On the other hand, we are quickly moving away from all this water sign emotionality. There's a marked shift towards the elements of fire and air at the full moon, emphasizing the intuitive mind that rises above the usual emotional soap opera many of us live under. If you've been diligently trying to bust through all your barriers this month, here's a time to go "aha!" and realize the breakthroughs you were looking for. They may resemble a shift in perspective more than a flash of wisdom. That's because the realizations are more about learning to see the world with new eyes and broader sensitivities than they are about some "wisdom" that lets the thinking mind make sense of these new senses. That's why enlightenment is about waking up. When you see the world differently, the needed changes take place on their own. Spiritual struggling may have gotten you to this point of realization, but from here on the struggle ceases. On this path, the highest virtue is the quality of you're being present with life, not what you do, say or think. Get ready to lighten up...
Mars slips from Capricorn into Aquarius on the 26th. This is kind of an odd placement for Mars: the old Warrior God slips on a technician's suit. It stimulates your mental energy and helps motivate your interest in higher ideological causes. You're definitely more inclined to work with other people (especially if they already agree with your point of view) than with most Mars placements. However, the Aquarian Idealist often suffers from his blindspots, mostly because this is also one of the most stubborn signs of the zodiac. With Mars in this sign, it's easy to want to force your views on others. The free-thinker who has all the answers can come across as an intellectual tyrant or a hypocrite. Aquarius is also a very dispassionate sign, unmoved by the common emotions. While this is commonly viewed (from intellect's perspective) as a strength and a virtue, in my view, the emotions ground the mental world and keep it from going off in a half-cocked fashion. Few things are as deadly as a humanitarian who has no real love for real people, just mental abstractions. Granted, this can be a very creative and original placement for doing important work, but only if you keep these pitfalls in mind. If you find other people are refusing to cooperate with you and your big plans, that's a clue your blindspots are acting up. Mars shifts into Pisces on Jan 3rd, just after new years.