Astrological update for the week of October 23 – November 2
(I will be traveling so next week’s report will be a few days late and is included in this one.)
Scorpio. The big news that will dominate the week is the infusion of Scorpio energies that are emerging right now. On Sunday the Sun and Venus both entered Scorpio, and just after midnight EDT on Tuesday the Moon enters Scorpio just before the solar eclipse at the Scorpio New Moon on October 25, 2022 at 6:48 am EDT. And Mercury will enter Scorpio on October 29th.
Scorpio is associated with intense emotions – the dark feelings such as jealousy and hatred which normally don’t see the light of day. However, anything which we hide in the darkness never has the opportunity to become transformed. Scorpio fearlessly plumbs these depths of darkness and supports us in our quest to regain the power that we have lost through self-denial and diminishment.
Each sign reacts to the one before it, and in this shift from Venus-ruled Libra to Mars-ruled Scorpio we leave behind the polite niceties of Libra to dig into the Truth that often hides from the light of day. Scorpio season is followed in late November by Sagittarius, where the intensity is left behind in favor of a sunnier optimism.
Solar eclipse October 25. This Scorpio eclipse follows on the heels of the Aries Full Moon, and with both Aries and Scorpio ruled by Mars (Scorpio’s modern ruler is Pluto but Mars is still very much in charge), it’s no surprise that this is a time of intense warrior energy, dominated by female archetypes. The Sun and Moon are thought to represent the male and female forces, respectively, and at the solar eclipse the power of the solar consciousness is eclipsed by the lunar realms of feeling and intuition. Venus conjoins the Sun and Moon, adding a boost of feminine power to soften the journey into the Underworld of Truth and Power. I like to always remember that the predecessor of Venus is the archetype of Inanna and Ishtar, the ancient female gods of beauty, war and power. In addition, the Black Moon Lilith forms a harmonious trine to the New Moon, beckoning us to remember the force of justice and righteousness to protect the weak and helpless.
A lunation (new or full moon) becomes an eclipse when the Sun and Moon are within 15 degrees of the lunar nodes, the points in the sky where the path of the Sun and Moon cross. The lunar nodes mark the path of fate from past to future which is why eclipses are thought to bring about a turn of destiny. The tighter the conjunction to the nodes, the more powerful the eclipse both in totality and in astrological energies. 15 degrees is a very wide orb of influence from an astrological point of view, so this eclipse is not as intense as the one which follows (see next section).
Preparation for lunar eclipse November 8. Did you miss my Election Day musings? Nothing like a powerful eclipse on the day of an important election in the U.S. Eclipses typically come in pairs, and this time around the solar eclipse on October 25th is followed by a lunar eclipse at the Taurus Full Moon on November 8th.
This eclipse has a number of formidable planetary influences. First of all, like the Scorpio eclipse it occurs in a fixed sign, a sign of power and strength. Taurus may seem peaceful and serene, but pushed too far its rage can emerge like the Bull for which it is named. Finding the point of equanimity between the passion of fire and the detachment of air is the key under these influences. (See the Election Day post linked above for more eclipse details, and I’ll write more in next week’s forecast.)
Jupiter retrogrades back into Pisces. Jupiter has been traveling through Mars-ruled Aries since May of 2022, expanding a focus on the desires and needs of the individual over the collective. Jupiter is the traditional ruler of Pisces, and this is can be a time of idealism and compassion to the extreme. But it can also be connected to an increased sense of illusion and despair if the sense of going with the flow turns into helplessness in stressful times.
Planetary conditions can’t really be described on a standalone basis; we always have to look at the other factors at play at the current time. In times like these, when there is so much that is out of our control, the Piscean influence to let go to the Universal flow can feel powerless. The classic serenity prayer offers the perfect way to balance this shift from Jupiter in Aries to Pisces and back again: “give me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change (Pisces), the courage to change the things I can (Aries), and the wisdom to know the difference (Pisces).”
Jupiter will be stationary through most of November and will turn direct again November 20th, and then re-enter Aries on December 20.
Mars turns retrograde in Gemini. Mars will be in Gemini for a longer time than usual since it will be traveling retrograde through Gemini until January 12, 2023.
The sign that Mars travels through describes the filter that Mars will operate through during that time. Mercury-ruled Gemini is the sign of thought and information – it hungers for knowledge and desires a wide variety of experiences in order to maximize understanding. For this reason, with Mars in Gemini there is the potential for more fluidity in discussion and this could apply to things like peace talks as well as to negotiations in our personal lives. Still, any planet that is retrograde is turning our attention back to the past – discussing old issues that we thought were solved, re-writing a book or a thesis, re-hashing old situations in order to find closure. (Read more details here.)
With all of these big energies shining lasers of dramatic intensity to us humans, the smaller lunar aspects will fade into the background. I’ll be back with a new forecast on November 2nd or 3rd.
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Safe travels, Lynn.