Your Stars November 2017

Scorpio

November’s stars shine brightly for you Scorpio, a month when you are enabled to alter perceptions of who you are and what you are up to. Your sign gets a bad press, ‘scheming’ and ‘obsessive’ being among the milder adjectives employed. What about constancy, loyalty, intuition, guardian of the mysteries (and, if you fancy the role, demon lover)?

Jupiter’s presence in your skies over the next 12 months promises a lighter, more fluid mood to your moods and operations. First, though, you have to negotiate a full Moon opposite you over the weekend of November 4 – not a time to force issues but to enjoy yourself, plus with Jupiter involved someone new and delightful may show up.

Thereafter you get the assistance of fair Venus in your skies until the end of the month, a cue for some retail therapy (the Goth outfit may need an upgrade) and come-hither flirtation. Venus and Jupiter meet on November 13, a special day (and a super fortunate birthday). The new Moon of November 18 (another canny birthday) is good for a relaunch or a simple resolution of purpose. You need a plan to carry you through to your next birthday.

Your seriousness and ambition get majorly boosted next month, when your Mars ruler arrives to add energy and thrills, but meanwhile the red planet is behind the scenes in Libra, and one part of your psyche needs the retreat and respite implied. Keep the ship steady.

It’s good to concentrate on your self just now, but things are brewing elsewhere in your ‘scope. Your cash zone is under emphasis, especially once the Sun leaves your sign on November 22, and with Mercury about to turn hoopla there, detailed attention is called for. Jupiter is the money planet par excellence, but often acquires only to splash out.

At the end of the month Neptune wakes up in your fellow water sign of Pisces, a promising omen for artists, lovers, sailors, photographers and wannabe movie stars. More next month. Meanwhile, Happy Birthday.

Sagittarius

Keep in mind that the midwinter solstice brings you to the close of one of the most testing transits (across two and a half years) that the solar system has to offer. November and December are a finale to Saturn’s demands, and also a pay-off.

No need, then, to fret. November is all about getting tasks done in orderly fashion with the minimum of fuss, and making sure they are done with precision. Mercury is in your skies from November 6, but will be in reverse motion in December, checking you got your sums and words right. However, Mercury’s presence until mid-January (as opposed to the normal three weeks) does help put you at the centre of events, and means your powers of communication are there to be used.

The ‘no-fuss’ clause stems in part from the current emphasis on Scorpio, which in your case represents a place of retreat and rest – asylum even. The new Moon here on November 18 is a good moment for a little meditation and self-worth affirmation, prior to the Sun’s arrival in the Centaur on November 22. Thereafter it’s Sagittarian birthdays and lots of celebration. Venus will be with you in December to ensure the parties are in full flow.

Venus is also active on your behalf over the first few days of November, when it makes a terrific contact with planet Prometheus, the two planets lying across the axis of your horoscope concerning social groups, friendships and love affairs. A good few days to get clean out of the house and among the throng, and to meet fresh faces.

Capricorn

A full Moon in Taurus, a fellow earth sign, is always a bonus for you, a chance to activate Capricornus the jolly fish-tailed Sea Goat rather than the thistle-munching Mountain Goat. That of November 4 has Jupiter attached, so pursue pleasure, good company, fine food (it is a Taurus Moon!) or indulge in your favourite hobby.

Opposite that Moon is a swathe of planets and the odd asteroid in Scorpio, a sign sympathetic to your own (water for your earth), and representing your personal slice of society; colleagues and fellow travellers, social groups to which you belong, teams, boards of directors, societies, awards panels and so forth. With Jupiter here alongside Venus, the Sun and a new Moon on November 18, you can prosper through collective rather than solitary action. Be primus inter pares as the Romans used to say (i.e. lead dog on the husky team). That applies especially this month, but given Jupiter’s year long stay in this zone, for the next 11 months as well.

Some solo efforts at work will be called for in the coming weeks. Mars spends all of November marching across the roof of your ‘scope, activating the strictly-business sector of your solar chart (a good thing) but strewing the odd hot head in your path (not so good). Sometimes it’s better to work alone and stay out the reach of such individuals, especially on November 19 (Mars square Pluto).

The other sign under emphasis this month (and next) is Sagittarius, representing behind the scenes action. Mercury is here from November 7 right through to mid-January, with a retrograde phase in December, so you seem to be cooking up a secret and no doubt cunning plan. So you should be. Just before Christmas Saturn arrives in the Goat’s skies – yes it’s your ruling planet but it’s still Saturn the taskmaster, promising that the Mountain Goat rather than the Sea Goat will have primacy next year.

Aquarius

Of the zodiac’s three air signs, your own is the least adaptable (but least flighty), being ‘fixed air’, a difficult concept to be sure. While November’s stars look thrilling on several levels, the aggregation of planets in Scorpio, at the top of your ‘scope, pose a challenge, since Scorpio is another ‘fixed’ sign and just as determined and stubborn as your own. So while Jupiter and Venus and a new Moon (on November 18) all promise a fresh chapter in your professional life you may have to loosen up and change course to obtain the money, influence, and adulation on offer. Jupiter is a helpful planet, but it remains in pushy aspect for the next year…allow yourself to be pushed a little.

Other areas of your ‘scope are more amenable. Mars in your fellow air sign of Libra all month pulls members of that sign into your orbit and extends your reach internationally, should you have connections across the blue planet.

Sagittarius – fire for your air – is also onside for you this month. Mercury the messenger is active here from the 7^th, favouring all manner of group involvements – co-operatives, committees, charities etc – the stuff many Aquarians like, being concerned about the public and not just themselves. Make common cause. Your ruler by tradition, Saturn, is here for just a few weeks more and promises a reward for your diligence over the last couple of years.

At the very start of November, at the same time as the full moon of November 4, planet Prometheus (often touted as Aquarius’s planet) lines up intriguingly with venus the romancer, highlighting your social circle, chums and neighbours; could be that there’s a new face on the block.

Pisces

On a journey of discovery? On a noble quest? Undertaking a creative project or a political campaign full of high-minded ambition? If so you are in accord with the current pile-up of celestial bodies in your fellow water sign of Scorpio, a collection that includes your ruling planet Jupiter. If you have not yet engaged in some medium to long term planning (a year minimum) November is an ideal place to start. Anytime will do – the full Moon of November when Jupiter is conjunct the Sun, November 13- when Jupiter is conjunct Venus, and November 18- a new Moon, are all super congenial dates for your enterprise.

The happy-go-lucky, make-it-up-as-you-go-along style of many Pisceans is also fine, but you would be missing a trick. These stars deserve, and promise to reward, your earnest best shot!

Romances are not the business of the ninth house, but with Venus aligning happily to your Pisces Sun from the 7^th to the end of the month, those of you seeking, or seeking to maintain a heart-to-heart affair look in luck. Mars, another planet of desire, is deep into the zone of your ‘scope where sexual appetites are satisfied; perhaps you can follow suit.

Turning one’s attention to more cold-blooded matters, November finds the career sector of your ‘scope also bubbling. Saturn here for the last two years has demanded you achieve, and you have doubtless had to graft to do so (nothing much happens under Saturn without work). The ringed planet is in the last few weeks of its testing transit, but before completion is joined by Mercury and after November 22, the mighty Sun.

Your workload, or at least your requirement to salute the company flag, should lessen come the new year, but meanwhile the work situation intensifies, made more complex by Mercury’s retrograde in December. Get work matters despatched promptly in November, and cover your rear to ensure that any cock-ups next month can’t be thrust on your (no doubt) innocent shoulders.

Neptune, a planet some astrologers link to your sign, resumes forward motion in Pisces’ skies at the end of the month. It’s an odd planet, embodying a deep ambiguity between charisma, artiness and fame on one side, and delusion and victimhood on the other. Make sure you get the tasty end of that particular stick!

Aries

It looks like a tangled start to the month, what with an almost full Moon in your skies until the 3^rd, then a clash between Venus opposite you and Prometheus the thunderbolt planet in your sign, an aspect that can beam down a new lover from the skies or shatter an existing romance.

After that opening salvo things calm down. However, your ruling planet, Mars, spends the entire month in opposition, which puts you somewhat on the back foot in your one-on-one dealings. Battles for supremacy with a significant other – including ex’s and enemies – are not well starred. Clearly you can’t accept other people pushing you around, but what you are after is parity, a just balance of interests and energies – the two dates when that is most difficult to achieve are circa November 19 (when Pluto is involved) and November 30 (when Prometheus is again highlighted). The Ram leads with its head but keep yours below the parapet just then.

Two other sectors of your ‘scope are under heavy emphasis this month and next. One is finances, where the combination of Venus and Jupiter (both money planets) helps you wangle more income not just from your job but from a recalibration of contracts, debts, shared obligations and the like. Jupiter’s presence here is protracted, so think in terms of both short-term expediency and long term strategy. The new Moon of November 18 represents a new start.

Then there is your solar ninth house, a place of escape, exploration, noble pursuits, international contacts and higher learning. Saturn sitting here for the last couple of years has favoured all such dealings (providing you are willing to put in the graft) and the Sun’s arrival here on November 22 re-animates them all over again. If you choose to travel next month, you’ll be doing so under a retrograde Mercury –book your tickets with care.

Taurus

Thanks to a full Moon in Taurus over the weekend of November 4, you start the month on the front foot; a nice time to be leading the dancing at a Scorpio party, not so hot for raising issues with your other half. November is very much about relationships – lovers, spouses, business partners, even declared foes. As much is true every November since the Sun is in opposition, often with other planets. However, Jupiter’s recent move into opposition does change the storyline.

Whether Jupiter is unshackling you from a relationship that’s stalled, introducing you to someone grand or enhancing bonds with your main squeeze, its action is benign. From the 7^th onwards you also have Venus in opposition, keen to further enhance your relationships, though known to arouse the green-eyed monster of jealousy on occasion (in you or a rival). Venus and Jupiter meet on November 13, a potentially magical day. The new Moon on November 18 makes a perfect time to rekindle a relationship or start a joint enterprise.

Talking of enterprise, the sector of your ‘scope concerned with financial acumen is humming all month, and moves into high pitch once the Sun arrives here on November 22. With Mercury retrograde approaching next month, details matter. Two of the three ‘outer’ planets (beyond Saturn) are active this month, both in helpful positions to further to help you wheel and deal with fellow professionals. Your biggest challenge in November may be maintaining energy levels, with Mars suggesting your daily schedule is relentless.

Gemini

Your wits – and Gemini’s are celebrated for their sharpness – need to be kept around you during November. In part, this is because of the social and romantic opportunities that are signalled by high-energy Mars working on your behalf. A time to get out the house? Absolutely, especially at the full Moon of November 4, when Venus is also working on your behalf before she moves on. Sporty types can also revel in Martian energy.

The other reason to keep those wits keen is that your ruling planet, Mercury, spends November (after the 6^th) in opposition and will spend all of December in opposition too, most of it in retrograde. Under this transit you need to ensure you don’t slip into some Groundhog Day scenario, where matters you thought were settled prove not to be done and dusted after all.

Mercury is the planet of cognition, communication and insight, so its opposition is normally fine – you talk to other people and they reply. Deal done. When the quicksilver planet turns awkward, however, misunderstandings and errors arise. Which means that agreements made in November need to be super clear, contractual obligations double-checked, and diary dates are likely to be somewhat provisional. Forewarned is forearmed.

The zone of significant others gets extremely busy after the Sun moves into opposition on November 22. Though an annual event, it’s made more significant by that Mercury retrograde next month, and by the last few weeks of Saturn in opposition. For some Twins, a change of heart looks on the cards, or a situation with you-know-who that has simmered for, oh, a year or two, reaches reckoning point. Keep your sensors turned on.

Cancer

If you push at enough doors you should find a few that swing invitingly open in November. Your fellow water sign of Scorpio, which for Cancerians represents delight, creativity, parties and hot dates, is lit up by the two most auspicious omens in the planetary canon (Jupiter and Venus), not to mention the Sun, a new Moon and the odd asteroid (Vesta). Take your pleasures where you find them – – and if you look hard enough, you will find!

At the very least these stars deserve a forward-looking, optimistic outlook. There are, as ever, some caveats. Red-blooded Mars spends the month squaring you, signalling some awkward customers in the workplace or toys-out-the-pram moments on the domestic front (the house looks noisy), but these are passing clouds. Potentially more profound is the opposition of Pluto, though this is focused mainly on birthdays circa July 9, and may involve handling a powerful, devious individual, not least around the new Moon of November 18.

That new Moon also has in its sights birthdays close to July 18. It’s an intriguing moment; the Moon (Cancer’s ruler) represents a fresh start, the inflow of new energy and people, though with planet Prometheus also involved, who or what arrives may not be what you expect!

The Sun arrives in the zone of daily routine and dedicated work on November 22 – an annual occurrence that holds no great terrors, but with Mercury going retrograde here in December, best be pernickety about details – if you don’t pick ‘em up, someone else will.

Leo

Your Sun ruler reaches the base of your ‘scope at this time every year, but only every dozen years does it sit here alongside Jupiter, the planet of optimism and future-thinking. It’s a sweet omen, but not without challenge – you are being asked to up your game professionally and/or make some changes in your domestic set-up. As related last month, family matters may become more pressing, you may seek more space or have it handed to you.

The full Moon at the peak of your ‘scope on November 4 feels like a way-marker; you may fret that you have run out of road, so to speak, but just round the comer lie thrilling new vistas – the new Moon of November 18 looks like a take-off point.

The feeling of closure and new start is emphasised by Saturn, now in the last weeks of its two and a half years in your scope’s zone of hope and heartstrings. Saturn is not all bad, but its energies are those of cold realism, so even a happy love life has likely been accompanied by pressure and responsibilities. If you have been grafting on a creative project over the last two years, Christmas make a good deadline.

The shift of your Sun ruler into Sagittarius (a fellow fire sign) on November 22 should ginger your mood upwards. Romance? With the lunar north node in your regal sign (and there for another twelve months), partners may struggle to keep up with you. Sometimes you have to crack on regardless of what they think.

Virgo

Without wishing to alarm you, your astrologer is duty bound to point out that your ruling planet, Mercury, goes into a retrograde phase in just one month’s time, prior to Christmas. So soon! You are only just through mopping up from the last Merc Ret in August /September. Thankfully, next month’s retrograde is not in your skies but in the domestic sector of your ‘scope.

That makes the first demand of November organisation. Mercifully, your communications sector is packed and ready for action (Sun, Mercury, Venus, new Moon and Jupiter all present and behaving). Get to whatever tasks are on your brimming agenda. The presence of Jupiter makes this more than just a short term shuffle – with the giant ‘lucky’ planet here for the next twelve months you can build up your reputation as a person with skills for sale, especially public speaking, education, systems analysis, or as a pragmatic wheeler dealer…even as one of the great and the good (yes, humble you).

Another planet in significant operation is taskmaster Saturn, now completing its two and a half year square to Virgo. Saturn’s work – i.e. your hard work – is pretty much done, but birthdays circa September 19 remain on their mettle. If you have done your duty – something for which a Virgo can be relied on – pay-off arrives in just one month’s time.

Neptune has been in opposition in Pisces for what seems like forever, but the giant gas ball turns to forwards motion late this month, promising to clear the relationship air for birthdays circa September 3. Early in the month, the full Moon of November 4 makes an obliging angle from your fellow earth sign of Taurus, making this a weekend to celebrate.

Libra

The sign of Libra is at one of the four hinge points of the year – the solstices and equinoxes – making it a ‘cardinal’ sign i.e. pushy. However Libra is also the sign of peace and harmony, and thereby lies a ticklish problem, how can you be a pushy peacenik? And how cane you create harmony without compromising yourself?

Answers to these conundrums are not easily come by. Brilliant Libran diplomats exist, but more common are Librans who veer between ‘peace at any price’ and downright provocation. There is more chance of the latter than th former in November, since Mars, the god of action and war, is marching through your skies. At best Mars lends you physical stamina and an impatience to get jobs done – it’s hard even for prevaricating Libra not to make your mind up!

However, as promised in October, here is a repeated a sentence as promise from last month’s forecast: ‘What you don’t want under a Mars transit is to say too much and start conflict with either people you like or with enemies who may prove more invidious than expected. ‘

Helping you to activate your innate charm (it says here) is Venus in the first week of the month. The full Moon of the 4^th, when Venus opposes planet Prometheus, looks a ripe time for a romantic encounter, or for you to deliver a mercy killing to a relationship that has gone stale.

Venus moves into Scorpio on the 7^th, joining Jupiter and the Sun. Scorpio represents income and cash flow for you, Libra, and also what you’re worth – not just what’s in the bank account but how you value yourself. Give your self-esteem a polish, especially at the new moon of November 18, and keep an eye on your bank account – Jupiter is good for income but also prone to spend.