Your Stars November 2011
Posted on 3 November 2011 | 31 responses
Happy new year. The Celtic festival of Samhain on 31 October – aka Halloween aka All Hallow’s Eve – marks the end of the Celtic annual calendar. To our ancestors, the new year started when the seeds were put to bed ready for winter’s long sleep. For an agricultural community, it makes perfect sense.
November’s stars certainly make a decent picture for ringing in the new. Any time one of the three ‘outer’ planets is heavily involved in the planetary cycles – that’s Pluto, Neptune and Uranus/Prometheus – events in the economic, political and cultural realm are prone to turbulence, often of an extreme kind.
Neptune, now returning to forward motion, is a tricky case to call. Deception, illusion, glamour, oil, pharmaceuticals and mysticism all figure among its bewildering symbolic remit. And, of course, the oceans.
On a more practical level for most of us, oil barons aside, the imminent retrograde of messenger Mercury between 24 November and 14 December is a cue for members of all signs, but especially Sagittarius, to clear your agenda swiftly, and either shop very early for Christmas or wait until after 14 December. Contrary to the impression that astrologers sometimes give, life does go on under Mercury retrograde, but you have to make double sure of arrangements, especially purchasing upscale gifts.
Scorpio
Hurry up! Mercury and Venus are almost out of your skies (that’ll be the gossip and flirtation of recent weeks), plus there was just a new Scorpio Moon on the 26th, about which your astrologer failed to give you notice (mea culpa). You still have most of a birthday month left in which to smooch, being imperious and mysterious, but the next couple of weeks come more highly prized. Be aware that the full Moon of the 10th and 11th doesn’t make a time for cool debate with partners or for emotional decisions (dressing up a super-Goth, fine)
The month’s main message is to exult in your powers. You are not a sign to go through life without trading a few blows, and in the impersonal world of your career you work best in the role of scrapper and scene-stealer. Mars calls for your fighting powers, especially around the 21st.
Domestically it’s more slippery – we’re talking iffy flats and dodgy drains – but not indefinitely. If home is an issue, you’re at a positive turn-round point, with issues that were active back in January back on the agenda. Partners, significant others, summer arrivals on the romantic front, swell folks with lots of dosh all remain in play this month as Jupiter rewinds. As you are mercifully out of the line of fire where this month’s more challenging aspects are concerned – a total solar eclipse for example – cruse on. For romantics, the last few days of the month hold promise.
Sagittarius
Aha! Odd, action-packed times lie straight ahead. Venus, trailing parties and dates, arrives on the 2nd for a swift three week stay – a chance to flaunt even before it’s your birthday. Then comes Mercury on the 3rd. The presence of the great communicator is with you into early 2012, meaning words and emails have power, and that during Mercury’s pesky retrograde cycle – the 24th to December 14th – you can expect to be called out on promises, asked to renegotiate and must be prepared to improvise Plan Bs.
Then there’s the total solar eclipse that accompanies the Sag new Moon of the 25th – very pertinent as a harbinger of change if that’s your birthday, otherwise don’t get too alarmed. In fact, you look like quite the mover and shaker, albeit that terms and conditions apply.
One of said conditions is that from mid-month Mars arrives at the peak of your ‘scope, a useful prompt to get out on the professional stage…and stay there! Peeking ahead to 2012 finds the red planet in residence in your career zone for several months. Still, what do a few professional battles matter? The important thing is to keep your personal vision of your worth and ambitions strong, especially now, when the planetary picture is in your favour. Work solo if you need to.
That new Moon of the 25th is an ignition point for both carefully nurtured plans, and out-the-box events that follow in its immediate wake. Though you’ll have to be patient until mid-December, Saturn promises that well-laid long-term plans regarding property and work come to fruition before the new year. The involvement of Uranus/Prometheus at your new Moon promises fireworks at a more personal level – go with the metaphorical flow, Centaur.
Capricorn
Work! You love it (you’re a Cap!) and the prestige and riches it brings, yet even you wonder sometimes why you let it impinge quite so heavily on your life.
Given that your ruling planet, Saturn, continues to break fresh ground until February, it looks likely that you’ll have to hang in there with the status quo for now. Even if you are changing/have recently changed jobs (pretty likely if you were born in 1980. ’81 or ’82) you will have to keep saluting the grey forces of the establishment. The chance to slacken your professional chains arrives early in the new year. This month mid-January birthdays are those feeling Saturn’s inexorable pressure, not just with work, but with any life-changing decisions you took 14 or 29 years back. It could be time for a reckoning.
The month of Scorpio, what’s left of it, is broadly obliging nonetheless, especially when dealing with colleagues, professional groupings and jolly sporting organisations. Jupiter in your fifth solar house continues to smile on your expansive, social side. The full Moon of the 10th is good for making whoopee, and for emotions to turn super-intense.
The month of Sagittarius offers a rather different picture. With the total eclipse of the 25th (a new Moon) in the most private, indeed secretive, zone of your ‘scope, what accompanies it is probably no-one’s business but your own, and may need a reclusive moment for a decision. Put the words ‘down time’ in your ever-packed schedule.
Venus popping over your horizon on the 27th brings a sweeter, more mellow mood in the run-up to Christmas and, as importantly, your birthday.
Aquarius
The chances of living la dolce vita have looked pretty slim recently – not that life can’t be/isn’t fulfilling and purposeful, but a combination of Mars in opposition and Saturn urging you to bring property and professional plans to completion is not a picture of ease.
The first half of November maintains this pattern and adds to the need to cut a more public presence in your working life (good for show business types!). Mercury’s presence in your zone of networking and favours that are extended (and returned) puts you in a good position to schmooze and cut deals – indeed, you can make some dazzling contacts in the week following the new Moon of the 25th. The messenger planet’s backwards spell between the 24th and 14 December is time to ease back and evaluate; if you force the pace too hard then, you’re likely to be spinning your wheels.
In mid-month Mars also gets off your case – any time after the 11th is good for burying the hatchet with people with whom you have recently been on the outs. Best not try too hard before then – Mars makes a brief opposition to Neptune in your skies, with a hard-to-call outcome. Aquarians will be reading a lot about Neptune from some other astrologers; suffice to say that your writer thinks said planet is a player mainly for birthdays 16-18 January. Said folks can breathe a sigh of relief at mid-month, when Neptune begins its final pass over your birthday Sun. Neptune represents the glamour factor; you can do some serious self PR this month, but don’t start believing your own hype.
The full Moon in operation over the 10th and 11th brings issues of home and hearth into focus for all Water-Bearers. Whether by relocating, expanding the family (including flatmates), or swishing up your gaff, you’re being invited to enhance your personal space.
Pisces
Planets in other water signs are invariably obliging for the zodiac’s Fishes. The Sun in Scorpio until the 23rd is therefore good news, favouring your zest for adventure, travel and learning. That makes an interesting backdrop to other unfolding planetary events. Venus passing over the apex of your ‘scope brings a nod of recognition from one of your more humane (probably female) bosses.
Your ambitions in the outer, public world are the focus of several planetary events. Mercury’s presence in your career zone for some nine weeks promises plenty of action in the area where you forge your life path. That said, the planet’s retrograde patch between November 24 and December 15th obliges you to rethink your plans and expect some twerp up top to present you with an impossible-to-fulfil schedule. With Mercury, the more study and detailed attention you pay to what’s offered/agreed/promised, the better you handle the planet’s awkward retrograde.
A new Moon at the pinnacle of your ‘scope (on the 25th) would normally be a cause for simple celebration – a chance to relaunch yourself on the world stage! – but as that of the 25th is also a solar eclipse, it’s a wait-and-see moment, especially given Mercury’s indecision. If you feel blocked, here’s the time to deftly remove what (or even who) is in your way. Ganesh, the Indian god of astrology, is known as ‘the remover of obstacles’ (which is why he’s on the front of every temple) – that’s the positive way to consider this eclipse.
Mid-month’s change of gear also includes Mars moving into opposition for a stay of several months, a cue to tiptoe round your other half rather than move into crockery-smashing mood. A Mars-Chiron opposition on the 10th/11th definitely has the making of an ‘ouch!” moment. Be wary whom you pick a fight with (or who picks one with you) – you don’t want a piece of siege warfare over the winter.
Aries
Hmmm, there’s so much to play for before the new year kicks in: individualistic, self-made success, coping with the drab forces of officialdom (including the forbidding ‘ex’), against the odds laying hands on a haul of loot, and somewhere along the line, having fun.
Saturn in long-term opposition is a classic ‘no fun’ signature, yet with your totem planet, Mars, wildly on your side until the 11th, you have a window of opportunity to display your zest for life; parties in loud clothes! Salsa and rum! A bright new canvas! Planets moving into Sagittarius, a fellow fire sign, are similarly good news. Late November and December have a lot to say about what George Bush called ‘the vision thing’ – ethics, utopian ideals, education – and similarly inspiring geographical vistas. All of these topics are covered by an active solar ninth house featuring a total solar eclipse, plus a lengthy Mercury transit, fuelling your powers of communication and zest for travel.
Look upon Mercury’s prickly retrograde cycle– from Nov 24 to December 14 – as an opportunity to take stock and finish up old business and it shouldn’t trip you up.
That solar eclipse also involves tricksy Uranian energies, the same ones that have given many Rams a roller coaster ride in 2011. Those born just after the spring Equinox have been gripping the sides of their seat especially tightly. The eclipse – also a new Moon don’t forget – promises to be something of a boon, a kick start for the far wilder ride of crazy ol’ 2012.
But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Mars, your uncontested ruler, marches into your sixth house of work and health on November 11th and stays there for, oh, months and month, signifying that your ‘play hard’ streak comes with a built-in ‘work hard’ proviso. Jupiter, the money planet par excellence, remains handily poised in the zone of your ‘scope where you locate cash (and likely spend it instantly). The full Moon of the 10th/11th promises to be a glittering affair. Get out the house that weekend with an optimistic heart and a determination not to get over-excited.
Taurus
‘Woolly Bully!’ as the old song says. As your astrologer pointed out last month, Scorpio is not always the kindest month of the year to Taureans, it being your opposite sign and all. And indeed, with the mighty Sun in opposition until the 23rd, best take especial care not to be run-down or to fall victim to one of those throat-strangling infections to which noble Bulls are prone.
Still, with your totem planet, fair Venus, moving out of opposition on November 2nd, your chances of easy-win situations increase. Plus, with swell-hearted Jupiter buoyant in your skies through to your birthday, you look more unsinkable than ever.
The squall of planetary action in Sagittarius in October and December does you no kind favours but does invite you to look way harder at all matters financial, not just your earning power but the way you can generate wealth through property, mortgages, Great Aunt Annie’s bequeathed oil paintings and so on. Taurus is the sign of economics – over the next nine weeks you have to prove your canniness. That will involve using the irksome retrograde of Mercury (24 November – 14 December) to renegotiate those rascally corporate contracts and generally re-adjust and re-view your place in the fragile world economy. Oh, and to make sure that the solar eclipse of the 25th doesn’t involve a sudden void in your bank account!
The Taurus full Moon of November 10th is, of course, a cue to ensure you don’t get too carried away, especially in discussions over cocktails with your better half. Prepare to be out-ranked if need be. Don’t confront – dance.
You’ll be doing an awful lot of dancing over the next few months (literally or metaphorically). Mars moves into your fifth house from the 11th for an exceptionally long stay. This is the planet that likes to compete, win, celebrate and conquer. The 17th may provide a clue to what’s on offer in the months ahead.
Neptune remains an enigmatic factor in your affairs, especially your public profile. Here, a touch of glamour is what’s you’re after, the key word being ‘touch’, unless you’re thirsting for the poisoned chalice of ‘celebrity’.
Gemini
Now here’s a pretty pickle: on November 2nd your ruling planet, Mercury, takes up opposition for the next nine weeks. Usually Mercury whizzing through your complementary sign of Sagittarius is no big deal, signifying no more than a few hot discussions with you know who. However, with the planet backsliding between 24 November-14 December, a period of deliberation and negotiation is signalled, requiring first of all that you are not hasty with your promises or threats – what you put out there comes back to haunt you soon enough. At the least you can expect for significant others to be ambivalent and change their minds.
Still, with Venus also moving through the Centaur’s skies during November, those of you who are interested are also promised a head-turner or two. However one approaches the planetary picture, relationships seem to be at the heart of most of the action. The total solar eclipse of the 25th is a potential game-changer – a good moment to get rid of someone if that’s your intention, especially to lose the attention of a rival or an unwanted ‘ex’. As outlined in last month’s forecast, the ongoing march of Saturn is also raising questions, perhaps uncomfortable, about where your commitments lie and how sustainable is one particular romance.
For those of you who are settled, however, and even for those in an uproar, Saturn is also in a highly obliging spot if you are trying to bring property deals to a conclusion, or engaged in a long-term creative project. Bustle on, bearing in mind that there are better times to sign contracts during dear ol’ Mercury Retrograde.
In the run-up to the 24th, the current lunation smiles on all health and spiritual pursuits; detoxes, workouts, meditation retreats, cleansing your workplace and suchlike. The full Moon arrives on the 10th, but Luna is still potent over the weekend of the 12th/13th, when she passes through Gemini’s skies – bonzer couple of days for celebration, showing off or, erk, getting far too carried away.
Cancer
Your ‘scope seems determined that both work and play must play their part in your current operations. As the latter quality has been in short supply for much of 2011, the more freewheeling climes promised by the Sun in Scorpio until the 24th are not to be taken for granted. Self-advertisement in all forms is favoured. The full Moon of the 9th and 10th works in your favour for all meet –and-greet, handshaking, glass-chinking scenarios. Act and feel like a player.
The socialising and running around doesn’t end when the Sun changes sign at the 24th, but may have to get more…purposeful. Anything that involves you in the role of student or teacher gathers momentum in the run-in to the new year – the period from the 16th to the 23rd may provide hot tips on what direction you can pursue.
Work likely comes as a four letter word thanks to the fidgety retrograde of organiser Mercury from 24 November to 14 December. Get prepared with an immaculate clear-out of your paperwork, and a readiness to accommodate at work, where you can expect to have to tidy up other people’s blunders (not yours, obviously!). Remember that old work is as good as new during this brief phase. Eclipses of the Sun (on the 25th) and your planet, the Moon (on December 10th) likewise suggest a realignment of your job or the manner in which you do it.
The three heavyweight planets that have been trying to bully you this year remain in place (bah). Those of you born close to the Summer Equinox are the principal targets for Plutonian and Uranian energies, both of which can be keen on transformational experiences. The good news is that come new year you will be operating under different climes. Pluto retreats and Uranus livens up your career path.
Something similar involves Saturn, planet of the old grouch and the careful planner. The next three months keep the pressure on, especially for birthdays from mid-July onwards (or anytime in ‘82/’83), but also allow you to achieve as never before – a big, difficult project fits the bill nicely, providing it is not in the fantasy realm.
Leo
Been keeping out of trouble? Mars in one’s sign has a habit of handing out a few bumps, bruises and red-mist moments, though hopefully without long term consequences. The warrior planet remains in your skies until 11 November, meaning there’s still time for a prank or two. The opposition between Mars and Neptune – exact on the 7th – is one to bear in mind, especially for birthdays circa August 20-21; a perfect recipe for an encounter with a dreamboat…or a slippery conman!
In general, however, your horoscope has much more constructive ideas in mind for you in the run-in to the new year. Right now, Leo’s planet, the Sun, is pushing you to get things done in house and home. Jupiter, the planet that is promising big things for your career in coming months, remains nicely sited to introduce you a few captains of industry or scene-shakers – people almost as grand as you in fact! Waiting in the wings is the wild-card planet Prometheus to bring some boundary-busting vistas to your view of the planet, or at least, to make your patch of it slightly larger.
Here and now come Venus and Mercury in Sagittarius – a fellow fire sign that in your solar scope represents many of the things that make Leo’s motor tick: performance, parties, festoons of bling and a big-hearted participation in human society. Venus’ parade is brief, until the 26th, but messenger Mercury lingers until the new year, including a heel-dragging retrograde period between 24 November and 14 December, the right time for you to reconsider your options in matters of romance, recalibrate your attitude to your offspring and revise that masterpiece in your bottom desk drawer.
A total eclipse of the Sun on the 25th shifts the rules in all such interests; it’s something of a slate-cleaning moment, so be prepared to restart your campaign for glory come mid-December. Your personal realm, especially siblings and chums, is under examination. Or rather, your attitude to such personal bonds is under scrutiny – you can remain, a delightful Tigger (as always, honest!), with an extra bounce to your mane on the Moon-in-Leo days of the 17th and 18th.
Virgo
Busy-ness – as opposed to but not excluding business – is the default mode for most Virgoans. Utter inertia, especially of a pleasurable variety, also appeals, though for those other than dark-side Virgoans (yes, they exist), not for long.
Your November stars thus present you with a chequered picture. The Sun in Scorpio until the 23rd definitely favours you running-round, scene checking, indeed being downright nosy. Mars marching into your sign for a rare and epic sojourn -until summer 2012 – clearly has much to impress upon you about all aspects of self-assertion (not a natural strong point) and how to face down other people who dare to mess with you (not usually a problem).
You better get used, in short, to being more pushy than your innate politeness allows. Hunger for action and admiration is, contrary to your rep as goody two-shoes, a big feature of the next few months. You come with a big advantage if you recognise that the retrograde of your ruling planet, Mercury – 24 November-14 December – is a time for pause and reflection, even though the hunger is upon you. It’s an irritation, not a stopping block.
Much of the planetary action in November and December concerns the root of your solar ‘scope – the place and family you’re from, and the people with whom your currently live. There’s a probably lengthy and detailed discussion involved here, as you jockey for position among your flatmates or leasehold rivals. You prosper by being astute, withholding, meticulous and, if pushed, legally minded. It’s a two way conversation so you must listen as well as dictate. That said, don’t underestimate you power, which gathers as the year goes on.
Accruing necessary funds isn’t easy with Saturn in your second house, but shrewdness and austerity help. Oddly, perhaps, stacks of loot do not seem to be much of a driving factor right now. Emotional satisfaction is the force in motion, and the one likely in coming months to deliver security.
Libra
Odd fact: time marches on, but not always at the same pace. You have an object lesson in the ambiguity of temporal experience this month. The planet foremost in Libran lives, Saturn, courses onwards, asking all Librans, but especially those born mid-October, to face less than palatable truths. Own up to your failings, be prepared to shed stuff, even people, in pursuit of your long term aims. With regard to such heavyweight matters – Saturn is nothing if not heavyweight – your birthday month likely offered more home truths than you anticipated; ask Prime Minister and Libran David Cameron.
Saturn is the planet of achievement, however; hard-nosed resolve, opting for the difficult decision rather than the easy way out, always pay dividends where Saturn is involved. Forget trying to please everybody; do what’s right for you.
Your ruling planet’s recent shift into Sagittarius enhances your appetite for the social whirl, and with Mercury spending a couple of months in the same sign, plus a total solar eclipse there at the new Moon of the 25th, it could be time to refresh your circle of acquaintances and fellow travellers. The retrograde of Mercury, from 24 November – 14 December, suggests you look up a few old chums.
For creative Librans, the flurry of activity in the Centaur’s skies asks you to re-boot a creative project. Your way with words is of especial importance now. Neptune’s current prominence in your ‘scope adds a further glow to any masterpieces that are under construction. For those of you involved in education it’s also an important moth, when you can readjust your schedules or even your syllabus.
Jupiter’s ongoing presence in Taurus helps you find money – the full Moon of the 10th offers illumination as to just where the treasure is hidden.
Your Stars New Moon 27 September 2011
Posted on 29 September 2011 | 26 responses
A new Moon in Libra is obliging most of the U.K. with an example of Libran balance and perfection in the form of weather that is all dappled sunlight and still skies. Since the Meteorological Office are prone to routine gaffes these days – the favoured modus operandi seems to be to look out the window to see what’s happening and still get it wrong – it was good to see them call this spell correctly. Folklore has it that weather patterns change with new and full Moons, an idea that sends meteorologists into apoplexy, but which seems to this humble observer to work reasonably well. Look to the skies around the 11th and 12th, when a potent full Moon in Aries arrives (almost precisely opposite Saturn) for further evidence.
On a personal level, the ongoing march of Saturn is the key event for most of the zodiac’s members, certainly for Libra, Aries, Cancer and Capricorn, all of whom will have felt said planet’s none too tender touch by year’s end. Otherwise, with Mercury, Venus and Mars all moving at yop speed (oh yes, planets have speed, albeit an illusion generated by relative orbits), its is, as they say in sportsworld, game on! Play up.
Libra
A new Moon in one’s sign is always a moment to take stock, albeit briefly, and then to march forwards with renewed purpose. With a slew of planets currently occupying your skies, you have a green light for even your most audacious plans, the caveat being that with Saturn involved, careful planning comes ahead of a cavalier hope-for-the-best attitude.
The easy part of the planetary equation is that with Mercury and Venus signifying until the 12th and 8th respectively, Libran charm and its emollient diplomacy/clever PR spin (delete to fit) come easily. A tactic mentioned from last month’s forecast – “Show a steely face to your doubters” – remains very much in place. Libra is a contradictory sign, ever eager to keep everyone happy yet not afraid of confrontation. At present that duality has to be carefully, uh, balanced. Persistence, in fact sheer bloody mindedness, is an ally under Saturn (and those of you born 8-14 October are particularly under Saturn’s hammer at present).
Saturn’s principal concerns are worldly – job, status, property – but Big Decisions of all stripes tend to arrive under Saturn transits, which pose the question – ‘If not now, when?’
For some of you that will doubtless spell a make or break point in a relationship (especially for 1967/68 and 1981/82 birthdays). The decision may, of course, not be entirely in your hands and if your other half has taken it into their mind to walk out on you for a wild’n’crazy newcomer, you may have to settle for dignified stoicism. This new Moon falls opposite the maverick energies of Prometheus/Uranus, with the full Moon of the 12th exactly opposite Saturn, so issues involving Significant Others look hard to avoid. Whether said Other is a spouse, a business partner a deadly enemy or an ex, a spirit of cool independence serves you well – don’t cling to what can’t support you. Negotiation remains, as ever, a Libran strongpoint. If you are in the grip of a bright new infatuation/true and everlasting love (your shout) best not get too impatient – time is on your side.
Making money under Saturn tends to involve the long haul, investing time and energy for the future rather than raking in the cash immediately. Nonetheless, once the full Moon is out the way, your horoscope is keen on acquiring funds, especially those owed to you and likewise spending them (go steady!). For those of you in freelance/commerce mode, the second half of October is about being a demon (not a rogue) trader.
Scorpio
‘Secretive Scorpio’ is an astrological cliché, and not without reason, the implication usually being that Scorpios are given to prowling in the shadows of the cathedral cloister ready to produce a stiletto from their sleeve. That isn’t you, of course (well, only sometimes), and if you are planning a deadly assault on an enemy or ex, be aware that it will likely be an act of self-undoing (another of Scorpio’s fabled qualities). More of which later.
The first half of this lunar month is, however, very much about secrets and private plans. A bunch of planets in the most obscure, out-of-sight, area of your horoscope at today’s new Moon puts the emphasis on what you are scheming in private, as well as on retreats, visits to institutions of healing or correction, and, perhaps liaisons dangereuses (your favourite kind).
It all makes for an intense fortnight ahead, though not one you can easily share with other people. The picture is complicated by the recent arrival of Scorpio’s star, Mars, at the peak of your horoscope, signalling several weeks when you are obliged – or can easily benefit from – your career path. Indeed, the more public your profile in matters of work and self-advancement, the better. Shameless self-advertisement is a big feature of October and November. Whether actual money is involved is less obvious, though if you are in a business partnership of any kind, your double act appears to add up to more than the sum of its parts.
Strutting on the career stage aside, quiet deliberation looks a good policy until after the full Moon of the 12th. At that point, Mercury and Venus arrive s for an all too brief stay in your skies, making the following month a key stretch of your personal year. Your luck looks especially in on the 18th/19th. All schemes, personal, political or professional, are under super-charged stars in late October/early November.
As for your other half, the one you can’t escape even if you wanted to, the ball remains rather in their court for now. With Jupiter in rewind, issues that have been in play since June remain so until next spring. You can exert your formidable will that much more easily after the full Moon of the 12th and, again, after the new Moon in your skies on the 26th.
Sagittarius
The Centaur is a sign keen on justice. Even the more freewheeling members of the Sag tribe, the gypsies, pirates and hedge philosophers, have a strong streak of righteousness to their thinking. As for the overtly campaigning Archers, the ones on a high moral horse…take cover!
The new Moon in Libra, a sign that is also keen on justice when it isn’t shopping, puts the spotlight on where you make common cause, where you find people simpatico to your value system. Some will be friends, others will be fellow travellers and marriages of convenience, the point being that you are stronger and more effective together than you are as individuals.
For some it’s a ‘Freshers Week’ scenario, casting round for people with whom you have something in common, societies you might join. For others this lunar month, and in particular the next fortnight, is a chance to cash in chips and credibility with your posse, committee or social network and make things happen.
Things will happen, whether you make them or not. The flurry of planets in Libra, focused on Saturn, is about give-and-take, horse-trading, jockeying for commercial advantage, frantic networking, the odd friend-or-lover moment. Even aloof Centaurs, of which there is shortage, can’t help but carried along by the hurly burly. Make the most of it, because deals you strike now, friendships you forge, have the capacity to sustain you over months and years ahead. Plus, once mid-October arrives, you are into a more subdued, and likely more pressurised, stretch of your year.
There are other auspicious planetary omens in play. Mars and Uranus/Prometheus complete a triangle of fire signs with your own, handy especially if you have a birthday circa 25/26 November. The romantic scenario surrounding many Sags has been, shall we say, dynamic this summer, and you remain in a zone where people can drag you across the country or globe, such is the madcap infatuation involved. You might as well follow whatever instincts impose themselves, since a pair of eclipses upcoming in your birthday month promise to rewrite the rulebook for many of you. If you are getting irrational ideas about ‘this is fate, this is kismet’, you are not off track with your ‘scope.
Once past the potent full Moon of the 12th- potent for you because it has plenty to say about where and with whom your heart lies – you are into a more subdued stretch, one in which work, health and the maintenance of sustaining routines comes to the fore. Events in the last week of October, may clarify any confusion extant about your domestic set up. Even gypsies need a home of some sort.
Capricorn
Even Capricorns who are hardened sceptics about matters astrological know that they are meant to be the tough sons and daughters of Saturn. Some might even have read that with Pluto in Capricorn for a small age (in fact, only until 2023!) they are being challenged to wield their powers with ever more consideration for the masses over whom they hold sway (Caps always rule). Today’s new Moon finds those two planets in powerful alignment, signalling a lunar month when your powers as boss (or wannabe boss) are put to the test for good or for…less good.
With Venus (on 30 September), Mercury (6 October) and Sun (13 October) all conjoining Saturn in the life path zone of your ‘scope, your long term career plans are either coming to glorious fruition or their inadequacies being painfully pointed out. Saturn has been pushing you to do more professionally – or at least survive, by fair means or foul – for the last 18 months. The next fortnight offers a reality check on your progress. For birthdays circa 24-26 December (take a bow Ed Miliband) and Jan 10-14, that goes double. As every Goat knows, there is always someone further up the professional totem pole, and right now, they may have to be appeased. Ultra formality serves you well, attempts to blackmail or bluff your way less so. Compromise – not your default position – is a good bet.
By way of compensation for the pressure from up above, the more playful side of your life – to which Capricorns are prone to pay less than full attention – remains buoyant. Jupiter in Taurus, a fellow earth sign, provides an ongoing reminder that parties, love affairs and (this month’s special) hot sex also have a place in your world. Perhaps against the odds, there also seems to be a chance of fast money – perhaps not even what you have slaved to earn – around the 3rd/4th – good days for you in any case
The full Moon of the 12th alters the mood somewhat, ushering in a month or so when your most sociable nature is called into play. Therefacter, and especially afer the Sun arrives in Scorpio on the 24th, it’s not ‘who you know’ but ‘who you like’ that counts most.
Aquarius
Contrary to the singing, dancing ‘Dawn of the Age of Aquarius’ hoopla that has been inflicted on the world over the last half century, yours is actually rather a stubborn, even conservative sign. Even futurist, space cadet Aquarians – of which there are many – are prone to dig in their heels rather than compromise.
All of which makes the next lunar moth quite a challenge. How so? With Mars now in opposition for six weeks, issues surrounding you-know-who (singular or plural) are back to bother you (remember how difficult August was?). Even if it isn’t the pushy, obstinate ex, it’s likely to be a flamboyant newcomer who rattles your cage with demands and, yup, possibilities. Simultaneously, Jupiter at the root of your ‘scope continues to nag about where you are living, with whom and on what terms. Nothing looks straightforward unless you make it so, and your willpower is likely to be to put to the test during the first week of October, when these two planets square off. Playing awkward is no bad option – on domestic issues, you have time, weeks if not months.
Simultaneously, today’s new Moon in Libra is pressing ‘go’ buttons on ideas and plans that have been sparking your imagination for the last 18 months, and certainly since June. With a series of planets aligning with Aquarius’ ruler, Saturn, it’s your long term, deeply held ambitions that now take precedence. Connections to new ideas, intellectuals, foreign climes, and, indeed Librans, all hold reward and promise. Until mid October, you can sift earnestly through what has or hasn’t paid off in 2011 and jettison or endorse accordingly. This is not a completed process, just an important staging post in re-aligning your personal fiefdom. In any event the next fortnight looks busy and productive as you care to make it. You can go onto cruise control is your choose, but better to push the pace. The 6th and 7th are ultra-opportune dates for your diary, whatever your intentions.
After October 13th a more pushy planetary scenario presents itself, far from adverse but one that favours a higher public profile, even it’s built partly on bluff and chutzpah – you will be required to deliver later in the month!
Pisces
Ideally, Piscean lives flow like mountain streams, bright, bubbling, beautiful, and always ready to take a new course when an obstacle on life’s path presents itself. That’s the theory, anyway. At present, you’re in a murkier phase when carving out what you want from life on Planet Earth seems hedged about with compromise and, perhaps, secrecy. These aren’t exactly adverse or make-or-break conditions – you went through those a couple of years or so back – but every decision seems to come with a downside. You’re all too aware of your deficiencies or what/who is absent.
The good news is that you can, or perhaps have to, ease off the ‘achievement’ pedal long enough to satisfy your ambitions on a more personal level. Today’s new Moon, loaded with planets in the most private part of your ‘scope, asks you to calibrate your intimate life – yes, sexual pleasure is involved – and to ensure that one-on-one relationships are justly balanced vis a vis your respective financial contributions. If you are conducting any kind of furtive relationship – and frankly, it’s no-one else’s business, not even your astrologer’s – then this is the month to explore it. If you’re searching for funds – and who isn’t right now – then here’s the chance to find them. Any financial good fortune is there to be cherished, not taken for granted.
The further good news is that nothing stays stuck for long this autumn. Indeed, once the full Moon of the 12th has gone, social connections and business plans acquire a zip that will carry you through another month or more, as planets in Scorpio – a fellow water sign – align obligingly. While on dates, note that the weekend of the 8th/9th features a waxing Moon in your skies, a very suitable time to make a spectacle of yourself at some Libran birthday party or equivalent.
Your ability to wheel, deal and swim through the currents of daily life remains highlighted by ruler Jupiter. Nor is it just a case of who you know – your technical savvy and practical skills are very much a part of you can achieve right through to next spring. Education in any guise offers a rewarding option, perhaps with a financial pay-off. The chance of steady work, not necessarily of the headline-grabbing variety, is emphasised by Mars’ march through the sector of your ‘scope concerned with the daily grind, and the necessity of keeping yourself fit enough to do so.
Chiron, the tiny asteroid concerned with healing and chutzpah, continues to lurk near the start of Pisces’ patch of the cosmos. For birthdays circa 19-21 February especially, all the wounds one receves along life’s highway tend to smart.
Aries
The Ram, being the first sign of the zodiac, is justly celebrated as the great individualist, the ‘me-first’ character that makes things happen. Jolly good too. Yet no zodiac sign is alone; all twelve find a complement in the sign that opposes and complements them, in your case Libra.
Since today’s new Moon in Libra comes with a bunch of other planets attached, not least Saturn, your ‘scope currently has the look of an imbalanced see-saw, weighted heavily against you. What that means in practice is that significant others currently have a disproportionate influence, the challenge being how you can handle them. For many of you it is simply a case of readjusting your relationship with your other half/business partner/ex through discussion – negotiations of any kind are big news over the next two weeks – and perhaps ceding a bit of power (key words ‘perhaps’ and ‘a bit’).
Even if the issue is an outright foe – quite a few ‘ex’s’ fall into that category – you are asked to reconsider your tactics. Here, accessing your inner Libran is a useful ruse – like them you have to apply diplomacy, understanding and a little deviousness to get your way, rather than simply do your fiery ‘I’m Aries don’t mess’ act. Frankly, you look a bit outgunned for that kind of posture. It may not result in an outbreak of peace in the valley – though burying hatchets is etched into these stars – but it could stabilise hostilities.
Any me-and-him/her scenario has the potential to reach boiling point at the Aries full Moon of 11/12 October. Full Moons in one’s sign are invariably giddy, full-on occasions. This one, with Saturn fully involved, unusually trying and to ask searching questions about loyalty. Saturn remains an n unobliging presence in your horoscope, asking you to make more of less and putting authority figures and jobsworths in your way, especially for birthdays circa 7-10 April (or any time in 1981/2). Your options may be limited, but simply toughing-it-out is no bad thing. Nonetheless, you can exhale loudly once that full Moon is passed, and again once the Sun moves on to the less adversarial skies of Scorpio the 24th.
The blazing ‘Here I Come’ side of Aries is thankfully not absent from your stars. Au contraire, the presence of your totem planet, Mars, in the most exhibitionist zone of your ‘scope suggests you take a break from Other People and hightail it round town in an open top coupe whooping loudly – or any scenario that suggests a similar celebration. For singletons, this moth looks a happy hunting ground, and for creative types, a productive one.
Taurus
People may call you obstinate, but sticking to your guns has its advantages, especially when you are proved right! This winter you’re promised pay-off for past decisions and moves, especially those you have made since your birthday. Jupiter, the planet broadly in charge of your ‘scope until next year’s birthday, is in rewind, ushering lost opportunities back into contention, not least those of a professional or financial variety.
Jupiter is about pushing on, and those of you who have made an uncharacteristic leap into new territory this year are promised reward – those of you who have stick tight get more chance to expand. There is not a lot of compulsion in these stars, but there’s plenty of possibility.
Today’s new Moon in Libra emphasises the advantages of steady work and diligent application – no problem there then – and of keeping yourself fighting fit. The next fortnight is very much about a heads-down and work-hard approach
Once the full Moon of the 12th has gone, you are in different climes. The waning Moon on the 14th and 15th is in your skies, handy for self-promotion and for engaging with significant others/those you would like to become significant. The presence of your totem planet, Venus, in Scorpio for the second half of the month turns up the heat on romances and enables flagging liaisons to be revitalised. The longer October goes on, the more important partners become, including business allies. The month of Scorpio, beginning 24 October, is not always the kindest to Taureans, but this year it promises to bring an intriguing new dimension in terms of those with whom you work with or, gulp, fall in love.
Although April birthdays are in the front line of current events, those born in the last few days of your sign – circa May 19th – also have a fillip in terms of self promotion, thanks to Neptune’s ongoing presence high in your ‘scope. You merely need to ensure that it’s fame, not notoriety, for which you are being noticed.
Gemini
Restless? Of course you are. Gemini being the sign of perpetual movement, restlessness is the default position for most members of the Twins tribe.
A new Moon in Libra, a kindred sir sign, along with three other planets and the odd asteroid, is a combination likely to stir you up further. The next few weeks is certainly a time that favours socialising, meeting, greeting, showing off and flirtation, should that be your thing. Make any Libran birthday parties destination events.
The presence of Saturn so strongly in this particular lunation asks a more profound question, however, one that relates to the mysteries of the human heart. Put simply, where does your heart lie? In relationship terms, this is one of the peak moments of the year, when your long-term allegiances are ripe for consideration. If you have doubts about commitment, they are likely to arise with force. If you are all in favour of commitment, here’s the chance to express your loyalty in overt terms – it’s a good time to get hitched!
It takes two to make pacts (though only one to unbreak them) and the full Moon of October 12 may prove an uncomfortable couple of days. The heart of course, is not just about romantic attachment – a wrench from those you love non-romantically may also be involved (children fleeing the nest make an apposite fit, for example), or you may have reached the point where relocation seems the answer to your unrest. In all cases the challenge is to focus in a non-agitated manner on what you truly want, and pursue it without further compromise. Since Saturn has another year’s residence in Libra, these are questions unlikely to evaporate with the morning dew. You don’t have to make a move of any sort right now, but its important not to evade issues. That way, the challenges of December’s eclipses won’t be such a surprise.
For those of you who are settled, with your chakras aligned and your head on straight, this month and next are times to push on your plans with all energy. Your totem planet, Mercury, is currently streaking ahead at top speed – simply do likewise. The 15th and 16th, being Moon in Gemini days, give you added traction. If you’re interested in self-publicity, the weekend of the 22nd is another good call, just make sure it’s publicity for the right reasons.
Cancer
A new Moon in Libra returns Cancerians to one of life’s eternal truths: if your home is safe, so are you. The depiction of every Cancer as a homebody may be over-stretched, but try winkling a Crab from its lair. The dominant planet of this lunation being Saturn, however, does pile on the pressure where home and domestic routine are concerned. Selling up and moving on may well seem one solution to financial difficulties, and if you are resistant to that notion, take heart that if you can survive until Christmas in your current residence, you’re likely safe for an aeon or two more. If, on the other hand, you wish to relocate or rejuggle your mortgage or otherwise change your set-up, these are the stars under which you can pull off the switch with minimum aggravation.
Saturn is also much involved with your professional advancement, and here too you re at a point of challenge, where gritting teeth and making the best of things may be the only solution in the immediate term. Since Saturn is always about the long term, undertaking and/or completing a major venture is another option, even if it seems like you’re peeing into the wind.
The full Moon of the 11th/12th, which is near the peak of your horoscope, brings all such concerns into focus for what is hopefully an air-clearing moment, even if these are probably not the easiest days in your calendar.
With planets then moving onto Scorpio, a kindred water sign, the outlook for the rest of the month and on into November is sunnier, metaphorically speaking. With Venus and Mercury on your side, it’s time to get out the house and rub shoulders with friends and strangers alike, to network and curry favour with those in a position to help. Jupiter remains helpfully sited for all ‘It’s-who-you-know’ contacts over the course of winter and spring. October 19 and 20 are doubly helpful days whatever your intention, professional or personal.
The arrival of the Sun in Scorpio’s skies on the 23rd further eases any strains on you, and is a useful point to redouble your assault on an unsuspecting world. Birthdays between 21-27 June, who have every reason to feel drained by this year’s events, get an especially seat helping hand then.
Leo
At last, an astro-scape suitable for a royal personage such as yourself! You have, in fairness, already enjoyed some regal stars this year, notably during your birthday month, but while those were oriented to pleasure and the delights of simply being Leo, this current lunar month is more about conquest. With athletic Mars now marching through your skies, you have the energy to put your personal world in order, while putting a few fleas in the ears of others along the way.
The temptation with Mars is to use too much force and to think that sheer audacity will carry you through. However, the planetary line-up in Libra lays stress on the importance of careful planning and preparation. Strategy is important in October. Measuring your words, being parsimonious with your promises and communicating effectively are very much part of the picture. If you are in education or planning a move into the sphere of teaching as a profession, the force is with you. Make the most of all social opportunities as they come with the possibility of contacts with the great and good (so-called).
A full Moon in a fellow fire sign , Aries, on the 11th/12th, plus a canny weekend when the Moon is in fiery Sagittarius on the 1st/2nd, both bring serendipitous encounters rolling your way. Jupiter, a plenet that is doing the Lion tribe big favours right through until next spring, is also prominent this month; any chance to act presidential (a bluff is fine!) should be seized.
Romance is not of the agenda, but shallow wnd enocnters look more likely than being swept along by rolling waves of passion. One can hope, however. Birthdays circa 21 August are also back under the spell of Neptune, variously delght or torture, but in either case rather suspect if you are looking for The Real Thing. It’s a month of conquest, however, and what you see you can, by fair means or foul, likely get!
Virgo
The end of one’s birthday month usually leaves a few chords trailing; the Sun may have shifted into the next sign but other planets linger on. Not so this month. Your personal skiesare empty, planets have moved on…and so must you. Indeed, with Virgo’s totem bosy, Mercury, at itsmost quicksilver, all your craft, cunning and time-keeping will be needed to keep pace with events.
A new Moon in Libra always brings focus onto financial considerations for you, and with Saturn so heavily involved, so are long term plans about your personal loot. It is, perhaps, against the general trend that Virgos are currently able to find resources where others cannot, even if they arrive by indirect means – granny’s treasure trove, the ex’s left-behinds – but whatever the source, a full Moon allied with Saturn across your financial axis (on the 12th) is a moment to peer closely at forgotten accounts, to prise up floorboards and look for lost treasure. If it’s mortgages and property that are the problem, do what Virgos always do when facinga crisis – administrate your way back to sanity.
The sooner you deal with practical issues, the more time you have to enjoy the more obliging climes that arrive in the second half of October, as Mercury swiftly transeverses the sector of your scope concerned with wheels, deals, barter, siblings and everyday affairs – the god of small things sector perhaps, but certainly place where you will be kept unusually busy. Not much is ‘stuck’ in your current horoscope, meaning there is everything to gain by pushing on and trying assorted tactics (December won’t be so obliging).
For those of you involved with the realm of education, here is also a month when the promise of a new term actually seems to be fulfilled. Key contacts can be made in October, whether with an outstanding teacher or pupil, or with the the process of self-education – learning seems to hold out unusual promise over the next six months.
The ongoing surprise factor in your scope remains Pluto, rumbling slowly through your fifth solar house. The enigmatic planet has a major part to play in your affirs over over the next several years (until 2013 onfact) but this winter Pluto’s point is simple enough; you can’t stay suppressed and dutiful forver. At some point you have to stomp out onto the stage proclaim your personal stardom – it may seem an odd idea to little old you, but it propelled an awful lot of hit musicals back in the day. Get rehearsing.
