Window 1: November 1 to 14

Deep feelings or unconscious motivations appear to simmer beneath the surface before, during and after the New Moon (on November 1 at 9° Scorpio, 8:46 am, New York). There is nothing light-hearted about this period – large forces which we do not understand are at play, courtesy of the Mars-Pluto opposition, which becomes exact on November 3 but has been in effect since before the New Moon. To get a feeling for Mars-Pluto, we may picture what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object.

Contradictory forces cannot be reconciled.

Or can they? Staring into the bottom of my hot cocoa cup, I see Neptune trine both Mars (action) and Mercury (mindset). This suggests two potential ways to reconcile the irreconcilable: through illusion or transcendence. Both illusion and transcendence are under the jurisdiction of the mighty Sea-god. It looks like we will either be over-indulging or praying, or both, more than usual this month!

What else lies beneath the surface during this time-frame?

In spite of enormous potential force to act rashly, especially once Mars enters Leo on November 4, there is also the possibility for a calmer perspective. Practice containment as things run their course. By November 13, it looks as if a more serious attitude is available to us all, once Venus enters the realm of stoic Saturn, and Mercury likewise comes into contact with the god of time.

Window 2: November 15 to 30

The Full Moon (exact on November 15 at 24° Taurus, 4:28 pm in New York) looks to usher in surprises and unexpected occurrences. Patterns, you said? They may fly out the window at this time!

Keep your schedule light and allow time for rest and hot chocolate over the weekend of November 16-17. Saturn changes direction from retrograde to direct and we all need time to adjust.

The red letter day for November is the 19th when Pluto enters the domain of Aquarius, where it will remain until 2043. Aquarius is an air sign representing the flow of knowledge for which humanity thirsts, as symbolized by a young man bearing a water jar.

The move of Pluto into Aquarius terminates a long earth sign period, where wealth was measured in material goods. Pluto in Aquarius ushers in a new phase for humanity, one in which we will need to come to terms with a new kind of wealth: information. The rapid rise of information technology (and the resulting information overload) will be one of the biggest concerns facing humanity over the next 20 years.

• Do we thirst for information or for knowledge, and how do they differ?
• Is the price we are paying for being constantly online too high?
• Will there be hot chocolate in a world dominated by AI?

I hope so.

On November 21, the Sun leaves Scorpio and blazons into the fiery land of Sagittarius.  It’s time to travel light under the cosmic Sun.

Wishing you all a divinely inspired, chocolatey November,

Catherine