Astrological Influences November 15 to 21, 2010

NorthPoint
Astrology Journal
Written by Pam Younghans

At long last, Venus goes direct this week. The planetary namesake of the goddess of love has been retrograde since October 8, and has spent much of that time backtracking through Scorpio, dredging the emotional swamplands where we've hidden uncomfortable relationship issues for the past eight years.

Now that Venus is in Libra, the surface of the water may be looking a bit more calm for some. This appearance of serenity may continue for another two weeks, until Venus re-enters Scorpio on November 29. At that point, we will know whether the Libra harmony has been based on actual healing, or if it has been merely a bandage hiding the wound.

Then, from the end of November until Venus enters Sagittarius on January 7, we will no longer be looking back and revisiting the angers and resentments that have brought us to this point in our relationships -- instead, we will moving forward with the changes that need to occur, releasing the past and clearing the way for rebirth.

Jupiter also goes direct this week, and on the very same day as Venus changes direction. Jupiter has been retrograde since July 23, calling us to review our beliefs and expectations in some area of our lives. Astrologer Bil Tierney writes that Jupiter retrograde is "a marvelous time for gaining deeper insights into spiritual or philosophical matters, as wisdom can flow easier from the superconscious and make contact with the conscious self. It urges the individual to seek out the underlying truths concerning current matters..."

We have sought many truths, and deeper truths, over the past four months, and are now preparing to move forward based on those truths. These new directions may unfold on more subtle levels as Jupiter completes his Pisces journey, and then blossom more dramatically when Jupiter aligns with Uranus on January 4 (the same day as the Solar Eclipse) and then re-enters Aries on January 23.

Thursday is a pivotal day because of these two planetary stations, and also due to Neptune, Chiron and Uranus aspects to the Sun. The stressful squares from Neptune and Chiron to the Sun in Scorpio push us to see where our own emotional and psychological baggage has created distance between us and others. These aspects require that we acknowledge our true motivations, and that we no longer hold onto the resentments that have caused estrangement.

At the same time, the helpful trine from Uranus to the Sun will assist us in releasing that baggage. With this aspect, we can more easily liberate ourselves from the weight of resentments and other unprocessed emotions, as we realize that they only hold us back from the life we want to create.

Our Full Moon next Sunday occurs right before the Sun leaves Scorpio, and shines a bright light on the transformational work we've been doing. This Full Moon occurs in the last degree of Taurus, and is the second in a string of five Full Moons that occur at what is called the "critical" 29th degree of the sign.

The final degree of any sign marks the culmination of the lessons associated with that sign. To have five Full Moons in a row falling at a critical degree gives us a clear message about the phase of completion we are currently in -- and reinforces the energy of the Pluto-North Node alignment, which is dismantling karmic contracts that have tied us to the past.

The lessons of Taurus have to do with knowing what we truly value, honoring our physical senses, and choosing simplicity over drama. In the deeper knowing and grounding in the self represented by this earthy sign, we find the serenity that we so clearly need in tumultuous times.

Also prominent in the chart for Sunday's Full Moon is a close alignment between Mercury, Pallas Athena and Mars at 18 degrees of Sagittarius. Depending on individual circumstances, we can use this alignment in either positive or negative ways.

For those who are often afraid to speak their truth, this may be a strongly beneficial influence, encouraging them to speak out for perhaps the first time. For others who have been working on letting go of the "need to be right," this may be a challenging time, when self-righteousness or righteous indignation again comes to the surface to be observed and redirected.

Uranus and Jupiter in Pisces form a square aspect to the Mercury-Athena-Mars conjunction, indicating that the solution to the challenge will be to discover what Unconditional Love would do.

If Unconditional Love were standing here, what would it sound like, and what would it say? How does Unconditional Love express truth, and how does it hold its boundaries? And how do we become Unconditional Love without slipping into victim, martyr or rescuer mode?

Questions, questions, questions... Sounds very Mercury in Sagittarius to me.

Blessings,

Pam

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