Nov 2018
Making Nice
Three planets change direction this month. Each of these pivots is an invitation to get to know that planet’s symbolism more directly and intimately than usual (see August’s SkyWatch for tips on using planetary stations).
Venus and Mercury station on the same day, Nov. 16th. Venus, back in Libra going retrograde, will turn around and head forward.
Heads-up: If late Libra is a hotspot in your natal chart, you may have a nice long dose of Venusian sweetness.
Oiling the wheels
All of us can benefit from the diplomatic potential of this placement: it oils the wheels of human interaction. Venus has been in Libra, the sign of her rulership, since August 6th, apart from her interlude in Scorpio 9/9 – 10/30. She re-enters Scorpio on Dec 2nd.
This is an unusually long time for Venus to hang around in one thin corner of the zodiac, and Libra is one of the signs in which she is strongest (the other is Taurus). We’ll want to milk this opportunity for all it’s worth.
Culture war
The true capacity of a transit is accessible when there is a soul commitment to learning. As individuals we can guide this process, but on the collective level – alas! — a planet’s higher potential shows up less often. Consciousness growth in groups travels a slow and rocky road.
It is telling to track this transit in the context of the culture wars that have raged in the USA since late summer. Venus (womanhood) went into Libra (justice, as well as judges) on August 7th, the day Christine Blasey Ford took her polygraph test.
At the ingress on Sept. 9th, rumors started circulating about her sexual assault charge (Scorpio) against Brett Kavanaugh. At the retrograde station on October 5th, the swing senators on the committee green-lit Kavanaugh’s confirmation despite the accusation and his meltdown at the hearing.
During November, Venus goes back over ground she recently covered, which points to a prolongation of the fractious episode.(1) At this writing (early Oct) it is unknowable what form this rehashing will take, but the symbolism suggests an extension of Libra’s search for balance, legal or otherwise.
People pleasing
In our personal lives, this extra-long period of Venus in Libra encourages us to find middle ground with adversaries. The downside: an over-emphasis on making nice, and a strengthening of co-dependency in those already prone to it.
Especially if you are of the female persuasion and were conditioned to pay more attention to others’ needs than to your own, watch and learn.
Over-reach
Jupiter moves into Sagittarius on November 8th for about a year. It sets a background tone of freewheeling expansion, which, when misused, denotes Too Much of A Good Thing. This is the planet of excess in the sign of excess.
Three of its hits in particular will challenge our sense of proportion. On the 19th, Jupiter squares Mars; on the 25th-26th it conjoins the Sun; and on the 27th, it conjoins Mercury.
If we apply common-sense limits to what we’re doing, we’ll experience the boldness and confidence of Jupiter without the recklessness.
Note:
1) Venus, a quickly moving cycle, is happening against the backdrop of a slower, longer transit cycle: that of the US Pluto Return. All by itself, a personal planet like Venus would not stir up so much deep disturbance in the collective. For the long-term transit story, see this webinar.