Astrologically Speaking

November 2001 edition ...

Some of the main astrological themes for November are:

• Pluto - Saturn partile (exact) opposition at 13°49' of Gemini-Sagittarius November 2, 2001.
• Jupiter Station at 15° Cancer - November 2, 2001
• The Yod on the 18th: Mars at 15°Aquarius (applying a conjunction to Uranus at 21°) sextile Pluto at 14° Sagittarius (mutually applying to the North Node of the Moon at 27°) both forming a quincunx aspect to Jupiter at 15° Cancer (still at his station point) - this aspect is known as the finger of god with Jupiter as the pointer
• Saturn is quincunx Venus at 12° Scorpio, who is travelling with Mercury at 16° Scorpio on the 18th as well. The Moon will form the leg to that second fleeting Yod on the 19th.
The degrees from before...
• 17th of March Pluto Retrograde Station at 15° Sagittarius 17'
• 11th May Mars Retrograde Station at 29° Sagittarius
• 19th of July Mars Direct Station at 15° Sagittarius 07'
• 26th of September Saturn Retrograde Station at 14° Gemini 58'
• 14th of October 2001 South Node at 29° Sagittarius
• 20th October Mars within bounds - i.e. declination
Still to come:
• 7th February 2002 Saturn Direct Station
• July 2002 Nodal axis at 15° Sagittarius-Gemini

"May you live in interesting times" - is it a curse or a blessing? These are interesting times.

chart This stretch 12-16° has been extremely potent thus far. Pluto of course is moving forward in the zodiacal sign of Sagittarius and Saturn is moving backwards (retrograde) in Gemini. See adjacent illustration Pluto has earned his stripes with his uncanny ability to eliminate things from our lives. Pluto, we must remember, does not wipe out anything that is thriving it simply weeds dead wood. However, we may not agree at the time Pluto is doing clean up. Sagittarius is the sign we accredit with things such as religion, philosophy, long distance travel and higher learning as well as our deep values, those that stem from our faith, convictions and beliefs.

In British Columbia teachers have taken a strike vote as the culmination of the opposition between these two planetary giants is forming. What remains to be seen is what is considered an essential service, as the government (Saturn) has designated schooling as an essential service. Saturn is about boundaries, limitations and structures - it would be the planetary energy responsible over the rulings of courts and powers that be. Pluto in Sagittarius might be about changing laws but Saturn in Gemini would be where these laws would have to be written. In Gemini we would have to expect a lot of debate, Gemini after all loves to talk. Not a simple strike this one - new law is likely to be written.

Is it merely a continuation of last month, or does it add more stress to what is already in motion? I always look at it being added importance, impetus, and pressure either from within or from without. Sometimes we have more choice and sometimes less. If we look at merely the Sun in a natal chart this planetary "force" is likely to affect anyone born around 6-9 of most months. An individual with planets in Gemini, Sagittarius, Aquarius, Pisces, and Virgo at 13°-16° may feel the brunt of it, the most.

The points in the zodiac will get added impetus in 2002 with the final pass of Pluto Saturn and the nodes reaching these degrees in July, as well as when the nodes meet with these two planetary giants.

A Leo lady with planets at the middle of Cancer (Moon and Moon's North Node conjunction) and middle of Virgo (Mercury, Pallas, Uranus and Pluto stellium), is seriously considering changing careers. As she put it every time she takes on an office job, she has all kinds of "accidents" falling off her bike or slipping on an icy road. These prevent her from going to work for a week or two and place her job in jeopardy - she's already lost one. Her quandary is that she'd like to spend more time with her kids while having a job that can become a career. Life has become too hectic with too little time for recreation. To increase the pressure the Saturn Pluto opposition is through the 1st and 7th houses.

The above is not a catastrophic as we might expect from these configurations, yet when you are living it - it certainly feels that way. That's the point of all of these - it is about our lives.

A young Pisces man with his inner planets with the Sun at the middle of Pisces wonders why he is cursed? The Jupiter station is on his Ceres. The huge insurmountable problem is his hot rod car - it will take yet hundreds of dollars to fix a problem. This is his dream car has been since he was nine. He can't afford it but that's not the point. His Mars in Pisces is identifying with the car, without the car. In order to get the repairs he has to commit to a payment schedule, which lessens the money he can splurge. Such is life we who are older say, but this is high drama for this young man. Part of this equation is the fact that his relationship with his girlfriend broke down, he couldn't fix that one, and is now damned and determined to fix the car, and the inanimate object will not leave.

A Scorpio woman with the 6th - 12th axis and personal cardinal planets (Mercury, Mars, Moon) activated, wants to slow down, shift direction and spend more time pursuing a creative interest rather than the demanding executive position she holds. Health problems are surfacing, but she feels she cannot give up that high income. The more resistance the more force the "planets extract" - read the world and the events in her life. Will she decide or will the world decide for her. It takes a lot to bring a Scorpio down onto their knees. Fixed signs do not like change.

For every one of us this transit is travelling somewhere in our natal charts, when it is making exact or close aspects we can expect to be affected by the energy. This energy is about eliminating useless issues, people and ideas out of our lives and recreating solid new structures after some internal debate. Partile aspects alone do not cause events, everything needs back up. This energy has been building up - it has made connections to other points.

Pluto in the mix is capable of bringing the filth or repressed ideas, thoughts or motivations to the surface so that you can look at what is truly dead, but Saturn is about what are you going to do with it? When the Yod to Jupiter emerges, it becomes more about what has lasting value, what can you stomach and what is it you cannot digest? Initially we have choice but with resistance the choice seems to evaporate and changes seem to be forced upon us. Yod's are about adjustment, and more adjustment and communication. Without listening to the inner guidance these configurations can bring about health problems. Jupiter is about expansion, broadening our horizons and learning about our own higher ideals. Jupiter is the Santa Claus, but remember the legend of jolly old Santa Claus, or St. Nick, began with a real person: St. Nicholas, who lived during the 4th Century in Lycia, SW coast of Asia Minor. This Christian saint travelled to Egypt and Palestine as a young man, and eventually he became bishop of the church at Myra. He was credited with many miracles. In one story he saved three officers from death by appearing to Constantine in a dream. In another legend he provided bags of gold to a poor man as dowries for his three daughters. He did good deeds, Jupiter is more about giving than receiving and we tend to forget that.

There is always a positive way to express energies, but to do so may take wisdom beyond our years and experience. Eventually we will accept the inevitable.

I received an e-mail from someone with this text appended, and it now it seems so fitting...

By three methods we may learn wisdom:
First, by reflection, which is noblest;
second, by imitation, which is easiest;
and third, by experience, which is the bitterest.
Confucius, philosopher and teacher (c. 551-478 BCE)
© Anne Massey 2001

Astrologically Speaking

November 2001 edition ...

Some of the main astrological themes for November are:

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