Welcome to November, folks.
With the trees bare, the sunlight waning and cuffing season cuffing, we have a month of intrigue, intensity and illuminations lie ahead of us.
Mars, planet of will and war, and the sun are in the sign of Scorpio for most of November, imbuing all of us with the fire power and water wisdom to make moves, initiate change and seize the season of our becoming.
It’s assertive, it’s driving the hearse and the horses and it will not be denied, especially during the Scorpio new moon on November 13 and the Mars cazimi on November 18.
We are further fortified by stern, suspender-wearing, daddy planet Saturn stationing direct on November 4.
Saturn asks us to do the spiritual and financial equivalent of meal prep. Gather, plan, get ready. It’s real “winter is coming,” ready the root cellar energy but because Saturn is currently moving through the tie-dye-soaked tidal pools of Pisces, it is also encouraging us to imagine a future previously thought frivolous, unreachable or beyond our capacity to deserve with an emphasis on how we can share rather than hoard, offer instead of deny. Less greed, more collective benefit.
The sun moves into arrows to the sky, caution to the wind, lemons out of lemonade and best-selling memoirs out of terminal diagnoses Sagittarius on November 22, flipping the daybreak light switch on the basement seance that is Scorpio season.
Saturn asks us to do the spiritual and financial equivalent of meal prep.
November bows out with a full moon in conversation as catharsis Gemini on November 27, an invitation for all of us to explore the possibilities in every interaction we share and corner we turn.
To light the way, I offer you the words of archer and author Marilynne Robinson, “In every important way we are such secrets from one another, and I do believe that there is a separate language in each of us, also a separate aesthetics and a separate jurisprudence. Every single one of us is a little civilization built on the ruins of any number of preceding civilizations, but with our own variant notions of what is beautiful and what is acceptable…But all that really just allows us to coexist with the inviolable, intraversable, and utterly vast spaces between us.”
In the space between Scorpio and Sagittarius, I hope you’ll strive to learn the language of another and regard the space between each of us as an expanse to honor and something beautiful to behold.
ARIES (March 21 – April 19)
When Venus moves into its lofty home sign of Libra on November 8, things get a little more tender for you Aries. This transit activates your seventh house of partnerships; monogrammed towels, pinky promises and matching best friend bracelets. The love vibe is at your beck and call now, use it to commit, to connect or to charm your way out of whatever proverbial dog house you might be barking in.
TAURUS (April 20 – May 20)
You’re coming out of an intense eclipse cycle, Taurus, and the mood this month is recognition and integration. You’ve received/been emotionally pistol-whipped with all manner of information and revelation. There will be grief, there will be joy and you are more poised than ever to sever what no longer serves, cease cycles that stagnate and step up, step out and show up as the wisened, lightened, fire forged, compost born bull you were born to be.
GEMINI (May 21 – June 20)
As the sign of the twins, ruled by the planet of the mind, you require a lot of stimulation to feel alive, Gemini. Trouble arises when your need to learn becomes an impulse to distract. Imagine what you could accomplish if you cut out the noise and listened only to the quiet compass of your own knowing. It’s in you, it’s speaking to you and it has a revolutionary idea about your next career move but it can’t be heard over the roar of an app or over the speaker of an inane conversation. Shut up, power down and pick up the only line that matters.
CANCER (June 21 – July 22)
Coming off the cliff edge of last month’s eclipses, Cancer, you have a lot to celebrate. While the sun and Mars dancing cheek to cheek in Scorpio can be trying for some signs, that tango is happening in your fifth house of creativity, carnivals and the enduring spirit of the inner child. The message on that fun house door? Do not feed the dark heart of doubt but rather dare to imagine a best-case scenario. Believe to receive, my dudes.
LEO (July 23 – August 22)
With the sun and Mars in Scorpio highlighting (or throwing shade on/inviting shadow demons to tea) in your fourth house of home and lineage, November is prime to be a doozy for you, Leo. While family is formative, the patterns we develop early on need not be forever. You owe nothing to anyone, in spite and especially because of blood ties and apron strings. Be here for healing by being the parent you needed and the sage best friend/weird aunt you never had.
VIRGO (August 23 – September 22)
The sun and Mars in cahoots in Scorpio this month highlight your third house of communication and exchange, Virgo. The energy of Scorpio can be extreme, more burn the boats, snatch out the tongue and bury thine enemy than peaceful resolution, see what windows a closed door opens. Yet, with your mercurial mind and blessed gift of discernment, you should be able to suss out who deserves to be heard and who deserves to be hung out to dry.
LIBRA (September 23 – October 22)
Venus, your bougie, beautiful planetary ruler enters your home turf on November 8, Libra lending you a Midas touch. Your love is a drug during this transit but may I suggest applying that medicine liberally and primarily to yourself? Remember that you are the only cause that can’t be lost and your oldest, truest friend. They say that all things in life are a matter of choosing love or fear. May I insist, in preparation of the Gemini full moon at the end of the month, that you love yourself mightily so you can claim your wants fearlessly.
SCORPIO (October 23 – November 21)
Happy return of the sun to you, Scorpio! I recently met one of your own who told me, without irony or the slightest whiff of a smile, “It’s always Scorpio season.” Indeed as a threshold sign ruled by the god of the underworld, you are the ceaseless memento mori, here to remind us that death is waiting and the time for living is now. With another year behind you, I encourage you to identify the places, people and actions that make you feel the most breathlessly aware of your own beating heart and the finite glory of your earthly existence. Name them, claim them, and find more of them.
SAGITTARIUS (November 22 – December 21)
You’ve got to cut some things loose before you skate into your solar return, Sagittarius. Say what you are afraid to say so you can be sure of where you’re standing and where you’re stagnating. I promise you, the less baggage you arrive with and the further, deeper and richer your journeys will be. Travel light and aim true.
CAPRICORN (December 22 – January 19)
The first half of the month will have you glad-handing and glad-tiding, reconnecting and shamelessly networking for the grand scheme you’ve been dreaming and dream you’ve been scheming. Sagittarius season heralds a time of hibernation, neigh, and cultivation for you as you prepare for the year to come. What friendships have you let go to seed and what priorities have slipped from their rightful place on the top of your pyramid? Go dark, go in and come out clean and sure, we’ll be waiting.
AQUARIUS (January 20 – February 18)
The first half of the month is a heavy affair with adherence to form and management of finances taking up most of your star space and mental real estate, Aquarius. Sag season rolls in like an exhaled bong rip to get you feeling free, love-stoned and utterly optimistic. Ride the wave, share the wealth and find inspiration in team dynamics. You’re running the show, kid, but the best part of leading right now is that your backup band, pit crew, and home team are honored to stand with and for you.
PISCES (February 19 – March 20)
Saturn, planet of dad jeans and curfews, is finally going direct in your sign this month after a five-month retrograde, Pisces. The season of Saturn was meant to spur reflection and preparation; how do you want to be seen, how do you see yourself? Are you living in alignment with the life that you want or self-sabotaging with old flames, worn patterns and subscriptions to the the idea that you are who you were? Loving yourself means not only the fortifying act of forgiveness but the gritted teeth of forging ahead brand new without the crutch of company. Now is the hour.
Astrologer Reda Wigle researches and irreverently reports back on planetary configurations and their effect on each zodiac sign. Her horoscopes integrate history, poetry, pop culture and personal experience. She is also an accomplished writer who has profiled a variety of artists and performers, as well as extensively chronicled her experiences while traveling. Among the many intriguing topics she has tackled are cemetery etiquette, her love for dive bars, Cuban Airbnbs, a “girls guide” to strip clubs and the “weirdest” foods available abroad.