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the last
episode,
Venus had plunged into Scorpio, leaving
an uncomfortable Mars and a retrograde Mercury to
fend for themselves in Libra, with Jupiter and
Saturn looking on with some disdain.
A
readjustment now takes place at the beginning of
October. Venus is now aligned in the service of
both Jupiter and Saturn, injecting some emotional
passion into their workings. This is a mixed
blessing, as Venus is not entirely happy with the
heaviness of the feelings she's working with now,
and it's a challenge for Saturn and Jupiter to find
a role for her that doesn't imbalance their plans.
The Sun and Mercury (still retrograde) come
together in Libra now, too. Mercury, hopeful that
his new alliance with the Sun will usher in a
return of the easy glibness of September, is
unfortunately too distracted now, and his attempts
at diplomacy backfire, throwing a monkey wrench
into Jupiter's brave new plans. Mars enters Scorpio
now too, energized and ready to get to the bottom
of things-perhaps a little too
aggressively.
These
alliances ebb away later in the month. Mercury goes
direct on the 14th of October, only to find himself
at cross-purposes with Jupiter once again a week or
two later. By the end of the month, Mars has taken
over Venus's former role as support staff for
Jupiter and Saturn. He is somewhat more effective
at it, funneling a lot of physical energy and
passion into the works. Over the course of
November, the Sun and Mercury move to join him,
adding their own talents to the effort. The trio
move into Sagittarius at the end of November,
losing touch with the Jupiter and Saturn but eager
to explore new frontiers as a team. Their drifting
off task is somewhat compensated for by Venus
coming into conjunction with Jupiter in
Capricorn.
December
finds the Sun, Mars, and Mercury collaboratively
exploring the many exciting landscapes of
Sagittarius. They've become free thinkers and
explorers now, dabbling in the exotic and the
spiritually innovative. These three are all the
focus of attention now, with the Sun's sense of
clear purpose, Mars's energy, and Mercury's delight
in novel ideas making Sagittarius the place to be.
This becomes an increasing annoyance to Saturn, who
feels he now needs everyone on task to make
progress.
Venus
is on the move again, parting company with Jupiter
by the middle of the month and moving on into
Aqaurius, where she indulges some quirky esthetic
preferences, apparently disconnected with anything
else going on at this time. (She's actually paving
the way for Jupiter's traversal of Aquarius next
year.)
This
become pretty disconnected generally as December
progresses. The Jupiter-Saturn collaboration is
fading into just the memory of a habit, and Mercury
has pulled ahead into Capricorn, leaving the Sun
and Mars feeling a little purposeless in
Sagittarius. The last week of the month sees
Mercury in his quintessential role as messenger of
the gods, conversing first with Saturn and then
with Jupiter, filling in some good ideas to bridge
the gap left by the separating former partners.
Saturn now sits in his office alone, having done
his best to create good systems and work habits,
which he hopes can carry on productively even
without Jupiter's engagement in his efforts.
*
* *
The
key to using October and November effectively is to
cultivate a role for the intense, somewhat
introspective Scorpio energies (which focus on
Venus at the beginning of October, Mars at the end
of that month, and then the Sun and Mercury in
November). If your personal projects and career
goals at this time have a personal, expressive
character, then Scorpio's emotional force can be
channeled into creative expression. If your
projects are more utilitarian in nature, it may be
difficult to use those energies in a helpful
way.
During
Mercury's retrograde this fall (September 23rd
through October 14th), the best advice is "hold
your tongue." It's a time when attempts at
negotiation and collaboration may backfire, setting
back progress on longer-term goals.
December
offers an injection of new ideas and possibilities,
perhaps through contact with unfamiliar cultures or
ideas. This comes at the expense of following
through on newly established routines, but has its
own rewards.
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