Mars enters Pisces and squares Jupiter: situations out of control

Mars entered Pisces November 15, and is in a square (clash) with Jupiter through the full moon, November 23.

Pisces rules the 12th house of endings, things secret and hidden, Dr.'s, hospitals, places of seclusion. Pisces planetary rulers are Jupiter and Neptune. Neptune can involve great creativity and imagination or it can represent illusion, delusion and confusion, as well as drugs, alcohol, and religion or spirituality. Pisces is one of the most compassionate of signs and its element is Water.

Mars is square Jupiter, the planet of expansion and gain and many things and situations can become blown out of proportion.

With Mars in Pisces and Jupiter in Sagittarius, we could see confused or incorrect information and situations getting blown up and of control, like the out of control wildfires in California. Sagittarius is the most expansive of signs and tends to take off in its own direction. With Mercury retrograde (in Sagittarius) the direction could be confused.

Expect to see major events in the world over the next week, and is often the case these days, especially in politics.

Mercury retrogrades by sign

Mercury retrogrades one last time this year, from November 16 - December 6. Each year, Mercury retrogrades 3 or 4 times in a particular element, this year’s being Fire. Mercury turns stationary retrograde at 13 degrees of Sagittarius on November 16, at 8:33 PM, EST. That is also the same day retrograde Venus turns direct!

Venus turns direct at 25 degrees of Libra in the early morning hours (EST) of November 16, and we may feel a surge start to move forward but by evening, as Mercury changes its course, we should bear in mind while the planet of love, beauty, money and values is direct, we should exercise caution in beginning new ventures and making new starts with a retrograde Mercury. 

The sign Sagittarius is ruled by Jupiter, the planet of expansion and gain, and also rules the ninth house of education, courts, travel and world view, so these are the areas that will be affected overall. Jupiter also rules doctors, lawyers, and foreigners, and the collective may be paying attention to politics more than usual during this period.

What to Expect from Mercury Retrograde

Retrograde Mercury is part of the natural cycle of life, and it is time to re-do, re-think and re-vamp what we are already working on, rather than begin new ventures. It is time to slow down, correct matters at hand, re-do, re-access and re-think where we are going and why. Mercury is the planet of travel, communication, young people and pets.

This is not the time to buy electronics, big ticket items, start new projects, get married or engaged, or begin a new business. It is not an ideal time to start a new job, but I tell clients if you need a job and get an offer, don't turn it down. That said, many things could occur. The job could be different from what you thought, there could be delays, or at the very least, it will likely not be the last job you ever have.

Retrograde Mercury is a wild card. As Mercury rules the mind, we could have trouble concentrating, become forgetful, or we could experience this through other people.

Equipment and machinery has a tendency to breakdown at this. It could be your car, your washing machine, computer or coffee pot. Hopefully, none of these things will happen, but this is one of the reasons retrograde Mercury elicits groans when mentioned.

Retrograde Mercury has a tendency to take us back to the past in different ways. This can include people, possessions, and past projects can be reviewed.

The stationary retrograde period is where we start to notice a big shift in Mercurial energy, things change and for a few days may seem to go haywire. Meetings get cancelled, calls don't get returned and delays occur.

But, as part of the natural cycle, new information is also uncovered that is needed. During a retrograde Mercury we often find out information we need to make progress in the future. Retrograde Mercury uncovers information we need and may not have been aware of before the retrograde.

The Stages of Mercury Retrograde

Retrograde Mercury is a process. The shadow period of the retrograde where things start to change in a subtle way began on October 29. The stationary retrograde period where the energy clearly shifts occurs November 16 - 20. After that, Mercury goes through a period of apparent backward motion (it does not actually move backward) until December 6, when it officially turns direct - this is called the stationary direct period, which lasts until December 9. Then, there is another shadow period as all things straighten out that will last until December 25.

During this retrograde we will mentally travel through two worlds as Mercury will move through two signs. It will remain in Sagittarius until December 2, then it moves back into Scorpio. Scorpio rules the 8th house of money, sex, and change and transformation. Scorpio is deeper and more intense than Sagittarius and ruled by Mars and Pluto which are harsher, more malefic planets. Thinking will be heavier. Mercury turns direct in Scorpio and will remain in this sign until December 12, when it re-enters Sagittarius for the rest of the year.

2018 has been a year of intense retrogrades. Both Mars and Venus were retrograde this year along with 6 other planets, and there have been many delays.

The good news is this is the final retrograde of the year, and we will be moving full steam ahead into 2019. As of January 6, 2019, all planets are direct, and we will move unfettered into the new year.

Mercury Retrograde and Your Sign

Look below to see which house Mercury transits through your chart. Use your ascendant if you know it and if not your Sun sign.

Aries - 9th house of travel, education and world view to 8th house of money, other people's money, sex.

Taurus - 8th house of money, joint finances, sex to 7th house of partners/marriage.

Gemini - 7th house of marriage/partners to 6th house of work/health

Cancer - 6th house of work/health to 5th house of love, friends, children.

Leo - 5th house of children, friends, love to 4th house of home, foundation, family.

Virgo - 4th house of foundation, home and family to 3rd house of immediate family, trips, neighbors.

Libra - 3rd house of immediate family, neighbors, co-workers, trips to 2nd house of money/income.

Scorpio - 2nd house of money to 1st house of self, personal interests.

Sagittarius - 1st house of self and self-interests to 12th house of hospitals/seclusion, hidden matters, subconscious mind.

Capricorn - 12th house of seclusion, hidden matters, the subconscious mind to 11th house of friends, hopes and wishes.

Aquarius - 11th house of friends, hopes and wishes to 10th house of business and career.

Pisces- 10th house of career and priorities to 9th house of travel, education.

Mercury (retrograde) square Neptune: Lies, cheats and misinformation

Mercury turns retrograde this week on November 16, the same day Venus turns direct, which will probably be a once in a lifetime coincidence. As Venus turns direct many situations that have caused you to feel stuck may start to resolve, but it may not be instant as Mercury turns retrograde in a tight square with Neptune that will last until from November 12 until about the 21st.

You can expect to experience confusion, lack of clarity, misinformation and in some cases depression as Neptune clouds the issue and is considered the planet of illusion, confusion and delusion.

A clear head will be needed over the next 10 days. Don't take everything at face value and at the same time don't assume the worse, either.

People may change direction once again, walk back previous decisions or deny having ever said certain things. They could also over promise, over commit and make decisions  without all the facts.

This will play out in the world as scandals, lack of transparency and lies. Situations may be revealed such as the actual voter counts in Florida and Georgia, as well as those who try and repress the information

Weather conditions could be affected adversely as well and the potential of flooding exists in some areas.

Uranus/Venus square the lunar nodes: A date with destiny

Uranus retrograded back to 29 degrees of Aries November 6, and the transiting lunar nodes are in a major clash with the planet of change (Uranus) throughout the end of 2018. The nodes are points (not planets) where the Moon crosses the path of the Sun, and are typically associated with human evolution or the souls journey in the collective, and in our personal lives as well.

With a clash like this, especially involving Uranus, change is inevitable as I pointed out in  Monday's blog, about the midterm elections, and my article about Uranus'sretrograde back into Aries.

On November 6, more women took office during mid-term elections than any other time in history. These women include Muslims, native Americans and LGBT candidates.

This was shown in the sky by retrograde Venus in Libra, which became part of the current t- square (clash) between the North Node of destiny, Uranus and Venus. Change with women was inevitable.

Retrograde Venus causes us to go back and re-access our values. Venus in Libra likes a softer tone than what we have seen as of late, and the conclusion was inevitable.

Of course, change is hardly limited to politics, and will bring about other types of change in the world and our personal lives before it is over.

Uranus can rock us out of our normal patterns and boundaries. It may not all be smooth sailing, but it will definitely be interesting, and there is no doubt we have entered into historic times we will all long remember. May the change we all experience be positive change for the better!

Jupiter into Sagittarius: A new chapter begins

Jupiter enters Sagittarius November 8, at 7:38 AM, where it will remain until December 2, 2019.

Jupiter is the planet of gain and expansion and wherever it falls in your personal chart is where you will see gain during over the next year. Jupiter's last transit through Sagittarius occurred November 24, 2006-December 16, 2007.

Sagittarius is ruled by Jupiter, making the planet of expansion in this sign very powerful. Sagittarius is the natural ruler of the 9th house of travel, education, religion, and world view and over the next year our focus in the collective will be here. It's time to see the glass as half full rather than half empty.

Sagittarius is an optimistic sign overall, and it is a fire sign, so those born under the fire signs (Aries, Leo, Sagittarius) will benefit greatly by this placement. Fire signs are considered passionate, dynamic and often temperamental. This placement will also work well for Air signs or those who have planets in their charts in Air and Fire. It will aspect everyone in some way.

Jupiter's transit through this sign will expand our consciousness, knowledge and understanding. Growth, generosity, abundance, adventure, travel and fairness are the trademarks of Jupiter in Sagittarius.

It will urge us to expand our higher minds, cultural and spiritual awareness and expand our thinking and beliefs. At the same time we must not slip into an arrogant know-it-all attitude as this can be the downside of expansive Sagittarius

During its transit through Sagittarius, Jupiter will square Neptune three times. This will occur January 13-16, June 15-22, and September 15-21. While these are the times Jupiter and Neptune will be exact within 1 degree, these periods actually last much longer as Jupiter has an orb of 10 degrees.

When this occurs occur we can expect to see scandals, lies, untruths and will have to discern what is real and what is an illusion, both in our personal lives and our collective lives. This is also a transit relating to theft, and it can be theft of property, internet hacking, personal theft, or theft of the heart. It can also represent self-delusion. Neptune has a way of making the unreal seem very real at the time, and it important during these periods to base your decisions on the facts, rather than what you would like the situation to be.

I liken this transit to the Saturn/Neptune square that occurred in 2016. We have since collectively learned Russia made a concerted effort through social media to influence the US election. We also saw 8 major cyber attacks, among many other issues. In some way this was a turning point of paying attention to facts. Lies and distortions of the truth became rampant on social media and it became harder to discern fact from fiction, and 'fake news,' from what was real.

While the negative side of this will be manifested as unclarity, untruths, lack of clarity and illusion, the positive side will be manifested  as creativity, psychic awareness and sudden understandings of the universe or spiritual awakenings of some type.

Neptune is a double edged sword and what may seem real, may only be an illusion and it may be hard to discern, as Neptune is the planet of illusion, delusion and confusion. Dreams will be vivid among many people during these times and psychic abilities will be enhanced.

Religion/spirituality and compassion for others will come into play whether real or made up. This could include religions of many types, faiths, and people, not all of which everyone will subscribe to. We could see scandals related to religion, and the Vatican is often a focus in some way with transits like this. It may be a banner year for music, art or any creative venture, and we will likely see advances in medicine.

The key will be to stay grounded at these times, and perhaps take the attitude, 'if it seems too good to be real, it probably isn't real.'

Sagittarius is known to go overboard. It can expand the more negative qualities of the sign as well as the positive just as Saturn in Sagittarius did when it squared Neptune in 2016.

Sagittarius, ruled by Jupiter is connected to the law, politics, religion, creating wealth, education and foreign interests.  Many people will have their own opinions on the world and politics, just as they did in 2015/ 2016 when Saturn was in Sagittarius.

Jupiter in this sign should work especially well for Sagittarius, who will reap significant benefit of Jupiter's placement here. Jupiter transits our personal signs only once every 12 years.

Below is a list of where Sagittarius will transit through your chart.  If you know your ascendant, use this. If not, use your Sun sign as both are correct. This is where you will see gain through Jupiter in Sagittarius.

Aires-9th house of travel, education, medical or legal issues and world view.

Taurus-8th house of debt, sex, change and transformation, other people's money, mortgages, lawsuits, inheritances.

Gemini-7th house of marriage, committed relationships and partnerships.

Cancer-6th house of work, health, service to others and pets.

Leo-5th house of children, friends, love affairs.

Virgo-4th house of home, family, and the basic foundation.

Libra-3rd house of relatives, neighbors, immediate neighborhood, the mind and thought processes.

Scorpio-2nd house of earned income and possessions.

Sagittarius-first house of the self. This should be an expansive year.

Capricorn-12th house of isolation and self healing.