Astrology for Nov. 7-13, 2022: The Closing Bell

The Closing Bell

Dates and times are given for U.S. Pacific Time zone.

Quit, or Try Harder?

When everything we desire seems to have been denied us, we can give up or we can try harder. Sometimes, we’ve been wishing for the wrong things, and the universe holds up a stop sign for our own protection. Other times, the approach we’re taking is wrong, or the timing is off.

As Venus squares Saturn (Nov. 6, 2022, 11:33 pm PST) in the steadfast yet intractable signs of Scorpio and Aquarius, we’ll find out soon enough whether something we desire is worth the hard work it will take to get it. The best way to know for sure? Ask whether the pursuit itself is enjoyable – or at least instructive.

The Closing Bell

Can you keep your head while others around you are losing theirs? This week’s Lunar Eclipse at 16º01′ Taurus (Nov. 8, 2022, 3:02 am PST), in a close conjunction with Uranus and a t-square with the Sun, Mercury, Venus, and Saturn, will answer that question. The eclipse, which falls on the day of the U.S. midterm elections, is on the Sabian symbol A symbolic battle between swords and torches, which sounds a little ominous. But it is a symbolic battle – and that’s pretty much the definition of an election, after all.

My feeling is that this eclipse rings the closing bell on the “symbolic battle” between Saturn and Uranus that dominated 2021 and has spilled over into 2022 as well, with a final near-square in early October. Protectors of the old ways have battled champions of the new; dominance has clashed with rebellion; iron-clad rules have encountered those intent on breaking them open. This eclipse ties a bow on what has been an important turning point for society.

But of course, it’s been important for individuals, too. Where has the battle between old and new been raging within you? Where have you been trying to reconcile the wisdom of the old ways with the irresistible desire to remake your world? Look to the Taurus and Aquarius houses of your birth chart to locate the battlefield, and any planets in fixed signs (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius) for the swords and torches you’ve been using in the fight. Ponder previous years when eclipses fell near this degree, times of skirmishes on the same battleground, including May 10, 2013 (Solar Eclipse 19º31’ Taurus); Nov. 9, 2003 (Lunar Eclipse, 16º13’ Taurus), May 10, 1994 (Solar Eclipse, 19º48’ Taurus), and Nov. 8, 1984 (Lunar Eclipse, 16º30’ Taurus).

This eclipse is conjoined the Moon’s North Node, and its outcome has the power to move us forward – collectively and individually – in a positive direction. But we have to honor both Saturn and Uranus with new forms that ensure more freedom while acknowledging the wisdom of tradition.

Fresh perspective

Within 24 hours of the Lunar eclipse, the Sun and Mercury are in aspect to each other and to Uranus.

At Mercury’s superior conjunction with the Sun (Nov. 8, 2022, 8:43 am PST), it disappears from the morning sky and is invisible until it reappears at twilight a few weeks later. The Sun and Mercury together might seem like a dream team, but in fact, it’s an opinionated and subjective combination. On the plus side, we’re more confident in our decisions; but on the down side, we might let our confidence get in the way of adapting to changing times.

Let’s say you’re a fantastic typewriter repair person. You’ve spent your career learning the idiosyncrasies of various makes and models, knowing where to get replacement parts and in some cases, fashioning them yourself. The problem is, hardly anybody uses typewriters anymore.

You can be the very best at something, but if it’s something that’s on its ways to becoming obsolete, you’re not going to get many opportunities to do it. And if you’re too attached to a particular vision of who you are and who you’re allowed to be, your potential will pass you by. As Mercury (Nov. 8, 2022, 6:40 pm PST) and the Sun (Nov. 9, 2022, 00:26 am PST) oppose innovative Uranus, you’re offered a fresh perspective. Spend time in meditation, exploring your intuition, to find the innovative breakthroughs that will get you to the next level.

Hard-Won Wishes are Granted

Mercury and Venus trine Neptune this week (Nov. 12, 2022, 10:36 am PST, and Nov. 10, 2022, 4:22 am PST, respectively). Mercury and Venus with Neptune are swooning, imaginative, rose-colored-glasses-wearing combinations, and the Sabian symbols for this trine are charming and metaphysical. Mercury and Venus are on 23 Scorpio, A bunny metamorphosed into a fairy. And Neptune is on 23 Pisces: A materializing medium.

Of course, when Neptune is the fairy godmother granting Mercury and Venus’ wishes, we might feel that all our dreams are coming ecstatically true, only to find later that they aren’t quite what we thought it would be. But this is less likely to be true on the heels of Venus’ (Nov. 6, 2022, 11:33 pm PST) and Mercury’s (Nov. 9, 2022, 11:51 pm PST) squares to Saturn this week, when the need to work hard for what we want made us much clearer about what we were working for and how valuable it was to us. Those are the hard-won wishes that Neptune is granting us now.

The Depth of Your Commitment

The Sun in Scorpio shines in situations, relationships, and pursuits that are built on intimacy and honesty. Scorpio prefers to focus on a single passion and tirelessly, methodically, unwrap its mysteries.

As the Sun in Scorpio squares Saturn in Aquarius (Nov. 11, 2022, 00:04 am PST), that passion meets with a cool, impersonal reception. Your deeply-felt artistic creation fails to engage a lighter-hearted audience. The person you thought was your intimate suddenly demands space. The job that you’ve given your best effort suddenly reduces your hours.

Saturn tests us, sometimes through rejection. This is particularly painful for the Sun, but it also reveals the depth of your commitment. If your true self is rejected, is the answer to become less yourself – or to find the situations where you’re appreciated for who you are?

This is the final push in a Sun/Saturn project or undertaking that began at their conjunction on Feb. 4. This is the moment of this cycle where we imagine we just don’t have anything left to bring to the table. But always remember that Saturn rewards us, if we just put one foot in front of the other and make a good faith effort. Look for the reward around Dec. 12, when the Sun sextiles Saturn.

Leading the Band

Venus sextiles Pluto this week (Nov. 13, 2022, 1:41 am PST, 26º25’ Scorpio/Capricorn), coming off their Oct. 19 square and headed for their Dec. 31 conjunction, and a new Venus-Pluto cycle. Their square opened our eyes to the fact that something we want might require us to accept help from others; now, the sextile brings just the opportunity, offer, or proposal that would make something easier for us.

Venus is on the Sabian symbol 27 Scorpio, A military band on the march. Even if you’re normally independent to a fault, some pursuits require collaboration. So put on your uniform and grab your horn – others are eager to play in your band, and if you don’t let them join you, you won’t have much of a parade.