The Fact That It’s Offered
There are myriad ways to show our caring – with kind words, a gift, a back rub. But when Mars trines Neptune, the planet of empathy and kindness (Nov. 3, 2025, 7:59 pm PST, 29º43’ Scorpio and Pisces), the simple act of taking action might be the best way.
Do you care deeply for animals? You could volunteer at a shelter… or simply treat your own pet to an extra hour of play this evening. When your spouse drags through the front door after a particularly draining day at work, roll up your sleeves to make dinner – or at least be the one to call for take-out. As Mars aspects Neptune, the size of the gesture is far less important than the fact that it’s offered at all.
Sky Diver
Here’s how to tap in to Mars: Imagine you’re a gymnast standing on a mat, your stomach a little fizzy, getting ready to leap onto the parallel bars. And then it’s happening. You’re flying through the air, fully present, completely centered in your body. And it feels absolutely, physically thrilling.
As Mars transits through the zodiac, it offers twelve different perspectives on throwing ourselves into the moment. As Mars enters Sagittarius (Nov. 4, 2025, 5:01 am PST, through Dec. 14), it’s time to go sky diving – and as we prepare to leap out of the plane, we can’t be entirely certain that our parachute will open.
And that will be a good thing. Mars in Sagittarius craves adventure and freedom, in that order. Give Mars in Sagittarius a backpack and a dog, and it will wander happily with little sense of direction. Sagittarius does have something of a reputation for being accident prone, usually because we’ve misjudged the terrain or our own strength and capability. But this is generally a “happy wanderer” placement for Mars. Look to the Sagittarius house of your birth chart and ask, “Where can I do a little exploring in this area of my life?” Just the question will make Mars happy.
Unexpected Developments
Mars and Uranus are an unpredictable combo, particularly when they are in a challenging aspect like an opposition (Nov. 4, 2025, 9:30 am PST, at 00º08’ Sagittarius and Gemini).
As we heed the call of Mars, newly in adventurous Sagittarius, to take off in a new and exciting direction, we might immediately encounter a detour in the road. Uranus is the planet of unexpected developments, of the sorts of roadwork that doesn’t show up on a map. But then, isn’t that exactly what Mars in Sagittarius wants?
Birthright
Each year, as the Sun moves through Scorpio, the scene is set for confronting fearsome realities and possibilities that we’d rather avoid. The days are short and the shadows long, the trees are losing their leaves, and melancholy easily gains a toe-hold. But at the Full Moon in Taurus (Nov. 5, 2025, 5:19 am PST, 13º22’ Taurus/Scorpio), life regains some of its flavor and color. We’re reminded of life’s blessings, not just its perils. We find ourselves opening a window to simple, happy pleasures, letting go of obsessive angst and allowing the world to simply be what it is.
Nurturing and caring for living things, an unshakable, unshockable stability in the face of life’s challenges, are Taurus’ birthright. The Taurus souls among us help us accept the world as it is and to commit to being part of it – to celebrate experiences and knowledge that can only be gained through being embodied. Transcendence is all well and good, Taurus might say, but you still have to get food on the table and make sure everyone has clean socks for the next day.
So set your harvest table for dear friends and family, share simple food and drink, and laugh together – because where there is laughter, fear is impossible. The Full Moon in Taurus invites us to get out of our heads and to commit to being and living in the moment; to enjoy everything we have, and maybe wash a load of laundry.
Brute Force and Power
Back on September 24, as Mars in Scorpio made an adversarial square to Pluto, you may have felt that your only weapon in the battle was brute force. As Mars sextiles Pluto (Nov. 6, 2025, 7:11 am PST, 01º29’ Sagittarius and Aquarius), though, warlike Mars in Sagittarius, the philosopher and storyteller, decides instead to open a dialogue with the planet of power.
Mars is on the Sabian Symbol 2 Sagittarius, The ocean covered with whitecaps, symbolizing powerful forces roiling beneath the surface; while Pluto is on the symbol 2 Aquarius, An unexpected thunderstorm. As usual, Pluto would like us to believe that much of what happens in life is out of our hands. But the sextile from Mars means there’s an opportunity to influence what would appear to be out of our control. It all comes down to how persuasive Sagittarius’ storytelling turns out to be, and how effectively we can harness the tremendous force of our emotions.
Love Who You Are
This week, Venus enters Scorpio (Nov. 6, 2025, 2:39 pm PST, through Nov. 30). Venus in Scorpio dislikes artifice and resists all efforts to control her. She asks us to find beauty in what we truly are and what we’re authentically drawn to.
That was sometimes a challenge for my family of formidable women. We’ve never been dainty; we’re fat and fierce and loud, and when we’re together we laugh so hard that we can’t breathe. Each of us married long-suffering men who had spent at least one major holiday with the family and knew exactly what they were getting into.
Back in late 1988, Scorpio comedian Rosanne Barr premiered a sitcom featuring a TV family that remains, to this day, the only one I’ve seen that really resembled my own. (The exterior of the Conners’ home was literally photographed in my home town.) Forget the real-life Roseanne and the baggage and controversy that come with her; I loved Roseanne Conner, her funny, sassy, bossy, opinionated, and irreverent creation. I recognized that woman, her daughters, her husband, her sofa. It wasn’t a pretty show, but it looked real to me. I liked that Roseanne wasn’t defined by her size. I liked that she never apologized for taking up too much space in the world.
As Venus transits Scorpio for the next few weeks, take pleasure in your authenticity. Remember that your life is not a democracy – it’s a wild, uncensored, technicolor garden. Grow what you like there, and love who you are.
It it Love or Obsession?
This week’s square between Venus and Pluto (Nov. 7, 2025, 7:44 pm PST, 01º31’ Scorpio and Aquarius) can be beautiful and soulful, symbolizing depth of feeling, authentic love, and affection for things or people that are difficult to love. But it’s a combination that has to be treated consciously and carefully, because Pluto has a way of sucking up all the oxygen in the room with its focus and desire for control. It is a fine line, that separates deep love and painful obsession.
This is a fast transit, with an influence of just a few days. But take this time to examine whether something you’re feeling is true love or a need for control.
Tangible
Back on July 7, Uranus – which had been in Taurus since May 2018 – entered Gemini, a fairly significant shift for matters related to communication, technology, and general innovation. Immediately, AI filled the news. Would it ruin the world, or just make it easier to write some sales copy for your business?
Uranus turned retrograde on Sep. 5, barely into Gemini; and this week, it returns to the familiarity of Taurus (Nov. 7, 2025, 6:19 pm PST), and to its old refrain: What are things worth?
Looking back at the Uranus in Taurus years, as the tangible has gradually shifted to the digital, it seems we’ve become removed from the value of things, even our money. We long ago traveled far from the gold standard, but now, even from cash money and coin itself. As a business owner who depends heavily on digital banking, I can’t, in good conscience, complain; but I’ve found myself drifting back to paying for groceries or a dinner out with cash, just to have the tactile experience of handling money.
Anyway, Uranus will re-enter Gemini next spring (April 25, 2026), and I’ll never experience it in Taurus again in my lifetime. So, I’ll take the next six months or so to revisit what things mean to me, things I may have drifted away from. Cash. The earth. The beauty of physical things.
Filing Away the Past
For weeks, a stack of client files has balanced precariously on my desk. The cats have knocked them over at least once. But there simply was no room left in my filing cabinet to put them away. So yesterday, I spent a couple of hours culling inactive client files and filing away the new ones.
Browsing through the files was a trip down memory lane. It was also a reminder of either how busy I’ve gotten or how dulled my memory has become, because some of the names didn’t ring a bell at all. I’d look at one and think, wow, I must not have seen this person for years – only to peek inside and realize I’d met with them six months ago, and my notes brought all their stories back.
This is the type of project I love when Mercury is turning retrograde (Nov. 9, 2025, 11:02 am PST) – one that involves time travel, remembrances, and catching up on paperwork. Mercury will be retrograde (between 6º51’ Sagittarius and 20º42’ Scorpio) through Nov. 29. During this retrograde time, try to find a few hours here and there to let go of a little bit of the past to make room for something new.
Writing and images © 2017-2025 by April Elliott Kent
