True Wealth
When I was young, my family were fairly poor. But each summer, my mother would scratch together some money to take us on a road trip to visit one of the national parks. “We own this,” Mom would remind us, gesturing toward some ravishing natural wonder. One reason I support the National Park Foundation to this day is that as long as we were visiting one of these parks, I never felt poor.
The curious Gemini Full Moon (Nov. 27, 2023, 1:16 am PST, 4º51’ Gemini) opposes the Sun and Mars in adventurous, outdoorsy Sagittarius, with all three square Saturn in Pisces. We may be feeling the financial pinch from Saturn headed into the holiday season. But this freedom-loving, road-tripping Full Moon is a reminder that a curious Gemini spirit, a wild Sagittarius nature, and an empathetic, ecstatic Pisces heart are our true wealth, and the best gifts we could hope for.
The Fight for Clarity
When any planet connects with Neptune, you might assume that its ventures are doomed to failure, victims of a lack of clarity and a surplus of deception. Mercury’s square aspect to Neptune, in particular, was vilified in most the astrology books I read early in my journey.
Maybe the fact that I have this aspect in my birth chart muddles my judgement and proves the very myth that I’m trying to dispel, but I really like this aspect. Squares force us to reconcile different sides of our nature. When it goes up against Neptune, Mercury fights against fog and confusion – and along the way, learns to articulate Neptune’s poetry and sensitivity.
As Mercury squares Neptune this week (Nov. 27, 2023, 5:28 am PST), do your part to give Neptune a voice. Sing. Create art. Make beauty. Listen to those who are hurting. It’s a quick aspect for most of us, no more than a couple of days; but for those who are born with it, it’s a life’s work.
Storehouse
Jonny stopped by an estate sale down the block that he said was unlike anything he’d ever seen. Unassuming from the outside, the 3500-square-foot house was packed, floor to rafter, with stuff of every description. Building materials and tools lay cheek-to-jowl with furniture, clothing, and a surprising wealth of lightbulbs. Fascinated by the sheer breadth of offerings, he browsed for nearly an hour before ultimately coming home empty-handed. “It all seemed useful, but I couldn’t use it,” he said.
That sounds a lot like the Moon’s South Node. It’s a storehouse of helpful skills and knowledge that we’ve accumulated, which are only really useful if we use them to pursue the North Node path to growth.
When planets transit over this point, we get an opportunity to stock up on some of that wealth. This week, Venus (Nov. 29, 2023, 9:16 am PST) conjoins the Libra South Node, which is well stocked with skills that help us get along with others and make the world a more gracious place. Venus in Libra is like a woman who left her home town long ago for the big city, who has come back home for a long weekend to drink at the South Node well of ease, grace, and gentility. She can’t stay long, but by the time she leaves the place that created her, steeped in the good manners and social graces that are her birthright, she feels stronger and rejuvenated, and ready to take on the rough and tumble of the city.
Using What You’ve Got
Years ago, I watched an entertaining tv series called Take Home Chef. The premise had a professional chef approaching shoppers in a supermarket and offering to cook dinner for them using only what they had on hand in their kitchen. It was a lot of fun watching him whip up gourmet meals using offbeat ingredients and humble kitchen implements.
Mercury enters Capricorn (Dec. 1, 2023, 6:31 am PST) this week, placing the planet of the magician in the sign of the resourceful pragmatist. Capricorn will always find a way; even if it lacks the ideal tools or ingredients, it’s always squirreled something away that will get the job done.
Mercury has two faces, the witty, intellectual, conversational, Gemini face; and the earthy Virgo face that knows how to handle the physical world. That’s the face he’ll be showing us during his protracted stay in Capricorn (through Feb.4, with a retrograde period Dec. 12-Jan. 1, and a revisit of Sagittarius Dec. 22-Jan. 13). As you approach a new calendar year and begin to formulate new plans, take a look at what you’ve already got on hand, and think about what you can make from it.
Something That Lasts
This week, Mercury makes the first of three sextile aspects to Saturn (Dec. 2, 2023, 7:27 am PST) that will unfold across the holiday season. (The other two are on Dec. 21, when Mercury is retrograde, and on Jan. 18, 2024).
Coming on the heels of Mercury’s jubilant stomp through boisterous Sagittarius, Mercury’s Capricorn season is much more subdued. Mercury in Capricorn generally dislikes small talk and prefers to speak only when there’s something important to say. It’s a serious-minded Mercury, excellent for creating something lasting of those Mercury in Sagittarius ideas.
At this first sextile to Saturn, which rejoices in planning and strategy, formulate a step-by-step plan to make one of those ideas a reality. And keep the details private for the time being, until you’re ready to launch your project in the new year.
Worth
A beautiful heiress is introduced to a man who refuses to treat her in the worshipful, deferential style to which she’s accustomed. Her beauty and status automatically open most doors for her, and she’s first startled and then outraged to be teased and mocked by a man who refuses to acknowledge her as a goddess. The harder she tries to bend him to her will, revealing glimpses of temper and steely resolve beneath the cotton-candy façade, the more amused he becomes. What she doesn’t realize is that he’s already fallen for the real woman underneath the regal exterior.
As Venus squares Pluto (Dec. 3, 2023, 5:29 am PST), the question is, what am I worth? If you’ve fallen into the habit of relying on your past accomplishments, social connections, status, or attractiveness, this aspect can summon a person or situation that calls you out on it. When you can no longer rest on your laurels, it’s time to remember – and to cultivate – your true and valuable self.
Writing and images © 2017-23 by April Elliott Kent
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