Stellar Insights: November 19 - 25, 2018

Mercury Retrograde inspires us to turn around and re-traverse territory recently traveled.

Taking this nod, it felt right (and quite meta) to start this week’s Stellar Insights by looking back, to acknowledge how Mercury began its retrograde cycle on Friday, and how it casts a hue as we begin this current week. For more on the invitations of Mercury Retrograde in Sagittarius—where it will be until December 1, when it dives back into Scorpio—see this Rethinking Our Aim: Mercury Retrograde in Sagittarius piece I wrote.

The week also begins with a Mars/Jupiter Square, an alignment that seems to thread itself throughout the whole week given its tie-in with Friday’s Full Moon.

Reflecting the Mars/Jupiter Square, enthusiasm guides our aims. Be open to potentials and possibilities, yet also be realistic when it comes to what can be achieved and when. We may want to shoot for the stars, but it’s important to keep our sights upon what is possible and realistic as well; if not, we may be unnecessarily disappointed and/or find ourselves using up precious energy and resources.

That said, Mars/Jupiter does seem to afford us the encouragement to infuse our goals with an extra bit of stretch. Even if we know that what we desire isn’t necessarily attainable in the confines of a set time/space, painting a clearer picture of our hopes/dreams/aspirations of what we want to achieve can end up serving as a wayfinding tool, to guide us in the here/now/future as to the direction that we feel we want to travel.

With Mars and Jupiter tying into the Full Moon, its themes may become even more apparent around the Thanksgiving holiday. The Sun dancing with Jupiter, in Sagittarius nonetheless, does have that “eyes too big for my stomach” feeling so watch that the propensity of overindulging, so commonplace at Thanksgiving, isn’t even more prominent. With Mars being in Pisces, we may also want to watch an upswing in our desire to escape the feelings that challenging family dynamics inspire, something that is often on show around the holidays. Whether it be that disappearing/dissociating trick we’re so good at, going into “I can solve this and save everyone” mode, or pouring ourselves yet another glass of wine that we know we will regret later on, be aware of the ingrained strategies you use when it comes to distancing yourself from hurt and pain (whether yours or others). Channel the possibility nestled deep within the invitation of Mars in Pisces to stream forth love and compassion to yourself and all those around you, and honor the call of Thanksgiving—giving thanks and expressing gratitude to yourself as well as the things and people around you that you love and cherish. (For more insights on this week’s Full Moon, see here.)

Tapping into this sense of streaming love feels like something that’s even more inspired given that Neptune stations direct on Saturday. With Neptune being a star player this week, we could also find ourselves a bit dreamy. This may enhance our connection with our dreamscape and allow us to gain great insights from our intuition (if we listen to it, and trust it). Yet, it may also inspire a sense of spacey-ness; so focus on focusing, doing grounding exercises if you feel a bit mentally scattered. Paying special attention to our boundaries may also serve us well.

Between Neptune stationing and the tie-in with Mars in Pisces in the Full Moon, overflowing water may be a strong theme this week. Keep on eye on containers that carry liquids to ensure that they have the integrity to hold what they contain. And speaking of overflowing water, don’t be surprised if a heightened sensitivity doesn’t have you shedding tears in situations that may usually not elicit them. Remember that water has the potentiality to heal, and so do tears.

Astrological Highlights

November 19

Mars/Jupiter Square

November 23

Gemini Full Moon

November 24

Neptune Stations Direct

November 25

Sun/Jupiter Conjunction

Dates noted reflect Eastern Standard Time