Mercury is set to end its retrograde cycle Wednesday. Yet remember, it’s not that once it does, communication and delivery of information/insights immediately gets back to a quick forward-moving pace.

It still feels really important to go slow and be very diligent in how you move things around, whether yourself or the ideas that you’ve been ruminating on. Continue to let percolation mode assist you in further digging up valuable insights that were the treasure of this time (yes, even those things that may have been challenging to face yet which once they were excavated may have transformed into jewels themselves).

That said, the second half of the week you may find that things feel shifted, and that all that you’ve been uncovering can now guide you even more clearly as you pursue strategies that allow you to tap into deeper levels of honesty, a greater awareness of your desires, and more deeply etched emotional fortitude. Remember though that Mercury will still be in deep-diving Scorpio for a while, not galavanting into aim-far-and-wide Sagittarius until December 9. As such, we still have three more weeks to get more clarity as to how to suss out secrets, more systematically ID BS, and winnow out window-dressing approaches that have previously kept us from communicating the heart of the matter. All of this is important in and of itself, but this concentrated effort at doing so just as we build up to the Saturn/Pluto Conjunction on January 12 seems exquisite; it feels like this time has been assisting us in developing the fortitude of mind and voice that is allied with the deconstruction-leading-to-reconstruction that we’ve found ourselves needing to undertake in our lives.

On Thursday we shift from Scorpio to Sagittarius season, inviting in a month that has us more attracted to exploration, travel, philosophy, and the desire to gain a broader perspective.

In addition, this week is hued by two significant alignments occur on Sunday: the Venus/Jupiter Conjunction and Mars/Uranus Opposition.

The former, occurring in the sign of Sagittarius, may have us connect to the experience of big love. We may find ourselves focusing on just what it is that has us feeling an expanded sense of value and richness. With both planets in Sagittarius, the we may find ourselves connecting to the ways we want to invest our resources so that our lives feel even larger and more expansive. It may seem like there’s a lot of glitz and sparkle; the key is to see whether what’s bright and shiny is just a veneer or whether it’s also encasing an integral foundation. With Jupiter sometimes catalyzing excess and Venus related to money, also be careful as to how you spend yours and whether what you’re called to allocate funds for is really worth it.

As Jupiter is set to leave Sagittarius (where it’s been since last November 8) for Capricorn on December 2, it turns out that this is the major alignment that it’s going to make before it does (not counting a conjunction to the Moon on November 28—Thanksgiving—which we should not discount, more on that next week). With Venus associated with the things we value, taking the time this week to explore and examine the treasures and assets you attained during Jupiter’s sojourn though this sign may be powerful. Focusing your attention on Jupiterian themes, such as expansion, goal setting, broadening your world, cross-cultural pursuits and/or philosophical or spiritual understanding may help you to more clearly aim this inquiry.

And while the Venus/Jupiter Conjunction may provide us with a feeling of flow, the concurrent Mars/Uranus Opposition may do anything but. After all, warrior Mars is connected to the way we move and fight for what we desire, and Uranus is the planet that shakes things up and often presents things in a way that we weren’t expecting. As such, the week may be full of surprises, detours, and out-of-the-blue adventures (and one where one of my favorite mantras—Stay Bouncy!—may be an especially good strategy). And with that—unless we’re staying bouncy, and even if we are—we may find ourselves rattled and agitated.

Yet we can also use this opportunity to surprise ourselves, giving ourselves more freedom from any cast-in-stone approaches that we usually take, which we feel may be limiting us in our heart of hearts. Let yourself explore paths not readily taken, roads less traveled. Even if it seems uncomfortable or unusual at the outset, you may end up experiencing a greater sense of liberation and feeling that you’re more capable and creative at championing for what you desire than you before believed.

One more note: it may be an interesting time for relationships; after all, traditionally Venus and Mars are considered relationship planets. Venus, associated with the feminine, is inspired by an expansive feeling (Jupiter) while Mars, associated with the masculine, is touched by the desire to do things in a way that yields freedom (Uranus). Knowing this may help in navigating any relationship issues that feel tricky on the surface, allowing you to find routes that can bring you unexpected experiences that feel exceptionally valuable.

Astrological Highlights

November 19

Mars enters Scorpio

November 20

Mercury stations direct (retrograde cycle ends)

November 22

Sun enters Sagittarius

November 24

Venus/Jupiter Conjunction
Mars/Uranus Opposition

All days reflect Eastern Standard Time (- 8 hour GMT)

Stellar Insights: November 18 - 24, 2019

Astrological Highlights