November is here! Brace yourselves for end times energy — and new beginnings

Welcome to November, starseeds!

After a rollicking round of October eclipses, we’re headed for another kind of reckoning: election season and the onslaught of the holidays, both of which will test our tact, strength, and ability to breathe through emotional triage.

Fun.

The month kicks off with a new moon in Scorpio on November 1st, setting an intense tone for the transformative weeks ahead.

On November 3, with the closest presidential election in decades looming, death daddy Pluto in Capricorn will directly oppose war-monger Mars in Cancer. The energy here is powerful, but can also support self-control and the deliverance of a death blow (a Pluto/Mars poem) to things that are dead, deadening, or determined to destroy us.

I can’t think of a better day to quit smoking, break up with a narcissist, or swear off corn syrup.

On November 11th, Venus, our planet of assets, attachment, and aesthetics, moves, or more aptly, power walks into Capricorn. Venus in Cap knows what it wants and wants it to last, providing an impetus to commit or cut loose — depending on ROI.

On November 15th, the Full Moon in Taurus rises and shines.

The moon is exalted in Taurus, meaning our luminary of nourishment and safety lives to wallow in the pleasure pastures of the bull. But this year, rabble-rousing, lightning-striking Uranus is in the mix, making us prone to impulse, excess and implosion. Tread carefully, and because Taurus rules the throat, speak thoughtfully — lest you choke on the dry husk of your self-righteous diatribes.

On the same day, Saturn goes direct in Pisces after a months-long retrograde; this stationing should help us all see a little clearer and proceed with purpose toward dreams and schemes that may have felt stuck in neutral/energetic purgatory since June.

On November 19th, power planet Pluto sets up shop in Aquarius, where the dark lord will reign for the next two decades. Pluto in Aquarius will (hopefully) usher us all into the era of the utopian alien where we can exalt in the weird and maybe even overthrow the desiccated, exploitive, capitalist structure of yore.

Stay tuned.

On November 21, the sun moves from the crypts of Scorpio to the pirate sails of Sagittarius, offering a much-needed lift in spirits.

Get it while you can, folks — Mercury retrograde begins on November 25. The trickster planet will be at peak meddling until December 15th.

This is a relatively short retrograde period for Mercury, but if we factor in the shadow period, it will extend through both Thanksgiving and Christmas, which could mean more outbursts and infighting. But in the spirit of Sag, what gets spilled, spoken, or broken could lead to broader views and better bonds.

Here’s hoping. Read for your sun and rising signs.

Scorpio season highlights your eighth house of sex, secrets, endings, and beginnings, Aries. While you have no problem finding fuel for your proverbial fire, this month calls you to question what can be built upon the pyre of what has been burned.

To help you in your scaffolding, I bring you the words of fellow ram and Dadaist poet Tristan Tzara: “Not the old, not the new, but the necessary.”

Scorpio season casts a shadow on your seventh house of partnership, Taurus. The full moon and Uranus in your sign midmonth promise something of a shock to your system and to the bedrock of your trusted relationships.

Bear in mind, my bull babies, while we would rarely, if ever, choose to be thoroughly rocked or utterly upended, in the fallout is often where we flourish.

This month, themes of routine and ritual are at the forefront for you, Gemini. Consider ways the former can be elevated to the latter. Relative to your daily life, certain situations, such as living quarters, jobs, hobbies, etc., may feel untenable for you this month.

Use this energy to seek out unexpected alternatives. While you don’t have to change everything, fortune is with you should you choose to.

The sun in the fellow waters of Scorpio floods your fun house, Cancer, offering myriad opportunities for flights of fancy, afternoon delights, and tumbling dice.

There’s a bit of friction betwixt opportunities to galavant and the oppressive demands of daily life. Don’t miss the chance to play ball, baby.

If you’re not in a position to say, ‘Take this job and shove it,’ try and build amusement into your every day, every day. Eat a goddamn ice cream cone on your lunch break, put your bare feet in the grass, go dance with strangers. For energetic inspiration, I recommend viewing “Hook,” starring fellow moon child, the late great Robin Williams.

Scorpio season asks you to dig deep into your root systems, Leo. To parse out the ties that bind from the strings that suffocate, leverage the theatrical merits of your sign.

If you view your life as performance art, are the parts of mother, father, elder, sage, and sibling being played by the appropriate people in ways that make you feel safe and brave? Free and full. If not, it’s high time to recast.

The sun in Scorpio puts a seashell to the ear of your third house of communications, Virgo.

For the first half of the month, Mercury, your ruling planet, will also be in the sign of the scorpion, encouraging you to listen closely for messages of all kinds from all sources.

The veil between worlds is at its thinnest during this time of year, so if you have a mind to ask for guidance or assurance from someone you’ve lost, now is the hour to place a tin can call to the dead.

Scorpio season highlights your second house of values and valuables, Libra, the home of cash money, and cold, hard confidence.

In astrology, as in paydirt, there is a direct relationship between our earning potential and our concept of what we deserve. With this in mind, I hope you will assess before you say yes to ANYONE. Being wanted and needed by others is not an adequate reason to eschew your own pursuits. No more martyrdom as a means to self-sabotage, Libra! Conquer your fear of inadequacy by claiming and doing precisely what you want.

Happy return of the sun to you, Scorpio. This month kicks off with a powerful new moon in your sign, offering you a chance for rebirth in the dark night. Your sign is synonymous with transformation and trauma, but this time of year, challenge and change can take the form of a physical overhaul. Fashion is a language, and the best way to communicate your latest incarnation might be in the stoic armor or shrieking neon of a new outfit.

Pro tip: Imagine how your favorite movie character or mythical figure would outfit themselves for our broken, modern world. What does Medusa wear to the grocery store? Hades to the club? Kali Ma out for a run?

The sun in the fixed waters of Scorpio always invites introspection. Still, the summons is strongest for you, Sagittarius, as Scorpio highlights your twelfth house of endings, hauntings, hidden forces, and the subconscious mind.

Experts agree that the best way to influence the subconscious is through the repetition of words; essentially, what we speak becomes what we believe. May you find a mantra that makes you a master of yourself.

The sun in Scorpio highlights your eleventh house of community and connectivity, Capricorn. You tend to be a go-it-alone type, ensuring excellence and absolute glory.

Yet, this season, with Pluto in the last death throes and degree of your sign, you are being called to call on others, if not as direct collaborators, then as unexpected sources of insight and inspiration.

The wilder and wider of a net you cast, the richer you stand to get.

P.S. — Trees, animals, children, and ghosts in the machine and/or your dreams all count as community members who can contribute to your cause.

Ahoy, Aquarius! The big news for you is death daddy Pluto’s entrance into your sign, heralding a serious period of transformation, particularly with regard to how you hold, withhold, and experience power.

As an outer planet with an arduously long orbit, this influence will not be immediate.

Still, water bearers can set the stage and clear the way for Pluto to do its work by culling anything that disempowers, be it habits, beliefs, heirlooms, or relationships.

Trust, my dudes — in due time, if you do not surrender these things freely, they will be removed forcibly.

At long last, Saturn is stationing direct in your sign, Pisces. Saturn is known as The Great Teacher, and while his lessons are rarely easy, they are formative. Saturn’s instructions lean heavily on themes like patience and sacrifice — again, not a lot of good times and glad rags.

To that effect, you may face setbacks and losses that feel acute in the moment — but later prove to be the breadcrumbs and crowbars that lead you down the proper path and equip you to crack open the doors and windows of true opportunity.

Astrology 101: Your guide to the star

Astrologer Reda Wigle researches and irreverently reports back on planetary configurations and their effect on each zodiac sign. Her horoscopes integrate history, poetry, pop culture, and personal experience. To book a reading, visit her website.