A Planet Waves Special Edition

If October wasn't exciting enough for you, there's always November. This is a very mysterious time of year, isn't it? The feeling of existing in the vast cosmos really seems to vibrate from eternity in these weeks.

This month's column is based on the chart for the Nov. 12 New Moon in Scorpio. But I've kept in mind the rather strange series of planetary occultations that occur the week before. Here's the scoop, since I know some of my stargazing/wiccan friends and other nature freaks are out there reading. An occultation is when the Moon makes an exact conjunction to a planet -- kind of like an eclipse. We had two eclipses and two occultations between Oct. 13 and Oct. 28; now there are four more occultations on the way: Moon to Jupiter on the 9th, Moon to Venus on the 10th, Moon to Mars on the 11th and Moon to Mercury on the 14th. Interesting, yes?

I would be VERY appreciative if you would share with me some of what you either see coming, or afterwards, what you've experienced during these events. You can drop me a note at francis@planetwaves.net. Enjoy the season, it's rich, particularly in the Hudson Valley, my favorite patch of Earth in the known world.

Aries (March 20-April 19)

It's been said that sex and death are the two great equalizers. No matter what we may think, feel, do, or believe, these are inevitable experiences in the lives we share on Earth. The world is now moving through a portion of the cosmos where, for many centuries, there have been rituals and celebrations involving ancestors, the transience of life, and the final harvest -- from ancient Egypt to Mexico. I suggest you take these rituals personally. The planets are sending you a direct request to hold open the door between the worlds, for yourself and those you love the most dearly.

Taurus (April 19-May 20)

Is there such a thing as perfect happiness? I don't think so, unless you define that as living in balance with life's many possibilities for pleasure and pain, loss and surrender, beginnings and endings. Astrology points above all else to a state of constant change. Right now that change is coming in the form of renewal and rebirth. You may notice, in the days and weeks approaching the Nov. 12 Scorpio New Moon, that many old stories, long-gone episodes and lingering situations suddenly resolve themselves, or disappear as if they were never there. Clear away the old, and leave the space open.

Gemini (May 20-June 21)

Recent months have brought enormous changes into your most private life and your home, changes that may have seemed to be out of control at the time, or too big to conceive of. I think by now you can see that there was a cosmic plan in place, and that it reaches back more than 12 months. I suggest you make a simple chronology of those seasons. More happened than you remember. You have set more things right in your life than you ever thought probable, and the result is likely to be that you can actually feel secure and safe on the planet for the first time in a very long while.

Cancer (June 21-July 22)

Jupiter is now in Libra, your 4th solar house, a one-year transit which offers a dependable clue that you'll be making major improvements to your living situation. There's nothing too big or complicated for Jupiter to handle. If there's someplace you want to live, near or far, then begin making plans to get there. If you want to own property for the first time, start looking for a place you like. This would be likely to work whether you follow astrology or not, but having knowledge of this transit gives you time to plan, an occasion to dream, and a sense of what is possible.

Leo (July 22-Aug. 23)

The New Moon on Nov. 12 is a truly magnificent astrological event that ripples through your 4th house, Scorpio. Here, we have a fine example of why Leos are so bright and clear on the outside, but so deeply attuned to their emotions and instincts on the other. Scorpio gives depth, and it's located in the deepest angle of your chart. This is a passionate and emotional time for you, a time when only large things should matter. I see a moment to appreciate both your awesome strength, and the delicate path you tread in life.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22)

Our homes contain our family patterns, even if our parents have never set foot inside the door. Whether you're talking about brand loyalty to Comet or Ajax cleanser, doing subtle things the way we were taught as children, or actually living in an ancestral home, echoes of these patterns can be painted all over the walls. Now is the time to see this phenomenon for what it is. If astrology means anything at all, they are going to reveal themselves as vividly as pictures in a book this month, which will have the odd effect of setting your spirit a little more free.

Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23)

It may be challenging for you to think of your home as anything other than the scene or potential scene of a relationship. This goes back a long way. Yet your ideas about relationship are changing fast. It would appear you've made some important, difficult decisions about the role of tradition in your life. You do need a traditional situation, but factors that have emerged over the past few years, and are coming into focus now, point to a clear need for a household arrangement that breaks all the icons of the past and follows no rules besides those set by you and close partners.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22)

This must be an emotionally edgy time for you. You possess an awesome power to detach yourself from emotional turbulence or troubling questions, though I suggest you do no such thing right now. There is something extremely subtle happening within your psyche, and it involves the way you determine whether you're being emotionally honest with yourself. If you're feeling like the sword of Damocles is dangling over your head on the very deepest questions of personal integrity, you're on the right page. Uncomfortable, perhaps, but it's always a beautiful thing in this world when the truth genuinely matters.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22 - Dec. 22)

Sagittarius is well known as a restless sign, even by those who have very little knowledge of astrology. But the past few seasons have been quite amazing, even by your standards. And it's getting on time to make some real changes. The world is going to let you do this. In fact, the world -- your household, the company you work for, the social network to which you're so integral -- will benefit rather immensely by your making the changes that benefit you the most deeply. Let me put it this way. You are simply too valuable a member of the world community to ever be unhappy.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20)

You seem to be under a spell of some kind: perhaps an old partner has come back into your life or your home; perhaps you're noticing that something, someone, or some aspect of your existence is being taken away, or is about to change irrevocably. This is the small change that precedes the great one. Somehow it all seems to be emanating outward from your home or deepest emotional space. Somehow there is an old story about the nature of human existence being revealed in your life. In any event, you are quite literally transforming into a different person. Therefore, do what you must.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19)

On one level, the extraordinary events of this year appear to have had little to do with your home base. Yet if you look carefully, they have everything to do with these things. Some series of events that reached a peak during the summer months has revealed just about everything you need to know about why you are the person you are. They also revealed something about how you handle stress, respond to threatening situations, and ultimately, hold your center in place. The rather unusual month ahead should reveal a bit about the rewards from having survived this ordeal.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20)

November would be a good month for you to make no travel plans, or bare minimum. There's really no place you could hope to be more interesting than where you now live. So interesting, in fact, that open discussion of the subject matter revealed in the chart far exceeds the accepted boundaries of this column -- but use your imagination. One of the themes, anyway, involves how just about every pattern of relationship you've come to experience as 'reality' suddenly evaporates, as something entirely and undeniably new takes its place. Keep your weekends clear and your heart open. The impossible is about to become extremely likely.

Eric Francis is a horoscope columnist, investigative journalist and counselling astrologer. His monthly and annual horoscopes are now free. If you don't want to wait a whole month, you can get his subscriber-only horoscopes every Monday and Friday by subscribing here. As a subscriber you get horoscopes, astrology news and articles twice a week by email from Eric, plus access to our subscriber-only website. Check out the details here or call us toll-free on (877) 453 8265. Thank you.