Today is Monday, Nov. 14, 2011. This week, all week, the astrology is dominated by the centaur planet Pholus. You may have never heard of Pholus, but you’ve felt its effects many times. It’s the thing at work when a small decision or action has an unexplainable, cascading effect where one thing leads to another to some unexpected — and large — result. When Pholus is in the picture, it’s vital to use the energy in your favor rather than have it work against you. As with all the centaur planets (the first of which was Chiron), the key to this is awareness.
Awareness — that elusive thing. Every spiritual or therapy tradition has a name for it: mindfulness, raising consciousness, focus, paying attention, coming out of a trance. Then there is real life. We live in a world where it’s considered okay to drive a car through a crowded city while simultaneously listening to the radio, drinking coffee, smoking a cigarette and talking the phone. Nearly everything around us is designed to distract us or put us in a hypnotic state.
This is the week to drive (and only drive) while you’re driving, eat when you’re eating and read when you’re reading. Even if you’re an extremely talented multitasker, keep things down to a dull roar and really pay attention, because this week your actions will have effects. You can prevent things from going in unwholesome directions if you know this, and you can remind yourself that small moves mean a lot.
It’s also the week to proceed with intention. Either work on developing your vision, or stick to the one you’ve got. Sagittarius, where most of this astrology takes place, is a visionary sign, and the aspects are calling for clear focus and making conscious choices, as if what you decide actually matters. The chances are it matters far more than you think.