Astrologically Speaking
The Moon’s Nodes have changed signs, with the North Node moving from Leo into Cancer, and the South Node moving from Aquarius to Capricorn. The Nodes are not physical bodies but rather the two points where the Moon’s orbit intersects the ecliptic (the ecliptic is the path, or mean plane the Sun follows over the course of the year. Lunar and Solar eclipses can only happen when the moon crosses this path.) The ascending node is where the Moon moves into the northern ecliptic hemisphere, and the descending node is where the Moon moves into the southern ecliptic hemisphere. From our perspective the Moon’s Nodes appear to move backwards through the signs, hence the change from Leo to Cancer for the North Node, and the move from Aquarius to Capricorn for the South Node. The Nodes are generally thought of as an axis rather than two disconnected points. They are often called the dragon’s head (north node) and tail (south node). This symbology is ancient and lasted until well after the Renaissance, with the first interpretations of the of the nodes in the natal chart being associated with difficult times in the heavens involving the moon being eaten by a dragon.
The Shift
This shift to a Cancer-Capricorn axis will bring a time of focusing on things of a Cancerian nature like mothering, nurturing, caring for emotions, even the divine feminine and blending this with the ideas of Capricorn such as status, usefulness, the physical body, even the Earth itself. This can be a time of healing for ourselves and the planet in many ways if we are willing to put in the work required to make it happen.
Look Within Before Acting Without
On the 15th of November Mars will enter Pisces, this might make it harder to get the motivation needed to take action on issues outside of ourselves. It will be good for doing some inner work though, and this might be what is needed before the outer work is committed to. Knowing ourselves and how much is appropriate for us to give to anything outside of ourselves whether it is another person, or a cause. With Venus going direct again in Libra on the 16th, being clear on our boundaries and what we need is a good idea before taking action, especially anything that might be done solely to please others.
Mercury Retrograde
Venus will be handing the retrograde baton off to Mercury, and it will move from 13 degrees Sagittarius on November 16th to 27 degrees Scorpio on December 6th. Many claim that Mercury retrograde is a dangerous time for communications, travel, signing agreements, or even tech gadgets. It is a good idea to think before you speak, take your time and do not rush into an accident, and read any documents carefully, but that is a good idea anyway. Mercury retrograde offers opportunities to redo, or revisit things, this may be people, places, or things from your past. How it will play out for you may depend on where these degrees of Sagittarius to Scorpio fall in your natal chart, and perhaps the condition of your natal Mercury. If you remain aware there is no reason to fear a Mercury retrograde, you could come out the other side of it after the shadow period(which lasts until December 24th), with a change in perspective that might finally allow you to release some old ideas that have held you back.
An Example
An example for Mercury retrograde might be gained from the Venus retrograde that is about to end with Venus going direct on the 16th. Venus went retrograde October 5th at 10 degrees Scorpio, in total spending six weeks retrograde. Many associate Venus with love and romance, and this is true, but it isn’t the only expressions of Venus. A personal example from my life includes an old friend getting back in touch, this is common with both Venus and Mercury retrograde. Both friends and even old lovers could attempt to reach out at this time. I also have Scorpio at my Midheaven and spent a day reading tarot cards at the Phoenix Pagan Pride Day. I haven’t performed public reading at festivals in a long time so I also view this as another expression of Venus retrograde for me personally.
Knowing your own natal chart will help you to get a good idea of what you may reasonably expect to happen to you as we dance with the planets in the sky. I am always interested in how transits play out so uniquely in each individuals’ life, there would seem to be as many possibilities as stars in the sky.