The Sun enters Scorpio’s second decan on November 2, at 1:40pm Eastern Daylight Time. By the time this column runs again, we’ll be off of daylight saving time and back on the “standard” time schedule. This second decan is ruled by the Sun in some astrological traditions. As I’ve done in other of these columns, we’ll start with some discussion of planetary placements, and then proceed to a horoscope arranged by rising sign. I’m sorry to say that the forecast has its winners and losers, as it always does… but it looks like a harder ten days ahead than most of us would like.

Planetary placements

The ascendant is in Aquarius, singling out people with fixed rising signs, namely Aquarius, Taurus, Leo and Scorpio, will be dealing with angular matters — that is, significant issues like self, career, home and relationships — in the next ten days. The mutable signs, namely Pisces, Gemini, Virgo, and Sagittarius, will be dealing with succedent matters — issues like money, taxes, estates and death, friends, education, and travel. The cardinal signs, namely Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn, will be facing cadent matters like neighborhood and extended family, work, health, education, travel, and time out for reflection and renewal.

The Sun arrives at 10 degrees of Scorpio, naturally in the tenth house of career and employers. Just a bit past the heights of heaven, the Sun still holds the high ground but his influence is waning. However, in an angular house, he brings career matters to a head in relation to other aspects of life for a great many people this season.

With the inner planets, we find Mercury retrograde and conjunct the Midheaven — a perfect opportunity for some sealed corporate communication to become public and widely known. While not under the beams of the Sun, the messenger of the gods is headed that way, closing in on a moment of insight or of reckoning; they’re carrying messages backward from creative Venus, and from the heights of heaven, to the source of light and center of our souls: the messages we hear at this time will matter. Their conjunction occurs mid-morning on November 11. Venus holds the high ground in Sagittarius in the eleventh house, as she begins her approach to a conjunction with Jupiter which will occur on November 24-25 — a beneficial union in the heavens, perhaps the last one for a time.

Among the outer planets, as we just noted Jupiter is in his domicile of Sagittarius until December 3, ruling the eleventh house of friends and associates; before that, he’ll be in close consultation with Venus at about November 24. Mars is chugging along in the sign of Libra, naturally in the ninth house of travel and higher education; it’s not a comfortable place for him, and he’s still trying to understand why he’s there. In the last ten days, we saw him enjoying and ogling voluptuous Venus (and she is), when they engaged in a little mutual admiration; now the pretty girl has gone away, and her eye has wandered to someone new. Mars is a little lost, a little confused, but probably also a little angry. Saturn, as he has been all year and before, is in Capricorn and in the twelfth house of isolation and reflection — he’s got practical stuff to get done, man, and he doesn’t have time for your excuses: get to your work-space and do the thing, buckle down, do what must be done!

When we look to the transpersonal wanderers, they’re in more or less the same places as earlier this year: Pluto in Capricorn, releasing toxins into the wild soils of our lives, particularly as those places relate to our self, and our self-identity; Neptune in Pisces, quaking the depths of the unconscious realms, and specifically as those realms relate to the natural themes of the second house of money and personal property; Uranus in Taurus in the natural fourth house bringing upheaval to comfortable places, and particularly as those realms relate to house and family.

The nocturnal luminary, the Moon, finds her place in the twelfth house in Capricorn, at 20° 52′. In her swift rotation around the Earth, she hangs here as a brand-new crescent, separating from a conjunction with Pluto and applying to a sextile with retrograde Mercury — which will transfer the messenger planet’s current confusion into practical matters large and small — the new trainee usually makes the second-largest mistakes, right after the old hand who makes a bigger mess trying to overcompensate for the intern’s errors. She presently resides in the Twenty-Third Mansion, that of devouring forces and waste and diminishment (though she is said to be favorable to divorces and the healing of the sick in this place, too).

Finally, we find the North and South Nodes arrayed between the twelfth and sixth houses naturally — one of the harder line-ups of the year, with the North Node bringing more feeling and emotional stress to the realm of health, infirmity and sickness; and the South Node stealing our rest and our reflections, our necessary downtime and solitude, and eating our dreams and desires.

All in all, not a pretty picture in this chart for the next ten days.

Rising sign horoscopes

Let’s turn now to the horoscopes by rising sign. Your rising sign, remember, is the sign that’s on the eastern horizon at the moment of your birth. In Chinese astrology, the positions of the Four Pillars determine strong elements of your personality and life-cycle — and even though I tend to approach astrology from a Western rather than a Chinese perspective, I find the Four Pillars useful: 1) the Ascendant, determining roughly the hour and minute; 2) the Moon position, determining roughly the month and the time of month; 3) the Sun position, referencing the day; and 4) the Jupiter position, which defines the year. So we find all the elements of a typical date (day, month, year, hour and minute) in these four positions — but the one we’re concerned with, is the hour/minute marker. This column, we’ll look at those four placements in the context of this Decanate chart.

Aquarius: Your personal Ascendant matches the rising sign during this next ten days, suggesting that there will be heavy doses of Personal Meaning in the hours ahead. The Sun rides high in your tenth house, suggesting a secret uncovered, or sunlight shining in dark places, in the days ahead — with the challenge that you may not be able to act on the revelations successfully due to a lack of power or authority or both. We find the Moon co-present with Saturn and Pluto (and actually conjunct Pluto) in the twelfth house — so you’ll likely find some ethical or moral challenges during your solo hours, when you’ll feel the tension between a desire to act on some issue or concern; but also recognize that speaking up or speaking out will put you in a dicey and conflicted scenario, where you may emerge as the loser. A square with Mars in Leo indicates a particularly-heightened tension here. Jupiter in the 11th house is quite strong and celebratory, so make sure that you’re engaged in positive and generous networking with allies and friends, paying special attention to your relationships with women who are not your romantic partners (no creeping here, please, men — there’s a conjunction near the start of December that signals a hard fall for men who use their power to get sex.

Pisces: Your priority in the next ten days is to learn to surf any money-issues you’re experiencing. The waves are big, and you’re going to have to take the time to sit down and sort through them alone. Your bookkeeper can track what the numbers are; but only you can identify what the numbers mean. The Sun’s position in your ninth house, relative to the tenth house of career, suggests a business trip of some length and distance, where you’ll be expected to perform and put on a show; shine a light on some mysteries that would prefer to remain in the dark, but remember your friends, too —your Jupiter placement suggests that a professional colleague or friend needs your career assistance; and your help would be clearly regarded as a long-term favor worthy of repayment. At the same time, though, there’s likely a brewing fight between you and another friend, and the divorce decree for a former bosom buddy may be in the offing. Ethical concerns? Moral dilemma? Just growing apart? You can and should try for a clean break, but BFFs rarely part ways amicably.

Aries: A sibling or relative or neighbor’s good fortune should regarded with a favorable eye in the next few days; this has benefits for you in the long run, if you play your cards right. You may hold other people’s money in trust for them; if so, you should make a point of reviewing accounts and communicating clearly about anything that mystifies you — a thorough review of past decisions and consequences would be wise. The Jupiter placement suggests that a road trip with a friend, or a class together, might be just the thing. However, the Moon indicates that pursuing an active business partnership at this time would leave you both with scratch marks and wounds, mostly from each other. So… go have fun together, but don’t set up shop just yet.

Taurus: There’s going to be a tension between home and career in the next ten days, and resolving it is likely to be difficult, with upheavals shaking the comforts of home and family; and you’re going to feel like you’re wearing a scarlet “A” at work… or worse, the mark of Cain, for not pulling your weight. Try to ignore this: heart is (and ought to be) where the home is, so get matters squared away there as best you can. The Sun’s placement suggests a big (and possibly secret) shakeup at your romantic partner’s workplace, with reviews of past performance shining light on unpleasant truths. The Jupiter placement invites you to flay your shared finances one more time like a dead horse, but if you must, try to value generosity and beauty and friendship in your accounting far more than gold. The bills for recent travel or educational endeavors are coming due — try to avoid cat-scratching or getting into a pissing match over money, and keep some of your more-venomous thoughts to yourself.

Gemini: You are likely to find the most solace and enjoyment in works of personal enjoyment in the next ten days. Get your fun in as best you can, though: either there’s a secret review at work, or some potentially-troubling medical information that may come to light. You and your romantic partner ought to get creative about how you engage with your friends, too, in the next week or so — your partner in particular may need their allyship in the near future, and securing friendships now will sustain you in the months ahead. The Moon’s placement suggests that you’re facing yourself in a kind of internal snarling match, growling out opposing viewpoints on a messy and nauseating issue; set some hard limits, friend, and think about something else for a while.

Cancer: The Moon’s passage through her place of detriment has likely caused you some difficulty in the last four or five days, and you’ve desperately needed more, while getting less of everything. It probably hasn’t helped that your romantic partner has gotten downtime, rewards, and an easing-up of general stress. Shine a light on your own pleasures, says the Sun — hold back the poisonous and barbed remarks awhile, and reflect on what’s made you happy recently. If you can’t think of anything, it’s time to go make some happiness. Jupiter indicates that a genuine legal issue may be hanging over your daily labors; a beautiful solution to the problem exists, but it may take more time to implement than your bosses think you can spare; hold out for the beautiful solution gracefully for at least another two weeks, if you can.

Leo: Feel like your world is a little topsy-turvy right now? The feeling will pass, but lavishing a little extra love and attention on a spouse or romantic interest is wise; they’re experiencing something like friendless exile at the moment, and it’s worth showing them that they have a true partner in you. The Sun invites you to look around the house, placing secret messages of love and affection for future romance that will be uncovered in the due course of time, while the Moon warns against investing too much energy into your working environment — especially if there’s a fight over turf, budget-distributions, or project constraints. Cut through the hybridized monsters with a simple question: “what is the perceived market value of this effort?”… and then walk away. You female friends will be a source of happiness in the next ten days — aim to spend time with a few of them, and target a few evenings of socializing with them.

Virgo: “Shared finances” is such a loaded phrase, especially when it feels like a threat to your stuff! But some issues are making waves in your partner’s money-matters, and it behooves you to figure out how to contribute to their solution where needed. The Sun shines light on secrets in your own family and lineage, and you may need to establish some new boundaries against some old poison there. Jupiter’s placement invites you to feast your friends at home (rather than feast on your friends, mind you), and create space for beauty and luxury within your abode not just for you but for others: Elrond’s house in The Lord of the Rings was a joyous place of poetry and music in a world of darkness; yours can be too. The Moon’s placement hearkens back to those threats upon your stuff and your private pleasures. Tighten your belt, figure out some sensible and responsible privations, and try to avoid too much mean-spiritedness about it; the fights you have now can leave lasting scars, so delay the argument to a more opportune time.

Libra: Some sort of travel, likely for educational purposes (especially for any of you military types), seems to be in the offing based on the Ascendant. The Sun’s placement says the travel is likely to be good for your career, especially if the trip involves historic data or sight-seeing…but don’t expect it to be healthy for your wallet. The cost is likely to sting! While still at home, seek out visitation time with friends, and try out that new place in the neighborhood. During your adventures, though, remember to check in with extended family about upcoming holiday plans; some serendipity may result, suggests Jupiter. Home alone, asks the Moon? “Great — we have a special on self-loathing, personal recrimination, reflections on past irresponsibility, and the way your styles of argument have ruined your life. As an added bonus, we can throw in a cutting remark or six from your own mouth that really burns.” Take the hint: seek friends, companions, partners, community — you don’t benefit from solitude these ten days, so fill your dance card well. Others, take heed — Libras need some extra love at the start of this month.

Scorpio: Your Ascendant and your Sun share the same sector of the sky in the next ten days, so you may find your career-path well-illuminated, and former mysteries now made pellucidly clear. Jupiter’s position indicates that now is a good time to use some of your monetary resources to support or back the creative projects of friends and allies — don’t buy from the stores they work at, buy their art or support their Patreon account; the Anglo-Saxon word weolth, from which we derive the modern word “wealth”, originally meant “what we can afford to give away”. Do that now: find your artistic and artisan friends, and support their endeavors this month, so that you have holiday presents to give at the end of next month. There may be trouble in your family in the next ten days, though. Keep your distance and avoid choosing sides, the Moon suggests.

Sagittarius: Jupiter repeats one of his often-heard messages for the next ten days: “you are in part the average of the people with whom you spend time.” Select your friends carefully and decide who you want to become. The Sun’s position says you’re going to earn more money working on your own this month than in partnership — but this doesn’t mean throwing out your partners, only reviewing the joint task list and splitting it up between you for a period of time (of course, if you’re a solo operator, it’s a good time to work alone anyway: you need more work time, and less brooding time, than usual). Regardless of your business orientation, you might remember that working in public places with headphones is a favorable option right now: it’s the right mix of “with people” and “alone”. Restrain expenses where you can, particularly whenever the phrase “I need to buy…” comes up. Separate need, want, and wish, at least in the next ten days; channel the purchasing energy into window-shopping and researching your options. The Moon’s placement indicates that any argument or trouble is likely to rise in the realms of personal expenses vs. group expenditure — hold back your own wants, in order to ensure enough cash for “us”, whoever that “us” may be.

Capricorn: All sorts of issues and pressures are trying to eat your downtime, and there are going to be forceful arguments made about giving it up for the sake of this person or that person’s needs. As painful as it may be, with the Moon giving weight to small requests blown into full-on battle, you’re going to have to hold this particular line in the sand and insist on whatever downtime you need— and if that means being a tightwad about finances, too, it might be worth a night on the couch or a walk out in the rain at lunchtime, depending on who’s trying to wrangle your time out from under you. The Sun’s message to you is that there are work issues which may manifest in the next ten days, that may require you to seek guidance and assistance from a friend outside of work… and that may require violating the letter if not the spirit of non-disclosure agreements; Jupiter’s message is that a woman is more trustworthy in this instance than a man. Although your first instinct may be to trust a bro — this is an occasion where the girl has clearer insight and will offer a better solution in exchange for the risk you must take in talking about it at all (and the issue may be sensitive enough that only trusting one other person, rather than a committee, is wise).

That concludes this ten-day forecast — and if you read through more forecasts than just your own, you’ll see that a lot of people may have quite a lot of difficulty in the coming week and a half — there’s a lot of argument wound up in this particular Moon position; there’s ongoing upheaval and trouble all around; and there’s more than enough villainy in the corporate worlds to make up several more seasons of Scooby-Doo! Check in with friends more often, make time for your network, see the friendly family members are looked after, and help the Libras you know. That’s part of the reason I focused so much on Jupiter placements in this forecast — for both of the Benefic Planets (Jupiter and Venus) occupy Sagittarius in the natural twelfth house. Being friendly — being good friends to our friends — with generosity, mercy and kindness, is the best possible action we can take in the next ten days.