The Sun enters Sagittarius I at 3:32 am EST on 22 November 2022. Austin Coppock called this decan The Poisoned Arrow, and the Tarot, according T. Susan Chang, assigns to it the 8 of Wands, a card representing swiftness and speedy action rather than deliberate forethought and careful planning.
The Alexandrians of the centuries following the death of Alexander the Great appear to have honored the Loimos at this time of year — but it may be better to say that they propitiated, mollified and appeased them as the sailing season drew to a close and the Mediterranean winter set in. The Loimos were the spirits of disease, illness, and plague — and the northern hemisphere’s cold season tended to bring people inside, into environments filled with smoke from both heating and cooking fires, and the exhalations of both people and animals. Sickness was common over the winter — and humoring and placating the spirits of illness before the season began was important.
Despite the fact that Mercury is in detriment in Sagittarius, they administrate the first decan — much like an engineer who isn’t liked by the new CEO, but whose institutional knowledge is absolutely essential to the operation of the company. Mercury’s presence here in the first decan, conjunct with Venus by degree, has some of that energy — an expert who maybe knows they’re about to be fired, but who knows absolutely everything about how the machinery works. A little later this month, this clever expert will pass through 16°-20° Sagittarius, their term in this sign — the fired engineer re-hired as a consultant at a higher rate for their know-how and savvy. “A planet in its own term is like a general in a chariot in a parade,” the ancient sources imply — unaffected by other planets or the Sun, and able to withstand most attacks in the short-term. Might a very good month for any former Twitter kidz, indeed.
Planetary Placements
The Ascendant is in Libra III, The Gyroscope making this a Venus-ruled (but Jupiter-administrated) chart… and Venus is under the beams of the Sun, and in company with Mercury in their own decan, Sagittarius I — The Poisoned Arrow. Sagittarius is one of only two ‘technological’ signs, the other being Libra. Libra’s ‘technology is the Scales themselves and the mercantile establishment which springs up around it; Sagittarius’s technology is the bow and arrow, weapons of hunting and of war. Jupiter is in his other sign of Pisces, retrograde, putting hostile and unhealthy pressures on technology and communications issues as big picture visionary desires are confronted both legal practicalities and technical limitations.
Overall, we have something known as a TRAIN configuration, with planets spread between the first and sixth houses: a great many of us are going to get railroaded through a sequence of events in the next ten days that have to do with household and home, family and friends. The train breaks off at the seventh house, where a second private carriage moves through Uranus and Mars in houses eight and nine. The indication is of a lot of private and personal brou-ha-ha taking place behind closed doors, mostly happy but with some strains, while more fighting and unpleasant surprises play out on a public stage with which most readers are not directly involved.
The Moon in Scorpio I The Jawbone, and the 18th Mansion of the Moon (a tavern called the Scorpion’s Heart, favored by both doctors and assassins), promises considerable strife in financial markets over the next ten days as people try to talk their way out of bad situations. The Moon will pass over Lot of Fortune in the next 24 hours, along with the South Node, promising a quick upswing followed by a lengthy decline. Other smarter astrologers than me have noted that the word transformative is highly overused in astrology — perhaps it’s better to say “distilled” here, and suggest that a lot of roughness will be sifted or smoothed out… but there will be only a little of the highest quality left. In the ordinary scheme of distillation, the impurities and the undesired residue makes up the bulk of the product; what’s left is usually minuscule but perfect.
The Sun, Venus, and Mercury are all activating the first decan of Sagittarius The Poisoned Arrow — in this space, what we think we want and what we actually get diverge significantly from one another. Jupiter’s square by sign from Pisces suggests that your waiter is misinformed: the fish does actually contain garlic, there are onions in the soup, the almond flour in the dessert can’t be substituted with something less allergenic. The thing you target is not as desirable as you hoped, and may even poison you. Opposition from Mars and sextile from Saturn promises both forceful, quick confrontation, and slow, behind-the-scenes degradation of quality.
Pluto in Capricorn III The Throne puts amplified pressure on both the guy working from home and the gal managing a household budget in a climate where prices are rising faster than wages. The nature of Saturn’s placement indicates a hard edge to the problem — it will be seen clearly, but also be unavoidable: a necessary household expense like keeping two cars working or a substantive increase in heating fuel prices.
Saturn is in the middle decan of Aquarius Heaven and Earth in the fifth house. Cutbacks in pleasures, hobbies, pastimes and entertainments are likely. It’s a good time to figure out which of your online video memberships you use the most or the most frequently, and put some of the others to rest. Not using your gym membership? Find a couple of flexibility and bodyweight routines you can do at home, and cancel the paid account. Buy better ingredients and learn to cook and bake at home rather than eating out — and entertain yourself with potluck meals with friends.
Neptune and Jupiter are both retrograde in the third decan of Pisces the Cup of Blood. The two planets are in a position associated with zealousness that’s not backed up by fact… but where Neptune makes boundaries fluid and disassembles both assumptions and norms, Jupiter restructures rumors and contains propaganda (or channels it toward more useful ends). Expect the talking points to be thick around the dinner tables during American Thanksgiving — but for a clearer path toward truth to emerge as outright lies are exposed, and vague rumors flushed with the overindulgences.
Uranus is retrograde in Taurus II The Lingam-Yoni, facing off against the Moon in Scorpio. Questions about autonomy and personal liberty were not settled to anyone’s satisfaction in the last ten-day season, and this upcoming season will be no different. They will weigh on everyone’s mind, though, and questions about personal autonomy are likely to grace the dinner table… and to carry weight.
Mars retrograde in the ninth house promises lasting trouble on the highways, byways, and runways in the next ten days. Expect traffic delays, road rage, delayed flights, and problematic transfer schedules between one mode of transport and another. Some routes will be closed, while others will be open in one direction but shut down for the return trip. Include extra time in your preparations and travel plans.
Horoscopes by Rising Sign
Decan I of any sign (usually covering the 21st of the month to the first of the following month) is free to all visitors; Decan II is only available to Patreon and Ko-Fi.com subscribers; and Decan III is available to Patreon, Ko-Fi, and MailChimp subscribers.
Libra: Try to keep things spinning as best you can in the next ten days — you’ll find that there are a couple of financial hiccups along the way, but income is likely to balance out against expenses. That said, plan for a less extravagant winter season than usual: what you want to give, and what you want to get, are likely subjects of great enthusiasm… but imagination may get the better of your wallet if you’re not more prudent. Travel plans during these ten days may be subject to significant obstacles and challenges — allow extra time in all transitions between activities.
Scorpio: Your imagined money situation is likely to bring more stress these ten days than is warranted, but there’s no reason to waste a good anxiety attack. Build an accurate financial picture of your situation going into the holiday, and then communicate it to your friends and gift-giving partners clearly. Home can be a source of cheer and celebration if you try not to be so melancholy about it. Try to create at least one startling surprise for a significant other — but hold some resources in reserve: they may have a harsh expense of their own before year’s end, and your assistance could make victory out of defeat.
Sagittarius: You communicate with unnatural success and beauty in the next ten days, speaking from your soul and with great elegance, but home matters and travel may interrupt writing time. Also, be cautious of tripping over your own feet or tongue when it comes to keeping the secrets of others. Financial issues with your home bring great success, but you may find your family wearying even when you’re enjoying their company. Leadership in matters of responsibility and duty will bring you notice and attention, but you may have to take your entertainments without much company; partners may be distracted by obligations of their own.
Capricorn: Pick a household chore that has been dinging the back of your mind for a few weeks, and see it through to completion. It will be easier than trying to explan yourself to family and close friends, which is where you’re most likely to trip yourself up; and if you were planning on helping out a friend with a cash gift… you might want to double check your own wallet and upcoming expenses too. I try never to tell people to be uncharitable, but at the least you should follow Ronald Reagan’s advice to “trust but verify” before believing every sob story that comes your way this season. Also, take it easy in fencing practice or basketball or paired skating… whatever your paired athletic activity, now is not the time to say, “hold my beer, watch this!”
Aquarius: Can it really be THIS hard to have fun?? OK, maybe it can. House seems like it’s going to be empty for the holidays, and all the usual friends and family gone. Still, maybe it’s time for a poker night, nothing fancy: just some chips and dip, penny ante stuff, no big payouts or high risk. Keeping the lights on at work may be hard, but things are likely to be brighter in the second half of the next ten days. Be cautious about claims that “the check is in the email” (came up with that one myself after paying back friends using PayPal!), and know that you probably have to spend more time with your spouse’s family than you’d like. During the post-Thanksgiving Dinner walk, pick your way a little more carefully than usual, and skip the cartwheel demonstrations by the cousins in the living room.
Pisces: It’s going to feel like it’s hard to know what’s going on in the next ten days. You are likely to find that you don’t trust your old sources of news, but you don’t know what new sources you should trust. Don’t rush to hasty decisions, though. Ask your work colleagues for their preferred sources of news: take one or two, and test them out, but don’t commit wholeheartedly to any of them just yet. Some sources need to be mainstream, a few can be alternative. Just remember that the real news may feel a lot like poisoned arrows — something you needed to know, but hurts. If you find out the news and it leaves you satisfied that your worldview is winning, then your sources are not yet truthful enough.
Aries: There’s a good chance you’re spending the upcoming holiday on public display, like a butterfly pinned to a card or a mouse caught in a vitrine. Take heart. If you’re with someone you love, you get a lot of credit for boldness and being willing to show up. Just remember that guests should compliment the chef, be courteous to grandma, and be cautious about siding with the uncle that everyone seems to hate. The Bible says something like, better to keep your mouth shut and be thought a fool, than to speak and be proven so. That’s not a direct quote, but the upshot is the same— this is a chance for you to read the room — if you’re making all the noise, you may not hear the attack sub launching its stealth torpedos.
Taurus: You have freedom to pursue your own course of action, but don’t commit to spending the money until it’s in your hot little hands and safely tucked away in bank (or between the mattress and the boxspring). Government and commissioner will take their share, and there’s no telling how much of a delay will come, but expenses are likely to speed up, even while revenue slows down. Neglect your partner and other risks will rise, but day to day troubles may redirect your attention and focus anyways. The same partner may be able to help with crafting quality communication or creative solutions to troubles, but keep them in the loop but on a short leash: you have to maintain your role as the face of the formalities.
Gemini: The next ten days are likely to be full of threats to your person in ways both obvious and non-obvious. Flying? Mask up on the plane. Driving? Be more defensive and cautious than usual. You don’t need to be a speed-demon in the fastest lane. Defer the carving of the turkey to an honored guest, if one happens to be available. You may have the financial resources to make magnanimous gestures, but check in with spouse or significant other first… show that you value their input and consider their opinion, especially if they have reason to doubt your judgement in the recent past. If you’re newly in a relationship, or contemplating starting one, it’s a good idea to think about both brains and beauty, as well as the quality of the person’s soul. If you choose for just one of these things, expect disappointment to rear its head in the near future.
Cancer: Sometimes leadership is about waiting for hard stuff to be finished without your input. A whole series of offerings are likely to be placed before you like so many Thanksgiving side-dishes, but the reality is that the thing you really want will take some time — you can’t rush the cooking of a turkey if you don’t want food poisoning. Similarly, you may become enamored of a new hobby, and the temptation is to go whole hog and buy the full kit. Don’t fall for it: see if you can borrow the gear from someone else, or find it used, or pick it up at a junk shop. See if you can attend open workshop hours at your college or school, or visit an open studio with a local practitioner. And remind yourself you are not going to be good enough to make Christmas presents for everyone this year, even if you start today.
Leo:As hard as this is to believe — sometimes it’s not about you. You could really be impressing people these next ten days by caring about them and showing up for them, and being there in their time of need. And yes, sometimes that means pulling the attention of the unpleasant uncle at dinner to you… and sometimes it means doing the dishes. This is scutwork that nobody envies, but helps you stand tall in the sight of others. So pick your friends, and then pick your friends’ fights for them and take the heat off of them. This is the kind of work that you could luxuriate in for hours. Enoy it while you can.
Virgo: Loneliness can be defined as feeling separated and abandoned even when in the middle of a crowd. Solitude is being content with your own company even in the middle of a howling wilderness. There’s going to be some sense that you want the time in the wilderness — that you would pay extra for being snowed in another two days! — but you can gan recognition and honor for a reliable contribution to a close circle. Home and family need a little sprucing up, too, but don’t overdo it to the point that you lose comfortable messes for the sake of complete order. A petty tyrant in the workplace makes trouble for you, but sets a deadline that’s delightfully conventional… they don’t know your one secret trick is that you already considered this possibility and prepared either a work-around or a defense of why it’s not needed. Take the time to work on the next possibility, but leave the requested results on the boss’s desk at deadline.
Colophon
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If you want to read some of my astrologically-oriented poetry, the largest collection is called A Full Volume of Splendor and Starlight, available through my Etsy shop, and containing poems and hymns to the planets, constellations, decan deities, and Moon Mansion angels. While not astrological, Festae contains hymns to some of the older Roman gods and spirits from the calendar created by Numa Pompilius, the second ancient King of Rome.
I use iPhemeris for my charting software, and screenshot it to make charts. I want to thank the team that develops iPhemeris for the addition of Terms and Decans to their charts. I also use Hugh Tran‘s Physis typeface to craft logos for this blog, as well.
I use Christopher Warnock‘s The Mansions of the Moon as the basis of my Moon placement delineations, and Austin Coppock‘s 36 Faces for much of my planetary delineations. Neither gentleman endorses me.
