Monthly Vedic Astrology Forecast

Venus & Mars Enter Virgo November 2
Jupiter Occupies Leo
Rahu-Mars-Moon-Venus Conjunction November 7
New Moon in Libra November 11
Sun and Mercury Transit Scorpio Starting November 16
Full Moon in Taurus November 25
Venus Enters Libra November 29

Venus & Mars Enter Virgo November 2

The October Forecast section about the full Moon of October 27 also mentioned the planetary wars that have been going on with the planets in Leo: Mars, Jupiter and Venus. When planets are occupying the same sign, they are in a sense vying for power. When they are occupying the same longitudinal degree, they are at war, graha yuddha. The astrological implications of these type of meetings can be felt as a struggle with matters that are significations of the planets involved.

For example, Venus and Mars enter into planetary war at mid-day on October 31, as Venus approaches Mars at 29° Leo. Venus signifies relationships while Mars signifies personal power. Leo is the sign of sovereignty and rulership. We could see power struggles within relationships. We could see diplomacy struggling to quell conflicts. Venus wants peace and Mars is willing to fight.

The battle heats up until the evening of November 2, when Mars and Venus finally meet at 29°58' Leo. As Venus pulls ahead of Mars and turns the tide of the war, the two planets tumble together into the sign of Virgo less than an hour later.

Venus pulls more than a degree away from Mars by midnight on November 5, lessening the tension between the two planets. Whatever has been released by the previous week will have time to work itself out as Venus and Mars travel together through Virgo for the remainder of November.

Virgo is a neutral sign for Mars and is the sign of debilitation for Venus. However, Venus will benefit from Mercury's presence in Libra, which is Venus' own sign. This exchange of signs will enable Venus to function well while in Libra, at least until November 16 when Mercury moves into Scorpio.

This could be a great time for re-building bridges and healing wounds that have been opened by the passionate meeting and movement of Venus and Mars. Venus and Mercury exchanging signs reminds us that really effective and compassionate communication requires deep listening and reflection.

Jupiter Occupies Leo

After the exodus of Venus and Mars on November 2, Jupiter alone remains in Leo. Excepting the monthly visits from the Moon, Jupiter will enjoy alone time in the throne room that is the sign of Leo until Rahu enters on January 29, 2016.

The sign of Leo and the planets transiting there are receiving the aspect of Saturn from Scorpio. It may feel like slightly less pressure with only Jupiter taking that gaze. During the period that Mars was transiting Leo, there was a mutual aspect between Saturn and Mars that could have created quite a bit of friction and even aggression (September 15-November 2.) While Venus was in Leo (September 30-November 2), this could have put pressure on matters of the heart and relationships.

With Jupiter alone receiving that pressure from Saturn during the months of November, December and January, we may feel some restraint on our ability to make things grow, as Jupiter naturally supports growth and Saturn naturally limits growth. The Sun, current dispositor of Jupiter as lord of Leo, will be in debilitation in the sign of Libra until November 16. After that, Sun moves to Scorpio and into conjunction with Saturn, which may continue to hamper the growth of things.

While it can be frustrating to grow slowly due to the influence of Saturn, try to see the value in Saturn's lessons. It takes more time and effort to build a castle from stones than it does to erect a building from wood. This is the time for making stone foundations; if you want to build to last, it may take more time, resources and patience.

Rahu-Mars-Moon-Venus Conjunction November 7

While an extended conjunction of Mars and Venus is sure to excite our passions and elevate our energy level, what can we expect from this happening in the vicinity of Rahu, currently occupying the first drekkana (first 10 degrees) of Virgo?

We may be able to find out what it would be like during the first week of November as the planetary energy gathers in Virgo. Before sunrise on November 7, Moon, Venus and Rahu join at 5° Virgo, with Mars nearby at 3° Virgo. Whatever is going to happen will happen! Rahu is still in good power in Virgo.

The Moon will be waning at this time, losing power, and showing some vulnerability in the face of Rahu's seductive influence. Venus is in debilitation in Virgo, which challenges our capacity for connection, compassion and empathy; this state of Venus will be helped by Mercury's position in Libra, offering Venus some energy and comfort. Again, we could see that exchange as a good example of how communication can be the most important component of relationship. Mars in Virgo will certainly take advantage of the energy that Mercury expresses through its earth sign, currently amplified by Rahu.

When there are multiple planets occupying a sign, it can be difficult to have clear direction and thought processes. Even after the Moon moves into Libra, we are still going to have the Mars-Venus conjunction moving through Virgo with Rahu in attendance. Approaching difficulty with detachment, caution and precision may be helpful in the face of Rahu's potentially obfuscating and confusing influence.

New Moon in Libra November 11

Sun and Moon meet at 25° Libra, joined closely by Mercury at 22° Libra on Wednesday, November 11. Mercury is somewhat the hero of the day, not only because it is Wednesday, Mercury's day, but also because it is Mercury that is helping to support two debilitated planets on this day.

The Sun will be on its final few days of transit through Libra, its sign of debilitation. The lord of Libra, Venus, is in Virgo, its sign of debilitation. The Moon moving into Libra is waning and losing strength as it meets with the debilitated Sun. Mercury is joining the Sun and Moon in Libra and is still in exchange of signs with Venus. This improves Venus' situation in Virgo, which helps the Sun's situation in Libra.

This complex set of relationships reflects what we often face in life as we navigate our day-to-day situations. This particular set may carry the themes of feeling powerless, being squeezed between two difficult circumstances, desiring outcomes that conflict or being pushed/pulled in opposite directions. The common thread is pressure on the self. This comes from the Moon-Sun combination in Libra feeling the pressure of Saturn on one side (in Scorpio) and Mars-Rahu (in Virgo) on the other.

With so much pressure, what to do? Push back or surrender? During the day before the exact joining of Sun and Moon (amavasya), it is generally advisable to relax, withdraw and limit activity. It may be good to maintain this stance through the week, as Moon moves through Scorpio, joining Saturn. By Friday, the Moon moves into Sagittarius, which should allow our minds to have some space and perspective, helping us deal with difficult situations a bit more gracefully and purposefully.

Sun and Mercury Transit Scorpio Starting November 16

The Sun moves out of debility (sign of Libra) and into Scorpio on November 16. This has implications for significations of the Sun as well as Jupiter, currently transiting Leo, the Sun's sign.

Reminiscent of Venus and Mars moving together into Virgo on November 2, the Sun moves into Scorpio in tandem with Mercury. Mercury's trajectory takes him quickly ahead of the Sun on November 17, Mercury passes Saturn on November 24 and exits Scorpio on December 5.

The Sun takes his usual month-long pace to traverse a sign, in this case, Scorpio. Saturn, who considers the Sun an enemy, will have reached the 13th degree of Scorpio by the time the Sun enters.

Let us acknowledge the density and quality of the lessons that we receive from the great Saturn as we navigate our life experience. The Sun is about to lead us through a meeting with life's difficult lessons, and when I say us, I mean especially the Mercury, Venus and Mars part of us. This happens when any of us (or the planets) have a confrontation with Saturn, who does us the service of presenting the cold, hard facts of life. It is up to us how we receive and react to that information.

And it won't be quick. Mars won't finally pass through Scorpio until September 2016. Each of the planets listed has a different relationship with Saturn and with the sign of Scorpio. As these periods come up, we can explore further the implications of those Saturn meetings in the monthly forecasts. Especially notable is the nearly seven-month interaction between Saturn and Mars in 2016.

Upcoming Scorpio transits

Sun: November 16 - December 16, 2015
Mercury: November 16 – December 5, 2015
Venus: December 25, 2015 – January 18, 2016
Mars: February 20, 2016 – September 17, 2016

Saturn has been in Scorpio since November 2, 2014, so the Sun, Mercury and Venus had meetings with him last year during November/December.

Through Scorpio, we are taken into the depths, into the womb and into the darkness. Scorpio is one of two signs that have co-rulership of the nodes, Rahu and Ketu. Mars and Ketu are the co-rulers of Scorpio. Mars is well known for giving us strength and perception. Ketu, the headless one, teaches us to perceive beyond the senses. Within the dark cave of Scorpio, we can learn to see and observe without physical eyes.

The Sun, our greatest luminary, marches into Scorpio, throwing around his light and possibly exposing the cobwebs in the corners of our caves. The meeting of Sun and Saturn during this month is the meeting of enemies. Mercury's presence always helps to smooth things over with humor and diplomacy, but the underlying clash of ego vs. non-ego and self vs. no-self may surely be felt on some level.

It would be a good time for observing, analyzing and transforming behaviors around self-worth, confidence and boundaries.

Full Moon in Taurus November 25

On November 25, in the last pada of Krittika nakshatra, at 10° Taurus, the Moon reaches its full size and strength, opposite the Sun in Scorpio who is grouped within a few degrees of both Saturn and Mercury. The moment of the full Moon comes in the late afternoon on this Wednesday in deep November.

The Moon is very strong on this day, as is Mercury, carrying the energy of Venus, Mars and Rahu from his earth sign, Virgo. That means all forms of mental energy will be very high, which could be both good and/or bad depending on what you are doing!

Mercury will have just defeated his friend Saturn in a planetary war (maybe just sparring since it's Mercury.) It is Mercury's day of the week and both planets of the mind, Moon and Mercury, will be acting strong. It could be a great day to accomplish tasks that take a great deal of mental crunching or deep, analytical thought. Research, poetry, think tanks, problem-solving, etc.

The Moon is in its exaltation sign when occupying Taurus, this further lends strength to the Moon. Venus is the lord of Taurus and will be in the final degrees of Virgo at the time of the full Moon. The only negative aspect to the Moon comes from Saturn, joining the Sun in Scorpio. While plunging into the depths of the mind, remember to move slowly and remain fixed on the purpose at hand.

Venus Enters Libra November 29

Venus moves from Virgo (debilitation) to Libra (own sign) on November 29 and takes a few weeks to make the traverse toward Scorpio, reaching there on December 25.

Except for a visit from the Moon on December 7-8, and the entry of Mars into Libra on December 23, Venus will enjoy complete space in her own sign of Libra for this entire transit. It should be easy to contact the Venus energies during this time; relationship, connection with others, creation of beauty, socializing, entertainment.

While this is somewhat refreshing based on Venus' tight connection with Mars during the past few months, it must be noted that Libra is still in a squeeze play with Saturn on one side in Scorpio and Rahu (and Mars) on the other in Virgo. So, there may be a sense of pressure that encloses a beautiful, creative space in which we attempt to find beauty and comfort during this transit. For those participating in the ubiquitous holiday season, this could translate into a feeling of pressure to make the perfect holiday experience.

Creating a space of good-feeling within a larger context of work, challenge and difficulty is one of life's constants; the month of December will be great practice in moving with grace.