Monthly Vedic Astrology Forecast

Mercury Transits Scorpio November 1 – 23
Venus Transits Libra November 2 – 26
Full Moon in Aries/Bharani November 3
Kala Amrita Yoga November 11 – 23
Sun Enters Scorpio November 15
New Moon in Scorpio/Vishaka November 18
Mercury Enters Sagittarius November 23
Venus Transits Scorpio November 26 – December 20
Mars Transits Libra November 29 – January 16

Mercury Transits Scorpio November 1 – 23

Mercury is breaking away from the Sun (for now) and will be free of combustion (proximity to the Sun) as he moves from Libra into Scorpio on November 1. Mercury is easily influenced by other planets, and November leaves Mercury pretty well free to communicate, learn and exchange at will in the depths of Scorpio.

This will end the nice parivartana (exchange of signs) that was going on between Mercury and Venus, who changes signs on November 2. This change of Mercury will begin a new parivartana between Mercury and Mars, who is currently transiting through Virgo, Mercury's earth sign. Scorpio has the co-rulership of Mars and Ketu, so these will be Mercury's directors as he moves through the eighth sign of the zodiac, known for its intuitive depths.

This exchange with Mars is in effect for this entire transit of Mercury through Scorpio, which could be used quite productively. Mercury has energy and enthusiasm; paired with Mars' power and focus, Mercury and Mars both stand a chance of being very productive and efficient during November.

Mercury is more comfortable in Scorpio than Mars is while in Virgo, so this suppresses Mars fire just a bit. With Mars in Virgo and Sun in Libra, we have a nice environment in the sense of the fire danger being relatively lower.

Scorpio has been occupied by Saturn for the past few years, just newly vacated when Saturn took up residence in Sagittarius on October 25. Due to Saturn's recent transit there, the sign of Scorpio could be sensitive for a short time to come. Mercury is always good for a breath of fresh air and for studying the scene to see what can be learned and understood.

The other main influence on Mercury during Scorpio transit will be Rahu, aspecting from the sign of Cancer. This could cause some challenges or temptations for Mercury, our faculty of communication and exchange. Rahu can bring inspired ideas that have not yet met the test of deep consideration. While these ideas can become valuable, understand the cost of nurturing them. This could be a reminder to exercise discernment when trying to obtain true news of the world.

Mercury represents our informational, data-oriented mind, which can be valuable for all types of activities: diagnosing, marketing, monetary transactions, learning, networking, communicating. Scorpio, having Ketu as co-lord, is the territory where intuition can be recognized and explored. This would be a good period of time in which to learn more deeply how to recognize and benefit from intuition that informs analysis.

Venus Transits Libra November 2 – 26

As Mercury moves on into Scorpio, Venus prepares to move to Libra, a sign ruled by Venus, for a transit that roughly mirrors Mercury through Scorpio. Venus' last trip through Libra was mid-September to mid-October 2016, when Libra was completely unoccupied by other planets. This trip around, there is much more going on in Libra with both the Sun and Jupiter in occupation. Venus loves a party, though.

The Sun suffers from debilitated status while in Libra, and Venus' presence there becomes the stronger force, by comparison. Jupiter's presence in almost any sign is welcome, but let's face it, Libra is not Jupiter's favorite place with its socializing and face time, so again Venus' influence will prevail in Libra during this transit.

As Venus enters Libra, the Sun has passed by Jupiter, but will cause combustion of Jupiter until November 11. Venus is moving quickly and will gain on the Sun's position, but won't get close enough to suffer combustion until Venus meets up with the Sun in Sagittarius. So, while Venus and Sun interaction can be dramatic, at least this time they keep enough distance for buffering any negative interactions that may spoil social interactions or relationship connections. The Venus and Sun interactions always have something to teach us about how to act properly as individuals within a collective culture.

By November 15, the Sun moves to Scorpio, leaving only Venus and Jupiter in Libra. Just prior to that, Venus catches up to Jupiter and passes by Jupiter at 14° Libra on November 12-13. This is in the nakshatra called Swati, ruled by Rahu, often the origin of situations that produce strong winds that force change.

These close passes as planets share longitudinal space can cause temporary states known as "planetary war," which have various sets of rules and measurements in which one planet defeats the other. When Venus approaches Jupiter, Venus is winning. After passing by Jupiter for a short range, Jupiter wins the war, and then space and time intervene to diminish the temporary struggle between, in this case, the two planets known as the teachers and gurus among the planetary cadre.

This meeting of Jupiter and Venus may reflect the natural harmonizing of leaders and teachers in various fields who come together to expand the function of education within the context of social improvement. Libra can be quite a creative and revolutionary sign, so this may inspire our teachers to take a strong stance when it comes to education as crucial for the thriving of humanity and its environment.

On a physical level, Venus and Jupiter will be rising before the Sun, look for them in the east prior to sunrise.

Full Moon in Aries/Bharani November 3

Mercury and Venus move into new positions as the Moon becomes full in the sign of Aries, just before midnight on November 3. This occurs as Moon and Sun are at 18° Aries and Libra, respectively. The Moon's specific nakshatra at this degree is Bharani, ruled by Venus, while Aries, the larger division, is ruled by Mars.

This brings a Mars-Venus theme into this strongly positioned full Moon in Mars' sign of Aries, opposite the planets sitting in Venus' sign of Libra: Sun, Jupiter and Venus. Venus, newly entered into Libra sits in the nakshatra Chitra, which is ruled by Mars, so the theme continues.

Mars and Venus influencing together can cause the type of passion that brings us our best art, music and even storytelling. At a very simple level, we can sense this interaction as the dance between masculine and feminine that makes human life so very interesting.

This is a good time to further consider Mars' current position in Virgo, from whence he is able to aspect Sagittarius, currently holding Saturn, as well as the signs Pisces and Aries and any planets who move through there. In this case, with the Moon breezing through Aries as it becomes full, it is receiving this strong glance of Mars, as well.

The nakshatra dispositor of this full Moon becomes Venus, giving a bit more strength to the feminine to bear the weight of creativity. This Moon shines light on the combination of planets in Libra, also lorded by Venus, encouraging compassionate strength that listens, learns new forms and extends toward all beings as we traverse Indra's net.

This is a good time to energetically push through and keep moving forward. The Moon and Venus are strong and visionary, with Mars and Mercury driving steadily as they exchange signs in the background.

Kala Amrita Yoga November 11 – 23

After the full Moon, the Moon begins its dark half, moving through the signs Taurus, Gemini and Cancer, where it encounters Rahu. After the Moon moves into Leo on November 11, that puts all of the seven visible planets entirely on one side of the Moon's nodal axis, all within the five signs between and excluding Cancer and Capricorn, where Rahu and Ketu are currently located.

Given the theory that planets on either side of a sign can affect it depending on the nature of the planets, we extend this idea to see the strong influence of the nodal axis, whose nature can be unstable, unexpected, sudden or seemingly fated, on all of the planets at once.

Because the planets' motion is taking them from Rahu and toward the position of Ketu, we name this combination Kala Amrita Yoga, showing the energy of the nodal axis pushing us upward toward a divine viewpoint and experience.

It may be interesting to note any unexpected, surprising or destabilizing events that occur during this period of time. The long term implications that could eventually be traced back to these events could prove to be "meant to be."

Sun Enters Scorpio November 15

The Sun's situation improves when he moves from Libra to Scorpio on November 15 for a one month transit through the sign of Mars and Ketu. The Sun's debility in Venus' sign of Libra transforms into a much better situation for the next couple of months as Sun moves through more friendly signs.

While Mars is more friendly to Sun than Venus, Scorpio can still be a daunting sign as it brings us into the depths which inhabit the realms below the surface level. The great Sun surely will cast some light on that which is generally hidden or obscured, but Ketu's co-lordship of Scorpio can also create an eclipsing effect on the Sun.

After feeling the weight of Saturn for a few years, Scorpio may respond well to the positive influence of the Sun and Mercury as they move through. Where this sign falls in individual charts may begin to feel some relief.

The Sun's transit through each sign is about 30 days, so we see Sun moving through Scorpio from mid-November to mid-December. Since Saturn has moved from Scorpio to Sagittarius, that influence has been removed, but now that Rahu has moved to Cancer, the aspect of Rahu has moved into Scorpio, offering that sense of moving and shaking to that sign and the planets moving through there. Rahu will touch all of the water signs (Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces) while he moves through Cancer until March 2019.

New Moon in Scorpio/Vishaka November 18

In the pre-dawn hours of November 18, the Moon joins the Sun at 3° Scorpio, more specifically in the last portion of the nakshatra Vishaka, which spans between the signs of Libra and Scorpio. This is considered to be the debilitation point for the Moon, so we may be experiencing a small period of sensitivity and vulnerability as this new Moon approaches.

This is the last section of Vishaka, which has the association with Indra and Agni, the heat and electricity from the atmosphere that combine to fuel the ripening of the fruits of our earth. A symbol for Vishaka is the gateway, implying a transition from one state to the next. Jupiter is the planetary ruler of Vishaka, always a champion for growth and evolution.

While the energy levels may feel low at this particular juncture, we can sit in stillness to contemplate the portal that must be traversed to move from potentiality to fruition. The divine spark that brings inspiration and life is elusive and uncontrollable but nonetheless exists.

Mercury Enters Sagittarius November 23

Mercury squeezes out of Scorpio and into Sagittarius on November 23. Always prepared to adapt to any situation, Mercury can make the best of any sign and learn the lessons presented. In Scorpio, Mercury felt the aspect of Rahu from Cancer, in Sagittarius, Mercury joins Saturn. Mercury comes within a degree of Saturn starting on November 26, passes by Saturn and then pulls more than one degree away by November 30.

After that, things get even more interesting for Mercury who begins a retrograde cycle at 6° Sagittarius on December 3 which will bring him back toward Saturn and back into Scorpio, returning to direct motion on December 22 at 19° Scorpio. More on Mercury in the December forecast.

Venus Transits Scorpio November 26 – December 20

Venus departs the comfort of her own sign of Libra on November 26, moving in forward motion into Scorpio. As Venus gains ground on the Sun, we see Venus a bit lower on the eastern horizon each day as the Sun is rising. By early December, we will lose sight of Venus in the pre-dawn eastern sky.

Venus will pass by the Sun in December and then re-emerge as the evening star, visible in the western sky after sunset starting in February 2018. There is a double theme here as we lose the light of inspiring Venus as it merges in the overpowering light and heat of the Sun while at the same time it descends into the depths of Scorpio.

Venus is energetic about connections, relationships and creations, so this exit stage left for Venus could be a good time to take a break, dig deep and find one's own balance and stillness before Venus re-emerges as evening star in February.

Mars Transits Libra November 29 – January 16

Mars proceeds from Virgo to Libra on November 29, joining Jupiter in Venus' air sign. This is an interesting pairing, as Jupiter is wonderful at keeping Mars on his best behavior.

Mars' location and the places he aspects are good to keep an eye on due to Mars being prone to outbursts that can manifest as flaring tempers, accidents or sometimes productive work stints. From Libra, Mars will be aspecting Ketu in Capricorn and also the signs of Aries and Taurus. This keeps most of the other planets out of harm's way, so perhaps we can harness Mars' power for good as he moves through Libra. More on this in the December forecast.