Those who have seen me in the consulting room this year know that I’ve been keeping an eye out for November 2021 as one of the most challenging planetary configurations of the year. And just like that, we’re here already!

Not only are we heading into eclipse season again, with the ‘changing of the guards’ so to speak and the heralding of the new two-year eclipse cycle in Taurus and Scorpio. 

T-square with Mars, Mercury, Saturn, Uranus and the Lights

The first Taurus Full Moon eclipse will occur on the 19th November, and brings a strong signature of Uranian energy with both the Scorpio New Moon and Taurus Full Moon eclipse making exact opposition and conjunction with Uranus. What this means is that the signature of the November lunations will be disruptive, unsettling, sudden, unpredictable and chaotic. The energy of people around you (or your own impulses) could be rebellious, reckless, anxious, obnoxious, reactive and stressed.

Exacerbating this is the exact conjunction of Mars and Mercury, squaring Saturn and opposing Uranus. The Saturn Uranus square has held 2021’s major theme of social, political and economic restructure, and when they make hard aspects with Mercury and Mars in November, we’re likely to see strong voices of anger, opinions, resentments and frustrations flare up. 

The swifter-moving Mars and Mercury will activate any tensions seething beneath the Saturn-Uranus square, and possibly erupt them into forceful words or actions. Mars will also be rising as the Morning Star on 22nd November which is it’s more active and dynamic half of its two-year cycle. Combined with its strength of being in its home sign of Scorpio, we can expect to see the truest essence of Mars expressed around us; the severing of that which is not aligned, cutting through decisions, taking a forceful and assertive position and even physical expressions of its archetypes like cuts, iron, blood and heat. 

All in all, the T-square configuration of Mercury, Mars, Saturn, Uranus, Sun, Moon and eclipses is like a metaphorical volcano that suddenly erupts after it can no longer hold the pressure beneath its surface. So, throughout November, we all have a little volcano inside of us that could erupt at any time. If we look more precisely at the dates, the 10th to 20th November seem to be the most volatile.

Here are some suggestions to help you navigate November 2021:

• • Keep November as free as possible to allow yourself the space to deal with any eruptions if they occur
  • Try to avoid being emotionally reactive to events that come up
  • Expend some energy proactively through physical activities that require sheer strength and stamina, but be careful to not injure your body
  • Set yourself on a mission to complete a task or project that you’ve been avoiding all year
  • Slow down – rushing around can make you vulnerable to accidents and injuries 
  • Remain as passive and reflective as you possibly can

Eclipse season again

The Lunar Eclipse in Taurus on the 19th November is the first in a series of Taurus / Scorpio eclipses that will occur until mid 2023. Use this first eclipse as an observation tool to see what things show up for you, as it will commence a new storyline that you’ll experience over the next two years, especially in the area of life ruled by the axis of Taurus and Scorpio in your natal chart.

Those with Taurus as strong signatures in their natal chart will most likely be feeling this eclipse the most however, all the other fixed signs (Scorpio, Aquarius, Leo) will be in the firing line too. The Taureans will particularly feel a growing sense of intensity and change because its ruler Venus will be heading into its retrograde shadow exactly at the time of the eclipse, adding to strong themes of relationship shadows, unconscious dynamics and the general underworld themes around the way we connect to people and things in life. 

End of November and beyond

Even though Venus will be entering its shadow period during November, it doesn’t actually station retrograde until the 19th December. To hear more about the Venus Retrograde period in more detail, tune into my recent podcast interview on the Energetic Principles Podcast for the 2-hour long description into the Venus Retrograde underworld journey, along with all its surrounding transits.

The last part of November sees a small improvement of pressures as this hard-hitting configuration of mid-November disperses. As Sagittarian season unfolds on the 22nd November, the Sun and Moon will make their way towards their next eclipse alignment in Sagittarius on the 4th December. This will be the last eclipse on the Gemini / Sagittarian axis until mid-2029 so for all you mutable dominant folks (planets in Gemini, Sagittarius, Pisces, Virgo), you may be pleased to find some resolutions around some major life changes and upheavals experienced since the Gemini / Sagittarian eclipses started in June 2020.