by Teri Parsley Starnes

Teri’s interest with astrology lies with helping people see how following a practice of intention and self-awareness leads to a fuller relationship with Mystery. Astrology is a wonderful tool for this. Her weekly column orients readers to the seasonal energy of
each month’s Sun sign in order to set magical/mindful intention for the lunar month beginning at the New Moon.

Each week Teri will write about the unfolding energies that support and challenge our intentions. The ebb and flow of the lunar cycle resides deep in our souls. Through following the phases of the Moon, we remember the natural cycles that guide us.

Astrologers divide the lunar month into eight phases. These are:
New Moon: Dreaming
Crescent Moon: Beginning
First Quarter Moon: Manifesting
Gibbous Moon: Perfecting
Full Moon: Illuminating
Disseminating Moon: Sharing
Last Quarter Moon: Evaluating
Balsamic Moon: Surrendering

Come follow the Moon as we practice intentional awareness together.

Please see Follow the Moon for my introduction to this week’s transits and the New Moon intention for this Scorpio lunar cycle.

Forecast for November 1, 2016 – November 6

Moon enters Sagittarius 9:43 am CDT
Tuesday, November 1. Sun in Scorpio connects with Neptune in Pisces by trine. Both water signs support tuning into our emotions. If the purpose of this Scorpio lunar cycle is to seek and know what really matters, then Neptune invites mysterious, unexplainable intuition to the quest. Water helps dissolve barriers to our feelings. But it might also feel overwhelming. The Moon in Sagittarius (a fire sign) lifts us out of what could feel like a downward spiral. Meaning comes from within and it comes from new perspective offered by others. Feel the stretch in both directions.

Moon in Sagittarius
Wednesday, November 2. It is likely we will be annoyed by things not going according to plan today. Yesterday, Sun and Neptune softened the edges creating a willingness to go with the flow. Today, the Moon in Sagittarius makes a square to Neptune in Pisces while conjoining Saturn. It would be great if people did what they said they were going to do and we could lift ourselves out of a personal fog. Things are fuzzy. The adjustment needed today is between being functional and still keeping one ear open to the mysteries behind the thinning veils of this Scorpio season.

Moon enters Capricorn 10:05 pm CDT
November 3—Crescent Moon: Beginning. The Scorpio season continues to deepen. The veils separating the worlds of the living and the dead, the seen and the unseen, continue to thin. There is less patience for meaningless and shallow activity. We want substance. We need to be rooted in what really matters. If every lunar cycle follows the life cycle of a plant, the crescent phase is when the seed breaks open and roots go down into the soil. This beginning may feel very subterranean at the moment. That is OK, especially for the Scorpio lunation where everything important seems to be happening below the surface anyway. Do you hear the echoing question, What really matters? What really matters? Later in this lunar cycle, we will be called upon to act on what really matters. Pay attention now. For most of the day (Central Time Zone) the Moon remains in Sagittarius. This truth-seeking sign looks afar for the answers that most likely are deep within. Notice where you seek your answers. The sextile between Mercury in Scorpio and Pluto in Capricorn supports penetrating curiosity. What is at the root? What are you learning?

Moon in Capricorn
Friday, November 4. I began this lunar cycle inspired by the activism taking place at Standing Rock to protect sacred water and stand up for native sovereignty. When we know what really matters, it is possible to find this type of deep commitment. The Moon in Capricorn helps us recognize the necessary steps to ensure core essentials will survive. Some of these steps will require sacrifice and hard work. Qualities Capricorn knows well. Venus in Sagittarius forms a square to Chiron in Pisces. We may feel acutely aware of the wounds in the world, especially surrounding water. While Chiron has transited Pisces, water issues have been coming to the foreground. Venus is interested in inspiring us to dream big and act boldly to protect water. Idealism is high today. The challenge will be to ground idealism into pragmatism.

Moon in Capricorn
Saturday, November 5. You might remember that a few days ago I said that the searching for what really matters would spur us to action before too long. That is what today feels like. The Moon in Capricorn conjoins Pluto and makes a square to Uranus in Aries. We feel deeply about the changes we want to see in the world and in our lives. The thing about knowing what really matters is that we clearly see the actions we need to take and the stakes if we don’t take them. This doesn’t mean we have to beat ourselves up to change the world. This means that we are more powerful when we align our actions with what really matters. Find the soul and beauty in this awareness. Venus in Sagittarius eggs Uranus on today with a supportive trine. Radical actions can be beautiful. When beauty is what matters most, the world already changes.

Moon enters Aquarius 5:55 am CST
Sunday, November 6. Astronomical Samhain. The Sun reaches the midpoint of Scorpio today. Some celebrate this astronomical Samhain as the time the veils are the thinnest. Most of the time, for most of us perhaps, the realms of life and death seem pretty distinct. I think of this as “above ground” awareness. But when the life force sinks back into the Earth in late fall, the “below ground” awareness wakes up. The veils thin. There is less differentiation and more blurring of the worlds. This is a rich time for sending and receiving blessings and wisdom. This is a beautiful time to honor those who have made our lives possible, our beloved dead. It is a magnificent for developing the felt sense of what really matters—how we know in our bones what we cherish and what we must do to protect it. This instinctual knowing, which seems to bypass the intellect, butts right up against the Moon in Aquarius, the fixed air sign that sees the world both intellectually and abstractly. This paradox could fuel conflict or be an intriguing ingredient in the messages we receive on this day. The quincunx aspect between Mercury in Scorpio and Uranus in Aries is another signature of the same paradox. If Scorpio knows from the depths, Aquarius knows from the heights. This vast span encourages broad ranging vision. Another world is possible if we completely accept the world we’ve got.

Contact Teri at teri@starsdanceastrology.com and visit her website at www.starsdanceastrology.com to learn about booking a reading of your chart.