Hi and welcome to the Stella Starwoman November AstroUpdate! And a special welcome to our new subscribers.
Jill, Julia & Julian Reclaim the Night
Anyone with even a cursory knowledge of astrology would know that Scorpio is the sign of sex, death and anything below the belt. While some Scorpios enjoy being labelled the bad boys of the zodiac, most cringe at the stereotype (just as Virgos hate being told they’re anally retentive, critical and boring!)
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Pluto/Scorpio Themes |
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Death/Annihilation/Elimination |
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Underworld/Unconscious |
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Absolute Power/Dictatorship |
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Rebirth/Regeneration |
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Transformation/Evolution |
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Obsession/Compulsion/Intensity |
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Sex/Drugs/Anything Taboo |
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Penetrating Insight/Research/Mining |
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Kundalini/Serpent Wisdom/Charisma |
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Mystery/Secrecy/Suspicion |
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Finance/Investment/Debt |
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Criminal/Underworld Elements |
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Sorcery/Witchcraft/Shamanism |
However, if you’ve read some of my recent columns you’ll be aware that, stereotype or not, we are in a period where Scorpio energy is bursting out of the underworld into the mainstream. Last month we looked at the phenomenal popularity of the soft porn novel ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ and in September, I wrote: “There’s no doubt that September ushers in an abundance of Scorpio energy that will be with us for quite some time. With Mars and the North Node already in Scorpio and Saturn about to move into Scorpio in October for a three- year stay plus a Scorpio solar eclipse in November, any deep and dark secrets will be revealed, like it or not!”
Well revealed they have been, with newspapers and other media publishing tale after tale of Scorpionic happenings both good and bad over the past month. Whether it’s sex, death, drugs, corruption, power, lies, underworld activity, rebirth or healing, here are just some of the leading stories. See how many Scorpio themes you can spot.
22nd September – Jill Meagher (Sun, Venus and Jupiter in Scorpio – born 30/10/1982) is abducted, raped and murdered by a stranger who follows her home after late night drinks in a bar in Brunswick and assaults her in a dark alleyway then buries her body miles away in a field. In the days following her death, other women speak out about sex attacks in the Brunswick area and of seeing a creepy man wearing black leather gloves.
27th September – Adrian Bayley (Jupiter in Scorpio – born 14/7/1971) is arrested and charged with Jill Meagher’s murder. Bayley is caught because his movements are recorded on a surveillance camera. Prisoners in high security jails hold prayer vigils for Jill with some threatening to kill or take revenge on Bayley.
29th September – Public anger triggers an advertising backlash after Alan Jones, one of Sydney’s best-known radio hosts, jokes at a Liberal Club dinner that prime minister Julia Gillard’s father must have “died of shame" because of her lies in Parliament. 27,000 people sign a petition calling for advertisers to withdraw their support from Jones’s 2GB show and many companies including Woolworths, Mercedes-Benz, Freedom Furniture and ING Direct do just that. Jones is labelled a ‘thoughtless bastard’.
30th September – Jill’s murder sparks public outrage and overwhelming grief. More than 30,000 people spontaneously march down Sydney Road in Brunswick to mourn her death and protest against violence against women. Kate O'Brien, of the University of Sydney's Reclaim the Night organising committee, says she expects a record turnout for the protest against rape and sexual violence planned for late October in Sydney. ''We've already got more than 800 people saying they will march on Facebook - that's unprecedented. Our last big turnout was in 2006, when Sheik Taj Din al-Hilali compared woman to 'uncovered meat'.''
5th October - Jill Meagher’s grieving family release 29 doves at her funeral, once for each year of her life (she was killed at her Saturn return). The dove is a symbol of peace and one of the symbols for Scorpio.
7th October - Channel 10’s Underground telemovie on Julian Assange and news program Julian Assange: The Real Story attract a combined viewing audience of over 2 million viewers. The telemovie tracks the WikiLeaks founder’s teen years and provokes plenty of social media chat with thousands of people sympathetic to Assange’s anarchic stance against government cover-ups and deceit.
8th October - As if to cement the celebrity status from his TV coverage, Assange (Moon, Ascendant and Jupiter in Scorpio – born 3/7/71) is visited by Lady Gaga (Moon, Pluto and South Node in Scorpio – born 28/3/86) at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London where he has sought political asylum.
9th October - Videos of Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard (Mercury, Neptune and Ascendant in Scorpio – born 29/9/61) blasting Opposition Minister Tony Abbott in Parliament for his sexism and misogyny are broadcast all over the world. Gillard who spoke of her offence at Abbott standing next to signs saying ‘ditch the witch’ and calling her ‘a man’s bitch’, becomes an overnight champion for women’s rights. (And in case you’re wondering, Abbott is a Scorpio, with Sun, Mercury, Neptune and the North Node in Scorpio... - born 4/11/57). Those who enjoyed Gillard’s performance will remember she was responding to a motion from Tony Abbott demanding Speaker Peter Slipper’s resignation following revelations of lewd text messages where Slipper compared women’s genitals to jars of mussels. Slipper was also fighting charges of sexual harassment and bodged expenses claims. He later resigned from his post as Speaker.
10th October – Following a lengthy investigation, US anti-doping agency reports reveal that seven times Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong was involved for years in a sprawling, sophisticated doping program employing cunning methods to beat the sport’s drug-testing system. The issue of drug cheats in sport swamps the media. Armstrong is told he could be stripped of his titles.
15th October – Champion jockey Damian Oliver finds himself in the middle of a betting scandal that costs him his place in the Caulfield Cup and Cox Plate races. It is alleged that he placed a $10,000 bet on a rival horse in a race he was also riding in.
26th October - Victoria Police smash a major drug syndicate extending from Australia to Vietnam after uncovering two of the state’s largest illegal drug laboratories in Melbourne’s west producing millions of dollars worth of drugs.
27th October On the eve of a major corruption inquiry into the former ALP state government, Greg Jones, a former Labor aide and the best friend of the disgraced former mining minister Ian Macdonald is exposed as a secret shareholder in a company awarded a lucrative coal licence by Mr Macdonald in 2009. Jones admits that he holds 12.5% of the shares in Cascade Coal.
All we need now to finish off the Scorpio theme is a financial crash. Stay tuned!
Featured Sign-Scorpio
The Sun travels through water sign Scorpio from the 23rd October to the 22nd November this year. Scorpio is the eighth sign of the zodiac with keywords “I will survive” and “I am intense”. Scorpio has three symbols, the scorpion, representing Scorpio’s lower nature, her jealousy, desire for revenge and tendency to manipulate or control others; the eagle, representing Scorpio’s ability to soar above emotional attachment with pride and dignity, thus accessing the true power of the sign, and finally the holy dove, symbol of divine love, compassion, tolerance and forgiveness. Those born under the sign of the Scorpion are usually loyal, strong and courageous. They love exploring the mysteries of life – birth, death, sexuality, reincarnation and anything taboo. They have a reputation for being passionate, secretive and highly sexual and due to their emotional intensity, often have to deal with issues of trust and betrayal. Negatively, Scorpios can be possessive, jealous, vindictive, destructive and manipulative, particularly when hurt or betrayed. An icy or impassive front often conceals the deepest of feelings. In medical astrology, Scorpio rules the organs of elimination and reproduction including the urinary tract, bowel, prostate gland and nasal bones. When Scorpios are out of balance they can suffer from haemorrhoids, constipation, urinary tract infections, menstrual and reproductive problems plus catarrh and sinus problems. The Scorpio colours are dark red, purple, dark green and black. Scorpio’s greatest lesson is to learn emotional release and to forgive both themselves and others.
November Eclipses
Total Eclipse of the Sun
During a solar eclipse, the life giving sun joins briefly with the dark and mysterious moon as the moon blocks out the light of the sun. In this moment of darkness, yin and yang energies combine afresh, beginning another cycle in the spiral of personal development. The Hermetic astrologers of the mystery schools of Egypt and Greece believed that an eclipse created a tunnel to higher realms where they could communicate directly with the star gods and access their sacred wisdom. And scientific tests have shown that during an eclipse, electromagnetic fields increase in magnitude, especially near sacred sites.
On November 14th we have a total eclipse of the sun at the Scorpio new moon with both the sun and moon at 21o57’ Scorpio. The solar eclipse will cast a shadow across Australia with the centrepoint directly over Cairns. All eclipses indicate change; solar eclipses signify beginnings and usually manifest as events in the outer world. At solar eclipses we begin something new, make promises to ourselves, make commitments, plans and decisions, rise to the challenge, change, mature, travel at a faster pace, feel restless and excited and get in touch with our feelings. The November eclipse will be exactly conjunct the fixed star Alpha Serpentis - the heart of the serpent. The serpent is one of the most ancient of symbols representing the wisdom gained by high initiates in the mystery schools – if you’re looking for insight or epiphany, this solar eclipse could well provide it.
Astrologer Bernadette Brady writes: “There is a sense of joy through commitment about this eclipse series... a time of good news which entails responsibilities or commitments, but ones in which there is joy in the undertaking. Pregnancy, birth, parenthood are just some of the possible expressions.”
November is a great time for Scorpios to update their self-image and future plans. Although the energies are most prominent for a week on either side of the eclipse, the influence on events continues over the next few months, until the time of the next solar eclipse. When an eclipse falls around the time of your birthday, you can count on an eventful year ahead. However, you do not have to be a Scorpio to feel its effects. If it makes any contacts to a planet or personal point in your birth chart, your experience of the eclipse will be intensified.
Annular Eclipse at the Gemini Full Moon
Solar and lunar eclipses always come in pairs. The Gemini lunar eclipse, at the full moon on 29th November is an important time for Sagittarians with birthdays within a day or two of the eclipse. The eclipse will also affect Geminis born around 27th-29th May, or anyone with planets or personal points, such as the Ascendant and Midheaven, close to 6-7o Gemini and Sagittarius. With a Venus-Saturn and Mars-Pluto conjunction forming a yod with the full moon in the eclipse chart, the energy is extremely intense and even aggressive. Venus and Mars are the planets of love and relationship, so expect matters of the heart to come to the fore.
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Mercury Retrograde
Mercury, the communication planet and bridge between our conscious and unconscious mind, turns retrograde and moves backwards through Sagittarius and Scorpio from the 7th to the 27th November, coinciding with the period around the new moon and solar eclipse. This will only serve to heighten the intensity and relevance of the insights revealed between the new moon eclipse (in Scorpio) on the 14th and the full moon eclipse (in Gemini) on the 29th November. Think of the thrice yearly Mercury retrograde transit as a three week opportunity to get your life back on track and regain integrity. Pay particular attention to gut feelings, hunches and pieces of information that randomly come your way. Avoid starting new projects, but focus on completing or revising existing ones. Spend time day dreaming and meditating and see what comes up. If things go haywire, ask yourself: “What am I trying to learn?” “What is the hidden message behind this event?” And as Mercury travels backwards through Sagittarius (open honesty) and Scorpio (inner truth and integrity), ask yourself: “How can I behave in a more authentic way with those I love? How can I speak my truth openly and honestly?”
November Moon Calendar
Launch projects at the New Moon, bring them to completion in the period from just before the Full Moon to the Third Quarter phase and wind them down and reflect on developments in the week before the next New Moon. The period between the New Moon and the Full Moon is the waxing moon (moon getting bigger and fuller). The period between the Full Moon and the New Moon is the waning moon (moon getting smaller and thinner).
You can use this moon table to select the most favourable days to slow or increase hair regrowth. Full instructions can be found in my Lunar Hair Care guidelines at www.stellastarwoman.com/files/LunarHairCare.pdf but to get you started I've marked the best dates for waxing/shaving to slow regrowth in yellow and the best dates to cut hair for thicker, lusher growth in green. If you‟re serious about Lunar Hair Care - order your own Moon Calendar from the Stella Starwoman Store then you'll know exactly what time of day the moon changes from one zodiac sign to the next.
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Date |
Sign |
Element |
Moon Phase |
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1st |
Taurus |
Earth |
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1st-3rd |
Gemini |
Air |
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3rd-6th |
Cancer |
Water |
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6th-8th |
Leo |
Fire |
Third Quarter |
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8th-10th |
Virgo |
Earth |
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10th-12th |
Libra |
Air |
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12th-14th |
Scorpio |
Water |
New Moon Solar Eclipse 14th |
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14th-16th |
Sagittarius |
Fire |
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16th-18th |
Capricorn |
Earth |
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18th-21st |
Aquarius |
Air |
First Quarter |
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21st-23rd |
Pisces |
Water |
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23rd-25th |
Aries |
Fire |
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25th-28th |
Taurus |
Earth |
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28th-30th |
Gemini |
Air |
Full Moon Lunar Eclipse 29th |
Thanks for being part of AstroUpdate. If there‟s something you‟d like to see featured, or have something you think would interest others, please contact me at stellaw@ozemail.com.au
PS – Don‟t forget to check out your November Monthly Stars at www.stellastarwoman.com to see what‟s coming up for you this month.
Happy Stargazing
Stella Woods www.stellastarwoman.com