Astrological Forecast for November & December 2014

   As we end 2014, we consider the changes and challenges of the past year and look towards those of 2015. I have pointed out often enough over the past few years that transformation is occurring at lightning speed and profound depth, and by now we are perhaps used to the feeling. It’s like being on a roller coaster for thirty consecutive rides—the big drop holds less excitement and terror than it did on the first go-round. In the collective consciousness, it is difficult toget a grip on any one story or theme of change, because one transition melds into the next like a kaleidoscope turning at top speed. In our personal lives,we can recognize changes with greater ease, yet we may have difficulty seeing where we are heading in the long run. Relationship, career, and financial transformations are pointing towards something—but we wonder what it could be.

 November

  The first week of November offers us the opportunity to integrate the changes of the past month. October had a great deal of charged cosmic energy,and we can ground it out as we move deeper into the autumn. The full moon in the sign of Taurus on the 6th is a point of reflection, from which we can look back over the past six weeks. This moon comes like a flash of light that allows us to see where we are, but in a moment we are back into the action.

  From the 9th through the 12th, there is a series of intense aspects that will place stress on relationships and other areas of life. Mars will aspect both Pluto and Uranus, a fiery combination that suggests it will be very difficult to contain emotions. Action is called for when Mars is involved, and in aspect to these two planets anger is likely to be a motivating factor. Meanwhile,Venus—the goddess of love—makes two very different aspects, to Jupiter and Saturn. Optimism about partnership and finance could be replaced by a more sober assessment of the situation. In the second week of the month we are likely to feel determined to make changes, although it may be some time before we fully understand the consequences of our actions.

   Neptune stations to turn direct on the 16th. For a few days before and after, pay close attention to your dreams and intuition. It’s a great time to meditate, fantasize, and get in touch with other realities. It probably isn’t the best time to make practical decisions, and even our intuitive insights might need some revision as time progresses. The sun meets Saturn in Scorpio on the 18th, which could be the day we assess the ideas that have emerged over the past week.

   On the 20th, Venus squares Neptune, an aspect that can cast relationships in a soft focus. We can see a bit too much in a partner(or potential partner), and may idealize a personal connection. A few folks may experience the opposite, feeling that their partners are demons rather than heroes. The important thing is to note your perceptions but understand that they are just that—your perceptions: the reality may be more, less, or just different than you are perceiving.

  The new moon on the 22nd coincides closely with the sun’s move into Sagittarius. Set intentions around big-picture issues and travel for the coming year, as well as the coming holiday season.

   A trine between Venus and Uranus on the 26th suggests that we can try something new in our partnerships, and may be inclined to experiment financially as well.With the sun in a tense square to Neptune just a day later,it’s probably a good idea to keep things at the level of play. Between the Neptune station in the middle of November and the first week of December our judgment for practical matters may be a little off kilter. There’s nothing wrong with moving wherever the experience takes you, but a major emotional or financial investment may prove to yield less than expected.

 December

  The month starts off in a fog, as Mercury squares Neptune on the 1st.Consider this like a one-day Mercury retrograde, although in fact communication nafus and related problems are probably going to be more intense than during a retrograde from November 29th through December 2nd. While overt deception isn’t necessarily part of the picture, we could find ourselves distorting the facts to fit our intentions without really realizing we are doing so. Again, it’s a great time to meditate, dream, and explore alternative realities, but be careful about signing on the dotted line.

  Venus trines Jupiter on the 4th, a nice aspect that’s great for romance or holiday celebrations. With the sun in an easy relationship to revolutionary Uranus, there should be a combination of fun with an easy-going social vibe during this part of the month. That vibe should extend all the way past the full moon in Gemini on the 6th, which will support the party atmosphere.

  Before you put away the party favors, Jupiter will station to retrograde on the 8th. Jupiter stations tend to fuel us with an optimistic, buoyant feeling. It’s an opportunity to feel good about things, particularly our accomplishments over the past year.

  I’m not saying that the party is over with Venus’ move into Capricorn on the 10th, but the goddess of love puts on her business suit for the company holiday party. More formal gatherings are favored with Venus in the sign of Capricorn, where she’ll remain through early January.

  It’s in mid-December that things really begin to get moving. While the year winds down, the skies heat up. Uranus squares Pluto in the 6th of a series of 7 aspects between these two powerful outer planets that stretches from 2012 through 2015. This aspect is the background for everything else that is occurring in these years, a celestial tsunami that is slowly but steadily transforming many things at a very deep level. We may or may not see obvious manifestations of this aspect on the 15th, but both our personal and collective lives will be experiencing the changes.

   If relationship is an area of stress, then it may be on the 20th, when Venus squares Uranus and meets Pluto, that the power of the Uranus/Pluto square manifests in your personal life. While a strong relationship can thrive on the changes implied by this aspect, it could be very tense for partnerships that are less grounded. There could be surprises in store, or it may be that the last straw finally sends the camel to the chiropractor. Try something new in your partnership, experimenting with changing expectations, have that deep conversation, or at least give each other some space.

  Within a span of three hours on December 21st, we have three major astrological events. First, the planet Uranus stations to move direct. The planet associated with revolutionary changes has been backpedaling in the skies since July, and his move forward indicates a greater willingness for change.Uranus stations are typically intense, with most of us feeling a strong desire to do our own thing. Since any limitation on absolute freedom can be seen as a frustration, irritability can be high in the surrounding days.

  Uranus stations only 18 minutes before the winter solstice, the point when the sun is lowest in the southern sky. The winter solstice marks the sun’s ingress into Capricorn, and it is one of the cardinal points associated with major changes on the collective level. With powerful Uranus station coinciding with this solstice, we can expect the coming six months to be filled with unexpected changes – on both the world stage and in our personal lives. Before the sun has time to move, we have a new moon at 8:38 p.m. EST. New moons are times of beginnings, the start of a new cycle and the end of an old one. The cosmos is sending us a clear message with this triple play: it is time to let go of the old and move towards the new.

  These celestial events take place in the foreground, while Saturn moves through the last degrees of Scorpio and into Sagittarius on the 23rd. At the end of Scorpio, Saturn will be reminding us of who and what has died in the past two and a half years, and the bill may come due for power brokers of all kinds.

   As the month ends, it’s time for the Cosmic Messenger, Mercury, to get into the game with aspects to Uranus and Pluto on the 24th and 25th. Mercury is often the trigger for events that have been building for some time, so expect a very lively holiday season.

  Wishing you the best in 2015!

Armand M. Diaz, Ph.D. helps clients make decisions that are in harmony witht heir greatest potential, offering a truly integral approach to astrology.Armand has practiced divination for more than twenty years, working with the IChing and Tarot in addition to astrology. He has published in various astrological journals, including The Mountain Astrologer.  His most recent book, Separating Aspects: The Astrology of Breakups, Divorce, and Other Partings, is available through Amazon and Barnes & Noble.com.  He can be reached through his website at www.integralastrology.net.