Astrological Forecast for November & December 2020

It’s been quite a year, hasn’t it? Getting perspective is hard when you’re in the midst of the storm, and the pandemic, social and political turmoil, and economic earthquakes have been unrelenting, while record wildfires and tropical storms have bombarded us. Many of us have felt our personal security – let alone our ambitions and aspirations – threatened, while our collective foundations are eroding in the wake of the Saturn-Pluto conjunction last January.

Those looking for respite in the final months of 2020 are likely to be disappointed, as the cosmic weather continues to blow stormy through November and December, and although we have some good opportunities, we are also facing some significant challenges.

Jupiter and Saturn, meeting at the very first degree of Aquarius on December 21st are signaling an important change in the cosmic weather. Jupiter will stay in the sign of the water bearer for most of 2021, while Saturn will remain until March of 2023 – just two weeks before Pluto enters to begin an extended stay (until 2044). Clearly, we’re going to be working out the meaning of Aquarius in our lives for some time.

With outer planets in Aquarius, our attention turns towards matters of social justice and equality. Aquarius promises freedom for all, yet ironically can constrain individuals for the sake of the collective. If we remove the boundaries that limit us, how can we enforce our newfound freedom without constructing new boundaries?

It’s the question that has confounded revolutions – and – revolutionaries, for centuries, and we’ll have our go at it on many different levels over the next few decades. The coming year heralds the start of a new era, and the issues are bound to be very explicit. December of 2020 is the keynote address by Jupiter and Saturn, so listen closely.

November

There’s a start-and-stop energy in the first week of the month, with retrograde Mercury squaring Saturn on the 1st, and again on the 6th when he’s moving direct. This represents a time when some folks are likely to feel forced to tell to truth, or to give up secrets (Mercury in Scorpio) in the face of pressure (Saturn). It’s a time when we’re confronted with a choice between radical honesty and deep deception.

On the 3rd, Mercury stations to go direct after three weeks of retrograding. Significantly, Mercury’s station is on Election Day in the United States, and the last time there was a Mercury station on Election Day was in 2000, with the contested outcome between George W. Bush and Al Gore. Already, politicians and the news media are readying us for an indecisive election outcome, due in part to mail-in ballots (whatever you think of them, they take longer to count).

Adding to the mix, Mercury stations almost exactly opposite to Eris, the planet of discord. Eris is known for her unique way of getting revenge for not being invited to a party. She threw a golden apple into the festivities, with “For the Fairest” written on it. Three goddesses all assumed it was for them, and, to make a long story short, the Trojan War ensued. That could be a model for Mercury’s station on Election Day.

Venus opposes retrograde Mars on the 9th. Both planets are strong in their home signs of Libra and Aries, although Mars is retrograde. Venus in Libra would like to gracefully follow the rules of decorum, while Mars in Aries wants to get right to the passion. You could feel that relationships are moving too quickly towards sex, or that sex is over-or-under emphasized in your partnership. With Mars retrograde, it’s probably best to take a step back and evaluate rather than making hasty decisions, either way.

Relationship changes may have been prominent in the second half of October, and might need to be revisited in mid-November. Resolution and decisions may have to wait for early December, so be (as) patient (as possible).

The major aspect of 2020 was the meeting of Saturn, Pluto, and Ceres at 22 degrees of Capricorn back in January. The changes we’ve experienced on every level have been dramatic, and they are ongoing. On November 12th and 13th, we have another of the many ‘triggers’ that can set off the energy of January aspect. Jupiter, Pallas Athene, and Pluto all meet at 22 degrees of Capricorn on the 12th, while Mars stations to go direct on the 13th. Pallas Athene is the ‘truth-teller’ asteroid, the Goddess of Wisdom who carries a spear – to make sure her point is taken. It’s bound to be a volatile time, especially in the collective.

The November new moon is on the 15th. In the sign of Scorpio, it’s a deep and somewhat dark period, a time to ponder the mysteries of death and rebirth. Seeds are being planted for the coming year, but we don’t know which crops will sprout and flourish and which will whither. It is in the depths of Scorpio that such decisions are made, out of view of our conscious minds.

More consciously, Venus is busy right after the new moon, aspecting the Jupiter/Pallas/Pluto conjunction. Assess where you are with relationships, and decide where you would like to go.

Mercury opposes Uranus on the 17th, an aspect that can foster brilliant insights, or incite us to speak a little too freely. It’s a frenetic kind of verbal energy, although with Mercury in Scorpio we can expect it will be more contained. Ideas that were floating around in the first half of October may finally be delivered in workable form now, and communication that went awry during Mercury’s retrograde could be cleared up.

As the month draws to a close, the activity ramps up. Venus opposes Uranus on the 27th, suggesting that we may want freedom and independence in our relationships, or simply that we’re looking to break out of entrenched patterns and try something new.

There’s a feeling of possibility in the air, accentuated by the idealistic but not necessarily realistic station of Neptune to go direct on the 28th. Neptune stations are great for pursuing fantasy and the imagination, and they are terrific for meditation and all forms of connecting with the astral planes. On a practical level, however, things are best deferred for at least a couple of days.

But to make good decisions you need a level head and emotional calm. With a full moon lunar eclipse on tap for the 30th, it could be a real challenge to avoid snap judgments and impulsive actions.

December

Early December has more subdued feeling than we’ve seen in some time, although we are between eclipses, a time that tends to feel somewhat tense. Eclipse seasons let us know what’s important to us, but tend to make it challenging to see things in a realistic perspective.

Things get decidedly murkier as we approach mid-month. On the 13th, Mercury squares Neptune, just a day before a solar eclipse in Sagittarius. With Mercury also in the sign of the archer, there could be a tendency towards hyperbole and highly polarized confrontations. Belief systems may trump facts, and Mercury/Neptune aspects are renowned for stretching the truth and bending it to fit the situation. Don’t take any wooden nickels or buy any bridges around this time.

With the new moon/solar eclipse also on the 14th, the collective energy is likely to be quite charged. The question for the collective is: what reality will we buy into, what beliefs will carry us forward? Those who pull towards the past may find their realities fragile before long.

Venus connects with Saturn and Jupiter on the 14th and 15th, making easy aspects that suggest building on our relationships by going deep (Venus is in Scorpio). It’s also a good time to get an appraisal or assessment on something, too.

Chiron stations to go direct in Aries on the 15th, and we may feel challenged to express ourselves, or we might lack self-confidence. For most, it will be a passing feeling, if that, but those with planets near the station point might feel a bit more of the ouch that the rest of us.

On the 17th, Saturn re-enters Aquarius. Jupiter follows two days later, and they have a historic meeting on the 21st, just eight hours after the Capricorn (winter) Solstice. As the light reaches its low point for the year, the Sun turns northward and begins the long journey towards the Summer Solstice. It’s truly remarkable to have two powerful beginnings – one yearly, one millennial – on the same day. It is even the day of the first quarter moon, always an active period.

Mars squares Pluto on the 23rd, reigniting and releasing tensions from earlier in the year. Look back especially to mid-August and early October for the reference points in this story: we’re likely to reach a conclusion now to matters that were hot then.

December ends with a full moon in the sign of Cancer on the 29th. Hopefully, the brightness of the Moon will illuminate us while the Sun begins his climb upwards from the depths.

Wishing you a Happy New Year!

Armand Diaz, Ph.D., is an intuitive astrologer who also uses Tarot in his consultations with clients. He can be reached via his website, www.ArmandDiaz.com