The Week Above - October 28th-November 4th 2018

The Week Above is a weekly astrological "weather report" detailing the major planetary configurations for the week ahead. All times given are in Eastern Time. There will be references to your birth chart and your Sun, Moon, and Rising signs throughout. If you aren't sure of what that means, check out Astrodienst for free online chart drawings, and Cups & Crowns for the basics of how to understand a drawn chart.

If you enjoy my writing and find it valuable, consider supporting me on Patreon. Future posts will feature horoscopes for all twelve signs if certain goals are met.

Mercury conjunct Jupiter, trine Chiron - October 29th

The mind is a funny thing.

We sometimes see what we expect to see, and then in seeing it, use it as a mirror to support our pre-existing self-image.

This is not one of those times.

Jupiter’s time in Scorpio has been an eventful one. Widespread adoption of occultism, #MeToo, secrets coming into the stark light of day, all being dealt with and considered collectively. Jupiter in Scorpio has been asking us to think deeply about our secrets, our darkness, our underbellies, and give them their spiritual, mindful, and judicious dues.

On Monday, Mercury makes all of this much, much louder. It is easy to think precisely about deep topics, particularly deep into the underworld. And it is easy to hear the voices bringing our attention to them. Truth, particularly that which we might turn away from, comes into stark, undeniable focus.

Expect a news story or two of “Actually, this is who we are, and it’s time we admitted it.”

For yourself, write or speak with someone you trust on the topic of old hurts coming up. After conjoining Jupiter, Mercury goes on to trine Chiron Monday, adding voice to the pain and making it easier for that pain to be expressed. A good day for therapy sessions.

Mercury enters Sagittarius - October 30th/31st

(Note: On the East Coast of the United States, this happens between midnight and 1AM on the 31st. In other time zones the ingress will be on the 30th.)

The mind is a funny thing.

Those of analytical bent enjoy their analysis because of its precision. There are details to sort out, tasks to be considered, files to organize. The analytical mind can find pleasure in keeping itself up-to-date and on task.

This is easier some times than others.

On Halloween, Mercury enters Sagittarius, a sign it struggles in. Mercury, planet of seeking specific information, gets lost in the vast, poorly-labeled grand libraries of Sagittarius. The analytical mind gets overwhelmed with too much information and too many directions to go in, the details sacrificed for big-picture thinking, the balance between big ideas and small necessities a constant juggling act.

Boy are those libraries fun though.

Mercury is going retrograde later in the month while they’re in Sagittarius, so expect this week to bring you hints of what’s to come from the Trickster’s time in the Archer’s sign. It’s a good time to organize things if you’re ready to get distracted reading them partway through. Otherwise, you might have a hard time getting to where you meant to go.

With Jupiter this close to the Messenger Deity, it’s gonna be a fun time, even with the confusion. More on that in a future post.

Mercury remains in Sagittarius until the end of November, returning on December 12th. This transit will affect you most if your Sun, Moon, Midheaven, or Ascendant is in Gemini or Virgo, or in close aspect with Mercury in your natal chart, or if you are an investigator, lawyer, writer, analyst, accountant, journalist, or involved in communication or transportation otherwise.

Venus opposes Uranus and enters Libra - October 31st

The heart wants what it wants, and sometimes it is very clear what it does not want.

Breakups happen. Not every relationship is meant to last. Sometimes you wake up in the morning, look at the person or the thing you thought you wanted, and gasp in horror from the newly shifted desire.

Other times you fall madly in love out of the blue with someone or something you never thought you’d want in your life and shift everything around to accommodate it.

For many folks, this is one of those weeks.

This happens right before Venus gets back to her home turf of Libra. In Libra, Venus is happy. She has what she needs to get things done the way she likes to do them. Beauty is more beautiful, charmers are more charming, lover are more loving.

Granted, she’s still retrograde until November 16th, when she stations direct close to the fixed star Spica, but more on that when we come to it.

Still, Venusian matters of love, of beauty, of pleasure, worth, and value get nicer and sweeter after Halloween, and this underworld journey we’ve all been on this month starts to show some real potential for emergence into Light this week. Hope arising from the Darkness. Let it be so.

Venus remains in Libra until December 2nd. This transit will affect you most if your Sun, Moon, Midheaven, or Ascendant is in Taurus or Libra, or in close aspect with Venus in your natal chart, or if your Ascendant is in Aries or Scorpio (thus making Venus ruler of your house of partnership) or if you are a model, beautician, sexuality professional, artist, decorator, newly in love, or otherwise deeply involved with the realms of beauty, love, sexuality, or desire.

Jupiter trine Chiron in aspect with Juno and Pallas - November 1st

We learn most from our wounds.

Chiron, the great healer, the great wounded one, was also known as a great teacher. The deepest pain is often the bearer of the most important lessons.

But to understand these lessons we must consider them closely. What is there to be learned? What is there to simply leave behind? What are we not finished with just yet? How can we take this pain and turn it into medicine for others?

How can we take this pain and turn it into medicine for ourselves?

We can’t do it alone, that’s for sure. We need other people in order to heal ourselves, or even just to learn how to sit comfortably with our wounds.

This is a week of learning to find medicine in those wounds, wisdom in the pain, teachings in the tears. This is a week where we’re gifted clarity in the processing of it all.

Again, a good time to see your therapist.

And just generally? Take care of your emotional and psychological well-being this week. Drink water. Go for a walk. Phone a friend. Whatever helps you feel good and whole within yourself, do more of it this week, even if you don’t feel like it. It’s an important week for that. The dead are closer to the living this time of year. Halloween is a time to honor the dead, not just drink in costume. It’s a time when grief becomes more apparent for many of us. So be kind to yourself and check in on your loved ones. We all need it sometimes, and this is a good time to show that kind of love.