Wednesday, November 7, the Moon reaches her darkest point as the New Moon in Scorpio becomes exact. This happens at 11:02 am Eastern Time.
This has been a dark time, an especially intense Scorpio season during which shadows from the past emerged to haunt us.
So it’s intriguing to note that as we approach this most shadowy of doorways, things are getting lighter.
The pace of change is picking up. New winds are stirring. The air feels warmer, despite the fact that the Northern Hemisphere is heading toward winter.
There is so much happening, in fact, that I’m separating events into three sections:
- From Halloween to the New Moon
- The New Moon
- After the New Moon
It’s a before, during, and after kind of thing.
Halloween is All Hallow’s Eve, the night before All Souls Day. This is the ancient Celtic Festival of Samhain, which is the beginning of the Celtic Year.
Like the Jewish calendar, the Celtic calendar begins in the dark. Each day begins at sunset. Each year begins in the darkest time.
In fact, the Celtic calendar divides into dark and light halves, and then dark and light halves within each half, a perfect pairing of yin and yang. Samhain, the year’s beginning, opens the dark half of the dark half. Imbolc, in early spring, opens the light half of the dark half. Beltaine, as you might guess, is the light half of the light half. Lughnasadh, then, is the dark half of the light half of each year.
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These are the four great fire festivals of the Celtic calendar. There are dates reserved for each in our current calendar, but astrologically, each one takes place in the center of each of the fixed signs of the zodiac.
Samhain is 15 Scorpio. Imbolc is 15 Aquarius. Beltaine is 15 Taurus. Lughnasadh is 15 Leo.
These points have esoteric significance beyond ancient Celtic tradition. Look at the World card and the Wheel of Fortune card in the Rider-Waite Tarot deck designed by Pamela Coleman Smith, and you will see the symbols of the four fixed signs: the eagle, the man, the bull, and the lion. Symbols used also, by the way, to represent the writers of the four gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
Important alignments are reached at each of these points.
This year, that alignment is emphasized because the New Moon in Scorpio happens at 15, making this New Moon also the time of Samhain. Comparing the charts for Halloween and the Samhain New Moon shows that the shifts in the wind we are feeling began at Halloween.
Mercury left the dark water of Scorpio behind to enter freedom-loving, fiery Sagittarius. He is not at is happiest there, being exiled far from his Gemini home, but he is definitely ready to bask in some warmth.
He also sent supportive energy and a good luck farewell to the North Node of the Moon at 0 Leo. Since the Nodes always move backwards, they were poised on this date to shift into Cancer and Capricorn. The next round of eclipses will therefore occur in these signs, influencing our charts in new ways.
Venus slipped back into Libra on her retrograde journey at Halloween. For those of us feeling this Venus in Scorpio very acutely, the shift into her own sign is a welcome respite from relentless personal work.
And Uranus had moved back to 0 Taurus, preparing to slip into Aries for one last visit. He squared the Nodes, bringing the unexpected in his wake.
Now let’s look at the New Moon chart.
Indeed, the Nodes have moved to 29 Cancer for the North Node and 29 Capricorn for the South. And still Uranus squares the Nodes, now from 29 Aries. Note that this square, pushing us to stand up and be counted, creating energy around unexpected events, has been in place all during the last week run up to the US midterm elections and will hold through election night.
This New Moon is intensely Scorpionic. Pluto, modern ruler of Scorpio, sextiles the New Moon bringing revolutionary energy of a very deep transformative kind. Jupiter trines the North Node in Cancer, sending his signature good luck vibes, but sending them from the depths of the final degree of Scorpio.
Mars, ancient ruler of Scorpio, trines Venus, Aquarius to Libra, mind to mind. Maybe Mars has lofty ideas to impart. Maybe he’s just telling Venus to hurry up and get out of that damn cave. Whatever the conversation is, they are talking.
Then there is the trine from Neptune. Look for strong dreaming at the New Moon. Consider the traditions of divination associated with Samhain. Any runes cast or cards turned at this time will carry deep insights.
We stand at the gateway into a new year. Darkness swirls around us. The ancestors are close. Have we honored them or forgotten them? Will they help or hinder us? We ask for guidance.
And guidance will come. The Scorpio New Moon is also the festival of Diwali, the Festival of Lights. This is the beginning of the Hindu New Year and a celebration of light over dark, good over evil.
We can see the blessings of Lakshmi in the return of Venus into Libra, after her challenging descent through Scorpio. We can see the triumph of the Mother Goddess Durga over demons in the new arrival of the North Node of the future in Cancer, sign of the Mother.
This is the darkest time of each lunar cycle, the maximum amount of yin. But, as always, this in itself signals that light is returning.
This trends continues with the movement of Jupiter info Sagittarius on November 8, the day following the New Moon. This is Jupiter’s home place, his pitched tent, his traveling circus. Here, he is at this most jovial, expansive, optimistic …and prone to overdo it. He will travel through Sag for the next year, lifting us all.
The other date worth noting in this New Moon post is November 16. This day will probably feel great but comes with a cautionary note.
Venus will station direct in Libra, which will feel wonderful. With both Venus and Jupiter in their homes signs, we might all receive some good fortune. Venus won’t stay in Libra long, as she has her forward journey through Scorpio to make, but her forward flowing motion will be welcome.
On that same date, Mercury will station retrograde in Sagittarius. Since he’ll also be out of bounds and square Neptune when he does, this retrograde will be one for caution. The combination of Sagittarian optimism and Neptunian glamour means we could be easily fooled—which is fine if we are watching a magic show and not so great if we are buying a used car.
During this Mercury Rx, take extra care with any contracts or commitments. Read the fine print. Instead of focusing on finances and legalities, create beauty.
In many ways, this Sagittarius time will bring sparkle, scintillation, expansiveness, and warmth that we will welcome and appreciate after the challenges of our time with Scorpio.
Let’s listen to the ancestors, though. They want us to remember. The past is prologue. Where we have been informs where—and who—we are. As we move toward the season of light, we hold fast to the treasures we brought back from the cave. The shadow journeys make our celebrations that much more joyful.
I use Unsplash for most photo illustrations. All astrological charts are my own. The images in this post include the title, adapted from the photo Lost Places by Denny Müller, the photo of Inca Agricultural Laboratory by Willian Justen de Vasconcellos, the Psychic Vision sign by Wyron A, and the photo of the humanity wall by Matteo Paganelli.