There are two astrological elephants in the room đđ
Three, if you count the fact that I took a month off this newsletter and Iâm sending on a Tuesday like Iâm Rob Brezsny or something. Hi.
But the other two are responsible for why everything feels chaotic and intense right now.
Itâs possible that *some* of you are actually fine right nowâand if so, you deserve my bitterest envyâbut, I donât know, are you really? Everyone seems to be going through it, and there are two clear cosmic perpetrators.
đ Tuesdayâs full moon in Taurus đ
Itâs Tuesday, and at 8:34 a.m. Eastern, the moon was fully full in the fullest sign of all time, Taurus.
Full moons always stir tensions and then release them, which sounds sexier than they usually areâbut this one might feel really good.
Her Majesty of the Zodiac Susan Miller says this one will be a sweet and cuddly full moon:
The full moon in Taurus of November 12 is friendly, one that will receive golden rays from Pluto. Having the support of Pluto is significantâthis month, Pluto can assist you in a strong and noticeable way. You will also receive support from Saturn, and thatâs the planet that urges you to plan for the long road ahead.
Astrologer, podcast host, and author Jessica Lanyadoo also thinks this full moon will be healingâand sustainable.
Okay, I admit, therapy this morning was restorative, but then why was I on the bottom of my bathtub crying last night? Why am I double-fisting oat matchas these days? Why canât I stop belting show tunes? (Actually, that one has nothing to do with the moon; thatâs just my insufferable personality.)
The answer: Even the sweetest, most benevolent, cathartic, and healing full moon is still a FULL F*CKING MOON.
And full moons, while incredible and necessary, are hard. Weâre not meant to live at the highest emotional tide possible, but there we are, spilling over the dams weâve carefully erected to guard our composure and dignity. There is no such grace for us today and the rest of this week. We must flow like water and give into being the clowns we are. đ€Ą
Full moons are always a tug of war between who we are (the sun) and what we want (the moon). So today, here are the teams:
Who is on the moonâs side: Saturn, Pluto, Neptune
Who is on the sunâs side: Mercury.
The astrologers are right, of course, that the benevolent relationship between Saturn, Pluto, Neptune, and the moon are sure to endow us with power, self-possession, and wisdom we can apply for the long term. We need that, and this full moon may bring something quieter and less excruciating than previous moons. It might just be a little tough love and incremental progress, with the attendant feeling of satisfaction that comes with getting a little bit of work done. Despite all this big, responsible, earthy themes, it wouldnât be a Taurus full moon if we werenât meant to savor it.
But then thereâs MercuryâŠ
đ Mercuryâs still deeply retrograde đ
Weâre not out of these mercurial woods yet. Mercury is still retrograde until November 20, and then truly back to normal on December 7. And, again, Iâll universalize my own experience and say that this particular turn oâ the âgrade has been supercharged. Itâs not just that technology and transit has failed me of late (although it has), or that Iâve regretted every word thatâs coming flying out of my mouth (although I have)âitâs that the stakes of each small miscommunication feel so HIGH right now. And that I attribute to Scorpio.
Both the sun and Mercury are in Scorpio, which is a quiet sign. Scorpio likes power and gets it through being withholding. Thatâs inherently at odds with Mercury, which longs to communicate. So messages are coming in between the lines. People are making their presence known without saying too much.
The stereotype of Mercury retrograde is that you reconnect with people in your past, and, right on cue, Iâve had a lot of open threads recently with people I havenât talked to in a long time. But the back-and-forth has been minimal. It feels significant (and it is), but thereâs not a lot of text. That is very indicative of this particular season. Itâs about people popping in to let you know they're listening, but not sharing too much about what they think. Classic Scorpio power moves. So thatâs the mysterious backdrop against which this full moon is manifesting.
And thatâs why weâre all feeling feelings, even if you swear youâre fine right now. đ€
Youâre really your opposite sign đ
I recently wrote a piece for Cosmo on opposite signs and why you may identify much more strongly with your zodiac counterpart than your actual sign. (Sidebar: doesnât âCosmoâ sound like it should be an astrology magazine? Wouldnât be a bad pivot for themâŠ)
Anyway, hereâs what I said:
The zodiac is a wheel cut 12 ways. Each bisection is an axis, and the entire axis means something as a whole. Basically, your opposite sign sits at the farthest point from you on the circle, representing the same energy but inverted. Aka it shares your essential qualities and desires but approaches them in divergent ways. Taken as a pair, your Sun sign and opposite sign generate a fuller spectrum of meaning, and their relationship can light up whatâs missing in the solo read of your Sun sign.
As someone who doesnât believe in astrology, I am obsessed with this concept. If your sun sign doesnât make sense, well maybe youâre your opposite sign! If thatâs not quite right, then I can contextualize it with your moon and rising. Now what about their opposite signs? I will not stop until every single weird tic of your SOUL is somehow accounted for in your birth chart. Trust me, weâll make this fitâŠ
Anyway, the TL;DR of it all is this:
â Aries are romantic
â Taurus are obsessive
â Geminis are bombastic
â Cancers are cunning
â Leos are impersonal
â Virgos are scattered
â Libras are aggressive
â Scorpios are chill
â Sagittarians are in the weeds
â Capricorns are nurturing
â Aquarians are warm
â Pisces are sharp
Because this all makes sense if you want it to. đ
Horoscopes for this week
These actually soothed me to write, which is not the usual course of events. Writing horoscopes stresses me out sometimes, because I feel trapped by the future even though Iâm always the one telling everyone thatâs not how this works. Itâs not that Iâve made any personal growth or come to new understandings; itâs just that this week seems pretty calm besides the full moon. In the Taurean spirit, letâs make a meal of it.
All times are Eastern because I live in New York.
Tuesday 11/12:
FULL MOON IN TAURUS! đ±đ
Wednesday 11/13:
Gemini moon puts us in an intellectually soundâand emotionally scatteredâplace. But itâs a honey of a day, and weâve more than earned a little post-moon soothing.
With Mercury and Saturn singing a duet at 9:35 a.m., your words and decisions will be particularly potent and meaningful. Any advice you give will make a material difference for others and reinforce your reputation as a valuable counselor among friends, colleagues, clients. My ego is already so horny for this aspect and Iâm ready to don my armchair therapist pantsâŠ
Then the sun and Pluto, two most powerful creatures in the zodiac, are having a ball together at 12:56 p.m. That bodes well for relationships with people in positions of power, so if you need to plead your case a VIP or be loud in a room, you will have the self-possession and personal charisma necessary to be effective. Probably!
Mercury and Neptune are such good friends at 5:34 p.m., which is another opportunity to write and connect with people. Just make sure youâre connecting with someone who is good for your heart, because this aspect can make people fall in love really easily. đ
Thursday 11/14:
Not loving this day for love, artistic inspiration, or glamour.
We start with the moon opposing Venus, who is supposed to help us with aesthetics and diplomacy and money.
Then it squares Neptune, who is like an intense and spiritual Venus, guiding our imaginations and ability to soften our realities with storytelling and artistic insight.
Then all that fighting with the moon takes a toll around lunchtime, and Venus and Neptune turn on each other, which is fucked up, but you know I love this drama. However, in real life, we may not experience this aspect as a safe spectator but as a participant, leading to arguments with loved ones, creative differences (bad ones) with collaborators, or just a general disillusionment and lack of ability to perceive beauty in your environs. I already want to move on from this dayâŠ
Friday 11/15:
Moon is having a lot of fun with two of the most volatile planets, Mars and Uranus at around 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. respectively. This gifts us with energy and originality. If youâve made any changes in the wake of the full moon or experienced a shift in dynamics with someone important, this is your window to chart a new future and take decisive next steps. If it feels good and freeing, youâre on the right path.
Then the moon enters Cancer, where it feels most at home. You could cry today, and honestly, you should. Itâll feel good.
Saturday 11/16:
Moon is beautifully angled to Mercury and Neptune, which is why Iâve just decided to make sure I get some writing done on this day. But Mercury isnât only about literal writingâitâs about connecting with others and sharing experiences. So if you wanted to plan a whole trip to the museum with your friends and invite me, Iâm in.
Then the moon is opposed to Saturn, which can trigger any of the following: depression, feelings of not being good enough, frustration with authority figures, general oppression, etc. Saturn always wants us to put our heads down and work, but the joke is on Saturn, because there are lots of different kinds of work you can do. Like laying down in childâs pose with the lights off to avoid your responsibilitiesâŠ
Sunday 11/17:
Cranky day for the moon, who is squaring the sun, Mars, and Uranus. Listen, donât argue with anyone today. Just donât get into it. Justâif you see the conversation starting to go in a contentious direction, politely excuse yourself from the room. Mars and Uranus thrive on conflict. Go home instead. Donât look at your phone. Well, you can look, but donât write anything. But youâll want to. And you will. And itâll be explosive. And what can I say, I forgive you already. You should forgive yourself, too.