Full Moon to New Moon: November 5th - November 19th by Kelsey Bednar @the_astro_yogi

New Moon in Taurus (Nov 5th)

You may already have noticed an increase in the Moon’s beams, and that’s because we’re headed for a Full Moon on Wednesday, November 5th. This Full Moon is at 13 degrees of the sign of Taurus. Taurus is symbolically linked to the Earth, our bodies, and their beauty, simplicity, & bounty. Take a walk one morning to admire the glory of the changing leaves. Set aside time to cook a big pot of soup. Take care of your body with proper rest and yoga ;) Taurus symbolism also includes ideas of security and stability, so pay attention to whether those themes become prominent for you this week. We should all aim for slower & simpler when the Moon is in Taurus, however it might be a little harder to achieve due to a Mars-Uranus opposition mid-week.

Mars-Uranus opposition (Nov 4th – 6th)

Whenever Mars & Uranus dance together in the sky, we notice! Surprises, upsets, impulsive actions, chaotic feelings, little accidents, and sometimes even unexpected instances of violence are possible. I think this is very interestingly timed with elections on November 4th, but it could be personally significant for those with planets or angles near 0 degrees of the mutable signs (Sagittarius, Pisces, Gemini, Virgo) in their birth chart. In some ways, this could represent a shakeup you’ve been waiting for - a sudden avenue/opportunity opening up for you. Or, it could mean a best laid plan falling apart and leaving a feeling of "what do I do now?" in its immediate wake. If you work with the public, just remember to have your energetic/mental boundaries in place before heading in, because some people’s energy could feel erratic. In my opinion, the best advice for Mars-Uranus + Full Moon energy is to stay flexible. It sounds obvious, but the more you’re willing to pivot and accommodate life’s happenings this week, the easier the energy will feel. 

Mercury Retrograde (Nov 9th - 29th)

Many of us have some familiarity with Mercury retrograde via pop culture. We often hear that it’s annoying and inconvenient. And it’s true that things related to technology, travel, communication, and the hands/arms can get…disrupted. For example, during Mercury retrogrades this year I sliced my thumb open and almost needed stitches, spilled an entire hot latte on myself and my car when already late for a staff meeting, got an expensive speeding ticket in another state, had a smoke detector repeatedly beeping on a week night with no way to reach & disable it…and the list goes on. 

But I also want to emphasize that Mercury’s retrograde period offers gifts, too. This is a perfect time to revisit things you’ve been putting off. Any activity that starts with the prefix “re” is GREAT for these few weeks. You can revise, recalibrate, return to, renegotiate, review, or reinvent. These periods have helped me finally renew a driver’s license, set myself up in the building intercom after months of inconvenience, plan a trip that had been discussed for 6+ months, circle back with colleagues to put an unresolved project to rest, etc. You can accomplish quite a lot during Mercury retrograde, but the focus should be on finishing or tweaking existing things rather than starting a lot of new things.