November will be a very good month for those in LosAngeles. Not to say that all parts of the country will not have its own share of the fruits of the hybrid solar eclipse Nov 3. But from a point of view taken from mundane astrology,the emphasis in LA is on personal growth.

Here the eclipse is focused on the North Node at the 7th degree of Scorpio in the first house of individuality It is conjunct with Mercury retrograde at the same 7th degree and in the first house, with Jupiter the highest planet and on the MC.

What I like about this is that it puts the emphasis on individuality. This is the month to sort through (Mercury RX at this time) the various relationships one has gone through and still are in–to evaluate them, to look with Scorpion intensity and depth. Chiron trining from Pisces the 5th house of self assertion in the arts and personal projection suggests that growth comes from inner healing, through an expression of examining old pains old hurts and yet with the wisdom of age and experience we can get stronger, project a clearer vision of what we are aiming for.

Those relationships which can be questioned need to be seen as what they are–a path to turn away from. Sometimes this is difficult as the ghost of co-dependency raises it ugly heal.

Bob Dylan said it best in his tune, Maggie’s Farm” “it’s all right, ma I can make it.” and from other tunes “it’s life and life only”
and “he not busy being born is busy dying.”

It is a sign of changing times with rock poets get quoted more that those masters that English teachers tried to pound into our heads in high school and college.

So, for all of us Angelinos lets take the inner journey and come out the black hole of Scorpio’s eclipse and emerge on the other side stronger in knowing who we are, where we are going and what we must do to let our sense of self grow in the promise found in the depth and of personal examination and the willingness to make those decisions which are healing, even if they involve risk.

There are times when the energies around relationships can be slightly out of balance and we need to look upon this as a kind of test that relationships have to go through to evaluate the strength of their bond. Or think of it as a challenge that will move a relationship forward to a deeper sense of their understanding and intimacy.

The problem is a three planet configuration of Mars Venus and Neptune.

The first problem is that both planets, by sign, enter into difficult aspects with Neptune (vision, spirit, sensitivity, ambiguity). Mars will quincunx Neptune while Venus will find a trine to Neptune while squaring Mars. All this while Mercury is going retrograde in Scorpio and Libra.

The two main problem is that Mars and Venus in square will make situations challenging in that both individuals will be stubborn and conflicted in how they see the focus of the situation. Mars in fiery Leo will push for a passionate involvement that is more social, more focused in getting out and about, to do things involving other people, seeking to be involved in festive events of the season, or charity functions, sports, or business parties that may make for tension.

Venus will push for more intense intimate involvements,with the emphasis on private moments where love rejuvenates the deeper passions of sexual and physical involvements. The drive for Venus will be to want to work on the more exploratory depth of feeling and how these energies can renew and discover ways to channel these emotions into greater growth.

These different approached to focus will be complicate in that Mars will be quincunxing Neptune while Venus will be squaring it. This accentuates the struggle to hone in on common visions of where the relationship is going. Mars will be pushing to find ways to define how to relate to the outer realms of social interaction and how to work the room, as it were, as a couple.

Venus will feel the need to sit down and talk, to go to quiet restaurants, to seek time at home, to want to explore those deep connections to a more intense exchange of personal energy, physical, emotional. Not wanting to be in social interface, but in making the intimate issues more on the front burner. Spiritual and vision, renewal and rebuilding the power of interaction will be key.

All this is not helped by Mercury going retrograde (10/4 -10/25).
Mercury will challenge the clarity of expression, the way past situations will be viewed and what way to improve communication.
Those who have true levels of mutual involvement will work these issues out with a certain amount of stress and then resolution. Those whose relationship is not as strong will experience challenges that may prove too great and wonder if the positives out weigh the negatives and some lovers may decide there is just not enough there to form a lasting bond.

This is a time to work on relationships and seek positive resolutions to irritating points of personal conflicts.

The question is: how important do you think a Quincunx is as an aspect. When I studied with Marion March she was one of the voices that were saying, hey, the quincunx is a major sign–it has a real impact and can be very destabilizing for people who are control people. Control people want to be able to say, this is the way, do it this way, I know a better way.k However with the quincunx the problem is the lack of control that is staggering and onerous to the control people. They are the ones that are most affected by that aspect of the nuance.

Air and Water — Uranus and Saturn : by element and planet there are some built in problems. Uranus is the polarity opposite Saturn. Uranus is cardinal, is the creative one of air and the Saturn is fixed in water – the judge of time and method — in the sign of Scorpio. While intense, Scorpio longs for rebirth, growth, even if messy. Yet Saturn does not work on any myth of rebirth–The icy possibility is always there. Saturn just has to evaluate, calculate, think that there should always be a way to improve and secure.

Wherever these two planets are in your chart, this October 4th is a time to examine your transits and where you will be when this whole aspect will be exact–and lets always go at least 2 degrees as they get in separating Saturn the faster moving planet, so the most to have felt a hit. Uranus will compel some to wonder if they have bitten off more than they can chew, that the situation will be like driving on a foggy night to a new city to boot.

The road will for awhile seem obscured. The path that you should take is not readily revealed–all that will be revealed is that changes are being made and some have already happened, or is about to happen that it is wise to step back and see how the flow is going, however small. This can be quite a boon when things look ambiguous and a little like a maze. Structures must be modified or changed BE FLEXIBLE this is key. A shift of energy is coming and to be forewarned is to be forearmed. Mindfulness should guide the approach to situation of stress.

This is the first of two: Pluto is going direct September 20th. And while this may seem like a ways away for a forecast, there are a number of things to consider: First when Pluto goes direct there is a subtle shift that grows and grows. This is a slow bruising planet and all cardinal sign between 9 and 13 Capricorn need to take note. And any planets at 9 – 13 need to be looked at.k Why? because the best way to deal with Pluto is to be prepared. This means realize that some major transformations may be coming and it will most likely come to areas where changes may be difficult.

Pluto is the rules of the underworld, his gift in not the thunderbolt or the trident–it is the invisible cloak. This should give the biggest clue–you don’t see him until he is upon you. I do not mean to be an extremist in this, but over the years I have learned to be very careful of this planet. While it may not be considered a planet–its affects are one of those that astrologers can bet on. Pluto in hard aspect must be carefully watch, and if on the ASC, DC MC or IC, doubly so.

I had a client who had Pluto come to her DC and opposed her AC and she went through a long series of problems a)being pasted over from a promotion, she quit in huff, left a fortune 500 company and went into a start up–against my advice–it was run by a crazy billionaire and he was nuts, so she had to jump ship again. B) after the two years of this dance against her ascendant, she landed a fine position. But it took such work, pain and skillful adjustments. She also changed in here knowledge of the work place–she left selling ads for a large company to learning the digital market and how digital ad selling worked. She emerged with broader skills and more money–making her two years in hell pay off.

I recommend anyone with a Pluto transit coming up to read the book, WHO MOVED MY CHEESE–which discusses change in a very elemental way.

Now from October on Pluto and Uranus are within the 9th degree–within one degree orb–and which the exact conjunction is on 11/01//13–the one degree dance going on to Thanksgiving.

Is it any wonder that right now the US in considering strikes on Syria and even more Platonic episodes may be coming–air strikes and god only knows what.

In our personal lives those of us in the line of fire must know when to dig in and when to charge to front lines. This dance of Pluto can be difficult. However Pluto can eventually bring about those changes that will allow advancement, a job that needs to change, a relationship that needs to be dropped, even friendships that are in trouble, a move or financial problems that need adjustment. Deeper personal realizations may be needed, a new way of looking at life.
Pluto teaches the hard way, the teacher who is severe, the one who teaches lessons that really prepare you for the next step in life.

This full moon is the second time around that we have seen a full moon in Aquarius, the other being July22, when the sun entered Leo. Actually this full moon is in Aquarius is a type of “blue” moon. So it deserves special attention–what might the universe be saying in “blue moon code>”

While it is obvious that the moon is Aquarius, the sign of the “free thinking, inventor, revolutionary, etc.” The polarity needs to be considered. This means we also have to look at Leo, the sun king, the warm heart, the ego, the leader, the stubborn one, the generous one

And to me this means this is a time to let both sides of this polarity run together like kids in a green park at the end of summer. The energy of fire and air can be one of quick insights, flashes of brilliance, of leaving the ivy tower of just intellectual contemplation and trying to put ideas into act, of thinking of changes that could start now, ideas that only need you to take a chance and do something that releases a new direction for you or a new wrinkle on the face of an old idea, friendship, relationship, idea you have been mulling over.

It is a time to cherish this end of summer and the hint of Labor Day and the Fall. This is the time to see the flexible time of the coming change of season bring a better over view of the whole concept of how we can do things with a stronger and more inventive approach.

There is nothing like a good old fashioned sq between Uranus in Aries and Jupiter in Cancer to make things happen. Add that Mars is in Cancer and we have some real reasons for looking around for some changes, especially domestically and in the area love of home, family, nurturing and deeper feelings about where the foundations of this inner energy is going and how to deal with changes that must be made. The whole aspect is exact this week.

Uranus will bring about changes, relationships may break up or be redefined, homes may be redecorated or spruced up, a new feeling of family and the family history may bring up old memories that focus on coming of age themes.
Cancer is a very deep water sign and while everyone swoons about Scorpio, Cancer can have visions and intuitive insights that rival it. So Cancer gets a visionary period coming up. Break through to the other side. The visions will be about personal change, things that you should have attended to will draw attention. Uranus in Aries will bring new ways of looking at things, how to change things, and maybe travel to places of personal importance.

ALL CARDINAL SIGNS will in some way feel this flash of energy, Libra and Capricorn will experience this energy in relationships and business. Uranus opposing Libra makes a T sq to Cancer and the need to align to changes that have been building up in the past few weeks must be let to happen.

Water signs enjoy a trine as do Fire signs, so the experience is softened and made more palatable. All other signs get to deal with sextiles and inconjuncts, which mean it is time to learn to make progress in way you are not familiar with.