November is a “3” Month [11 (November) + 1 (2026) = 12 = 1+2 = 3] in a “1” Year. “3” months tend to represent a baseline of manifestation; many belief systems acknowledge the power of the number 3. Remember that the ultimate manifestation in numerology is the number 9, three multiplied by itself. This is our second “3” month in 2026; February was also dominated by “3” energy. We may see some repetition of events from February to now. The astrology of the month tells a more complicated story as it involves double personal planet retrogrades (Mercury and Venus) as well as Mars entering his own pre-retrograde shadow. This isn’t counterindicative of manifestation, despite what Pop Astrology sometimes says about retrogrades – when we learn to work with retrograde energy rather than struggling against it, we can still accomplish great things.
The Set Up
We begin November with the Sun and retrograde Mercury in Scorpio, retrograde Venus in Libra, Mars and Jupiter in Leo, retrograde Saturn and retrograde Neptune in Aries, retrograde Uranus in Gemini, and Pluto in Aquarius. (Yes, that is an abnormally long list of retrograde planets, glad you noticed!) By the end of the month, the Sun enters Sagittarius and Mars enters Virgo. Again, very unusual, as both Mercury and Venus generally change signs (Mercury often twice) every month. Mercury stations direct in Scorpio, and Venus stations direct in Libra.
The Nitty Gritty
There are two separate situationships (not a typo) going on this month, astrologically, and we will have to cover them both and then combine them together. Firstly, we are deep into retrograde season with Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune all retrograde and Mars entering his own pre-retrograde shadow early in the month.
Secondly, we are about to experience a major stellium between Mars, Jupiter, and the South Node in Leo during Scorpio season, squaring the transiting Sun.
Retrograde Season
At the beginning of November, we are deep into a double personal planet retrograde – both Mercury and Venus are retrograde and will be until they both station direct (at 05° Scorpio for Mercury and 22° Libra for Venus) on 11/13. We will be in both of their post-retrograde shadows for the rest of the month; Mercury exits their shadow on 11/30 at 20° Scorpio, and Venus exits her shadow in December. This is going to be a slow, repetitive month. Remember that all planetary retrogrades exit in three stages: the pre-retrograde shadow (forward motion), the retrograde proper (backward motion), and the post-retrograde shadow (forward motion once more). This means that every degree (except the first and last, the “station” degrees) gets repeated three times over.
This creates some of the feelings of re-think/re-act/re-consider/re-do that come up during all planetary retrogrades but especially Mercury retrogrades, which are so closely linked to thought (Gemini) and problem solving (Virgo).
We should also note that Jupiter and Saturn are retrograde during this time (Uranus and Neptune, too, but we shouldn’t ever put too much emphasis on the outer planets). This leaves Mars as the only significant planet (because the Sun and Moon are luminaries, even if we often shorthand call them planets for our purposes) in forward motion.
BUT WAIT! Mars enters his own pre-retrograde shadow at 20° Leo on 11/05.
Venus entered her pre-retrograde shadow on 8/31, and Mars won’t exit his post-retrograde shadow until 4/1/27. That is seven full months of personal planetary retrograde in a row; more than half a year! This is highly unusual and should be noted and planned for.
Mercury retrogrades in the middle of Venus’s retrograde this year and will echo this by retrograding in the middle of Mars’s retrograde next year. If you are can make good with the Traveler, they can make this journey a lot easier for you.
With all three personal planets involved in this very lengthy transit, we can expect this to play out in our personal lives. Relationships will be in the spotlight; and, as always, I’m not for casting for or against Romance here; relationships exist with every single person we ever interact with. And often with animals and spirits, too. You have a relationship with your body and with your thoughts.
We are undergoing a cosmic slowdown. This is going to concentrate certain degrees in the sky for extremely long periods. We can read the planet and sign involved, and consider the backward motion, to get a sense of how this could play out. This is the interplay between how we communicate, what makes us feel good, and how we get what we want. The three basics to being a human. Amiright or amiright?
Each part of this is telling its own mini-adventure (because retrogrades are, at their core, a journey, and if it’s a journey, you might as well make it an adventure). Venus retrogrades from 04° Scorpio to 22° Libra. Mercury retrogrades from 20° to 05° Scorpio. Mars retrogrades from 10° Virgo to 20° Leo. Mercury retrogrades from 20°-05° Pisces.
This is already an ongoing story; I’m trying to get you to look around now and see where you are. Because it’s going to be like this for a while, and you can sink, swim, or float along. Those are all alternative options to drowning.
Venus Retrograde 10/03-11/13 04° Scorpio – 22° Libra
Venus spends the month between 22° and 28° Libra, which sounds deceptive. She starts the month at 26°, moves back to and holds 22° for 5 Days from 11/12-11/16 as she stations direct on 11/13. After that, she moves through her post retrograde shadows from 22° back up to 28° a second time. This puts these degrees in the hot seat, forcing all cardinal signs to slow down, or more likely (being cardinal and all) hit a wall. Apply your brakes liberally or get the fuck out of the way.
Watch out for rash decision-making; I can see an Aries or two trying to burn every bridge in their lives during this time.
Libra is Venus’s natural home, her domain. And Libra is where Venus gets romantic and coupley; expect some Libra types to be demanding that ring and some more independent types (Aries, Sag, Aquarius at the very least) to be running in the other direction.
The beginning of this retrograde was Venus in Scorpio, the house of her exile (opposite to Taurus, her other domain), so we all need to back off on that immature, controlling behavior. You might have jokingly heard me say that Love Binding is strictly a cursing activity in my book (Moon in Aries represent, no shackles, ever) – this is the kind of time where I would love bind two people together towards their own very public mutual destruction.
Any Libra worth their salt will look as cute as can be when they insist that no, they do everything for their partner; how in the world could you claim that they control them? Emotionally manipulative fucks. (affectate…kinda)
We definitely need to stay aware of emotional manipulation, both being on the giving and receiving end.
Venus retrograde tends to hurt (at least a little), and it can make pleasure of all kinds harder to find. Because this coincides with those of us who are losing daylight rapidly, this is going to make seasonal depression even worse. Medicate in whatever way works for you often and early! Vitamin D if you live somewhere where you don’t get significant UV ratings in the winter.
Retrograde Venus sextiles retrograde Jupiter on 11/04, and then again in forward motion on 11/28; if you need to turn something around in your life, these are the dates to do it.
Mercury retrograde 20° Scorpio – 05° Scorpio
Mercury retrograde is business as usual, adding some confusion and general disorderliness to the emotional dysregulation already present by Venus’s retrograde. These are compounding inconveniences. We should expect communication and technology to become immediately unreliable. Fake news central. Out-of-order signs on every elevator. 25 mis-signed detours later and maybe you’ve found an actual person you can talk to about a parking ticket from 2021 that just showed up on your credit report.
And the crankiness will get turned up to 11.
For real, if you haven’t used your allotted PTO for the year, take time off from work and enjoy the very best staycation between 11/01-11/13. Only go outside if it’s to go out for a walk in the woods or to touch grass. Eat food that feels good in your body. Watch that feels good movie or show. Move your body. And just let the rest of the world go.
Because it’s bound to be a shit show, the general public constantly unraveling. I worked in public-facing retail for years, and Mercury retrogrades, full moons (and sometimes new moons), and the holidays (November to Christmas) were inevitably when the most random customer would just lose their shit on you for no discernible reason. People who are sensitive to others’ vibes will definitely feel this and may wish to take steps to mitigate it.
This is shitty weather, and a lot of us are going to have to smell the shit as we go about our lives throughout those first two weeks of November. At the least, you might have to ignore the smell, and even step around a pile of it here or there.
Mercury in Scorpio is temperamental, at best, so watch your mouth if you’re the kind of person with a quick switch. Is it necessary? Is it warranted? Is it kind?
When the general population is despirited (retrograde Venus in her domain), they are going to be kinda mean. At best, disrespectful or disinterested. You can take that personally if you’re the type, but it almost certainly isn’t personal. I bet people are going to be running around like it’s the day before Christmas and they haven’t bought any gifts yet but don’t even know what they want.
Definitely avoid major shopping centers, traffic centers, and grocery stores where you can.
Things will get a little bit easier once Mercury stations direct on 11/13, but Mercury remains in Scorpio for the rest of the month, and we will start to feel more pressed by the approaching holidays, which may cause this general dis-ease to continue.
We should point out 11/04, the day of Mercury’s inferior conjunction to the Sun at 12° Scorpio, the point of combustion. This is the nadir of Mercury’s retrograde, the absolute loss of personal individualized communication altogether.
Our Lights: the Sun squares
This is where things start to get more complicated. We start the month in Scorpio season, with both the Sun and retrograde Mercury in the sign of the Scorpion. We also have Mars and Jupiter in late Leo (square Scorpio) and the lunar nodes in late Aquarius (North) and Leo (South), forming a fixed t-square with Scorpio. This accounts for much of the pressure the fixed signs will feel this month as we experience fixed square after fixed square. This will continue into December, as Mercury will also square these planets as they move through the end of Scorpio and into early Sagittarius.
This feels like a rock and a hard place; somebody needs to move out of the way, but nobody is giving an inch. Just because you can stand your ground this month doesn’t mean you SHOULD.
Keep that in mind.
Sun in Scorpio square Mars in Leo (exact on 11/19) is Red Flag weather for conflict of all kinds, with heightened potential for violence. Sun square Jupiter (exact on 11/18) just looks generally unlucky for most people. Sun square the lunar nodes (exact on 11/17) is our first real test of the new lunar nodal story that’s been unfolding since the nodes changed signs in July. This is the midpoint between eclipse season, the testing of new boundaries. This will carry some of the same energy as our eclipse seasons, with less punch overall (though a bite will still be a bite).
We have to notice the close sequence of these events: Sun square the nodes on 11/17, square Jupiter on 11/18, and square Mars on 11/19; all of these Leo placements are conjunct one another (a stellium) at 25° Leo. Remember, Mars is action, Jupiter is enbiggening/luck/travel, and the South Node indicates the point in life where we need to let go. This is the time for some intense cosmic shedding; this is the right time for a serious reordering of things. Technically, this is a t-square: Sun in Scorpio, Mars in Leo, Jupiter in Leo, and the lunar nodes in Aquarius and Leo.
Something has to give. Fixed t-squares are all tension, all of the time. They can be very stable (it is a triangle, after all), but only if each leg bears equal weight. The lunar nodes are a counterbalance to one another, and Jupiter is one of the few planets we can claim to balance the Sun, but Mars stands alone. And we’ve been held back by double personal planet retrogrades for more than a month, so those who need action (you know who I mean) are on high alert for any opportunity to move forward.
If you look at the symbol for Mars, you should immediately notice the rather phallic arrow. Point it in the right direction and let go; but don’t break the whole foundation to achieve liftoff.
These squares are in the right order. Get right with yourself (discard excess weight) and reorient on 11/17, when the Sun squares the lunar nodes; then prime your luck when the Sun squares Jupiter the next day; and let loose on 11/19.
If that doesn’t make sense, that message isn’t for you. And that’s okay. I think late Aries and Sag types may get a lot of play out of the transits in particular. So long as they are in good standing with Mars and Jupiter, anyway.
This energy may be too much for you. It’s going to be very intense; this might be anxiety-inducing for some. If you’re not fiery. Martian, or highly Scorpionic, this may feel like a wildfire burning out of control.
I give you permission to stop, drop, and roll.
See my message above about not burning all of your bridges this month. You don’t need to light yourself on fire to prove you can still hurt.
If you have a planet between 20°-29° of any of the fixed signs (Sun – Saturn plus the Ascendant), it’s probably go time. If you like to light yourself on fire, now’s the time. Something something fire safety.
The Lights: Our Lunations
In months like this, the lunations are notably far down on this list. We are in Scorpio season, hence a low, dark new moon in Scorpio (falling within our double personal planet retrograde). Then we enter Sagittarius season, and have our annual full moon in Gemini. This is likely as heavy and as light as most lunations get, one right after another.
New Moon, 16° Scorpio, 2:02 AM EST (UTC-5:00) – if you need to do something dark and unknowable; this is probably the best night of the entire year to do so. Mercury retrograde is already a layer of obfuscation, Scorpio loves to hide things, and the moon and season are dark. If you’re not already married to a particular day for ancestral work (Samhain/Day of the Dead/All Souls’ Day), this would be my choice for the season. Ruled by Mars. 7/1
Scorpio Sun (8) + Scorpio Moon (8) = 16 = 1+6 = 7.
7 (Scorpio New Moon) + 3 (November 2026) = 10 = 1+ 0 = 1.
Full Moon, 02° Gemini, 9:54 AM EST (UTC-5:00) – As always, I’m going to note that for those in North America, this lunation occurs in the morning, so the best night to do full moon magic would be the evening before rather than the following night. Ruled by Mercury. 3/6
9 (Sagittarius Sun) + 3 (Gemini Moon) = 12 = 1+2 = 3.
3 (Gemini Full Moon) + 3 (November 2026) = 6.
We note the double 3 energy here. This lunation has considerable kinetic potential.
Mars
We’ve been on this journey since Mars entered Leo on 9/27 and began applying ascending conjunctions to both Jupiter and the South Node; all of the potential inherent in this powerful stellium comes available this month. This is such strong energy that even those not particularly aligned to Mars will have easy access to it. The difference is always that Mars can overcharge and overheat some more sensitive dispositions. Magician beware.
In a way, we are already getting ahead of ourselves. That’s very in line with the energy of Mars in fiery me-first Leo.
On 11/5, Mars enters his pre-retrograde shadow at 20° Leo. In January, he will retrograde from 10° Virgo to 20° Leo. Mars is the planet that retrogrades the least frequently, mostly due to his proximity to our terra firma. The two innermost planets retrograde based upon their movement around the Sun, while planets beyond Earth retrograde because we overtake them. The planets beyond Mars retrograde every year; Mercury retrogrades 3-4x a year; Venus every 14 months; and Mars comes in last at 2 years.
We should consider, for a second, that all retrogrades are about slowing down and retracing our steps, and now we add the planet of action and impulse to the mix.
This is just the beginning of this journey that will influence all of early 2027, but we are entering this pre-shadow period. That means that Mars repeats any aspects it makes between 20° Leo and 10° Virgo three times over the next six months. Do you have any planets in the fixed or fire signs between 20°-29° or mutable or earth signs between 00°-10°? What sign is your natal Mars in? How actively do you rely on Martial energy? Do you have Sun, Moon, Ascendant, or Mars in Aries or Scorpio? Do you have Mars in Leo or Virgo? Is your Sun, Moon, Ascendant, or Midheaven conjunct to Mars?
As one of our personal planets, Mars retrogrades will affect everyone because we’re a collective species. We’re social, and Mars is one of our three social planets. This is personal; it will sit inside our lives. This is especially true if your chart is interacting with this Mars retrograde (in the ways I listed above).
This isn’t something to be afraid of, but it IS a major shift in energy that we experience every two years. It’s slower. It’s more intentional. It’s immersive. It’s reconstructive – ESPECIALLY while Mars transits Virgo.
We’ll get there. I will keep talking about Mars for a while, but it’s time to start paying attention if you need to.
Anyways, back to our Martian squares. They start on 11/14, when Mars conjuncts the South Node (and opposes the North) at 25° Leo, and continue on 11/16, when Mars conjuncts Jupiter, also at 25° Leo. We recognize this as a stellium – the combination of three or more energies at one point in the chart. We should remember that, under normal circumstances, the nodal points are merely potentialities. They need the Sun and the Moon (and us) to come into perfect alignment to make an eclipse. That’s not what we’re getting; but we might be getting something even better.
Mars conjunct Jupiter is as good as it gets, from a Martial perspective, anyway. Mars square the Sun creates friction, which can be used as a source of energy. If you need to get something done, hard-launch a project, or break through a barrier, these are powerful aspects to harness.
At the end of the month, 11/25, Mars enters Virgo. Mars isn’t at his most aggressive in Virgo, but Virgo is critical and exacting, which has its own uses. Anytime Mars changes signs, there is a strong opportunity for Martian magic, and Mars will move between Leo and Virgo three times during its retrograde: the first time this month during the pre-retrograde shadow, a second time in retrograde, and a third time during the post-retrograde shadow. If you have a strong Virgo presence in your chart, Mars in Virgo, or just like the idea of this, this is a very good time to perfect your craft.
25° Leo
The degree of the month. Home of two separate conjunctions between three points (a stellium), and two Sun squares, and a Sun t-square this month. Do you have an important planet at 25° of any sign? I think even an inconjunction would work in this scenario.
We note the prolonged touchpoint, from 11/7, when Jupiter enters 25° Leo, to 11/20, when the North Node leaves 25° Leo; this degree is active throughout this entire period.
Jupiter 11/7-11/16 North Node 11/10-11/20 Mars 11/14-11/16
With the Sun, Mars, Jupiter, and the lunar nodes involved, this energy could probably be used for anything.
Looking Forward
December is somewhat of a reprieve. We are moving through Venus’s post-retrograde shadow and Mars’ pre-retrograde shadow simultaneously, but at least we don’t have any current personal planet retrogrades in play. Mars retrogrades very early in January 2027, though; prepare now.
The Details
11/01 – retrograde Venus in Libra opposed Chiron
11/04 – Sun conjunct retrograde Mercury 12° Scorpio, retrograde Venus in Libra sextile retrograde Jupiter in Leo
11/05 – Mars enters pre-retrograde shadow 20° Leo
11/09 – New Moon 16° Scorpio
11/10 – retrograde Venus in Libra sextile Mars in Leo
11/11 – Jupiter conjunct South Node 25° Leo
11/13 – Venus stations direct 22° Libra, Mercury stations direct 05° Scorpio
11/14 – Mars conjunct South Node 25° Leo
11/16 – Mars conjunct Jupiter 25° Leo
11/17 – Sun in Scorpio square the lunar nodes
11/18 – Sun in Scorpio square Jupiter in Leo
11/19 – Sun in Scorpio square Mars in Leo, Mars in Leo trine Chiron in Aries
11/22 – Sun enters Sagittarius
11/23 – Sun in Sagittarius trine retrograde Neptune in Aries
11/24 – Full Moon 02° Gemini, retrograde Venus in Libra trine North Node in Aquarius
11/25 – Mars enters Virgo, Sun in Sagittarius opposed retrograde Uranus in Gemini, Sun in Sagittarius sextile Pluto in Aquarius
11/28 – Venus in Libra sextile retrograde Jupiter in Leo, retrograde Venus in Libra opposed Chiron in Aries
11/29 – retrograde Uranus in Gemini trine Pluto in Aquarius
11/30 – Sun in Sagittarius trine retrograde Saturn in Aries, Mercury exits post- retrograde shadow 20° Scorpio
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