Aquarius Monthly Horoscope

MONTHLY OVERVIEW
All work and no play, Aquarius? Well, this month, with planets gathering in your career sector, maybe you can try to see work as a form of recreation. After all, when it comes to your own ambitions, you are playing to win. The first three weeks of the month, the Sun is in Scorpio, your tenth house of career and ambition. Have your power suit on hand (or whatever outfit you rely on to give you a little extra zing), because this is not a month to be hiding behind the potted plants in your office. Not only is your schedule packed, but your colleagues are eager for your always-fresh perspective. Adding to the intensity, a number of planets make appearances in Scorpio this month, which really underscores this theme of you going for the professional gold.

Pack that calendar in the first half of the month, and cross off every item you can on your “to do” list. Mercury, ruler of communication and technology, goes retrograde (backward) from November 6-26. This is not a time to take chances with your beloved files. Back up all your tech devices. Hold off on purchasing that really cool camera that has video capacity. (According to the lore of Mercury, what can go wrong…will, at least when it comes to matters of electronics, communication and travel.) Keep your keen eye on group dynamics, especially if you notice a shift that makes you uncomfortable, e.g., your networking group has suddenly been hijacked by two extremely vocal individuals. Around this time, you could also have a misunderstanding with a friend, so best to err on the side of caution. If you’re miffed because you were left out of a cozy dinner your two besties planned, consider that they needed some alone time, for whatever reason. It’s not personal, so please don’t take it that way. Since retrogrades bring back the past, you may enjoy a sweet reunion with an old friend or group.

Midmonth, fasten your seatbelt. Unbeknownst to you, you’ve signed up for a roller coaster ride of change, change, change. On November 13, a solar (new moon) eclipse in Scorpio illuminates your already jammin’ tenth house of ambition. A new career path or opportunity could arrive, seemingly out of this action-packed sky. Perhaps you’re a shop owner, but a needling desire to build hospitals in the developing world turns into a bona fide non-profit…and the role of CEO has your name all over it. It’s possible that you have a light-bulb moment about what you really desire professionally…as happened to Carolyn Steel, who was happy in her career as a an architect, when she sat down for dinner one night, looked at the meal on her plate and started thinking about how much transportation it took for her one meal to get to her dining room. This line of thinking led to a wildly successful book on how food shapes cities, and now she’s a sought-after speaker.

Eclipses are change-makers, and with this one in your tenth house of men and authority figures, an important man in your life or a boss could suddenly depart, leaving space for a new, improved version. Or, a relationship could go from tenuous to tight, in the blink of an eye. Things could suddenly get really serious, or you could find yourself dealing with new levels of responsibility. (This could take a second to get used to.) Since this eclipse is in mystical Scorpio, the meeting could feel fated, divinely arranged to be in tune with your deepest soul longings (or to clean house of that which isn’t…) Start cheering now, since this offers a dream opportunity to make some deep transformations around your goals, in both work and love.

This event marks the start of a three-year series of eclipses on the Taurus/Scorpio axis, so the shifts are really just beginning. Over the next few years, you’ll be altering your personal and professional life, as well as learning how to balance the two. As Coco Chanel once said, “There is time for work. And there is time for love. That leaves no other time.” Whew, Aquarius! You’re about to embark on a journey of work and love, learning, on a very deep level, just how much you need both. Through trial, error and some (hopefully pleasant) surprises, you’ll figure out just the right recipe for happiness and fulfillment. Oh, yes. That matters, too: let your work be a labor of love. Nothing less.

If the November 13 eclipse presents you with a choice (as eclipses often do), hold off on making that decision, if possible. With communicator Mercury backward (retrograde) in Scorpio from November 14-26, you might not have all the information you need to make the best move. Your thinking could be muddled around your own ambitions. Mercury goes direct (forward) on November 26, promising a brighter December. So focus the end of the month on love, following your heart’s desires and reveling in the sweetness of unyielding affections.

As if all that weren’t enough to field, the cosmos offers up one more mega event. On November 28, a full moon lunar eclipse in Gemini lights up your fifth house of romance and creativity. Flip back to the May 20 Gemini solar eclipse for clues as to the romantic episode that’s coming to a conclusion or a turning point. Expect deep feelings to come barreling out into the open, clamoring for air. A creative project started last spring could solidify around this date. A love you’ve been dancing around could consummate under this luminous moon.

LOVE & ROMANCE
Ah, sweet escapes. Until November 21, love planet Venus is in Libra, your ninth house of travel, making this a great time find love via the friendly skies. You could find yourself falling for someone from a different country or culture, perhaps while on vacation. A prospect from your own background might bore you to tears…who cares if you have vastly different life experiences (or, uh, speak different languages)? If you feel that electricity when you look into the other person’s eyes, that’s all that matters. Viva romance!

A note of caution: as much as you want to grab your sweetie and go swing in a hammock seaside or snuggle up by the fireplace in a high-altitude cabin, remember that Mercury is retrograde (backward) for most of the month…so beware of travel snafus. If your love is long distance, you might want to make do with some racy Skype dates and then plan on meeting at the end of the month, when the coast is clear for a romantic rendezvous. What could be less va-va-voom than getting stuck in a dumpy hotel in Thailand, because a bad storm prevented travel to your actual island destination (as happened to one Aquarian we know)? Though travel mishaps can make great stories for later, while you’re slugging it out on the phone with a cranky airline rep or racing around a foreign city after dark, looking for a new hotel because you found a tarantula on the wall of the other place you were supposed to stay…well, none of that is fun in the moment, and if you end up with gecko eggs in your shoes…definitely not romantic.

On November 13, a solar eclipse in Scorpio, your tenth house of men, age and authority, could result in an older person arriving suddenly on the scene. Perhaps s/he’s serious or more experienced than you…or, if it’s someone you’ve already been in a relationship with, s/he may surprise you by laying all the cards on the table and asking for a more serious commitment. This person could be quite powerful, perhaps someone you meet in the elevator en route to your office, or in some other work capacity. The chances of this go up exponentially once Venus enters magnetic Scorpio, your tenth house of career, on November 21. This is not the time to blow off your professional appearance in favor of a few extra minutes of sleep. You never know whom you’ll meet!

As the eclipse shakes up your love life, you may suddenly look at your relationship with your father from a new perspective. As much as your cerebral sign likes to think what’s in the past is in the past…sometimes, it’s in your present, too. Perhaps a dynamic with dear old dad comes up for review, as you see all the ways in which you’ve been relying on his approval (even subconsciously)…and how that is thwarting your true happiness. The truth shall set you free, Aquarius, so once you see this repeating trend, you can evolve the relationship to the benefit of all involved. Maybe you think that the truth could hurt him, but remember that your sign prizes authenticity…so why would you forego that in one of the most formative, central relationships of your life?

Sexy Mars enters Capricorn, your twelfth house of secrets, from November 16 to December 25. Hidden desires might come to the fore (some trips to your nearest erotic boutique, perhaps?). Now is the time to let your fantasies see the light of day, whether in action or in some playful, amorous exchange with your love. An attraction to that mysterious, possibly untrustworthy, character could reach new heights, even though you know deep down this person isn’t exactly the portrait of honest. Though you pride yourself on having integrity, your own boundaries could be tested, as you’re tempted by a clandestine affair that takes you by surprise…for just how seamlessly it could come together. Tempted much?

With stressful Mars traveling through the sector that rules martyrdom, now is also the time to heal any latent resentment that has been clogging your relationship mojo. You may think you’ve taken care of past ties—but if that annoying ex without boundaries, the one who called his mother just after the two of you hooked up on Valentine’s Day—keeps showing up in your dreams, consider that you may need to put some closure on it. Or if you’re harboring hostility for your current love, clear it now, so that your simmering anger doesn’t come out in a passive aggressive bid to, uh, pass the salt at dinner. Perhaps the issue is that you haven’t been direct about your limits. Don’t say “Sure!” when you really mean “OK, but because you want me to and I plan on making you pay for this later.” Don’t spread yourself too thin, either. Manage your stress levels by taking good care of your own needs. Just because you have a sense of what your honey needs doesn’t mean that the onus is on you to provide it. Consider this your “codependent” alert. You can be supportive, but at the end of the day, you know that your sweetie needs to come to these answers on his own. As one friend puts it, “My bed is for love and sex, not therapy and mothering.”

At the end of the month, a November 28 full moon lunar eclipse in Gemini, your fifth house of passion, translates to…fireworks, baby! Love could consummate from a long-brewing crush. Look back to developments at the May 20 Gemini solar eclipse, to see what your love life could have in store. With benefic Jupiter retrograde (backward), also in Gemini, a past love could make a dramatic reappearance—even from many miles away.

Whatever the development, your brewing emotions are anything but cool, calm and collected. If you’ve grown too attached to your own detachment, well, forget that. You may surprise your love by practically melting into your own passion. Know that these intense feelings could be exaggerated or distorted by the eclipse, so try to temper knee-jerk reactions. This tsunami of sentiment might feel like you’re wearing an ill-fitting Halloween costume. Yes, all this emotion is odd for your sign, but take heart. You’re not an alien. These feelings have always been there, only now…you have facility expressing them. So, let ‘em see the light of day (or moon glow, as it were).

MONEY & CAREER
Power up, Aquarius. No, we’re not talking about your beloved laptop, iPad or smart phone. Your career is taking center stage, with so many planets in penetrating Scorpio all month long. Though you often consider yourself to be “of the people,” you’re being thrust into an uncomfortable position: can inhabit your own power, especially on the public stage? Can you take yourself and your talents seriously enough to be a little ruthless when it comes to making sure you get your proper due? If you’re an essentially modest Aquarian, you might hesitate to make a stunning strategic move, especially if you think it could hurt someone else’s feelings. But we are not in seventh grade anymore, and besides, you have work to do! All this hemming and hawing is a waste of time. One Aquarian we know decided to make a power move out of a certain professional endeavor, and instead of just going for the surgical strike, got very wrapped up in making sure that every single member of the office—down to the admins and facilities staff—understood where she was coming from. Can you say “precious energy you’ll never get back”?

If you’ve been stalling and not claiming your own authority, expect power struggles on the job, especially during the second half of the month, when clever Mercury is retrograde in Scorpio, your tenth house of career. During this period, you might feel intimidated at the thought of taking that corner office. This unease could easily morph into conflict with a superior who knows just how to push your self-sanctioning buttons. Maybe you find yourself rolling your eyes at your boss, who seems to have no problem carving out her dream arrangement, complete with summers in Provence. Come on, Aquarius. Of all the signs, you could have come up with an equally ingenious sitch for “working remotely.” Don’t shoot the messenger. As creativity maven Julia Cameron says, “Jealousy is a map to your true desires.” So perhaps you want to be in charge, but just keep coming up with reasons you can’t. Do we have to tell you how foolish that is? Good. Now get to work!

Midmonth, get set for some earth-shattering changes. After the November 13 solar eclipse in Scorpio, your tenth house of professional recognition, you may as well have landed in Oz. Fortunately, your sign is ruled by Uranus, the zodiac’s ultimate change-maker, which means that you secretly crave a little mayhem and the resulting reorganization. Out of the blue, you could find yourself knee-deep in a whole new situation, whether it’s with a new boss, a new set of promising policies or revamped professional goals. When the dust settles, you’ll have clarity about which direction you want to head in over the next six months. Seismic shifts that start now will culminate at the April full moon lunar eclipse next year. Hello, success!

A warning: the eclipse might call for fast action (or you might just feel that if you don’t say “Hell yeah!” to that job offer in Malaysia that it won’t be there in, say, five days). While this urge to act might be difficult to quell, don’t forget that Mercury is retrograde (backward) for most of the month, not the time to leap without looking (twice). From November 14-26, the clever planet will be spinning backstrokes through Scorpio, your tenth house of professional honors. This could result in an offer from a previous employer—and probably an auspicious one worth considering. Or you could be presented an opportunity to climb the ranks from within, i.e. if you’re in publishing, you might leap at the chance to leave the PR department behind, in favor of editorial work. Perhaps you can leverage an outside offer to get your current company to really pony up.

While conventional Mercury wisdom tells us to keep decision-making at bay, the eclipse might demand otherwise. If faced with a difficult choice (and timeframe), rely on your own intuition. Dig deep, meditate, soul search. If pulling some angel cards soothes your anxiety, do it. In the end, you may have to act, but at least you’ll have done everything you can to connect to your vast stores of inner knowing. Maybe this snap decision is just what the doctor ordered, even if it doesn’t turn out to be the long-term offer you’d thought. (We wish we could offer more certainty, but the surprising nature of eclipses prevents it.)

On November 10, dreamy Neptune goes direct (forward) in Pisces, your second house of money and security. This shift is a welcome one, since the planet of illusion has perhaps been wreaking havoc with your finances since it went retrograde (backward) in June. Now, the fog around your money prowess clears up. If you’ve had difficulty figuring out which path to take, perhaps on investments of your time and money, your priorities (and bank account) emerge intact. Whew!

HEALTH: MIND, BODY & SOUL
This month, you might feel like you’re surfing the waves of change, and even if you like to get out on your longboard every now and then, you might not actually welcome the queasy feeling that all this instability brings. So, watch the stress from all the resulting changes. Also, with so many planets in Scorpio, you might be feeling an urgency to figure out every last piece of the equation…even when that’s not remotely possible. You don’t have all the answers, and so this is a great time to “let go and let God.” You hereby have permission to be wrong, Aquarius.

After the eclipses, you might notice your need to be right flaring up…and this could bring on your secret inner control freak, the part of yourself you try to pretend doesn’t exist. Midmonth, especially, with the solar eclipse in Scorpio, the side of you that needs to have your hand in every pot could get triggered. Despite your appearance of being all laid back and go-with-the-flow, you can actually get very bent out of shape when things go awry. Embrace strict boundaries and crystal-clear agreements. These parameters actually create room for more freedom in the end, because there are no retroactive freak-outs.

The need for boundaries spills over into your platonic relationships, too, as Mercury is retrograde (backward) in Sagittarius, your eleventh house of friendships, the first half of the month. You don’t always have to be so easygoing. If your friend changes the plans at the last minute and it doesn’t feel right, say so. If said pal won’t accommodate your concerns, then you have the choice to pass on the outing for a night in with a good, quality book or a movie. Since retrogrades rule past associations, this could be an excellent time for a reunion with your oldest pals, perhaps around the holidays.

On November 16, intense Mars rolls into Capricorn, your twelfth house of rest, making you want to beg off of the plethora of holiday invites that are surely coming your way. With all that’s going on in the sky, you might want to start your holiday relaxing early, since Mars stays in this languid sector of your chart until December 25. (How’s that for an excuse not to go shopping with your family? “Wish I could get up before dawn for Black Friday, but Mars is in my twelfth house…”) The silver lining? Over Christmas and New Year’s, Mars will be in Aquarius, meaning you’ll have plenty of action then. So make the pre-holiday season as stress-free as possible. As tempting as it might be to invite people over for your famous rosemary pork loin, check all hosting instincts at the door, while burnout is a distinct possibility. Getting resentful or yawning before the appetizer is even served? Not what you’re going for this cheery holiday season.

At the end of the month, you might want to air your deepest feelings. Or, they might just come out anyhow at the November 28 full moon lunar eclipse in Gemini, your fifth house of passion. Perhaps you’ve been shoving lust, love, anger, whatever…under the proverbial rug. If so, the universe offers you an irresistible opportunity to speak up, spit it out and have a long overdue heart-to-heart about all the gunk you’ve kept inside. Time to let it go…and let your true self shine.