Obviously, this week is pretty Thanksgiving-centric, but there’s some astrological movement going down that you might want to keep an eye on. There’s a full moon in Gemini, and it’s happening on November 23, a.k.a. Black Friday.

Hold on, because it’s going to be a wild ride. Emotions can be very excitable, You can feel your emotions go from high to low to all over the place.  And really, that’s just what you need when you’re hanging with family.

The full moon is also all about sharing your ideas, talking, and connecting with people. Suddenly, you’ll be all about filling Aunt Margaret in on your dating life, and getting your younger cousin to finally show you how to make your own talking emoji.

Things to keep in mind: Are you sharing things you should be? Or is it better to keep certain juicy little nuggets of info to yourself?

As for being with family during this time, make sure you keep an open mind. You want to share ideas and what you believe, but make sure you’re not saying that your opinion is best. Things will go a lot more smoothly if you keep it neutral.

What’s special about the full moon in Gemini?

The full moon is connected with Jupiter, which means you should be all about keeping an open mind.  Let people be who they are without judgment.  You’ll have a sense of freedom if you do.

You’ll also want to pick your battles. There’s some solid energy from Mars, the planet of action, going down around this time, and it can make you feel defensive.  Try to keep things light and don’t take life so seriously.

Basically, if your politically-charged uncle starts making statements that piss you off, just try to brush them off or laugh.

Each lunar cycle ends with a Full Moon, a time that is always full of emotions and energy, and is important to pay attention to. A Full Moon signifies completion, both in the lunar cycle and in our lives. It’s a time for revelations, when a spotlight gets shone on the things we’ve been working towards and what is no longer serving us. On Nov. 23, the Full Moon will rise in Gemini, and it will be ruled by Mercury, meaning that it’s going to affect everyone. As usual, though, certain zodiac signs will be affected the least by the November Full Moon, and you probably want to know if yours is one. But first, what exactly should you expect overall?

The fact that the Full Moon falls in Gemini means that, it could be described as  footloose and fancy-free.  Geminis are all over the place, and once we’re under their influence, we all will be too. Our sense of self is going to feel more fluid, and we’ll find that we want to try out different identities rather than be held down or defined by just one particular label. And since the sun is in Sagittarius, opposing this Full Moon, we’ll be able to gain some wisdom and get new insight into so many things.

Overall, revel in the good side of the Gemini full moon-have some great conversations with your family and keep an open ear (and mind) about what they have to say, too. You might learn something new in the process.

The Full Moon November 2018 astrology is also influenced by the planetary aspect Mars square Jupiter. This can make you feel strong, brave and sexy but also angry and frustrated. The danger is that impulsive and reckless actions could lead to accidents or injuries.

The November 2018 full moon in the Pleiades increases the risk of losing your temper and becoming cruel and ruthless. The keys to avoiding pain, loss and sorrow are patience and forethought. While irritation and frustration may prove difficult to avoid, you can release the hot full moon energy safely using self-control and moderation.

The lunar qualities of emotions and instincts reach their peak at a full moon. Use you increased emotional strength and intuition to overcome any relationship challenges. Subconscious awareness allows for an impartial and balanced look at your personal relationships. You will clearly see any relationship dynamics or negative feelings causing disharmony.`

A full moon has a relationship to the previous new moon. Your November 7 new moon goals can now be fine-tuned or completed, it is harvest time. You can make emotional adjustments in response to those new goals. Full moon November 2018 lasts for two weeks up to the December 7 new moon.

The November 23 full moon has a nasty feel to it because of the planetary aspects and fixed stars. The full moon square Mars brings bitterness and anger for the next two weeks. An opposition to Jupiter amplifies this confrontational energy.

The Moon at 00°52′ Gemini Sign is on the same degree as Alcyone, the central star of the Pleiades Star Cluster. The Pleiades bring love and peace when well placed. However, square Mars and opposite the Sun and Jupiter is far from being well placed.

Full Moon Aspects

Full Moon square Mars brings simmering anger to the surface so take care to avoid being hurt or causing harm. There is danger when taking risks or acting impulsively. However, holding in anger and frustration is not healthy either. Repressed anger can manifest physically as pain in your body, accidents, aggressive reactions in others, or as conflict in your home. There will probably be some degree of emotional discomfort in close relationships, especially with women.

They key to handling this quick and hot energy is to release your frustrations in a controlled way. If you have annoyed someone else, don’t be overly defensive or mean when they share their feelings with you. Cuts or burns, especially in the kitchen, would suggest you have not dealt with your emotional troubles. Face what is making you feel threatened with courage. Emotional attacks from others are just as likely as you losing your temper with a loved one.

Moon opposite Jupiter is likely to cause lack self-control and unwanted attention. It can make you less guarded about your feelings and private life, which can leave you vulnerable to interfering mothers, moral crusaders and even the public. This full moon will be more problematic if you already have difficulty with self-control or addiction. You may react to others people’s possessive or jealous behavior by subconsciously falling into negative habits and behaviors.

Mars square Jupiter can make you feel energetic and sexy but can also make you impulsive and tactless. It gives the courage to take on adversaries if you feel threatened but a defensive approach is best. This is not a good full moon for going on the attack, especially without provocation. Without forethought and strategy, rash actions could lead to embarrassment, accidents or injuries. Finally, moderate your energy output to avoid physical or emotional exhaustion.

It is not that good luck and fortune fall from the sky but Jupiter that helps you see opportunities you would otherwise not see.

Jupiter doesn’t bring luck per se, what Jupiter does is make you believe that anything is possible. And when you believe anything is possible you have much better chances to ‘get lucky’. Luck is our positive attitude that keeps us open to new opportunities or sees patterns in apparent random acts of chance. Jupiter is linked to religion because Jupiter seeks a higher order. Monotheistic religions are especially connected to Jupiter because their underlying assumption is that there is one overall law that governs everything. In Mythology, Jupiter or Zeus was the king of all gods. Jupiter represents the principle of growth and expansion. He’s a giant gas bubble after all – the largest planet of our solar system.

Jupiter – The Big Picture

Jupiter is the opposite of Mercury. While Jupiter is at home in Sagittarius and Mercury is at home in Gemini, conversely, Jupiter doesn’t feel that good in Gemini, and Mercury doesn’t feel that good in Sagittarius. In astrological terms, we say Mercury is in detriment in Sagittarius, and Jupiter is in detriment in Gemini. The reason for this is because Mercury and Jupiter have completely different approaches. Mercury is associated with the lower, rational mind and Jupiter is associated with the higher, spiritual mind. Mercury is the ‘show me the data’ planet – and only believes in what it can see.

Jupiter believes in something that cannot be seen – the unseen laws the govern life. Mercury is about the details, Jupiter is about the big picture. Let’s take another example. Mercury rules short trips. Trips to work, to the supermarket or to your parent’s house. Mercury trips are the trips you take in your everyday life. Jupiter, however, rules long journeys, journeys to another state or another country, journeys that enlarge your perspective.

A Different Outlook On Life: If Mercury trips are about operating in your world and getting things done, Jupiter trips are about expanding your world so you get a higher perspective and a different outlook. These journeys – literal journey or journeys with the mind – are about learning something that you otherwise wouldn’t have known.

People who live abroad for one year or more report that their outlook on life has completely changed. Living abroad is much more than being on a different geographical location. We learn to adapt to a different value system, to different customs, we are subject to different laws. It is something about being exposed to a different world that completely changes the way we relate to our everyday reality. Upon experiencing Jupiter, you are not the same person you were yesterday.

Mercury and Gemini rule primary education when we learn how to read, write, compute and operate into the world. Learning a new skill – for example learning how to use Excel or learning how to use a mobile app – it’s also Mercury because learning is concerned with a distinct skill that leads to a specific outcome.

On the other hand, Jupiter rules higher education, theoretical education, when we put different concepts together and we reach a higher understanding.

2019 – A Year For Jupiter

If Jupiter is the “12 rules of life”, Mercury is how we actually make use of these rules in our everyday life.

We need both Mercury and Jupiter in our lives. When Mercury transits its favorite sings (Gemini and Virgo) we get the best of Mercury. This happens for a few weeks and sometimes up to two months every year. But it is something truly special when we have Jupiter in Sagittarius. This happens only 1 year in 12 so the upcoming year is THE time to get the best out of Jupiter. This is your time to focus on Jupiter, to embody Jupiter, to make the best out of Jupiter.

2019 is the year to focus on the big picture. To set high goals. To go for higher education. To take a spiritual path. To become a teacher. To find a teacher. To travel. To go for new experiences. To go on a vision quest.

Sagittarius – The Place To Be For Jupiter

Take a look at Sagittarius, to understand why Jupiter feels so good in this sign.

Sagittarius is a fire, mutable sign. Gemini, Virgo, Pisces, and Sagittarius are mutable signs, meaning they have the ability to change from one state of being to another. Sagittarius seizes opportunities before they arise and completes things before they become obsolete.

Sagittarius is a fire sign. Fire in astrology is associated with our spiritual body (earth is associated with our physical body, air with our mental body, and water with our emotional body). So fire = spirit. That’s why fire signs act on instinct and have a developed intuition. They have a direct connection with their spiritual body.

We have three fire signs, Aries, Leo, and Sagittarius. If Aries is the spark of life, if Leo is the fire of creation, Sagittarius is the eternal flame – the ongoing mystery of life that keeps the spirit not only alive, but growing and evolving.

To recap: Jupiter is growth, opportunities, the big picture, beliefs, faith, commitment to a cause. Sagittarius is the ever changing, ever evolving flame of spirit.

Jupiter in Sagittarius is the fire that grows, expands, and changes shape. It’s not a literal fire. Is the spiritual fire of transmutation which purifies us. It is the spiritual fire of love and truth. In the upcoming year, we will seek to find a higher, spiritual meaning to our existence.

Jupiter enters Sagittarius on November 8th, 2018 and leaves Sagittarius on December 2nd, 2019. When in its own sign, Jupiter stays a bit longer (13 months) than it does in other signs. Every year, Jupiter is retrograde for about 4 months or ⅓ of the time. Jupiter goes retrograde on April 11, 2019, at 24° Sagittarius and goes direct on August 12, 2019, at 14° Sagittarius.

If you have planets within 14°-24° Sagittarius you will feel this transit more intensely, because Jupiter will cross over these planets or angles three times (instead of only once). The most important transit Jupiter makes while in Sagittarius is a square to Neptune in Pisces. Apart from this square, Jupiter doesn’t make notable transits with any other planets.

These are the dates for the three Jupiter-Neptune squares:

• January 13, 2019, at 14° Sagittarius / Pisces; Jupiter and Neptune are both direct
• June 15, 2019, at 18° Sagittarius / Pisces; Jupiter is retrograde and Neptune is stationary retrograde
• September 21, 2019, at 17° Sagittarius / Pisces; Jupiter is direct and Neptune is retrograde

Jupiter comes back in the same sign every 12 years, so if you are 12, 24, 36, 38, 60, 72, 84 and so on you have your Jupiter return. And that’s great news – Jupiter return is one of the most sought-after transits because it always comes with opportunities.

Sometimes, the opportunities are not so obvious. If you’ve been drifting on a path that is not aligned with your spiritual purpose, Jupiter will correct that. But in hindsight, Jupiter returns are always beneficial.

Previous times Jupiter was in Sagittarius were November 2006 – December 2007; December 1994 – January 1996; December 1982 – January 1984. What was going on in your life back then?

Jupiter In Sagittarius – Believe

Jupiter in Sagittarius is all about believing. Why believing becomes so much more important when Jupiter is at home, in Sagittarius? To believe means to accept that is something is true, especially without proof.

It’s easy to believe when things go as planned. When you have proofs. It’s easy to believe when you see signs everywhere that you’re doing the right thing, when the Universe says YES, when, every step you take, you find evidence that you are on the right path. But that’s the trick. Even skeptic Saturn ‘believes’ when there is evidence. But belief and faith are not about believing when there is actual evidence to prove your belief.

Belief is when you accept something as true wholeheartedly. Belief is the absence of doubt. You believe in your mission even when there is no evidence you are on the right track – when there is no proof of success. When you lack evidence, when you lack proof – this is, in fact, THE most important time when you need to keep the faith.

Is your commitment strong enough? Are your beliefs true? If the answer is no, you may want to question your beliefs, or even better, your commitment to your beliefs.

Believe It Anyway

You want to find a job but no employer calls you? You believe you will eventually get a job anyway. Doesn’t matter if you actually see any evidence. You keep on believing.

What about if you want to have children but you’re single for like 7 years? All you need to do is keep on believing that you will eventually have a family. You want to earn 50K this year, it’s November and you’ve only made about half? You believe you will reach your goal anyway.

It is your commitment to your belief that will help you stick to your vision, no matter what. It’s your commitment that will help you seize the opportunity when it will eventually arise. Now I’m not suggesting you should always embrace this attitude. We all have Saturn in our chart (and Saturn likes to work hard and to be ‘realistic’). We all have Pluto in our chart (and Pluto shows us that no matter how much we want something, there are things we can never get).

But Jupiter is about believing. And Jupiter is now in Sagittarius, working at its best, shooting the best arrows. Jupiter in Sagittarius will teach you how to BELIEVE. Jupiter will show you how to stick to your vision, no matter what.

Belief Vs. Hope

Now, there is a difference between belief and hope. When you hope that something will happen, you are not taking action, you’re not taking full responsibility for the outcome.

Belief is a certainty. You ‘know’ that something will happen, you know you will be able to see the signs and recognize the patterns. Belief is an inner knowing that you will just ‘know’ what to do when the window of opportunity will open.

When you believe, you take full responsibility for the outcome. You co-create with the universe. You become Jupiter, the Almighty. Believing means commitment. Belief cannot exist without a 100% commitment.

Jupiter In Sagittarius Square Neptune In Pisces

However, during his transit in Sagittarius, Jupiter will square Neptune. And with Neptune in Pisces, we have to be careful of false beliefs, or wishful thinking. Wishful thinking is ‘hoping’ that something good will happen. With Neptune, it’s easy to drift into a ‘no action’ state where imagination becomes more important than reality.

Neptune is also the planet of higher love and transcendence.

Although the Jupiter-Neptune square can lead to a spiritual crisis, the square will also help you arrive at better terms with what belief, faith, and spirituality really mean to you. Neptune will firstly ‘dissolve’ your beliefs so you can find a higher meaning, a higher order, a higher purpose for your life.

Do you pray when you need something, or do you pray to express your love and admiration? Do you believe in something because it puts your soul on fire, or because it’s part of your tradition? Because this is how it has always been?

Jupiter in Sagittarius square Neptune will challenge all the beliefs that are egotistical, dogmatic and outdated. In the coming year, you can find better beliefs, ones that reflect the truth of who you are, or you can find better reasons to believe in what you already believe.

Our goal as a collective is to replace blind faith (the negative manifestation of Jupiter in Sagittarius square Neptune) with faith on purpose (the higher manifestation of Jupiter in Sagittarius square Neptune).

Jupiter is Sagittarius will strip us of false dogma so that we can find out what truly matters. Jupiter in Sagittarius is your call to say YES to the Belief Train. To commit to your goals. To go on a vision quest. To find a higher meaning to your existence. To believe in what matters.

Mercury Retrograde in Sagittarius & Scorpio: November – December 2018

This Mercury retrograde begins on November 16th at 8:33PM ET and ends on December 6th at 4:22PM ET. The shadow period is October 28th – December 24th. The first storm period is November 11th – 21st, and second storm period is December 3rd – 11th.

The basics: A retrograde occurs when a planet appears to be moving backwards from our vantage point here on Earth. It isn’t actually moving backwards, it just appears that way. Mercury turns retrograde most often, about 3-4 times per year, and lasts for several weeks. When a planet retrogrades, what that planet rules tends to be thrown off, along with what the sign it’s retrograding in rules.

With Mercury retrograde, we experience a shadow and a storm. The shadow period starts when Mercury first hits the point in the Zodiac it will turn direct at, and ends when it last hits the point in the Zodiac it will turn retrograde at. Most people don’t feel the effects of Mercury retrograde until it enters the storm period though. The storm period of Mercury retrograde is when Mercury is moving at its slowest, less than 40 minutes per day. Mercury is a fast-moving planet and hates it when he’s moving slowly. There’s usually two storm periods, one around the time Mercury turns retrograde, and one around when it turns direct.

The final round of Mercury retrograde for 2018 comes upon us in November, starting in Sagittarius. Mercury retrograde in Sagittarius can make us prone to talking big, but it may just be hot air, empty words, and it’s not backed up with action. We can brag, be boisterous, and we don’t take seriously how much what we’re saying actually impacts other people, so we need to be more mindful of that.

Sagittarius rules the law, so we could see some important legal rulings, decisions, and matters involving the law or legal system come to the forefront. We may be more concerned with reversals, going back, or try to rectify things from the past.

Long-distance travel comes under the domain of Sagittarius, and we may experience some difficulties with travel (could be technical/electronic or something involving the weather). We may think more about the way things impact the world as a whole instead, the big picture, but we need to make sure we’re not ignoring the important details.

Sagittarius rules our beliefs, so we may be more defensive over what we believe passionately. Some may try to force their beliefs on others, but this doesn’t usually work out well. Others may question their beliefs, and wonder if they’ve been following false idols all along.

Mercury retrograde doesn’t occur entirely in Sagittarius though, as he’ll go back to watery Scorpio on December 1st (6:12AM ET) for the last few days of his retrograde. It’s only a few days, but likely to still have an impact! We can become a bit obsessive with Scorpio, totally wrapped up in something, but this can cause us to lose objectivity. We may need to take a step back, but can find that hard to do.

Scorpio is quite passionate energy, so we need to try and use that as best as we can. We’re likely unable to squash the energy, so try funneling it somewhere it can be put to good use. Otherwise, extreme emotions can prevail, and here come the outbursts and such.

Scorpio is the darkest sign, ruling what is held deep inside, our inner demons and darkest selves and secrets, so something of that nature can come out, be made aware, and we may have to face something that we don’t really want to, but have to. Scorpio wants us to face these things so we can learn, evolve, and be the phoenix rising from the ashes. Scorpio loves a good transformation, so that can be a good way to use this period. Transform for the better. We all can do that!

Scorpio also governs other people’s money (taxes, debts, loans, inheritances, joint finances), so that may be more difficult or there can be some developments in the world; and Scorpio governs sex, so we may focus on sex/sexuality in some way.

Mercury will be anuretic, at the 29th degree, when he goes back into Scorpio December 1st – 2nd. The anuretic degree is a point of crisis energy, and retrograde planets crossing over this degree tend to stimulate some developments, challenges, important issues, and the like. There could be something that we’re not aware of and is deeply-held that becomes exposed, something dark that gets some light, a sex scandal, or something really kind of dark and cruel that occurs. Focus on the bad guys of the world?

The Moon will be in the same sign Mercury will be retrograde in December 3rd (2:55PM ET) – 5th (9:49PM ET) in Scorpio. This can make the Scorpio energy stronger, and we can be even more emotional, even more extreme, and have extra passion and intensity. Try to get a grip on the energy and channel it into something productive to use the energy up and avoid the challenges.

Mercury retrograde doesn’t end making any aspects, thankfully, but it does start square (hard aspect) Neptune in Pisces, who will be ending his own retrograde November 24th at 13 degrees Pisces. This can make us feel like we’re in a fog at the start of the retrograde, and it may be difficult to figure out what’s real and what isn’t. We may lack clarity that we need, we may feel vulnerable and deceived. The world may need a major dose of compassion! We can get lost in daydreams and fantasies, and need to fight to maintain a grip on reality. We could see something hidden, some secret that comes out with this retrograde.

The Moon will be in the signs Mercury naturally rules November 22nd (11:10PM ET) – 25th (1:38AM ET) in Gemini, and November 29th (6:08AM ET) – December 1st (9:49AM ET) in Virgo. The time in Virgo may be more subtle, and give us feelings of feeling off and needing to focus more on daily life, work, productivity, and health. The time in Gemini may be stronger since we’ll have a full moon in Gemini on November 23rd; the full moon doesn’t aspect the Mercury retrograde, but emotions can run high, and our words can drip with emotion. It can be hard to avoid saying what you mean, even if what you mean is mean. So we definitely need to exercise more caution with words.

Mercury retrograde will be at a critical degree (4 degrees Sagittarius) November 27th – 28tht, and this may bring some difficult energy, and we may be extra defensive, blow extra hot air, and talk the talk but don’t walk the way. Be mindful of what you say, how you say it, and if you really mean it or not.

This Mercury retrograde will make 3 major aspects during the retrograde. He’ll square (hard aspect) Mars on November 26th (3:06AM ET) – lots of anger, frustration, fights/misunderstandings, and we need to keep cooler heads to prevail, or can get into trouble. Mercury will also conjunct (align with) Jupiter on November 27th (5:27PM ET), and we may be lazy, prone to excess, and indulgent, and need to get moving. Jupiter energy is expansive, so we can feel like however things are get expanded with this aspect. Jupiter is Mr. Happy, so try to use that expansive energy positively. Mercury will conjunct the Sun on November 27th as well (4:15AM ET), called the inferior conjunction, and this can usually be a positive aspect providing an opportunity to start something. That may especially be true with Mercury conjunct Jupiter that day too.

The retrograde begins at 13 degrees Sagittarius, so those of you Sagittarians born December 2nd – 8th can feel the start of this retrograde most. The retrograde ends at 27 degrees Scorpio, so those of your Scorpions born after November 17th can feel the end of the retrograde most.

For the rest of you, check the house(s) Mercury will be retrograding in of your own natal chart, and any aspects Mercury will make during its retrograde to your natal planets, to fully understand how it will impact you personally.

If you have Mercury retrograde in your natal or progressed chart, you may not feel the worst of this. Those individuals generally don’t experience the difficulties of the retrograde because it feels more natural to them. Of course, chances are everyone else around them doesn’t have the same aspect, so they can still experience difficulties brought on by others.