The Scorpio New Moon occurs November 20 at 5:17 pm, with the Moon and Sun conjunct at 28 degrees Scorpio. Scorpio is the sign of endings, of elimination, where we face our own destructive urges and become reborn in the fire, and with the New Moon at the end of Scorpio we find an intensifying and focusing energy that clears out the old debris of our lives and fosters new beginnings. At the New Moon the solar conscious principle fuses with the lunar unconscious, and this New Moon is part of a stellium of five planets in Scorpio (see the last few articles for more Scorpio information). Under the Scorpio influence we must go down into the basement of our unconscious and face all of the things we have left there, the rotted debris of our past that holds energy, keeping us from moving forward. The process of going down into the basement, facing death and confronting the dark side of life and of our own unconscious urges, serves to build our personal power base from within. Like cleaning the basement, as we release our emotional debris we become energized and able to leave the past behind as we move forward with renewed empowerment.

Jupiter, the Great Liberator and bringer of opportunity, is tightly conjunct the New Moon adding confidence and an awareness of infinite possibilities. Under Jupiter’s influence our awareness expands to encompass new realms of ideas and philosophies; we are inspired to take action in new ways that liberate us. Mercury has just turned direct and Uranus turns direct the day of the New Moon, bringing in the Uranian theme of innovation as well as fairness and equality.

The trine of Uranus to Mercury becomes part of the New Moon’s energy and assists in our liberation against the status quo (Uranus) of old ways of thinking (Mercury) and may also assist us in going down into the psychic basement to clear out the mess. Liz Greene refers to the “tenant in the basement,” who is quiet for long periods of time and then under a stressful astrological aspect will start banging on the door, demanding immediate attention. Embracing the Scorpio process of elimination and regeneration will help to facilitate the new beginnings possible at this time. The alliance between Uranus and Mercury can provide new ideas and inspiration.

Mars is still locked in a challenge from Neptune during the New Moon, confusing (Neptune) our drive (Mars) and weakening (Neptune) our physical energy (Mars). Yoga or Tai Chi are good activities for challenging Mars/Neptune events since they connect the physical energy, or chi, with the ascension to spirit that Neptune calls for. We also see Saturn within a degree of a trine to Pluto, an aspect that will not come to fruition until August of next year.The harmonious interaction between the two Lords of Darkness is a powerful ally, aligning the discipline and grounding of Saturn with the transformative power of Pluto to facilitate our ability to manifest our goals.

This New Moon challenges us to reframe our ideas about what makes us powerful, and liberates a new vision of who we are and who we can become.

After Uranus turns direct no planets will be in retrograde motion for the first time in nearly six years. Retrograde planets tend to retrace our steps and cause us to go back and revisit the same issues over and over again, and now with all planets moving forward there will be much more energy for progress, both individually and on the world stage.