MONTHLY OPENING

November is here with an invitation to meet what has been quietly gathering within. As familiar feelings and stories continue to drift back towards us, we can welcome them with curiosity, listening for what they have come to share and choosing, with care, how we carry them forward. A name we haven’t said in years, a feeling we thought we had settled. We spend the first half of the month in the deep end and the second half slowly finding our footing, until the ground beneath us feels like ours again.

New Moon in Scorpio

9th November 2026 at 6:02 pm AEDT
Degree: 16°53 Scorpio

Ruling planet: Mars
Modality: Fixed
Sign element: Water
Planetary metal: Iron

This New Moon in Scorpio invites us beneath the surface, into the soft dark of the depths. Unspoken feelings, tender desires and chapters still left open drift through the waters of our unconscious. The current here is subtle, carrying gifts from places both known and unknown and bringing them slowly towards the light. What might we discover if we allow ourselves to float with it?

Mercury is retrograde in Scorpio and Venus is retrograde in Libra, so the mind and heart are gently revisiting the past. Old relationships, meaningful experiences and the parts of ourselves that are ready to be seen again may return for a second look. Both planets turn direct on the 13th, an uncommon shared station, so this New Moon arrives in the final, reflective days of looking back. There is wisdom in this pause, a chance to see where we have been with kinder eyes and let that understanding soften how we dream of what lies ahead.

Mars in Leo rules this Moon, travelling alongside Jupiter and the South Node. Its fire is warm and passionate, and it may tempt us to do everything at once, so let the body set the pace and notice whether the urgency comes from desire or from an older need to be seen. Held with care, this creative spark can help something we have carried inside find its way into expression, flowing freely through the body and out into the world.

Under this Moon, find a quiet, darkened space and light a single candle. Let your attention settle on a feeling, desire or unfinished story that has been waiting patiently in the dark, and rest your hand wherever you sense it most in your body. There is no need to understand or explain it. Simply let it take shape, perhaps as a few written words, a hum or a slow, gentle movement. When you feel something begin to loosen, extinguish the candle and rest in the stillness, letting the space left behind remain unclaimed for now.

Botanicals for Mars in Leo

Sunflower, Red Hibiscus, Cayenne, Cinnamon and Rosemary.

The Solar Season of Sagittarius

22nd November to 22nd December 2026
Sun enters Sagittarius: 22nd November 2026 at 6:23 pm AEDT

Ruling planet: Jupiter
Modality: Mutable
Sign element: Fire
Planetary metal: Tin

As the Sun moves from Scorpio into Sagittarius, we rise from deeper waters and begin to wonder what our experiences have been teaching us. A warmth stirs within as we discover what is new after the annual shedding of Scorpio season. This bridge between signs offers depth and insight, and it rewards patience. The feelings are already here, and with time our direction will come into focus before we follow the arrow of desire.

Jupiter, ruler of Sagittarius, shines in Leo beside the South Node and Mars. Another layer of the past is stirring, this time held within the wisdom of the heart. Sometimes the pride that once kept us safe can lead us back to familiar patterns we have already outgrown. We can honour those strong, protective parts of ourselves while lovingly allowing them to grow into something wiser.

By the time the Sun enters Sagittarius, Venus and Mercury are moving forward again, carrying all they gathered during retrograde. We may feel drawn towards a goal that was once only a feeling and is now beginning to take shape. Not every detail has arrived yet, and Sagittarius has always trusted the road to reveal itself. Along the way, we have come to understand more of who we are, who we hope to become and why we feel ready to change. What was once only longing now has a direction, and we can follow it before we can see the whole way.

Self-Enquiry

• What feeling, desire or unfinished story is quietly rising from beneath the surface?

• What has returned from the past, asking to be met with care?

• Where might an old sense of pride be leading me back into a pattern I have outgrown?

• What is my heart longing to express, rather than continue holding within my body?

• What direction can I sense, even before the destination is fully revealed?

Botanicals for Jupiter in Leo

Calendula, Dandelion, Saffron, Sage and Chamomile.

Full Moon in Gemini

25th November 2026 at 1:53 am AEDT
Degree: 2°20 Gemini

Ruling planet: Mercury
Modality: Mutable
Sign element: Air
Planetary metal: Quicksilver

This Full Moon in Gemini shines light on the stories through which we understand our lives. Opposite the Sagittarius Sun, it reveals the space between what happened and the meaning we gave it. Gemini gathers the details while Sagittarius follows them towards a bigger picture. Beneath this Moon, we are invited to hold our certainties a little more loosely.

Uranus sits close beside the Moon, bringing fresh information, sudden insights or conversations that open a familiar storyline in new ways. Something we thought we understood may look quite different from another angle. We do not need to let go of what we know, only to make room for what we had not yet considered.

Mars in Leo adds warmth to the urge to decide, defend or declare, and our first reaction may arrive before we have taken in the whole picture. There is no rush. Let the mind wander through its many versions of the story before choosing the one that feels truest to carry forward.

Mercury in Scorpio rules this Moon and is moving forward through its retrograde shadow. What comes to light now may connect with a conversation, desire or memory that resurfaced earlier in the month. Something that was left unresolved may finally find its words, helping us separate the truth of an experience from the story we created to get through it.

Under this Moon, divide a page into two columns: what happened, and what you decided it meant. Notice softly where fact ends and interpretation begins, then rest your hand over the centre of the page and affirm: “I allow new understanding to gently change my story.”

Botanicals for Mercury in Scorpio

Blue Lotus, Jasmine, Gotu Kola, Fennel and Mugwort.

CLOSING REFLECTION

November leaves us where the current meets the arrow, reminding us that clarity rarely arrives through one revelation. It gathers through the moments in which we reconsider an old attachment, allow pride to soften and separate what happened from what we believed it meant. The future does not need to be fully formed for us to meet it honestly. We leave the month with greater freedom to choose our next step, rather than repeat the one already known.

Dynaea Valerieva Benova
Sidereal Astrologer & Psychotherapist 
Email: astrospective@gmail.com
Book a Session: www.theastrospective.com
Instagram: @astrospective