gal-dem monthly horoscopes: Scorpio season should have you saying a firm ‘no’

Illustration by Nadia Akingbule

Scorpio season finally feels like we’re moving in a direction that’s not backwards again (whether it’s forward is debatable) and that’s not just because of the US election results. Scorpio is a bold water sign that knows how to put their foot down, so this momentum comes as no surprise. If Scorpio wants something to move – it moves. As November progresses, we see more and more transits/planetary aspects occur that catalyse movement in our lives. This is a crucial release, especially given the sluggish stagnation the Covid-19 pandemic imposes on our lives amidst all of the pesky retrogrades.

Mercury retrograde has ended and begins moving forward in the sign of justice-seeking Libra that creates space for nuanced conversations around justice. On 10 November, communication planet Mercury enters this sign, followed by romantic venus later in the month on 22 November. Mars retrograde has been silently stepping on our heels since 9 September and finally draws to a close on 13 November, adding pep to our steps and apologies on our lips. As we feel our sex drives (somewhat) return, Scorpio season’s kinkiness has no problem picking up where we left off with our pleasure-seeking selves.

The middle of the month in Scorpio season holds space for renewal and sowing the seeds of fresh beginnings, while the end of the month marks the beginning of another eclipse season where good-byes are harsh and final.

With all of this in mind, here are my thoughts for each of the 12 signs!

HOROSCOPES

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Scorpio & Scorpio Rising

Self discovery is your road to self acceptance, Scorpio. What environments do you need to be in in order to be vulnerable and meet the parts of yourself you keep hidden?

Your routine hasn’t been a major priority for you these past few months. Mars retrograde began on 9 September and caused your schedule to scramble itself in frustrating ways. It’s also shifted your relationship to your body and sex drive, too. On 13 November, Mars finally ends this retrograde cycle and allows you to use the difficult moments from September and October to help inform you creating a routine that accommodates your needs.

On 15 November, the new moon occurs in your sign and marks an essential moment for you to evaluate where the past year has taken you and how it factors into the larger picture of your life. How comfortable do you feel with yourself spiritually, physically and emotionally? Who has helped carry you through and what have you learned about being in “survival mode” in 2020? Release emotions that you’re not keen to carry forward beyond this personal new year and purge any grudges that are burdening your mind. This cosmic reset is boosted by romantic Venus, who enters Scorpio on 22 November and pushes you to flex your undeniable charm; especially when it comes to defining your own reality and modes of communicating with people. When negotiating deals or getting to know someone, don’t be afraid to show them the parts of yourself you’re usually self-conscious about. Your charisma will help them see the beauty in every part of you.

The Gemini lunar eclipse occurs on 30 November in a zone of your sky that rules your deepest bonds. These bonds that have been present in your life for a long time and have been a strong spiritual catalyst for you as well. Some of them are about to fall away and it won’t feel fair. Just remember that there are more options in front of you than you think. The multifaceted nature of Gemini energy comes packed with escape routes and phoenix-like rebirth.

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Sagittarius & Sagittarius Rising

Money talks, but you talk louder, Sagittarius.

Luck comes your way on 12 November when your ruling planet Jupiter makes its final connection of the year with Pluto, planet of transformation and evolution. This connection occurs in a zone of your sky that rules finances and possessions, meaning now is the time to sign that business deal and make some big choices about the material side of your life.

Pleasure has felt frustratingly out of reach these past few months as Mars retrograde has challenged your relationship to things that used to bring you joy. By pushing you to fight for what feels good in your life, your energy levels are far from where they usually are. Luckily, Mars retrograde ends on 13 November and allows you space to bring in new techniques for love and desire that double down on filling in the gaps you’ve been missing in matters of the heart.

A few days after Mars goes direct in Aries, the new moon in Scorpio occurs on 15 November and sends your mind swimming through shadowy depths. This moon represents a major spiritual purge for you; a chance for you to conclude any cycles that have been weighing heavy on your mind. Whether it’s a hookup buddy whose vibe just doesn’t sit right with you, or a grudge you’re finally ready to let go of; don’t doubt your judgement. You don’t need to justify doing what you feel is intuitively best for your spiritual health.

On 30 November, a lunar eclipse in air sign Gemini blazes through a zone of your sky that makes you take a closer look at your partnerships; platonic and romantic. Eclipses rule big, final decisions, so pay attention to disagreements and dynamics that need to dissolve faster than sugar in tea. Try not to fight the natural progression towards this dissolution, too. What happens around eclipses are written in stone, so resistance can just make the process more difficult.

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Capricorn & Capricorn Rising

12 November marks one of the most important days of your year, Capricorn. This is when fortune-seeking Jupiter and transformational Pluto cross paths in the sky in your zone of selfhood and independent thinking! This cosmic connection opens a window of opportunity for you to make a major change in your life that helps you honour you and your individual desires. Use it wisely!

Mars, planet of motivation and sex, has been retrograding through a zone of your sky that focuses on your internal world and matters of the home. During this time, lessons around how and why you invest in your family and house have constantly come into question. There’s been a lot of difficult conversations around what constitutes “family” for you but when this retrograde cycle ends on 13 November a sense of clarity finally finds you regarding these issues. Shortly after Mars retrograde finishes on 13 November, the new moon in Scorpio occurs on 15 November in a zone of your sky that asks you to go harder for your community. This lunation asks you to take your dreams more seriously than you’ve been letting yourself lately and not get too absorbed with tasks that are happening in the immediate future. Keep your sight set in the distance and lift people up along the way. It’s a tricky task, but you’re more than capable of it.

30 November brings a lunar eclipse in air sign Gemini that has intention to overhaul your routine and the ways you engage in your work relative to your body. If you’ve been disproportionately carrying the weight (physically or emotionally) of your workplace until now, you might reach a breaking point. Allow past structures to fall away and accept new power dynamics and modes of prioritising what your scheduling needs are.

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Aquarius & Aquarius Rising

This has been a year of expelling unwanted spiritual baggage for you, Aquarius. November wraps up this cycle beginning on 12 November when expansive Jupiter crosses paths with chaotic Pluto. This union creates change for the better in a slightly hectic, but much needed way. Lean into the mess of it all for the sake of getting rid of what no longer serves you.

Mars retrograde has been happening since 9 September and during this period of time, your voice hasn’t held the same power that it usually does. It’s caused an internal retreat that has resulted in a period of relative introversion as you reassess what you want and need out of your friendships and peer groups. When this cycle finally ends on 13 November, the extrovert within finally wants to come out and play. Create space for phone calls and friend-hangs that you simply didn’t have capacity for before.

The new moon in Scorpio on 15 November asks you to set loftier goals in your career; especially ones that involve you taking up space in the limelight, whatever that may be relative to the work you do. Visibility isn’t everything, but it’s important to realise that it is an option for you. You may not fit into the mould of what an “influencer” type is, but that may just be because you have to be the first one to enter the scene. On 30 November, a culmination of creative energy leads to a major shift in your artistry. This is a result of the lunar eclipse in Gemini highlighting a zone of your sky that rules your connection to passion, play and innovation. Lunar eclipses signify explosive endings that recalibrate your path closer to your karmic destiny. Allow final brush strokes to fall on your canvas and sign off on the final masters for your album.

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Pisces & Pisces Rising

New community is on the horizon for you, Pisces. You just have to keep your vision set in the distance; not on your feet.

Jupiter and Pluto are two faraway planets that you feel intensely on 12 November when they help you visualise the ideal friendship circles and politically minded pals that could enter your life. Today is a great day for manifesting this future, so long as you take some time to properly think about it and journal. Don’t deny yourself this chance! On 15 November, the new moon in Scorpio awakens a part of your curiosity that’s been dormant since September. As your passion for exploring new philosophies and sources of knowledge expands, you’re able to incorporate this into some of your sexier exploits. It might be time to (re)visit the your favourite kink 101 articles, or read about attitudes around sex in culctures foregin to what you’re aquainted with.

Your ruling planet Neptune, who represents the highest octave of love, ends its retrograde cycle on 28 November and hands you back those rose colored glasses you love to wear! Let this dreamy planet guide you forward with confidence when it comes to aesthetic choices (haircuts, outfits). Just don’t stop listening to your friends’ advice when it comes to love and relationships. Neptune loves to love fearlessly, but might accidentally lead you into the deep end with the wrong person.

The Gemini lunar eclipse blazes into your sky on 30 November, revealing important information about your home and kinships. Lunar eclipses are all about endings and they’re often non-negotiable. Embrace the air sign nature of this closure by seeing it as a window to new, multifaceted ways forward that could hold more joy than you’ve experienced prior. Clinging too tightly to the ideas you have around home now might cause future resentment.

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Aries & Aries Rising

It’s time to diversify your arsenal of apology methods, Aries.

As your ruling planet Mars finally ends its retrograde on 13 November, a heaviness lifts from your mind. There’s been a feeling of urgency in your thoughts (a stronger one than usual) since this energetic planet began retrograding in Aries on 9 September which has pushed you to reassess where and how you invest energy in yourself and what defines your character. With this cycle drawing to a close, it’s important that you account for the new discoveries you’ve made about your sexuality and motivation to generate personal change but also account for the people you may have hurt while you were healing/discovering yourself.

The new moon in Scorpio on 15 November brings you a chance to deepen the love (and passion) you have for the people you have closest. This is a perfect time to refresh a relationship and release stagnant energy around how you show each other you care! This could also be a great chance to take things to the next level with someone you’re seeing casually but want to give a chance in the wifey department. On 22 November, romantic Venus also enters Scorpio and drives home the point that your besties and long-term partner(s) need a new level/type of affection from you. Fearlessly try out techniques that fall outside your usual expressions of love.

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Taurus & Taurus Rising

Love is multifaceted. It’s okay if this idea scares you, Taurus.

Mars has been retrograde since 9 September and as it finally draws to a close on 13 November, you’re able to put your foot on the gas pedal again! This retrograde has been spiritually and physically exhausting for you and caused you to seriously interrogate what your energetic capabilities are. Perhaps you’ve had to relearn the lesson that you can’t run at full speed all the time and there’s no shame in this.

The new moon on 15 November occurs in your opposite sign, Scorpio and creates a space for renewal in your partnerships; romantic and otherwise. Now’s a chance to set a new tone or array of boundaries with people you have mutual agreements between. This new moon is nothing short of sexually charged, too, so don’t be afraid to experiment in new ways in the bedroom. On 22 November, Venus, the planet of romance and aesthetics moves into Scorpio as well, adding a level of intensity to your current hookups. It also creates the potential for new and intense types of lust to enter your life, so keep your options open if you’re single and looking.

The Lunar eclipse in multifaceted air sign Gemini highlights a major need for you to release your attachment to the material. Whether it’s an overhaul of your finances or a big closet purge, this potent cosmic moment is making a point that you simply can’t ignore. Remember that your value isn’t rooted in your assets, bank account nor possessions. It’s inherent in your right to traverse this earth exactly as who you are.

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Gemini & Gemini Rising

Get acquainted with the tactility of an ultimatum this November, Gemini.

Your ruling planet, Mercury, enters secretive Scorpio on 10 November, shifting your modes of communication to feel like you’re holding your cards close. Instead of letting other people feel like you’re pulling away from them, communicate your feelings openly so people can respect your boundaries. If small talk is less appealing than normal, just don’t do it.

Fiery Mars concludes its retrograde through Aries on 13 November, bringing new life to the involvements you have in your wider community groups and political circles. Enjoy this reinvigoration and let your contributions be seen by those around you. Put words to thoughts you’ve been sitting on; even if they seem extreme in how hopeful they may be. Then, on 15 November, the new moon in Scorpio encourages you to step into a fresh routine that allows you to be the level of obsessive that best suits you. You know yourself better than anyone and if you need to set aside three hours a day for docu-series binges or moodboard scrolling, just go for it. Don’t judge yourself for your nerdy quirks.

There’s a lunar eclipse in your sign happening on 30 November and wow is this a major moment for you! When a lunar eclipse occurs in your sign, it activates a need for you to look inward at who you are and who you were ancestrally. Follow your intuition during this time; this cosmic time turns your surroundings into clues about your past karmic paths that hold key information as to what the future has in store.

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Cancer & Cancer Rising

How well do you know the difference between sex and love, Cancer?

12 November marks a historic astrological day for you as major players Jupiter and Pluto meet up in your opposite sign Capricorn. This union marks a major moment for your partnerships. It’s a cosmic “levelling up” and a chance for you to be honest and hopeful with your boo or business teammate. Think big and set intentions for what you want the future of your bond to create.

Then, a few days later there’s a new moon occurring in fellow water sign Scorpio on 15 November that spices up your sky in exactly the way you need it to. Sex, desire and passional interpersonal relations are begging to be explored around this time in an unapologetic way. When setting your new moon intentions involving those topics, write them as a poem rather than a laundry list. Let romance ooze out of your words. This energy gets another boost on 22 November when Venus, planet of romance and aesthetics, enters Scorpio and entices you to flirt your way in and out of hobbies, laughter and sexy encounters. This energy is great for seeking out new hookups and manifesting meaningful chemistry with someone, or replenishing a level of intensity in your relationship that often dissipates after the beginning “honeymoon” phase.

The Lunar eclipse in Gemini occurs on 30 November and wraps up your month with a bang. This lunation is significant in showing you exactly what needs to end in your life. Any intuitive pull you feel to cut off a feeling, habit, or relationship in your life is more than just a feeling; it’s a spiritual calling. Take yourself as seriously as your mentors and spiritual advisors around this time. Your gut doesn’t lie.

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Leo & Leo Rising

This year has destroyed and rebirthed your routine, schedule and relationship to your body many times. Ready for one more cycle, Leo?

On 12 November, expansive Jupiter and revolutionary Pluto meet up in the sky to inspire major momentum in these areas of your life. Download that scheduling app, buy your 2021 planner and get your ducks in a row (while laying on your yoga mat, perhaps).

Your desire to learn and explore new philosophical concepts gets a wakeup call on 13 November as Mars, the planet of ego and energetic drive, finally finishes its retrograde cycle through Aries. This is your green light to try new things and investigate ideas that you’ve been too “busy” to make time for – especially ones related to sex. Then, 15 November brings a new moon in water sign Scorpio that nudges your mind back towards your home. The energy around this moon for you is pensive and ancestral. It encourages you to set intentions that nurture your healing and the healing that your ancestors needed but couldn’t reach in this lifetime. Consider family hardships that have been passed onto you and how you want to set a new tone in how they’re dealt with.

On 30 November, the Gemini lunar eclipse puts a line under tumultuous ways you’ve been relating to your community this past year. Many circumstances have occurred where people who you thought were similarly political minded have shown you the less favourable parts of themselves. The divides between you and them are undeniable and this lunation helps you make final decisions about whether or not they get to keep a place in your life, or how that place needs to evolve.

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Virgo & Virgo Rising

November feels like a bit of everything for you, Virgo.

Your ruling planet, Mercury, rules communication, humour and travel. On 10 November, this chatty planet moves into water sign Scorpio who likes to be intentional and intense about the way they speak. Use this serious tone to unpack some esoteric ideas and multi-layered situations that need various levels of analysis.

Mars retrograde has called your deepest bonds (especially ones with financial ties) into question since it began on 9 September. As your energy levels have shifted in what you can contribute towards them, it’s time to regroup and reinvest. Put some intention and care into people you may have been taking for granted without realising it. The new moon in Scorpio occurs on 15 November in a zone of your sky that highlights friendships and your local community. From your local shopkeeper to the postman who always delivers to your estate, extend a new level of courtesy and familiarity with them. Breakthrough the social boundaries that keep you disconnected from asking them how they are. Put in effort towards finding solidarity with your peers in unusual places.

30 November brings a Lunar eclipse in chatty Gemini that recalibrates your relationship to your career in a major way. This lunation closes a chapter in the work you’ve been dutifully committing yourself to this past year and shows people what your highest level of capability is. Look out for big projects drawing to a close and stimulating bigger and better opportunities.

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Libra & Libra Rising

Shiny things are nice, but room for growth is nicer, Libra.

Mars has been retrograde since 9 September and during this time, your partnerships have undergone a major overhaul. It’s caused your sex drive, ability to invest time into others and need for alone time to change and left you in a drastically different position. This isn’t to say that all outcomes have been for the worse, but there are unanticipated tensions present. Luckily, on 13 November when Mars retrograde ends, you’ll be able to handle issues that have arisen with new love and perspective.

The new moon in Scorpio on 15 is an intense one that asks you to look around your home with a new level of scrutiny; especially your closet. Are you holding onto more than you need to be? It’s okay to derive comfort and security from objects, but knowing when to release them and allow space for new possessions is essential. Don’t’ shy away from a closet purge, or Depop-selling session. Venus, the planet of love and aesthetics, enters Scorpio as well later in the month on 22 November that helps you cultivate a new relationship to your appearance and objects generally. You’re not one to shy away from experimenting with new aesthetics and this post new moon moment becomes a great time to do this once again.

30 November marks a major cosmic moment! A lunar eclipse occurs in fellow air sign Gemini and signifies a much needed ending in your life that has to do with systems of knowledge and academic intentions. Allow yourself to be proved wrong, or accept a major fallacy in your life ethos. Our ideas are meant to shift. This idea might get thrown in your face today, but it’s for a good reason.

Learn more about gal-dem’s monthly horoscopes