November competes with October for the spookiest month award. Mars retrograde fans the flames of conflict all month. The Total Lunar Eclipse on the 8th gives everyone a nudge to make necessary changes. Toward the end of the month, Jupiter comes to the rescue by turning direct. Let’s hope the luckiest planet arrives before Mars gets us into too much trouble! On October 30th Mars, the god of war, reverses course in Gemini. By November 1st, his retrograde motion has begun to build some steam. This backtracking will see us through the entire holiday season, culminating on January 12th, when Mars prepares to move forward once again. The signs that will take the strongest hits of this energy are Gemini, where the retrograde is occurring, as well as Aries and Scorpio, which are both ruled by Mars. For people with Aries or Scorpio rising, get ready! Your chart’s ruler is feeling testy. Mars at his best gives us the energy and courage to initiate projects. But during his retrograde phase, he is certainly not bringing his A-game. During this entire period, it’s better not to initiate any new plans. If you do, expect conflicts, problems, delays, and even unimaginable disasters. Think of this energy as kind of like a Mercury retrograde but with Mercury holding a sword. If you have plans or projects that fizzled or got put on hold before the retrograde, this is a good time to go back to them. Mars retrograde energy allows for re-energizing, re-doing, and re-launching. Mars can be challenging, even when moving direct. He rules over battles, conflict, and separation. Retrograde motion takes these already difficult aspects of Mars and makes them less predictable. Be ready for a general mood of irritability and pettiness. Relationships may threaten to break-up. Friends may need some distance. The good news is that when Mars turns direct and goes back over the area covered during the retrograde, most of the damage will be reconsidered and repaired. But it might be a good idea to retreat into a bunker and binge-watch your favorite sitcoms from the 19th through the 22nd, as Mars will be making a difficult aspect to Neptune, the planet of illusion, delusion, and downright dishonesty. Words spoken during this time are sure to be misunderstood (at best) and possibly lead to conflict. As if bracing for a month of Mars energy weren’t enough, there’s that Total Lunar Eclipse on November 8th. This will occur in earthy Taurus, so the house owned by the bull will feel it most deeply. But Lunar Eclipses occur when the Sun stands in direct opposition to the Moon. The Sun will be in Scorpio, so that house will be energized as well. Eclipses require us to release that which no longer supports us moving toward our goals. Look to the houses ruled by Taurus and Scorpio in order to identify what areas of life need adjusting. This shouldn’t take a whole lot of intense scrutiny. This is a total eclipse, so it will probably feel more like a swift kick than a subtle nudge. The Moon will be reborn in Sagittarius on November 23rd. This is a time for setting intentions. But remember the Mars retrograde. The best intentions during this period will have to do with reviving something that’s been left behind. Think of it like shopping in a second-hand store. Find those discarded items and upcycle them. Finally on November 23rd, Jupiter turns direct. The planet of luck, abundance, and expansion has been retrograding since July 27th. This most auspicious planet never actually brings negative energy, but when Jupiter retrogrades, it can be a lot more difficult to get the full pay-off from our efforts. That should all start to change on the 23th and from there momentum will build. The planet of good fortune won’t erase the Mars energy, but it should soften it a bit. There’s hope for the holidays yet! Here’s to an intense November. You might consider putting some extra thought into your Thanksgiving meal seating chart. Then again, a good food fight could make for some lively social media content.