This week’s headline items: Mars and Neptune remain exalted all week; Mercury comes to a halt on Monday evening, starting its 3-week Retrograde phase; the Balsamic Moon phase begins Tuesday night; Mercury’s Station phase ends on Friday (while remaining in its retrograde phase); Neptune’s Station intensifies on Saturday, and very early Sunday, the New Moon in Sagittarius becomes exact.

There will be three Moon Void of Course (VoC) phases this week: Monday until 6:20am EST; Wednesday early morning (for a little over 15 hours), and Friday night/Saturday very early morning (for 6.5 hours).

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Monday, the Moon remains in detail-oriented, practical Virgo and VoC until 6:20am EST. Until then, we have a fondness for science and anything that makes sense in our world — things and knowledge we can apply and use.

And if you are awake before 6:20am EST, use it to balance head and heart, facts and faith, reason and intuition.

Monday at 6:20am EST, the Moon moves into harmony-loving, balance-seeking Libra, where it will journey until Wednesday evening. The energy of the Libra Moon helps us be naturally courteous and diplomatic; we are more polite at this time, as we seek the approval of others.

We very much want to maintain equal, fair relationships at this time and are therefore open to making compromises and negotiating.

These next two days are a great time for mediation — but our need for peace and accompanying aversion to direct conflict could pull us to “yes” more easily than we might like.

We may also be able to see both sides of the equation so well that we can’t make decisions. As best as you can, find an inner balance with this and communicate what needs to be said with grace and charm — even if it’s “No”

One last quick note: this is also a great time for anything to do with visual arts.

Monday at 9:42pm EST, Mercury comes to a halt at 22º43′ of Sagittarius to start its last Retrograde phase of the year, slowing things down tremendously until Thursday, Nov. 28th!

With Mercury being Retrograde, its energy feels stronger inside of us, helping us recognize what is out of alignment and pointing to how we can begin realigning ourselves with the outside world, starting from within.

We can ask ourselves: If I examine my attitudes towards life, what do I find? How about my attitude toward others? What beliefs or narratives need to be revisited or released?

Did I make any significant decisions in the past 3 months? What are my perspectives on those decisions now? What needs to be reconsidered?

This Retrograde phase will end on Dec. 15th (reaching 6º24’ of Sagittarius at that time). People worry about Mercury retrogrades, but it’s important not to stop one’s life during these times.

Between now and Dec. 15th, we have an opportunity to reevaluate our beliefs, narratives, attitudes, and awareness of our biases and social/cultural conditioning.

We also get a chance to look at the bigger picture of our lives and human existence, allowing us to address anything that requires a new perspective or attitude.

This is also a chance to readdress anything from the past that felt out of alignment and is now ready to be cleared or changed. Take time to investigate your own thought processes: What feels too busy to me? What if I got really clear about that?

For the next 3 weeks, we get a chance to connect with our inner dialog and carefully examine our thinking and communication. Watch out for being too optimistic or impatient.

As mentioned above, certain things may take longer — but a retrograde gives us a chance to resolve things that have been keeping us from being in alignment with the outer world — especially things that came up since Nov. 7th (when Mercury entered its pre-Shadow phase).

We are ready to reconsider, reinvestigate, or re-communicate any connections, thoughts, or conversations initiated since Nov. 7th. Ask yourself: What has emerged since then around beliefs, narratives, attitudes, and social-cultural conditioning?

What still needs my attention or reconsideration? Am I still aligned with what I want to explore about life? Where do I need to open my mind and be more generous? Where might I add a dash of humor?

How might exploration, contemplation, or philosophy broaden my conception of my role on Earth and benefit my mental well-being?

We may also get to reorganize any data or information accumulated over the last three months since the last Mercury Retrograde phase (that ended on August 28th, 2024). It’s time to rethink, retool, and release what is no longer in alignment.

During a Mercury Retrograde phase, read the small print, re-read a contract before signing (if you have to sign something), or ask another person for a second opinion…

During these periods, it’s best to be aware of any details we might have overlooked, check in with our intuition, and stay open to renegotiation or adjustments down the line! In general, Mercury Retrograde is an excellent time for re-evaluating and re-organizing.

This is especially true for our thought patterns and decisions, particularly those made in the two weeks leading up to the start of the retrograde. It’s also applicable to our lives in general: we can gain a deeper understanding of what we choose to believe and which beliefs may need to change.

Reconnecting with friends, clients, neighbors, spiritual advisors, professors, and family members, especially siblings, is favored at this time.

Mercury also represents our day-to-day mind; this is also experienced more internally at this time. When it comes to communication, make sure that what you say, write, and hear is the same as the intended meaning — and use the spell-checker

— We also talked about this in our most recent Soulivity Today Show from Nov. 8th (feel free to watch or re-watch that episode)

Another thing to take into consideration: how does each Mercury retrograde phase affect your personal birth chart? Do you have any personal planets that Mercury will align with during its retrograde journey?

The houses of your chart each represent different areas of your life — which are affected by this retrograde?

If you are familiar with your natal chart — take a look at your natal Mercury and where Sagittarius lands in your chart to see how this might play out for you.

As with any retrograde, some of us will be more affected than others, depending on how it interacts with our personal chart.

If you have your Ascendant, Career Point, or any personal planets in 4-24 degrees of Sagittarius, Gemini, Virgo, or Pisces, you will be more affected by this particular Retrograde phase. This is also true for those of us who have a Gemini or Virgo Sun- or Rising-sign (Mercury rules Gemini and Virgo).