If you were expecting some kind of sun sign nonsense, forget about it. This is real astrology for the real world, not some mystical mumbo-jumbo psycho-babble word salad. If it's real astrology for yourself that you want, you can get it by phone or in print. And if you need help deciphering the astrological glyphs in the graphics accompanying this article, see Astroglyphs: Astrological Symbols Guide. Please note: this forecast is expressed in terms of Universal Time (UT, aka GMT). Location for all mundane charts is set for the Great Pyramid at Giza; the choice being strictly arbitrary in any case. Also please be aware that, while I never change a forecast once it's published, I do post errata to acknowledge typographical errors and the like.

PLEASE NOTE: This month’s forecast incorporates elements of (and refers to) the complete version of my 2019 World Forecast Highlights (34 8-1/2 x 11" illustrated pages); focused, amplified and elaborated with details for the month as appropriate. The full version of my 2019 World Forecast Highlights is available in hard copy by mail ($75) or as a PDF document by email ($50). Advance orders for the 2020 World Forecast Highlights are now being taken as well: $65 for the PDF version, $85 for the hard copy. (Remember: as always, the 2020 edition will be embargoed until December 31, 2019 to keep the copycats at bay. You will receive a paid invoice for your order in timely fashion, but your copy of the forecast won't be sent until December 31.) Orders are taken by mail - see address at the end of this forecast - or may be phoned in toll-free anywhere in North America to 800-527-8761, and charged to any major credit or debit card. In addition, orders be placed direct from your own PayPal account page to rnolle@astropro.com – or by using the AstroPro PayPal order page.

"Today will die tomorrow."
-- Algernon Charles Swinburne
 

Mars configurations and Mercury Max combine to set the stage for much of November, melding in with the new and full moons and other key celestial factors of the month. It adds up to a fair amount of turbulence, yes. But there’s also a Venus-Jupiter alignment on the 24th that looks like good times –maybe even too much of a good thing. This will be a month of gradually building tension and tribulation separated by occasional drama – without major catastrophes. That day will come, but it won’t be Armageddon. For most of us.

2019 MERCURY MAX CYCLES

Max-E	S-Rx	Cnj. SUN	S-D	Max-W
FEB 27, 2019	MAR 5, 2019	MAR 15, 2019	MAR 28, 2019	APR 11, 2019
JUN 23, 2019	JUL 7, 2019	JUL 21, 2019	AUG 1, 2019	AUG 9, 2019
OCT 20, 2019	OCT 31, 2019	NOV 11, 2019	NOV 20, 2019	NOV 28, 2019

Max-E = Mercury (Evening Star) Max. Elongation East of Sun (Max begins)
S-Rx = Retrograde Station (Retrograde GBegins)
Cnj. SU = Inferior Conjunction with Sun
S-D = Direct Station (Retrograde Ends)
Max-W = Mercury (Morning Star) Max. Elongation West of Sun (Max ends)

It all starts off in the wake of the October 31 Mercury retrograde station at 28° Scorpio – the anchor of one of the three-days-either-way hot spots in the current Mercury Max cycle. Get used to the turbulence, because there are three more of these hot spots this month: November 11, 20 and 28.

At the personal level, the entire Mercury Max cycle is a time when cultivating focused awareness and attention is a key to success. Stay focused, alert and mentally sharp. Anything less will land you in the lurch. Of course this period includes Mercury’s October 31-November 20 retrograde, but that’s just part of the little planet’s Max cycle as outlined in the accompanying table.

Astrological traditionalists fancy Mercury’s retrograde cycle as a Murphy’s Law festival of sorts, when everything that can go wrong will. That’s not what it’s about. This is the cycle in the Earth-Sun-Mercury relationship when the little planet passes between the Sun and our world, making its closest approach to Earth. It’s a time when Mercury is most prominent in our sky and in the human psyche. Think sharp and act sharp, and you’ll prosper. Take your eye off the ball, and it’s likely to smack you in the face.

Alas, lots of people let their focus wander during Mercury Max, because it’s a cycle of elevated electromagnetic turbulence here on Earth – most especially within three days either side of the five key points in the cycle: Mercury’s maximum elongation east of the Sun, its retrograde and direct stations, the inferior solar conjunction, and the maximum western elongation. These tend to be the times when focus and concentration are more difficult than usual – especially for people who were born with the Mercury Max territory prominent in their natal charts. That’s 16-28° Scorpio this time around. (Check your chart!) And pay attention to the 16-28° range in all the fixed signs (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius), which receive hard aspects during this Mercury Max.

For example, take note of Donald Trump’s chart, which features a triple hit: to Mars at 27° Leo on his ascendant, as well as to 24° Taurus on the midheaven and 24° Scorpio on the fourth house cusp. Fittingly, October 31, the very day of Mercury’s retrograde station at 28° Scorpio, saw the House vote for impeachment proceedings, and Trump changing his official domicile. That’s Mars (a fight), his status (the midheaven), and his residence (the fourth house cusp) all tied up in a retrograde bundle.

People are not alone in being sensitive to Mercury Max. The dance of Mercury and the Earth coincides with turbulence in the radiation flowing outward from the Sun, as solar energy arcs to and from our local star. X-Ray flares, coronal holes and Coronal Mass Ejections excite geomagnetic storms (Kp 5 and up) here on our home planet. Apart from scrambling circuits in bioelectric systems such as ourselves, these also result in showy auroral displays, radio interference, and outages in electrical systems such as satellites, power grids, computer and network circuits, etc. Have your systems and power sources shielded and backed up as best you can.

Remember too that Earth’s geomagnetic field is intertwined with the atmosphere and crust, such that storms and seismic events (magnitude 5+ quakes and notable volcanic eruptions) tend to peak within plus or minus three days of those five key points in the Mercury Max cycle.

For November, the full moon on the 12th and the new moon on the 26th both fall in those zones. So look for November 8-15 and 23-29 as times of elevated storm and seismic risk periods, as well as geomagnetic disturbances.

The full moon on the 12th coincides with a Mars-Pluto square, a Sun-Mercury inferior conjunction, and a Venus square to the lunar apogee point (Lilith) and Neptune. Financial turbulence is part of this picture (fraud, miscalculation and deception); also major criminality (political crimes, war crimes, civil strife and run of the mill murder and mayhem).

People born under important celestial points around 15° in the mutable signs (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius and Pisces) as well as 15-20° in the fixed signs (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius) plus 20-25° in the cardinal signs (Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn) will be a focus for some of this full moon energy. Check your chart – and Donald Trump’s. (Mr. Trump dodges catastrophic upsets this month, but December and January will not be kind to him.)

Some of this is eased during the period anchored by the new moon on the 26th, which includes a Mars-Uranus opposition on the one hand (unpleasant surprises), and a Venus-Jupiter conjunction on the other. Playing the long shot is a tremendous temptation during this interval. If you win early, quit early – because the Saturn-Pluto conjunction is drawing closer day by day. If you’re looking to make a score in the equity markets before they go to custard in January (maybe even as early as December), now’s the time. Then get to something liquid and intrinsically valuable to ride out the tempest.

Here again, Mars is strong at this lunation – opposing Uranus. Fires, crashes, clashes and explosions pop up out of nowhere, and mayhem is afoot. Think safety, especially if your chart features important factors located around 5° in the fixed signs (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius).

Acknowledgments

All mundane astrological charts as well as eclipse and astro-locality maps are set for the Universal Time (UT) of the event, and calculated and produced using Esoteric Technologies’ Solar Fire Gold Version 7.0.8. Charts are set for the location of the Great Pyramid - a purely arbitrary choice, since location is irrelevant to these charts. Unless sotherwise noted, sky map images are screen captures from the Pocket Universe or Star Rover apps for iPhone, or produced by Starry Night for Windows; storm tracks are screen captures from The Weather Channel app for iPhone; and earthquake maps are screen captures from the QuakeFeed or QuakeWatch apps for iPhone. Any market images are screen captures from the default iPhone Stocks app, unless otherwise noted. Weather images and storm tracks are screen captures from the Weather Channel app for iPhone.

SPECIAL FEATURE: This month's birthdays of the famous and infamous (with astrological birth charts)

Richard Nolle, Certified Professional Astrologer consultations/orders (AmEx/Discover/MasterCard/Visa) 800-527-8761 data/message 480-753-6251 - email rnolle@astropro.com Box 26599 - Tempe, AZ 85285-6599 - USA www.astropro.com