A New Moon marks the beginning of a new cycle, and November’s NewMoon is also a Solar Eclipse. A Solar Eclipse is like one of those Season Premieres on TV where we all come back from waiting over the last several months to find out who lived, who died, and who’s the real father of that baby: the tensions that are released and the new cycle that begins tend to be bigger than average. This Eclipse is conjunct both Mercury and Saturn, and this makes words and thoughts heavier, but also lends strength and permanence to your actions.

This Eclipse is also sextile Pluto. Any Eclipse can act like a power tool for cutting through your obstacles, but when Pluto is involved it’s like that tool is hooked up to a nuclear reactor as its power source. The Big Question we all have to ask ourselves at a time like this is “Do I really need an Atomic Weed Whacker to clear out those dandelions, or am I just applying overkill out of frustration?” On the one hand, excessive force often causes more problems than the ones it solves. On the other hand, though… those dandelions have really been asking for it, haven’t they?

Of course, any decent gardener will tell you that’s not how to get rid of a weed. You get rid of a weed by digging down to its roots and pulling the whole thing out. Still, there’s a certain satisfaction to be had, applying a high-speed shredding to them, isn’t there… even though that just means they’ll come back in one form or another, and twice as many of them too?

In the next couple of weeks, you’ll be able to solve a lot of the major issues in your life if you approach them properly. Dig deep. Grasp firmly. Remove. Don’t give in to the urge to shred your problems… use the patience and logic you already know you have hidden somewhere in the back of the shed. Leave the Weed Whacker for a different job.

 These conditions apply to everyone in general in the next couple of weeks,but some of you have specific messages:

Scorpios and Tauruses: Your Signs are noteworthy for their strength and resilience. The next couple of weeks could see some bruises to your Egos that will test that notion.

Leos And Aquariuses: That tension you’re feeling in your life could be a call to arms… or could prompt a call to your therapist. Be kind to yourself, and beware rash words and actions.

If you were born…

Summer 1948-Summer 1951: The outside world is pressuring you to change your approach or your deepest beliefs. Stand firm… but realize that those pressures are there for a reason. Your head and your heart both need to find the solution.

June-October 1952: Be yourself. To hell with the consequences. The Universe is on your side, just this once. Feeling lucky? You might just be.

March-October 1955 or April-July 1970 or April-August 1977 or July-November 1984: The things you’ve built for yourself over the last several years are being tested, and that testing is necessary. Scrap what doesn’t work and keep the rest of it.

March 1958-June 1960 or September 1977-November 1978: Sometimes restraints are in place so you won’t hurt yourself, and sometimes it’s because someone else put you in them for their own convenience. Either way, a degree of co-operation on your part may have been involved. Figure out who’s to blame before you lash out.

November 1960-November 1963: They say you make your own reality, but the truth is that sometimes someone else’s reality is holding you back. You may have accodated that sort of thing for too long now. Begin the logical planning of your escape plan.

July-December 1965: If there’s some psychological reason why you’ve been holding yourself back, give your head a shake and go for it, already!

October 1987-January 1991: It’s hard to be yourself when the Universe is always waving warning signs in your face about the hazards of that sort of thing. Stay brave in the face of your obstacles… things will improve next month.

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If something hit the fan in your life in May 2004: Pay attention… this Solar Eclipse lands within a a couple of degrees of the Lunar eclipse that happened then. Expect similar news in a similar department of your life.

If you are Kanye West: Now is a nice time to do some spin control on your public image.

If you are Miley Cyrus: Show a little seriousness with your image now. Challenges in the next couple of weeks are a preview of what to expect in the next year. Class it up a little, will you?