These days before the New Moon in Scorpio have a powerful undertow. They send us into our own soul depths. Scorpio pulls us into the shadows. And that's where we find our "demons"...fears, resentments, obsessions, deep wounds and private rages. The promise of Scorpio is that we can be masters of the dark, and transform what's toxic. We can even find the seeds for something new there. The journey through personal darkness takes patience, courage, surrender, faith, forgiveness and love. The dark and total magic of Scorpio makes this particular New Moon so very powerful.

It's made more potent, with Scorpio's ruler Pluto coming into a square to Saturn (in Libra) on Saturday (the 15th). This drastic slow moving mash up is likely to be demanding of a higher level of ethics, especially with those in powerful positions. It means we have to come clean with what drives us. The Scorpio New Moon allows us each to check our motives, and root out any of own places where we're morally careless. This especially shows up now in relationships, where power games can have explosive consequences.

In a "heads up" recently, James Gilliland of ECETI.org wrote that with such craziness afoot these days, we each have to master our own dark side, not just the light. He wrote, "The old Cherokee tale about two wolves fighting inside one is white and focused on love, joy, bliss and cooperation the other dark focused on selfishness, judgment, anger, separation, competition etc is being played out. The one that wins is the one you feed. If a large percentage of your thoughts are focused on fear, separation and againstness you are feeding the dark wolf." The pressures of the Saturn-Pluto square, will likely intensify and expose whatever has been driving you. It's wise, then, to be careful about which beasts you're nurturing.

When you know your own shadows, there's nothing to fear by looking within. You are less vulnerable to manipulation by outside forces that play on your emotions. And when you've integrated something huge and scary, like an old wound, it becomes a felt part of your character. You carry that wisdom with you, and you can show others the way out of the dark. So this New Moon is a time when true magic can happen, the kind of deep healing that alters your internal psychic landscape. It seems off to say "enjoy" these days of the dark. I'll just say I hope it's rich and transformative for you! The New Moon is exact on Monday, November 16th at 2:44 pm EST.

• New Moon in Scorpio (themes)
• New Moon Rituals

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Whether it means anything or not, the date 2012 is becoming a fixation point for fears about the near future. The movie 2012, opening tomorrow, might be seen as our worst fears dramatized. Stephen Colbert has called it "a mindless orgy of destruction porn." Seems like a bad time for an end-of-the-world blockbuster, with so many at the edge. Is it harmless entertainment? Or could a film like this be bad for your health?

In a video about 2012, British cosmologist Jude Currivan says fear, whether from real or imagined events, makes us weaker. She says, "When we fear, neurologists say stress hormones are released. And when the anxiety is sustained, other hormones are released that are toxic to the immune system." Currivan is part of a group of visionaries that launched World Shift 2012 and a global declaration of emergency. Just as John Cusack said recently, these well-known thinkers say it's about consciousness, and the need for a quantum leap. Right now, says World Shift endorser Jose Arguelles, we've got a chaotic global consciousness, and that's what's mirrored back to us. He says 2012 is a kind of initiatory gate, and that the Mayan elders say the choice -- between love or fear -- is up to us.

Another endorser, Deepak Chopra says the choice is being made already, and that's leading to "two worlds." He says, "One world moves ahead by inertia from the past--like a massive luxury liner drifting at sea--while the other steps into the unknown--like a child entering the woods for the first time." It does seem that many people are waking up to humanitarian values, with a sense of urgency that propels them to act. Chopra says the old world is broadcast through major media, and I would add a lot of entertainment. But that the new world is growing stronger, as more people choose to commit to being part of the planetary emergence.

Jude Currivan says the emergence is the return of the feminine, which is happening in a big way. She cites ancient wisdom traditions that honored the sacred marriage within (the male-female in all of us). That's supported more now that Saturn has gone into Libra, the sign of balance between the genders. Writes Currivan, "The full inclusion of the heart-based feminine attributes of caring, compassion, empathy and cooperation within our collective organizations and societies is urgently needed."

It does seem like humanity is at a crossroads. We can probably thank Jupiter-Neptune-Chiron in Aquarius for the emergence of a new kind of global awareness. There are organizations like Humanity Healing that coalesce around the simple idea that we are bound by our common humanity. I'll never forget the unprecedented global moments of silence after September 11th, that to me, offer hope that we can come together quickly. It's about peeking above the frightful visions about the future, and daring to believe that humanity can make another choice.

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Stephanie Gailing, author of Planetary Apothecary is back with specific wellness tips for this moment in time. She writes about the coming Pluto-Saturn square (November 15) -- right before the New Moon in Scorpio -- as a time to marshal the force of the inner healer. She writes that "a positive manifestation of this planetary alignment is the ability to forge a structured and realistic approach to connecting with the wealth of our inner resources, including our healing powers."

Scorpio aims for total change from the inside out, and we can feel an extra drive to go deep for healing. But Stephanie says it's also time for deep rest, and being wise about what's stirred up.

• Scorpio Rx Wellness Tips by Stephanie Gailing

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Astrologers are walking a fine line trying not to scare the pants off people, but also giving the coming aspects the gravity they're due. I'm talking about the build-up to the Cardinal Cross of 2010, the tensions of which start to tighten on November 15th with the Pluto-Saturn square. Since Pluto is a major player here, any casting ahead needs to take into account that there's an element of the unknown. It's not unlike the mystery of death itself, which Pluto brings on symbolically. When Uranus in Aries comes into play in 2010, we may be startled at what emerges....the thrust of new life that starts a brand new cycle. It's a collective death and rebirth, with all the agony, pressure, exhilaration and so on that goes with that.

And these slow movers in tension with each other is likely to bring a sense of relentless pressure, punctuated by surges into radically new ground. And since the destroyer Pluto is in the mix, the scenarios could be extreme, with long trials that rearrange our lives. How this will play out for each of us, depends on how well we handle extreme stress and change.

Yesterday, I came across an article by evolutionary astrologer Maurice Fernandez who writes that our very foundation is about to be shaken up. In his article, Time of Radical Shift, he describes how to ride the waves with patience, a flexible attitude, and by learning to let go. It resonated with me, and he's allowed me to share it here with all of you. On what's ahead, he writes, "Redefinition may occur in different fields: you may change vocation, relationships, location, mindsets, to name but a few. New people will move into your life, current ones may leave. New ideas and projects will develop and you may feel inspired to completely reinvent yourself! The cards are re-shuffled! This is a time of an awakening, a revolution...an internal and social revolution."

The article comes with practical suggestions like taking time out of the intensity loop, taking good care of your immune system, nurturing supportive ties with family and friends, and seeing this as an adventure. It's an inspiring read and I'm hoping it'll give you a boost too.

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