NorthPoint Astrology Journal  Your guide to planetary energies for November 30 to December 6, 2015 By Pam Younghans

NorthPoint Astrology Journal 

Your guide to planetary energies for November 30 to December 6, 2015 By Pam Younghans  Highlighted Aspects This Week TUE: Mercury trine Uranus, Mercury square Chiron FRI: Mercury square Jupiter, Venus enters Scorpio SUN: Sun sextile Mars, Venus sesquiquadrate Chiron, Mars square Pluto LAST WEEK'S JOURNAL focused exclusively on the effects of the Saturn-Neptune square, and it may have felt odd that I didn't write about the Full Moon that occurred on Wednesday the 25th. Truth be told, I got so caught up in explaining the energies of the Saturn-Neptune square (exact on Thursday the 26th), that it wasn't until after I clicked on "Send" that I realized I hadn't said anything about the lunation. But, perhaps this writer's muse knew what she was doing, given that the Full Moon opposed Saturn and squared Neptune. This means that the contradictory and complicated effects of the Saturn-Neptune square were a major ingredient in the overall influence of the Full Moon. (To read about the Saturn-Neptune square in last week's issue of NorthPoint Journal, please click here .) ONE FACT about last week's lunation that feels important to bring forward now is that thought-full Mercury was also very involved in the Full Moon, being in close aspect with the Sun, Moon, Saturn, and Neptune. And, the Moon itself was in expressive Gemini, the sign ruled by Mercury. Any time Mercury shows up at a party, themes of communication, reasoning, adaptability, and transportation are emphasized. We no doubt have been aware of some of those issues over the past few days, especially if we've been challenged by family interactions over the holidays, or we've been worried about travel plans and scheduling. MERCURY continues to be an important participant in our lives as we begin December. We awaken Tuesday morning to the vibrant energies of a Mercury-Uranus trine (exact at 5:59 a.m.), which encourages us to think in new ways, to access our higher mind, and to be openminded in all of our interactions. However, just two hours later, Mercury forms a challenging square with Chiron. This may indicate a lack of confidence in our new ideas, or a sense of not being able to clearly verbalize our thoughts. If this occurs, it is an opportunity to take communication to a different level, to a more intuitive, feeling-oriented space. RESEARCHERS tell us that human communication is conveyed not only by words, but through body language and tone of voice. If our words are meant to convey acceptance, but our facial expression or vocal tone reveals impatience or a lack of understanding, the recipient of our communication will walk away feeling that something is wrong, even if the words themselves sounded right. With Chiron in compassionate Pisces, and Mercury in idealistic (and sometimes zealous or self-righteous) Sagittarius, we will want to be especially aware of times when the three components of productive communication -- words, body language, and tone -- are not in agreement. This is our opportunity to catch ourselves in old habits and to allow our hearts to guide our words, rather than using words to coerce or convince. ANOTHER MERCURY SQUARE starts our day on Friday, but this time, Jupiter provides the challenging influence. As the biggest known planet, Jupiter's primary effect is to enhance and exaggerate; while Jupiter is in discriminating Virgo, we want to be of practical service to others, and yet we may be especially prone to seeing what is wrong in the world instead of what is going well. As Mercury squares Jupiter on Friday, we'll want to watch our thinking and our words, to make sure we don't over-think or over-state conditions. Being realistic doesn't mean that we're supposed to always focus on the negative -- it also means that we need to notice the silver lining, especially if storm clouds seem to be especially prevalent. THE ASPECT of greatest impact this week is likely to be the Mars-Pluto square, which occurs at 12:51 p.m. PST on Sunday. A square aspect always represents a conflict or obstacle that must be overcome if we are to move forward. These two planets both have strong agendas. Mars in Libra is motivated by the need for balance, fairness, and justice -- but, when it feels unfairly treated or sees injustice, it can also become very competitive and confrontational. Pluto in Capricorn is intent on transforming aspects of society and government that have outlived their usefulness, making sure that humanity stays on track with our evolutionary goals. Pluto often accomplishes these intentions by creating situations of imbalance, so that passions are aroused and the need for change is powerfully apparent. As Mars and Pluto form their square aspect next weekend, we become aware of a feeling of urgency. Imbalance and injustice become increasingly untenable. And, our need for large-scale change requires us to search our personal motivations more closely.