Not Gone, Hopefully Not Forgotten

11.20.06


This past two weeks is the longest non-vacation span I've taken without updating the site. I apologize if you devoted darlings have missed me.

I never imagined, when I last wrote to you likening myself to the 'not quite there' (or is it?) Neptune, that I'd soon be actually disappearing. But that's exactly what happened—thanks to a nasty muscle spasm in my back, which laid me up and out of commission for several days.

What a way to cap off an over-the-top several weeks of enough Scorpio to, well, blow a gasket. For me, it was the stress of way too much going on at once… heaps of important deadlines and documents, decisions I was rushed into making, and more responsibility than perhaps I've ever had weighing down on me. I was sitting innocently on a friend's couch, doing nothing out of the ordinary, when the middle of my back just seized up. Now, it really did feel like the weight of the world was on my back.

Apparently, my body had some news for me… which, if I'm reading it right, informed me to (1) lie still, (2) stop obsessively talking about what I still hadn't accomplished, and why I was such a loser for it, and (3) surrender to the forces beyond my control.

I literally couldn't move. Then, once I made it to a doctor, I became so drugged up on muscle-relaxers and painkillers, I literally couldn't think. After that, I was spacey and sulky from the pharmaceutical comedown—and only had, er, the million things still to do, plus the million more that had since piled up. Plus, I felt bloated and out of shape, since I hadn't been to the gym in forever-and-a-day.

Oh, I forgot to mention one thing. I was also supposed to go away on a mini-vacation to Mexico, which I had to cancel because, well, I couldn't friggin' move. So, my one scheduled opportunity to relax and blow off steam was sacrificed to the stress-related-injury gods… and I had to listen to my friend tell me all about the fun he had without me, once he returned. (Though now I'm probably 85% back to normal, my back just twitched a little as a wrote that last sentence.)

This, I suppose, is a lesson in what too many planets in a single zone of the zodiac can do, if we're not careful—throw us way off balance, to the point of physical suffering.

As far as the astrology goes, super-Scorpio season is not completely over yet, but we've already begun to receive a reprieve. Venus moved into Sagittarius last Friday (Nov 17), while the Sun follows on Wednesday (Nov 22). The contrast between the Scorpio and Sagittarius influences is like the difference between a big storm brewing behind dark clouds, such that you can feel it in the air before seeing any real action (Scorpio) and the sharp, strong downpour where all the outward excitement is found, a bit hazardously heart-pounding but nonetheless necessary to clear the crap out and keep things vital (Sagittarius).

This current mix of Scorpio and Sagittarius can definitely help even things out. The simmering-under-the-surface, emotionally-wrought-and-dense extremeness of Scorpio gets some much-needed release from fences-be-gone, run-wild-and-free Sagittarius's unwillingness to keep things so knotted and intense. Venus and the Sun both draw our attentions back out into the world, for chances to get away from all that's haunted our past month. Fresh excitement, a blunt devil-may-care attitude, and the urge for motion and speed can definitely lift our heavy spirits.

Be warned, though, that we have a super-Sagittarius clump—not unlike this recent super-Scorpio one—on the horizon in December, when we'll end up with six planets in the same sign again. Generally speaking, Scorpio is a more difficult energy to handle, as its very purpose is to hit us where it matters most. The Sagittarius concentration, on the other hand, is likelier to simply make everything faster, bigger, riskier and louder. In some ways, it's the perfect antidote to a past month when so much was happening, but it didn't always feel like it was moving. Boy, it'll be moving all right, soon enough! But for folks who like to take their time or keep things calm and quiet, super-Saggie December could deliver frazzled nerves.

Mercury is also no longer retrograde, as it turned direct last Friday (Nov 17). Though the worst communication mishaps are past us, it's okay to dwell in the chaos that has been created, rather than trying to fix everything back to normal in a day or two. These couple weeks ahead could be our only time to take things at a reasonable rate, before the pace picks up… and thrusts us along with it.

Personally, I'll drive myself crazy if I tackle the back-spasm fallout task-list in one big bite. I suppose I should just be thankful for the simple pleasures, like sitting up or walking down the street. A week ago, they weren't mine for the appreciating.