Mercury enters Jyestha Nakshatra on Nov 10, 2018 at 7:02 AM EST for 12 days. Jyestha can be a difficult nakshatra because of its associations with abandonment and betrayal. It is a sharp & dreadful nakshatra associated with the star Antares. Antares is one of the four Royal Stars of Persia. Royal Stars can give great gifts but there is a nemesis to overcome first. Often that nemesis is within us even it if appears to represented by something external. Jyestha is the eldest of the 27 sisters who are the wives of the Moon. She knows how to deal with power and wealth. Planets in Scorpio often deal with power issues, the later portion of Jyestha especially. As Mercury, the planet of thinking and communication, travels through Jyestha be aware of your speech – what you say to others and what you say to yourself. Recognize that words have power and use your powers for good. Overcome the nemesis of negative speech and thoughts by replacing them with empowering positive ones.
North Taurid Meteor Shower Peaks on the night of Nov 11-12, 2018. There are actually two Taurid Meteor Showers that are active between September 23rd to December 2nd. Meteor Showers occur when the Earth passes through the dust and debris left behind by comets. These enter our atmosphere where they are burned up and become streaks and fireballs in the sky. The parent comet of the Taurids is 2P/Encke. The peak night produces the maximum number of shooting stars, which for the Taurids is about 5 meteors per hour traveling at 17 to 18 miles per second. Both radiants (apparent point of origin in the sky) lie west of the Pleiades and are above the horizon nearly all night long. Meteors can streak across the sky in any direction from the radiant. The South Taurids peaked on the night of November 4th – 5th and the North Taurids peak on the night of November 11th – 12th. If you are outside walking the dogs at night like I am, look for shooting stars. The peak time on the peak night is when the radiant is closest to the zenith. Taurus culminates around midnight.
Interestingly the radiant near the Pleiades (or Krittikas) lies in Krittika Nakshatra and this is the location of the upcoming Full Moon. If you wish upon a shooting star, keep it aligned with the seeds of intention of the New Moon for culmination at the Full Moon. After all, one of the Nakshatras purposes is to commune with the heavens.