Illustration by Ishita Dharap
“Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes.”
– Carl Jung
A beautiful month of internal and external expansion awaits us, as we head towards the penultimate month of the Fall 2018 semester here at SAIC. As you read this, think back to the last two weeks — did you have any major relationship drama show up? Perhaps you found yourself re-examining your aesthetic sensibility in your artistic practice? If the answer is yes, please know you’re not alone! We’ve been experiencing the height of Venus Retrograde these past few weeks. With October 24’s Taurus full moon energy jiving with the highs and lows of the planet of beauty (Venus) moving backward (retrograde), it has been an exhausting time for our bodies!
If you think of taking a break, consider claiming your $5 student ticket to watch Antonio Lopez’s Sex, Fashion, Disco on November 1 at the Gene Siskel Film Center. I don’t know if the Gene Siskel Film Centre follows the astrological calendar, but somehow, their themes each month seem to be in exact alignment with planetary shifts in the cosmos. This film is perfect for Venus Retrograde in Scorpio — intense, bold and sexy.
Next, there is a new moon in Scorpio on November 7th. Typically, new moons are about making new beginnings, maybe setting fresh goals, but with Scorpio’s energy, it can turn out to be more about cleansing dysfunctional patterns of behavior in our lives at this time. We will feel its energy from the 1st to the 7th, and this might take a toll on our health if we don’t plan ways to care for ourselves. Think about friend breakups you’re in, power struggles with authority in your life, check your boundaries — how strong or weak do you feel? Are there any emotional wounds you haven’t looked at? After mid-terms and first critiques underway, we may already be a little troubled by the stuff we have to confront at work, and this new moon will only push us further towards finding an inner resolution of some sort to calm our nerves. I suggest considering this energy as a way to really take stock of our inner experience, instead of trying to escape into tactics of avoidance. If you enjoy meditation, find some specifically for this moon here.
The Grad Division will open its studios for public viewing Nov 2 and Nov 3r (Open Studios 2018) and then we will host the brilliant artist, Ibrahim Mahama on November 5 at SAIC. Both of these events can provide opportunities for artists to find solace in art practice and community during this slightly heavy time. Scorpio season is all about digging deep within the self to find what needs change and then taking time to transform it into something new and useful.
Ibrahim Mahama’s work is described as, “the transformation of materials to explore themes of commodity, migration, globalization, and economic exchange.” Think materiality connecting with abstraction — concrete merging with ephemeral, reality mixing with the surreal- Scorpio preparing to shift into Sagittarius! This is beautiful because Jupiter, the planet of teaching, of growth, of abundance and of expansion moves into its home sign of Sagittarius and stays until March 2019! This is a much-awaited event astrologically (the first time in nearly 12 years) because it will provide some relief from the Uranus-Mars battle that’s been manifesting in some terrible political conflict in the world. It will also mean that we can expect a bunch of us to meet really great faculty mentors at this time, to have our work ideas suddenly take shape and for us to generally feel like we have the necessary tools to take the world on, work-wise.
Use this time (November 8-16) to really hone in on as much work you can get done as possible, because in mid-November as Venus the planet of love and beauty goes direct into Libra, Mercury, the planet of thought and communication goes retrograde. It’s really such a delicate dance of which energy to use when. (I’m sure the skies are laughing at us as I write this!) This retrograde is a time where you must keep your technology backed up, your artwork extra safe, plan for more travel time to and from classes and in general, know that any serious communication that happens will have a tinge of chaos attached to it. My best tip is to not take things too personally at this time and expect people to change their minds about what they tell you.
The Full Moon will bloom in the sign of Gemini this month on the 23. All you air signs reading this, gear up! Because we will head from experiencing communication issues to witnessing others’ or our own bottled up anger. As the writers at Astrology King say, “A full moon occurs when the Sun is opposite the Moon. This highlights opposing forces or polarities in your life such as your work versus home, or what you need versus what you want. Inner tension and external pressures can lead to personal conflict and crises that drain your energy. Your home, family and intimate relationships come into sharper focus following a full moon.” As much as we may want to jump into arguments and “fixing” clashes in our relationships at work and play, please know that this is a time to take a step back and wait. Patience is key, although patience can be sort of boring to learn about. Use Thanksgiving break to hibernate just a little, if possible. Expect issues to show up if you’re visiting home or seeing your old friends. I’d suggest using this time as a final “review of the year”. 2018 has been a year of facing our past lessons because so many planets have danced in backward motion. Next year isn’t going to be the same nor is December after Mercury goes forward again!
