In Tibetan Buddhism, the book “Bardo Thodol” describes, and is intended to guide through, the experiences that the consciousness has in the bardo: the interval between death and the next rebirth. It is primarily meant to be a guide for a better rebirth, or for no rebirth at all (enlightenment), even though it also includes chapters on the signs of death and rituals to undertake when death is closing in or has recently taken place. The Tibetan title has been transliterated as “bar do thos grol”, which means: Liberation (grol) through Hearing (thos) in the Intermediate State (bar do). According to Tibetan tradition, it was composed in the 8th century by Padmasambhava, also known as Guru Rinpoche, the tantric Vajra master who fully revealed the Vajrayana branch of Buddhism widely practiced in Tibet. The text was written down by his primary student and consort, Yeshe Tsogal, who buried it in the Gampo hills in central Tibet. Later, in the 14th century, it was discovered by Karma Linga, the reincarnation of a disciple of Padmasambhava who is considered the modern author.
In 1927, Walter Evans-Wentz published an early translation of the Bardo Thodol that he titled “The Tibetan Book of the Dead”, to capitalize on the popularity of “The Egyptian Book of the Dead”, even though it has nothing to do with the original Tibetan title and the two books are completely unrelated. His translation was full of misunderstandings because Evans-Wentz view of Tibetan Buddhism was neither Tibetan nor Buddhist but Theosophist and Vedantic, since he was well-acquainted with Theosophy and Hinduism. The third and expanded edition contains a psychological commentary by Carl Jung where he applied his extensive knowledge of eastern religion to craft a commentary for the western audience using concepts from his own analytical psychology. There have been more translations, notably one by Robert Thurman in 1994 which includes a foreword by the Dalai Lama.
The Living Bardos
The Dalai Lama also wrote the foreword of “The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying”, a book written by Sogyal Rinpoche in 1992 as a reinterpretation of the Bardo Thodol for the modern mind. In it, he explores: the message of impermanence; evolution, karma and rebirth; the nature of mind and how to train the mind through meditation; how to follow a spiritual path in this day and age; the practice of compassion; and how to care for and show love to the dying, along with spiritual practices for the moment of death. That book made such a strong impression on me that I purchased several copies for friends and colleagues. Poignantly, it expands the concept of “bardo” to any transformation we encounter in our lives, letting go of what is dying but extracting wisdom for the next “rebirth”. I believe that we are in the process of experiencing a collective bardo brought in by the chaos described in the last article.
The “Tibetan Book of the Dead” identifies a total of six bardos, three of which are encountered between lives.1 Out of these, the second one often brings to the consciousness visions of terrifying entities to make explicit the suffering of samsara. Currently, we can similarly feel angst and horror when we see in the daily news what can only be considered humanity’s suffering. There is a feeling that the old paradigms refuse to die even though the new ones aren’t quite ready to live. That said, the final bardo is replete with alluring images so as to engender attachments that compel the consciousness to seek rebirth. In this case, we are talking about the birth of a new society (culture-whole) hopefully built on love and compassion. I have copious notes of what 2026 will bring, and which I hope will serve to make us want be a part of such new society; I will try to have the yearly preview done very soon.
Earth Gives Way to Air
Setting aside the transition we are living from the Age of Pisces to that of Aquarius, another bardo, most of what we are feeling can be traced to shedding years of dominance by the earth element. The social planetary processes of Jupiter and Saturn provide a framework for the evolution of society. Their relationship cycle begins approximately every twenty years with the so-called Grand Conjunctions which, with the exception of 1980, occurred in earth signs between 1842 and 2020. Earth signs represent ambition, accumulation and the practical distribution of material goods, which resulted in nearly two centuries of pursuit of wealth and technical achievements at the expense of pretty much everything else. However, between 2020 and 2219, the Grand Conjunctions will occur in air signs, once again with an exception in 2159. Air signs represent the pursuit of relationships, the value of community and the dissemination of information.
The Grand Conjunction of December 21, 2020 in the first degree of Aquarius (0°29′) was later followed by the triple entrance of Pluto in the same sign, the last of which occurred in November, 2024. Aquarius is a sign rooted on the value of truth, rewarding the egalitarian treatment of all human beings and the formation of communities, while rebelling against authoritarianism. And so we had many millions of people protesting, in non-violent demonstrations across thousands of US cities, under the “No Kings” banner against what has become an authoritarian regime. Yet Trump posted an AI-generated video of himself in a “King Trump” fighter jet, dropping human excrement on the protesters while wearing a crown. He also demolished the White House’s East Wing to build a $300 million ballroom that will be bigger than the White House itself, complete with gold accents everywhere as a subconscious tribute to Louis XIV, the ” Sun King” who renovated the Palace of Versailles. Once again, we see the old impulse toward wealth accumulation that refuses to die while the new values are barely in gestation.
First Quarter in Aquarius
I could continue giving examples but let’s go back to astrology. This past Wednesday, we had the crisis of action of this lunar month and the half moon was beautiful that night. I will only say a few words about it but it helps to have the chart at hand:
October 29, 2025 at 16:20:38 hours (GMT)
Mercury Spills the Beans
At Sagittarius 0°13′, Mercury had just entered the sign five hours earlier after being in a powerful Scorpio conjunction with Mars since the Last Quarter phase of October 13, bringing to light information that had been previously hidden. The conjunction was exact at the new moon and we spoke of how Mars and Mercury, empowered by the square of Sun (and Moon) with Pluto, would unearthed many secrets.
As an example, Prince Andrew had to resign to all his royal titles after a 2011 email was made public, in which he told Epstein “we are in this together”, written when a picture with his arm around a teenage Virginia Giuffre was made public. In her posthumous memoir published a few days ago (she committed suicide in April), she wrote “Prince Andrew believed having sex with me was his birthright”. In an official statement on Thursday, Buckingham Palace announced that the former Duke of York will now be known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, he will move out of the Royal Lodge and will receive an undisclosed stipend from the private fortune of King Charles.
And Will Do It Again
Whereas Mercury in Scorpio is a true detective, in Sagittarius it becomes a loud speaker of truth and justice. Undoubtedly, the opposition it formed with Uranus (Gemini 0°22′) impulsed the sudden outcome in the Prince Andrew situation. It is said that Uranus is the higher octave of Mercury, focusing not on information obtained and delivered through our senses but on extrasensory perception such as intuition. Moving retrograde, Uranus will likely absorb the information conveyed by Mercury to be used at a later date. It is worth noting that Mercury will only go as far as Sagittarius 6°51′ before it changes direction and moves retrograde from November 9 to the 29.
However, its conjunction with Mars will remain active throughout the lunation and will even be exact again soon after the Last Quarter. Mercury will reenter Scorpio on the 18th to resume digging for truth that will reveal when it comes back to Sagittarius in December. Even though the conjunction of Mars and Mercury normally occurs once every eighteen months, the one on October 20 was the first of five we will have in a span of six months; all in different signs. I should warn you that Mercury and Mars together may fuel irritability in all of us, and that the conjunction will be active all through the lunar month.
Neptune in Pisces
Even though the new moon occurred with Neptune in Aries, it changed signs almost immediately, reentering Pisces on October 22 to finish its current cycle. Just as it entered Aries for a few months on March 30, it made an initial entrance on April 13, 1861, literally when the American Civil War began, returning to Pisces on October 1 of the same year. Thus, the cycle that is about to end formally began on February 14, 1862 and, as we have said a few times, the next one will commence on January 26, 2026. Between now and then, Neptune will be rocking slowly back and forth through the final degree of Pisces; initially retrograde till December 10 when it will change direction.
The symbol of Pisces 30, you may recall, is “The Great Stone Face”, the title of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel about a boy named Ernest who grew up in the shadow of a large mountain that looked like a man’s face, at least to him. Over the years, the mountain and his face achieve an uncanny resemblance. To Rudhyar, it talks about the visualization needed to embrace the archetypes, the Word, of a new cycle of consciousness emerging from the collective unconscious in Aries 1: “A woman rises out of water, a seal rises and embraces her”. Let us use the time when Neptune is in that degree to visualize our dreams within a more compassionate society.
Structuring Dreams (and Nightmares)
For over a year, we have been talking about the conjunction of Saturn and Neptune that will still be operational for another four or five months. However, while it got within 0°13′ of being exact in Aries, it was never as close in Pisces as when Neptune went back on October 22. It is as if the planets first sampled how they will work together next year for a few months and then went back to take care of unfinished business. Due to their relative speeds, they are in a separating conjunction at the moment, both moving retrograde, but that will change as soon as Saturn changes direction on November 28. From that moment on, and more so in the six weeks when both will move direct in Pisces, they will be acting in unison under the guidance of Saturn. At a personal level, there will be energies to give form and structure to our dreams, so it behooves us to meditate on what those dreams ought to be.
Taurus and Scorpio
The polarity of the full moon will fall in the Taurus–Scorpio axis, two fixed signs associated with sex and finances. In Taurus, the sex is related to procreation and the financial desire is to accumulate wealth. Taurus is the sign of assimilation par excellence, capable to turn the energy of Aries into something productive; a key verb of what Taurus is all about. Directly opposite, Scorpio is the sign of sex as the social function on which rests the formation of early tribes. In terms of finance, Scorpio refers to wealth generation, mainly by trade or other means of exchange.
Out of the four elements, water is arguably the strongest for it deals with emotions. And, out of the three water signs, Scorpio symbolizes raw emotional power. We had a vivid example a week ago, when Mercury and Mars were conjunct in Scorpio and Trump abruptly decided to end trade talks with Canada due to his emotional reaction to a TV ad from the province of Ontario. In it, the words of Ronald Reagan pointing out the misguided protectionism of tariffs were heard from a 1986 presidential radio address.
Full Moon in Taurus
As with any full moon, the results of our evolutionary efforts during the waxing phases will be revealed. At the same time, we are encouraged to synthesize the polar archetypes of the signs. Sun will be at Scorpio 13°23′ and Moon at Taurus 13°23′. The full moon will occur on November 5 at 5:19 a.m. in California, at 7:19 a.m. in Mexico City, or at 2:19 p.m. in Central Europe, as shown in the following chart:
November 5, 2025 at 13:19:07 hours (GMT)
Sun forms a trine and Moon a sextile with the North Node (Pisces 16°47′) which means that the Sun–Moon opposition and the nodal axis form a Mystic Rectangle. In a full moon, this symbolizes actual events that will bring opportunities or synchronicities around the Taurus and Scorpio archetypes mentioned above. If you know your chart, these events will probably take place in the area of experiences symbolized by the house where you have Taurus 14 (13°01’–14°00′).2
New Energy for Fascism?
At the full moon, Mars (Sagittarius 0°44′) will be in exact opposition to Uranus (Gemini 0°06′), a combination that often triggers sudden violence. Mars is quite comfortable in Sagittarius, activating the animal nature of the sign (the horse in the symbolic centaur). Of course, Mars will keep on forming an active conjunction with a Mercury (Sagittarius 5°40′) that will have started to slow down before turning retrograde. Conversely, Uranus will be speeding at 118% of its average speed and accelerating to reenter Taurus on November 8 and go as far as Taurus 27°28′ on February 3, 2026, when it will begin to move direct in that sign one last time until April 26.
We have seen that Uranus in Taurus often energizes fascism. It did when it moved through the sign in 1934–1942 and has done it again since 2018. The planetary processes of Uranus represent what Carl Jung called the personal unconscious and we know that subconscious needs and desires are the most powerful. The Taurus phase is one that seeks stability and nothing is presumably more stable than land so we have a subconscious attachment to the homeland, which can lead to fascism. The period of retrograde motion, from November to February will be key to reflect so we don’t act stupidly when it moves direct once again in Taurus.
The New Moon is Reactivated
In the full-moon chart, Venus (Libra 28°16′) is in the same degree of Libra where we had the new moon so it will be opposing Chiron (Aries 24°01′). Since Jupiter (Cancer 25°05′) will be only moving at 15% of its average speed, the T-Square we had at the new moon will be present once more, but with Venus located where we had Sun and Moon. I remind you that the Sabian symbol of Libra 29 stressed the power of a community “seeking to bridge the span of knowledge” and, in particular, searching for truth. Twenty-four hours after the full moon, Venus will enter Scorpio and, at a personal level, will provide energy to establish relationships based on deeper values, in grand part aided by its square with Pluto which will be exact two days later. Once more, some insecurities in the area of relationships may surface due to the aforementioned T-Square.
Sabian Symbols
The symbol for Scorpio 14 (Sun) was written as “Telephone linemen at work”. Diana Roche writes that its overall theme is one of connections. Indeed Rudhyar gives us the image “Telephone linemen at work installing new connections”, further expanded as the need to establish new channels of communication. Cautions Rudhyar: “They are not only to be built, but to be used significantly and wisely.” Indeed, wherever Scorpio 14 is found, the indication is that such new channels of communication are essential for the success of interpersonal relationships. At its highest, it symbolizes a special genius for finding novel solutions to complex problems. Even though its keyword is Comprehension, the symbol also talks about the essential value of communicating, even with our closest associates. Thus, it carries the key phrase: The Will to Association.
Taurus 14 (Moon) was originally “Shellfish groping and children playing”, which Rudhyar improved to “On the beach, children play while shellfish grope at the edge of the water”, keynoted as returning to simpler joys for revitalization. The image is highly symbolic at many levels. It presents two life forms, each “doing its own thing”: presumably, the shellfish are trying to find a suitable place to anchor while the children engage in imaginative sociocultural fun activities. At its highest, the symbol represents curiosity, independence and the achievement of individual potential by following our own inner urgings while respecting others’ rights to do the same. On the other hand, it suggests that it is better not to attempt at once more than one can achieve. Its main theme is respect for personality and its key phrase: Live and Let Live.
Within the context of the new-moon symbol, “humanity seeking to bridge the span of knowledge”, we are urged to establish new communication channels with the community that is increasingly interested in finding and exposing truth. At the same time, the full-moon symbols remind us to stay focused on such a search and not waste time trying to convince others to join us. The Mystic Rectangle with the nodal axis will bring plenty of opportunities if we just maintain an open mind.
Last Quarter in Leo
A week later, we will reach the lunation’s crisis of consciousness, a critical moment in our understanding of the full-moon messages. The following chart is for the exact closing square between Sun and Moon:
November 12, 2025 at 05:27:58 hours (GMT)
The first thing to notice is that Sun (Scorpio 20°05′) is in the same degree3 where Mars and Mercury formed a conjunction at the new moon. In fact, those two planets will form another conjunction just a few hours after the Last Quarter phase: at Sagittarius 6°04′. Once again, Mars and Mercury together often make people irritable, so let’s try to be patient. Moving very quickly, at over 122% its average speed, Uranus will have reentered Taurus on November 8, forming immediately a sextile with Neptune, both retrograde and in their anaretic degrees. Those of you with a strong Uranus (or Aquarius) or a strong Neptune (or Pisces) in your charts may have powerful inspirations and/or vivid dreams during the next few days.
Unlike Uranus, which is moving very fast, Jupiter (Cancer 25°09′) has the letters ‘SR’ (Stationary Retrograde) next to it, which means moving very slowly (slightly over 1% of its average speed) in the retrograde direction; it will have been stationary a bit earlier. It will form a same-degree trine with Saturn (Pisces 25°23′) that will get as close as 0°10′ on November 15 to 17 but will not be exact until August 31, 2026. with Jupiter and Saturn firmly installed in Leo and Aries, respectively. Whereas the Leo–Aries trine will be more indicative of the flow of energy from the Grand Conjunction in Aquarius discussed at the beginning of the article, this near-exact trine, with both planets retrograde in the water signs of Cancer and Pisces, will be a good time to reflect on what must be left behind, in a sociocultural sense, to move forward.
Mercury’s Retrograde Shadow
You may recall the concept of retrograde shadow as the span of degrees a planet will transit while moving retrograde, thus visiting them a total of three times. As I mentioned earlier, Mercury will move retrograde from November 9 to the 29, going back from Sagittarius 6°51′ to Scorpio 20°43′, which is 0°03′ prior to where it was at the new moon. Therefore, every degree that Mercury will have visited in the current lunar month will be reexamined and reactivated, including another conjunction with Mars a few hours after the Last Quarter, and another opposition with Uranus on November 19, just hours before the powerful new moon in Scorpio. Given all that Mercury has communicated in this lunation, we can only imagine what will be revealed the third time around the same degrees.
Wrapping Up…
As said earlier, we are going through an intermediate state (a bardo) when the old hasn’t quite died but the new isn’t yet born. As frustrating as that can be, we must remain steadfast in the belief of a better tomorrow.
The full moon brings our attention to the channels of communication we have established in our relationships. In particular, we are encouraged to follow our bliss while letting others do the same.
Pay attention to everything you have thought of, and reasoned, since the new moon, for we will likely face similar situations once Mercury begins to move direct in December.
Always Love. 🌹🙏💖
Notes
- The three intermediate states after death are: (1) bardo of the moment of death, which features the experience of the “clear light of reality”, or the nearest approximation of which one is spiritually capable; (2) bardo of the experiencing of reality, which features the experience of “visions of various Buddha forms”, or nearest approximation; and (3) bardo of rebirth, which features karmically-impelled hallucinations which eventually result in rebirth, typically imagery of men and women passionately entwined. The Bardo Thodol also mentions three other bardos: (1) life, or ordinary waking consciousness; (2) meditation; and (3) dream, during normal sleep. ↩︎
- This continues to be an extremely personal lunation for me. In the new-moon article I mentioned that the Sun and Moon conjunction occurred in the same degree where I have Neptune, and that Mars and Mercury were conjunct in the same degree of my Sun. However, the full moon gets more personal, for the Sun and Moon opposition will coincide with my horizon to the minute, that is, my Ascendant is precisely at Taurus 13°23′, where Moon will be located. Meanwhile, Venus will be in the same degree of the Sun–Moon conjunction at the new moon, my Neptune’s degree. ↩︎
- To finish with the “personal lunation” theme, it is the same degree of my Sun. Therefore, the Last Quarter will fall on my astrological birthday: when Sun returns to the same degree of a natal Sun. ↩︎
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