The darkest new moon of the year
Once a year, in the deepest part of autumn, the Sun and Moon meet in Scorpio. In 2026 that meeting happens on Sunday, November 8 at 11:02 PM Pacific (Monday, November 9 at 2:02 AM Eastern), at 16°53' Scorpio.
The timing is ancient. On November 7, the Sun crosses 15° Scorpio, the exact midpoint between the autumn equinox and the winter solstice. Some traditions keep this as astronomical Samhain, the true cross-quarter. The new moon arrives the very next night, so the darkest Moon of the month lands right on the darkest hinge of the year.
Most new moons ask what you want to begin. This one asks what you are willing to go down and get. And this year, the ruler of Scorpio is standing in the brightest, proudest sign of the zodiac, while Mercury and Venus are both retrograde until Friday, November 13.
The sky at a glance
The new moon is a single moment everywhere on Earth. Only the clock changes.
What makes this one different from an ordinary Scorpio new moon:
The Moon is in her fall. Scorpio is the sign where the Moon is least at home. Two weeks ago she was full near her exaltation in Taurus. Now she sits at the opposite point of the zodiac.
Mercury is retrograde in Scorpio, at 6°52', just days past its meeting with the Sun. It stations direct on November 13 at 9:00 AM Pacific.
Venus is retrograde in Libra, at 23°19'. She has already reappeared before dawn as the morning star, and stations direct on November 13 at 6:00 PM Pacific.
Mars, the traditional ruler of Scorpio, is in Leo with Jupiter, squaring the new moon. The Sun's square to Mars is exact on November 19, and Mars meets Jupiter on November 16.
The Moon in her fall: feelings at full strength
In astrology, every planet has a sign where it shines brightest (its exaltation) and an opposite sign where it struggles (its fall). The Moon is exalted in Taurus, the fertile earth in spring, and she falls in Scorpio, where that earth has gone cold and the seeds have gone underground. Two weeks ago she was full near her exaltation. Now she's new at the opposite point.
"Fall" isn't a curse. The Moon rules comfort, safety and emotional needs. Scorpio strips comfort away to find out what's true underneath. So this new moon won't feel soft or cozy. Grief, desire, jealousy and the question of who you can really trust may all come up at full strength. That's the point. You can't plant anything real in ground you won't dig into.
Mercury and Venus turn direct on November 13
This new moon is a seed point, not a launch day. Mercury and Venus are both still retrograde, and both station direct on Friday, November 13. Plant the seed on the 8th, give it five quiet days, and start acting on it after the 13th.
Venus has spent the season reworking what you value and how you love. The hardest part is behind her: she disappeared into the Sun on October 24 and has already reappeared before dawn. What you let go of since early October is gone. Now you get to decide what's worth picking back up.
Mercury is retrograde in the same sign as the new moon, so expect old conversations to circle back, secrets to surface and people from the past to reappear. Don't sign, send or decide anything big until after the 13th, and even then, go gently. Mercury doesn't return to where it started until November 30.
We told the old story of Venus going underground in our Scorpio Season 2026 post, if you want the myth behind this retrograde.
Orion and the Scorpion: the giant and the small thing in the dark
Before Pluto was discovered in 1930, Scorpio's ruler was Mars. So to see how this new moon will play out, we look at Mars. Right now he's in Leo, the sign of the heart, the stage and the spotlight, traveling with Jupiter and squaring the Sun and Moon. A square is a 90° angle, a point of friction. The ruler of the most private new moon of the year is standing in the most public sign, pushing to be seen.
There's an old star story about exactly this tension.
Why a myth?
If you're new here: long before astrology textbooks, people carried knowledge about the sky in stories. A story survives across languages and centuries in a way a technical rule can't. Know the myth and you know what the sky is doing, and what it asks of you.
The story
Aratus, a Greek poet of the 3rd century BCE, wrote the Phaenomena, a long poem that taught people to find the constellations and read the seasons by them. In it, he tells how Orion, the giant hunter, was clearing the island of Chios for its king, smashing every wild beast he could find with his club. Proud of his strength, he grabbed at the robe of Artemis, the wild goddess. He crossed a line.
Artemis didn't fight him head on. She split open the hills of the island and sent up a scorpion from the earth. The giant who had beaten every great beast was brought down by a small creature that came out of the dark. Both were placed in the sky, and Aratus explains what they still do there: "at the rising of the Scorpion in the East Orion flees at the Western verge."
The story, the sky and you
The square gets louder through the month. Mars meets Jupiter on November 16, and the Sun's square to Mars is exact on November 19. You may feel the pull to announce your transformation before it's finished: post about it, prove it, win the argument. The courage of Mars in Leo is real, and its moment will come. For now, let the small thing do its work in the dark. It's stronger than it looks.
Your New Moon in Scorpio horoscope
Read for your rising sign (your ascendant), not your Sun sign. Your rising sign tells you which area of your life this new moon is planting in. If you don't know yours, you'll need your birth time and a free chart calculator. Read your Sun sign too if you like, but the rising sign is the one that lands.
The new moon falls in the part of your life that deals with intimacy, shared money and the things you don't talk about at parties. You're being asked to let someone all the way in, or to stop pretending a debt, a dependency or an old grief doesn't weigh on you. Venus retrograde has been reworking your closest partnership since October, and you may finally see what it needs. With Mars and Jupiter lighting up your creativity and love life, you'll want to make a grand gesture. Wait until after the 13th. The deepest thing you can give right now is honesty.
This is a new moon for your relationships, the one-on-one kind: partners, close friends, even rivals. Since the Moon is exalted in your sign and falls in your opposite sign, you'll feel this one in your body. Someone close is showing you a part of yourself you'd rather not look at. Venus, your ruling planet, is turning direct on the 13th after weeks of reworking your daily routines and health. Mars and Jupiter are stirring things up at home. Let the relationship be what it really is, not what you've been insisting it is. A new agreement can begin here.
The new moon plants a seed in your daily life: your work, your habits, your body and the small rituals that keep you going. Something about how you spend your days has to die so a healthier rhythm can take its place. Mercury, your ruler, is retrograde right in this part of your chart, so you may find yourself fixing the same problem twice. That's fine. You're learning where the real problem is. Mars and Jupiter are making you talkative and bold. Save the big announcements and focus on one change you can actually keep.
The Moon is your ruling planet, so her fall in Scorpio is personal for you. This new moon lands in the part of your chart for pleasure, romance, children and creative work. Your heart is asking for something real, not something safe. You may be ready to make art from a wound, or to love someone without guarding yourself so carefully. Venus retrograde has been stirring up family and home, and Mars and Jupiter are pushing on your finances. Don't spend to feel better. Make something instead.
The new moon falls at the root of your chart: home, family, ancestry and the private self nobody else sees. Meanwhile Mars and Jupiter are in your own sign, so you feel strong, restless and ready to lead. That's the tension of this new moon for you. The outer you wants to roar, and the inner you needs to grieve, rest or rearrange the foundations. Venus retrograde has been changing how you speak to the people close to you. Tend the roots first. Your power is real, and it'll be stronger for being grounded.
This new moon is about your voice, your mind and your near world: siblings, neighbors, short trips, the things you write and say. There's a conversation you've been rehearsing for a long time. With Mercury, your ruler, retrograde in this part of your chart, it may come up on its own, perhaps with someone from your past. Venus retrograde has been reshaping your relationship with money and self-worth. Mars and Jupiter are working on you behind the scenes, in dreams and in solitude. Say the true thing, carefully. Then let it rest until after the 13th.
Venus, your ruling planet, is retrograde in your own sign, so this whole season has been about you remaking yourself from the inside. This new moon falls in the part of your chart for money, possessions and self-worth. What do you actually value, now that you've been stripped down a little? Some of what you've been holding onto belongs to an old version of you. Mars and Jupiter are bringing friends and community into focus. When Venus turns direct on the 13th, you'll start walking back up through the gates. Pick up only what's truly yours.
This is your new moon. It falls on your ascendant, which makes it a personal new year. You're the Persephone of this story. Who are you becoming? What part of you went underground this year and is ready to come back as royalty? Mercury retrograde in your sign may have you rethinking how you show up, and Venus retrograde has been stirring your dreams and your unconscious. With Mars and Jupiter at the top of your chart, career and public life are calling. Begin with the self. The rest will follow.
The new moon falls in the most hidden part of your chart: endings, solitude, dreams, retreat and the things you carry quietly. This isn't the moment to plan your next adventure. It's the moment to rest and listen. Old fears and old grief may show up in your dreams. Venus retrograde has been changing your friendships and your sense of belonging. Mars and Jupiter are lighting up travel, study and your spiritual life, so a longing for something bigger is calling you. Let it wait a few weeks. The vision gets clearer in the dark.
This new moon is about your people: friends, communities, networks, and the future you're building with them. Some connections have gone hollow, and you know which ones. Some are deeper than you realized. Venus retrograde has been working on your career and your reputation, so you may be rethinking what success means to you. Mars and Jupiter are stirring up shared money and intimacy. Invest in the relationships where you can be fully honest. Let the rest go without drama.
The new moon falls at the top of your chart, the part about career, reputation and your calling. You may feel a quiet but serious shift in what you want to be known for. The old ambition may not fit anymore. Venus retrograde has been changing your beliefs and your big-picture plans. Mars and Jupiter are in your partnership sector, so someone close is pushing you, maybe a little hard. Don't rush the reinvention. Take the seed of a new direction and let it grow roots before you show it to the world.
This new moon plants a seed in your faith, your studies, your travels and the way you make meaning. You may be outgrowing a belief system, a teacher or a version of spirituality that kept things too comfortable. Scorpio wants your spiritual life to be honest, even when it's hard. Venus retrograde has been reworking intimacy and shared resources, and Mars and Jupiter are shaking up your daily routines and health. The wisdom you're looking for is less about learning something new and more about going deeper into what you already know.
A simple practice: find your scorpion
All you need is a candle and a notebook.
On the night of the new moon, sit somewhere dark. Light one candle and let your eyes adjust.
Name your Orion. Where have you been pushing, proving or performing? Write it down without judging it.
Name your scorpion. What small, quiet thing actually needs your attention right now? A truth, a feeling, a habit, a boundary. Write it in one sentence.
Keep it private. Don't post it or tell anyone until after November 13. When Mercury and Venus turn direct, read it again and ask what one small step it wants from you.
Join the Initiates
The Library is just the outer court. Hekademia Mystery School opens its doors at the Winter Solstice, with courses in moon magic, the dark feminine and the Wheel of the Year. Join the Initiates list to be the first to know when enrollment opens.
