The sky right now
New moon in Scorpio, 9 November 2026: restarting what matters just as the sky gets moving again
The Mon thème team6 min read
Early November: the days are drawing in, All Saints’ Day (a public holiday in France, when many families visit their loved ones’ graves) has just gone by, and plenty of us feel the same urge to have a proper clear-out. A conversation left hanging, a project we keep putting off, a relationship we no longer know how to approach. The new moon in Scorpio, tomorrow morning, lands right on that need to start again from what really counts.
Why talk about it tonight? Because the Moon, at 6° Scorpio, is joining retrograde Mercury right now, and tomorrow at 08:02 it will meet the Sun at 16° Scorpio. In the days that follow, first Mercury and then Venus stop moving backwards. It is rare for a new lunar cycle to begin at the very moment two personal planets get going again: this is the date to watch this week.
What happens in the sky on 9 November 2026?
On 9 November at 08:02, the Moon and the Sun meet at 16° Scorpio: this is the new moon, the starting point of a cycle lasting about a month. The Moon goes dark, like a blank page before anything is written on it.
What makes this lunation special is the company it keeps. Mercury, retrograde in Scorpio for several weeks, turns direct on 13 November at 5° of the sign. Venus, retrograde in Libra, moves forward again on 14 November at 22° Libra. The sky shifts from looking back to picking up speed.
In between, on 10 November at 07:39, Venus makes an exact sextile to Mars, while Mars draws closer to Jupiter in Leo. After a few rather inward-looking weeks, a wish to act and to be seen gently comes back to the surface.
What does a new moon in Scorpio mean?
Scorpio is the sign of what goes on beneath the surface: attachments, trust, what we share with others, what we agree to let go of. A new moon in this sign doesn’t encourage you to start something light. It invites you to start something real all over again.
In practical terms, it’s a good time to set an intention that goes deep: breaking a habit that costs you, daring to have a real heart-to-heart, taking back control of a shared money matter, reconnecting with what genuinely fires you up.
- Name what you want to transform, rather than what you want to get.
- Choose a single, precise intention that you can follow through to the full moon on 24 November.
- Set aside whatever is only a habit, and keep what still means something.
Mercury and Venus turn direct: should you wait before acting?
The new moon begins while Mercury and Venus are still standing still, about to set off again. It’s a tipping point: the thinking of the past few weeks is coming to fruition, but decisions will benefit from a few more days to ripen.
A simple way to work with it: on the 9th, set your intention; between the 13th and the 14th, put it into words, share it, take the first step. Whatever was reviewed during the retrograde phase, whether a message, an agreement or a relationship, can then start again on a clearer footing.
Why this passage isn’t felt the same way by everyone
The mood described here applies to everyone: a need for truth and for a fresh start. But each of us receives it through our own birth chart, which is why the same sky stirs some people up and leaves others almost untouched. It isn’t astrology getting it wrong: it’s about how today’s sky meets the sky you were born under.
Take Mercury’s station in early Scorpio. Someone born with Mercury at around the same degree of Leo receives it as a square: conversations picking up again may rub a little, asking you to rephrase and listen more. Someone with Mercury at around the same degree of Pisces receives it as a trine: misunderstandings clear up almost by themselves.
And if none of your birth planets sit near these degrees, the new moon stays in the background, more a seasonal atmosphere than a significant inner event.
How to get through late November, up to the full moon in Gemini
On 16 November, Mars meets Jupiter in Leo: momentum builds, and so does the urge to think big. On the 18th and 19th, the Sun squares Jupiter and then Mars. The intention set at the new moon then meets the test of reality: too much enthusiasm on one side, a need for consistency on the other.
The full moon on 24 November, at 2° Gemini, sheds light on how far you’ve come. What was decided at a deep level earlier in the month now needs to be said, shared and made concrete. It’s time to take stock, without rushing to judge.
- New moon at 16° Scorpio (08:02): the cycle begins.
- Venus sextile Mars exact (07:39): desire and action fall into step.
- Mercury turns direct at 5° Scorpio (16:55).
- Venus turns direct at 22° Libra (01:21).
- Mars conjunct Jupiter exact in Leo (07:22): momentum grows.
- Full moon at 2° Gemini (15:54): first check-in on the cycle.
What this sky teaches
Today’s law
You can only truly start again with what you’ve first agreed to look straight in the eye.
This new moon arrives after weeks in which Mercury and Venus have pulled us back towards words and relationships that needed another look. The sky isn’t asking you to wipe the slate clean: it suggests setting off again with what you’ve understood.
Scorpio reminds us that a real fresh start comes at a cost: an illusion, a habit, a way of protecting yourself. What you let go of makes room for what can finally grow.
- What have I understood over the past few weeks that I don’t want to forget?
- What real, deep conversation am I ready to start now?
- What do I need to let go of to move forward more lightly?
And in your chart?
This new moon sets the tone for everyone, but it matters more for some. If you were born with the Sun, Moon or Ascendant at around the same degree of Scorpio, you experience it as a conjunction, a genuine personal fresh start. At around the same degree of Taurus, it’s an opposition: your intention runs through someone else, through an agreement that needs redefining. At around the same degree of Leo or Aquarius, the square pushes you to make a decision. Also look at which house 16° Scorpio falls in within your chart: that’s the area of life where this cycle is trying to open up for you.
And for you, precisely?
This text describes the sky for everyone; each of us lives it through our own chart. Calculate yours once (free, 30 seconds): on every Decoded page, this box will show you what this sky touches in you. With a free account, your chart stays saved.
See what this sky touches in me✦ The technical point
What is a planetary station?
Seen from Earth, a planet sometimes seems to slow down, stand still, then set off in the other direction: this is called a station. It happens at the start and end of every retrograde phase. On 13 November, Mercury stops at 5° Scorpio before turning direct; on the 14th, Venus does the same at 22° Libra. During these days of apparent stillness, the planet focuses its effect on a single degree, which makes its themes feel stronger. In practice, a direct station often marks the moment when what was being mulled over can start to be decided.
Frequently asked questions
When is the new moon in Scorpio in 2026?
The new moon in Scorpio takes place on 9 November 2026 at 08:02 Paris time, at 16° of the sign. It opens a lunar cycle that peaks with the full moon in Gemini on 24 November.
What should I do during the new moon in Scorpio?
It’s a good moment to set an intention that touches on what really matters: transforming a habit, opening up a deep conversation, clarifying a relationship or a shared money matter. One precise intention works better than several scattered projects.
When do Mercury and Venus turn direct in November 2026?
Mercury turns direct on 13 November 2026 at 5° Scorpio, and Venus on 14 November at 22° Libra. These two stations, just after the new moon, mark things starting to move again in communication and relationships.