The symbol for Sagittarius on top of a starry night sky.

Astrology with Alice: Get ready for the dark side of Sagittarius

November is gonna be an intense month, so let's look to the stars for some guidance

With the upcoming election and Mercury retrograde in Sagittarius, November is gonna be a doozy.

Photo illustration by Ryan Quan

Words by Alice Smith

Astrology with Alice: Welcome to Astrology with Alice, a monthly astrology column aimed at helping readers understand the vibes of the month ahead in plain English. As a Taiwanese immigrant who grew up in Los Angeles, I specialize in combining western astrology with eastern philosophy. I’ve taught modern astrology through the lens of Buddhism and Taoism, and I also draw from the principles of traditional Chinese medicine. Knowing the movements of the planets can help us make decisions around our careers, relationships, family. As the planets move around in the sky, they shift the energetic vibes we experience on Earth, and I believe in flowing with energy instead of fighting it—to work smarter, not harder. So join me on our monthly planetary lowdowns and learn how you, too, can ride the cosmic waves!


We don’t need astrology to tell us that November will be intense. With a divisive U.S. presidential election, many people are going to be upset regardless of who wins. However, astrology has something interesting to say about this time, and the lesson we’re meant to derive from this experience.

Mercury is going retrograde again at the end of the month, from Nov. 25 to Dec. 15. The planet does this about three times a year, but this is the first time it’s happening in the sign of Sagittarius since 2018. And when I look at this particular retrograde happening at this particular time, I see a spiritual lesson in it for all of us.

As a Buddhist astrologer, I’ve always read birth charts as not only a profile of a person’s personality, but also as a blueprint for their soul’s ongoing evolution. I see the planets through a Buddhist lens and as energies that represent Buddhist concepts. For example, the sun represents the illusion of the ego and its sign and placement in a chart, to me, represents the projection of what the soul has deemed as its “self.”

In Buddhism, there’s a concept of the “Three Poisons,” which consist of ignorance, attachment, and anger. They’re called poisons because they cause suffering, but ignorance holds a special place among the three because it’s the primary poison that leads to the other two. And when it comes to a planet that I might assign to ignorance, it’s got to be Mercury.

Mercury rules the mind, perception, and communication. Too often, we reduce Mercury to minor things like appliance breakdowns and travel snafus. However, Mercury as the ruler of the mind also represents ignorance and wisdom. In a birth chart, Mercury can tell us what a person’s flavor of ignorance might be, as well as their path towards developing wisdom, which is the antidote to ignorance. Mercury delivers the antidote through its curious drive, hunger for knowledge, and belief that it will never know everything, which we see reflected in Gemini’s ever-curious desire to learn and question, as well as Virgo’s humility. (Gemini and Virgo are both ruled by Mercury.) 

Ignorance is also about the active mis-knowing that we engage in to protect our egos. We see the world a certain way because it suits us and because it feels safe.

Therefore, if we can tap into our natural curiosity and humility, we can actually dispel our ignorance—and retrograde periods are all about facing our ignorance. But to understand the deep meaning of these retrograde periods, we need to clarify what we mean by ignorance. It’s deeper than simply not knowing something—ignorance is also about the active mis-knowing that we engage in to protect our egos. We see the world a certain way because it suits us and because it feels safe. There is a close relationship between mind and ego, and we see it in the symbolic closeness of Mercury to the sun. Mercury’s the closest planet to the sun, so what happens in a birth chart is that Mercury never strays far enough away from the sun to actually challenge it with a tense angle. (Take a look at your own chart and you’ll see that your Mercury sign is in either the same sign as your sun, or in the sign immediately before or after—it’s never far from the sun.)

The dress debate through an astrological lens

Ignorance also speaks to our errors in perception. And by that, I mean the subconscious mental processes that make assumptions for us without our even knowing it. A great example of this was, as per Wikipedia, “the online viral phenomenon” of the Tumblr dress back in 2015. A netizen took a photo of a dress that a woman was thinking of wearing to a wedding, but when she shared the photo, people were divided between whether it was a white dress with gold trim or a blue dress with black trim. And since there’s a big difference between white and gold versus blue and black, people were shocked by those who saw it so differently from them. 

I personally recall initially seeing it as a white and gold dress. I could not believe it could be anything other than that. There was clearly something wrong with the people who saw a blue dress. I was sure of it until I woke up the next morning and the photo of the dress was still on my phone, and I magically saw the blue and black dress. Science eventually explained the phenomenon. The dress was photographed under extremely bright conditions, so the deep blue and black colors were overexposed to the point that they were similar to what a white and gold dress might look like under very dim lighting. Therefore, upon seeing the photo, our brains have to make a call—is this a blue and black dress under bright light or is it a white and gold dress in the dark? If your subconscious mind decides that it’s bright, then you see a blue and black dress. If your mind decides that it’s dim, then you see a white and gold dress.

The force that made that snap decision is your Mercury energy. So when we say that Mercury rules the mind, it also includes your subconscious mind, which is always working in the background, processing and ordering our perceptions before they pass through to the conscious mind. And addressing errors in our subconscious processing takes a lot of work. Not to belabor the issue of the dress, but I still see both versions of the dress to this day. I default to seeing a white dress, but if I concentrate and convince my mind that it’s not a dimly lit dress, that it’s an overexposed dress in a bright setting, I can shift to seeing the blue and black version. It takes effort, however, to override the initial, subconscious assumption. And the same goes with our perceptions and assumptions about everything in life. Whether it’s about politics, religion, money, family, friends, or happiness, everything we think we perceive has been processed by our Mercury energy, much to our unawareness. 

So saying Mercury represents our ignorance means that our perception is imperfect and our truth is subjective. However, since it also represents wisdom, it also represents the path to broadening our perception to make room for something that’s more aligned and healthy. As mentioned earlier, the medicine of Mercury is its curiosity. Going back to the Tumblr dress, a rigid reaction would be refusing to believe that other people saw something different, whereas a healthy Mercury reaction would be getting curious and wondering how they could have seen something different. Mercury’s medicine often takes the form of questions that include the words “how” and “why.”

When Mercury goes retrograde, it’s also a time to address our ignorance and our fundamental perception errors.

So how do we tap into the medicine of Mercury? That’s where the retrogrades come in. I’ve talked about how Mercury retrograde periods are times when we should do what I call the Three R’s—reassess, reevaluate, and reconsider. They’re also times when we enter liminal space, which is a time when we leave linear thinking and enter into more spiralic thinking that’s more experiential and focused on the inner landscape. But now that we understand Mercury’s function over the mind, I can add another thing to the list—when Mercury goes retrograde, it’s also a time to address our ignorance and our fundamental perception errors. And the sign that it goes retrograde in will give us hints as to what sort of perception errors we’re needing to address.

The dark side of Sagittarius

Mercury goes retrograde Nov. 25, and I find it interesting that it’s doing so after the elections and in the sign of Sagittarius. Sagittarius is a beautiful fire sign that’s the sign of learning, travel, and beliefs (which is why it’s also associated with law and religion, because they’re based on our beliefs).

And now for the dark side of Sagittarius.

The shadow side of Sagittarius is a tendency for dogmatism. Read the following and you’ll hear the voice of dogmatic Sagittarius energy:

I know what I know and you can’t tell me any different.

Because the [insert religious book or codified set of laws here] says so.

If you don’t like it, you can go back where you came from. 

There’s nothing you can say that will change my mind.

Those are just my opinions, and I don’t have to explain them.

Mercury is a naturally curious planet that wants to know a lot of things, and when planets retrograde, they stay extra long in a sign because they retrace their steps in that sign, which means that Mercury is having an extended stay in Sagittarius. This means that Mercury going retrograde in Sagittarius is an invitation for us to apply the medicine of curiosity and open-mindedness to the areas of life where we’ve developed a dogmatic attitude. Wherever our opinions are exceptionally rigid, this retrograde wants us to do the uncomfortable-but-necessary work of breaking up some of those calcified views.

And how appropriate is it that this is happening after the election?

So, during this Mercury retrograde period from Nov. 25 to Dec. 15, try to make time to do this work. Consider some of these questions for journaling or meditation:

Where in my life does my rigidity live? Even if I believe it’s for the greater good, where am I not receptive to push back? Under what circumstances am I least open to other opinions?

How do I respond to challenging feedback that contradicts my status quo thinking? Do I contract into defensiveness? Do I respond with curiosity?

What part of me feels threatened when my worldview is questioned? And why? Is there something else at play, like fear?

What can I do to open up more when I feel guarded and resistant to outside voices? Is there something I can do more to encourage openness, or is there something I can do less of so as to not trigger my defensiveness?

What does the safe sharing of opinions look like for me, and how can I make that happen?

Each sign will also experience the Mercury retrograde in a different area of life. Everything we’ve discussed so far applies to everybody, but take a look at the list below to see where you’re being invited to reassess your beliefs.

The astrological sign for aries.Aries

Your beliefs themselves are being put under the microscope. The ways in which you make sense of the world are being challenged, which is a good thing for personal and spiritual growth. And since this retrograde is landing in a house related to travel for you, I would recommend not traveling if you don’t need to. But if you have to travel, buy travel insurance, make analog copies of your itinerary, and give yourself enough time to make your connections. (Remember: plenty of people travel during Mercury retrograde and they’re just fine. Don’t freak out if you have to travel.)

The astrological sign for taurusTaurus

You’ll question your beliefs around how you establish safety and security in your world. This will open up lines of inquiry into your relationships as well as your income (because those are two things that often affect how safe and secure we feel). This retrograde will invite you on a cave-exploring journey into your own inner world to illuminate things that have been affecting your ability to feel safe and comfortable in your life.

The astrological sign for geminiGemini

Gemini is one of the signs that will feel the foggy effects of this retrograde the most (the other signs being Virgo, Sagittarius, and Pisces), so definitely check out my previous Mercury retrograde article that covers best practices during this period. This retrograde is landing in your relationship house, so don’t be surprised if exes pop out of the woodwork or you find yourself frequenting memory lane. It’s not a sign to get back with an old flame though (but who am I to stop you?)—there are just some more lessons to unearth from those relationships. 

The astrological sign for cancer.Cancer

You’re invited to reflect on your health and wellness. Are you being a good caretaker and steward of your physical temple? Work comes into play here, as well. How is your daily schedule affecting your well-being, and is that sustainable?

The astrological sign for leo.Leo

Your inner child has been trying to get your attention for a while, and this Mercury retrograde is the time to answer that call. Rest, play, and pleasure can be spiritual practices, too, and this retrograde wants you to realize that. And here’s the hard part—it wants you to consider the ways you can make time for rest and play in your daily life.

The astrological sign for virgo.Virgo

Since you’re one of the four signs—Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, Pisces—that are more sensitive to this retrograde, please take a moment to review best practices from a previous Mercury retrograde article. For this cycle, you’re being invited to reevaluate your beliefs around home and family. Is there an equitable exchange of support at home? Or maybe you’re reconsidering what family can look like?

The astrological sign for libra.Libra

Journaling during this retrograde is highly recommended for you, because this Mercury retrograde is all about letting the thoughts and ideas flow from your inner wisdom. I also recommend staying put as much as you can, because travel mishaps are more likely (but not guaranteed, so don’t freak out). Also, do the usual sensible things to ensure safe travel, like making sure your car tabs are current, not lapsing on your roadside assistance, making sure your tires have enough air as the weather cools, and giving yourself enough time to commute.

The astrological sign for scorpio.Scorpio

This Mercury retrograde invites you to reevaluate your relationship to your money and assets. Oftentimes, this will dredge up feelings around what you do for a living, but it’ll mostly highlight issues around self-worth. This retrograde period wants you to explore and question the ways in which you’ve possibly tied your worth to your money, job, and things.

The astrological sign for sagittarius.Sagittarius

Mercury is going retrograde in your own home sign, so that means you’re going to feel Mercury going widdershins most acutely. So, along with Gemini, Virgo, and Pisces, please take a moment to review my Mercury retrograde best practices from the archives. More importantly, this is a time for you to question and review all your beliefs around yourself and how you show up in the world. This energy is all about seeing all the things “wrong” with your world and asking yourself if it really is wrong. And why is it wrong? What have you based your definition of wrongness upon? It might feel uncomfortable, but it’s an opportunity to recalibrate and realign.

The astrological sign for capricorn.Capricorn

When Mercury goes retrograde in your house of dreams, it means Mercury is asking you to reconsider all of your subconscious beliefs. This entire column was written for you, basically—especially the part about the dress. This period of time offers a powerful opportunity for you to address subconscious processing that’s usually so difficult to identify.

The astrological sign for aquarius.Aquarius

This retrograde is happening in your house of community, so you’re reassessing your position in your friend group and social group. Are you still a good fit for them? Are they still a good fit for you? More importantly, the house of community is also the house of long-term goals, so you might feel the urge to pull a shelved plan off of the mental shelf and revisit a dream of the future.

The astrological sign for pisces.Pisces

Along with Gemini, Virgo, and Sagittarius, you will feel this retrograde stronger, so please review the Mercury retrograde best practices that I went over in an older article. This retrograde is a time for you to mull over your career and whether or not it’s meaningful. Do you like what you’ve become? And since this Mercury retrograde is happening in your house of career, I’m not a fan of the idea of you launching your business during this time. (You might also want to hold off on big business launches until March, actually, because—spoiler alert—Mars will retrograde from December to March and things will have a harder time taking off under Mars retrogrades.)

Published on October 28, 2024

Words by Alice Smith

Alice Smith has loved astrology ever since she read her first horoscope as a kid. She’s a certified, professional astrologer who reads birth charts for clients all over the world and has spoken at events throughout the Pacific Northwest. Alice learned to write horoscopes from her mentor Rebecca Gordon who was herself mentored by the grande dame of horoscope writing, Susan Miller. Alice has a degree in sociology from the University of Washington and is (too) obsessed with her “Furgo” (furry Virgo) cat, whose birth chart she often interprets on social media.

Art by Ryan Quan

Ryan Quan is the Social Media Editor for JoySauce. This queer, half-Chinese, half-Filipino writer and graphic designer loves everything related to music, creative nonfiction, and art. Based in Brooklyn, he spends most of his time dancing to hyperpop and accidentally falling asleep on the subway. Follow him on Instagram at @ryanquans.