Spring path in Amayé-sur-Orne, Normandy (France);
photo by Roi Dagobert, April 2014.

New Moon @ 00 Sagittarius 07'

November 22, 2014

7:32 AM Eastern

4:32 AM Pacific

Take a deep breath, seriously. Take a moment out of your potentially busy day and just breathe for a minute. Close your eyes. Turn it into a meditation or whatever. Allow yourself to feel what that does to your body—how it immediately releases stress and tension. Yes, this New Moon is like that—a breath of fresh air permeating your lungs and entire body. You see, we’ve been in the trenches for quite some time, especially these past several weeks, months, or what may have felt like years. It’s been intense to say the least.

Much of that has had to do with Saturn’s transit through Scorpio—a sign that gets a bad rap which I seem to be potentiating here. No sign is inherently bad in astrology—though some combinations of signs and planets have a certain “negative” feel and are more difficult to integrate. With Saturn in Scorpio, we feel a sense of immense challenge and uncertainty. Okay, let’s face it; this transit has been, for many of us, like slogging through hell with no end in sight; though hopefully you’ve come out a “better”, more integrated person. Hopefully, you’re more aware of the dark side and wiser for it.

Knowledge is a really important thing. Scorpio is not a sign we associate with knowledge, but it is a sign that encourages an awareness of the “dark side” of reality, of the world and of ourselves. That awareness leads us to knowledge—which we must make the effort to seek ourselves. Saturn moving through this dark and secretive sign gave us that impetus to probe those places that make us uncomfortable, perhaps a little queasy even. Saturn pushes us to make the effort—to push ourselves to make things happen, to make things real, to face reality no matter how painful or scary it is.

This month’s New Moon occurs at the entry of tropical Sagittarius—a quixotic sign that seeks new horizons--physically, mentally and psychically. The “newness” of this New Moon finds itself at the fresh start of Sagittarius, the critical point of transition from the preceding sign of Scorpio and, in a way, it symbolizes a preview of coming attractions. Saturn is still in Scorpio, but in case you haven’t heard it’s about to dip into Sagittarius come December; though it will retrograde back into Scorpio once more before fully committing to its new journey in September 2015, but that subtle shift, that first foot in new territory is enough to get us excited about what’s coming next.

This New Moon packs quite a punch for it redirects us from what may feel like a suffocating bind to something else, something larger—to new possibilities and potentials. I’m getting pretty excited just thinking about it. I can feel the dawn of a new day coming—new vistas expanding, the spaciousness of infinite possibilities. Feel that in your body—that opening, that awakening, that feeling of weightlessness and levitation--new worlds, cultures, experiences, galaxies; that is the Sagittarian directive.

Maybe I’m being a little optimistic here—just a little, but that’s kind of the deal with Sagittarius. Besides, optimism is what gets most of us out of bed each morning. It’s perfectly necessary and it’s perfectly healthy to embrace it in moderation. Jupiter, the planet we associate with Saggy, is quite literally the god of optimism and happy-go-lucky attitudes galore. It’s a planet that just can’t say no for good or ill. Sagittarius takes on a bit of that positivism which elevates consciousness beyond the mundane and depressing truths of life’s existence.

Sagittarius is also a sign we associate with truth—though that truth differs from Scorpionic truths—less raw and disturbing and a little more gilded. Sagittarius seeks the “higher truth”, platonic truths that transcend mere logical conclusions about reality. Sagittarius is both the remedy and the root of existential despair. If we work with this sign correctly, we have restored our faith in the fact that life has meaning, purpose and design.

Astrology is an amazing tool that reveals this fact, but in reality, meaning is something we must create and strive for. Saturn through Sagittarius will certainly assist us with this. We are not born with a purpose, but rather we are born with a potential. Life is not inherently meaningful by itself. We give it meaning; as we reach for our potential, our purpose is solidified and becomes something tangible and real and as the old platitude goes: God helps those who help themselves. There is much truth in that statement.

No one is inherently special or significant in the larger scheme of things. Nature prefers to keep all options open and available. An oak tree drops a heck of a lot of acorns with the hope that at least a few will one day reach their potential destiny. Our specialness comes from what we do with our talents and abilities, how we use them and how well we develop ourselves. That takes a certain level of consciousness, intention and ambition.

Saturn’s entry into Sagittarius also coincides with the activation of the mutable signs. Saturn, Jupiter and Neptune will form a t-square next year, introducing this mutable energy to the collective psyche. That is quite a shift from the cardinal emphasis we’ve been experiencing with the Uranus/Pluto square. Cardinal energy is about initiative and action. Mutable energy emphasizes change, transition and adaptation—more on this to come.

Venus widely conjoins this New Moon and Neptune makes a square aspect from Pisces. Yes, this lends well to optimism, to restoring hope, faith and coming to peace with the world in some way. Though, let’s not be naive here. Let’s not assume that anything is handed to us without considerable effort on our part and some form of energetic compensation. Sometimes hard lessons and challenging life experiences are the only way to restore our faith in the universe.

Let this New Moon inspire you in some way. Allow these energies to restore your vision and direct you further upon your personal, spiritual quest, but remember that if we wish to live truthfully and authentically we must make the effort. If we wish to transcend the illusions that surround us, we must choose to see beyond them and ask some hard questions. Assuming that every magical synchronicity is some kind of divine affirmation of your specialness is a sure sign that you may be courting disaster.

Your destiny is not some preordained destination at the end of some linear path. Your destiny, while conforming to the archetypal dimensions described in the sky, has a multitude of possible expressions. Sagittarius reminds us of this—that the universe is filled with infinite potentialities. The challenge is which one to choose. That’s a little scary, isn’t it? You have a choice, and each decision will take you on an entirely different path. Each choice is unique and yet symbolically similar. In the end, the choice is always yours. Choose wisely.

“All paths are the same: they lead nowhere. ... Does this path have a heart? If it does, the path is good; if it doesn't, it is of no use. Both paths lead nowhere; but one has a heart, the other doesn't. One makes for a joyful journey; as long as you follow it, you are one with it. The other will make you curse your life. One makes you strong; the other weakens you.”

― Carlos Castaneda, The Teachings of Don Juan: A Yaqui Way of Knowledge

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