Every time the sun changes sign there is a palpable shift in energy. It’s much like shifting the light of a flashlight from one object to the next. On Saturday, November 22nd the sun will ingress from the dark, mysterious depths of Scorpio into the free-wheeling fire sign of Sagittarius. A couple of hours later, at 7:32 am, the moon will conjoin the sun there giving us this month’s new moon.
Sagittarius is a mutable sign meaning that it shakes loose one energy in preparation for the next. It’s a sign in between seasons. It’s no longer fall but it’s not quite winter. Mutable signs want to move things about. They were also called double-bodied signs and with Sadge this is quite literal. Half-horse-half-human, the symbol for this sign is a centaur and thereforemoves in multiple ways. The half that is horse has stamina for days. Perhaps we could say that there is a mad dash kind of quality to the sign. Rushing through the details, Sagittarius might rely on over-exaggerations to make its point. Try telling a thoroughbred to go slow. Try telling an archer not to shoot. Try telling a Sagittarius to calm down.
Sagittarius has an insatiable appetite for knowledge, a great desire to roam, a yearning to grow, expand, open, excite, inspire, ignite and generously share its philosophies. The sign is magnanimous, hopeful and wants nothing more than to seek out wisdom. Something wonderful is always waiting just round the bend which is why this sign is happiest out on the open road.
Sagittarius usually vacillates between being excited and very excited. There’s a subtle aggression to this state of being. This sign can be obsessed with seeing the bright side, achieving enlightenment and living beyond human restraints. Ramblin’ fever can run deep. But in the end it doesn’t matter where we travel to or what adventures we are on if we haven’t become a better person for it. That’s why in its evolution Sagittarius the traveller wanders deep to become Sagittarius the philosopher. The one who can journey within. The one who knows that we can be the most, biggest, bestest achiever that there ever was but if we don’t feel love for ourselves in the moments in between the accolades or in the moment of our accusation then nothing that we seek and no amount of roaming we do can ever give us solace. The one who knows that existential angst is a part of the process of being a human. The one that knows that a thrill is fleeting but that wisdom serves us for a lifetime.
This new moon is met with a square from Chiron (another centaur, stationing direct just after the new moon) and Neptune, both in Pisces. Chiron is the wounded healer and a teacher’s teacher in Greek mythology. It’s a minor planet that seems to open up great pathways for addressing our wounds so that we may learn from them. Neptune is dreamy, psychic, creative and a pioneer. Venus is also still in Sagittarius, traveling close to the sun and helping the focus stay on relationship, partnering and intimacy (though in Sadge, relationships tend to need more breathing room, variety and adventure).
A new moon in Sagittarius ask where are you going? What are you learning? Is it making you a wiser, kinder person? Neptune reminds us that we have the power to dream a new way of being into existence. Chiron wants to know how we are healing.
The whole combination wants to know: Where are we going as a culture, as a world, as a people? What is our vision for the future? What do we stand for? With an earth that is being sucked dry of its resources at an alarming rate, what does our journey mean if it isn’t connected to healing, rejuvenating and restoring balance?
You can use this new moon to stretch your legs (Sadge rules them), get on your horse (or equivalent), and dive fearlessly into a grand new adventure. You can use this new moon to make a vision board of the dreams that you hold for your life, all the places you wish to visit (both inner and outer) and what you wish to see come to fruition. You can also use this new moon to see where your greatest desire intersects with the world’s greatest need and then move steadily in that direction.
After the intensity of this past Scorpio season we may all be needing a little bit of room to roam, to air ourselves out, to see life through fresh eyes, but when our journey isn’t tied to some deeper meaning we are often left spent without much to show for it. Freedom isn’t free. Every journey has it’s cost and its benefit. Our job is to see if our journey is moving us toward awakening or if we are just gathering speed.
Happy new moon roaming,
Chani