The dark and long (preternaturally long) lunation cycle of Scorpio finally ends on November 29th, 2016 with a New Moon in the sign of Sagittarius. This particular New Moon will be a nice change, infusing this upcoming month with the centaur’s quest for true faith, where the mind and the heart unite in a state of openness and peace.
Upon the quest for true faith, Sagittarius is not always a sublimely happy sign as many cliches would have you believe. As I said last week, in order to know faith and optimism, you must contend with your fears that life may indeed be nothing but a senseless terror.
But despite the many threats therein, the journey of Sagittarius does bring a soaring sense of expansion, undeniably euphoric to anyone who enjoys a little adventure. Sagittarius is propelled by both frivolous wanderlust and Pentacostal passion. Whether foolish, manic, or wise, it is always in great earnest that Sagittarius seeks the extraordinary!
I feel so extraordinary
Something’s got a hold on me
I get this feeling I’m in motion
A sudden sense of liberty
With such a passion for the idea of finding faith, the Sagittarian spirit is one that ignites the quest for knowledge and pushes human consciousness to reach for all that lies beyond the beyond. But on any genuine quest for meaning in this world, your naivete and many of your dearly beloved beliefs are doomed to be destroyed.
The chances are we’ve gone too far
You took my time and you took my money
Now I fear you’ve left me standing
In a world that’s so demanding
A long endured confrontation with delusion and ignorance is the only path to wisdom, but thankfully Sagittarius has a real penchant for this kind of work. At this New Moon, expect a great renewal of your faith which comes only after you willingly sacrifice some rigid beliefs that impede your growth. This is much easier said than done, but at this New Moon you will more readily envision the coming of a golden dawn!
Astronomically, the New Moon refers to the midpoint of the Dark Moon, the time when the Moon is transitioning from waning into waxing. In other words,as the Moon’s light wanes into complete darkness, the New Moon represents the moment that heralds the light’s return.
I used to think that the day would never come
I’d see delight in the shade of the morning sun
In the modern world, the poetic drama of the Moon cycle is too easily ignored, where the visions of the night sky have become an afterthought at best. But every month, the Dark Moon nights emote a pregnant pause, a protracted moment of silence. And just as music is born from silence, so too is the New Moon’s first sliver of light born from darkness.
This period of transition between Moon phases is the most magically potent time of the month, for it is a period of psychic integration and preparation for a new cycle of creative energy.
Astrological wisdom offers the understanding that if our minds are like gardens, then we must weed and plant and nurture at appropriate times. Thus, New Moons are the appropriate time to refresh your sense of possibility, and plant seeds of love, hope and desire.
With the detritus of Scorpio season now cleared away, the grandiose visions of Sagittarius often usher in a jubilant feeling of hope. (even for the hopeless) These sensations are often identified as the holiday spirit, that flickering flame of warmth, generosity, and love
My morning sun is the drug that brings me near
To the childhood I lost, replaced by fear
But for many, the holiday spirit brings about an existential crisis. For those not able to let go of mourning the past, feelings of loneliness and loss descend. If this describes you, please seek good company and healing this season. Also, know that this New Moon might be a particularly powerful moment to rediscover an inner light that carries you forward with comfort and joy.
I used to think that the day would never come
That my life would depend on the morning sun
This New Moon in Sagittarius will be squared to Neptune in Pisces and the nodal axis. Neptune conjunct the South Node in Pisces will call you to be struck by a wave of reminiscence. This may be very disorienting, depending on the weight of the emotions that are evoked.
When I was a very small boy
Very small boys talked to me
Now that we’ve grown up together
They’re afraid of what they see
The Moon’s square with the South Node in Pisces (past patterns) will reveal to you through a litany of memories how many weak-willed habits you have accumulated throughout your life.
Because Sagittarius seeks wisdom, the darkest of these revelations may concern where you have clung to beliefs out of fear rather than true faith.
That’s the price that we all pay
And the value of destiny comes to nothing
The New Moon’s T-square with the nodal axis will enable you to see that the past and future only exist as imaginings which occur in the eternal present. At this New Moon, you may set a powerful intention to experience your life story as an expression of your imagination’s full potential. Acknowledge that your destiny is the music that you forever compose for yourself.
If you feel chained to a habitual narrative of misery, ask yourself where you may have become habituated to a negating practice or ideology. How has this debilitated your spiritual growth?
I don’t care ’cause I’m not there
And I don’t care if I’m here tomorrow
Keep nothing safe from this deep philosophical inquiry. Anything that is worthy of your devotion will be able to stand up to your questioning. Anything that can’t should be marked for dissolution.
Again and again I’ve taken too much
Of the things that cost you too much
Because the Sun and Moon will be in a hard aspect with Neptune, the Sagittarian desire to be guided by high hopes and faith will be extremely vulnerable to subversion and delusion. Both your willpower (Sun) and your intuition (Moon) will be more open to manipulation. Be wary of intoxication of any kind, as your defenses against deception and coercion will be weakened.
Even without added intoxicants, limiting your exposure to situations featuring manipulation tactics and mob mentality is a good idea. (i.e. meetings with free lunches, rallies, and of course, social media.)
When under duress, the direction of Sagittarius’ can easily shift from curious into dogmatic and from true faith into nihilism. During this time of political turmoil, it is time to fully embrace the truth that you must be your own champion and your own savior.
Despite the penchant for delusion that this New Moon may bring, you will not be left defenseless. There is a great amount of strength to draw upon coming from Jupiter, the ruler of Sagittarius.
Saturn in Sagittarius will be sextiled to Jupiter in Libra, inspiring you to create new order in your life, which is harmonious and beautiful. If you take some time to breathe the essence of prosperity, wisdom, and love into that new order, the improved architecture of your inner world will begin to be reflected in the outer world.
And Mars in Aquarius will be sextiled to Jupiter in Libra, arming you with some intellectual razors and a cunning sense of good timing.
During this season, as winter approaches in the Northern hemisphere, the New Moon in Sagittarius arrives to birth faith in the human soul and its vast potential. The optimism that faith provides can not actually be called foolish when you consider the alternative.
Optimism is open to possibility. Pessimism is not. Therefore, only an optimist can solve problems. And a pessimist just curses themselves and others.
I feel so extraordinary
Something’s got a hold on me
So no matter what problems you have in your life or what you may perceive to be wrong with the world, there are no good reasons to reject faith in the potential for healing, transformation or expansion.
I used to think that the day would never come
I’d see delight in the shade of the morning sun
It is only by finding the strength to be an optimist, even in the face of overwhelming sorrow, that your cause be furthered.
Take the story behind New Order as a great example. Originally all the members were in a band called Joy Division,which had enjoyed some success until the tragic suicide of their frontman Ian Curtis. After his death, the remaining members changed direction. Regarding this major transition, Bernard Sumner was quoted as saying,
“Our music had become so incredibly dark and cold, we couldn’t really get any darker or colder,” he says. “I remember quite clearly sitting in a club in New York one night, around three or four o’clock in the morning, and thinking how great it would be if we made music, electronic music, that could be played in one of these clubs.”
So the one of the most critically acclaimed and innovative bands of the 1980’s would never have existed if the bandmembers had allowed the great tragedy of the end of Joy Division to halt their musical and artistic development.
In fact, it would appear that they integrated that pain into their experience, allowed the wisdom it brought to expand them, and thus their musical repertoire and influence rose immeasurably. They had faith in their art and they remained optimistic, despite the pain.
This is how people climb to success. This is how lasting political changes are pushed. This is how all great discoveries are made!
Though the world seems crazy, it would still be wise to use this season of Sagittarius to enchant for optimism! There is much to be said about keeping hearts and minds open to positive developments!
I can’t tell you where we’re going
I guess there was just no way of knowing
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Show Comments (2)
Iago Pereira
Thanks for the article. However, I would consider New Moons not a seed-planting time, but a time of introspection and silence. Setting of intentions, astrologically speaking, is more adequated when the Moon gathers back a little light and moves away from the Sun. When Moon and Sun are too close, she is considered to be combust (an extreme affliction).
Camelia Elias, tarotmancer extraordinaire, has written a blog post on this regard:
https://taroflexions.wordpress.com/2016/08/04/new-moon-magic/
Rachel
Considering how rapidly the Moon moves (one degree per hour) the Moon and the Sun are combust only briefly. Every hour thereafter represents a growing momentum of energy.
If you prefer to wait 24 hours to launch your intention, then that is great, but the zodiacal sign that the Moon is in may change by then. When working with the Moon in relation to one’s own natal chart, it is important to acknowledge what polarities are being illuminated by the current lunation cycle. There is a reason why I advise working with the characteristics and attributes of the sign that the Moon is actually “new” in.