New Moon in Sagittarius Saturday, December 1, 2005 7:01am PST 9º 31"

Sagittarius represents idealism, faith, enthusiasm, the quest for meaning, and a generosity of spirit. These are the qualities one needs to get through this darkest time of the year when the days shorten, the nights lengthen, and all becomes dark and cold. Even the slanting sun shines with a brightness that is tentative and not quite warming enough. As the earth retreats into its annual death cycle, so must we also turn within, and seek the wisdom of the dark time. This darkness calls out to our souls, asking us to face the fallibility of human life and its connection to the death of all things in the natural world. Mortality, something we fear and deny more than anything else in life, shows us our inate connection with all things in nature; we are, after all, just another species. To negate this fact, humans reach far beyond this stark reality to create the Sagittarian endeavors of religion, science, and grand philosophies of beingness, that exist outside the realm of the natural world.

This is the time of year when we move our activities indoors, creating more time to contemplate the deeper meaning of life. Most of us live over-committed, complicated lives, with guilt and/or income-generation as our primary motivator. Though we have precious little time in our current incarnation, it is still hard to say no to work, family or group activities that we don't find personally meaningful. There are so many "shoulds" planning our daily schedule. This is the New Moon to work on the shoulds and guilt trips that keep us from questioning what we are expected to do.

Sagittarius demands that each of us consider the profound impact of focusing our energies only on activities that enliven our search for deeper meaning. The grand trine between Sun/Moon (self identity and emotional needs) in Sagittarius (faith, hope, inspiration, meaning, joy) Saturn (responsibility) in Leo (creative self-expression) and North Node (our growing edge) in Aries (adventure, spontaneity, fun, childlike wonder), can heighten our ability to find our true calling: that which finds its source in inspiration, gifting and joyfulness. Think of your job. For many people, the work they do for money is not the work they do for spiritual enlivenment. We are told from a young age that we cannot support ourselves doing work we love, especially if that work is artistic and/or spiritual. This is a great day to do ritual about revisioning your beliefs about work. Use this time to reconsider how to be generous with your time and love, while figuring out a way to fill your life with work and activities that feed your spirit.

This means turning off your TV and tuning into the broadcast channel of existence. This particular part of the Sagittarian spectrum is all about questioning, postulating, and reaching for universal truths that exist outside the boundaries of spiritual/academic dogma and rhetoric. Isn't it interesting that over on the other end of the Sagittarian spectrum are the religious, political, economic, and educational institutions telling us what to believe, what to think, what to do and how to act. This is the paradox of Sagittarius: it seeks meaning, finds what it thinks is the truth, institutionalizes that truth for the masses, and then uses all its energy to stop adherents from searching for deeper truth and meaning.

This is the New Moon to revolt against the controlling, small-minded institutional part of the Sagittarian spectrum. This New Moon in Sagittarius energizes our quest for real knowledge and truth. With Pluto/Sun/Moon in Sagittarius and Jupiter/Mercury in Scorpio we have an invitation to strip away denial and honestly look at our own shadow side from a depth psychological perspective. Look at what you hate outside of yourself, and then look within to find where it lives within you. That is your shadow; the projection onto external reality of the darkness that lives within you. Remind yourself that you have the power to find your own truth, by looking inward with a truthful eye. Pluto/Moon in Sagittarius and Mercury/Jupiter in Scorpio help us to be more intuitive and brutally honest in our search for spirit. Find out what house Sagittarius rules in your own natal chart and you will know what part of your beliefs need to be overhauled on this New Moon.

Truth and meaning don't live somewhere far away. It is not in heaven, it is not in the words of some channeler, it is not in your guru, it is not in your church, it is not in your school, it is not in your therapist, it is not in your psychic, tarot card reader or astrologer, it is not in your government, it is not in your guides, angels, or other disembodied entities you have chosen to give away your power. The Earth is speaking to you, every minute of every day! The answers you seek are in the wind, the movement of the waves, in the activity in a bee hive or an ant hill, in the intelligence that moves the stars and planets, in the storms and earthquakes, in the songs of birds, in the howl of a wolf, in the grace of a deer, in the smile of your child/spouse/parent/friend, in the sensual embrace of your lover, in the flowing water of a river, in the shape of a cloud, in the cosmic music of the shimmering particles and waves that make up our universe! Go outside, be in nature and tune in to the teachings of Mother Earth. Get your ego out of spirit's way and open yourself to listening deeply to the existent wisdom of our world. Accepting the animal part of humanity as a source of knowledge will help bring harmony, peace and generosity back to our deadened species. This is why Sagittarius is a Centaur: half animal, half human. Think about it, it will make sense to you!

This New Moon is the right time to initiate a new quest for spiritual knowledge. Is your spiritual path ready for an overhaul? Have you been doing the same practice day in and day out without questioning its effectiveness? Take stock and question your current beliefs, whatever they may be. Be open. Sagittarius seeks knowledge from cultures and spiritual traditions that exist all around the globe. Don't concentrate solely on seeking an intellectual understanding of spirituality through written or spoken words. If you haven't tried to do a ritual yet, this is New Moon to start. Just open up and listen, you will know exactly what to do. Let the Dark Moon of the psyche join with the bright Sun of the ego, and dive deeply into the transformative numinous truths of existence!