8:21 pm, 11/30/24 AHST, 

10:21pm 11/30/24 PST

 1:21 pm 12/01/24 EST

 6:21 pm 12/01/24 GMT

With this New Moon, we are moving from water to fire, from the depths of emotionality and deep feeling of Scorpio, to the very last fire sign of the zodiac. We won’t experience another month with the Sun in a fire sign until Spring Equinox, when it moves into Aries. Fire is the element of action, of moving ahead, and also as Carl Jung described it, the element that governs intuition.

In this New Moon chart, things are a bit topsy-turvy, with lots of energies that are in opposition to each other. The Sun and Moon are in the sign Sagittarius but are also in opposition (180˚) to Sag’s ruling planet, Jupiter, which has been retrograde since October 9^th. Since Jupiter is opposite the sign it rules, when in it’s Gemini it’s thought of as being in its “detriment” in astrological terms. This means that the expansive broad-thinking tendency of Jupiter’s natural energy is limited in Gemini’s more intellectual orientation, and thus less integrated in experience, more bound by rules, opinions and thoughts, rather than the fire of intuitive action from beliefs.

Mercury, too, has just gone retrograde in Sagittarius, and is opposite to its ruling sign of Gemini, again thought of as being in “detriment.” When Mercury is in Gemini it loves to research and find out the facts and details. But now, while in Sagittarius and retro, realistic thinking is not so much favored during this Moon cycle. Though there is still the expansive impulse, its viewpoint is less anchored in feeling and more in thought. And given the times we are in, the influences here are more toward a combination of bloviation and rigid thinking, a recipe for tyrannical and oppressive actions on the part of those in power. For the rest of us, it may influence us to generalize and globalize our dissatisfactions, and possibly space out on the details of our present moment reality.

Sagittarius, ruled by optimistic and expansive Jupiter, is ideally concerned with the greater good of society, with the expansion of knowledge through, for example, travel to other places, in order to gain a widening of knowledge. It’s the sign of the archer, who is also a Centaur, using his active fire energy to shoot an arrow that pierces through deception or ambiguity.

The image of the Centaur reminds us that, being half animal and half human, there is ideally a balance of both animal and human natures. Chiron was a centaur who was a brilliant healer, and embodied this union. Though he was immortal, Chiron could be wounded, and suffer pain. Thus the ideal Sagittarius as an archer and hunter has the animal instincts of passion and endurance, but also is integrated with the higher reasoning mind and a human heart capable of compassion and kindness.

Saturn, bringer of lessons and limitations, is in a T-square to the Sun/Moon and Jupiter (forms a right angle to both planets that are in an opposition). So the usual optimism of the Sun in Sagittarius this month, seems to be quite muted, quite steeped in the paradoxical. Once again, no surprise that the planets are mirroring the energetic state of our society at this time. Paradox is characteristic of times of great change, of shifting values and loss of meaning. We must be extremely careful not to shut down and withdraw from our lives in response to these times of paradigm shift.

There is, however creativity afoot in this chart. This New Moon is in a trine (harmonious 120˚ angle) to Mars in Leo, giving us a boost in creative energy, asking us to express ourselves in some way that brings us more in alignment with the times. Mars is still in opposition to Pluto, so that creativity might best be expressed through something that is transformational for us in the process of creating. Venus is also in a trine to Uranus and sextile (harmonious 60˚ angle) to Neptune. What’s possible with this energy is a kind of defiant optimism, an urge to look beyond the tragic and to find ways to still be creative and expressive in our lives.

Our imaginations are stimulated by Venus’s sextile to Neptune, the re-connection to her higher octave planet of dreams and intuitive awareness. She’s no longer feeling “cut off” from this Source as she was at the last Full Moon. Here is a source for being uplifted by the awareness of our connection to the loving magical presence of Creation, however we connect with the mysterious, the divine, the love at the center of our being. These are the energetic connections that feed us, that heal us and keep us going onward. Venus is in Capricorn, ruled by Saturn, and so in order to access these energetic connections, it’s important to have some sort of structured activity, like meditation, or doing divination like the I Ching, or setting specific times to be quiet without media input, to take walks outside, so that we can hear the deeper messages that are always being sent to us from our soul.

Nothing comes to us unless it matches our intent, whether conscious or unconscious, personal or global. Cultivation and honing of our focus and intent is essential to navigating this chapter of our history. These times are a kind of instructive training for us all, especially for those who carry the light of kindness and connection, to crystallize our beliefs and carry our truth forward. We not only do it for our own peace of mind, but we take turns carrying it for each other, keeping that Sagittarian optimism and light burning in the face of darkness.