by Robert Wilkinson
Over the next 4 weeks, the New Moon in Sagittarius opens the door to “physical enlightenment,” and many situations will seem as though controlled by a higher destiny. We can find greater truths, wider horizons of effectiveness, and many rewards as everything plays the part it is supposed to. We'll definitely be taking a look at our integrity, as well as how others walk the talk!
This New Moon in Sagittarius, is fiery, warming, distributive, and open to seeing the irony in situations, as well as giving us a power to use humor and tolerance to break free of old limitations. Gifts will show up to the degree we’ve cultivated discrimination in using will power to assert our personalities in appropriate and practical ways.
We’ve already gotten clear signals about what we feel and whether we’re cooperating or fighting the flow. Now that we’ve learn how to practice a new emotional intelligence, this New Moon will help stabilize our understanding while adding our physical vehicle to the mix of “knowing through the wisdom of the body.”
This distributive, questing, truth seeking, and abstract New Moon occurs at 11 Sagittarius on December 2, 4:22 pm PST, 7:22 pm EST, and December 3 at 0:22 am Greenwich (UT). The Lunation finds 7 Gemini rising in Santa Monica, 15 Gemini in Vancouver, 20 Cancer in Toronto, 26 Cancer in Montreal, and 19 Cancer in Washington DC. That means the span of Ascendants across North America is between early Gemini and late Cancer.
Continuing eastward, we find rising signs of 23 Cancer in Rio, 13 Virgo in Lisbon (Dec 3), 22 Virgo in London, 1 Libra in Berlin, 9 Libra in Sofia, 22 Libra in Johannesburg, and 17 Libra rising in Moscow. That means the span of Ascendants across Europe and Africa is between mid-Virgo to late Libra.
Moving into Asia and Oceana, we find Ascendants at 21 Scorpio in Abbottabad, 27 Scorpio in New Delhi, 4 Sagittarius in Trivandrum, 7 Capricorn in Jakarta, 2 Capricorn in Hong Kong, 19 Capricorn in Tokyo, 26 Capricorn in Perth, 22 Aquarius in Melbourne, 26 Aquarius in Brisbane, 17 Pisces in Wellington, and 15 Aries rising on Maui (Dec 2).
So you can construct a rough chart for where you are in the world, I’ll give you the rounded up degree for each planet. Use the Ascendants given above to get a rough sense of what’s on the eastern horizon where you are, and using an Equal House system, you can see what’s going on in your part of the world for the next 4 weeks.
In this New Moon at 11 Sagittarius, Mercury is 27 Scorpio, Venus is 23 Capricorn, Mars is 28 Virgo, Jupiter is 20 Cancer retrograde, Saturn is 18 Scorpio, Uranus is 9 Aries retrograde, Neptune is 3 Pisces, Pluto is 11 Capricorn, TransPluto is 1 Virgo retrograde, Chiron is 10 Pisces, and the NN is 8 Scorpio.
When a Lunation is on one of the angles of a chart, it is said to be particularly powerful. Among the cities covered in this column, this month the Lunation is culminating in east Oz and NeZ, and setting in Santa Monica and Vancouver. The New Moon is on the nadir in Lisbon and London, and rising in Pakistan and India.
This is the fifth in a sequence of New Moons that fall in the same sign as the following Full Moon, This reverses many months of the New Moon falling in the sign preceding the Sun of the following Full Moon. In other words, this New Moon in Sagittarius also has a Full Moon in Sagittarius and Gemini. This is the reverse of what we experienced between July 2011-June 2013, when we had a sequence of Lunations where the Full Moon Sun was in the sign after the New Moon Sun.
We shifted back to “normal” with the New and Full Moons of August. Since I explain this phenomenon and what it means in the Full Moon articles, I’ll elaborate more on this shift into the “normal order of things,” and when the pattern will next be reversed, in the next Full Moon articles coming in about two weeks.
The New Moons and Full Moons are “God’s footprints in time.” Each shows the next in the 12 phases of how things come to be each year. The cycle could be described as follows: Life energy is initiated in Aries, substantiated in Taurus, explored in Gemini, grounded in Cancer, renewed and creatively expressed in Leo, refined and ordered in Virgo, balanced in Libra, purified in Scorpio, expanded in Sagittarius, organized in Capricorn, solidified into a vision in Aquarius, and ended/perpetuated in Pisces.
An Overview of the New Moon
This New Moon in Sagittarius marks a point of entrance into an even deeper way of knowing. We will learn about “the wisdom of the body,” and not depend so much on our minds as our feeling-knowing, which by now has been stabilized, and continues to be stabilized. Again, since Sagittarius has such a sharp sense of irony about things, we'll be taking a look at our integrity as well as the integrity of others, seeing who's living their truth and who is not in alignment with what they're stating about their beliefs.
The next 4 weeks we continue to understand how we’re dealing with our Cancer issues put into play last Summer. Basically, are you caring for yourself and whatever life you embraced back then? Does it align with your purpose and ability to serve your world a better way than in the past?
The Sagittarius seed indicated by this New Moon can help us have a sense of humor or higher truth about the very heavy, deep feelings we’ve all been navigating thanks to the recent transits in Scorpio, including the very powerful Solar Eclipse set into motion last month. We’ve already begun to focus our magnetism on what we want and what we don’t.
We continue to learn how to manage any stagnant sense of discontent, as well as stabilize and focus our emotional intelligence as we continue to shed various “skins of personality.” Last month’s eclipse is still a very powerful influence for several years, and will show as productivity and specialization, despite the heaviness of the conjunction with Saturn in Scorpio. We’ve all developed an increased sensitivity to a greater feeling-flow and/or emotional intelligence via the Grand Water Trines active in June, July, and August, and are now experiencing a new set of Water trines further into the Water signs.
Since Venus in late Capricorn leads the cluster of inner planets between Virgo and Sagittarius, it is the “herald” for all that is developing in December and January. While slowing down ready to go retrograde at 29 Capricorn at 1:53 pm PST, 9:53 pm Greenwich on December 21 just after the Solstice, it has very fortunate aspects in this chart, showing great harmony, with unexpected events that constitute “rewards for bravery in battle.”
Due to Saturn’s continuing influence as a major player in this Lunation through anchoring the Scorpio zone of the Grand Irrationality, we will find ourselves at forks in the road of destiny, making choices about what to eliminate, what to regenerate, and how to let go of all that we don’t want nor need to take with us into a future that began to rapidly unfold in July and August around the time Mars conjuncted Jupiter. And as I’ve told you before, when in doubt, you might as well let go, since you cannot hold on to those things anyway.
This New Moon will jumpstart Sagittarius energy wherever it falls in our chart. This helps us lighten up, see the bigger picture, and find a more applicable truth related to the mystery we’ve been chasing for quite a while. This helps us enjoy ourselves to a greater degree in this process, and many will see exactly what parts everything and everyone plays.
Saturn, along with Mercury and the North Node in Scorpio, continues to help us see a) how we have shifted our magnetism on relationships since Summer, and/or b) how we need to find a new view or way of understanding the losses and eliminations of the past we’ve been through. We’ve all passed through major choices and changes in the first half of this year when Saturn triseptiled Uranus. Now we’re flowing into a long wave period of finding the right focus to bring forth a higher way to be with other.
This New Moon has an individual, mental, and spiritual focus. Because it happens in Sagittarius, Jupiter is the worldly ruler of the Lunation, and Neptune is the spiritual ruler. Due to Jupiter’s position, the backdrop to the message of this New Moon puts the focus on feelings, enjoyment, role playing, personality integration, and a sense of what needs nurturing, even as Neptune continues to help us experience the indestructible elements in our nature.
So this Sagittarius New Moon is ruled (in worldly things) by Jupiter in Cancer, which is ruled by the Moon in Sagittarius. This is a ”mutual reception,” which is a very powerful self-reinforcing energy. This Lunation also features Mercury in Scorpio and Mars in Virgo, also in mutual reception. That makes these 4 planets dominant as the background for all the planetary energies except for Neptune, which occupies its “home” sign, making it a standalone force unto itself. (I’ll be posting an update to that article soon, since the positions mentioned as examples happened a while ago.)
The Grand Irrationality
The reason this section is a recurring feature in the Lunation articles is because it was set into long term play by the 2011 Solar Eclipse, which is triggered each time any transiting planet occupies any of the 7 zones of the Grand Irrationality. This Lunation puts the Grand Irrationality front and center, since Saturn is septile Pluto and biseptile Neptune and the whole configuration is thrown into acute activation by Mars triseptile Neptune and biseptile Pluto, highlighting 4 points of the 7 pointed Star pattern. That makes this an extremely important month in terms of global events that will throw people and nations into hard edged choices and change.
For those who are new to the site, here’s a bit of explanation about this thing called “the Grand Irrationality” that may help new visitors understand why everything continues to be so weird. As I’ve explained many times before, the Grand Irrationality is a long wave non-rational influence that has put everyone on Earth on the unceasing edge of major choice and change.
Everyone has been confronting inner compulsions, continual choices that seem to have a major impact on our destiny, and occasionally irrational behaviors in others or external conditions. It is why things seem to have an unending hard edge, why so many choices are continually thrown in our faces that require immediate attention, and why reason seems to fail at critical moments of decision.
When the Grand Irrationality is in play, it’s a time when things don’t have to make sense. Get used to it, since we’ve been living with it for about 18 years, and will be in play for a few more years to come.
Much was promised when Mercury went stationary retrograde at 19 Scorpio on October 21. Saturn is about to cross that degree, so please refer to the articles I gave you about Mercury retrograde back then to learn more. I’ve written extensively about the Grand Irrationality in past articles, most recently in Astrology in November-December 2013 - The Grand Irrationality Affecting Everyone and Astrology in late November and Early December 2013 – In the Heart of the Grand Irrationality. When you’re done here, please check out those articles to find the current seven “hot zone” spans and times when this larger configuration associated with non-rational behavior and conditions will be activated.
To note, this configuration will be in full force during the time Saturn occupies the Scorpio zone through late January, giving us a taste of what will be happening when it retrogrades back through the zone in March and early April. Since Mars is lighting up the next 4 weeks due to its position in this Lunation chart, t his configuration is activated every day the Moon and Ascendant are in any of the 7 hot zones. The days the Moon focuses the energy are Dec 4-5, 8, 12, 16, 20, 24, and 28-29.
We will get a VERY INTENSE dose when the Sun and Mercury transit the Capricorn zone of the Grand Irrationality just before and after New Year’s Eve and Day. And again, along with the Grand Irrationality influence, this year’s transits in Capricorn form a serious set of Cardinal T-squares happening on December 25-26, and December 29-January 3. Play it safe!!
Neptune and Chiron at the Cusp of the Age:
I told you last month that would be the last time I’d give you this information, but since it’s December, and Neptune is still on its stationary direct degree, I decided to give you this one last time.
Remember that taking the long view, we are moving through the threshold of an entirely new era that will not resemble the old Age in any way within just a few decades. In fact, we’re already solidly in the Dreamscape, and are already seeing long wave manifestations of the ending of the old and the emerging field we’re all learning how to maneuver through.
Other than the brief look we had in mid-2011, this is only the twenty-third New Moon with Neptune in Pisces for the next 150 years. We had Neptune in Pisces for the 3 New Moons for May, June, and July 2011 which gave us a front end look at how Neptune will function through 2025.
Between August 2011, when Neptune retrograded back into late Aquarius, and the January 2012 New Moon, we were given one last look back at a greater ideal, and the changes of the last half of 2011 helped many to break out of our "chrysalis" and transform how we live and all our relationships. That is now established in the collective consciousness, as well as a growing sense of the larger light field in which all sentient Beings live and love.
If you want to know what's coming for many years to come, take a look back at the intuitions and sense of belonging to a vaster interrelated whole you were shown in May, June, and July 2011. It may help to give a sense of our collective lesson in dissolving our separateness as we finish this transition through "the Winter of the 21st Century" on our way to Spring, beginning in 2025!
During those months that both Neptune and Chiron were in early Pisces, we were offered chances to learn about bargaining and trade-offs, with the ultimate payoff a deeper and larger feeling of being connected to others. During the last half of 2011, Neptune retrograded back to 29 Aquarius, the degree where humanity was forced to emerge from its "chrysalis" as a new world is being born.
Chiron retrograded back to 1 Pisces. So those two dancing together kept us attuned to elements of this transitional span of experience for all of 2011 as we prepared to cut loose into the Neptune in Pisces era for many years to come. During 2011 both Neptune and Chiron revealed our unique part to play within a larger light/life field.
During that time, these planets at the beginning of Pisces and end of Aquarius occupied degrees representing "the Cusp of the Age," the span where the Age of Pisces and the Age of Aquarius meet. From one point of view, where we were collectively between February 2011 and March 2012 revealed what the period of (approximately) 1990-2140 is all about in the broader context of human evolution. I suspect that future generations will look back at 2011 and 2012 as being crucial in showing long range patterns of larger evolutionary necessities.
Neptune and Chiron dancing between signs on "the Cusp of the Age" had the effect of making it seem like we have all been occupying a very weird dreamscape which we'll be navigating for years to come. The trick for us is to apply our new strengths and understanding freed from the ghosts of the past, and by riding the waves of intense (but curiously steady) pulses of spiritual energies shaping our minds, we can find techniques where our efforts will lead us to forms of good fortune.
During the year they danced together in this critical degree span, they provided us a bridge to understanding the global lessons we all must embrace, and helped us graduate into a new view of how we are an essential part of a greater whole. I'll give you links to articles explaining more about "the cusp of the Age" at the end of this article.
As Neptune went stationary direct at 1 Pisces around the time of the last 2012 Solar Eclipse in Scorpio, Neptune was literally at the “Cusp of the Age” between April 2010 and January 2013. It was conjunct Chiron the entire time, showing that this era was about all of learning to heal into our Higher Selves through greater awareness and compassion, as well as feeling our place within the larger collective feeling-field.
In this chart, Chiron is direct in motion at 10 Pisces. We have now reviewed and healed something related to our positioning within collective consciousness, where we can take skills we’ve mastered into a more wholehearted embrace of some new dedication we awakened to over the past year.
We have healed through knowing what we stand for, hearing a call to a life renewal, and letting go of unnecessary baggage to quicken the pace in achieving some social goal. We have now healed, and are ready to take on higher responsibilities.
In this chart Neptune is at 3 Pisces, its stationary direct degree. We are again experiencing the collective feeling-field we all went through in April-May 2012, July-August 2012, and February 2013, as well as the past two months. We now see the indestructible parts of our Self and life, and are free to embrace a more “immortal” form of self-expression. We can now be more conscious of how we handle our existence within a larger context, and participate in broader forms of service.
More on Saturn’s Universally Important Influence
Because of Saturn’s path these past 10 months, through past understanding and practice we have begun to demonstrate a higher level of social functioning. Now that we’ve learned what is permanent and stable in our life structures, this is the next step in powering up and illuminating those Saturn lessons. This one will help us see that what’s done is done, and we can accept a transfiguration at the end of a life chapter.
Saturn in Scorpio indicates a period of elimination and regeneration, as well as seeing what to let go of that which no longer works. We are finding ways to get focused and clear about what structures are worthwhile and which need eliminating or purifying, and have finished the preliminary stage of a long wave process showing us how to conduct ourselves at a higher social level of interaction.
This has “confirmed our social status” and helped us be part of a refined display of interactive class, style, and culture. We’ve now finished the primary Saturn lessons of 2013, and now that Saturn has moved beyond it’s 2013 SRX degree, we confront a new set of Saturn in Scorpio lessons through December 2014.
As Saturn rules the bones, and Scorpio rules regenerative processes, you may want to regard the current Saturn in Scorpio transit as symbolizing a type of “bone regeneration,” or the elimination of all in our skin and bones that would block our ability to meet and greet others at a higher level of dignity, reserve, and “civilized” behavior. This shows us a long wave elimination and regeneration work each of us is doing in our own ways and times.
2012 finished our philosophical and ideological understanding in life areas related to Libra, Capricorn, and Aquarius in our charts, and since October 2012 we have entered a Scorpio experience of an intensification of magnetics to attract what we need and repel what is not needed. Saturn in Scorpio will continue to be a MUCH different manifestation of Saturn than we were used to between 2010-2012!
Due to the 2012 and 2013 Scorpio Solar Eclipses, we’ve been looking back to rehearse the future after eliminating elements of the past. This opened the doors that we walked through in late December 2012 that continued through January 2013, and last month’s Solar Eclipse renewed the pulse. Whether we want to or not, we’ve all had to be willing to embrace a purification process, especially purifying the life of stuck feelings and desires, and open to a new game and a new way of playing that game.
As noted in other Lunation articles, with North Node still in Scorpio, our greatest development is through our ability to eliminate, regenerate, attract, and repel as part of a greater effectiveness. Consider this as a time of learning more from our losses than what we hold on to. How we’ve been growing since mid-2012 will pay major dividends now that Saturn is in the second half of Scorpio.
North Node in Scorpio show we can grow through understanding magnetism in a more focused, active way. Where it is in this Lunation chart shows we can grow through stilling our minds so we can get a clear focus on a higher “reflected light,” finding peace through being illuminated by “transcendent wisdom.” We continue to touch our “cosmic strength” over the next few weeks in ways that are related to last month’s Mercury retrograde Eclipse energies.
As Saturn moves forward, it is concretizing all that we’ve been learning via the North Node while it’s been in middle and late Scorpio. Though the lessons will take a Saturnine form, by early 2014 we’ll have had many opportunities to contact our innermost “God force” and move beyond old forms. This Autumn we have learned to go to our “center of reality” and see how Spirit and Soul are dancing with whatever in our personality is conflicted.
This Lunation features a number of very powerful favorable aspects between the planets, which I’ll speak about in the next article of this series. Among the most powerful, we have the New Moon biquintile Jupiter, Mercury sextile Mars, Venus trine Mars and quintile Uranus, Mars quintile Jupiter as part of the Grand Irrationality, Jupiter trine Saturn, sesquisquare Neptune, and opposition Pluto, and Saturn biseptile Neptune and septile Pluto. As you can see, very few frictional aspects forming, with lots of specializing element that should turn out favorably as long as you stay reasonable, follow the flow, and remember what you’ve learned about a greater emotional intelligence and stability. And show patience.....
In the next part of the series we'll discuss the various aspects at play in the chart, as well as some important degree symbols and other interesting elements affecting all of us for 4 weeks to come.
Since last month’s Solar Eclipse in Scorpio is still a powerful influence, here are the articles for your review.
Astrology in November 2013 - On The Threshold of a Hybrid Solar Eclipse at 12 Scorpio
The Hybrid Solar Eclipse at 12 Scorpio Nov 3, 2013 Pt. 1 - Who Does It Affect and for How Long?
Since that Solar Eclipse occurred so close to the Inferior Conjunction of the Sun and Mercury, here's the article outlining how that influence was a factor in what we experienced this past month, and will be dealing with for the next 39.
Here for one last review, two articles related to "the cusp of the Age."
Neptune Then, Neptune Now - The Cusp of the Age of Aquarius
Neptune Retrograde Into Aquarius - A New Look At the New Age This one has links to articles related to this theme, so enjoy following the breadcrumbs through the woods of time!
© Copyright 2013 Robert Wilkinson
Thank you Robert. Very informative and useful as always.
Posted by: Zephyr | December 02, 2013 at 09:47 AM
yes, thank u! u are great! :))
Posted by: gg | December 02, 2013 at 11:23 AM
This lunation could not be in a better spot after the journey I just went through... time for a new adventure.
Posted by: Matt | December 02, 2013 at 08:11 PM
A word about SAG new Moon, as I've never heard it interpreted as an influence of sharp irony, but rather one of true (or truing) aim (as in, the Archer). The difference between true aim v. irony is akin to that of twisting a pencil a number of times in a rubber band for the sake of generating energy. Too many convolutions is a twist of irony too sharp, too far. If you are discerning irony as a theme, perhaps it is worth it to check for any aspecting w/Eris (discordian energies). What starts as SAG true aim (anything from discerning insight to aspiring to higher aims) could get distorted and the arrow could go astray. The caution is that while Eris energies may provide momentary amusement, Saturn SCO cross-currents could become turbulent, and the SAG new Moon wavelength would then evolve into "Wait until you see in better light." Hope this helps.
Posted by: zm | December 02, 2013 at 10:50 PM
Wonderful insight my bro GOD bless you always :)))
Posted by: AceStar | December 02, 2013 at 11:05 PM
I constructed a chart for this one. Well, I have been doing lots of new & full moon charts! This one is almost exactly like my solar return. As my bday is on the 6th and this return is on the 7th. Even the Ac of SR is just a few degrees different!!!
Posted by: Micheline | December 03, 2013 at 02:18 AM
Integrity comes from integration? It took a long time to understand that I stand where I stand no matter how unpopular, how much pressure, or how much crap is thrown at me. I don't feel like I have to defend myself about it anymore. That was wasted breath. Just act in accordance. And I am wiser about where to go and where not to. The gambler comes to mind once again.
Posted by: caliban | December 03, 2013 at 07:17 AM
Thank you for all this insight. May you have a wonderful time in Austin.
Posted by: dcu | December 04, 2013 at 11:43 PM
Robert did u get a chance to see the show? Sorry to ask here. I am really curious to hear your opinion!
Posted by: Micheline | December 07, 2013 at 02:38 AM