Photo by Raul Petri in Unsplash
{Image description: Photograph of a signpost against the setting sun. The signpost is on the right side with two arrows pointing to the left. The lower half of the picture is the hill where the sun is setting and the sky is orange and purple.}
New Moon: 12˚ Sagittarius 21’ | London: Dec.4.2021, 7:42 am | EST: Dec.4.2021, 2:42 am | More about the eclipse: www.timeanddate.com
As I’m starting to write this, the feeling about this new moon is of something that is disjointed, with several separate pieces that are not working together. I hope my thoughts will come together as write about each of the fractions of this seemingly incoherent whole.
Usually new moons bring the opportunity for beginnings and are the moment when we throw the seeds on the ground that will eventually culminate in the manifestation of our hopes and desires. But it seems to me that this new moon is more about closure, cleaning up and letting go. Maybe that is the dissonance.
The lunar nodes in the Gemini / Sagittarius axis
This new moon in Sagittarius is intensified with a solar eclipse. This happens when Sun, Moon and Earth align and the Moon gets in front of the Sun, hiding its rays from us here on Earth. This is the last eclipse in this axis, marking the end of the journey of the lunar nodes through these signs.
In June 2020 the north node went into Gemini and the south node into Sagittarius, and the first eclipse in this axis happened. Since then our attention, and the focus of change, has been on issues like travel (both short and long distance), communication, learning, opinions, knowledge, freedom, moral principles and truth. Even though this is a collective experience, we have also been living this individually, through the lens of our own personal charts.
The sign of Sagittarius
The last of the fire signs, its flaming arrow lights the path ahead. This fire goes past the individual nature of the previous fire signs, Aries and Leo, and brings along their tribe to explore the great beyond. The centaur, a creature that is half man, half horse, is as extroverted as multiple in their nature, and their enthusiasm knows no bounds.
A new moon in this sign could mean the renewal of our optimism and our faith, but things are not that simple. This lunation, and in a larger frame the period until the next eclipse in April 2022, is more about realigning our hopes and expectations to the inevitable changes that are becoming our new reality. In a way, that too is a kind of renewal.
Quincunx to Uranus in Taurus
The closest aspect in this New Moon’s chart is the quincunx with the greater destabilizer, Uranus. A quincunx, an angle of 150° between two points, is more a non-aspect, since the signs involved have nothing in common, not the modality, not the element and not even the polarity. There isn’t any conflict or animosity between them, but rather a lack of understanding, an unawareness of each other.
The new wave of changes brought about during the last lunation is definitely not what we would have asked for and it feels like a step back. Reality is not such a good place to be right now and we may want to forget about the troubles and indulge in the holiday spirit.
But this is not such a good idea as dealing with both sides of this equation — hopes vs. reality — in a dissociated manner will just drain our energies. An adjustment is needed, and we could try to find a way to reconcile our faith in the future with the unavoidable instability of our present.
Sextile to Saturn in Aquarius
Disciplined Saturn is sending us some support and reminding us that, whatever we are going through, we are not alone. Yes, the journey is hard, change is hard, but it is harder if we let ourselves get drunk with the illusions and fantasies of what could be instead of dealing with what is.
Saturn is not going to sugarcoat it and hopefully will help us to see it like it is. With its aptitude for self-control it might even allow us restrain the sagittarian appetite for indulgence, and think about the long term consequences, something that we will thank later. But this planet about realness, not miracles, and the old titan will only be able to help you as far you help yourself.
Conjunction with Mercury in Sagittarius
Mercury is very close to the luminaries and it will make sure that this is a busy season, but that is already to be expected. In this sign, Mercury is far away from their diurnal home, the opposite sign of Gemini, and it may be too easy to loose ourselves in wanting to be everywhere with everyone, perhaps to somehow compensate for last year.
Remember that life goes on after the holiday season. After the New Year, when Mercury comes out of under the beams of the sun, we’ll be able to see, think, and speak more clearly. Take this time, the first days of 2022, to reconnect with those you couldn’t meet during the festive days, and also to make a balance of the old year, what you’ve lost and what you’ve gained.
Conjunction with the South Node
This is the last piece of the puzzle I’m going to write about. As I said before, this is eclipse marks the end of the eclipses happening in the signs of Gemini and Sagittarius. And is also conjunct the South Node, which is about cleansing and releasing.
For about a year and a half we have been making space for new things to come to us in the Gemini portion of our charts, where the Head of the Dragon has been. On the other hand, we have been cleaning up and letting go of the themes signified by the Sagittarius place in our charts.
This eclipse is the one last chance to say all the goodbyes to unrealistic hopes, dogmatic beliefs and alternative facts. Two weeks ago, we already had one eclipse in the Taurus / Scorpio opposition and, if we don’t know it already, we will soon find out that there is no escaping what is.
Solar Eclipse synthesis
During this lunation and close to the end of the year, we will have a lot of other significant events in the sky, Venus is turning retrograde, Jupiter is going into Pisces and we’ll have the last exact square between Saturn and Uranus.
I guess this month is more about looking back than looking ahead. What have I learned this year? Maybe an even better question is, what have I unlearned? What old belief have I left behind? What false hopes have I dropped?
With Sagittarius we want to move forward, but this month to move forward we must first look back and process all the changes and all the emotions that we have been through this year.
Take this last month, to write about what happened in your life during each month of this year. Do it in different days and leave December for the last day of the year. Maybe you’ll get a better understanding of where you stand right now. In the next lunation, the first one of next year, you’ll then look at the future.