New Moon in Sagittarius, Jupiter/Pluto Conjoin at the Galactic Center
On December 9th we entered the New Moon in Sagittarius, the sign of the gypsy seeker, the meaning-maker, the heroic quester overflowing with mythical purpose and visionary intuition. It is no surprise that the jovial, outgoing energy of the holiday season coincides with the sun's transit thru optimistic, wide-eyed Sagittarius, ruled by the expansive king of the gods, Jupiter (once called Jove). But what infuses this new moon with shamanic adrenaline is its conjunction with both the Galactic Center and the Lord of the Underworld, Pluto.
As Richard Tarnas' epic tome Cosmos and Psyche confirms, themes of a planetary pairing will repeat themselves through history. To put this conjunction into historical context, the last time this triple conjunction occured was in 1758, during the Seven Years War and French and Indian War. As we all know, the decade that followed planted the seeds of revolution in both the U.S. and France. The most recent conjunction of Jupiter and Pluto was in 1968, arguably the most potent social year of the entire 20th century. Now within three days on either side of this conjunction this year, two major media events took place, convincing us of the archetypal resonance implicit in temporal dynamics. Tom Brokaw hosted a huge television special called 1968. In addition, Will Smith is starring in an apocalyptic film of obvious Jupiter/Pluto proportions of mass disaster, called I Am Legend. Oh, and who's on the cover of Rolling Stone this month but the band with arguably the hugest sound of the late 60's and 70's, Led Zepplin, who recorded their first album and toured for the first time in 1968, and who announce a new tour during the same planetary conjunction. With Jupiter/Pluto, think massive size and extremism. Many of the world's wealthiest people have a Jupiter/Pluto conjunction. It's a time of propaganda, big news, and struggles for power. And the news couldn't be bigger since during the last year, Pluto has been hovering around the last degrees of Sagittarius, around the position of that source of consciousness, that black hole which emanates superwaves of electromagnetic radiation and interdimensional information. In Galactic Alignment, John Major Jenkins describes various cultures' relationship to the Milky Way center, and notes its association with the Black Madonna and Isis, the very womb of the All-Mother, out of which all the stars and planets of our very own galaxy were formed.
Our Mother, represented by the Moon, the sign of Cancer, and the fourth house in our charts, is a huge theme in the collective biofield right now. When I work with clients, I often speak of "astral strategy" to describe the reasons why certain planets align the way they do when they do. For the last month and until January 26th, Mars is retrograde in Cancer, forcing the center of our will into its source, to give attention to the maternal nest from which it emerged. In order to access the galactic consciousness of the Milky Way, we must first return to the roots of our own physical family and probe our own genetic, then species, astral, and finally soul-level multidimensional heritage. Again, the fact that this passage of Mars thru Cancer occurs during the holiday season allows us the opportunity to engage directly with our families. The concept of "Home" is surfacing now, and with that the feelings of safety and nourishment. Many of us may be moving our homes, there may be shakeups with our housemates, we may feel anxiety in the stomach, ruled by Cancer. When we don't feel security from our loved ones or recognize where they were lacking during our upbringing, this can cause long-held resentments to rise, and tempers to ignite.
At this time, we need to bring as much healing intention and heart-centered attention to our blood relationships as well as our tribal families. If we can operate from this place of Witness, Patience, and Empathy, this may be the best time to access our own birth experience. I recently created a sacred moment to safely return to my birth with my parents. We looked at the baby books which recorded the key moments of my first year as well as looking at pictures from that time. I asked both of my parents about my conception, my time in the womb, and the process of my birth. And through shared tears, I took my mother's hand and acknowledged the disappointing and traumatic experience of being carved out of my unconscious mother through cesarean section. I allowed Spirit to inform both of us how difficult this experience was, how it negatively affected my ability to ground myself for most of my life, and how this has affected my relationships with women. Together, my parents and I forgave the circumstances of my earthly birth and restated our unconditional love for each other.
It is this kind of alchemical empowerment, as represented by Pluto and Jupiter, with the will of Mars retrograde in Cancer, which can heal the incarnate soul, and prepare it for its further ascension on the spiritual path. Venus' passage thru Scorpio right now can also assist our conversations and relationships to venture much deeper, even into places as yet untreaded. We need to realize our purpose as ambassadors of evolution and translate this to our families in the languages they speak. If we feel limited now, we are asked by this New Moon in Sagittarius to rekindle our faith thru attention to synchronicities and a renewed trust in the divine order. Indeed, this coming winter solstice and full moon on Christmas promises to be as powerful as anything in 2012. Remembering that the Winter Solstice is indeed the death and subsequent rebirth of the sun after three days, we are called to rebirth ourselves into a new perception of the preciousness of each moment. With the Jupiter/Pluto conjunction we are called to wipe away the constraints of the ego and discover the wizard within.
In next months' article, we will focus on the major transits of 2008, including the huge shifts in financial and governmental structures represented by Jupiter and Pluto's movement into Capricorn, as well as our increasing consciousness regarding the nature of time itself as represented by Capricorn and the Lord of Time Saturn's passage thru Virgo. With the help of our celestial map, we will learn how to harmonize with Time and make magic with our birth chart.
Until then,
From the Source of Consciousness
Your birth erupts:
an evolutionary intention
Each breath initiates you,
into the Prismatic Theater of Light
Your body is a rite of passage,
And you have come to translate the Celestial Map:
You have come to proclaim
the Zodiac,
the Codex of the Soul
You are the Director, the soul-memory
You are the Audience, the Watcher
And you play every role…
Image by Leo Reynolds, used via a Creative Commons license.