The Sun and Moon meet at 5:42 PM PST of the 19th at 28 Sagittarius 24, and what we find is that the formation of the New Moon proceeds from the recent contact of both bodies to Venus, with each on its way to soon conjoin Mars in Capricorn (the Moon in just under a day, the Sun in about 5 days). What begins now is something arising from the experience of Love (or the awareness of its lack) that we felt (and perhaps had a big ol’ spotlight shined on) as first Sun (awareness) and then Moon (feeling and intuition) touched base with Venusian ideals–and this has a Sagittarian flavor, offering perceptions based on the kind of knowing that arises from sorting belief from fact, at experiencing emotional realities that point out how our ideas of the world differ from (or support) the way we see the Universe and our concepts of what it is, how it treats us, and how it works. It’s a genuine reality check that makes the facts prominent and will show the shortcomings of every institution, belief system, and academic argument we may try to hide behind or use to justify our choices.

We should expect new approaches to present themselves, based on what we discover, what we learn–and after almost a week post-New Moon to consider how we feel, should be ready to take action, serious, controlled, constructive action, when the Sun reaches Mars–or we’ll be faced with a choice, a big one, at least in terms of how this will channel our energy and efforts in the near future. Our awareness may center on what we’ll be turning away from, but we’d do better to base our choice in what we want, and avoid mourning things that, let’s be honest, we may not really want in the first place. We’ll already know how we feel–we’ll have sat with that revelation for several days–and if we aren’t avoiding the world in general (because we’re overwhelmed, tired, or just plain afraid of what we might find), we’ll choose, embrace our choice and all its implications, and know what to do from there.

The New Moon is semi-sextile the Black Moon Lilith point, quincunx Uranus, and square Saturn-Neptune, with Neptune and the BML point at 29 stressful degrees. This suggests that what’s born at the New Moon is forged from imagination, creative efforts, and/ or ideals under stress–the good news is, that stress is Self-created, rooted in anger we’ve not yet dealt with, or in what we are denying or hiding from ourselves–so, though not necessarily easily handled, we hold the keys, and that means no matter what, we could address it. Uncomfortable circumstances bring surprises–or is it that our own discomfort at what’s happening draws erratic responses, unexpected reactions, and revelations that may make us squirm but will also be a treasure-trove of information? We can be the leader in our own lives–don’t squander this chance to call your own shots.

All this finding out, this new knowledge, comes at the expense of living in the reality we’re imagining we’re in–that is, we learn things that prevent us going on telling ourselves fairy tales about our own real-world circumstances. Painful, possibly, disillusioning, definitely–but only the unhealthy among us would seek to live within delusion, so count yourself both healthy and lucky if the veil is lifted. Knowing where we are in life and who we are is the only way to create the world we want to live in; it’s like having a map, knowing where you want to go, but the only way to get there, to plot a course, is to know where you stand now. Connect to reality–it wants to speak to you.

A word about a Cardinal square between Jupiter and Chiron, and a semi-sextile between Mars and Pluto. The square could persuade us our wounds are bigger and more important in the scheme of things than they are; the temptation may be to put on an aggressive armor of optimism and forced positivity. We may mistakenly believe this will shield us from further hurt, but it’s really a guise for our own desire to destroy, punish, or impose our Will, as expressed through Mars-Pluto synergy with no immediate outlet. Beware in ourselves (or in anyone you deal with) the hard smile, the pretense of positive energy wielded like a club, the demand for a happy facade that in reality denies the spectrum of feeling. An easy trap to fall into, if we tell ourselves we’re being cheerful, enforcing the holiday spirit, when we are in fact living in our heads, in our theories about life (Pluto in Aquarius) and angry that things are clearly out of control–or at least, out of our control (Mars in Cappy). The New Moon changes this, puts things in our hands. Merc square the Nodal axis guarantees we’ll be getting a lot of messages in this period, and understanding them will be instrumental in navigating our Path. All we can do is our best.

The Sabian for the New Moon is, ‘A Fat Boy Mowing The Lawn Of His House On An Elegant Suburban Street’. I take this as an image of privilege, comfort, plenty, but where the boy is doing his part to care for his surroundings. I think it’s a symbol of appreciation for what we have, no matter what that is–and yet we can’t deny there’s a hint of the spoiled and indulged, in calling the boy “fat” and the street both “elegant” and “suburban”. I’m not fond of that kind of built-in judgment that certain things are inherently inferior because of their origins, their lifestyle implications, or the privileges they convey. What amounts to a moral pronouncement in the minds of some is just that: it’s within them, not in the scene or the people observed, necessarily. Celebrate what you have, and care for it–gratitude is never wasted.

It’s time to think about astro calendars for the new year! Have a wonderful, wonderful New Moon!

The New Moon occurs at 1 Sagittarius 37 on the 23rd, at 2:57 PM PST, and in terms of major bodies (planets, lights, 4 main asteroids) it is earliest in degree save one: Vesta, at 00 Pisces 51, which the New Moon squares. That means on its journey through Sagittarius Luna will create aspects (major, minor, and super-minor!) to every other body, suggesting a tale to be told of unspooling Sag energy, fresh and, in this sign, poised for discovery, learning, teaching/ propounding, and covering some ground, literally and figuratively.

The funny thing is, there just aren’t any other contacts made, though there is a still-extant opposition to Sedna at 29 tense degrees of Taurus, and I suppose we can stretch to include a past trine to Jupiter in Pisces. That says that what’s born at the New Moon might be the outgrowth of Jupiterian dreams plus our instincts and inner knowing, what we ‘know but don’t know’ but are pushed through the emotions or intuition (the Moon) to respond to. This might entail either gaining or disseminating knowledge or facts (Sagittarius), or traveling to ‘foreign’ territory in some form, in order to fulfill, or at least pursue, that expansion dream.

Though not contacting the New Moon, we have an interesting Cardinal (action-oriented) pattern in place at this time: Eris in Aries opposed Zeus in Libra, a T-square created with the Black Moon Lilith point conjoined Pallas in Cancer. So, is this a distraction or an engine? Probably both; the formula involves either our own or another’s initiative/ action that immediately stirs conflict, specifically related to the ambitions and desires of a partner or an ‘other’. That is, our choices upset the relationship apple cart because they clash with what someone else with whom we’re cooperating wants–or we are the ‘other’ who is upset at our partner’s independent choices. In either case, the tension was already there, below the surface, with the person who acts or chooses breaking a kind of energy stalemate that lets differences rise to the surface.

This awareness of conflicting wants then creates its own issues, namely a genuine question as to whether that independent choice made unilaterally is wise or even practical. The only way to know is to look at those things we (and the partner) may be in denial of, or enraged over. What we’ll find is that either this is a good thing to have happened, with any unease based in (possibly groundless) fears, or that the action was taken or choice made driven by anger, a lashing out that makes it no longer possible to ignore feelings.

The Sabian for this New Moon is, ‘White-capped Waves Display The Power Of Wind Over Sea’. This alerts us to the way the unseen, unacknowledged, unspoken will strongly influence conditions, especially emotional ones. The tale here has its origins in dreams and sublimated desires, in what we expect from others and what we expect we must give ourselves, in what we learn and ‘know’, and perhaps most significantly, in what we are hiding, even from ourselves. It’s that emotional component, the wind’s (the unseen’s) influence on the water (the emotions and intuitive knowledge), that will determine how effectively we respond to new awareness and facts that can inform our way toward the dream, with a clue offered here: we’ve just had an experience that illuminated something about our highest values, that has shown us, perhaps to our own surprise or shock, what it is we really honor in life (previous perfection of the square to Vesta). This event is what paved the way to the New Moon beginning; and pay special attention to what comes at us over the time the Moon remains in Sagittarius (through about 1:19 PM PST of the 25th)–that will be like a mini-blueprint of what to aim for or avoid, and how to move forward.