Sagittarius New Moon

Sagittarius New Moon - High Hopes

"When the work takes over, then the artist listens."

— Madeleine L'Engle

We begin this week with the potential for some overconfidence that may not be terribly well-grounded. We have an important opportunity to begin to set new intentions but we should be careful to lay the necessary groundwork and avoid looking towards 'pie-in-the-sky' aspirations that aren't fully supported deep within us. This Wednesday's Sagittarius New Moon (2:57 PM PST 1° Sagittarius) is both freeing and optimistic but there is certainly work to be done to make use of this energy. The New Moon is strengthened by the direct station of Jupiter, ruling Sagittarius, which boosts the opportunity to develop new initiatives based upon an expanded perspective. Since the New Moon does not immediately provide a great deal of light to see where we are heading, we should maintain enough humility to really pay attention to where these Winds of Change are actually blowing. To do this, we will need to listen intently to what our intuition is telling us and what our intellect is able to reveal. We may not be able to draw broad conclusions — that may come later — but clarifying our individual understanding will help us to make the most of this week. There are quick, but important, healing trines from Mercury and Venus in Sagittarius to Chiron in Aries. The opportunities that are fostered by these trines are serving to help us release the recriminations or residual frustrations that need to be processed in the wake of the 2 year long-arc of the Saturn-Uranus square that is finally separating. We can begin to see how specific, individual resolutions to specific individual concerns and issues will allow us extraordinary freedom to develop new perspectives which, in turn, will lead to new cooperative and collaborative opportunities. The healing opportunities that are offered this week are not easy — there is no "happily ever after" here — but we can hope for an improved perspective that can shift our overall approach. In this context, we can 'aim' our intentions to reflect a clear purpose and express our honest, deeply held vision. Optimism develops out of the profound release of burdens that have been slowing us down and challenging us at every turn. Nonetheless, Mars continues to keep us from actively and aggressively moving forward too quickly. Perhaps the most important lesson to learn from the retrograding Mars in Gemini, in this environment, is how to listen, instead of making dramatic, aggressive pronouncements that don't really help us to effectively connect with those around us.

We may feel a bit too overconfident on Sunday in a 'happy-go-lucky' atmosphere. We have opportunities to lay important groundwork if we are methodical and considered in our approach. If we can appreciate the value of 'win-win' scenarios, Monday will offer a great deal of potential. Self-serving ego gratification will be quickly dismissed as unhelpful. Emotional vulnerabilities are exposed on Tuesday. However, we also find opportunities to release that emotional baggage in order to lighten our load. Wednesday's Sagittarius New Moon gives an opportunity to begin to develop new initiatives and set potent new intentions. There are important healing opportunities on Thursday that will help us to clear the decks and look towards the future. Previous ideas may be reexamined in a new context. Some perfectionist tendencies may slow us down on Friday. We should guard against invincibility or self-satisfaction and do more observation and pursue less criticism. Resolutions come in waves on Saturday on a 'case by case' basis. There are few broad conclusions. Shifting individual perspectives can bring new alignments.