Faerie lights twinkle splendidly in the cover of darkness that seems to come ever so early these days, their glimmering luminescence a sweet reminder of the magic held within Sagittarius season. We draw both candlelight and firelight closer to us, basking in the soft incandescence that is reminiscent of our own innate luminosity and the auspicious nature of our hearts. Cozying up by the warmth of the wood-burning stove with a hot cup of our favorite elixir, we find contentment in the simple gesture of quietude, our spirits stilled for a few moments of respite so that we can reflect on the journey of our lives and where they’ve led us, how they’ve done so, and what they might be asking of us next. Mercury’s movement retrograde on November 25th has something to do with this shift of pace, but in order to reap its benefits, we must actually choose to accept his invitation to pause. He encourages us to a brief interlude from the harried pace of life, instead turning within to reflect on the soul quest we have been embarking upon, just in time for the approach of the Winter Solstice, when we release the cycles that have led us to become who we are but no longer need to be carried on, and welcome those that are yet to come, our future selves with them. The swift-moving planet will be retrograde in the sign of the gypsy, the student (of life), and the philosopher, speedily sailing “backward” from 22.5° to 6.5° Sagittarius until December 15th. And while the New Moon in Sag, which takes place at 9.5°, is not quite in orb of Mercury (or Jupiter, a topic we’ll be discussing shortly), the flavors of these planets and their traverse through the Cosmos will certainly still be felt as the dark moon arrives, setting a new cycle into motion.

The sign of the centaur carries with it a deep yearning for freedom that allows it to quest for meaning in all the ways that bring a deeper sense of understanding, purpose, and significance into its life. The anthropologist of the zodiac, this energy is constantly needing to immerse itself into the things that stoke its inner fire, finding subjects and topics, methodologies and modalities, leitmotifs and life material that inspire, uplift, and expand its spirit, heart, and mind. If this energy isn’t particularly inspired or expansive, it certainly needs a paradigm-shift, and one that brings these important experiences of inspiration and expansion to its spirit, lighting it up from within once more, for this is truly what Sag is wired for. Uplifting content is necessary for the centaur’s ability to embody its inherently resilient and buoyant nature, yet it’s not just about a short journey with this material; instead, Sag is meant to take a long expedition through the things that light it up internally, getting to know each one in a true and deep way that enhances its understanding of life’s meaning, as well as its own.

Interestingly enough, Jupiter, ruling planet of the archer, also currently sits in the opposite sign of Gemini, and though the New Moon taking place in the late hours of November 30th or the wee ones of December 1st (depending on which coast you happen to be on) does not quite oppose the “lucky planet,” Mercury will certainly be moving back to do this, forming an exact opposition with the “guru planet” on December 4th, 2024. This mutual reception (Mercury and Jupiter are in each other’s signs) only serves to highlight themes on the Gemini-Sagittarius axis of perception and paradigm, information and experience, carrying the possibility of a shift in frame that allows us greater awareness and understanding, as well as the ability to move forward in our lives with the new sense of perception gained. But as with any natal aspect in astrology, as well as any current transit, the choice to open ourselves to what memo or message the energies involved are bringing is always ours. Should we say ‘yes’ to this larger conversation, the possibilities become limitless, and we are guided in a way that moves us toward our highest aspirations and motivations. Yet if we choose to remain closed to the gifts being presented, a dogmatic certainty could set in, one that results in our inability to expand our horizons and say ‘yes’ to life’s astonishing play. Inevitably, what will support this kind of opening is aligning with Mercury in its retrograde phase: creating the time and space in our lives to reflect on our soul journey — both the recent developments and unfoldings, as well as the longer cycles and turnings that go quite a ways back, indeed.

Transiting Jupiter, who always wants us to expand, to ‘leap and the net will appear,’ and to have faith in ourselves and our ideals, has been in Gemini since late May of this year and will stay there until the second week of June 2025. The twins ask us to remain open and curious so that we might welcome a state of wonderment and awe (adbhuta in Sanskrit), one that keeps us effervescently engaged with life and its flow. Gemini’s mind moves quicker than light, so with Jupiter here, we’re encouraged to say ‘yes’ to what is truly meaningful rather than the first idea we have, and to do so in ways that allow us to be ever available for life’s epic synchronicity, receiving its memos and downloads as we’re meant to, and also to share our words and our voices, using the power within our matrika to call reality into being. Mystical Matrika-Shakti, the inherent intelligence that lives within our thoughts, words, ideas, and beliefs, is up for a reconfiguration, as Jupiter and Mercury’s dance reminds us. Outmoded and outdated belief systems that we’ve inherited from other iterations of life are meant to be seen through and released so that a new, more accurate view of reality can be understood and brought forth, a co-creation with the innate force that lives all around us and deep within us. The power of our perception is only as powerful as our ability to see and understand reality clearly, opening our third eyes to recognize what is actually happening in a scenario rather than believe an old story we’ve been telling ourselves for goodness knows how long! When we allow ourselves to become privy to this living matrix that permeates all of our ideation, we become aware to see and to sense, to perceive and to know reality as it is, not a reality that is filtered through a cloudy, murky lens. No longer bound by the limited version of life, we instead are moved into a liberative view of its existence, our perceptual filters cleared away so profoundly that what is left is the most accurate view possible. Jupiter gives us the opportunity to do just this, saying ‘yes,’ to this immense paradigm-shift that encourages us into our highest potential, for if our view is clouded, the way we engage the world inevitably will be too. Yet if our view is clear, we remember who we came here to be, living in the world in all the ways we’re deeply meant to, claiming the freedom that is indeed our birthright, able to call forth our most meaningful endeavors.

Saturn, staunch keeper of time, squares this New Moon from Pisces, where he sits at about 13°, reminding us that we can only be available to this cosmic magic if we take time and create space to nurture the mystic awareness within. Creating healthy boundaries in ourselves and our own lives for the practices that support the expansion of our numinous awareness facilitates just the conditions necessary for the paradigmatic revisions mentioned. He, too, reminds us not to “mistake the finger pointing at the moon for the moon itself,” for eventually after all of our journeying, we will be asked to let go of it in its totality, knowing that in walking as far as we could along our paths, we arrived exactly where we were meant to, and everything else must be released. Fight this, and we become unnecessarily stuck in a thickened, hardened version of life that limits us more than we could possibly know. Go with it, and we become the elders who are tuned in to the mysteries, examples of what is possible in a human lifetime.

May this Sagittarius New Moon spark your spirit and uplift your heart, beckoning you to re-engage with your soul journey in all the ways that stoke your inner fire. May this Mercury retrograde give you the time and space you need to contemplate and reflect in just the right ways so that your quest for meaning becomes even more aligned with the truth of your being. And may Jupiter’s movement in Gemini invite you to dance with the matrika shakti in a way that brings openness and clarity, expands your perception of reality’s epic play, and liberates you from the old misperceptions that once clouded your understanding, making you available to the magic of life’s unfolding and your own meaningful role within it.May this Sagittarius New Moon spark your spirit and uplift your heart, beckoning you to re-engage with your soul journey in all the ways that stoke your inner fire. May this Mercury retrograde give you the time and space you need to contemplate and reflect in just the right ways so that your quest for meaning becomes even more aligned with the truth of your being. And may Jupiter’s movement in Gemini invite you to dance with the matrika shakti in a way that brings openness and clarity, expands your perception of reality’s epic play, and liberates you from the old misperceptions that once clouded your understanding, making you available to the magic of life’s unfolding and your own role within it.