Opportunities Galore

The new moon in the sign of the archer centaur will occur on November 30 at 10:21 p.m. in California, or December 1 at 12:21 a.m. in Mexico City, 7:21 a.m. in Central Europe, with the exact conjunction of Sun and Moon happening at Sagittarius 9°33′. As you can see in the enclosed chart, Sun and Moon form three major aspects: a square with Saturn which is still in the thirteenth degree of Pisces, at 12°55′, a wide opposition with Jupiter at Gemini 17°09′, and a trine with Mars at Leo 5°57′.

Sagittarius is the phase of extreme relatedness when the broadest relationships are contemplated under the expansive guidance of its ruler Jupiter. As a fire sign, it is not content with mental reflections, emotional displays or practical considerations. Fire signs are phases of action in all planetary processes. In Sagittarius they are encouraged to “think big” so this new moon marks a lunar month of envisioning our future and doing something to achieve it, a perfect month to embark on a research project or a religious quest. With these ideas as background, let’s look “under the hood”.

Structuring Visions

Jupiter and Saturn again are tightening their waxing square on its way to be exact for the second time on Christmas Eve, with Jupiter retrograde. During the first one, on August 19, Saturn was moving retrograde, and both will be in direct motion when the square is exact for a third and final time on June 15, 2025. This brings to mind the dialectical thinking and its three phases of thesis, when a proposition is made, antithesis, when an opposing viewpoint is taken to refute the proposition, and synthesis, when both viewpoints are considered to modify the original proposition or put forward a new one. The thesis was proposed by Jupiter just four months after its conjunction with Uranus on April 20, when we were encouraged to have faith and symbolically jump into the abyss, accepting our role as co-creators of the new civilization. We have seen that Jupiter in Gemini is capable of communicating great visions and Saturn in Pisces is able to give form to amorphous dreams, though in August it was retrograde and perhaps symbolized society taking in Jupiter’s arguments but not acting yet.

In the lunation, which is the relationship cycle between Sun and Moon, the waxing square marks the start of the First Quarter phase, symbolizing a crisis of action when actualizing potentialities present at the New Moon phase. In the relationship cycle of Jupiter and Saturn, the equivalent start corresponds to the Grand Conjunctions that occur approximately every twenty years, rotating among the three signs of the same element for a period of 180–200 years. In particular, the Grand Conjunctions between 1842 and 2020 occurred in the earth signs, giving rise to the technological and information revolutions when we learned to use (and abuse) our planet Earth. The Grand Conjunction of December 21, 2020 at Aquarius 0°29′ marked the start of nearly 200 years in air signs, until 2219.¹ The change from earth energy to air may be summarized as materialism to mentality so the next couple of centuries will see a humanity that is less concerned with material achievements and comfort, and more with the power of the mind. We are entrusted to co-create the foundation for such a new civilization during the current transition phase.

For the new moon, the square between Jupiter and Saturn is one half of a T-Square, the other half being the square between Saturn and the Sun–Moon conjunction. As we know, T-Squares are energetic configurations that require attention. Saturn is in charge of the configuration by virtue of forming two squares that demand action to resolve the polarity found at the opposition between Jupiter and the conjunction of Sun and Moon in the sign it rules. A lunation when we can become aware of our biggest visions, materialistic or not, and communicate them. The Sabian symbol for Pisces 13°, a battle-tested sword in a museum, symbolizes our willpower, the acknowledged spiritual sword. Saturn has been in a conjunction with such archetype since October 27, prior to the new moon in Scorpio, so the Sagittarian lunation will be the second one with Saturn operating in sync with our willpower, this time giving structure to our highest dreams and visions.

Opportunities for Aligning Wills

The last new moon, you may remember, happened two days before the opposition between Mars and Pluto was exact for the first time, the last major aspect Pluto formed while in Capricorn. We have termed such opposition a test of wills since Mars represents our individual will while Pluto, its higher octave, is the guide of humanity at the current level and thus it symbolizes the cosmic (or Divine) Will. Mars will be stationary a few hours after the new moon before moving retrograde and tighten its opposition with Pluto; it will be exact once more on January 3.

Besides the opposition to Pluto, at Aquarius 0°17′ at the time of the new moon, Mars will form a trine with the Sun–Moon conjunction, as we saw earlier, and another trine with the North Node at Aries 4°27′, for a Grand Trine configuration among the four planets, Sun and Moon acting as one. To minimize clutter in the charts, I don’t draw aspects to the South Node which, at Libra 4°27′, is always exactly opposite the North Node. But you can imagine two sextiles from Mars and the Sun–Moon conjunction to the South Node. Together, they form a Kite configuration with the South Node as pilot and the North Node as leader such that we’ll have energy to act in pursuit of our personal sovereignty (North Node in Aries) while discarding old relationship paradigms (South Node in Libra).

The Mars–Pluto opposition urges us to let go of trying to exert power over others and align ourselves to a higher purpose. Remember that it will remain in orb for several months and will be exact for the third time on April 26. Meanwhile, for this lunation the Grand Trine (and Kite) will ensure us plenty of opportunities to work on these issues.

Other Astrological Considerations

An emphasis on new approaches to our relatedness, and to our value system in general, is heralded by the trine of Venus (Capricorn 26°02′) with Uranus (Taurus 24°40′) which also injects truth in our relationships. The sextile of Venus with Neptune (Pisces 27°09′) and the, admittedly wide, conjunction with Pluto (7°12′ apart) brings Venus in contact with the transpersonal planets’ Minor Grand Trine. Neptune will be stationary two days after the new moon and begin to move direct on December 11 to enter Aries for the first time on March 30; I will say more about this in the article about 2025. Of course, the Mars–Pluto opposition also brings the former in contact with the Minor Grand Trine, allowing us to operate with desires (Mars) and needs (Venus) from an elevated and subtler level of consciousness. What’s more, Venus forms a square with Chiron (Aries 19°22′), injecting healing energy to our new relatedness, perhaps in old but valuable relationships.

Chiron also forms a tight trine with Mercury (Sagittarius 20°19′) which will be retrograde from November 25 through December 16, a period when it behaves like a trickster, especially in matters related to communication and transportation. But Mercury retrograde is an excellent time to reflect and use the power of our mind inward, and this could be very beneficial with Chiron’s healing energy readily available. Note how Chiron continues to be a part of a Mystic Triangle with the mutual-reception opposition of Mercury and Jupiter that we mentioned in the last article.

Discussion

The seed of potentialities for the lunation is greatly defined by the sign and aspects of the Sun and Moon conjunction. In addition to the three aspects mentioned at the very beginning, Sun and Moon form a 45° semisquare with Venus, shown in the chart as a dotted blue line with an acute angle as symbol. This is an aspect with the same keyword as the opposition, awareness, but weaker. Nonetheless, the semisquare will bring energy to make us conscious of any relationship issues we may have. Furthermore, Sun and Moon form a septile with Pluto,² an aspect that is considered fateful and which makes the upcoming lunation, the first one with Pluto firmly in Aquarius, a very significant one.

In her book The Sabian Symbols, subtitled: A Screen of Prophecy, the astrologer Diana E. Roche includes, alongside her interpretations, the original notes handwritten by Marc Edmund Jones. For Sagittarius 10°, the note reads: “A golden-haired goddess of opportunity”.³ The lunar month that begins together with December will be full of opportunities and synchronicities to structure our visions, align our personal wills with the cosmic Will, and work deeply in our relationships. All of this will be felt in the area of experiences, the astrological house, where Sagittarius 10° (9°01’–10°00′) falls in your natal chart. Of course, if you have planets, including Sun and Moon, or angles (Ascendant, Midheaven) in the 7°–13° range of the mutable signs (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius or Pisces), you are likely to feel it more strongly.⁴

The Sabian symbol of Sun and Moon and the trine between Mars and the North Node, part of a Grand Trine (and Kite) with Sun and Moon, point to a lunation of opportunities, a common theme. Mars and the North Node will maintain their trine through the waxing phases such that the Grand Trine and Kite configurations will be present at the full moon, with Mercury replacing the Sun and Moon conjunction in both the Grand Trine and the Kite.

Wrapping Up…

I once read that luck is taking advantage of opportunities, not letting them go. December promises to be a month where we will be offered plenty of them, I urge you to be alert.

This is a time to “shoot for the moon” and dream great dreams. The saying continues: “even if you miss, you will land among the stars”. Let’s aim the centaur’s arrows to fly high, towards the receptacle of the water bearer (Aquarius) from where Pluto is guiding us.

Don’t forget to declare your intention for the month, with very lofty goals, by this Saturday night.

Always Love. 🌹🙏💖

1. There was a “preparatory” Grand Conjunction in Libra, an air sign, on December 31, 1980 but returned to Taurus on May 28, 2000 to begin twenty years of earth energy for the last time. Similarly, there will be a Grand Conjunction in Scorpio in 2159 before returning to Gemini in 2179 and Aquarius in 2199. ↩︎
2. As the name suggests, the septile corresponds to one seventh of an orbit: 360 ÷ 7 = 51.428571… (the decimals repeating ad infinitum), which is rounded up to 51°26′. A small orb of no more than 1° on either side should be used. In this case, the Sun–Moon conjunction and Pluto are 50°41′ apart, just 0°45′ from being exact. ↩︎
3. In his book An Astrological Mandala, which I normally use, Dane Rudhyar modified the symbol to: “A theatrical representation of a golden-haired goddess of opportunity”, which he expands to: Society’s efforts at dramatizing the greatness of what it offers to the ambitious person. I feel that, while this modification may be more accurate in light of the five-degree sequences, the opportunity may arise not from society but directly from Spirit acting through the solar energy that fecundates Moon and gets distributed as the latter goes around the zodiac during the lunar month. ↩︎
4. To give you an example, I have Venus at Sagittarius 9°51′, at only 0°18′ from the new-moon conjunction, in the seventh house of personal relationships, typically romantic or business. I will be on the lookout for opportunities in those areas. ↩︎