The New Moon presents us with a perfect time to meditate.  Every New and Full Moon is perfect for meditation but this New Moon has optimistic aspects (Mars Sextile Neptune and Square to the Jupiter Uranus Conjunction).  Also the Sun and Moon are Sextile Saturn in Libra which operates as a balancing mechanism.  It just takes effort to get this lunar month off on a very positive footing.
At this New Moon, Uranus the planet of innovation, creativity, and surprise is stationing direct. This emphasises new creative opportunities and the desire to make plans for the future. Freedom is important to Uranus. If restricted in any way from expressing itself, rebellion is often the result. Fortunately Jupiter has been freeing up Uranus this year. Uranus begins to move towards Aries once more, where it will commence a new 7-year cycle in early 2011 Now is a good time to put energy into our dreams and visions for the coming year.
A striking kite formation in the heavens helps us harness past experiences and adapt them so we can work in new ways as we move ahead. The alignment of Pluto with Mars, the North Node and retrograde Mercury on the 14th suggests breakthroughs are now possible which free up enormous stores of energy and releases karmic patterns so we can transcend limitations and fears. This combination helps us focus on objectives and put in the hard work required. A sustained effort will get our message across and attain the desired result.

New Moons are a time of new beginnings and undertaking new projects; since this New Moon occurs in Sagittarius, these projects will likely center on adventure, discovery, and personal experiences, whether they be physical (by planning future travels, say) or mental (through learning or new personal understanding). This is likely to be a weekend of fun and discovery, no matter your definitions.

The Sabian Symbol** for the Sun and Moon at 13°28′ Sagittarius is the Pyramids and the Sphinx, with the keyword CERTIFICATION. What we see with our own eyes may not be the whole truth, but it’s a start, and it’s our first clue as to what is real and what isn’t. One of the wonders of the world, the Pyramids represent the best of what humanity can manifest into reality, and we still aren’t sure how they did it! As we work on our ability to manifest, we must continue to strive for the greatest good and to be willing to go through the trial and error necessary to perfect our skills.


Uranus is now direct after five months in retrograde, which could add new dimensions of your knowledge and insight of your own self. All other planets are also currently direct until December 10

Mars is also in Sagittarius, which will add an air of determination to any new undertakings (or adventures) that you may begin.

We don’t see the awakening of a seed. When it bursts open and its life violently pours forth, it is still deep within the earth, out of sight. And yet, it is growing.

At 13°28′ Sagittarius, the New Moon itself has no relation to the T-square, which took place in the early degrees of cardinal signs Aries, Libra, and Capricorn. However, there is a very big connection between this New Moon and the planets on the main axis of the T-square, and that’s why I believe we’ll see major developments that are directly related to it.

Even before the T-square peaked in the early cardinal signs over the summer, Saturn and Uranus had been opposed in the late degrees of Virgo and Pisces since November 2008. At the height of the T-square, they were in early Libra and Aries. Jupiter, meanwhile, has also been moving in and out of opposition with Saturn and conjunction with Uranus. Jupiter and Uranus now are in late Pisces but will advance back into Aries soon. And here’s where things get really interesting.

Jupiter, as planetary ruler of Sagittarius, rules this New Moon. Jupiter just went direct on November 18 and is picking up some speed. We’re back in growth and expansion mode, following a period of dormancy and contraction.

Uranus, meanwhile, is stationed at a dead stop, ready to return direct a little over eight hours after the New Moon. This is a very powerful moment in time, and the breakthroughs won’t be far behind. Watch that fertile ground for signs of growth popping out.

Jupiter and Uranus are both planets of awakening – Jupiter, because he represents higher consciousness and Uranus because he represents the electrical spark, the genius that inspires us to innovate and think out of the box. I chose as the image for this post Michelangelo’s famous painting on the Sistine Chapel in Rome depicting God’s creation of Man. I also might have used the “consciousness” scene in 2001: A Space Odyssey, in which primate consciousness evolved through contact with aliens; or the birth of Athena, in which the goddess of wisdom was born fully formed out of the head of Zeus – the father god and Roman Jupiter.

The symbolism is all the same, and it’s where we’re at as of this New Moon.

The only aspect made by this New Moon is a close sextile to Saturn at 15 degrees Libra, sign of its exaltation. Saturn is known as the Lord of Time, and this is why he represents physical manifestation in the material world. As we now know from scientific research, there is no separation between energy and matter (or, if you will, “spirit” and matter). Matter – what you “see” with your human eyes and brain – is simply energy frozen in time.

The evolution in consciousness that many of us are experiencing carries with it an ability to manifest thoughts into physical reality. It’s not just about “creative visualization.” Although that’s a good start, it’s a bit like a preschooler trying to paint the Sistine Chapel with Crayolas. Real manifestation ability takes long years of training and practice. And since we don’t understand the mechanisms 100 percent, it has taken a lot of experimentation – the provenance of Uranus.

One thing we do know – or at least heavily suspect – is that to transform our lives into a more enriching, creative existence, we have to dump outmoded beliefs and behaviors. That, too, is the provenance of Uranus, depicted most vividly by The Tower in the Tarot deck. If we don’t drop them willingly, they can get blasted out by circumstances that force us to see the errors in our thinking.

In a stunning example of synchronicity, this New Moon is conjunct the Great Attractor, a mass of something we don’t understand, located some 250 million light-years away, at roughly 14 degrees Sagittarius. We’re not entirely sure what it is, but it appears to have the mass of at least 10 of our Milky Way galaxies, and it’s sucking in surrounding galaxies at an alarming rate.

By contrast, half a sign away, toward the final degrees of Sagittarius, is the Galactic Center, a giant mass we also don’t entirely understand but which appears to be a birth channel. One destroys, the other creates. Is there a connection? As it also so happens, the next Full Moon – the culmination of the energies released at the New Moon – will be closely conjunct the GC.

The conjunction of Jupiter and Uranus, both direct, provides a pathway for sudden breakthroughs.

The potential for advances in spirituality is of galactic proportions. And remember, my definition of “spirituality” has to do with our ability to sense the invisible energies that course through the universe and to use those energies to our advantage and the advantage of our fellow humans. Part of that vision is seeing through the illusion of time.

The period between the New Moon and Full Moon won’t be without its complications. Mercury is about to turn retrograde (more about that in my next weekly forecast), and it’s going to be a turbulent one, with Mercury going out of phase in conjunction with Mars and Pluto. I strongly urge you to finish your holiday shopping this weekend. If you haven’t mailed your packages, get them en route ASAP!