Introduction
Author and Benedictine sister Joan Chittister writes in her book In search of Belief (Liguori Publications: 1999): “Until I discover the God in which I believe, I will never understand another thing about my own life." She explains that "it is the God we choose to believe in who determines the rest of our lives." She elaborates on this statement by adding: ‘If my God is harsh judge, I will live in unquenchable guilt. If my God is Holy Nothingness, I will live a life of cosmic loneliness. If my God is taunt and bully, I will live my life impaled on the pin of a grinning giant." However, we can also choose to believe in another version of God: “If my God is life and hope, I will live my life in fullness overflowing forever.”
It is fitting that these words come from the pen of a woman whose natal chart has Jupiter in its own sign, that of Sagittarius, a sign in which the Sun and Moon unite on this New Moon Total Solar Eclipse at 17:13 in Montreal. Because it is the last eclipse of 2021, it will have a lasting impact until the next eclipse season in the spring of 2022.
Our quest and need for truth and wisdom knows no boundaries at this time. With zeal and passion, the helpful hand of mature, responsible, professional individuals, we set out on an adventure to figure out the answers to the big questions of life.
It is therefore the right time of the year to start projects that will help us further our knowledge, intellectually, spiritually, such as returning to school, learning a new language, planning a trip abroad, and so forth. The topic of the search for meaning and the quest for understanding, research and what is happening beyond our borders will be highlighted.
This quest to further our knowledge will be conditional on the support or lack of support of other planets and celestial bodies as expressed by their symbolism and modes of expression, particularly that of Jupiter, which governs the sign of Sagittarius, currently and until the end of December, in the sign of Aquarius, a sign concerned with the progress of humanity. The intuitive, sometimes dogmatic manner of expression of Sagittarius is tempered and cooled by the need to operate in the Aquarian detached, rational and scientific way. It is the quest for knowledge that will enable mankind to make social and intellectual progress that will be seeded at this New Moon.
The Sagittarius Space in Our Psyche
Astrologically, the image of the God that dwells within us resides in the 9th house, the space dedicated in our psyche to the quest for the big answers in life. The 9th house belongs to the astrological sign of Sagittarius because we need the flexibility, enthusiasm, optimism and open-mindedness of Sagittarius when exploring, seeking and receiving information that expands our awareness and consciousness. We also need Sagittarian energy to seek God and articulate the God that we believe in. The planet Jupiter is associated traditionally with Sagittarius and represents the principle of growth and expansion within us as well as the psychological drive behind our quest for meaning.
The Sagittarius space in our psyche describes transitional environments that promote the development of Knowledge (scientific, philosophical, and spiritual). It is knowledge that pushes us beyond our geographical, material, psychological and spiritual boundaries, from the most worldly (e.g. travel, exports) to the most abstract and theoretical, such as legal, religious and philosophical texts. It is opposed to the Gemini space which describes the places of transition that serve to share information usually taken for granted and used to deal with everyday reality, such as our neighborhood, offices, computers, roads, classrooms, inboxes, etc.
The Gemini-Sagittarius axis opposes the development and expression of the individual's thought to the development and expression of a more collective, more global knowledge, governing the behavior of groups of individuals, such as the Law and Scriptures. It contrasts rational and objective thinking with intuitive, futuristic and often theoretical thinking. When this axis is strongly emphasized in the sky or at our birth, we have the challenge to find the right balance between these two polarities.
Together, these two signs speak of communication and intellectual development.
Other significant astrological influences at the New Moon
Neptune in Pisces and Uranus in Taurus
In the days following the New Moon, Neptune's interference suggests a certain confusion, a certain lack of supervision or realism surrounding our goals and projects. Chaotic situations can deviate us from our plans. What starts this month will have to be rigorously controlled so that it does not degenerate into excessive spending, debts or other forms of excesses and moral or psychological servitude. With the presence of Neptune in Pisces and the emphasis placed on the sign of Sagittarius, we must remain flexible, willing to experiment and keep our options open. Neptune injects chaos but also some magic into our reality. Individually, the need to escape reality can make work and daily tasks more difficult to accomplish. To the confusion of Neptune is added the unpredictability and unexpected twists of fate that Uranus brings, much like the presence of the Wheel card announces in a Tarot spread. It is in reaction to these events that we must reach beyond our borders to seek the answers we need.
Venus and Pluto in Capricorn make an alliance with Mars in Scorpio
Intensity and drama can be expected in our personal relationships. We may be consumed with love and passion and expect our partners to feel the same way. We can become disappointed when others fail to soar to great emotional heights and follow us in our emotional depths. On a more positive note, we can be fiercely loyal and committed with an ability to fight any injustice.
This alliance of planets brings opportunities to act upon relationships and partnerships that can bring structure and stability in our lives as well as emotional support.
From a societal perspective, this combination of planets may correspond to changes in government programs and grants that can provide a much needed financial relief at this time.
People mostly concerned by this combination of planets : late Cancers, Capricorns, Libras and Aries.
Venus retrograde (December 19, 2021 until January 30, 2022)
The official retrograde phase of Venus starts on December 19 and will last until the end of January, although she will remain in the sign of Capricorn until early March, 2022.
As we return in the physical spaces of our offices, build new professional relationships, meet old colleagues, it will be a testing time for our values. Do we love our careers? What do we think of our bosses and our colleagues? For some it will be a happy reunion, for others a reminder of the bad choices they have made in the past.
On a personal level, old relationship models will reappear. Old faces come back to haunt us like ghosts for proper closure. Jupiter's presence in Pisces can add a touch of romance, but it can also blur a few lines in a grand and not-so-subtle way, making the transition easier. But when this planet enters Aries in the spring, that's when we'll realize we're still trapped in the same space. Our need for freedom and independence will once again manifest itself.
Venus in Capricorn can also be looked at from the employer’s perspective: attracting and keeping employees will be an issue until early March 2022 and possibly beyond, until Pluto leaves the sign of Capricorn in 2024 ...
People concerned with the retrograde motion of Venus : natives of the last decan of the following signs : Cancer, Capricorn, Libra and Aries, but also Taureans, Scorpios and Pisces, the latter experiencing lesser intensity and upheaval in their finances and relationships.
Jupiter: from Aquarius to Pisces
At the end of December, Jupiter will move into the sign of Pisces, leaving behind the planet Saturn in the sign of Aquarius. He will join another tenor of the celestial pantheon, Neptune: to the principle of expansion and growth will be grafted the principle of the dissolution of limits. Psychologically, the search for meaning and hope for the future will unite with the desire for redemption, the longing for an uroboric state of fusion and the dissolution of the ego. Jupiter will trade logic and reason for mysticism, universal union and creativity. The desire for universal love and compassion, for collective peek experiences and alternate realities will be heightened when these two planets join forces.
Individuals with this planetary combination in their birth charts often become healers of the world, whether through their political, humanistic, or artistic contributions. The late Pope John Paul II had this celestial signature at birth (Jupiter and Neptune in conjunction) as well as current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Boris Johnson (opposition between Jupiter and Neptune) and aspiring Republic of France president Éric Zemmour (conjunction of Neptune and Jupiter).
Quackery and deceit are some of the negative manifestations of this combination of archetypes.
People who will be concerned with the transit of Jupiter in the sign of Pisces: Pisces, Geminis, Virgos and Sagittarians, particularly those who were born in the last decan (the month of April 2022 may correspond to a turning point in their lives). This Jupiter placement can also benefit late Capricorns, Taureans, Scorpios and Cancers, without the excesses and arrogant tendencies that other signs might express.
The New Moon and Noteworthy Personalities
Former Montreal Mayor, Denis Coderre
In an article published in the newspaper La Presse, journalist Patrick Lagacé made the following statements about the former mayor of the city of Montreal who was running again as a candidate for mayor of Montreal last fall:
“The fiasco of the tickets sold and donated to Formula E sealed his fate in 2017, when Denis 1.0 stubbornly refused for months to give the real tally. It had tinted the end of his mandate and had highlighted his tendency for opacity, his dreams of grandeur too, very similar to the vision that Jean Drapeau had for city hall, as if Montreal absolutely had to put itself on the map in 2021, just like in 1967. "
Astrology confirms the exuberance and tendency to think big in Denis Coderre, but also his unconditional love for humanity.
Not only is the Sun in the sign of Sagittarius at his birth, but also Mercury, Venus and Mars. In addition, these planets have a close relationship with Jupiter, its representative. This whole cast wrestles with another gang of characters set in the sign of Pisces, the sign of unconditional love, but also chaos and mysticism.
Denis Coderre does not like limits.
To counterbalance this excess of optimism and imagination, it takes realism, a certain capacity for structure and a certain detachment to see facts and reality objectively.
In astrology, the ability to structure oneself comes from the strength and position of the planet Saturn. Pragmatism and patience come from the earthy signs. Air signs, the strength and position of Mercury can provide objectivity and detachment.
On this subject, Mr. Coderre's birth chart reveals that Saturn is in the air sign of Aquarius, reflecting his need to structure society to make it progress, but he has difficulty anchoring his endeavors since Saturn beats itself up against Neptune, which symbolizes, among other things, his need to disconnect from reality, what the Jungians call the need for participation mystique. In the collective, Neptune represents the dreams of a generation and how that generation will go about making them come true. Every archetype has a dark side and Neptune’s dark side manifests as chimeras.
Although the birth chart indicates a certain ability for structure, it is fuelled by rigid concepts. It is mostly a product of his mind. No personal planets are found in earth signs to provide him with a certain realism and a sense of his own limits and those of others.
This New Moon triggers all the sensitive points in his chart: it may prove to be the start of a new adventure for Denis Coderre.
A Fable As A Metaphor For The Quality of This New Moon
The God which appears at this time is nurturing, illuminating, compassionate, knowledgeable, albeit unpredictable. He is far seeing and far reaching.
Collectively and personally, we welcome him with enthusiasm and optimism and open-mindedness. But Jupiter and Saturn, the archetypes of meaning and structure, both in Aquarius, remind us that we need to work together to find the answers we seek. And most importantly to look beyond what we have come to know as reality for those answers.
Until the next eclipse season, set to begin in April 2022, we must watch out for:
· Arrogance, excess optimism and confidence, the overstepping of our limits.
Jean de la Fontaine’s version of the fable “The Milkmaid and the Milk Jug” can serve as a metaphor for the quality of this New Moon. In his story, a milkmaid sets out to sell a jug of milk to the local market. On her way there, as she carries the jug of milk on top her head, she starts daydreaming about all the different ways the pennies she expects to get paid for her jug of milk can be used to increase her wealth and buy her new things. Carried away by her imaginary future material success, she gets careless and trips over a rock, dropping the jug and spilling the milk. In an instant, her potential future collapses.
Opening the doors to possibilities is probably necessary at this time. But we must be mindful of the work and realism required to make any potential of the future come true. The devil is in the details, wrote Friedrich Nietzsche in the Zarathustra. This is the blind spot of this New Moon Eclipse.