Cycles culminate and end, before they start all over again. Cycles begin, and the new is upon us, as we move into other themes and life stories. This New Moon in Sagittarius is both. It is happening on the 4th of December, 2021, at 12 degrees and 12 minutes of Sagittarius, and at 07:43 GMT. It signals the conclusion of the nodes on the Sagittarius-Gemini axis. It created life stories of their own. We will come back to it in nine years on the reverse, eighteen years for the north node to return in the sign of Gemini and the south node in the sign of Sagittarius. For now, we are heading back into the Scorpio-Taurus cycle. But not yet. That’s for the January new moon in Capricorn. In December, there is some wrapping up business to conclude from months ago, which carries with it release and a sense of acceptance. However, let’s also not forget, this is a new moon, and therefore a new cycle in its own right. It is also an eclipse. A solar eclipse. So it carries more potency and breadth, and will bring something with it. Apart from it being next to the south node (always associating with letting go), Sun and Moon are conjunct Mercury. News, details, messages and communication on small technological items will come to the forefront. And we are thinking about money, in some form or another, as Mercury is the God of markets and exchange of goods. Mercury flying with his little winged sandals bringing information and delivering healing, as well as practical solutions to problems, is making his presence felt everywhere.
What better card to signify this completion and change of fortune than The World. Indeed, this is manifesting in the most direct and explicit way that – for better or for worse – change is upon us, change is inevitable and change is absolutely irresistible. Movement is essential and constant. The World card often indicated travel. It can be literal or symbolic. We are going to be swept with it, or as is the case in this beautiful depiction of The World, we will fly, we will elevate, we are posed to overcome our current circumstances to something loftier. We will journey physically or mentally. If we stop resisting, movement feels almost effortless and benevolent. The World card represents the completion of one phase and the immediate beginning of another. The new moon is getting good influences by both Saturn and Jupiter (its depositor) in Aquarius, by sextile, which is itself of the nature of Venus. But Venus, is on the way – slowly but surely – to being transformed through her meeting with Pluto, in Capricorn. And, therefore, transformation is key in all of the activity, internal and external, that is taking place.
For that we are going to need to draw all of our strength. The Strength, such a Venusian card, which so opportunely sits at the heart of the reading, tells us to draw strength from within. It is strength through attraction, not through fight. It is the strength of kindness rather than combat. We master harmony in order to overcome challenges and claim our state of being. That’s where we are going to find the resources to survive the changes, and progress to the transformation we so desperately need. Because our greatest enemy here is our own animalistic fears and doubts. Real meaningful strength comes from within and it is never ending. Inner strength is infinite. Both Aquarius and Capricorn, together with Sagittarius are serious signs. Their personas are distinct, each demonstrating a different aspect of maturity. But they are signs of taking responsibility, of owning our power, of seeing ourselves in the community, of participating in ideas, structures or group activities that are bigger than us, and bigger than the sum of the various parts that comprise it, but, at the same time, without being overwhelmed or dominated by them.
The Hierophant, very tellingly in this deck, is a little child. It shows that something small can yield enormous power, create stability, and have the authority to dominate thoughts and actions beyond our immediate environment. The new moon in the abundant sign of Sagittarius is starting from nothing, starting small, starting from the minute, with the potential to expand and envelop our entire existence. Jupiter, ruler of Sagittarius and of this new moon, will always try to create cohesion and integrate. The Hierophant is literary described as a person who brings religious congregates into this which is deemed holy. He is the interpreter of holy mysteries and the one who can bring the sacred into a manifest form. The Hierophant can also represent a figure of conformity. So an understanding of where we position ourselves regarding knowledge and the expression of inspired thinking means an awareness which requires distance and a detachment from our emotions. In addition, it points out to figures in our lives that perhaps yield unbalanced and unjustified power over us. And that will need addressing too. Everything directs us to being unemotional and pragmatic in dealing with reality and the forces which drive change. This is a magnificent reading, with three major arcana cards suggesting great changes, pivotal forces manifesting in real time, and powerful unequivocal new beginning. We can personify transformation in our own lives by taking charge of our environment and circumstances, through our own intellect and message. Making the choices to be our own authority, create our own rulebook, move forward by releasing attachment to an old order or hierarchy of people or things. We are building new structures to bring in beauty and pleasure, in a way that is good and holy for all of us and in a common purpose. We don’t necessarily need to break with the past. Rather we need to let it go its own way as we make our own new narrative order. Progress happens through cycles that bring harmony and balance to our life journey.
Flavia