November 23rd ~ 30th

Gratitude bestows reverence, allowing us to encounter everyday epiphanies, those transcendent moments of awe that change forever how we experience life and the world. ~ John Milton

The holiday of Thanksgiving in the United States coincided with a contentious Full Moon in Gemini  this year followed by the direct station of Neptune. Contentious, confounding, over-extended and confusing: this is not the sort of Moon one would choose to invite to family gatherings. No sooner did we enter the very first breath of the sign of Sagittarius, then we were launched into this noisy and distracting Full Moon. Full Moons can be emotional and reactionary any way. All the more so with expansive Jupiter and Mars along for the ride. Just to add to the confusion, Gemini-ruler, Mercury is now retrograde and also closing in on this mutable and edgy t-square. 

The days leading up to the Full Moon have been filled with crazy news, what with the wild fires in California, and the diaspora of Central American immigrants finally approaching the US border. Sagittarius is a sign of far horizons, a sign of the pathfinder and the immigrant, of aspiration and hope. The holiday of Thanksgiving in the US is based on a tradition of feasting in abundance, and extolling gratitude. Its history is questionable, but the sentiments are decidedly Sagittarian. But one has to wonder at the strange hypocrisy of celebrating pilgrims from the 1600’s, contrasted with our current welcome package of barbed wire and armed soldiers. 

The aftermath of this Full Moon could easily feel a little over the top and drawn and quartered at the same time. Good to step back from the busyness of it all to get your bearings and reconnect. Not doing so will only lead to agitation and impatience with Mars thrown into this mix. There still is a lot of potential here. Sagittarius is a sign of optimism, and when conjoined with the Sun at the Full Moon, positive attitudes can reap positive results, provided we aren’t too pushy about it, or impulsively jumping out of the frying pan into the fire. 

What this Moon can bring is the realization  and discussion of some sort of Big Idea. Mercury being retrograde may begin by showing us all the stuff that is not working and is getting in the way. The Inferior Conjunction of Mercury on Tuesday marks the beginning of the next Mercury cycle. This time around the conjunction is in Sagittarius, and also closely conjunct far-seeing and expansive Jupiter. A lot of good ideas can come out of this, including a larger vision for the future. But because our focus is so much on that big picture we are in danger of overlooking the very important details that are necessary in order to make that big vision a closer reality. If our head is in the clouds, we won’t see where we are walking, and we’re more likely to trip over something. And probably the biggest danger we can have when there is an abundance of Jupiter, is of taking on way more than you could possibly handle.

Ask yourself first, is it reasonable, and is it achievable? Then make sure you get all the information you need before making any major changes or final commitments. One of the positive aspects of an abundance of Jupiter is the capacity to see the world from another or much broader perspective, thereby forever changing your point of view, and the way you experience the world. A new dawn is possible, but only if we are informed, and make sure we know what we are doing. 

For next week’s horoscopes, click below:

HOROSCOPES