The Lantern of Inner Knowing

By Pythia Peay

The December 3rd New Moon at 12 Sagittarius is a total solar eclipse. With the more receptive Moon veiling the assertive Sun, it is a time when the hidden side of our innermost selves can emerge from behind the brightly-lit conscious mind. Pluto conjunct this lunation and the South Node further intensifies the instinctual, intuitive, ancestral side of our nature, 
bringing forth that which normally lies submerged from sight: secrets, unconscious wishes, dreams, buried wounds, and visions. 

The black-and-white winter backdrop, as well as the silver moon, are the perfect screen for our colorful, subjective imaginings and projections. Thus it is a time to momentarily put aside our everyday strivings and peer into the reflecting pool of our psyches. Because the essence of Sagittarius is the search for truth and higher knowledge, the message inscribed in the heavens this New Moon is that the pearl of wisdom lies within.
  
Jupiter in Leo - ruler of Sagittarius, and in trine to the Sun, Moon, and Pluto - is the planetary teacher of the hour.  Barely moving, the giant planet is poised to move retrograde within hours of the New Moon, greatly intensifying its influence. As the planet that symbolizes faith, or the ability to make meaning from meaninglessness, Jupiter's retrograde station is yet one more sign from the heavens to turn within. Indeed, astrologers often describe the period of Jupiter retrograde as a time when one's own unique values and beliefs assume greater significance over collective religious ideals. The person born with Jupiter retrograde, for instance, is often a spiritual revolutionary who lives according to otherworldly laws.

So this New Moon eclipse, as the Moon casts her shadow over the bright light of the Sun, follow in her footsteps and allow the softer side of your psyche to shine into focus.  Gaze into the silvery orb within the temple of your heart and observe the astral imaginings of your psychic self - communicate with departed loved ones, spirit guides, and invisible beings. Step into your personal dreamscape and descend into your unconscious; pay attention to your emotions and unspoken yearnings. 

On a spiritual level, steep yourself in the non-physical light familiar to traveller's along the pathways of the soul - the natural light of intelligence that is both everywhere and nowhere. Mystics know this state as the ground of being; the wisdom that comes from it is called gnosis, or inner knowing. This is that part of ourselves that simply knows the truth of all 
life. Without proof, without facts, without data, statistics, dogma, or books. Just pure knowing of the eternal reality suffusing all existence. In this state we pray without words; be without trying.

Following the path of Jupiter, the cosmic teacher, gather the light-that-comes-from-darkness into your heart, then shine it onto those places where you feel most confused or led astray. Let the wise sage within offer counsel on the problems you struggle with.  Let yourself draw near to this teacher who is as close to you as the heart that beats within your body. For in reality, this is no stranger, but the most intimate part of your deepest being.  Open the book of perennial wisdom and drink in the timeless teachings that have connected all seekers of truth. Immerse yourself in the knowledge that comes from your most trusted experiences, submerging your doubts in the immutable beauty of the divine universe we live in. 

Then rise, bow to the Moon, and step onto the path of the next lunar cycle - strengthened and guided from within by the lantern of inner wisdom.