Sagittarius New Moon Meditation for 2003:

Journeying with the Centaur

By Jean Hinson Lall

As Sun and Moon meet in Sagittarius, the spirit soars heavenward. This is the most mature expression of the Fire element. In Aries, Fire is instinctive and fearless in forging new pathways; in Leo it emerges as a concentrated, creative personality; and now in Sagittarius Fire reaches beyond the personal to disseminate ideas and inspiration to the world at large. Emerging from the intense refining process of Scorpio, the individual is ready to go forth as a teacher, scholar, priest or pilgrim, to publish or proclaim what she knows, or to take up the quest for new knowledge. This is the time of year in which to renew our sense of vocation and our dedication to the values we hold most dear.

The emblem of Sagittarius is the centaur-archer, combining the swift, powerful body of a horse with the head and torso of a man armed with a bow and arrow. The horse-body shows the intense physicality and endurance of this spiritually-charged sign, while the archer reveals its ability to identify a target and aim at a distant goal. Not only the Sun and Moon but Mercury, Venus and Pluto are in Sagittarius, so we should all be feeling the restless urge to set off on our journeys, either physical or mental.

This lunation is also a solar eclipse: the dark new moon will pass between the Earth and the sun so that the sun is blotted out for a short time. Thus both the lights are dimmed. If each new moon during the course of a year represents the end of a chapter and the beginning of a new one, an eclipse represents the closing of one book and the opening of another. Or to keep close to the imagery of fire, a lamp is extinguished and then rekindled. A ritual of rebirth is observed in the sky. What endings and beginnings belong to this time? The matters ruled by Sagittarius include religion, philosophy, law and ethics, higher education, travel, and cross-cultural understanding. The aim of the far-seeing, wide-ranging centaur is to attain the wisdom that can sustain civilized life -- whether in the form of spiritual insight, philosophical thought, cultural and scientific knowledge, or legal, moral and political principles.

The ruler of Sagittarius, Jupiter, is in Virgo, in square to its own sign, and especially to Mercury and Pluto. So the fiery energy of Sagittarius has to express itself through earthy, critical Virgo. Mars meanwhile is in watery Pisces, opposite Jupiter and square Mercury and Pluto, forming a T-square in the Mutable signs. With so much stress in the Mutables (which are already transitional in character), we feel somewhat insecure and anxious, and this generates activism (or failing that, illness). We scurry about trying to communicate or fix or complete things as if facing a deadline. There is a danger that the need for profound change in all Sagittarian endeavors (represented by Pluto) will be dissipated in inflated, compulsive verbiage (Mercury debilitated in this sign and conjunct Pluto) and that the quest for wisdom and higher principles may run aground in dogmatic criticism, grandiose moralizing, excessive attention to rules of procedure, arguments over the shape of the table where the peace talks are to be held, or bureaucratic efforts to reform the curriculum or rearrange the health care system (Jupiter in Virgo), while the actual situation gets more and more out of control (Mars in Pisces) since the people and things one is trying to regulate are not being seen and heard.

On the other hand, this Mutable complex contains much potential for learning and constructive action. Jupiter and Mercury are in mutual reception (placed in each other's signs), so they have a basis for understanding and could develop a dynamic, well-structured and comprehensive plan. If they can take on board the demands of Mars in Pisces for a more imaginative, flexible and empathic approach, they will have made good use of this planetary moment. And Venus late in Sagittarius offers her spiritual passion and love of learning, while through her sextile to Uranus in Aquarius she recruits his intellectual clarity, originality, and global vision.

During the season of this eclipse, consider doing your meditations in motion. Sagittarius rules the thighs and the hip joints, the "hinge" between our upper and lower natures, the horse part of us that loves to run, walk, skate, leap, pole-vault, or cycle. So get out on the road or on the ice rink (my personal favorite) as you welcome the next chapter. Like a pilgrim, go forth in prayer that your feet will be guided; then let your feet guide you. You may find that the wisdom you seek and the clarity about your calling will rise up out of the rhythmical action of your lower limbs. The late signs of the Zodiac correspond to the lower parts of the body, so mature thought is actually somehow linked to the legs and feet rather than the head! The joy of having the whole body in rhythmic motion ignites the spirit with a sense of freedom and possibility and at the same time grounds it firmly in this world. Being in contemplative motion while things are turning over in the cosmos is a way of flowing with those changes, letting go of what is finished and ritually entering into the new. And the horse will bring you home.