Sagittarius New Moon:
The Woman in the Moon
By Dana Gerhardt

Soon Mars goes retrograde (on December 20 where it will remain until March 10). Our inner warrior is polishing his swords and reluctant to energize any outer projects. Without a strong Mars, we might feel tired and frustrated. Anger can simmer and flare, but the only battles worth fighting now are the inner ones. Resolve to meet your familiar enemies, the ones who whisper "You can’t do it" or "I’ve never trusted you." Sit with them and serve them tea. Talk about old times. Renegotiate their power. Show them the Shining Star that has always been there in you.

Solstice is near. On December 21 Jupiter and Neptune conjoin to stir our hopes; perhaps with imagination and spiritual sincerity, we can work miracles in this bleak landscape! But soon enough, Mercury retrogrades too (December 26 until January 15). Our mental circuits are drowsy. Nothing wants to happen quickly. And if we push, we can easily propel ourselves into a mistake. Perhaps we should be like bears and hibernate, for outside our cave eclipses will storm (December 31 and January 14). And that formidable pair, Saturn and Pluto, are readying themselves for another square (January 31).

The Sagittarius New Moon arrives like a soulful pit stop before the strange celestial journey that launches 2010. I do not know what will happen in the weeks ahead. I do not know what that chubby little rich boy is thinking as he frenetically rides his hobby horse in this New Moon’s Sabian Symbol. I’ve been thinking instead about the Moon, in particular the Chippewa woman who resides there. Nearly every winter, I have at least one wistful moment, when full of longing, I see the Moon and remember her story. It’s that time again. Perhaps you’d like to get a cup of tea and join me.

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"Her heart is made of winter’s ice!" That’s what everyone said about Lone Bird. She was an only child—proud, strong and beautiful. Braves took one look at her and were hopelessly stung with love; they preened, they boasted, they brought gifts. But she looked right through them. Hoping to breathe some warmth into the situation, her father sang the praises of several braves he knew. She just smiled, with that beautiful curving mouth of hers and those round soulful eyes: "The dear love of my parents is enough to make me happy."

Exasperated, her father sponsored a foot race among the top ten braves in order to select her mate. Everyone came—except Lone Bird; she spent the day inside her tent. The race was both exciting and strange. It ended with two powerful warriors crossing the finish line at exactly the same moment. Bending Bow and Hunter of Deer had been smitten with Lone Bird for many Moons. They raced a second time. And got the same result! They tried a jumping contest. Neither could beat the other. They held a hunting contest the following day. At sunset each threw down the same number of skins, ten bears and twenty wolves. The elders of the tribe shook their heads and muttered amongst themselves: surely Great Spirit’s hand was at work. Reluctantly, Lone Bird’s father called off the contest.

Summers passed, autumn leaves fell. Lone Bird watched her parents age. Winter came and as if for the first time, she wondered, what would come of her after her parents were gone? She had no brother, no sister, no children, nobody with whom to share her tent. For the first time she felt lonely, realizing that nothing—not the flowers, nor the trees, not even the wild geese lived alone. Even so, she was glad she hadn’t wed. She sat on a forest rock for a long time, until the Moon rose, marking a silvery path across the lake. "You are so dear to me," she said to the Moon. "If only you were my lover, I would be forever happy."

Nobody saw what happened next. Had Great Spirit heard her plea? When Lone Bird failed to return to her tent, her worried parents searched the camp. They looked down by the river. They called her name throughout the forest. "Have you seen Lone Bird?" they asked everywhere. In great despair, her parents looked up at the shining Moon. And there, they found their daughter. Held in the pale Moon’s arms, she smiled down at them with such luminosity and grace their grief disappeared. She had found her mate! They knew she would now be cared for, tenderly and soulfully, by the constant love of the Moon.

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When I think of this story, I marvel at Lone Bird’s courage. She knows her own mind and stands her ground until her mysterious karma can ripen. Hers was a family-oriented culture, where mating meant survival. Resisting this tradition couldn’t have been easy. I too have spent many seasons alone, with little interest in finding a mate. And I’ve spent many seasons in relationship, as I am now. Yet even when wrapped in the warmth of others, I can still relate to Lone Bird. Why? Within me, there is a deeper—both painful and exquisite—loneliness that goes beyond the presence of lover, family or friends. Often it’s the austere beauty of winter that raises this feeling. Recently I was talking with a friend about her depression. Her theory was that she gets depressed whenever she’s separated from her own divinity. "Depression," she said, "may be a natural, even intelligent, reaction to feeling disconnected from the spiritual world."

Sagittarius celebrates the freedom to choose our own journeys. It ignites the archetypal urge to reconnect with Spirit and name our own truth. Through Sagittarius, we seek the light. The Sagittarius New Moon arrives on the doorstep of winter, a handful of days before Solstice, when all is laid bare in the natural world. If you sit quietly enough, you may find what’s laid bare within you. If you find longing, or loneliness, follow the feeling. Let it take you to what really matters this season. In the end, you may find yourself embraced by your own divinity, as Lone Bird was embraced by the Moon.

The natural world is a powerful ally during dark or reclusive times. It can make the difference between drowning in your own voices and opening to new inspiration and light. I invite you to join me and hundreds of others who’ve shared in the journey of my Twelve Moons workshop. It’s designed to draw you into the natural world of the Sun, the Moon, and the cycles of your heart. This workshop can be a sweet companion throughout 2010, encouraging you to journal your thoughts and feelings, while observing how life is moving in natural time. And it’s always been economically priced: enroll for a year and you pay less than $12.50 each month!

© 2009 Dana Gerhardt
All rights reserved