Sagittarius New Moon Solar Eclipse, November 24-25, 2011
By Cathy Lynn Pagano
It is the North and South Nodes of the Moon which determine where our yearly eclipses fall. The North Node points out what we have to integrate into our collective vision; the South Node delineates what we have to leave behind. This year we are called by Sagittarius to stand in our Truth and leave behind the false dichotomies of the Gemini Rational Mind which has controlled our society since the Age of Enlightenment. This is the year we get to really shift our Minds -- time to start using all sides of the brain. Since Gemini's ruler Mercury goes retrograde in Sagittarius a few hours before this Thursday's solar eclipse, we can count on spending the next few months contemplating what we believe and how we use our minds -- or not!

Sometimes you just "gotta have faith'!

This Sagittarius new Moon partial solar eclipse occurs on November 24 at 10:10pm PST and on November 25 at 1:10am EST/ 6:10am GMT. It will be seen at the bottom of the world in Antarctica, South Africa and New Zealand.

The Sabian symbol for the New Moon solar eclipse at 3* Sagittarius is: Two men playing chess. The two opposing sides in the game must use strategy and cunning to conquer their opponent. Chess trains us to be more objective and aware of the big picture. It images for us the interplay of light and dark, good and evil, male and female, yin and yang. We all need to understand the big picture and create accordingly. Our Wizard's Chess board sharpens the mind as it presses towards its goal.

If I had to pick a story to go along with this month's Sagittarius New Moon, it would be the story of Harry Potter. Harry is asked to stretch his mind around the fact that he is a Wizard -- he has magic in his blood. But because he has to confront the evil Voldemorte, he must confront the question of what he values. Before Voldemort becomes embodied again, he tries to entice Harry to side with him and take up Power. But Harry values Love and loyalty and friendship and rejects the call to Power. It is this grand mythic story of the struggle within one boy to decide if he will stand for Love or give over to Power that has captured our collective imagination. This is especially true for men -- it is up to men to make this choice for Love, for men still control much of the world's wealth and power.


It is not the power of the rational mind itself which is good or evil -- it is what we each chose to do with ours that matters. Objective rationality can be death-dealing if it is cut off from heart values just as subjective emotionality can be delusional if we can't discriminate between good and evil. We have to achieve a balance of letting the heart lead the way while strengthening our ability to focus our minds on what is important. The proper balance is the Mind supporting the Heart.

Ancient wisdom says that magical powers -- which include the focused power of Intention - are not meant to be used for personal gain -- no matter what The Secret says. Our beliefs give rise to our reality. If we believe that we can use our "magical power' of intention to make money and have power over other people, we are siding with Voldemort and his Death Eaters. We have to decide if we are here to use our creative powers to serve the greater good or our own personal good. As we can all see, that hasn't worked out for the best, has it?

Sagittarius New Moon Solar Eclipse


Sagittarius New Moon Solar Eclipse 2011 by Cathy Pagano/Kepler


This New Moon is a Solar Eclipse as well as a SuperMoon, bringing in more intense energies that can shift our awareness and beliefs. The Moon is at its closest to the Earth now, exerting a greater pull on both our inner and outer waters; the Solar Eclipse brings the Moon onto the same plane as the Earth and Sun, setting up a new energy grid as the old one dies out. This Sagittarius New Moon wants to expand our beliefs about what is possible. In this dark time, it is the light of Sagittarian truth that sparks our curiosity and deepens our belief in Life.

This New Moon is challenged by a few energies that have to be included in this extra potent seed time: Neptune at 29* Aquarius and Chiron at 1*Pisces confront us with the truth that it is the power of community that will create these new possibilities and give us new hope; and Mars at 7*Virgo, challenging us to get our act together, know who we are and create the perfect vehicle to express it as we wait for the next chapter in our cosmic story -- the upcoming Uranus/Pluto square.

Jupiter rules Sagittarius, the sign of Cosmic Order and Laws. Sagittarius focuses its energies on cosmic law and truth, always pushing the boundaries of knowledge, curiosity and inclusion. The constellation of Sagittarius contains the Galactic Center, located within the starry river of the Milky Way. Jupiter's spirituality continually expands our knowledge of the Universal Laws of Life, bringing justice into our collective code of laws and wisdom to our personal consciousness about Life's laws.

Venus, the ruler of Taurus, is in Jupiter's sign of Sagittarius, right on the Galactic Center. Jupiter is in Venus' sign of Taurus at this solar eclipse, asking us what is most valuable to us. If your answer is Life itself, then Jupiter in Taurus says we need to get going to save our environment, because the window of opportunity is fast closing to reverse the worst outcome of climate change. Scientists say we have 5 years before our children will inherit a world of continuing environmental disasters. This new Moon is all about the heart chakra.

The Occupy Wall Street movement is demanding economic equality. What we really need is a redirection of wealth toward healing the environment first. The wealthy 1% is holding the planet's health and our lives hostage to their short-sighted greed. Jupiter in Taurus encourages us to listen to the Earth's Laws of Life. If our environment is in jeopardy, the Earth can teach us how to heal it if we listen and observe her laws. We have to shift collective consciousness to do this.

Jupiter is in a wonderful helpful aspect with Pluto in Capricorn and Mars in Virgo for this solar eclipse New Moon. What we work on we can manifest. If we really need it! Because of Mars' retrograde next January, it will stay in Virgo from mid-November 2011 to July 4, 2012. Mars' extra-long stay in Virgo can give us the determination we need to heal ourselves and work to bring healing into our world.

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