"The Greatest $tory Ever Tolled": The NEW MOON at 20°40' Sagittarius, Tuesday, December 12, 2023, 23:33 UTC

Dec 11, 2023

Greetings Fellow Travellers,

At this New Moon, I want to keep this story simple. I want to. I really do. It’s Sagittarius season, a time of optimism & hype, of exploration, adventure, and the pursuit of truth and wisdom. Yeah, truth. And wisdom.

What is this “truth?”

"Truth" is (apparently) a concept that represents the state of reality. It's supposedly objective, meaning it is not influenced by personal feelings or opinions; it just is. Truth is just truth, ok?

But according to who? Who gets to call what is objectively “true” or “real?” Me? You? Others? The education system? The Supreme Court? The Pope?? And why should my truth be a truth that matters to you, or anyone… or vice versa? Since the perception of what is true can vary based on different perspectives, say, philosophical, academic, cultural, or individual points of view, what is purported or supposed to be “true” must at least be subjective, no?

My truth. My authentic self. My experience. My belief. My honest to God solemn oath.
My horseshit.

Sagittarius is half horse, after all.

But it's also half archer, with a human torso, firing arrows, striving to make a point.

The equine aspect of Sagittarius embodies the wild, untamed, and restless spirit, yearning for freedom and adventure - to sow its wild oats. In contrast, the human side reflects a more mature, refined, observant, and contemplative nature, attempting to encapsulate and share its worldly experiences through the recounting of compelling stories.

So perhaps “truth” is more the “story”- a narrative we construct and tell, whether to ourselves or others. It's about what we find convincing and believable, not necessarily objective but plausible, reasonably credible. Like when I travel abroad and describe my experiences and observations about another culture, my account becomes a version of truth shaped by my perspective that others may be interested in exploring too. It might inspire them to travel. Similarly, when I read a book or study a subject, the information I absorb and later recount is filtered through my understanding and interpretation. If my story is convincing enough to “believe”, then I have gotten the point across. Bullseye.

Belief. Another Sagittarian concept.

What is belief?

Belief is supposedly a psychological state in which someone holds a premise or proposition to be true. So, it doesn't necessarily require the same level of rigorous fact-checking or fussing over empirical evidence that Gemini deals with. Whether a belief is true for others often becomes a matter of conjecture and, at its core, becomes an intersubjective agreement. Belief in any story inherently requires “faith”, another Sadge word, aligning closely with the fire (intuitive) element. Since fire symbolises passion, spontaneity, and inspiration, beliefs are often deeply personal and can be influenced by a multitude of factors, including cultural background, personal experiences, education, and emotional states.

But I wanted to keep this story simple, remember?

In the context of a Sagittarius lunation, where the Sun (conscious expression) and Moon (instinctive notions) are synodically aligned, our primordial nature, both inner and outer, is in confluence with the search for meaning and truth. Belief plays a pivotal role here, stirring up a profound, intuitive connection with "truth" as a narrative or story that we wholeheartedly wish to live by and have faith in, often transcending the need for empirical evidence.

The beliefs nurtured during this time are characteristically personal but also expansive and inclusive, mirroring Sagittarius's affinity for living out our story, sharing our truth, and standing by our principles with full conviction. This period is ripe for the setting of personal intentions that seek not just greater understanding but also trust, reflecting a journey of both physical and mental exploration and expansion.

With Mars also in Sagittarius during this time, there's an added thrust to push these beliefs and convictions more forcefully. Mars, which is pure drive and aggression, can amplify the Sagittarian inclination to put one’s “own authentic story” out there in such a forceful manner; so actively and passionately that we are inclined to hurl our “truth” across our neighbour’s threshold with a grenade rocket launcher.

We all have a story. Perhaps a few little ones, somewhat varied and contradictory, but luckily, with a little cognitive dissonance, we manage to weave them into a coherent narrative. For instance, you might be the kind who fiercely advocates for environmental conservation but also enjoys long country drives in that old gas-guzzler. Or you may adamantly protest for peace in the Middle East, but be inclined to get into online scuffles with those who support the war. There is a very ambivalent nature to Sagittarius, only amplifying the subjective nature of “truth”. Each of us brings our personal experiences, biases, and backgrounds into the “story” and hence, what is "true" for one person might differ from the next, only highlighting the complex, multifaceted nature of this moment.

So much for trying to keep this story simple.

As we can see, some of us have some pretty big stories that we believe. There are some whoppers out there, and there are also some almighty whoppers. Epics like, “The Greatest Story Ever Told”, about a dude who lived a long time ago in some “holy lands” - a story that encapsulates themes of sacrifice, redemption, and unconditional love, and has profoundly influenced billions of people over millennia. Whether one reads and interprets that story as a literal truth, a powerful allegory, or something of a hybrid, one which excuses one’s own shortcomings and misconstrues or ignores any inconvenient hypocrisies, its impact on one’s cultural, moral, and psychological conduct is obvious. There are other, even older stories, which, regardless of their scale, continue to shape the understanding and moral compass of the geopolitical world and the lives of individuals, reflecting the sheer magnitude and power of belief in guiding human thought and action, particularly when they form a shared intersubjective reality among many. Currently, we can observe the impact of such narratives on a global scale, especially when they come into direct, often violent conflict with the stories and beliefs of others. This interaction of differing beliefs underscores the potency and complexity of the stories we hold dear, and their tendency to have us warring with one another is no surprise with Mars entangled in this lunation.

Of course, the indisputably greatest story there ever was, one of the most universally accepted and powerful narratives is the concept of "money." It's a story that, intersubjectively, almost everyone agrees is true. Money, in its various forms and currencies, representing more than just physically printed notes, digital transfers, or bitcoins, is a complex, sprawling story of trust and faith that underpins modern society from one end of the earth to the other. This mutual agreement we have to believe in the value of money, despite its inherent intangibility and the fact that its often just numbers in a computer system, drives economies, influences global relationships, and shapes individual lives.

With Jupiter, the great benefic and dispositor of this lunation, now in Taurus, slowing to turn direct and forming a near-perfect sesquiquadrate (tense 135º angle) to this Sadge New Moon, this epic event only emphasises that the power of something like money (or the concept of ‘ownership’ in general) doesn't reside in its physical form, but rather in our collective belief in its spiritual value and its roles in trade, investment, and as a metric of wealth and success, as well as an impetus to get to work, to love and to wage holy war upon one another. What an epic!

Further to this, a quincunx (uneasy 150º angle) to this lunation from Uranus, also in Taurus, rattles our views on the stability and wealth story. This aspect challenges us to rethink our identity and values, urging for upgrades in our narrative about our role in the economic system. It's a cosmic prompt to reshape our beliefs, redefine our relationship with material wealth, shift some things around, exercise the transformative power of our shifting our perspectives about all things Taurus, be it money/property/land etc, sacred or otherwise.

Mercury slows to retrograde in the next few hours, and the backspin will eventually take our winged messenger from earthy Capricorn also back to Sagittarius, promising a wild ride for the holidays. I’ll have more to say on this in the coming weeks, but for now, we must watch ourselves and where we invest the fiery force of our conviction, for our story, although absolutely right and true and burning to be told from the rooftops (as we may believe it to be) is possibly fictional or at least deemed to be false by those who either know better or worse. This is hardly the time to get into flaming wars over our solemn truths. With Neptune, ruler of illusion, squaring this lunation, it pays to be wise, intuitively choosing when to engage and how to best make one's voice heard in a climate that often feels overwhelmingly irrational and hostile to sensitive topics, especially on social media platforms, when all discourse is marked, redirected and siloed by corporate algorithms into respectively extreme and divisive echo chambers. This does nothing but provide fuel to the already raging fires of division, further entrenching opposing sides and making any form of meaningful, constructive conversation more difficult to achieve. In such a highly controlled, emotionally manipulated climate, designed to make advertising dollars for the big platforms, the choice to remain silent on issues like race, religion, politics, etc. can sometimes be a form of self-preservation and a deeply wise, tactical decision to avoid adding to the sheer cacophony of unproductive and polarising discourse. Somewhere in all of this is the truth, and those who know it, inwardly understand what is happening and where this all this manufactured dissent is all leading.

As you can see, reading the 12 different horoscope messages for this Sagittarius lunation, there are many different perspectives of truth, depending on which end of the heavens your ego is most invested. Please enjoy them, and may they guide you well. Thank you.