IT'S SAG SEASON!
Reflections on the Full Moon in Gemini, Venus and Mars re-emerging as evening stars, Martha Beck as a Sagittarian Ambassador, and tending Vesta's fire.
IT’S SAG SEASON AND IN HONOUR OF SAG SEASON I THOUGHT I’D WRITE THIS ENTIRE POST IN CAPS!!!
FYI I’M NOT YELLING, I’M JUST ENTHUSIASTIC AND PASSIONATE!!
Okay, so maybe I won’t do that for the ENTIRE post. But I do intend to throw in more caps than usual in honour of a sign famous for its perma-Caps Lock.
For my last post I made three mood boards to explore the nuanced differences between cardinal water, fixed water, and mutable water (i.e. Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces). When I write longer posts, such as the last one, I worry that my favourite sections get buried - so this time I’m putting this mutable fire mood board for Sagittarius at the top!
Think: A ravenous out-of-control forest fire; courageously exploring tunnels and dark paths with a torch raised high; racing across a flaming bridge to freedom before it collapses; group storytelling with other diverse travelers around a huge bonfire; epic fictional tales of long journeys that involve powerful encounters with fiery creatures; a spiritual leader wielding truth like a fiery weapon on behalf of a higher cause; coming together with hundreds of people for a candlelit vigil; gathering fallen branches along the hiking trail to make a fire for when you reach your campsite; joining others in lighting altar candles at a sacred site to pay homage to the larger forces of the Universe that make all life possible.
By the way, if you’re short on time and my post happens to be lengthy (this one is shorter), I encourage you to skim the headings to find what most interests you since most of my posts have distinct sections that cover different topics! My in-depth exploration of the water sign trio, for example, can be found here, in my last post.
I haven’t made the elemental mood boards for fixed and cardinal fire yet (Leo and Aries), but I look forward to seeing the visual contrasts between the three fire signs as I put together the other two collages representing different expressions and functions of fire.
A really cool thing about this Sag Season (Nov. 22 - Dec. 21) is that the ruling planet of Sagittarius (Jupiter) is in Pisces for almost the entire time that the Sun is in Sag.
Jupiter finally leaves Pisces and enters Aries on December 20th. The Sun enters Capricorn the next day, bringing us to the solstice moment and a cardinal square with Jupiter.
Jupiter also rules Pisces. While in Pisces he has access to his full capacity to be as “Jupiterian” as he can possibly be.
This means that Sag Season benefits from Jupiter’s juicy placement. This means there’s lots of expansive potential - despite the successive not-so-fun oppositions to Mars retrograde in Gemini that have been at play, and continue to be.
Here’s my Pisces mutable water mood board for comparison:
Water and Fire. Two very different elements.
And yet can you feel into the similarities between these two sets of images for Pisces and Sagittarius; two mutable signs that both fall under the rulership of Jupiter?
Combine these two mood boards and you tap into the vibe of this particular Sag Season in 2022 (minus the other interfering astrology of course, like that pesky Mars).
The co-mingling of Sag and Pisces energy can instill a sense of hope. It sings of generous abundance. This pair, governed by a well placed Jupiter, can feed and nourish big adventurous dreams by offering synchronistic signs and omens that indeed, the most yearned for possibility and potential can become manifest.
(speaking of signs and omens, as the moon was approaching a conjunction with Jupiter in Pisces the other day, I LITERALLY FOUND A $50 BILL ON THE ROAD!)
These two Jupiter-ruled signs, Pisces and Sagittarius, can help us cultivate a broader perspective. They have easy access to a zoom-out button that delivers the wide-lens, macro viewpoint; contextualizing our daily struggles within a fabric of greater meaning.
I’m about to talk about the Mars influence which is perhaps less graciously expansive with its agitated and irritable spirit. However, remember that amidst other more prickly astrology, Jupiter extending its stay in Pisces until the end of Sag Season, is truly a gift.
As Jupiter weaves together these two signs, the fertility of the cosmic soil increases - as does its capacity to support the growth of our dreams.
Now, you might need to wait until Jupiter leaps into Aries late December to really rev up the engines on those dreams and command action in those areas of your life. However, we first need to cultivate faith in potential and possibility in order to prepare our launching pad - and the next couple weeks is nearly perfect for that.
The Full Moon in Gemini conjunct Mars
Last week we experienced successive oppositions of Mercury in Sag (Nov. 29th) and Venus in Sag (Dec. 1st), to Mars, who is retrograde in Gemini.
This coming week the Sun decides to move through this same opposition with Mars at the exact same time that the Full Moon decides to peak.
Thus the Full Moon in Gemini lands on December 8th with an exact Moon-Mars conjunction, looking like this:
OOF. This lunation is coming in hot and FIESTY. And also maybe - confused, disoriented and scattered.
Sizzling tempers and reactive conflicts are an obvious potential correlation! The square to Juno in Pisces suggests that our idealized commitments may face a challenge.
The Moon is our emotional body seeking safety and connection, as well as a symbol of mothers and home-related topics. As the Moon conjoins with Mars, feeling that you need to defend a personal matter that is near and dear to you, could be a theme around the middle of this coming week.
I believe that Mars transits are ones that you can often effectively prepare for. The potential harshness of these transits seem somewhat amendable with the right medicine.
While safe guarding against injury, physical movement and exercise is one great way to channel Mars (and the corresponding anger and somatic activation it can create in the body). Channeling this heat through Gemini-themed activities such as writing and learning can also be beneficial.
Do take care to avoid eye strain though, if this transit expresses in your life as intensive and concentrated use of your eyes. I have personally experienced significant eye discomfort with Mars in Gemini when it is in contact to one or more of the luminaries, and I know others who have as well.
I’ve also seen a lot of car issues with this Mars in Gemini transit (car break-ins, overwhelmed with car-related decisions, confusion and mix-ups regarding car repairs, etc.). The polarity of Gemini and Sag is the zodiacal axis that is most oriented toward movement and travel, Mars has an affinity with engine-motored vehicles, and… Mars is retrograde! So drive safe and navigate car repairs and purchases with discernment!
Mars is action-oriented in beneficial ways, but it can also easily create a false sense of panicked urgency and crisis.
Basically you want to make sure you slow down enough to check both ways before crossing the street (especially with Mars being retrograde)… but once you’ve assessed the situation, STEP FORWARD! (or drive forward)
Mars is also the courage to do the scary thing you want to do.
Venus & Mercury Re-emerging as Evening Stars
Tracking transits is like listening to an orchestra. Just like how there are so many different instruments all coming together to create a multi-faceted piece of music, so too, there are numerous symbolic layers of planetary intersections happening at any given moment that are all interweaving to create the music of the sky.
One of the wonderful things about the astrology community is the sharing of numerous perspectives. I’m thankful for the voices of so many different astrologers when they share their nuanced insights and shine a new light on a symbolic layer from a unique angle.
Astrologer Adam Elenbaas recently picked up on a really important trait of Mercury and Venus’ current synodic cycles, which will come to fruition in the month of December.
I want to share this insight in his own words, but first some background context…
Mercury and Venus shine so brightly in the night sky that they are often referred to symbolically (not literally) as “stars.” Unless they are very close to the Sun and are thus hidden by the Sun’s light, they appear either as a “morning star” or an “evening star.”
When Mercury and Venus are in their morning star phase it means they appear just before Sunrise. They rise over the Eastern horizon in the early morning, shining bright before the Sun emerges and overpowers them with its light.
When Mercury and Venus are in their evening star phase it means they appear just after Sunset. They suddenly pop out in the dark sky as they are descending in the West - just after the Sun has set.
We can only see Mercury and Venus with the naked eye when the Sun is below the horizon. Furthermore, when Mercury and Venus are within 15 degrees of the Sun, they will be traveling too close to the both the rising and the setting Sun, and thus will remain invisible even when the sky is dark. When Mercury and Venus (or any planet) are within 15 degrees of the Sun they are said to be “combust” or “under the beams.”
There are many unique phases in Mercury and Venus’ synodic cycle.
Their exact conjunctions with the Sun is another important phase of their cycle where something is seeded or renewed at the heart of the Sun. Whenever Mercury or Venus conjoin with the Sun it means they are on route from being a morning star to becoming an evening star, or vice versa.
Adam points out how Venus’ conjunction with the Sun happened on October 22nd, riiiight before the solar eclipse in Scorpio on October 25th that featured Venus at the center of it. Mercury’s conjunction with the Sun happened on November 8th, the day of the lunar eclipse in Taurus.
This has important implications for the visible re-emergence of these planets into the night sky as evening stars!
Adam speaks to these significant seeding moments in a recent forecast video:
Because when Venus or Mercury conjoins the Sun, it's like it's being seeded with something kind of like a new moon. And you can think of the appearance into the visible sky as starting to carry the significations or carry that seed intention or energy out into manifestation… when the planets emerge into the Evening star position…
So that's kind of a regular thing… These planets move through their cycles relatively quickly, especially Mercury… But what makes it really important in this case is what the seeding moments looked like and how powerful those seeding moments were.
…the energy of both of our last eclipses were embedded and imprinted on Mercury and Venus. And isn't it interesting that they will then carry the invisible imprint of those eclipses into visible manifestation as they emerge into the Evening star positions...
So when Venus becomes visible, the Eclipse stuff becomes visible.
Makes sense? That's why it's spectacular. ~ Adam Elenbaas
I LOVE THIS INSIGHT!
I was very aware that Mercury and Venus were directly involved in the eclipses, which is quite unusual and rare, but I didn’t think about the subsequent significance of their visible re-emergence into the night sky.
Those recent eclipses were so potent. However, aspects of these lunations may have been hidden, secret, or working on a subconscious level. Mercury and Venus will carry their potent eclipse messages into visibility in the coming weeks, which will help us unravel the eclipse mysteries in our lives.
Mercury travels quickly. Mercury will re-emerge as an evening star around December 6th.
Venus slowly creeps into visibility around the middle of December. By the time of the new moon in Capricorn on December 23rd, she’s completely cleared the 15 degrees and should be visible in the sky after sunset as you can see below…
A week or so prior to December 23rd you may be still able to catch Venus glimmering in the dying rays of the sun setting if you have an open view of the western horizon on a clear evening!
Martha Beck as a Sagittarian Ambassador
As so often happens, I found myself listening to a podcast interview this past week with someone who epitomized Sagittarius energy - the bestselling author, sociologist, speaker and life coach, Martha Beck.
Actually my thought while listening to her was that she must have very prominent placements in both Sagittarius and Scorpio. I looked up her chart later that day and… YES! I was right. Sun and Mercury in Sagittarius with Venus in Scorpio conjunct Neptune.
I must admit, it is immensely satisfying to correctly guess what zodiac signs are dominant in someone’s chart.
Her chart is untimed, but her Moon remains in Capricorn regardless of when she was born during the day. I set up Martha’s chart with a Sagittarius ascendant because I like this chart arrangement for various reasons, but please note that ultimately I have no idea what her rising sign is.
There is also a strong Pisces presence. Jupiter, the ruler of her Sag planets, is in Pisces conjunct Chiron. This too is evident in her life path, which incorporates themes of healing from a religious upbringing as well as mysticism and psychic abilities.
This is far from always being the case, but I have noticed that people whose life journeys are strongly influenced by the imprint and legacy of a very religious or spiritual environment in childhood, frequently have strong Pisces and Sagittarius placements.
This is the case for me (Sun + Mercury + Jupiter in Pisces, and Mars + Saturn + Uranus in Sagittarius), and it also seems to be the case for Martha Beck.
If you scroll back up to my Sag and Pisces mood boards, do you notice the shared spiritual symbolism in both of these Jupiter-ruled signs? The Sag/Pisces yearning to make contact with a transcendent and expansive sense of the divine?
Martha was raised by one of the most Mormon families, in the most Mormon town, in the most Mormon state (I’m paraphrasing here). A key part of her life story is when she decided to leave the Mormon faith in her late twenties (i.e., during her Saturn Return), which she documents in one of her memoirs titled Leaving the Saints: How I Lost the Mormons and Found My Faith (2005).
In the podcast interview with Mark Groves, Martha describes this radically transitional time of her life:
I was doing everything I could to try and put myself in line so I could find… if there was some kind of truth in the Universe, how could I find it.
So the year I turned 29, I made a new year’s resolution that I wouldn’t tell a single lie for a whole year. And I kept that resolution. And in that year I walked away from - or lost - my family of origin, all my friends, my community, my job - I quit my job… my profession (realized I didn’t want to do academia, after getting a PhD which is such a marketable skill), my home (we were living in Utah; I moved)… realized I was gay so there went my marriage - it was an eventful year, Mark!
Mark: Yea, telling the truth requires action it sounds like.
The thing is I was so split from myself, that the suffering was incredibly intense. What I believe is that when we’re whole, there’s a sense of truth in us….
This quote leads directly into the topic of Integrity, which is a key concept for Martha Beck. It’s included in the title of her recent book: The Way of Integrity: Finding the Path to Your True Self (2021).
One dictionary definition of integrity is: “the quality or condition of being whole or undivided; completeness.” According to this definition a person who lives with integrity is one who lives undivided in their truth and authenticity.
As Martha Beck writes in her book: “Integrity is the cure for psychological suffering. Period.”
The theme of TRUTH (and the related concepts of integrity and the undivided self) is one of the key connecting threads that guide us from Scorpio to Sag.
(truth as in… the truth of a situation, the expression of the true and authentic self, and even large existential or spiritual truths)
In Scorpio, truth is often weightier than it is in Sagittarius. As I wrote in an earlier post, Scorpio truth is often tangled or in conflict with - power, agency, desire, and essential needs. This means the cost of expressing or exposing truth is often immense in Scorpio’s lair, and demands great sacrifice. But the cost of not expressing or living in truth is often just as great or greater. Herein lies Scorpio’s struggle.
By the time we get to Sagittarius, the next sign in the zodiacal story that we all live out in some way or another, truth becomes lighter, more buoyant.
In Scorpio, the story centers on truth as the alchemical catalyst guiding us through a transformative death and rebirth process.
In Scorpio we find the psychologists, the psychics, the facilitators of the subconscious and those who work in taboo fields where people come to shed their secrets.
In Sagittarius, truth is itching to freely roam, to play, to explore, to spread.
In Sagittarius we find the students, seekers and teachers, the life coaches, the spiritual leaders and the motivational speakers.
In both Scorpio and Sagittarius, Truth is linked to Liberation - i.e., “the truth will set you free” (as first stated in the Bible, John 8:32).
Returning back to Martha Beck’s story, it sounds like she had a significant encounter with truth in a Scorpio chapter of her life where everything that did not align, was left or lost. Now she is a unfiltered Sag-like life-coach/teacher/motivational speaker who inspires others to live undivided lives of integrity, aligned with their truth.
Later in the interview with Mark Groves, Martha references the very Sagittarian symbol of the compass:
I always use the metaphor of compasses. You have inside of you these inbuilt compasses - physical ones, emotional ones, spiritual ones. And they will always point to the next right step in your life’s journey. But the thing about a compass is that the needle has to be free to swing. It can’t get locked in, which is what happens with social institutions - “here’s the way to go, end of story” - and the needle can’t swing, and it gets stuck or it’s trying to turn and we go into all kinds of anguish and we don’t even know why. It’s very confusing.
So if you’re in one of those things what I would recommend is get out in nature if you can - and if you can’t, just lock yourself in the bathroom for a while and get away from people because people keep the needle from swinging. And then just imagine you could make any choice you wanted, separate from social pressures.
This description of the compass is one that is worth meditating on throughout Sag Season!
Compasses remind me of astrology actually. An astrology chart even looks similar!
Astrology is one tool out of many that can guide us back to truth and integrity; to a whole and undivided self.
Tending Vesta’s Fire
I want to close this post by talking a little bit about the goddess Vesta and how I’m learning to tend her fire.
Vesta isn’t directly involved in the major astrology of the sky right now and she isn’t even traveling through a fire sign at the moment - she’s currently in Pisces. However, her myth is intimately intertwined with the element of fire and she is strongly placed in my chart.
Vesta is the Roman goddess of hearth and home, and she’s also an asteroid orbiting the Sun between Mars and Jupiter.
In astrology she will appear in a chart looking a bit like this:
Vesta’s temple was circular building located in the Roman Forum, and inside the round temple there was a sacred fire that burned continuously. Some say the fire represented the life force and vitality of Rome.
The fire was tended to by the Vestal Virgins.
By feeding and tending to the fire in Vesta’s temple, the Vestals ensured the continued strength and prosperity of Rome. If the fire were to go out, it was feared that Rome’s strength would also be extinguished. Here’s an image of what the temple might have looked like, based on the remaining ruins:
When I’m trying to tap into the energy of Vesta, I like to imagine the image of Vesta’s reconstructed temple above.
In a natal chart the placement of Vesta can describe the nature of our personal sacred fire. Without feeding and tending, this fire may languish. It is this fire we return to when we need to restore and rejuvenate ourselves.
I have been actively working on my relationship to the fire element lately. In my twenties, the element of fire was more obvious in my life’s expression. People would use fire-element words like motivated, ambitious, passionate, inspired to describe me.
But that fire got disconnected from its fuel source nearly 7 years ago and for a long time it felt like only ashes remained.
My natal chart is not deficient in fire - Leo rising, Venus in Aries, Mars/Uranus/Saturn in Sagittarius - but just because something shows up in our natal chart doesn’t mean we are always able to fully embody it.
I am trying to cultivate more fire in my life, but in a way that is sustainable this time.
There are several times in history where Vesta’s temple went up in flames when the fire in the inner sanctuary got out of control - this is just as destructive as letting the fire go out, in my humble opinion.
I keep visualizing that sacred fire within that round temple being carefully tended to by the Vestals as I intentionally welcome fire activities and symbolism into my life.
Here’s one example of what it might look like to tend to Vesta’s fire within her temple…
Exercising (especially cardio-focused) is of the fire element. When I burnt out years ago, I had to give up most of my exercise practices. I’ve been recommitting to more intensive and consistent exercise, but I found a program online that repeatedly emphasizes the importance of sleep, nutrition, and stress management in every single work-out video (and provides supportive resources on these topics). With this approach I feel like I’m standing in Vesta’s temple, rather than fanning an out-of-control fire like I may have in the past.
During Sag Season, especially as we approach this very heated, Mars-themed full moon in Gemini, the symbolism of Vesta’s temple and her sacred fire carefully tended within, might be a helpful visual!
Is there an element or natal placement that you’d like to nurture and express more in your life?
P.S. Neptune stationed direct this weekend in Pisces where it is co-present with Jupiter… in a square to Venus, the goddess of beauty, appearance and art… and everyone is sharing their AI-generated images from the Lensa app! It seems very apropos that my Instagram feed currently looks like a fantasy film or comic book.
Here’s one of mine where AI channeled my Mars-like fire…
(I’m not sure what is happening with the front piece of hair except that maybe it is part snake?)
Great post! I’ve been thinking about something similar this week, I don’t have a lot of fire in my chart (except for my very afflicted Mars rx in Aries, and my Venus in Leo), I feel so disconnected from the fire element and I would love to learn to nurture it and connect with this part of my chart, but I’m yet to find a physical activity that I enjoy that could keep me motivated to work out 🥲 I hope to one day find a way to let this fire express itself ❤️🔥 thank you so much for sharing!