Where’s Your Inner Archer?

We live in Saturnian times. Our daily lives are full of shoulds and musts. “We must work harder to achieve more. We must be disciplined to get respect. We must focus on failures to cover all possible scenarios.”

Yet, what truly matters in life does not operate along a linear effort-equals-rewards curve. The more we strive to control our own feelings and impulses, the more powerless we feel. The harder we try to be happy, the more unhappy we feel. The more we desperately want to change ourselves, the more we feel as though we are not enough. It’s only when we relax our aim, when we let go of outcomes and stop trying to control every detail of our future or our environment, that we have a chance at happiness.

Why does this matter right now? This is the last week of Jupiter in Sagittarius. We’ve just enjoyed a rare conjunction between the two benefics in the sky on the galactic centre, and this month we have the last New Moon of the decade with Jupiter in the sign. This speaks of setting intentions for hope, expansion and fun. It’s time to listen to our hearts and follow our bliss. Time to focus on what brings us joy, what gives us a sense of purpose and inspires us to expand our horizons – be it physical, mental or spiritual.

Sagittarius is all about enjoying life and doing what we love. With the New Moon in this sign we have an emotional need for excitement and independence, and will feel all of the impatience of a horse being held on a tight rein if our adventurous urges are held back. Often, the destination doesn’t even matter. In some cases, travelling and meeting new people will do, while at other times exploring higher knowledge is the only channel to sate our thirst.

Religion, law, sport, philosophy, learning, and ethics are likely to provide a smorgasbord of inspiration. This is an excellent time for setting brush-stroke goals, a new vision brimming with possibility and excitement. Like a candle in a dark room, we’ll feel the attraction of a future that makes a difference in our lives and in that of those with whom we come into contact.

The next four weeks are our chance to stoke this passion. Anything that expands our world and helps us move through our daily grind with enthusiasm. We will have plenty of time during the remainder of this dark (Northern hemisphere) winter to plan, execute and yield results. For now the universe is asking us to find our inner archer, and to start aiming our arrows for the year ahead.

As ever, check out my breakdown of the New Moon by house for pointers on which sector of your life is activated by this lunation.