by Henry Seltzer 
The Sagittarius New Moon of Thursday evening, November 24th is in addition a partial Solar Eclipse, although one that will not be seen anywhere in the northern hemisphere. Taking place in the third degree of Sagittarius, it strongly aspects Jupiter, Uranus and Chiron. This is an important New Moon, and it comes at an important time, emphasizing the Uranus – Pluto square that is the exciting and yet scary harbinger of even more difficult times ahead than we have already seen. Mercury is just now turned retrograde, also in Sagittarius, and we are in a thoughtful and reflective period when we might make the attempt to think our way through the difficulties and try to understand in a deeper way the state of grace that, when we can turn our eyes inward, we can see that we equally partake of.
Therefore although Uranus and Pluto are in dynamic alignment and things are rapidly changing, there is also the possibility of relaxation and even enjoyment of the roller coaster ride, especially if we can maintain a somewhat detached attitude and trust our angel guides and other numinous cosmic presences to guide us through. The New Moon and eclipse does highlight the strong square between these heavies, so there will be a lot to manage as we head into the end of a powerfully transformative year that is the but the prelude to another. The strength of this aspect is currently fading slightly but it will return with a rush in the springtime, coming to its first moment of exact alignment in June of 2012.
In addition to the thoughtful and reflective time of the Mercury Retrograde, when we do well to simply acknowledge the situation and refuse to push the river, choosing instead contemplation over frantic activity, this New Moon brings us further riches in the form of outer planet energies. We have the graceful presence of positive and peaceful Jupiter, stationing next month in early Taurus, together with the unexpected enlightenment represented by Uranus, also aspected by this New Moon, and finally the energy of Chiron, the Wounded Healer, occupying the first degree of inner–oriented Pisces and square to the New Moon. This is an unusually spiritual combination, emphasizing the deeper meaning of the events of our lives. We win when we find the positive inner vision to open to these energies, which of course actually reside inside us rather than somewhere ”out there.” Then we might be able to see in our troubles, rather than a deficit, an opportunity. Then we might be able to see in our essentially wounded nature, rather than our personal shortcoming, a fundamental part of the human condition, although of course it is both. Then we might be able to see in our radical transformation, rather than the crunched–up caterpillar, the emerging butterfly of our unique spiritual evolution.
