The Sun and Moon will be conjunct in sidereal Sagittarius on Saturday, January 9th at 5:31pm PST, in the Vedic nakshatra called Purvashada (or Purva Ashada). This begins a cycle full of Jupiter’s inspired energy (Jupiter is the ruler of Sagittarius), fitting for the new year. It’s time to let our values and optimism come forward into action. Over the last few months with Jupiter in Leo (since July), we have put a lot of importance on our personal beliefs. Jupiter–our teachings, belief systems and philosophy–has been on the “throne” in the kingly sign of Leo, ruled by the Sun. As Sun represents our inherent soul power, where we connect with source from within, Jupiter here has linked our sense of connection with what we believe. There has been a lot of passion and power put behind personal philosophy lately.
Interestingly, Jupiter’s motion as seen from earth has just come to a stop (on January 7th), and this giant planet will be in retrograde motion (appearing to move backwards through the zodiac) until April. This will influence this lunar cycle because Jupiter is the ruler of Sagittarius, and he is also aspecting the Sun and Moon almost directly at the moment of the darkest Moon. He was almost at the end of his journey through Leo (at 29°), but his retrograde motion will give us another chance to tap into what philosophies, beliefs and teachings resonate with our soul, and deserve to have our power behind them. We may feel a reconviction to some teachings we hold dear and may reconsider our attachment to others over the course of this “Jupiter retrograde.”
This month, during the Sagittarius cycle, Jupiter’s slow, retrograde motion may create a bit of a stand-still feeling, with less oomph than the usual Sagittarian energy that motivates us to forge ahead getting our belief systems out there into actions. This could work to our advantage, however, as the over-expansive and optimistic Jupiter can often compel us to go overboard in our exuberance if left unchecked. As we lie in the still winter months of the northern hemisphere, it’s a good time to enter quiet reflection about which beliefs and teachings truly light up our soul, and which philosophies we may have held with over-zealous attachment. Even when our philosophies are good (we certainly believe they are!), being too attached even to these is still a form of attachment that can trip us up if we aren’t careful.
Mercury is also in retrograde motion right now, since early this week, which gives us another chance to back up and re-examine things. Mercury is the intellect, and retrograde motion is like turning around and walking back on a path we just traveled — so “thinking twice” is be a good way to describe how we feel during retrograde Mercury. It inspires us to review the way we have organized things, materially and in our minds, and to rearrange things a bit. It also gives us a chance to reconsider and finalize communication that has previously been left open-ended or unfinished. You may be inspired to tie up loose ends around some to-do lists that have been left dangling for a while.
Purvashada, the Vedic asterism where this lunar cycle begins, translates as the “former invincible one.” This part of Sagittarius is one that particularly drives its zealous ambition. Ruled by Venus, it drives us towards pleasure and beauty and carries with it the sense of Lakshmi’s blessings of prosperity and abundance.Retrograde Jupiter may temper the excitement and give us a more steady mind to consider where and when we must act, and how best to receive and share this abundance. Purvashada is also associated with Apas, the goddess of the cosmic waters. With Sun and Moon together in this nakshatra, it connects our hearts and minds with our soul. This new Moon in particular is a great opportunity to listen quietly during meditation, and to feel into where we are most inspired with heart, mind and soul in alignment.
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