03.07

Our Sagittarius lesson is to let go of our past wounding so that we can create a more prosperous and spiritual future. Sagittarius's inner alchemy requires awakening to spiritual realities and then spiritualizing matter, i.e. bringing higher consciousness into our daily lives.

SAGITTARIUS NEW MOON - DECEMBER 9TH
We talk a lot about what we want to be different in our lives. But to actually re-orient our lives, we need to experience a shift in perception about how we view ourselves, the world and the Universe. Our personal relationship with the above determines how we define our role in creating individual and collective transformation. It is the job of Sagittarius to expand our minds so that we can see new horizons, understand deeper truths and experience new realities. Sagittarius is the Archer who aims its arrow for the heavens. The Archer wants to be on purpose and to target its energy in a productive way.

At this New Moon, the Sun, Moon, Pluto, Jupiter, Mercury and the asteroid Juno are all in Sagittarius. That is a lot of motivated and enthusiastic fire energy! We are going to be very driven to move forward. However, too much fire can burn out our nervous system. We can use water and earth energies to calm down and ground this fire. See Part III below.

MARS IN CANCER
Mars is currently retrograde in Cancer through December. Mars will be retrograde in Gemini December 31-January 30th. Mars in Cancer, Venus in Scorpio and the North Node in Pisces form a GRAND TRINE IN WATER. Water trines calm us down and help us flow with the emotional currents of life. Mars retrograde in Cancer turns our normally outward directed energy inward. Therefore, although the stellium in Sagittarius is getting us fired up, we need to make sure that we take our emotional body with us. Integrating our emotional body in our physical body is extremely important at this time. Then when Mars goes direct the end of January, we will have a powerful ally instead of a saboteur.

Our emotional energy is often co-opted by fear. Mars knows no fear. So although Mars in Cancer may seem to be incompatible combination, it offers us a perfect opportunity to nudge and love fear out of our emotional body. To do so, we need to allow ourselves to experience the full range of emotional communications that make it possible to move toward emotional freedom.

Mars in Cancer brings our attention to our emotional well-being. Are we beating ourselves up or supporting ourselves? This is a time to assess our relationship with our feelings, our past, our inner state of affairs, our home, our environment and Mother Earth. Check several degrees around 12 degrees Cancer to see what Mars retrograde is activating in your chart.

PLUTO AND JUPITER CONJUNCT IN SAGITTARIUS!!!
December 11 Pluto conjuncts Jupiter at 28 degrees Sagittarius. Not only will the Sagittarius New Moon be intensified, our lives may well be revamped at the core! The Great Benefit (Jupiter) and the Lord of the Underworld (Pluto) rendez-vous every 13 years. The last time Pluto and Jupiter met in Sagittarius was November 10, 1758. This is a very significant occurrence, the lasting results of which will be known only in retrospect.

Pluto and Jupiter are indeed an auspicious pair. But to take advantage of this duo, the nature of their dynamic needs to be understood. Jupiter is the benefic God of Light. Jupiter is the astrological Santa Clause. Its bag of goodies knows no limit. But with Pluto we should not be so quick to jump to conclusions about lottery style rewards. Pluto requires that we earn our good luck by cleaning up our mess and clearing out the debris. Santa Clause can't scurry down a clogged chimney.

Pluto is dark, deep and penetrating. There is no limit to Pluto's depth. When Jupiter and Pluto collaborate, they can unleash powerful regenerative healing, and hypnotically manifest great wealth. Their range of operation reaches both beyond the Stars and into the impenetrable depths of the cosmic black hole and our subconscious. This amazing combination is bound to make a lasting and pervasive impact, however it is expressed, in our personal and collective lives.

PROFOUND AND LASTING TRANSFORMATION
The Pluto/Jupiter conjunction can best be understood as a long-term process of evolutionary transformation. It is not a one day or even a short-term event. We feel its impact months before and after the exact alignment. The conjunction will make a lasting mark, but it is difficult to know exactly what that will be. There is no doubt however that radical and accelerated change is going to be a major theme.

Sagittarius energy as currently expressed by Pluto and Jupiter is out of whack. Many governments are dangerously plutocratic and theocratic. With a few exceptions big business controls the press and many governments. Head-in-the-sand fundamentalists (many brands) either control some nations or yield undesirable influence. The unenlightened, dogmatic and corrupt expressions of Sagittarius are being exposed.

The conjunction of Jupiter and Pluto exposes overindulgences, hypocrisies and false assumptions. Once the truth is revealed, we are obliged (Pluto) and encouraged (Jupiter) to reorder our priorities, reform our lives, and make major shifts in consciousness. Pluto forces us to deal with powerful unconscious energies so that we can productively utilize the forces that lie hidden within us. Pluto unleashes primal fears and obsessions, which when faced can bring deep understanding and profound transformation. Optimistic Jupiter favors our personal expansion and abundance.

Pluto and Jupiter conjoined in their highest expressions can usher in regeneration, generosity and wisdom. Change is inevitable. How change happens will be determined by our level of consciousness and the choices we make. We do have the option of working together for the highest good of all.

JUPITER AND PLUTO ENTER CAPRICORN
The power of the Pluto/Jupiter conjunction is augmented by the fact that their rendezvous occurs at 28 degrees or the last degrees of the sign. Jupiter enters Capricorn December 18th and stays in the Goat's territory through January 5, 2008. Pluto has been is Sagittarius since January 1995. Pluto enters Capricorn January 25, 2008 and will stay for 15 years. Pluto moving into Capricorn is going to shine a spot light on the corruption and structural inequities and unfairness built into our political and economic institutions. We are certain to experience major infrastructure meltdowns. Wise reform and structural change will be required. Possible structures up for revamping include the stock market, the taxation system, electrical and water systems.

SOME ADDED INTENSITY
Pluto aligned with the Galactic Center for the third and last time in Oct. Jupiter aligns with the Galactic Center December 5th and the Sun December 18th. When a celestial body aligns with the Galactic Center, the radio, microwave, and other electromagnetic rays streaming from the CD are focalized, triggering evolutionary leaps in consciousness.

On December 17th the North/South Node axis shifts from Pisces/Virgo to Aquarius/Leo. The lunar nodes spend 1.5 years in each polarity. They will be in Aquarius/Leo through August 21, 2009. The Nodes indicate our collective spiritual frontier. For the next one and a half years our lessons focus on moving beyond self-centeredness to individuality in the context of community. What gifts do we have to offer our global community?

LESSONS OF SAGITTARIUS, JUPITER/PLUTO ENERGIES
Becoming conscious and maximizing our growth on our evolutionary journey requires learning how to work with universal energies. One of the main goals of this newsletter is to use astrological archetypes to understand the nature of universal energies and how they impact our lives. The other main goal is to point out how we can use the technology of Kundalini yoga and meditation to expand our consciousness and hone our ability to work with these energies. Our goal is to become more effective co-creators of our own lives.

The conjunction of Jupiter and Pluto in Sagittarius is an opening of monumental importance. Below I outline how we can best utilize this opportunity for spiritual transformation.

JUPITER TRANSITS
Jupiter is the ruler of Sagittarius. When Jupiter is in Sagittarius, the benefic qualities of both sign and planet are generously available. When we are impacted by Jupiter transits, our life is affected in very specific ways.

As you contemplate and experience the energy of Jupiter, it is important to remember that Jupiter shines an aura of optimism on us and gifts us with openings and new possibilities. But Jupiter does not make things happen. WE have to feel the positive vibe, recognize the openings and take heart-felt action. Jupiter nudges us to expand the range of our life experiences. We are encouraged to move beyond our normal routines and limits. When we do so, we gain a deeper understanding of ourselves, our purpose and our life. Pushing the evolutionary edge of our habitual boundaries both widens the scope of our life and improves it.

Jupiter invites us to move forward and plan for the future. We need to make decisions based on medium and long term goals. Our vision for our future needs to focus on unfolding our potential and maximizing our impact in the world. Jupiter is about making our contribution to humanity.

We feel more self-confident and more assured of positive results. Our motivation to improve our current situation is intensified, as is our urge to move beyond self-imposed restraints. Somehow we are given a green light to do what we have wanted to do for a long time. The time of action is upon us.

Jupiter nudges us to be spontaneous and follow our heart. Jupiter's influence can lead to surprises. We can be propelled forward in ways that we have not imagined. What happens may not be what we had planned, but somehow if we follow our heart, it leads us in fortuitous directions.

A new phase of development, creativity and action often unfolds magically if we allow rapid reorientation, trust the Divine plan and commit ourselves to a new vision. Jupiter blesses us with renewed faith, deeper self-understanding and more contentment.

When Jupiter is involved, we have to avoid spinning out of control into exaggerations of our power and resources. We must be careful not to get too grandiose, overextend, waste resources or dissipate our energy. Optimism works for us if we operate within realistic boundaries and take precautions against being recklessly impulsive.

PLUTO TRANSITS
Pluto transits also impact us in very specific ways. When we are under the shadow of Pluto, it is important to remember that Pluto's goal is to set us free and this involves the process of psychological death and rebirth.

Pluto confronts us with the imperative to let go of what no longer works for us (if it ever did.) The goal is not to leave us high and dry, but to clear space so that we can access hidden talents and untapped resources. We have to eliminate outgrown forms and patterns to make way for the new. We strip away the past and the old persona in order to get closer to our creative, dynamic and joyful inner being. We have to be liberated from the weight of cultural, religious, parental and other programming complements of external authorities, in order unleash spontaneous energies and pure expressions of our soul.

Pluto transits have the effect of mental and emotional surgery or exorcism that removes veils of illusion and karma so that we can more freely express our innate gifts and potential. Pluto operates at the deepest levels of our being to radically change our self-perception and operating worldview.

When Pluto and Scorpio are active in our lives, we are impelled by demanding urges to release the old so that we can clear the way to get in touch with our authentic nature and more fully utilize our potentials. Our desire to penetrate to the essential core of our being is intense. We search for the seed of self, which can unleash the life force that animates our being. Pluto's heavy hand can be very painful as we are forced to strip away emotional attachments and give up relationships and work that deplete our life force.

But gifts from the garbage follow our pain and suffering. We gain inner strength, become more self-sufficient, learn how to assert ourselves and more consciously direct our own lives. We tap into and begin to utilize inner resources that become available. As we let go of old attitudes, programs and memories, we are able to relax more and our understanding and appreciation of life deepens. As we are transformed by deeper experiences of freedom and joy, we become more spontaneous and creative. We morph into new ways of being, more enjoyable life styles and new vocations that utilize our inner abilities more wisely and productively.

SPIRITUAL TRANSFORMATION IS UPON US
There are so many ways that planetary energies influence us and ignite transformative scenarios. We don't have to study our natal chart or consult an astrologer to find out what is going on. All we have to do is to be quietly with ourselves, observe our life and be present to the deep rumblings inside ourselves. Pluto and Jupiter are currently active in our spiritual unfoldment. If we pay attention, we become aware that all the astrological archetypes at their own time nudge us or force us to evolve.

When Pluto and Saturn are involved, we can experience serious discontent, debilitating ennui and depression, confusion and chaos. Mixed with Jupiter and Neptune, a mélange of ideals, fantasies, yearnings, life dreams surface to be examined and sorted out. What yearnings come from our soul and must be pursued this life time? What motivations are authentically heart-felt? What dreams are realistic and which ones are pipe dreams? Becoming conscious is about connecting deeply enough with ourselves so that we can make these distinctions.

We have to go deep to distinguish between escapist strategies and directives from our soul. Honest insights can clarify illusionary plans from realistic projects. Clarity extricated from emotional trappings can point us in the right direction. The clincher, however, is that in order to satisfy our soul needs and manifest our soul mission, we have to transform ourselves. It is important to identify what did not work for us in the past. But the most important thing is WHY did our efforts fail to deliver the results that we intended and worked so hard for? How have we deceived ourselves? How have we disappointed and betrayed our own ideals?

The answers to these questions do not usually point to simply wrong decisions or factual errors. The answers are found in our subconscious emotional programming. If these issues are still present, we have either (1) been unable to identify what we are doing, (2) unwilling to accept that something is not working or (3) unready to change. When Pluto sits down at our table, the time has come for the structural inner transformation that makes outer success possible.

WHAT KEEPS US FROM EXPANDING?
Jupiter gives us the energy to expand. Pluto helps us identify what prevents us from expanding. Pluto demands an honest inner reality check. And then we have to let go of and change what doesn't work.

INTEGRATE, CONTAIN and GROUND
The Sagittarius impulse and Uranus, which increases its influences as it (stations) slows down before it goes direct, can make us feel impatient and ungrounded. We need to pay attention at this time to staying connected in our bodies and with the Earth. Staying present requires being aware of the sensations in our body. Our goal is to coalesce dispersed energy into a feeling of contained and stabilized presence.

Navel exercises are required for consolidating and containing our energies because our fire energy must first be focused. Standing and leg exercises are essential to ground and consolidate our energy in our body.

ELEVATE
Once we have activated the fire at our navel, we can move this flame up to the spine to open our heart. And we can move it up farther to open our third eye. We do this with the bandhas or locks. When the navel pulses with the third eye, we can experience an integration of our physical and mental centers. Elevated fire awakens the light in our mind.

Take time between exercises, at the end of your meditation to cultivate and consolidate the above experiences. With daily attention, you will make progress in owning and enjoying your internal fire.