Artwork by Savannah King for The New Moon Circle Journal

Sagittarius is where we seek out our belief system, Capricorn is where we consider its rules. Capricorn is the sign of backbone and integrity. It’s our ethics, our matured understanding of consequence. Effort is required and rewarded. This New Moon asks that we revisit our ultimate goals. What mountain are we climbing? And why are we climbing it?

Capricorn is an earth sign. It’s interested in tangible results and status symbols. This New Moon offers us an opportunity to reevaluate our relationship to these things and the role they play in our lives. Do they define us? How much weight do they hold? We all crave recognition to varying degrees. It’s part of being human. But if ambition is our sole motivator, we may be missing the point.

Gratification and satisfaction can be found as much in the journey as in the destination, perhaps even more so. Very often it’s the overcoming, the willingness to step out of our comfort zone (Capricorn governs fear) that emboldens us and gives our lives meaning and weight. It’s actually the quiet, inward applause that deepens our commitment to self-actualization and authenticity. 

Now is the time to revisit our motivations. What’s driving us? Who are we trying to impress and why? Can we commit to our own development knowing that, ultimately, it’s how we feel about ourselves that matters most? Can we recognize how far we’ve come?

Art: Savannah King
Astrology: Danielle Beinstein

artwork by Savannah King for New Moon Circle Journal

"Faith and optimism are essential ingredients in the recipe of life. Without them, we risk homeostasis and depression, a kind of methodical drudgery. That being said, relying too much on faith can be a dangerous proposition, as we may lose sight of the need for organization and structure, the things that give our lives form. If we are to navigate this world successfully, we must marry faith with a healthy dose of skepticism. We must find our balance. 

Sagittarius is the explorer forever in search of new lands. This fiery, intuitive, and philosophical sign governs travel, publishing, higher education, religion, and the judicial system. Sometimes boastful and often very convincing, this sign knows how to make a statement and isn’t shy about voicing it. It’s also freedom-oriented to the core.

Still Saturn, the planet of karma and maturation, is currently transiting Sagittarius and will continue to do so until December of next year. Saturn is in stark contrast to Sagittarius’s ruler, Jupiter, planet of expansion, risk, and luck. Thus when Saturn transits this sign, we find our optimism tempered, our steps become more measured. This is further compounded by the fact that Jupiter is currently transiting Libra, sign of partnership, diplomacy, and balance. In short: The rubber is meeting the road. We are reconciling our desire for freedom with our need for partnership. Yet this lunation also contains a square to ethereal Neptune in Pisces, which dissolves whatever it touches. If this sounds confusing, it’s because it is. We have conflicting energies at play. And it’s up to us, as individuals, to reconcile them. 

What to do, then? Find our philosophy, our worldview. During this time, we may feel called to ask ourselves the following: What do we believe? Who do we believe in? What is the nature of our faith? And can we ground in it? “If you’re invested in security and certainty, you’re on the wrong planet,” Pema Chodron is quoted saying. Nevertheless, having a framework for our life can give us solace in these tumultuous times. It can anchor us in the here and now as we continue, step by step and day by day, to march in the direction of our dreams. As with anything, it comes down, always, to our lens. So the question is: What do you believe?"

-Danielle Beinstein

by Savannah King

If you follow our monthly series with astrologer Danielle Beinstein you know that each New Moon presents a fresh opportunity for spiritual growth and emotional reflection. While last month was all about making sense of our relationships, this month’s New Moon is more about working on ourselves. This is a chance for us to pause and look honestly at our own darkness, and our ability to be vulnerable to the truth. By digging deeper now, Danielle explains, we’re paving the way for a more conscious and honest future. XXJKE

It’s easy, given the speed at which we live, to get lost in the details, in what we can physically see, what’s tangible. But so much of life is energetic. It’s what’s left unsaid, what’s exchanged in the spaces between. This New Moon in Scorpio—which is conjunct with Mercury and trine with illusory, ethereal Neptune in Pisces—asks that we peek behind the veil. Scorpio is a penetrative sign, peeling back the layers, piece by piece. Scorpio does not suffer fools gladly. It sees what others are unwilling to see, what lurks within and behind the shadows. It understands that it’s in our depths that we find our wholeness and discover true intimacy. Supremely focused and directed, it’s not interested in anything less. In short, for this sign, intensity is the name of the game.

Thus this New Moon offers us a chance to come home to ourselves, to reconcile our light and our dark with the understanding that to be alive is to be entangled. Building self-trust, and listening to our gut, is a vital process. Are we willing to accept our darkness, our shadow? How comfortable are we with our own vulnerability and with others’? Are we taking things at face value or are we trusting our instincts, listening within?

Let’s take some time to journal, to pause and reflect on these questions. Our future selves will thank us. After all, the more self-awareness we have today, the more conscious our choices will be tomorrow.

Love,

Danielle Beinstein 

Art: Savannah King
Astrology: Danielle Beinstein

The last New Moon in Aries beckoned us to venture into the unknown, as Danielle Beinstein put it. An astrologer, meditation guide and spiritual advisor, she is talented when it comes to explaining what we should take from these special moons. This time, with a New Moon in Taurus—and a whopping five planets in retrograde—Danielle calls on us to assess the people we have become. We think about spring as a time of rebirth, but it’s also important to be introspective and notice how we’re treating our bodies and minds. Danielle—who leads women’s circles and cofounded New Moon Circle—poses some interesting questions, which I hope you take the time to think deeply about. Enjoy! XXJKE

Danielle Beinstein: Taurus is the gardener, the farm-to-table cook, the builder honing his craft over time. Sensual and earthy, it’s interested in what can be seen, felt and touched. This New Moon offers us a moment to reassess our current reality, especially with five planets in retrograde, including Mercury conjunct. It’s also part of a grand trine in earth, making soft aspects to transformative Pluto in Capricorn and beneficial Jupiter in Virgo (both retrograde as well), urging us to pause and integrate our values before moving forward. 

Retrogrades are not bad, despite the cultural insistence otherwise. They’re simply an opportunity to reevaluate, rethink and revise. With this much of the sky appearing in reverse (Mars and Saturn are also retrograde in Sagittarius), we’re being asked to take another look at our relationship to the physical world. 

Have you ever had the experience of revisiting a painting or landscape (or person) years after your first encounter only to find the effect has changed? It’s not the thing (or person) itself, but our perspective. What we see is different, because we’re different.

Or sometimes, the opposite occurs. Upon reacquaintance, we realize we’ve lost something along the way. Experience changes and wisens us, yes, but it can also pull us farther from our essential selves. 

This New Moon asks that we take the time to notice the people we’ve become. 

Where have we forgone pleasure and delight, ignoring simple needs and desires in favor of more pressing and immediate demands? How are we relating to our worldly possessions or lack thereof? Are we enjoying what we do have, grateful or are we consumed with what’s yet to manifest, running ragged on a proverbial treadmill? And how are we relating to our bodies? What are they revealing to us about our inner state? Are we loving them, or enslaving them in an effort to adhere to some external standard? And finally, are we taking in our own beauty, rooting ourselves in self-care practices that heal, nourish and sustain?

This is the time to rework or revisit what’s already been established, what’s already in existence, experiencing it with fresh eyes, hearts and hands. Set intentions, ground in the everyday and see what unfolds from there. After all, everything begins with us. 

For more on Danielle’s work, visit: www.daniellebeinstein.com

Art by Savannah Lauren King: www.shopthirdeye.com