Full Moon in Sagittarius
Early this morning (May 23) we experienced a full moon in Sagittarius, and any time there is strong Sag energy in the sky, I find myself asking, “Am I running towards something, or am I running away from something? Am I truly expanding my horizons, or do I just think there might be something ‘better’ over there? Am I sharing out of enthusiasm, or am I prosthelytizing?”
While I believe these to be good questions to ask ourselves as a part of a more regular practice, when a major celestial body is in this sign there is more energy flowing into these themes.
This full moon also occurs while our two most gracious planets, Jupiter (optimism, luck, abundance, overindulgence) and Venus (love, desire, aesthetics, material value), are in a relationship called a “conjunction.” This basically means that for a short period of time they are holding hands above us and across from the moon, daring us to dream our wildest dreams about L/love and what little “l” love and big “L” Love could do for our lives and the world.
Interestingly, there are two prominent myths that are associated with the sign of Sagittarius. In one of them the centaur is a being who is a great warrior and hunter as well as a great lover of the arts, while in the other he is the great teacher of heroic figures like Jason and Hercules. In one story the centaur longs to be the hero himself, while in the other he wants to help guide others towards their own greatness. The truth is that Sagittarius is both; a centaur who mastered certain arts becoming an exalted and celebrated figure who then chose to pass this knowledge on.
Neither of these embodiments is more worthy than the other. We must have aspirational figures to inspire us, and we must have those who work behind the scenes as inspiration to others.
More often than not, I believe that our “either/or” way of thinking pushes individuals to be either the superstar whom we put on a pedestal, or the guide who is recognized only by a very few. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to allow for more people to embody both, or flow between the two depending on which archetype would be most useful at that moment in time?
While this one centaur became an emblem of wisdom, he was an outlier from how most centaurs existed and who are emblematic of the shadow side of this sign.
Centaurs as a whole were known to be raucous and violent partiers who shirked responsibility for debauchery. They were forever and always after a good time.
The shadow side of Sagittarius is, indeed, over-indulgence and the idea that the grass is always greener somewhere else. This mentality leaves little time for cultivating wisdom or mastery, but this does not stop this type of Sag from speaking about “Truth” as though they know more than everyone else. “Hubris” is a word that can be associated this shadow, and it is good for all of us to notice when we are acting outside of our own abilities, when we are teaching what is not yet ours to teach, and when we are naive enough to think that things are better anywhere other than where we put in sincere effort.
As I said, this moon is also opposite from Jupiter (which actually rules the sign of Sagittarius) and Venus. On a personal level this is a wonderful time to work on manifesting what you consider to be your most perfect love. It is also a time to double down on reminders of your own self-worth, which will inevitably make that love more possible.
