This week, the Sun leaves the murky territory of Scorpio and enters jovial Sagittarius. But I’m not breaking out the champagne.

Sagittarius is known as the sign of the truth-seeker, which sounds noble enough. The problem, as I see it, is that when we look for truth – often with a capital “T” – what we really want is validation for our beliefs. It’s amazing how the mind can bend and twist with the deftness of a circus contortionist to fit reality to its preconceived notions. I’ve often found that there’s more truth hiding in the shadowy depths. The mind loses much of its power there and is forced to accept what really is, no matter how uncomfortable. I should add that even positive realizations can be upsetting in that they demand significant changes in our mental structure, and that is not easily accomplished.

Back in the days of The Pisces Chronicles, I wrote an article about how our beliefs limit our ability to see the truth. It’s a good theme for this week’s New Moon, which falls at the very beginning of Sagittarius. Moreover, Saturn is close to the end of his 2 1/2 year tour through Scorpio and will enter Sagittarius on Christmas Eve (he returns to Scorpio for three months in 2015). He’s close enough to the New Moon to be considered conjunct. Meanwhile, Jupiter, the ruler of this New Moon, is creeping up on a square with Saturn. This is one hell of a combination for confronting and breaking out of limiting beliefs.

Here’s an excerpt from my PiChron article, which originally appeared in March 2006:

The mind needs structure, or it falls apart. Our minds cannot be so “open” that they accept anything whatsoever, with no order or reason. Given the overload of information available to us today, we’d be overwhelmed to the point of dysfunction if we didn’t have effective mental filters. The challenge, then, is to have a solidly structured mind, while maintaining flexibility. If our belief system is so rigid that it can’t readily accommodate new ideas, it will break rather than bend under pressure.

In our personal lives, beliefs that are limiting or incorrect can prevent us from reaching our full potential and living more authentically. Collectively, limiting beliefs have resulted in religious persecution, racial prejudice, cultural bias, political infighting, and many other misguided perceptions, some with tragic results. I deliberately didn’t include war in that list, because, while religious beliefs have been blamed for wars throughout history, the underlying cause has always been about land and resources. Religion is just the excuse, and it can be used to drum up public support. Nowhere is this more evident than in the Middle East. Most people wouldn’t send their sons and daughters to fight for the price of oil, but they are proud to send them to defend democracy from murderous Muslim terrorists.

That we even live in a freedom-loving democracy is a belief that is being shattered, along with the belief that one political party stands for freedom and individual rights, while the other is moving toward a dictatorship serving corporate interests – or some variation thereof. And, of course, we all want to believe that we’re on the “right” side.

Some of the most turbulent periods in history coincided with a sea change in collective beliefs. I’ve often cited the example of the 17th century, when the belief that the sun revolved around the earth was explosively disproved. That single development changed the entire direction of Western thought. We’re in a similar period now, with the exploration of the far reaches of the known universe. And just as it was in the 17th century, certain beliefs are so hard-wired into the collective that many people will cling to what they “know.” One of the major themes of the 2012-2015 Uranus-Pluto square is revolution and breaking down of outdated socio-political structures. Before change can happen on a large scale, the beliefs supporting those structures must be broken down. That is happening, and it’s no surprise, then, that there’s so much chaos in the world.

Looking at this week, we have an inconjunct between Mercury and Uranus on Monday, followed by a trine from Mercury to Chiron. Impulsive actions don’t allow for carefully planned strategy, particularly in financial matters. If you plan on shopping for the holidays, try to have some semblance of a list so that if a sudden opportunity does come up, you can jump on it in the knowledge that it fits your overall plan. In personal relationships, a few words can make all the difference in the world. Chiron is stationed in preparation to return direct on Saturday – a powerful position for healing of old hurts, some of which you might have buried so far inside that you didn’t realize how they’ve been festering. Pay attention to subtle clues and signs of karmic trauma, because these, too, can be healed once they are brought to light.

The Sun is still in Scorpio when he conjoins Saturn on Tuesday. The difficulties under this heavy combination are more perceived than real. Yes, duty comes before fun, work before play. But you can plan ahead with sound judgment, and if you’re in charge of a major project in your profession, what you do now can have enduring results. Sometimes the best reward is a job well-done. If you manage to pull off the near-impossible, you can gain a sense of power.

Thursday’s square from Venus in Sagittarius to Neptune in Pisces denotes a sense of romantic adventure. Think Romancing the Stone or Out of Africa. Nothing says you can’t enjoy a fantasy. Goddess knows, they don’t last long.

Friday is a busy day, with the Moon conjoining Mercury right as they form a snappy sextile to energetic Mars. Business and financial deals are favored, along with presentations at work. Debate can be lively and productive, all the more so if you’re passionate about your topic.

The Sun enters Sagittarius on Saturday at 4:38 a.m. EST, followed by the New Moon at 7:32. Later in the day, the Moon conjoins Venus and squares Neptune, bringing another opportunity for dreamy romance. You’ll fare best if you keep in mind that it’s just that – a dream and a fantasy – and enjoy it for what it is. Attempts to hang onto to it will bring only suffering.

Also on Saturday, Mercury squares Jupiter, bringing optimism to big plans. We’ve had enough of a dose of realism this week that I don’t think there’s much chance we’ll make the mistake of putting too much faith in pie-in-the-sky ideas. Still, if there’s money involved, take some care. That includes making purchases as “investments” that will end up gathering dust in the garage.

Wishing you all much truth, love and courage,
Pat

© Pat Paquette, RealAstrologers.com, 2014.