Welcome to the final lunation of 2017. Every 4 weeks, the Moon and Sun come together in the same area of the sky for a new moon. A new moon is a seed that just might blossom at the full moon two weeks later, depending on its intrinsic qualities, the nurturance or severity of the surrounding environmental conditions, and the fit between the seed and soil. Astrology lends symbols to this pulsing rhythm of conception, growth, birth, life, death, and re-birth, and the truth involves interconnected and overlapping cycles.

Today’s new moon takes place in the very late degrees of Sagittarius, joining retrograde Mercury, Venus, and Saturn. Sagittarius is about the merger of beastly strength and speed with the luminous human intellect. When we set our eyes upon a goal, a dream, or an ideal upon the distant horizon, we must gather up our courage and will and direct all power and attention toward attaining that vision.

At least once or twice a year, I go through a skeptical phase with my astrology studies. Pretty much every astrologer that I trust and follow predicted that Clinton would trounce Trump so after the election results, I was surprised and felt that perhaps the left-wing bias in astrological circles perhaps occluded a fair analysis. Of course astrology is a blend of art and science and no one expects it to be perfectly precise, but I was left feeling dissatisfied for whatever reason.

A lack of faith can motivate action on a new path or a deeper examination of one’s current path. With today’s new moon in Sagittarius co-present with asteroid Juno, serious Saturn, and quick Mercury, tests of dedication, commitment, and faith are central.