Sagittarius season happens just after the celebration of the year’s harvest and just before the work of the new year begins. It is an in-between time, and the astrological sign of Sagittarius is about that transition. As we get closer to the winter solstice and shortest day of the year, we can draw strength from the mutable fire of Sagittarius. It gives us an opportunity to find the spark within, when there is none outside to guide us.
Sagittarius’ ruling planet Jupiter isn’t comfortable right now, making this season unusual. Jupiter is moving retrograde in the sign Gemini whose ruler, Mercury, is also retrograde. Sagittarius likes to expand and examine the big picture ideas of life, but in Gemini, Jupiter wants the focus to be on details instead, and neither is happening at the moment. Mars, the planet of action, is also moving backwards, first in Leo and then into Cancer over the next few months which makes moving forward with plans and projects difficult and finding inner peace just as elusive. When the God of War, Mars, travels backwards through Leo and Cancer, the battles are close to home and feel very personal. The Sagittarius light is harder to capture when everything is moving backwards. The next few months could be confusing. Answers won’t be given and old ways of understanding things won’t be available to you. Pluto just began its twenty-year journey through Aquarius, don’t forget, meaning nothing will be as it was and that will take some time getting used to.
As a Christian, this is a holy time of year for me. Sagittarius season contains Advent which is a period of preparation and anticipation leading up to Christmas, marking the four Sundays before December 25th. We light candles each week to symbolize hope, peace, joy, and love, helping us prepare our hearts and minds for the celebration of the birth of Jesus.
You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end (Luke 1:31-32).
The themes around light and Christmas continue with the story of the Magi, three wise men, astrologers, who followed the light of the stars to find the newborn King, Jesus and pay homage to him.
And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.
The path of the Magi and the footsteps of Jesus himself are embedded in the holy region, now full of unimaginable horror and destruction. Innocent people are suffering and many are determined to bring nothing but darkness. In times like these, the light within is what sustains us and the Sagittarius fire is sorely needed. I decided to write today, after a long pause, because of this poem written by Dr. Refaat Alareer, a Palestinian writer, poet, translator, university professor and Gaza activist. He was killed last year by an Israeli airstrike, along with his brother, sister and their children. He managed to share his light and hope five weeks before his darkest hour. From the land of Jesus, here are the words of a Palestinian poet, written weeks before Christmas 2023. May all who seek light and peace find it. Merry Christmas, peace on Earth and good will toward all.
If I must die,
you must live
to tell my story
to sell my things
to buy a piece of cloth
and some strings,
(make it white with a long tail)
so that a child, somewhere in Gaza
while looking heaven in the eye
awaiting his dad who left in a blaze—
and bid no one farewell
not even to his flesh
not even to himself—
sees the kite, my kite you made, flying up above
and thinks for a moment an angel is there
bringing back love
If I must die
let it bring hope
let it be a tale
Thank you for sharing the beautiful message of a life tragically lost. I too am praying for peace on earth and for the suffering of innocents to stop.