The Alchemy of Sagittarius - A Time to Rekindle The Inner Fire

People often ask me why the hot and fiery sign of Sagittarius should appear in the wheel of the year just as we start pulling on the winter woollies and getting our wood stocks in for the winter. It might be easier to understand the seasonal association of Aries with its spring burst of life and Leo appearing in the heat of summer. Sagittarius, it would seem expresses the energy in a slightly more subtle way (that said, Sagittarians are not exactly renowned for their subtlety!).

I have come to understand the Sagittarian turn of the wheel through an understanding of the Christian festival of advent and its pagan predecessor. During Scorpio, we experienced the cycle of decay and "rotting down". If we are honouring the wheel, then we have, symbolically, "buried our dead" in Scorpio, and let go of that which can no longer be sustained on this turning of the wheel. Around the time we enter Sagittarius, nature begins to turn its attention away from death and toward the possibility of new life rising again - even though we don't see it so obviously, it is happening within the soil and within the plants and trees themselves, as elements recombine to warm and protect the seeds of life to allow a new cycle of gestation to begin. As humans, I believe we pick this up psychically, and experience this phase this of the year as the beginning of a new gestation cycle, as we turn our attention turns toward a time when the Sun or "saviour" will be born anew. The Christian festival of advent anticipates the birth of Christ, and celebrates the new hope that will bring. It's interesting to note that this seems to be marked also in the Chinese Taiji wheel, where receptive yin energy has reached its most saturated point (in the cycle corresponding to Scorpio) and, more-or-less as we enter Sagittarius creative yang energy is simultaneously being re-conceived.

Personally, I sense the alchemy of Sagittarius re-opening my heart, releasing my spirit and offering me the freedom to dream a new dream. It seems right to turn my thoughts to the future and celebrate that immortal, spiritual part of me which I know survives death (this is something I believe we all know intuitively, even if we have learned to doubt it). This inspirational fire is essential, I believe, to lift us free of our material attachments, and, like the phoenix rising out of the ashes, it can re-inspire our creative impulse, stretch our minds and open up new worlds of possibility.

I see Sagittarius as a time for contemplation and wonder, a time for sacred journeying and the potential revelation of a divine connection. As the archer takes aim and fires his arrow toward the far horizon, so might we naturally look to the stars for guidance, just as the three wise astrologers did as they followed the star in the east that led them to that much fabled manger in Bethlehem.

On The Alchemical Journey programme this month we are seeking to expand our perspectives and explore the bigger picture of our lives, ritually journeying into a future of our own intentional creation. We are exploring our relationship to God, the Universe, Allah, Great Spirit (or whatever name we choose) and questioning what we mean when we use these terms. Having confronted our shadows in Scorpio, visited the underworld and offered the ferryman his toll, it is time for us to regain our wings and take shamanic flight, prepare to meet our spirit guide and ready ourselves for initiation at the winter solstice in the next sign of Capricorn.

This cycle marks a time of the year when you we are likely to be more responsive to dreams and visions, new ideas and possibilities for the future. It is time to wonder, to contemplate the deeper mysteries of life; to broaden our horizons and adventure into the unknown. It is to laugh and be merry, to let our hair down and have a good time.

So here are some things you might want to try as a way for getting the most out of the Sagittarius cycle:

1. Keep a Dream Journal by your bed - and write down whatever you remember as soon as you wake up and pay attention to symbols.
2. Create a Vision Board - Think about the bigger picture of your life and imagine the things you like to draw into your life. Then find images to represent this. You can do this by cutting pictures out of magazines and downloading images from the internet - and sticking them on a large piece of card or stiff paper. Then put this up on your wall - somewhere you will see it regularly.
3. Observe the practice of a cultural or religious tradition other than your own - you might want to visit a mosque or a hindu temple for example, and their something of their culture and tradition - or observe a particular practice - just as a way of broadening your own cultural and/or religious perspective.
4. Laugh more! It's good for the soul.

We also have a number of introductory talks line up in the new year:

See: http://www.thealchemicaljourney.com/news3.php for details.

Wishing You All a Happy Sagittarian Advent-ure,

Alchemical blessings,

John

www.thealchemicaljourney.com