Thanksgiving and Gratitude

The Christian mystic, Meister Eckhart said, “If the only prayer you ever pray is one of gratitude, it will be enough.” T'is the season of thanksgiving and gratitude for our abundance. Even if money is tight, we realize we have a little (or a lot) to share and so with faith and optimism, we donate food, play Santa to children whose names we pick off giving trees and figure out a wee gift for the cranky neighbors.

The new moon (Tuesday, November 29, 4:18 a.m. PDT) comes in like a kindly, world-traveling uncle who introduces foreign, exotic ideas and challenges us to rise to the occasion. Sagittarius' energy uplifts with hope, abundance and faith. It seeks truth through education and adventure and stretches us toward higher-minded perspectives. Last month we took a Scorpio journey, and dug into our personal shadow-side. Along with old, wounded patterns, even our national shadow came to light and we are integrating in ways we can't put words to yet.

Sagittarius comes loaded with words, many words, often pushy and 'preach-y' words, telling us how we must be, how it is, for 'this family', or our 'kind of people', our faith, politics, community, country, etc. Certainly, we are each entitled to our opinions. Hey, we are Americans. We talk, and listen, in sound-bites.

But, this moon challenges us to engage with our own talk. Where exactly have we gotten our opinions? Are they truly ours or something we adopted without thinking? If they do reflect our viewpoint, are we walking our talk? Three stressed planets push us to take sides when what we must take is responsibility for our choices and actions. Two more demand patience and discipline. They support us in deepening our reflections so we can find a way of blending our differences and remembering we are part of the greater human family.

Our job: stretch ourselves and stay grounded at the same time. There is work to be done beyond the usual blah-blah-blah. Thankfully, Sagittarius offers us the hope, faith and optimism to do what we must do to be who we want to be in our life and in the world.

Horoscopes November 29 – December 13

Sagittarius, focus on your inner self. Too many duties in the outer world feels exhausting. Do what you need to do for yourself while realizing you are not sensitive to others' needs right now. Rare for you, but you could be the needy one. That's okay. Your job is to get in touch with YOU!

Capricorn, you need peace and quiet to review your year. Put aside ego and examine what you did or didn't do that created certain outcomes. Cut your losses and turn to the future. Big internal changes are underfoot. It takes time.

Aquarius, focus on friendships and networks. Give as much as you receive and be aware of how well you are promoting who you are in groups. What you are working to accomplish cannot be done alone. You learn much about your ability to play well with others.

Pisces, you are at an external peak in your life. If you prepared well for achievement, yahoo! Enjoy it. If cracks appear in your ability to achieve, repair as you can. A trusted person to give reality-based feedback is invaluable in changing times.

Aries, you are experiencing success in understanding your beliefs and how the world works. Some responsibilities may not align with your new view and must be changed. You are on firm ground but don't have the full picture. Focus on long-range plans and stay steady.

Taurus, psychological issues influencing how you get along with those who hold the purse strings appear. This is an on-going teaching about sharing and your actions in partnerships. How do you be you and let them be them?

Gemini, our agreements with others count. A longer lesson about balancing relationships comes to a head. Some 'friends' may go because they demand too much, give too little. (Or is that you going?) Your ability to respond to societal needs moves to the fore. Your skills get tested.

Cancer, bottom line, hard work, being asked to do more than you can, feeling that even if you succeed you won't be recognized – all true – in the short term. Do what you can with patience and a steady pace. Take care of your health, rest and don't scatter your energy. Rewards come (much) later.

Leo, focus shifts to your interactions with others and lessons abound. Patient, steady work on expressing yourself and hearing them ups skill levels. Even recreation and creative work are rife with lessons. Think of it as foundation building for a future opening night.

Virgo, the last year and one to come focuses on building your foundation for the next fourteen years. Focus on your home, the house itself and family issues. From simple reorganization to psychological work move you forward. Take baby steps but move along.

Libra, becoming aware of how you perceive the world and then communicate into it leaves you flatfooted at times. Others may be challenged by your changes. (Oh, well!) Meanwhile, a stronger sense of yourself and how others see you grows. Balance is a moving target.

Scorpio, if financial values are overriding psychological, spiritual or moral values, you're noticing by now. Simplify money and carry on even as you re-evaluate yourself. Where do you put your time, energy, focus, body? You are energetically rebuilding your foundation.