DEER New Moon

December 1st 2024 1:21 am Eastern

New Moon 9*32’ Sagittarius

20th Shape DEER

The talisman in the Picatrix for the 20th lunar mansion is for ‘hunting in fields’, whereas the Quimbanda Exu synchronized to the Verum spirit belonging to this space is Exu das Matas, “of the forests”, “of the bushes”, and of course the Shape from the Prayer to Mene list in the Greek Magical Papyri is DEER, which likely references Artemis, a huntress deity of the wilds among other things. Here in Maine regular deer hunting season concludes today simultaneous with this New Moon lunation, which incepts the beginning of a fresh subjective cycle. The image of the mansion from Picatrix is the head and arms of man and body of horse holding a bow, which is obviously Sagittarius, the sign in which this Shape resides. The blending of man, animal and machine are typically discussed in relation to Sagittarius, which can bring many disparate parts together and direct their combined forces towards a unified goal. We also got our first snow fall in Maine in the past couple days as the Sun was moving into position for this lunation. Virgin snow reminds of virginal Artemis, who is not necessarily chaste but chooses to forgo the civilized convention of marriage and remain untamed.

The spirit from the Verum, Hiepact, brings people from far away, appropriate as there has been much traveling going on in the states due to American Thanksgiving, which falls always when the Sun is migrating through this Shape. Spirits associated with hunting often also have the ability to summon people and find things, likely as these are functions of tracking, which is essentially the central skill employed by a successful hunter. Wolf hair incense is employed in the talisman on a plate of tin, the metal of Jupiter, which is interesting as wolves are obviously adept hunters and Jupiter may bring about abundance. Also wolves hunt in packs and Jupiter presides over jovial gatherings, so the bringing of people together again is appropriate here, as similarly Artemis as midwife may “bring people from far away” via new life into the world.

The Nakshatra comes with the Elephant Tusk, something elephants get hunted for and may be in parallel to the antler of the deer. This nakshatra speaks of water in a variety of ways; emotions, purifications, rejuvenation, love and relationship, those whose occupations are on the water, sensitive feelings, honest work, medicine, increasing Ojas, as well as food production and preparation in general, the latter again being in alignment with the feasting holiday which appears here. The Chinese Xiu is associated with the Turtle, continuing the watery theme as well as the tusk, antler and this time shell which might all be sought after materials. Traditional sources seem to describe a kind of “spidey sense” in this Xiu, the bristling with anticipation and warning signals going off which are keen awarenesses for those hunting or practicing bush craft in remote locations. Yang ebbs here as seasonal light wanes and it is important to embrace the natural progression of the moment and not exhaust oneself unnecessarily. Those that can remain keen and calm and follow the organic winnowing process can avoid ill fortuned fates. Increasing Ojas, conserving energy, tantric magic, unwedded Artemis and virginal conditions all point to some negotiation of creative/procreative energy and in the grand deeds imagined of Sagittarius not to waste energy on that which detours too far away from the ultimate target.

Allocation of energy across disparate and paradoxical channels is more than likely very present with Jupiter retrograde in Gemini in double detriment mutual reception with Mercury retrograde in Sagittarius ruling over the lunation. A grand fire trine of the New Moon in Sag, Mars slowing down to station in Leo and the North Node in Aries runs with synchro symphonic life layer coincidences surrounding how much fuel, enthusiasm and vitality is required to get on track to get so many different dimensions of the greater quest done so that you can be as impressive as your ego demands. When the energy and excitement is simply not there burn out can occur and in fire signs this often comes along with anxiety. Loops back in the plot to retrieve lost threads of the adventure so they can be turned back on for the morale needed to get blood pumping toward profound pursuits which may be plagued by focuslessness and abundant distractions over the past few weeks. DEER Shape reminds us not only to safegaurd against uselessly dissipating our energy and to focus on purification and replenishment but also to be keenly situated in the flow of the larger astrology’s scrambling influences so our tracking abilities migrate us towards the outcomes we are stalking. As we might be going after certain achievements, occurrences and circumstances we’d like to experience then gathering the right people together into the flow might be appropriate, as some members of whatever creatures flock together could hold powers for you to source from, once you winnow away what elements are too low signal and not highly enough prized.

11th Shape SHEGOAT/CHIMERA and 21st Shape MULTIFORM/POLYFORMOS are also combination beings who fall into fire signs. MOUSE which is legionary and infesting precedes DEER in the list and HORSE which is an influxing of foreign populations and participants precedes SHEGOAT. There is something in these combinational and multiplying fire sign Shapes which speak of when things energize and activate by being stimulated or stirred up or somehow invigorated. As noted, the retrogradation mixed with nodal compulsion to turbulence elements aspecting the lunation make for a very wires crossed and mismatched zapping of possibly inappropriate and catalyzing action, of which DEER must aid us in knowing where to draw the line. We need to be able to demarcate what is civilized and what is savage, where the boundary is between various realms of the controlled and chaotic, and know how to walk safely in each. We even take into consideration the reversed logic surrounding weaknesses, handicaps, drawbacks and delays and use them to our advantage and for our growth, potentiating new beginnings and bold moves, once we find out footings in the unfamiliar forest pathways which connect via slantwise, unpredictable short cuts used exclusively by the extra observant.

Interestingly, Venus is in trine to Uranus and sextile to Neptune during the New Moon, finding material satisfaction in the practical disruptions and blurry ambiance. Being satisfied with the convoluted reality that is right now being part of the savvy strategy, as long as the experimental rocket being energized in potentiality is what gets us out of here eventually. There’s a bit of a split between what you should be receptive to and deriving pleasure from and what you should be putting energy into. Savor and enjoy the last days of the past up to this moment while making sure to put active attention and energy into where you are going from here. Knowing where the line between the two is may be the key to propelling one’s self beyond the current circumstances in an elegant way. Deer sidle up closer to human habitation during hunting season, leaving hunters roaming vacant tracks of deeper woods, so antlered males are more commonly spotted on commutes home or in back yards where guns are less likely to be shot. This paradoxical strategy of hiding in plain sight says something about the flow of this moment’s laws, and being aware of such clever tactics is the knack which we seek.