Thinking Makes it So

Me and the Moon and the Magic 14" x 20" Gouache on Paper by Deborah Singletary

Full Moon | Lunar Eclipse | May 26, 2021 | 5 Sagittarius 26’

Tis nothing either good or bad but thinking makes it so. (William Shakespeare). Thinking is emphasized by planets in air and mutable signs. Thinking, Gemini’s province is reflected by the Moon in Sagittarius.

I think of the paths of the Sun and Moon like the trajectory of the story about day and night, light and dark, known, and unknown in our lives. Where the paths intersect, Sun and Moon exchange notes and connect the dots of the journey. The Sun in Gemini on the North Node illuminates what we can work on, reach for, and direct attention toward. The North Node also acknowledges that this process is a bit like the path taken by the knight entering the path in the place which is darkest for him. He does this as an act of courage—taking risks in exchange for illumination or enlightenment. With the North Node in Gemini, we could be saying, “What am I or was I thinking? Is mine a “tale told by an idiot”? (William Shakespeare) We might ask, what am I going for? What is my plan? We might ask to be illumined about something we are in the dark about. We might determine to rewrite or re-frame our story.

Eckhart Tolle asks, “What is making you unhappy? Your life situation, or the way you think about it?” How are you thinking about your life? What is the story you are telling yourself? The facts are not just the facts. They are your interpretation of your experience. They are your narrative.

Moon in Sagittarius reflects or mirrors your perceptions of your experience. Life is a constant mirror. It is always showing us ourselves. Too often we reject what is mirrored and seek to discredit or blame the messenger or the actor in our drama who makes us look not pretty. Sagittarius is a fiery sign, and it gives off the energy of rightness, lawfulness, and conformity to moral code. It is usually ardent or vehement in its operation.

The South Node cautions us against the “I am right mode,” shutting down potential negotiation. I am right and those who think like me are right. You, therefore, need not be heard, no less considered. In this mode I might have to vanquish you and then blink at the suggestion that I am responsible. Do I have to care about others? Am I their keeper?

Are you inflated in one way or another? Are things exaggerated and blown out of proportion? Have you made your suffering or your promise too big?

You may be exaggerating how things are. Pause and ask yourself. Is my claim against this person or these people, deserved by them or projected out of proportion by me? What should I mete out—harshness or understanding?

Moon in Sagittarius can pierce the veil of one’s own habitual or automatic pre-judgement and condemnation, but only if one can be measured and calm rather than condemnatory. What is the story of your life? Are you using it to justify being stuck and unhappy?

Practicum

Get pen and paper or notebook. Write down something in your story that portrays you as a victim or as deserving of shame. Now modify your lens (as if you are binoculars). For example, instead of “nobody understands me,” say, “I am an enigma.” Instead of “I made a stupid mistake,” say, “Knowing better, I shall do better.”