Count Your Blessings

“When I’m worried,
And I can’t sleep,
I count my blessings instead of sheep,
And I fall asleep,
Counting my blessings.

When my bankroll,
Is gettin’ small,
I think of when
I had none at all.
And I fall asleep,
Counting my blessings.

I think about a nursery,
And I picture curly heads,
And one by one I count them,
As they slumber,
In their beds.

If you’re worried,
And you can’t sleep,
Just count your blessings instead of sheep,
And you’ll fall asleep,
Counting your blessings.”

The Sagittarius New Moon is next to warrior asteroid Pallas, emphasizing the benefits of strategy and wisdom in our worldly dealings. Sagittarius has much wisdom to draw upon, whether from academic and professional sources or from so-called “university of life” experiences. But strategy is not always the first step for this sign; in theory, the Archer just aims and fires, directly. Yet even archers need to warm up the body to handle successful maneuvers. Where an advantage or an opportunity is sought, there may be someone competing, too, without it being obvious — shown here by the Moon’s dispositor, Jupiter, in a dissociate (out-of-sign) trine to Uranus.

Dissociate aspects are easier to spot if we remember that they occur when planets are in the first or last segments of a sign, usually no more than 5° on either end. Here, Jupiter is at 28° Sagittarius (the last few degrees) and Uranus at 3° Taurus. The dissociate trine’s nature means that we have planets in two different elements. With this mix of one planet in fire and one in earth, our task becomes similar to considering the inherent friction and creative potential of a square. Yet the trine presents greater harmony. As both Jupiter and Uranus have a relatively volatile, lively quality, we might see evidence of usually clashing personalities managing to get along better — or of dynamic forces being able to work together, whereas one might normally outrun, harm, or destroy the other. Political characters come to mind in this scenario, but we may also witness such unusual affinities in our family, social, and professional lives.

Jupiter is also in a dissociate conjunction with Venus in neighboring Capricorn. Jupiter may be the “bigger” planet, but we could argue that the early degree of Venus in the next sign (0° Capricorn) has the quality of leading the way, even if relatively inexperienced in doing whatever Venus in Capricorn represents! Either way, Venus–Uranus in an earth trine speaks to solid, down-to-earth practicality as a way forward, whilst Jupiter might be entertaining visions and aspiring to loftier heights. This mix of trines may also be telling us that both ways work! Even so, the Venus–Uranus aspect, in early degrees, points towards a “new normal” starting to emerge. Venus shows that a toned-down approach is more effective, compared with Jupiter’s grandiose gestures. An earth-sign focus hints that scaling down may relate to economic priorities. Although cutting out frills may initially seem unattractive, it could simplify life and add greater security.

Uranus is also quincunx the New Moon, which points to recognizing where anything is not working. A quincunx frequently represents a blind spot; we could suddenly see something previously overlooked, and then feel enabled to take significant action. Occasionally, this aspect reveals illness, but with Uranus involved, there is the potential for help from an unexpected source. It is likely worth acting on an inner prompt to reach out to someone with plenty of experience, as the Uranus link to Venus in Capricorn attests to solid advice from a person with accumulated learning — possibly one with more feminine attributes. Venus can also symbolize a charming nature, so this aspect may represent being able to find enough rapport with someone to trust that they can assist with an important therapy or operation. Venus’s link with sugar and sweetness may also be relevant and, given the trine to Uranus, plus the Uranus quincunx to the Moon, could indicate a need to take action regarding sugar or carbohydrates in the diet.

This article is from the Mountain Astrologer, written by Diana Collis.