Sagittarius is represented in the Zodiac by the Greek Centaur, a hybrid-creature, half-human and half-horse.  Centaurs in myth are great wizards, healers, and philosophers. This is because their knowledge spans both the human and the animal realm.  They are the only sign having this breadth of knowledge. They are also known for their party-animal side and could be dangerous to humans. The constellation was also historically linked to Epona, a Celtic mare-goddess who was the bringer of prophetic dreams as well as night-mares.

The time of Sagittarius is when we look ahead to the Spring by storing away the harvest and preparing the fields for Winter.  Fall is nearly over and we begin to settle into indoor activities.  Thanksgiving appropriately takes place during this Zodiacal sign. We look around us to see what we have to get us through Winter and what we can give to those who are not so well prepared.

The monthly installment of The Great Astrological Light Bulb Joke:

Q. How many Sagittarians does it take to change a light bulb?

A. The sun is shining, the day is young, and we've got our whole lives ahead of us, and you're inside worrying about a stupid burned-out light bulb?

Note: I have no idea who originally wrote this. Erika sent it to me years ago and I still think it’s as funny as it is insightful!
 

Inga's Celebration Calendar

November 22nd - The Sun enters Sagittarius.

November 23rd is Thanksgiving.

 Here is my favorite Thanksgiving story: A young man named Dick received a parrot as a gift. The parrot had a bad attitude and an even worse vocabulary. Every word out of the bird's mouth was rude, obnoxious and laced with profanity. Dick tried and tried to change the bird's attitude by consistently saying only polite words, playing soft music and anything else he could think of to "clean up" the bird's vocabulary.

Finally, Dick was fed up and he yelled at the parrot. The parrot yelled back. Dick shook the parrot and the parrot got angrier and even ruder. Dick, in desperation, threw up his hand, grabbed the bird and put him in the freezer. For a few minutes the parrot squawked and kicked and screamed. Then suddenly there was total quiet.

Not a peep was heard for over a minute. Fearing that he'd hurt the parrot, Dick quickly opened the door to the freezer. The parrot calmly stepped out onto Dick 's outstretched arms and said "I believe I may have offended you with my rude language and actions. I'm sincerely remorseful for my inappropriate transgressions and I fully intend to do everything I can to correct my rude and unforgivable behavior." Dick was stunned at the change in the bird's attitude. As he was about to ask the parrot what had made such a dramatic change in his behavior, the bird continued, "May I ask what the turkey did?"

December 1st is the First Friday of the month and the Dunthor Open House! Click here to see the details listed further down this webpage.

December 5th is a Full Moon in Gemini.

The Moon and Sun are opposite each other in the sky. The Moon reflects all of the Sun's light. This is the time to perform rituals for protection, clarity of vision, and consecration, get your hair cut if you want it to grow back thicker. Feelings are heightened; matters appear larger than life.

To learn more about actively using the Moon's energy in your life, see The Moon Through the Signs and Moon Phases. These guides are located in our Library.

December 16th is Hanukkah.  

December 20th is a New Moon in Sagittarius.

The Moon and Sun are conjunct in the sky. The moon is dark and gradually increases to a crescent. This is the time to begin a ritual, a new project, to ask for new vision, get beauty treatments, cut your hair (if you want fast re-growth), get medical treatment, make long-term relationship plans.

To learn more about actively using the Moon's energy in your life, see The Moon Through the Signs and Moon Phases. These guides are located in our Library.

December 21st is the Winter Solstice and the Sun enters Capricorn.

Stone of the Sign - Picture Jasper

This is a unique picture jasper from Arizona. It looks like a wonderful, tiny landscape to me. This one is wrapped in a setting of sterling silver wire. According to tradition, picture jasper resonates to Sagittarius and can help you to be more optimistic and to find your vision. Silver is a conductor of energy and is said to aid in communication since it improves the transmission of nerve impulses. According to tradition, it is a good metal for healing purposes because it is in tune with the body. Silver can reduce anxiety and help you to relax when solving problems. It is believed to help conduct the energy of stones into your body and auric field.

Sale this month: 40.00 USD

Click here to see this item and more in my Jewelry Catalog.

To learn more about how to use Gemstones in your daily life, see "What Gemstones Should I Wear?" guide in our Library.
 

Inga's Space

Do you ever wonder what is going on in the sky tonight? Well, you’ve missed the Leonid meteor shower for this year, some views of the Comet Swan, and Mercury’s transit of the Sun. But there is always something to see, unless of course, you live in Seattle where a clear sky is a rare event. To see what you can see from wherever you live, check out the SkyTonight website!

Here is the new gadget I got for my birthday this month: The SkyScout. It has GPS installed to locate and identify stars, planets, and satellites. It works exactly like Celestron says it will and I love it! See pictures at the Celestron site and here is a review from Sky Tonight.

Pictures at Celestron.com

Review at SkyTonight.com

These are two really funny articles from Archeology Magazine that I was going to put in the Halloween newsletter but Fall Quarter of school was just too much for me this year!

This one is on zombies. And this one is on the Celtic origins of Halloween.
 

Letters from our Readers

We think of this newsletter as a community forum. You, our friends and clients, are welcome to participate. We celebrate diversity and we'll print whatever you send in be it Wiccan, Christian, Pagan, New Age, etc., as long as it reflects Love. You may choose a one-time holiday to write about or have a regular column. We'll give you space and a byline! Please send in your own book reviews, ideas for rituals, ideas about stones, your journal excerpts, your experiences and most of all, ask us questions. We love answering questions!

From Scott:

"It is necessary to the happiness of man, that he be mentally faithful to himself.  Infidelity does not consist in believing, or in disbelieving; it consists in professing to believe what he does not believe.  It is impossible to calculate the moral mischief, if I may so express it, that mental lying has produced in society.  When a man has so far corrupted and prostituted the chastity of his mind, as to subscribe his professional belief to things he does not believe, he has prepared himself for the commission of every other crime." -- Thomas Paine

And:

"The most important political office is that of the private citizen." -- Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis (1856 - 1941)

And: 

"One touch of Nature makes the whole world kin." - William Shakespeare

From Stephanie:

The photo of Freya was taken with my new digital camera.

And:

Take a look at this: http://exobio.ucsd.edu/Astronomy/constellations.htm

Be sure to click on the java applet. It shows the shape of the constellation and those surrounding it. It's pretty good.

And:

Retirement planning:

 If you had purchased $1000.00 of Nortel stock three years go, it would now be worth $49.00.

With Enron, you would have had $16.50 left of the original $1,000.00.

With WorldCom, you would have had less than $5.00 left.

But, if you had purchased $1,000.00 worth of beer three years ago, drank all the beer, then turned in the cans for the aluminum recycling REFUND, you would have $614.00.

Based on the above, the best current investment advice is to drink heavily and recycle.

It's called the 401-Keg Plan.

And:

One Sunday morning, the pastor noticed little Alex standing in the foyer of the church staring up at a large plaque. It was covered with names with small American flags mounted on either side of it. The seven year old had been staring at the plaque for some time, so the pastor walked up, stood beside the little boy, and said quietly, "Good morning Alex." 

"Good morning Pastor," Alex replied, still focused on the plaque. 

"Pastor, what is this?" Alex asked. The pastor said, "Well, son, it's a memorial to all the young men and women who died in the service."

Soberly, they just stood together, staring at the large plaque.

Finally, little Alex's voice, barely audible and trembling with fear, asked, "Which service, the 9:45 or the 11:15?"

The Monthly Dunthor Open House

Please come join in the community that has been created over the years with the friends we've made through Inga's Earth Magic. You'll find insight, sharing, healing and fellowship and you are most welcome. 

• When: The 1st Friday of every month. Please join us for dinner. We start eating around 7 PM. Or join us for dessert later on!
• Where: Our place (click on LIBRARY in the navigation bar at the top of the screen and then MAP ROOM for directions)
• What to bring: Just your enthusiasm and love! There's a big pot of pasta on the stove, salad, bread and plenty of microbrews and red wine. If you have specific preferences, please bring whatever you'd like.
• How long: Until the good conversation ends! If you'd like, you can spend the night on one of the couches with the kitties or bring your sleeping bag and mat and camp out on the floor of Inga's office.
• RSVP: Just let us know in advance via e-mail or phone if you are coming and if you are bringing guests so we don't run out of food or beer!

The Duncan Domain

Greetings! I am just now emerging from a rather hellish, year long experience. In astrological terms, it would be described as transiting Pluto conjunct the Moon, within a 1 degree orb, in the 1st house of my natal chart. In English, it means that Pluto and the Moon are side by side and affecting my self identity and how I present myself to the world. I'll explain what all this means in a minute but just know that upon mentioning this to attendees at NORWAC, the NW Astrology Conference, earlier this year, the mood would instantly turn grave, they'd peer intensely into my eyes and sincerely inquire as to how I was holding up under such a transit. With the amount of concern being expressed, I half expected someone to stick a thermometer in my mouth while they took my pulse!

Fortunately, one of the lecturers, Robert P. Blaschke of the Earthwalk School of Astrology in Port Townsend, Washington, gave a lecture that really resonated with me and compelled me to approach him for a reading. I know I can't do his presentation justice but what I got out of it was this: He spoke of activating the heart chakra when faced with difficult situations in order to ground one's actions in Love and Light. This would provide the necessary energy, courage and motivation for continuing to seek a transformation or healing of the situation and of one's self. This approach would result in a pro-active stance vs. a reactive one since one would be moving forward with guidance as opposed to resisting and/or resenting the change in one's life. What he was describing is exactly what I've been taught by my spirit guides and it was the only reason I was moving through the Pluto / Moon conjunction with any degree of progress vs. just feeling abused. I was hoping Robert could give me the answer to the big question we all have when we are struggling and that is, "When will I be emerging from this private Hell?" The second question would be, "Am I doing all I can do to get my money's worth?" As my holistic doctor asked me many years ago, "Are you paying a heavy price in this situation?" I answered yes and he replied, "Then I suggest making sure you get your money's worth." It was good coaching then and I've lost count as to how many times I've coached fellow sufferers over the years. To sum up, Robert Blaschke did, indeed, answer both those questions and a bunch more, and he was truly wonderful to work with.

Let's now look at the energies of the situation. Inga referred me to an excellent book on her bookshelf called Planets In Transit - Life Cycles For Living by Robert Hand, one of her professors at Kepler College. Here's what I found:

• The significance of transiting Pluto:
   
  • The nature of Pluto is similar to the Hindu God Shiva, who serves as both creator and destroyer. Pluto starts by tearing down the old to make room for the new.
     
  • As a planetary influence, Pluto is very powerful and not the least bit subtle so there will be no avoiding this cycle of radical transformation.
     
  • Due to the 1st house placement of the conjunction, the death and destruction will be metaphorical and focus on old aspects of my self that need to pass away to make room for new ones.
     
  • I could, of course, try to prevent such powerful change in my life but according to Robert Hand, this would result in a build-up of these explosive energies and the inevitable changes would occur disastrously.
     
  • So the smart money rides on letting go of the old as quickly as possible and spending my energies instead on the rebuilding phase that would take place once the way was cleared.
     
• Pluto in the 1st house
   
  • There is a lot of potential to reshape many aspects of my personality, especially my unconscious drives.
     
  • Robert Hand warns that a lack of self understanding of one's self could lead to one becoming a negative force for change in the world. On the other hand, if one deeply comprehends one's self, the energies can be positively channeled into a complete rebirth of energy and effectiveness in one's life.
     
  • Pluto will compel me to seek out the mysteries and hidden aspects of life and may lead to any discipline whose purpose is the total regeneration of the self like astrology, yoga, the occult or spiritual doctrines. (Since I'm already deeply vested in these subjects, my experience, understanding and skills will grow.)
     
• Pluto conjunct Moon (1 degree of orb)
   
  • A time of extremely powerful emotional change.
     
  • It can profoundly affect my immediate personal surroundings, home and work environments, family and innermost psychological development.
     
  • The feelings evoked by this transit will be raw, urgent, surprisingly intense and difficult to deal with.
     
  • Since we all depend on our innermost personal life, represented as the Moon in our natal charts, to be stable, predictable and supportive as we deal with the external world, having Pluto causing such acute transformation has the potential to be very powerful.
     
  • One can expect that any repressed energies or childhood complexes to resurface.
     
  • As upsetting as all this may be, such change are preparing me for a new stage of development.

This transit began on 8 Jan 2006 and ends on 1 Jan  2007 so I've had plenty of time to experience it and figure out ways to cope with it. Looking back through my journal for this year, it is indeed filled with notes about change in my innermost psyche:

• My low self image issues
• My fear of failing
• Finding my true voice
• The nature of my relationships with the people in my life
• My evolving relationship with Earth, its Elementals and my spirit guides
• Not needing pain, anxiety or guilt to feel committed to the causes I value
• Supporting and coaching others as they work through their own issues vs. trying to rescue them or doing it for them
• Identifying the sources of my joy and allowing more time for them
• Identifying old emotional scars that are yet to be healed
• Who I am, why am I here and what roles I can play

There's a lot more in my journal but I think you get the gist. During this period, I've employed every thing I know to foster body, mind and spirit alignment in order to weather this process:

• Massage
• Acupuncture
• EFT
• Yoga
• Meditation
• Vision quests
• Hypnotherapy
• Chinese herbal medicine
• Use of stones and crystals to hold intent
• Chiropractic adjustments
• Astrological consults
• Linking to and/or creating sacred energy portals
• Chakra cleansings

By the time I went on my first motorcycle ride this past Summer, I was six months into this transit. I stopped in to see a highly intuitive massage therapist I know in Breckenridge, CO. As she was massaging all the knots out of my spine, she perfectly summed up my condition. She said I was highly grounded and attuned spiritually but I was clearly running my body very ragged and that I was sorely in need of learning how to balance the demands of Spirit, mind and body. She was spot on. I've never felt better connected to Spirit but at the same time, I was borderline exhausted. All year I'd been battling with chronic pain along with all the mental turmoil I'd been going through at work. With her treatment, I was able to move a few steps back from the edge and continue my rolling vision quest. As I was heading West on the motorcycle for home, I suddenly realized that I'd be giving notice at work when I got back. It was as simple as that. No drama, no agonizing, my time there was over. My ongoing transformation was enabling me to move on to my next employment adventure. Until then, work had been providing me little but sheer abuse. It was at this point that I began to see the first glimmer of sunshine emerging in my consciousness. Yes, I had been sorely tested in many ways but I was healing the issues, one by one, as well as serving as a powerful agent of change for those around me.

Here it is late November and I've got a little over a month to go before Pluto will move out of conjunction with my natal Moon but the trauma is gone. What I'm left with now is a small mountain of experiences to ponder, a slowly evolving understanding of what I am to become and do in the latter half of my life here on Earth, and my Plutonian scars. Yes, it's been a rough journey but I've already decided that I have indeed gotten my money's worth out of it. Thanks to all of you, corporeal or not, for the support, the unconditional love, and the coaching. – Scott Bruce Duncan */:-)

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