Sagittarius Full Moon: Don’t Look Back

In September 1954, after receiving a terminal diagnosis, 63-year-old Annie Wilkins decided that a big change was in order. After living on the family farm in Maine her entire life, and with all her relatives gone, she decided to hit the road. When a coin toss came up heads, she took it as a sign. Wilkins sold homemade pickles and mortgaged her rundown farm to buy supplies and a second horse. Her beloved mother had always wanted to visit California, so Wilkins headed west. She tied feed pails to her horses, Tarzan and Rex, added a bedroll for herself, and scooped up her small dog, Depeche Toi (“Hurry up” in French). The adventure had begun.

By the time Wilkins finally reached the Pacific Ocean, she and her intrepid crew had endured blistering desert heat, freezing, blinding snowstorms, and unfamiliar, dangerous terrain. She’d narrowly escaped being bitten by a poisonous snake and trampled by a herd of cattle, and she’d endured a flash flood as well as a marriage proposal from an elderly goat herder in Wyoming.

Like a true Sagittarian (born Dec. 13, 1891), the opinionated, pants-wearing Wilkins spoke her mind. This turned off some of the folks she encountered, yet others, inspired by her quest, offered food and lodging. She printed self-portraits on postcards which she sold for spending money, featuring inspirational quotes such as: “Don’t look back; that’s not where you’re going.”

Wilkins later published a book from the journals she’d kept, called “Last of the Saddle Tramps — a 7,000-mile Equestrian Odyssey through the USA.” She even appeared on the TV shows of Groucho Marx and Art Linkletter. Wilkins died in 1980 at the ripe old age of 88, having long since outlasted her two-year prognosis. She’d continued to move forward, no matter what. ”That’s the thing about the future,” she once remarked. “You can only get there one step at a time, and the hardest part is taking that first step.”

At next Wednesday’s Sagittarius Full Moon (June 11, 12:44 a.m. PT) we’re given a nudge to take that first step. This lunation, at 20 degrees Sagittarius/Gemini, squares the fateful lunar nodes. Quick decisions will be made, trips embarked on, and life-changing moves undertaken. This is an auspicious Full Moon, as two days prior, Jupiter – the Sagittarius ruler – enters Cancer, sign of its exaltation, for a full year. The giant planet functions exceptionally well in this cardinal water sign, where it strives to bring blessings, especially to all things home and family related. Yet right away Jupiter squares Saturn and Neptune in Aries, a combo that demands discipline in pursuit of a dream. Like Wilkins did, we may run into a challenge or two on our quest.  Yet the opportunity to get ahead is worth making sacrifices for.

Watch for key input on June 8, when Mercury joins Jupiter at the final degree of Gemini before both slide into nurturing Cancer. A last-minute piece of crucial news or change of plans may be at hand, especially with Mars about to square erratic Uranus on June 15. Stay flexible and open. You have an entire year to get where you’re going. And along the way, Jupiter will make sure you get plenty of emotional support.

Financial support may also be at hand, now that Venus is in her home sign of Taurus (June 5 – July 4). When in domicile, this beneficent planet offers prosperity, grounding and pleasure – particularly in the Taurus part of your chart. If you need to list a house, make a financial decision or purchase something big, doing so during this Venus transit can bring you luck. Just avoid June 9, when Venus squares Pluto, as well June 14-15 during that unstable Mars-Uranus square.

At the Sagittarius Full Moon, we’re inspired to grow and expand. But it’s easy to go off the rails, especially for those with strong Sagittarian placements. Be patient with yourself and others and try to be respectful of their beliefs and opinions. There’s no guarantee that everything will turn out the way you want it to, or that problems will vanish overnight. But if you’re patient, your intrepid moves may well be rewarded. Like brave Annie Wilkins did over 70 years ago, trust your instincts (and perhaps an auspicious coin toss or an astrologer’s go-ahead.) Be willing to face whatever comes, from delightful adventures and new friends to snowstorms, snakes and questionable marriage proposals. Have faith that goodness will prevail. Meanwhile, stay the course – and above all, don’t look back.