Three Tips to Hit Your Personal Bullseye

"Talent hits a target no one else can hit; Genius hits a target no one else can see." Arthur Schopenhauer (1788 - 1860)

The New Moon and Business

If you've been following my newsletter then you might remember that I'm also preparing to launch a line of all natural dog grooming products, Pure Pooch . It was something my partner and I have been talking about for a long time, but this year made the commitment to make it happen or stop talking about it. Well I'm happy to say that we're getting close! We're only slightly behind where I thought we would be by this time, but according to our marketing coach everything is in good shape. We'll be launching the product in April 2011 at the Global Pet Expo.

So while we haven't technically hit our bullseye yet , I can share a few tips in the spirit of this new moon that you might find useful in thinking about what you're aming for this year.

The Astrology of the New Moon

[caption id="attachment_1514" align="alignright" width="117" caption="Dec 2010 New Moon"] [/caption]

The new moon ( chart ) occurs on Sunday, December 5, 2010 at 13° of Sagittarius. All new moons are an invitation and in the sign of the archer this new moon is about taking aim (and hence the bullseye motif).

When you close one eye and focus on your own personal bullseye, what do you see?

The Archer - Sagittarius

Sagittariusis considered a "mutable" sign since it ends one season (autumn) and transitions into the next (winter). Mutable signs are about flexibility and change. Sag, as the sign of inspriation, suggests that like the seasons, what we're inspired by can, and may, change. The new moon in Sag is a favorable time to create a new vision, set our sights on a new goal, or understand a new univeral principle.
" Faith is, at one and the same time, absolutely necessary and altogether impossible." -Stanislaw Lem (1921 - 2006)
Sagittarius is ruled (and fueled!) by the planet Jupiter, the granter of wishes, the opener of doors, and the giver of faith . Faith requires that we exist in two worlds at once, too. It's about remaining in a state of complete certainty in an environment of complete uncertainty. It's about seeing the goal, not the obstacles.

Tip 1: To hit your personal bullseye you have to have faith in yourself- that your choices are good, that your abilities are enough, and that your vision is the right vision- even when others don't always agree with it.

Jupiter is expansive but in a disfunctional sense it can be "too much." Mars challenges Jupiter at this new moon so there may be a tendancy to create impossible goals or set too many goals. That's one area that I need to work on personally. I try to keep my to-do lists at about three items so that I don't get overwhelmed. This new moon does receive a friendly sextile from Saturn in Libra, which means if we can remain objective in our thinking, rational in our judgment, and conservative with our time then we can mitigate the Jupiter effect of wanting to take on more and more.

Tip 2: To hit your personal bullseye you have to be really clear about your goal compared with other priorities in your life. Be honest with yourself about what you can and cannot do.

For our product, Pure Pooch, we hired someone to design our lable, even though my partner told me I was capable of doing it (I knew it too, but thought we should work with a "professional"). When we ended up firing the label designer I spent about 30 hours and designed a label that I love, I'm proud of, and feel as though it really represents the product and our brand. We could have saved ourselves time and money if I had the confidence (literally, "with faith ") to do it myself to begin with. This is really a combination of both principles- sticking to my vision and knowing what I was capable of.

This month Mercury, the planet that symbolizes communication, trade, and travel will be going retrograde(or backwards) from December 11-30. Remember that Mercury retrograde simply asks us to be more mindful- of what we're doing, what we're saying, and what we're signing. It's a favorable time for things that require your review, reassessment, or revision. Don't be exasperated at having to do something over- be grateful for the opportunity to do it right.

Tip 3: To hit your personal bullseye you need to understand timing and how to use the different qualities of time for different activities. The process of reviewing and revising will help you to assess your results and milestones and make any necessary adjustments.

This Sagittarius new moon is about seeing a goal, setting a vision to reach it, and finding the faith and inspiration to take the first step on the journey. Next month, at the new moon in Capricorn it'll be time to initiate the work, focus your attention, and persist in your efforts to reach your goal.

If you know your chart more deeply the new moon at 13° of Sagittarius will occur in whichever house contains this degree of the zodiac. The meaning and symbolism of that house will play an important part in personalizing what this cycle means for you. If you'd like to know more about your chart or how this new moon might affect you, please contact me to schedule a reading .

May you be inspired by the lights of this season and may they clearly illuminate the goal you set for yourself this year. Namaste'