Crowd Enthusiasm

The second my shoes clicked in the hallowed halls of Vestal Jr. High School I knew I wanted to be a cheerleader. Aries Rising, grand fire trine, four planets, Moon-Jupiter conjunct in Sagittarius in the 9th. In spiritus dominus.

I made the Freshman squad as soon as I got into High School and in a moment of history-making, I was the first one ever to jump from Freshman to Varsity in my sophomore year, skipping Jr. Varsity. There were three slots open when try-outs came and it was a championship team under the leadership of proud Mrs. Dinga. When it came down to the finals it was between me and another girl, one adored by the clique which made up most of the squad. For hours they agonized and then in a moment of high drama, they chose me. I was great. Too good to pass up. And I was thrilled.

Next fall, my first Varsity football game arrived on a beautiful autumn Friday night, and in my deep gold sweater, deep green V on my chest, and matching gold skirt, I was embraced by one of the most exciting experiences in my life thus far. The band, the blazing lights against the black sky, the finest team in the Southern Tier, thick pom-poms, one dark green and one bright gold, a huge green megaphone, an enthusiastic crowd cheering uninhibitedly in unison and correctly, dancing and singing with the pom-poms non-stop for hours -- oh it was magnificent. Oh my god. And we won.

I was complete. I came home to a quiet house and sat before the fire sinking into the deepest feeling of contentment you can imagine. Every fiber of my body felt relaxed and fulfilled.

I always connect my love of cheerleading with my Sagittarius planets. The Friday pep rallies before the games were particularly uplifting. I've often thought that stadiums and the throngs of humans shouting together is a sort of cry out to the gods, maybe to remind them that we're here, or to tell them that we're not to be messed with. We have power too. It's a curious blend of fear and confidence, this ancient ritual. Jubilation as the trigger for calling to the invisible entities. And now with Pluto in the finale of its transit of Sagittarius, I do believe the planet is experiencing some crowd thrills a little out of the ordinary. Welcome aboard.

When Pluto crossed the USA ascendant, the Trade Towers fell heralding the fall of the dollar but the rise of something else -- the start of a new 248 year cycle and an awakening of spirit never before mined in the American psyche. Now that Pluto is leaving Sagittarius, crowd enthusiasm is at a height. It's a brief moment to celebrate life with exuberance, the Sagittarian birthright.

As for winning, I've learned that you don't ask anybody or anything if you can, or if you should, or how and why, you just win. But the real lesson of Sagittarius is acceptance of loss just as much. It's all in the game; and rolling with the punches, then getting back up and shouting with jubilation once again. Live and let live to the limit.

Some fear being swept up in crowd fervor, some love it, but no matter what, it's a worldwide ritual that has persisted throughout human history and shows no signs of diminishing. There's a spot for those who wish to whimper under the SE bleechers. Now where did I put my pom-poms?