In the Pacific Time Zone, the New Moon will occur at 11:20 p.m. on Thursday, December 6. This New Moon finds the Moon and Sun in conjunction (0°) at 16° of Sagittarius. To further clarify how this New Moon will impact you on a personal level, locate 16° of Sagittarius in your birth/natal chart. The issues associated with that house are going to be most influenced by this New Moon’s presence.
All New Moons offer us opportunities for new emotional starts and setting new intentions or goals in areas related to the sign. Whenever we have a New Moon in Sagittarius, we are asked to focus on our beliefs, values, hopes, and aspirations. The symbol for Sag is a centaur pointing an arrow skyward. The archer cannot see the target. We have to believe and have faith that something larger than ourselves is “out there.” In order to take that shot, we might even need to make some changes in our understanding of the world around us.
At the time of this Sag New Moon, Mars is exactly conjunct (0°) Neptune in Pisces, and the New Moon is squaring (90°) Mars and Neptune. With both Mars and Neptune in Pisces, this brings a very strong mutable influence to the New Moon’s party. Overall, we need to stay flexible, fluid, and adaptable. Neptune is very strong in its home sign of Pisces. This could cause our thinking and decision-making to become a bit blurry. It’s like the fog has rolled in and is obscuring our vision. But as is true with Neptune, it brings with it compassion, spirituality, intuitive ability, and the need for faith and trust. If we can learn to trust our intuitive, gut-level hunches, we can often find our way out of the fog and easily make our way to our destination.
However, without meaning to water down (pun intended) this New Moon, we need to remember that squares do demand our attention. They always represent turning points; times when we need to make required “course corrections” (again, water reference intended). Mars is, after all, the warrior planet, so we may experience some type of struggle or conflict. But with Mars located in watery Pisces, we can best navigate any rough waters by relying on the optimistic and hopeful energy of the Sagittarius New Moon and the compassionate, intuitive approach of Neptune. The best actions we can take would be those that involve self-less service for the higher good (Mars in Pisces). The strong presence of both Pisces and Neptune makes this Sag New Moon highly spiritual. We are being encouraged to deepen our trust in Divine Order and Divine Timing. Look for the benefits gained by any redirection or delay. The spiritual aspect of this New Moon also makes it a very good time to focus on manifesting what we want and to remember that we are co-creators with Spirit.
Supporting our endeavors is a grand trine in which Mercury is trine (120°) Chiron, and they are both trine (120°) the North Node. This forms a very supportive equilateral triangle in the sky above us. Mercury trine Chiron brings support for mental focus and increased clarity, especially regarding what needs to be healed in our lives. Mercury trine the North Node in Cancer can help us to express our vulnerability with those who are trustworthy, which can mend bridges. And the involvement of Chiron and the North Node will help us reflect on our past, heal issues that we may have carried into the present from the past, and decide where we want to go from here.
Jupiter, the ruler of Sagittarius, is in a wide conjunction (0°) with the Sun and Moon. Jupiter is the “happy-happy planet,” so its presence is uplifting. However, it’s not so close to the Sun and Moon that it blinds us to the work that needs to be done. It serves more as a safety net of optimism and confidence as we work through any Sag New Moon issues. It is encouraging us to expand and grow, and we may find that working with others will feel both rewarding and productive.
During the early part of December, several important planetary shifts are occurring:
- On Saturday, December 1, retrograde Mercury moves backwards so far that it re-enters Scorpio. Although it will go direct on December 6 (see below), Mercury will remain in Scorpio through December 11. The “re-do” in Scorpio is urging us to re-think some pretty intense issues. If we take the time to probe deeply, then profound insights and healing can occur.
- On the same day (Saturday, December 1), Venus re-enters the sign of Scorpio, where it will remain until January 8. Back in mid-September, Venus initially entered Scorpio. However, it went retrograde in October and backed up so far that it reentered the sign of Libra. Venus has been moving direct again for a few weeks, and it will now leave Libra and re-enter Scorpio. Venus was much happier in Libra than in Scorpio. Venus in Scorpio deepens our feelings about all of our relationships. We desire intense connections, and anything superficial will not feel satisfying. We are emotional and passionate about whatever we want or desire. This can also extend to our finances, because Venus also focuses on our relationship with the material world and money.
- The same day as the Sag New Moon (Thursday, December 6), Mercury will end its retrograde phase and begin moving direct again. It may take a few days before we feel the difference, so don’t dive into making travel plans quite yet, and it may be best to avoid signing contracts for a few more days, if possible. While Mercury direct is picking up speed, we are well-advised to use the time around the Sag New Moon to carefully plan out our next steps. But in general, we should see improvement in communication as December unfolds. This is great timing because the middle and end of December is the “holiday season” for many people, and this often requires us to be involved in family/social gatherings and make travel plans.
- On Saturday, December 8, Chiron begins moving direct again in Pisces. After a brief foray into Aries earlier this year, Chiron went retrograde and moved so far backwards that it re-entered Pisces. It will eventually finish its transit of Pisces, but it will take a while; i.e., it will not re-enter Aries until the early part of March 2019. Until then, we are being given one last opportunity to finish up any tasks related to spiritual healing (Chiron in Pisces). Chiron won’t be back in Pisces until later this Century, so it’s good to take advantage of this now. This can include healing any issues that block us from trusting in the Divine or in our own intuitive abilities.
What do all these planetary changes in direction mean? The first part of December is likely going to be a time when many of us will be figuring out what we have learned while Venus and Chiron were moving retrograde. It may be helpful to look back to when Venus started its retrograde motion (end of October) to see if there were issues being dealt with then that are now coming to some kind of completion . . . or at least we will benefit from revisiting them. With Venus involved, it’s likely something to do with relationships and/or finances. We may have needed to release something or someone that we have outgrown, learned how to set healthier boundaries, improved our level of self-worth, or realized what triggers us and needs to be healed. The overarching goal of Venus in retrograde was to help us learn how to connect with each other while still maintaining our personal power. At some level, issues related to vulnerability and trust were likely involved. And with Chiron moving direct again, we will be taking a more direct approach to our healing in these areas, and that healing may come through spiritual connections with others or with the Divine (Chiron in Pisces). Some of us may actually experience a breakthrough in Venus-related issues during early December. If nothing else, many of us will be integrating all these Venus issues we’ve been dealing with, which is designed to open us up for the next phase in our healing and spiritual journey.
On Wednesday, December 11, Mercury will leave the intense energy of Scorpio and enter Sagittarius, where it will remain until January 6. What perfect timing! While Mercury was in Scorpio, we tended to see the glass as half empty. But once Mercury is in Sag, we tend to see the glass half full or even overflowing! This is a blessing during the holiday season. After the intensity of Mercury retrograde in Scorpio, we can now enjoy leaving the underground recesses of our psyches and emerge into the sunshine once again. We will likely feel drawn to explore diverse topics, learn new things, and focus on concepts like believing, hoping, and having faith. We just need to be a bit careful because our minds can be pretty distracted by all these new topics. This is a time when details can be overlooked, so we need to use our awareness of this possibility to double-check important plans or documents.
Overall, we are well-advised to be fluid, flexible, and adaptable during this New Moon in Sagittarius. This may not be the most energized time of year due to Mars being in Pisces, but it’s a great time for spiritual focus and intuitive insights. If conflicts or problems come up, try tapping into the optimism and foresightedness of Sag and the compassion, spirituality, and surrender of Neptune. Trusting in our intuitive abilities is also recommended, as are creative activities, including anything that allows for the expression of emotional energy in constructive ways (e.g., music, art, writing). Whenever possible, we should also look for solutions that serve the highest good, which is strongly supported due to Mars and Neptune being in Pisces. If we are feeling confused, we can use the energy of Sagittarius to shoot an arrow above any fog or clouds in order to see the bigger picture. Or if nothing else, remember that Sagittarius can also be one of the most playful of the signs. We often see more clearly when we get away from everything, do something enjoyable, and even have a good laugh.
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THIS BLOG POST WAS WRITTEN BY
- Anne Reith, Ph.D. (AnneReith.com)
- For information about Dr. Reith’s downloadable ebooks and meditations, feel free to visit her online Store
SOME INFORMATION TAKEN FROM
- The Mountain Astrologer (magazine)
- Various online sources (e.g., www.cafeastrology.com)
REMINDER
- New Moons and Full Moons often influence us for the 3 days before and 3 days after the actual event.
NEW MOON
New Moon at 16° of Sagittarius
- Thursday, December 6, 2018, 11:20 p.m. PST
- Friday, December 7, 2018, 2:20 a.m. EST
- Friday, December 7, 2018, 7:20 a.m. GMT