The Sun and Moon begin a new phase with each other at 9 degrees of Sagittarius on November 30 at 10:20 p.m. Pacific time (early morning December 1 in the east).
A quick take for a Sagittarius New Moon is that it brings a spark of inspiration and joie de vivre. As during any astrological transit, there’s more in play than that.
Sagittarius is our mutable fire sign. Ruled by Jupiter, Sagittarius is outwardly attentive and expansive in its desire for new experiences. The glyph for Sagittarius is an arrow pointing up, up, and away, symbolic of the faith that the archer’s arrow will hit its target. The totem creature for Sagittarius is the centaur: half human, half horse, combining reason and instinct, freely traveling over large terrains. Whereas the fire of Aries is like the quick lighting of a match, and the fire of Leo is smoldering and contained, Sagittarian fire is contagious, consuming whatever lies in its path.
At the December 1, 2024 New Moon, there’s more going on than just Sagittarian ebullience. For one thing, there’s an opposition forming between the Sun and Moon, and Jupiter, Sagittarius’ ruling planet. Jupiter is currently in a period of retrograde motion in the sign of chatty, light-hearted Gemini. When a planet is in a retrograde period, its symbolic themes can manifest in ways that are more introspective than usual. With the New Moon opposite Jupiter retrograde in Gemini, one might be inclined to rethink and revise the stories one tells, and the narratives that grow from the sum of our stories.
Speaking of Gemini, its ruling planet Mercury is now in one of its own thrice-yearly periods of retrograde motion (November 25 to December 15) in Sagittarius, in a very wide conjunction with the December 1 New Moon. Mercury is a planetary force of mental and verbal acuity. Sagittarius is a sign of wisdom and truth-seeking. When Mercury appears to be moving backward in the sign of Sagittarius, there’s a call to retreat and to contemplate one’s inner fire.
At the December 1 lunation, the most potent of the transiting aspects is a t-square forming between Jupiter in Gemini, the Sun/Moon in Sagittarius, and Saturn in Pisces. Gemini, Sagittarius, and Pisces are mutable, or changeable, signs. The friction of a mutable t-square heightens unstable energy in the collective atmosphere.
The focal planet of a t-square—in this case, Saturn in Pisces—is where the pressure is on. Saturn passes slowly through each sign over about a three-year period (in Pisces from March 2023 to February 2026). While in Pisces, Saturnian processes may manifest in any number of ways, from individual quests to build (Saturn) a spiritual practice (Pisces) or to dissolve (Pisces) old and reliable structures (Saturn). The mutable t-square at this New Moon time suggests tension around themes of spiritual discipline, personal boundaries, and the stability (or crumbling?) of reliable guardrails.
General advice for working with any t-square, whether it’s in a person’s natal chart, or by transit, is to cultivate the themes of the sign (and any planets) opposite that of the focal planet. Pisces’ opposite sign is Virgo, and while there are no major planets in Virgo at this New Moon, Virgo’s modus operandi is a counterweight to instability. Virgo, of the earth element, aims for unadorned perfection, by cultivating the skills to weed out what’s useful and what’s not.
This brings me to some thoughts about the complex nature of Sagittarius, considered the sign of optimism and faith, as well as truth-seeking and wisdom. How can one remain optimistic when facts tell us things aren’t going well? Sometimes people say they’re “optimistic” when what they’re really doing is a “spiritual bypass,” choosing to not grapple with some uncomfortable truths, perhaps to keep a superficial peace with others, or to keep themselves from facing challenging emotions. It’s an easy way out. But it’s not wisdom, and it’s not true optimism, either. Optimism means naming what’s true, even if it’s scary, and proceeding apace.
The fire of Sagittarius is like a straight, unwavering arrow, moving onward, searching for the best possibilities and choices. Real faith and freedom come from standing as witness to the fires, clear-eyed about known facts, remembering that knowledge is an endless path, and never ceasing in the desire to know more, of what’s true.
Blessings for the Sagittarius New Moon!
~ Sara
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