The skies were dark last night. The New Moon in Sagittarius, the last new moon before the winter solstice, is the final new moon of 2023. It always seems incongruous to me that this should be so; Sagittarius is a fire sign, but its promise of light – and enlightenment – is latent in December. And that’s because the promise of the future, with it’s brightness and expansive optimism, is contained within its dormant seeds. Buried beneath the ground, the seeds sown by the New Moon in Sagittarius remind us that we need to keep the faith. The light will return.
I think its one of the reasons I love the symbolism of Christmas trees – and the many other festivals of light – that seem to occur around this time of year. The reasons I’m later than usual with this post are twofold: first, I’m going to blame Mercury retrograde in Capricorn, that coincides with this lunation. Second, I’ve been decorating the house for the festive season. It’s a ritual I cherish – and this year I’ve strung up more lights than is customary for me. It’s the time of year to let light shine out of darkness – and as we stand on the threshold of an uncertain 2024, it’s a thought to hold close.
New Moon in Sagittarius: The Essentials
The New Moon in Sagittarius made its presence felt on December 12th at 23:31 (UT). In the opening to this post, I referred to the sowing of seed – and this is exactly what happens during a new moon. The seeds sown by this month’s New Moon will flower during the time of the Full Moon in Sagittarius in 2024; that’s six months away, so maybe it’s time to think about how those seedlings will grow. And how they will grow is determined by the energy they receive from this lunation: all seeds need heat and light to germinate – and Sagittarius has both of those in abundance.
The potentials held in that Sagittarius energy are the things to focus on during the dark nights of the new Moon. They may not be evident to us now (as the New Moon casts a cloak of invisibility over us all) but Sagittarius energy is one that cannot be held down for long. It emerges in a number of directions – and often does so all at once. This New Moon is going to send its shoots into the world of ideals – and ideology. It’s going to manifest expansively, dictatorially, extravagantly and lawlessly, and it’s also going to manifest idealistically, philosophically, magnanimously and generously.
Lunations are a useful predictive tool in astrology, because they mark out certain cycles so clearly; by the time of the Full Moon in Sagittarius in May 2024, the ‘flowering’ will involve all of the themes we associate with the sign of Sagittarius. Expect the law and judgements to be handed down at that time – and judgements will be made in the broadest sense of that word. Wealth will also be a major theme (and it’s definition will be wide) and, be assured, our perspective on the world will have changed. It starts now.
New Moon in Sagittarius: The Chart
New Moon in Sagittarius: The Aspects
The aspects to the New Moon in Sagittarius tell me that those seeds are not going to wait too long to sprout. Mars is in contact with this lunation – and Mars is a trigger planet. It gets things moving – and things are moving in the direction of our old friend, Neptune in Pisces. They are also moving in the direction of our other old friend, Uranus in Taurus. Uranus in Taurus and Neptune in Pisces have been huge influences on our lives in recent years and, as they are closing in on each other (an approaching sextile), the door is opening to a few more surprises before they leave those signs in 2025.
This New Moon in Sagittarius is going to act as a reminder of where we are at in connection with those huge underlying influences. Where the arrows have landed may not yet be visible, but we know what’s heading our way. Uranus in Taurus has been shaking up the material world in a big way – and Neptune in Pisces has been wilfully blind to far too many things to mention here. Let’s just say, the New Moon in Sagittarius may be the one to get the ball rolling, so let’s look at the aspects it makes. In astrology, all things are connected.
New Moon Conjunct Mars
Mars adds a sense of urgency; it’s rash, fast and confrontational. It spurs things into action and raises the stakes and, as Sagittarius is one of the risk taking and gambling signs, the stakes could not be higher than they are right now. At a personal level, Mars conjunct the New Moon in Sagittarius may make you may feel driven – possibly excessively so – wherever it lands in your natal chart. It’s a massive burst of energy and it aims to push you further than you’ve been before. It’s adventurous – and it’s also impulsive and spontaneous.
Those of you who are prone to rash actions may be used to that kind of force – but it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take care. More restrained souls may feel brave, inspired and invigorated. This is a latent energy – so whatever is seeded comes to fruition at a later date – but the urge is to expand your sphere of influence, have a bigger impact, broaden your horizons and enlarge your scope. However, it’s also a scattered energy. Sagittarius shoots arrows far and wide; you may try to discover where all of them have landed – or focus on the few you feel are the most interesting targets.
Those of you who follow this site will know I always place lunations in a broad perspective – and that includes looking at their effects as we observe them unfolding in the wider world. This powerful, dynamic New Moon will affect all of our lives because we live in societies that are also shaped by its potentials. The events that are triggered by this New Moon in Sagittarius will play out in public over the next six months – and there are a few things we need to keep in mind.
First, Mars is argumentative and adversarial. It’s about leaders, combat and taking sides. There is considerable opposition (opposition to ideas as well as opposing forces) and Sagittarius also adds a global dimension. The ramifications of current events are likely to be widespread. They are also likely to involve the law, diplomacy, wealth, excess and greed. There’s the potential for military action, as this combination in Sagittarius is known for escalation rather than cooling things down. ‘Turning up the heat’ is a good description of Mars combined with the New Moon in Sagittarius.
New Moon Inconjunct Uranus
Then we turn to Uranus in Taurus. The New Moon in Sagittarius is in aspect to Uranus via an inconjunct (150˚) and that ads an extra-Uranian dimension to this lunation. The inconjunct is awkward; it represents adjustments having to be made because something unexpected occurred. It speaks of the law of unintended consequences and it puts us in a space we did not expect to occupy. As the saying goes, ‘we are where we are’, and that’s something you may hear (or think) as this New Moon on Sagittarius begins to take effect.
At a personal level, you may have to deal with a few things that are unexpected (including your own feelings) but that doesn’t mean they are necessarily going to be bad experiences (Uranus does not make value judgements) and you may wish you had been given the ‘heads up’ on something in particular. As Uranus is in Taurus, those of you who are impacted by this lunation (because it connects with placements in your own chart) may find that you need to be more resourceful as a result of unexpected events, or you need to make a financial adjustment that you weren’t expecting.
In the wider world, Uranus in Taurus has been playing havoc with the global economy (and our personal finances as a result of that). It has also produced shocking reminders of human impact on the natural world and the consequent impact on our own lives from a devastated nature. It’s the law of unintended consequences in action. At the time of writing, the COP 28 climate conference has ended in a dispute (Mars) between those who control resources (Taurus) and those who want an agreed global solution (Sagittarius). It’s one to watch over the next six months – but there will be others; Uranus loves a surprise.
New Moon Square Neptune
So, we are where we are. Dealing with things that we should have seen coming – but didn’t and now we have to take action and deal with things that would have been easier to deal with had we known about them sooner. Except we knew about them sooner. And so on. A square from the New Moon in Sagittarius to Neptune in Pisces is always going to cloud the issues. And maybe that’s the issue – it’s easy to get mad (at yourself or others) because you’ve failed to read a situation correctly, or you realise you made a mistake because you were blind to the truth.
That dynamic (and a square aspect is dynamic) is one that will come to fruition in the months to come, but it will play out from now until that time. To resolve this dilemma you need insight – and insight is one of Neptune’s super-powers. Unfortunately, there will be a lot of obfuscation and denial until you reach that point. At a personal level, that’s a process you may need to engage with – though Neptune’s presence shows avoidant behaviour – or simple avoidance – will be issues that need to be addressed. And in the big, wide world? Prepare for denial and gaslighting on an unprecedented scale. And it will be infuriating.
Mars Trine Chiron
You’re right to feel annoyed. Own it. Yet for some reason, you may be uneasy with those feelings. I’ve included this Mars – Chiron aspect because of Mars’s presence so close to the New Moon in Sagittarius. There is often a sense of shame or self-recrimination with Mars- Chiron aspects – and this is something you may need to contend with at a personal level – and even in the context of your attitudes or understanding of bigger issues.
After all, the New Moon in Sagittarius sets the seed for us having to deal with some big issues; we may find them painful, annoying or awkward to articulate how we really feel – and rage is often the default mode when frustration, deception, unreliability or provocation are in the mix. As I close this post, perhaps it’s time to repeat this New Moon’s mantra: collectively, we are where we are – and you are where. you are. Don’t blame yourself for that. Accept where you are and look forward – in six month’s time, you’ll know whether or not you moved in the right direction: we reap what we sow.
Further Reading
Mercury Retrograde in Capricorn: The Original Grinch
December 2023 Horoscope: The Month Ahead
Neptune Transits Pisces: The Big Lie
Neptune in Pisces: It’s A Seriously Bad Trip
Uranus Transits Taurus: Is This The New Normal?
Sagittarius: November 22nd – December 21st
Subscribe Now
© Sara Shipman 2023
Picture Credit: Image by Paul Barlow from Pixabay
One thought on “Lunations 2023 | New Moon in Sagittarius”