The New Moon in Sagittarius, December 2023, arrives on the 12th at 6:32 pm EST. Continuing the theme of the prior lunations, Mars persists in traveling near the Sun and Moon, increasing the drive, passion, intensity, and overall desire to make strides with our dreams and direction. As with all Mars transits, there’s increased pressure to perform, succeed, and accomplish what you set up to do. Conversely, there can also be increased frustrations and challenges, demanding people to contend with, and battles that require an exuberant amount of energy.
Neptune is also an active player in this New Moon, forming a square aspect of the Sun and Moon and creating a feeling of fogginess around our decisions and actionable direction. There is a layer of nebulousness whenever Neptune is in the picture, as it dissolves all meaning and sense of reality and boundaries, blurring not only the start and finish line but the entire journey in between. If you prefer control and grasping layout as the whole of the situation, this can be when you lean more on your values, beliefs, trust, and faith instead of what seems practical.
To top off the feeling of slowness and uncertainty, Mercury is stationing retrograde right after this New Moon. Mercury is moving slowly, creating a sense of messages, technology, and general movement of information either lagging or missed entirely. While this is not the New Moon to move full speed ahead, as signals will get crossed and conversations will veer off-course, you can still utilize the reborn Moon to analyze and review your overarching direction and knowledge of life. Maintain a curiosity and willingness to learn something new or challenge your dogma.
Let’s look at where this New Moon astrology is happening for you specifically.
SAGITTARIUS & SAGITTARIUS RISING
Welcome to the New Moon in Sagittarius, ushering in a fresh perspective and outlook onto your life, your identity, who you are, and how you present yourself to others. The past three weeks have emphasized how you show up with your work and vision, what’s changing regarding desires, and where your boundaries sit. This New Moon is working to solidify that growth by creating an intentional beginning that initiates the foundation upon which you build your life. What have you learned about who you are? In what way does this deepened understanding help you see what old beliefs or identities you also need to let go of? Neptune is making a square to this New Moon, which can create a feeling of ungroundedness and uncertainty. You may be holding off on decisions to wait and see what happens, but clarity needs to be visible. You can navigate these changes by leaning more on trust and deep intuition.
The day after the New Moon, Mercury will retrograde in Capricorn, adding another layer of slowness and review into your life. This first part of the cycle will lean heavily on your money, resources, and how you generate wealth and stability for yourself. It is an excellent time to review your finances and pay attention to what has been missing, but there are better times to make significant changes to your income flow. More information will be available later.
CAPRICORN & CAPRICORN RISING
Deep within your internal world, mind, and overall mental health, a new beginning is forming under this New Moon in Sagittarius. For the past three weeks, a tremendous amount of focus has been placed on your inner life, pulled away from what others may see or notice externally. It may involve working through past trauma, pain, and hurt, as well as learning to heal and nourish your inner world a little more deeply. This lunation encourages you to implement what you’ve learned into an established plan and foundation to continue to grow upon. How do you work through, process, and heal when life is difficult? What have you learned throughout these past few weeks? Neptune is making a challenging square aspect of this New Moon, potentially creating an illusion or angle that can leave you a little more frustrated or unable to grasp a solid understanding in this space. Leaning into others and trusting the process is part of this cycle.
Mercury will also station retrograde the day after the New Moon, adding another layer of confusion or slowness to this cycle. Capricorn’s retrograde is heavily around you – your needs, desires, presentation to others, boundaries, and beliefs you maintain. You may review what you thought was stable about yourself and make necessary adjustments that lead to more authenticity. Try it on; if it doesn’t fit, let it go.
AQUARIUS & AQUARIUS RISING
Your community, friend groups, and the activities you enjoy with other folks are in for an about of regeneration under this New Moon in Sagittarius. With the Sun and Mars traveling through this sign the last three weeks, more energy and activity with your local community and friendships have been there. Whether it’s been putting more effort into having fun in your life or restructuring your friend groups so you’re removing old energy, this luncheon wants to solidify whatever is “new” here. How do you wish to see the people and ways you have fun grow and evolve? What is essential for you to hear? At the same time, Neptune is making a square to this lunation, blurring reality. Be mindful that some plans and agreements with others may not be as solid as you think, as people may have their minds set on another matter. Staying flexible and not getting too attached to a particular event or group will be helpful during this period.
Mercury is also stationing retrograde in Capricorn the day after the New Moon, further applying another layer of confusion, uncertainty, and stagnation in your life. In Capricorn, this is heavily within your internal world and inner processing, the thoughts, ideas, and visions you have brewing behind what everyone sees externally. It is an ideal time for self-reflection, meditation, journaling, and therapy. With the review process, allow yourself to dive into the mental health spaces you have neglected.
PISCES & PISCES RISING
Work, career, and your public reputation are in for a refresh under this New Moon in Sagittarius. There may have been a lot of pressure and activity in this area of your life, a desire to change careers or to cut away an aspect of your public work life that is no longer serving you. Under this New Moon, solidify a reinvigorated vision of your career life. This process may manifest as approaching your current work differently, stepping into an entirely different role, or mapping out a long-term plan for yourself. While this can be exciting and overdue, Neptune is making a square aspect to this New Moon, creating a sensation of being more ungrounded, destabilized, and uncertain about how this process will ultimately play out. There won’t be a step-by-step guide; trust the process with a little more faith than you are comfortable with. Know that it’s encouraged for you to pursue your dreams.
Mercury will also be stationing retrograde the day after this New Moon, adding another layer of slowness and stagnation against an already uncertain and unclear lunation. The first portion of this Mercury retrograde will be in Capricorn. It will review your friend groups, friendships, and overarching community of folks you have fun with and spend time with, or your friends may be experiencing their unique process and priority review. Allow things to remain open-ended.
ARIES & ARIES RISING
Your long-term plans, faraway travel goals, overarching beliefs, life philosophy, and how you learn and expand your knowledge are all in for a new awakening and regrowth under this New Moon in Sagittarius. There may be a lot of activity centered around your future direction and vision, what you wish to see in the next five years, and how you picture your life unfolding. With Mars near this New Moon, the pressure may be increasing to make a significant move or change in your life so you feel like you are making strides and efforts of improvement. However, this increased effort may feel disingenuous, with Neptune making a square to the lunation. There are a lot of unknowns and uncertainty floating in your life, and it can take letting go of control and having every detail in place to go with the flow. A general vision is helpful; a rigid plan of attack won’t be of assistance.
Mercury stationing retrograde in Capricorn will add more confusion and disorientation, especially concerning your work, career, and public reputation. Discussions around new jobs, roles, or responsibility shifts may be in the results, but be mindful that they will be revisited and reviewed. If work projects need to pick up the pace, still move slowly and check every detail. to allow extra time for a rework if required.
TAURUS & TAURUS RISING
Finances, money, shared resources, loans, contracts, and inheritances are all the focus of renewed growth and attention under this New Moon in Sagittarius. Lately, there has been an increased need to be more practical to maintain a greater understanding of your money and the money around you and how you can find stability and comfort. It is also an ideal lunation for working with another person, collaborating, or creating something that excites you but also provides a material benefit. However, the square from Neptune during this New Moon may need to be clarified, and a layer of uncertainty may be added to these plans and ideas. It is an excellent time to create from feelings and vibes, much less on data points and logical reasoning. Allow the art to flow with others and stay detached from the outcome.
Slowness and uncertainty continue as Mercury stations retrograde the day after the New Moon in Capricorn. This first part of the retrograde will review your long-term plans, long-distance travel obligations, and overarching beliefs and philosophy of life. Be mindful if trips get delayed, or future responsibilities appear out of nowhere, as Mercury will be retracting their steps and picking up the missed details. It is an ideal time to examine plans and reflect on your life up to this point and where you want to go from here, but hold off on any significant action.
GEMINI & GEMINI RISING
A refresh and new beginning is initiated around your one-on-one relationships and close personal partnerships, both romantic and business, under this New Moon in Sagittarius. There has been increased activity here lately – perhaps in spending more quality time with those important people, or they may be transforming and experiencing essential shifts. Under this lunation, reflect on what a deeper level of commitment and attention looks like for you. Are you able to trust and believe fully in someone other than yourself? While there is a tendency to want to know all the details, facts, and information about these relationship dynamics, the square from Neptune is asking for a trust fall. Decisions have to be made on what feels right and intuitively safe, not on how the situation looks practically. If it feels uncomfortable and unstable, pay attention.
The day after the New Moon, Mercury will station retrograde in Capricorn. The first half of this retrograde review will be around your money, finances, and shared resources, aka the money your partner(s) bring in or how you collaborate with them. It can be a more favorable time to find flow and gather exciting new ideas around the work you wish to create with another or better understanding of this area of your life. However, there are better times to sign a loan or other contract than pausing and rereading the details.
CANCER & CANCER RISING
Daily work routines, responsibilities, relationships with coworkers, and how you prioritize your body health are due for a refresh under this New Moon in Sagittarius. The past few weeks have spotlighted your regular work responsibilities and activities, showing how your priorities shift when the pressure increases and what other obligations break away under excessive stress. While the action doesn’t slow down, this is an excellent time to rethink the ritual and routine of this space. What do you want to have more time for? What can be delegated or cut away so you have more room for your passions? As this New Moon is squaring Neptune, it’s okay to envision a more idealistic approach. Just recognize that the plan to get there will be foggy, and compromise may be due when the time comes.
Slowness and confusion continue as Mercury stations retrograde in Capricorn the day after the New Moon. The first part of this review cycle will begin within your relationships and one-on-one partnerships, both romantic and personal. Conversations, plans, ideas, and goals you may have made with another are up for reevaluation, and not necessarily in a negative way. There may be a bit of extra detail you are forgetting that gets added. Approach this transit with ease and curiosity to its gifts, and you may learn something new about those critical people in your life.
LEO & LEO RISING
With this New Moon in Sagittarius, creative projects, relationships with children, and how you have fun with life are all under a fresh restart. The need to release more control and experience more enjoyment and pleasure in life is present during this season and felt more heavily during this lunation. What does it mean for you to appreciate the life you are living? What creative projects are ready for a more energetic restart? Utilize this New Moon to lay the foundation of what you wish to create, whether it be a new hobby, project, relationship with children, or having more fun in general. It’s time to get serious about finding your self-expression and authenticity through creative enjoyment. Neptune is squaring this New Moon, so being mindful and not getting too carried away is essential. It’s necessary to chase after your dream but also spend some time thinking about what is truly practical for yourself and your ambitions and what will need a little more time.
Mercury will also station retrograde in Capricorn the day after this New Moon, adding another layer of stagnation and slowness. Mercury will review your daily work life, work routines, priorities, coworker relationships, and overall body health here. It is an ideal time to adjust your schedule or try a new way that allows for more fun and play. However, stay flexible with these plans as they will naturally be reviewed and switched around with this transit.
VIRGO & VIRGO RISING
Home and family life is in for a significant update and transformation under this New Moon in Sagittarius. A consequential part of this season is emphasizing your home life, family relationships, childhood past, and everything else. What are you learning about what home means to you? What are you trying to change or update in this space that gives you freedom and pleasure? This luncheon is an excellent time to envision or prioritize an adjustment or new routine here, as your home life is the foundation upon which everything grows. However, Neptune is squaring this New Moon, which may make this process slightly more disorienting, confusing, and destabilized. While it’s important to get clear on your dreams and allow yourself to envision the possible, it’s equally important not to be too attached to the result. Neptune could be more practical. Find your flow here.
Mercury will also station retrograde the day after the New Moon, adding to the slowness of Neptune and forcing logical and practical decisions. The first part of this retrograde occurs in Capricorn, which will review your creative projects, pursuits, the ways you have fun, and relationships with children, if applicable. It may be the time to dust off the old hobbies or anything that allows you to have more fun and play.
LIBRA & LIBRA RISING
Daily life, rituals, conversations, neighbors, siblings, and close friends who feel like siblings are all in for a shift under this New Moon in Sagittarius. This season with Mars in Sagittarius has put so much of your energy and motivation into the daily routines you wish to create for yourself that provide nourishment and connection. What excites you for life and living every day? What little sweet nothings offer you a sense of meaning and appreciation? Utilize this lunation to clarify what non-negotiables you need to change in your life so that you can feel some excitement and adventure again. The square from Neptune to this New Moon may also cloud or confuse the process. While idealizing and creating a fantasy is okay, some pieces must stay grounded and supported. Reflect on where the balance sits in these two spaces, and step back if the end goal seems frustrating or foggy.
Mercury will station retrograde the day after the New Moon in Capricorn, which initiates a review and revision of your home life, familial commitments, and living environment. Conversations or new ideas form in space about how you wish to see home life change. There may be slowness here; notice what needs more attention during this period. Just be mindful of making any complex or significant commitments.
SCORPIO & SCORPIO RISING
Money, income, resources, and feelings of stability focus on growth and regeneration during this New Moon in Sagittarius. The direction the last few weeks has been heavy in this area, potentially taking a significant portion of your time, energy, and drive. There’s been a big focus on money, making money, how you need or want to spend it, and everything that comes with managing your material life. Under this lunation, this is an ideal time to intentionally reflect on what new foundation you are creating regarding finances. What stressors are you ready to be done with and let go of? What are your new intentions when it comes to money? With the square to Neptune, this can add a layer of confusion, uncertainty, and frustration. There may not be a clear path forward at first, and it may feel scary to make material decisions based on feelings and intuition, so pause and go slow when necessary. The answers will form over time.
Mercury is also stationing retrograde the day after this New Moon, creating more delay and potential miscommunications with this lunation. Be mindful of signing contracts or making significant decisions until January, as Mercury may need more clarification around these arrangements. If you need more clarification, seek out another opinion. Your sanity is worth the extra time to double-check the calculations and agreements.