New Moon in Sagittarius

New Moon in Sagittarius, Wednesday 23rd November at 10.57 PM (GMT)

New moons are the start of the lunar cycle. They are pure potential. The beginning of a journey. A time to imagine, and reimagine, our lives. This new moon in Sagittarius comes at the end of a very intense eclipse season in Scorpio. A very introspective, internal time – Scorpio represents the underworld – where we may have felt supercharged with challenging emotions. It is a salve to that energy. Optimistic and visionary, but also safe and soft. It is a moon to dream of what is to come and to reflect on how far we’ve come and all we have achieved. It is also a moon that is explicitly about story-telling.

The mutable fire sign of Sagittarius is depicted as a centaur with a bow and arrow: half-human, half-horse. Born from myth, it is a hybrid of form, but also a bridge between those distinct parts that make it a whole, which we can think of as higher-learning and nature. Sagittarius rules the ninth house, which, among other things, is associated with the higher mind and freedom, reflected in the two halves of the centaur.

Sagittarius's’ symbolic form also speaks to the quest theme of this sign. Of all the signs of the zodiac, it is the ultimate explorer. While Scorpio is concerned with the underworld, Sagittarius is interested in the cosmic. This new moon invites us to gently open up. To expand into new possibilities – into new visions of ourselves – through the foundation of secure self-knowledge. This is further supported by Jupiter’s trine in Pisces to the moon. Jupiter, the ruler of Sagittarius, is supremely at home in dreamy waters of Pisces and this trine increases the warm and soft sense of homeliness. A beautiful counterpoint to the often imbalanced or ‘at odds’ feeling created by eclipse season.

Venus and Mercury are also conjunct in Sagittarius. This aspect amplifies feelings of positivity and of sensuality. For, while Sagittarius is most often associated with the cerebral, it is represented by a body that is half animal, and extremely powerful. In Greek mythology, centaurs were depicted as wild or untamed, or as having desires they could not control (particularly if wine was involved). A reimagining of this narrative is to connect to the idea of desire and how strong it can feel. The centaur symbol – and this Venus/Mercury conjunction – can bring us powerfully back into our bodies but in a way that is conscious and beautiful.

How to work with this energy of this new moon in Sagittarius? Simplicity is key. This moon asks us to be receptive, rather than active. To open up. One way to do this is to connect to a practice that helps us experience expansion. This guided meditation by Andrew Johnson on InsightTimer is one suggestion:

https://insighttimer.com/andrewjohnson/guided-meditations/expansion-meditation-3

Lynsey Allett22 November 2022