New Moon in Sagittarius: As We Are

The New Moon in Sagittarius arrives today (Friday) at dawn in my time zone (EST), bringing energy that will shake things up. New Moons are often quiet, dark, shadowy times when we reflect, set intentions, plant seeds. This New Moon brings action, quite likely dramatic, sudden and unexpected.

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Will it be good or bad? Honestly, I don’t know. It’s possible to take a wary view of this New Moon, to talk about how Uranus the revolutionary and Mars the warrior are opposing each other, and both connecting to the New Moon as well. There’s a square from Chiron the wounded healer in sad, confusing Pisces, suggesting that old wounds might be triggered in surprising ways.

Despite this, I find myself feeling optimistic, even happy. Sagittarius is, of course, a naturally optimistic sign. But it’s not just me vibing with happy-go-lucky Sag. Saturn is also in Sag, and Jupiter who rules Sag is in very, very careful Virgo, so this journey through Sag territory is more subdued than usual. (And I am not a happy-go-lucky person, ask anyone.)

I think it’s because I am feeling, and experiencing, movement. Things in my life like my creative work and some long-stuck attitudes have shifted. That–the movement and the sense there’s more coming–that feels really good to me.

So, yes, there are crazy things happening in the world and in some (most) lives. Uranus interacting with Pluto, and now with Mars, points to big changes happening with flashing neon signs, bright lights, and explosions. And (this is a big “and”) some of those crazy things need to happen. Sometimes the only way to get to a new good place is to see where we are now in all its dysfunctional glory.

Any New Moon in Sagittarius opens opportunities for new ventures in associated areas. Sag rules journeys of all kinds (anything from foreign travel to journeys of the mind and heart). Sag is liberal in the broadest sense of the word: Liberal minded, liberal handed.

Sagittarius loves delving into systems of thought like philosophy, mythology, the law. And Sag, it must be said, loves to hold forth: If someone with a strong Sagittarian signature gets you into a corner at the holiday party, you will hear everything about whatever his pet project or theory is. In detail. At length. Make sure you have a drink and snacks.

The New Moon falls at 19 degrees of Sagittarius. Find out there this is in your birth chart to see which of your Houses the New Moon lands in, and which planets are closest by degree. This will help you understand the specific opportunities this New Moon offers you. Molly Hall at About Astrology gives an overview of the Sagittarius New Moon through the Houses. My New Moon Wishes page offers ideas for how to make wishes at this time of the lunar cycle.

I plan to base my wishes and intentions around what shows up. I am looking for a surprise, a shift, an illumination. It might come in a dream. It might come in a synchronicity. It might be the old classic “unexpected news.” Sagittarius is mutable Fire, which gives it speed. The Uranus–Mars connection adds speed too.

The presence of Saturn and Jupiter in Virgo adds weight, but that is only likely to increase the impact of whatever shows up. Part of the preparation for a New Moon like this–and times like these–is being prepared. Trite? Sure, but still true. It’s like opening a window a few inches when a tornado is predicted. It won’t stop the tornado, but it might keep your house from imploding.

With that in mind, it pays to keep an eye on relationships, creativity, and finances, which are all Venus areas. There’s a trine between Venus in Scorpio and Chiron in Pisces that arrives just before the New Moon. Maybe we will suddenly SEE in a new way. A relationship or person is not what or who we thought. The thing that was keeping us from creative expression is not really a thing. We see a way forward out of a financial mess, or into an opportunity. Any and all.

Will we recognize it when it shows up? Maybe. This New Moon and its surrounding energy will be fast. The unexpected is not always welcome, and sometimes feels unwelcome simply because we didn’t expect it. This all had me thinking about that quote about how we see things not as they are, but as we are.

Who really said that, and in what context? This is exactly the kind of question Sagittarius asks, so, I researched it. The quote is often attributed to Anaïs Nin, but she didn’t make it up, she said it was from the Talmud. Except it doesn’t seem to be there. Some say it’s a quote from the philosopher Kant, but no one seems to know where he said it. It’s a mystery.

Interestingly, the cleric, writer and radical Sydney Smith said something very similar a long time ago. He’s a character I find fascinating because (among other things) he was happy even when living in relative poverty in isolated places, and never lost his wit. His full quote is so relevant to current events and this New Moon, I offer the whole thing:

It is, then, a matter of sovereign necessity, before we decide on great, and momentous questions, which affect our own happiness, and the peace of the world, to make a wise, and virtuous pause, and review, with an honest severity, those peculiarities of disposition, situation, and education, which may communicate an unfair bias to the mind, and induce us to decide, not as the truth of things is, but as we are ourselves.

I couldn’t have summarized the spirit of this New Moon better. It’s is a very Sagittarian thing to say, though Sag is as prone to bias as anyone else. This New Moon calls us to be vigilant, skeptical, and still optimistic. A tough combination, but fun. No, I’m serious, it’s fun if approached as the game it is. Not ‘game’ in the manipulative, cynical sense, but ‘game’ in the playful, let’s see what happens sense.

Life is a wonderful game in which we can all be winners if we open the door wide enough and set plenty of places at the table. As this New Moon in Sagittarius arrives, keep all your senses open, expect the unexpected, and welcome whatever shows up with curiosity, good will, and playfulness.