We begin Sagittarius with bright energy and enthusiasm. Any quest might capture our attention, although quests aligned with our philosophy of life will prove irresistible.
By the end of Sagittarius, though, we’re worn out. This sign of mutable Fire, ruled by expansive, no-limits Jupiter, doesn’t know when to stop. Yet we are not immortal. We’re not even centaurs. We’re just human.
This New Moon in Sagittarius falls at the frayed edge of the sign. We’re still moving, but limping, wanting nothing more than to find a place to rest. Just until we have our feet under us again, of course. Even at the end, Sagittarius does not like to quit.
Mercury and Venus join the Sun and Moon in Sagittarius.
Mercury is entering the second decan of Sag, learning that all this riding off into the sunset is not as fun as it looks. Sag is where Mercury is in detriment, so they’re never fully comfortable in mutable Fire anyway.
Venus in late Sag is conjunct the New Moon and under the beams of the Sun. She longs to escape the burning rays and find a quiet spot in a shady grove. If there’s a still pool nearby, she’ll be set.
Mars, on the other hand, has entered Capricorn, his sign of exaltation. He is renewed and ready to plan out what comes next. Mars will figure out the way forward step by step.
The beginning of Capricorn is the place we go to ground. A place we find stillness. This is the Solstice point. In the Northern Hemisphere, it ’s the longest night of the year.
This year, this Solstice falls within the New Moon phase, arriving a day and half after the New Moon. The Moon will have regained enough light to be seen, without yet reaching the Crescent.
So we arrive at the New Moon as if reaching the end of a long journey, looking forward to the right place to stop. And within that New Moon time, we’ll find it.
This Capricorn Solstice arrives December 21 at 10:03 am EST, when the Sun will still be flanked by Venus in late Sag and Mars in early Capricorn. The Moon will have moved on, applying to oppose Jupiter who is retrograde in her own sign of Cancer.
We will find rest, and in the presence of Jupiter, may find hope as well.
Let’s look back a moment at Sagittarius and how we got to this state of exhaustion that we find ourselves in at the New Moon.
Sagittarius is the sign of speed, represented by centaurs in ancient Greek mythology, and today by fast horses, fast cars, and jet planes with their jet engines.
Yet every vehicle has its limits. Jet engines experience flameouts, which is the moment when, for a variety of reasons, one of the engines powering the plane goes out.
This is not good. And since flameouts happen in flight, you can’t just pop out and fix it. But there’s got to be a way relight the engine. The engineering solution to this is to create an option for jet engines to have continuous ignition. These massive engines flying I don’t even know how high are in a state of constantly being reignited.
This is a very Sagittarian concept.
Sag is about movement, energy, and enthusiasm that seems boundless. But you can’t get anywhere without the right fuel. In Sagittarius, Jupiter’s sign, the fuel is spirit. We’re searching for truth, not necessarily ultimate truth, but definitely our truth.
What do we live for? What do we long for? What will we go the extra mile for? And then the next mile after that. That driving force, that commitment, that belief is our continuous ignition.
So as we ride, fly, or run toward this New Moon at the end of Sagittarius, heading into the quiet dark of the Capricorn still point, we’re getting a pretty good idea of what our continuous ignition is fueled by.
The knowing is itself a boon, a treasure found after great effort.
The Rising Moon Astrology Podcast is available on an expanding number of sites including Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Podbean, Castbox, TuneIn, Podtail, TuneIn and Pocket Casts. Listen in on your favorite and please leave a review.
You can always list here: Rising Moon RSS Feed
2025 has not been an easy year. It’s had more than its fair share of challenges and disappointments. Of course, it’s had successes and joys as well, but getting here hasn’t been a comfortable ride.
This New Moon is late Sagittarius, though, is not only a finish line. New Moons are beginnings. We’re planting seeds we will tend during the lunar cycle to come. These seeds represent what we’ve learned on our journey. What is it that keeps us going?
This New Moon squares Saturn and Neptune, both still at the end of Pisces and both in direct motion moving toward the new beginning of Aries. Neither will look back to this cycle again.
Saturn and Neptune have been difficult traveling partners, bringing confusion and misinformation. Yet Saturn can bring structure to Neptune’s dreams and visions. As we come sliding in to this New Moon, in desperate need of respite, false dreams can fall away. Our truth is what’s left. It might look like a worn and dusty rock, but as we polish it up, we could find gold.
The New Moon also aspects Uranus with an awkward quincunx. This 150º angle is edgy. It calls for careful calibration. Uranus is worth having on the team though. He represents Prometheus, the Titan who gave humans fire in spite of Zeus’ edict.
What gift has come to us on this long journey? Unlooked for, stolen, even. Something we’re not supposed to have. If any kind of fire could fuel continuous ignition, it’s Promethean fire. What did we steal from the gods this year?
There’s another wide quincunx from the New Moon to Jupiter, another awkward connection, this one to Zeus himself. In late Cancer, he’s exalted and at his most generous and forgiving.
Maybe this time, Zeus will bless the fire that Prometheus steals. Maybe we can carry that fire into the dark of the Solstice, not to vanquish all the darkness, for we need its respite, but to make sure we have the spark we need to carry into the year ahead, to reignite our hearts and souls with our truth, the fire that keeps us going.
