New Moon in Sagittarius Full Solar Eclipse

New moon in sagitarrius full solar eclipse 04.12.21 - 7.43 am

New Moon in Sagittarius Full Solar Eclipse (the totality only viewable in Antarctica and not the UK) 7.43 am   

New moons are the start of the lunar cycle and represent the start of something new for our personal narratives. The new moon is an ideal time to check in, reassess, renew and nurture new beginnings. Astrologically speaking, solar eclipses are also about new beginnings. Big, bold beginnings, whole new chapters and surprising, swift change. So, it is perfectly fitting that this lunar Sagittarian energy on December 4th is asking us to review our personal philosophies and core beliefs through the lens of the stories we tell ourselves whilst the solar eclipse may very well begin a whole new (and possibly unexpected) chapter in our lives.  

In astrology, Sagittarius (a mutable fire sign) rules the ninth house of philosophy and higher knowledge. Sagittarius has a fiery, optimistic, big vision, exploratory energy and is ruled by expansive Jupiter. It is characterised by the quest for higher knowledge and meaning-making through international travel, experience, higher education and human interaction. This eclipse is also the last in the Gemini-Sagittarius nodal eclipse season. We are closing out the end of an eighteen-month cycle. It is not a huge leap to contemplate the last eighteen months as the global pandemic through themes of restrictions around international travel and human interaction in particular. This is a cathartic check in point for us collectively and an integral part of the review energy of this new moon and solar eclipse.  

This new moon and total lunar eclipse want us to start with ourselves. Start from the inside and work outwards. What stories are we telling ourselves that no longer serve us?  There are two authors of the stories we tell ourselves: those from the outside; from others – family, friends – and those from inside; from ourselves. We may have picked up stories that formed our core beliefs when we were children, from our family. We may still hold some of those beliefs. It’s not that these narratives are necessarily entirely false; it’s a perspective thing. Our personal truth is subjective. But are we telling stories that are constructs that don’t serve us – that are a perceptual distortion - and simply aren’t true. Common narratives are: “happiness is for other people'', “I’m not doing enough”, “I’m not where I should be in my life”. Often these stories are at odds with where we find ourselves in our current reality; we perceive ourselves to somehow not be inhabiting the life we planned, or at least expected, for ourselves. As Joseph Campbell says in The Hero's Journey:   

“We must be willing to let go of the life we planned so as to have the life that is waiting for us.”   

 And we must be willing to let go of outmoded stories to live the life that is waiting for us. 

A great exercise for this new moon is to: identify a story you’ve been telling yourself, question it, construct a new one, and practice telling yourself this new story. The past is full of these foundational stories and beliefs for most of us, and this new moon and solar eclipse are inviting us to make meaning (pure Sagittarius) from the present – from what we know to be true now: from our present-day wisdom - as opposed to the past. A great way to do this rewrite exercise is to physically write it down long hand or tell it to yourself out loud, following the four steps.  

The sun, moon and Mercury (which is tightly conjunct with the moon) are all in Sagittarius. Mercury is about communication but also, very importantly, about information gathering and analysis. This will augment our ability to analyse ourselves, explore our personal philosophies, and re-edit and reframe where necessary. This is a beautiful, beautiful moment to drop the outmoded and step into the new.  

Quote from: The Hero's Journey: Joseph Campbell on His Life and Work, Harper Collins (1990)