Sagittarius 2023 Moonth

The Sagittarius 2023 Moonth

Four years ago in November, my third son was born nearly 6 weeks premature after a very stressful pregnancy. He saved both my life and his by choosing to enter the world on this day, as the complication I was experiencing turned out to be a placental abruption. This is where the placenta is tearing away from the uterine wall and is often fatal to both mother and child. His birth marked the end of a difficult time in our lives. We had experienced three miscarriages prior to his birth and after our two older sons. His birth also marked the beginning of a spiritual awakening in my life. With each of our miscarriages (all in the first trimester), we were able to have our own personal releasing ceremony by burning each fetus in our fireplace. That may not resonate with every reader here, but I would argue that it is far superior to flushing them down the toilet.

These impromptu ceremonies gave birth to an annual Solstice Burn in our family. Each year during the dark time that we are emerging from now, the time in which the Sun is traveling through Scorpio and Ophiuchus bringing the shadow to the fore, we take note of what we need to shed from our lives and write it down in preparation for the Solstice Burn. It has become a powerful and beautiful ceremony for us. My young boys are encouraged to draw pictures that represent what they need to let go of, and we write as much down as we feel called to.

If you are considering folding this ritual into your lives, I would strongly encourage you to add the following intentional aspect to your writing process. When you sit down to write that which you intend to burn, take another piece of paper and cover what you write as quickly as you write it. Do not read what you wrote. The purpose here to to truly let it go and not take it back into your being. Roll them up into little burn scrolls as you write them down and set them aside leading up to the solstice. At the best time for you on or near the solstice, get together with your loved ones and have a fire. Burn everything that you are letting go of. When you are done with the burn and moments of reflection, take some time to share with each other your intentions for the future. Take this transformative time, in which the Sun has recently crossed over the Galactic Center, to, like the Sagittarius archetypes, rise like a phoenix from the ashes and point your centaur’s arrow toward the future you feel called to.

Last moonth, we dove deep into our values. This moonth The Sun, Venus and Mercury have crossed the threshold of the Galactic Center (a profound point of transformation on the ecliptic located on the cusp of Ophiuchus and Sagittarius). We have likely had many internal reflections pop up for us this past moonth. This solstice (likely today, if you are reading this timely) is a great time to let go of the past and set our sights on the future. The moonth begins its journey in Sagittarius, giving us something to aim our centaur’s arrow at, as we forge the direction of our future armed with a transformation of our values. There is still quite a bit of uncertainty as a backdrop with Jupiter and Neptune continuing to exert their influence from Pisces as well as a Mars retrograde slowing progress with resources in Taurus. Mercury retrograde strikes with the first quarter moon offering a wealth of new information affecting our perception for the remainder of the moonth.

Our Sagittarius Moonth starting with the New Moon on December 23rd

This New Moon in Sagittarius offers up some post transformation expansion. After just recently experiencing a transformation of values, now is the time to embrace a new path and orient ourselves on a path that resonates with our values. A square to Sagittarius’ dispositor, Jupiter, reminds us to go with the flow while keeping our goals in sight.

The first quarter moon on December 29th in Pisces, nearly conjunct Jupiter, sets a challenge with flowing with what we cannot control. With a sextile to Mars retrograde in Taurus, there is an opportunity to ease this challenge by viewing it through the lens of a slow & patient approach toward resource cultivation. While the sun is challenged by the flow of the moon today, he is aided with a trine to Uranus and the North Node in Aries. This highlights the importance of honoring the path toward discovering our true selves and keeping this as the central theme of our intentions for the future. It should be noted that Mercury is station retrograde today in Sagittarius, meaning it appears to stand still in the sky before reversing it’s direction for three weeks. This marks the beginning of a time of new information that will likely continue to affect our perception. Be ready for a moonth of perception pivots. Mercury Retrogrades can be challenging, but they do offer immense opportunities for learning in trial by fire scenarios.

The full moon on January 6th in Gemini is illuminated by an opposition to this Mercury Retrograde in Sagittarius. Look to any harvests, or lack thereof, in your learning, communication and exchange sector. Incidentally, Mercury is the ruler of Gemini offering an added emphasis on events pertaining to the realm of the mind. With a trine to Neptune in Pisces, we hit a point in the moonthly narrative in which going with the flow feels supportive. An additional trine to the South Node indicates that reflecting on our path will also aid us in assessing how far we have come in this are of our lives. A close sextile to Uranus in Aries presents an opportunity to enhance this harvest via authentic communication of our personal needs. How is your authentic communication lately? Has any new information presented itself that has altered your perspective and nudged you toward sharing new found realizations with others?

The last quarter moon challenge on January 14th in Virgo with a near perfect trine to Saturn in Capricorn sets up an opportunity for us to integrate the insights that have been illuminated for us this moonth. We may feel apprehensive with a square to transformative Pluto in Sagittarius asserting a change in the collective perspective, but the trine to Saturn in Capricorn makes it possible to get stuff done (moon in Virgo) provided that it is geared toward a focus on long term structures (Saturn in Capricorn). Mercury will be station direct in just three short days. The changing stream of information should be slowing down now as the integration period begins with Mercury moving direct again. Take this time to accept the challenge and take small meaningful steps toward your long term goals.

The six month cycle of this new moon prompts a status check in early July with the full moon in Sagittarius offering a chance to reflect in on the path we are just now choosing to set foot upon. Set any intentions with this longer cycle in mind.