The last New Moon of 2021 and a Solar Eclipse arrives.
What’s so special about the Moon and her energies?
I get asked this question on a regular basis. What is it about the Moon that you love? How do you work with it? Is it just a full moon thing? I love talking about this, I love sharing about how to work with Moon energies and how to work with lunar phases. And it's not just about working with the new moon or the full moon, it's just as important that we work with a gibbous moon or quarter moon or a crescent moon. Each phase of the moon brings a different perspective, some of them are high energy times others are more creative times; some of them are reflective, inner journey times; some of them more outward analytical, logical times. The different phases of the moon can help us to understand what's going on, both within us and externally to us as well. I like to think of it as forewarned as to what experiences may arise. I think that's one of the reasons I love working with the moon, because it allows us to look at what's going on for us individually and collectively, to look at our universe, to understand what's happening not just on a personal level but also on a global or even a universal level. My way of working with it is combining my rituals with some astrology, looking at what the different planets or different stars are saying to us, and what those messages could mean.
And remembering always that this is just a guidance, we live on this beautiful planet of free choice. We have the choice of how we want to work, what we want to achieve and what and when we want to do (I realise with some of the things happening around the world that this seems a blinkered way of looking at it, but under universal energies we are supported in having free choice, humans are free to make the choice to take away that right from others, rightly or wrongly, but that’s a political debate best avoided for the purposes of this blog). I love working with Moon energies for the simple reason that it allows me a chance to stop and pause not only to just look at the moon, and just to enjoy the majesty and the beauty that is the moon, but also to enjoy some ritual time. In a creating a crystal grid, working with setting intentions, doing a forgiveness or releasing ritual becomes a really, really powerful thing to do when you incorporate it into your daily life. And if like me you combine it with some astrology you start to look at what the meaning of each moon means and what guidance that reading brings. So, what does that mean for this weekend and the energies around us? Grab a drink, go to the loo, feed the dog, get comfortable, it’s a bit of a long read….
Decembers New Moon Reading
And so we arrive, unbelievably, in the last month of this year making this is our last New Moon of 2021. New moons take place in the zodiac sign that's happening at the time so this one falls under Sagittarius. It’s the one time when both the Moon and the Sun are in the same sign (known as a conjunction). This one rises at 7:43am on the 4th of December and is a Super Moon. It's also a solar eclipse bringing this year’s last eclipse season to a close as well as completing the eclipse season that started back in June 2020, the last eclipse on the Gemini Sagittarius axis.
So, what does it all mean for us?
New Moons are really, fantastic times for doing that inner reflective work. We have this melding of both the inner and the outer worlds going on at the moment, because of that solar eclipse with this new moon.
You might be forgiven for thinking that as this is our last new moon of 2021 you can sit back, relax, and just gently glide into next year. But honestly this new moon offers us such a great chance to effect meaningful change for 2022 through the intentions we set now. There’s still time to do the work (unless of course you’re a really lucky or focused soul who’s done all his/her homework ;-) ) This is a fabulous and important time for doing inner work. We've still got four weeks left, we've got plenty of time to work on ourselves, our dreams, our goals, and our ambitions - if we choose to do so.
And this one is about new starts. New Moons are always about new starts, new beginnings, new opportunities. It's time to think about the last weeks of this year and what you want to create, what you want to start, and, because it's a Sagittarian New Moon, what new ideas, what new learnings do you want to explore? Sagittarius is a fire sign. It's a mutable fire sign. And they like to look at things from a purposeful, enthusiastic, and adventurous way. Sagittarians are explorers, they love exploring new ideas as well as new places. Use the energy of this new moon for setting intentions for new and changed ways of being.
Now Sagittarians are also great lovers of freedom. They hate being restricted or being tied down. With that in mind how you can bring more freedom, more passion, more adventure into your life, as well as into your mindset and your thoughts? Ask yourself questions such as
Where are you feeling restricted or stuck?
Are there any areas in your life that you're not truly showing up in?
What can you shift under a new moon to allow you to begin to express and fulfil your true purpose?
What is it that stopping you?
And can you face it and lean into it, rather than hiding it in a box or not dealing with it?
This New Moon asks us to consider where and how we can bring more freedom into our lives, to be completely honest with ourselves and to face those emotions, to face those beliefs that will help to bring about a greater degree of personal freedom.
Moons in Sagittarius show us clearly what is and what isn't working for us. But they also show us where we're hiding or where we're pretending. It's time to kind of take the mask off and show your face, to reveal yourself not just to others but also to yourself. You know, sometimes we're just as capable of hiding the truth from ourselves as we are from hiding it from other people.
So how can you shine your light? How can you let go of any restrictions or anxieties or indeed any fears about showing up as you?
This is the last lunar cycle of this year. Try and find some time to reflect on the questions listed above before deciding what intentions you want to focus your energy on..
Ponder where this year has taken you. We've got the solar eclipse asking us to look at what the last 18 months have brought us as a planet, as humanity, as a community as well as our individual selves. And then we've got this new moon, which is asking us to look back on the last 12 months, and reflect on where we've grown up, what understandings we've gained, what knowledge we've learned about ourselves, and how we deal with things, what we think about ,where our beliefs are? And has any of this changed? What shifted for you? Where are you feeling more focused, more positive, more dynamic? Has your direction in life changed? I know I certainly have experienced some huge shifts over the last year and the last 18 months personally.
Are you thinking about completely new beginnings? Looking at physically moving rather than internally moving? Sagittarius means freedom lovers, adventurous, they're always on the go because they know there's so much more out there. And sometimes that literally means packing your suitcase and going off travelling. Sometimes it means going on a more spiritual journey.
It's a great Moon for looking at how you want next year to look:
What do you want to achieve in 2022?
What do you hope to build?
What foundations can you put in place now to help you bring those intentions to life?
New Moons are a time for change. They are a time for new beginnings. This one says it's time for new beginnings if you face up to what you've been hiding. Lean into any areas of resistance, question any fears or frustrations that that might rear up. Don't spend your time looking back on the past apart from to reflect on how far you’ve come. It's time to focus on the present. And indeed, look at the future. Don't look back with regret, don't waste energy on regrets. Sagittarius is symbolised by the archer, drawing back his arrow in the bow ready to launch that arrow in the direction that he wants it to fly in.
Ask yourself which direction do you want to fly in?
Where do you want to shoot the arrow?
What do you need to do for you to get there?
New Moons are fantastic for allowing us to plan for the next month. You can dream and envisage anything, it doesn't matter what size it is, how ridiculous it sounds, you can dream as large as you want if you appreciate that in that planning you also need to look at the steps you have to take to manifest your dreams, you can't just go from 0 to 100. You need to work out the steps you have to take along the way to get to 100, formulate your plan and work towards each step.
Lastly not forgetting that lunar energy is all about the goddess, it's all about the feminine side of ourselves, about the feminine side of humanity, about feminine energy full stop. So, it's a time to really, really listen to your emotions, listen to your intuition, and to let them guide you as to your way forward, let them guide you as to your purpose in life.
What does ‘eclipse season’ mean?
Ok, now let's look at this last eclipse taking place on the Gemini - Sagittarius axis. Solar eclipses are concerned with our external views. You might find yourself considering or indeed suddenly facing situations like changing jobs, changing geographical location, moving house, thinking about what affects your life on an external plain, as opposed to a lunar eclipse, which is all about what's going on internally. They're a good opportunity to create positive change, to take action towards creating positive change.
Eclipses used to be seen as the harbingers of doom, a time when the sky went dark, and fear ruled. Now, thankfully we know that eclipses, like most experiences in life end. The light returns and things can be seen clearly again. Eclipse energy is powerful, it’s a catalyst for change. And that change can be sudden and unexpected but always, in the end bringing in a better way of living or being. Eclipses have a way of propelling us forward, especially if we may have been dragging our feet about a particular change. Remaining in a place of comfort is only comfortable for so long, after a time it begins to feel stifling and even boring. Eclipses bring change and the best way to work with them ideally is to get out of our own ways and accept and welcome the changes - not something that comes easily at times, or if it involves painful endings before beginnings.
This Gemini - Sagittarius axis began back in early June 2020. If you think back to where we were, and what was happening with you in June 2020. Here in the UK, we were still in lockdown but heading towards starting to open back up again, we were coming out of that first lockdown which had really taken most people by surprise. There were a lot of different emotions around opening back up again. And Sagittarius is the sign most concerned with freedom. Geminis are intellectual and communicators. This Gemini - Sagittarius axis has been about shining a light on how we communicate, what information we receive, what information and knowledge we share, and what we tell each other within our communities, and about our inner as well as our outer philosophy.
And, as this is the last of the six eclipses that we've had on this axis, it’s a really important chance to look back on those 18 months, what we've learnt about ourselves in that time, but also, because it's a solar eclipse and it's about the external, what we've learned about our community, about our planet, humanity itself, what experiences have we had, what lessons have we learnt? How has your life changed? What are your thoughts and beliefs now compared to what they were back in June 2020? And more than ever, how can we ground that knowledge into our lives permanently. Many of us have said goodbye during this time to loved ones, friends or things that mattered to us, if you haven’t yet allowed yourself to really grieve, to let go of the attachments, now is a good time to work with completing that. Along with many of you I’ve lost family unexpectedly this year as well as a much-loved clinic and business which brought up a lot of emotions to be worked through. It’s never easy to move forwards and work through all those feelings when you simply feel overwhelmed. Rituals and beliefs help us to stay grounded and hold onto what we know during turbulent times. You have my wholehearted support and compassion if you’re still working through the emotions of grief or letting go, acceptance and release.
Moving forward through this new moon period you may find that new realisations occur that are going to show us how much and where we've grown, especially in things like outgrowing old patterns and beliefs. Clearing the way so that we can step forward into the next eclipse axis that started with the full moon in November.
It's an opportunity to make time to really look at what we've learnt, to understand where we've been, what we've come through, how we've changed, and how our community has changed and where things are different.
How to work with new moon energies.
If you’ve worked with lunar energies before you know all about the rituals connected with working with the moon, intention setting and more. If you haven’t, or you’re a little rusty, you can work with this new moon energy, and indeed, the solar eclipse in the following ways:
I like making lists, it satisfies the Virgo in me, and, with this new moon, there are a few lists that you can make. The first is to list all the things that you've achieved this year, the lessons you've learned, the understandings that you've gained, the knowledge that's come through because of the changes that have happened over the year. What actions did you take to gain those achievements?
And then make a second list which highlights the things that you didn't manage to achieve without attaching any feelings of failure or regret. Detail why you didn't achieve them. The aim of this list is to highlight any areas that you've allowed yourself to be restricted in, or areas where maybe you haven't shown up because of fear, because of being worried about what others might think, if the dreams faded or were no longer fitting, or something else happened that overtook the work. I can certainly hold my hands up to that in a number of areas this year where I know I could have stepped forward and done different things and played bigger, been more out there, more visible, but because of situations and other things going on both internally and externally I haven't. The energies support us now in looking back at why, what it was that was stopping us and reaffirm an intention to step into that over the next year or two, let it go and move in a different direction. Ask yourself some of these questions and be honest with yourself without judgement. Remember this is your life and your dreams, no-one else is judging you at all.
It's also time to start thinking about next year, so start making notes about what you want next year to look like, how it feels thinking about stepping into next year. What are your thoughts and feelings about the energy of 2022? And about what you want to achieve. Where do you want to aim that arrow? What direction do you want to go in. What dreams are calling you?
And then of course, one of the really, important things to do with a new moon is to create your intentions. What do you want to create/aim for this month? One of the most powerful things to do when you set intentions (once you've written them, drawn, or doodled them) is to sit with them, close your eyes. Really, really think about what those intentions feel like, allow yourself to visualise and feel those intentions within. Feel them as if they'd already manifested, what would it feel like to have that thing you're dreaming of, to have achieved that goal you're aiming for? And to sit and to really, really feel it and set those intentions into your energy now.
Remembering that manifesting means that you need to itemise the steps you need to take, make a plan as to how you’re going achieve those dreams. Another really nice thing to do is to focus your intention on those wishes daily, the more attention you give something, the more energy around it grows, and the more chances you have to actually be a manifestor, to be a co-creator in your own life.
Affirmations. Affirmations are positive statement that carry a huge amount of power in them. They focus our minds, change our mindset. Think about what affirmations you can create and take some time over this. Don't just rush this, think about the actual words that you use, the language you use. Words carry power, they can harm or heal. Choose your words wisely as you’re repeating these statements and taking that energy within to effect change. What affirmations can you create to help bring those intentions to you? And then use them daily. Write them out daily, or speak them out loud, one thing that I've said to many people over the years is to put an affirmation on a post it note and stick it to a mirror that you would look in every day. I remember once talking and she said she wrote in a mirror on lipstick what her affirmation was, so that every time she looked at it, she saw it and spoke it. Whatever way you want to do it, have a practice that allows you to write out or speak those affirmations daily. And again, then you're giving energy to what it is you want to create, and really committing to those wishes. Commit to your intentions.
And because it is still eclipse season, we're dealing with those wonderful Sagittarian energies which are asking us to look at some of those bigger questions. Make sure you do some grounding work so that it helps with any emotions that might be coming up for you, get outside on the earth, use some grounding crystals, chant, use an aura spray, visualise roots from your feet growing deep into Mother Earth. Do your grounding work, breathe into your body, breathe into your feet, bring your energy right down so that you're firmly connected to the earth.
Crystals for a New Moon in Sagittarius
One of the things that I absolutely love to do when working with Lunar energy is use crystals. These are my recommendations for this New Moon Solar Eclipse.
Jade, which helps with forgiveness, releasing negative habits and past thoughts.
Amethyst, which helps us to hold focus on our dreams, and also helps us to merge those dreams both into our hearts and into our heads.
Charoite which is a beautiful lilac/purple stone. And that's great for helping us to reflect on the last year, and also on what we've learned from the last year. Reflecting on our past might seem like a waste of time sometimes, but it actually allows us to see how and where all the pieces of the jigsaw have come together.
Green Aventurine. A great stone of opportunity and attracts good fortune. And it allows us to be open to receiving.
Citrine, which I’ve included quite a lot recently, is the stone of abundance but it's also another one for good luck, for fortune.
Turquoise. I like to include turquoise when we're working with Sagittarian energies because it is the stone of the traveller, it protects the traveller, and it also offers wisdom. So, it's not just about protecting you when you're travelling physically, but it will attract protect you if you're doing a spiritual journey as well.
And then lastly, one thing to note under this new moon is you might notice that opportunities that you've bypassed previously, are coming back around now, for you to look at again. Above all enjoy working with the new moon energies, set your intentions, look at where you've been, do some of that inner work, that reflective inner work that's so beautiful and helps us to move forward in such a meaningful way.
When you’re creating your grids or your altars come and share with me what your thoughts are, what your experiences have been. Share photos of your grids and crystals. Have fun with it too.
Take care, go gently with the eclipse energies and moon blessings,
Heather