The last new moon of 2017 will rise, and here’s what it means for your 2018
We did it! We made it through another moon cycle; another cycle of ups and down, twists and turns, and chaotic retrograde energy. Because it’s been a month since the last new moon, you’ve likely noticed the ebb and flow of your own energy during this time. And now, we’re getting ready to enter a new cycle — just in time for the new year. On Sunday, December 17th, we have a new moon in Sagittarius, and our last new moon of the year. New moons are an energetic fresh slate, when we have the chance to discard what no longer serves us. Going forward, we can focus on what we want to grow in the next cycle, up until the full moon and year’s end in two weeks.
This new moon is in the visionary, expansive, and fiery sign of Sagittarius, the archer. Six months ago, in June, marks the last time the moon went through a major phase in Sagittarius, during the Sagittarius Full Moon. We can think back on what we’ve accomplished since then to really take note of what this cycle has meant for us. Have you accomplished what you hoped for? Have you been setting your sights too low? The moon in Sagittarius asks you to tune your heart and soul to the sound of your mission, and then go outward to claim it.
In a week, we welcome the Winter Solstice and a new season, a new cycle in which we can turn inward and listen to what it is that we’re meant to bring to the year ahead. Plus, since today’s new moon is the last of 2017, we have the perfect opportunity to envision what we want to accomplish not only in the next two weeks and upcoming season, but in the next six months and year ahead as well. What is it that you hope to accomplish by June 2018? Now is the time to set your third eye to the sky, to use the big picture vision of the archer to connect the dots and make your wildest dreams come true.
Make an inventory of what you hope to accomplish in the next year.
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Sagittarius is all about travel, knowledge, trying new things, and connecting with other people. If you’ve been dying to visit a new city or try a new class, make it happen in the new year! Take time to write a list of what you want to manifest, being as specific as possible. You can do this in a special setting, lighting candles or incense, putting on some soothing music, and really getting clear about what you want. You can also focus on the types of relationships you want to invest in, new passion projects or hobbies you want to try, or simply how you want to feel in the coming year. When you’re done, you can place this somewhere you can see it, or carry it in your wallet to help charge up your life. You can also light a white or orange candle (for creativity and attraction, respectively), and read your list out loud as you call in abundance this way, putting the list near the candle to charge it with that energy.
Sagittarius is represented by Temperance, a reminder to find balance.
Temperance is the tarot card associated with Sagittarius. In the classic Rider-Waite tarot deck, she’s seen as an angel pouring water from one chalice into the other, with one foot in the water and one on the shore. Temperance speaks of balance, of alchemy and transmutation. It reminds us that balance is key, that having one foot on solid ground is necessary, and that we have the power to change and shift our reality — but first we must slow down to find our footing. This card represents Sagittarius’s journey toward enlightenment, and their goal to merge the philosophical and physical as well as the ethereal and IRL.
If you’ve been neglecting yourself this past year, Temperance is a reminder to self-care and of balance’s importance. You can only give what you have, and you don’t want to give so much that you deplete your own reservoir. Work with this card by meditating on her and her themes, by placing it or a photo of it on your altar, and by remembering that you need balance and self-care, and that that doesn’t make you selfish.
Work with fire opal and clear quartz to hone in on the vibrant new moon energy.
If you want another way to work with the energy of the new moon, you can try working with crystals. Each type will have its own specific energy that you can utilize, and this months prescription’s are fire opal and clear quartz. You can work with crystals by meditating with the stones, putting them in your space, carrying them with you, or by keeping them in your pillow or on your altar.
Fire opal enhances personal power, awakens inner fire, and protects you from danger, which is kind of the whole vibe of 2018, right? This stone helps to encourage change and progress, and can amplify thoughts and feelings while also helping you release feelings of grief and emotions from the past. This stone can help you release what’s holding you back from being the biggest, brightest, and boldest you possible in the next month and year.
Clear quartz is an energetic amplifier and will help you hone in on the energy of other crystals, as well as the energy of what you’re trying to accomplish this next cycle. It helps you access your higher self and tune into your own wisdom, while strengthening this connection and helping raise your energy to the highest level possible.
Celebrate what you’re manifesting with some wish paper.
Wish papers are almost exactly what they sound like, and are absolutely in tune with the energy of this new moon. Wish papers are squares you write your wish upon, roll into a tube, light on fire, and watch burn in a flame. The paper will then lift off and rise as the flame burns out. The idea is that your wish finds its way to the heavens and cosmos to be answered. Not only is this perfect for capturing the elemental nature of fire sign Sagittarius, but wish papers encompass the idea of setting your visions bright for the new year. Gather your coven, and hold space for each other as you make wishes and send them to the stars. Joy is always the answer after all.
This new moon, take some time to be grateful for all you’ve been given. Thank the universe, and bask in the possibility of a better tomorrow. Honor where you are in your process, and know that you have the opportunity to accomplish whatever you want in the new year. May this new moon usher in a new cycle of expansive, beautiful, visionary energy that carries you gracefully into 2018. And so it is!
